eatshowandtell » Sydney, CBD

Cloudy Bay Wine Dinner, Glass Brasserie, Sydney CBD

Minh — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:55:42 +0000

It’s 6pm on a weekday and the sun has just set, I’m currently stepping into an elevator right off the middle of George St to be taken directly up into the glassy cavern that is Glass Brasserie, the flagship restaurant of Sydney’s Hilton hotel. I’m here tonight for the Cloudy Bay Wine Dinner – a 5 course dinner designed by Luke Mangan to showcase the upcoming wines from Cloudy Bay, one of New Zealand’s top wineries.

There’s a feeling of decadence that comes over me as the doors of the elevator opens, it’s rather easy to be impressed by the lavish furnishings of Glass Brasserie. The interior design of the restaurant is all concentrated around showcasing the impressive wine collection, while providing small intimate areas for the diners. Not an easy task in a space where the ceiling is easily 30 meters high, but the combination of dim and concentrated lighting as well as the contrast of timber and glass creates an almost comfortable atmosphere.

Glass Brassiere Interior

The first thing that catches my eye is the multi-storied racks of wine behind the bar, fit-out in a sedate timber finish they tower up behind the bar for a good 20-30m with wine bottles gently lit from behind all the way up to the ceiling (top left image). Somewhat doubtfully I ask if the bottles are for show and am reassured that it is indeed a real wine rack, staff members are hooked up to safety harnesses and winched up the stacks to retrieve bottles.

I’m not surprised that I’m so enamoured of the interior decorating, Glass Brasserie shares the same designer (Tony Chi) as Zeta Bar, one of the most gorgeous bars I’ve had the fun of photographing.

The diners awaiting their meal

It’s a relaxed atmosphere tonight, the guests are mingling around the tables sipping on glasses of Cloudy Bay Blanc de Blancs, it’s a light bubbly concoction which is easily going to my head. Cloudy Bay Winemaker Sarah Burton is the guest of honour tonight, a small snafu with the microphone system has our table tapping all of our wine glasses in unison to get the attention of all the diners tonight. Sarah is a nervous but passionate speaker, her pride in her wines is clear as she speaks introducing each of the wines we’ll be tasting tonight.

Salmon Gravlax, Dill crème fraiche, beetroot, egg dressing & melba toast

Our entrée is a beautiful array of orange, yellow and red scattered about the plate. The salmon is sliced almost thin enough to become translucent and paired with the sweet squares of beetroot and savory creme fraiche is a refreshing start to the start. The melba toast is a strange condiment on the plate, the toasted slices are a little too crunchy making them awkward to eat with the salmon and I end up abandoning them on the side of my plate.

Paired Wine: 2008 Cloudy Bay Pinot Gris – The style is best described as a true expression of the variety with aromas of pear and mandarin, abundant flavour and texture, and a touch of residual sweetness.

Tempura Spencer Gulf Prawns, Thai style salad, tamarind dressing

I adore anything with a Tamarind flavour and have seeing the Prawns on the menu it’s easily my most easily anticipated dish for the night. The prawns arrive in a beautifully arranged haystack of greens and prawn, all encompassed by a ring of sauce, the batter is done to perfection and is lightly crunchy while taking away none of the delicate flavour of the prawns.

Paired wine: 2006 Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer – A distinctive style, first made in 1997 from a trial block planted at Cloudy Bay to assess the suitability of various clones of gewurztraminer in Marlborough. Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer is aluscious, textural wine made from very ripe, hand harvested grapesgrown at the Mustang Vineyard in the Brancott Valley.

Roasted Duck Breast With Honey & Lavender, Peas

Our meal progresses by moving onto the red meats, it’s been a relatively light meal so far but the Roasted Duck breast is enough to put a sigh of satisfaction into anyone. The generously portioned slices of duck are cooked to a perfect texture, easily coming apart at the touch of a butter knife and is presented simply enough with Peas in a honey sweetened sauce. It’s proof that a dish can be placed out with only a few condiments and still be memorable.

Paired wine: 2008 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir - Cropped at very low levels from prime Marlborough vineyard sites, Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir is rich in regional fruit character. Typically it has an intensely varietal palate that reveals layers of dark red fruits, savoury dried herbs, charry oak and silky tannins.

Petit tarte tatin

Surprisingly, by the end of the Duck dish my stomach is ready to call it quits for the night but the arrival of the Tarte Tatin lays those plans to rest. Our plates with the naked Tatin are placed on our table only to be smothered in a rich creamy sauce which smothers the entire dish, ice-cream and all. It is at its heart, a decadent apple pie and on this chilly winter night is exactly what I’ve been craving.

Paired wine: Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling - A limited release wine first made in 1989 and since only in the vintages when optimum conditions prevail. Sapped almost dry bythe botrytis fungus, individual bunches are selected and hand-picked from bare canes in late autumn. The style is lusciously sweet and fruity with a crisp natural acidity that balances the sweetness and gives the palate length and freshness on the finish.

The view from within the glass

We’re left to finish off the night with tea or coffee as well as petit fours. It’s been an interesting night of food and conversation, with topics whirling from Masterchef to the travesty that is the Twilight series. The diners despite being strangers at the beginning of the night have warmed to one another after a few glasses of wine and even as I’m leaving there are still tables of diners chatting away.

Eat Show & Tell dined as a guest of Hilton Hotel.

Glass Brasserie
Level 2, 488 George St
Ph: (02) 9265 6068
Web: http://www.glassbrasserie.com.au/

Element Bistro, Sydney

squishies — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:00:09 +0000

Although I’m quite slack in organising a catch up with my friends, I somehow managed to find a day that everyone was free and a day I actually had some money (damn snow! Why are you so expensive?!).

I was a bit at a loss to where we should eat, but then inspiration struck me.

M took me here one night last year and I remember the atmosphere of the restaurant being really cosy and eating wonderfully delicious food that grabbed my attention despite how much of a sad sack I was that night. I also remember thinking, “I have to come back and blog about this one day… when I’m not so emo”.

I just didn’t realise it would take me so long. Haha.

Ocean Trout Fish Cake with Remoulade Sauce ($18)

(...)
Read the rest of Element Bistro, Sydney (599 words)

Guillaume at Bennelong, Circular Quay

squishies — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:26:49 +0000

We’ve heard quite a few friends singing their praises about the food at Guillaume at Bennelong, one of whom is a chef (I thought, if anything, that carries some weight). So on a total whim (despite having numerous of snow trips planned) we thought, “What the hey, why not try it out?”

I’ve always wondered what restaurant was situated in the Opera House itself, where the brown-tinted glass allowed both inside and outside parties to view each other – like a fish bowl, but with more angles… and with an enormous sail on top. When we arrived at the top of the stairs, it struck us quite suddenly that we did not know how to get into the restaurant.

We circled around once, trying not to peer into the glass windows in an attempt to see if we could spot the entrance from the outside. Feeling a bit ridiculous, I thought perhaps we should see if we could enter the restaurant from underneath.

Bingo! We managed to stumble into an elevator that took us up to the floor, where taking a sharp right took us through a narrow vestibule – its walls decorated with Guillaume’s achievements and awards. Being suitably impressed and awed, we stepped further into Guillaume’s domain and were quickly seated.

Guillaume at Bennelong

(...)
Read the rest of Guillaume at Bennelong, Circular Quay (1,473 words)

Löwenbräu Keller, The Rocks

squishies — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:19:14 +0000

The first I ever heard of “Christmas in July” was a couple of years back and thought it was such a daft concept.

However, once it had some time to sink in, I thought that maybe it wasn’t such a daft idea after all. I mean, it would mean there would be two Christmases in the one year… that’s two sets of presents!!

Well no, not quite (as I found out), but it is definitely another excuse to stuff ourselves with food that would make us forget about the chilly temperature not at all helped with an equally chilly wind.

And that’s how we all came about to Löwenbräu Keller to taste-test their perfect-for-winter dishes.

Garlic Bread

The garlic bread came out first, thick and dripping with melted butter. I don’t know if you were supposed to, but I ended up dipping my slice into my mushroom soup. Bliss.

Mushroom Soup

My eyes goggled when the soup bowls came out – it was huge! The soup was super creamy and it made think of Minh: she would have totally loved it!

Great big plates and Short Logs of Wood... all part of your everyday dinner table

The now-empty bowls were replaced by even larger plates… and oddly enough, stumpy logs too. We looked at each other and giggled, perhaps inappropriately.

Venison Stew with Sauteed Mushrooms and Servietten knoedel steamed bread dumplings

The venison stew was hearty and delicious with a generous helping of mushrooms and steamed bread dumplings.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Mashed Potato

The lamb shanks were quite tender and flavoursome, made even better by sitting on a massive bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

Franziskaner Bier Goulash

I quite liked the goulash with its tender beef cubes and crunchy deep-fried onions.

Slow Roast Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potato and Sauerkraut

The meat from the short ribs was wonderfully tender and simply fell off the bone when we cut into it. I realised that I’ve missed the combination of beef, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes… sooooo scrumptious!

Wine Marinated Slow Braised Beef Cheeks with Mashed Potato

The slow braised beef cheeks were incredibly succulent and soft; it was a sure hit with everyone at the table.

I was quite gleeful with the large portions of mashed potatoes on each of the plates, which meant there were more to share around… and on my plate! Hehe.

Garden Salad

I always am glad for the obligatory garden salad that accompanies such hearty dishes, as it never fails to bring a refreshing component to the meal.

Schweinshaxn - Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle with Sauerkraut and Mashed Potato

If all those special Christmas in July dishes weren’t enough, we also ordered the pork knuckle. Yum yum.

Eeep!

Chocolatesuze was kind enough to divvy up the goods. Teehee

Some time during the dinner and the night’s hilarious entertainment, several rounds of delicious schnapps were ordered. Always being the default designated driver ever since I earned my license meant that my alcohol tolerance isn’t as… hmm, robust?… as most people’s. Which meant I was quite merry during the night and may have been tipsy-texting. Oops.

Heheh

Darcie and Chocolatesuze volunteered to be part of the cow-bell rendition of Edelweiss, while Lisa came a close second in the (alcohol-free) beer skulling competition!

Marco Jacobs, Head Chef

I felt quite honoured that we got to meet both the executive and head chef of Löwenbräu Keller, who popped out from their busy kitchen to briefly greet us.

Lowenbrau Kaiserschmarrn with Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

As our massive dessert plate came to the table, most if not all of our eyes lit up. We were informed by Marco that it’s Bavarian-style pancakes with rum raisins and honey, served with a cup of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon. The pancakes on its own was a bit dry (I would have personally loved to have more honey on mine), but with the cinnamon on vanilla ice cream – it was the perfect way to end such a hearty and robust dinner.

Christmas in July at Löwenbräu Keller has a couple of different traditional speciality dishes each week with the Kaiserschmarrn, soup of the day, Gluehwein and Alte Witte available throughout the month.

Eat Show & Tell was a guest of Zing Australia and Löwenbräu Keller.

Löwenbräu Keller
Corner of Playfair & Argyle Streets
The Rocks, NSW, 2000,
Ph: (02) 9247 7785
Web: http://www.lowenbrau.com.au/

Zeta Bar – Winter Concept, Hilton Hotel, Sydney

Minh — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 05:27:04 +0000

Zeta Bar and it’s winter concept have drawn me out on a Friday night, it’s undeniably wintertime – it’s been drizzling all day and the skies are black by 5pm. I am without a doubt a summer girl, it’s the season I was born in and there’s nothing that I love more than a hot summers day. When it comes to winter I’m like a bear, preferring to hibernate in my warm bed trying to deny that yes, winter is back yet again.

Stepping into Zeta Bar I immediately remember just how much I adore the interior designing. It’s a space not afraid of dark rooms and bright lights, intimate curtained areas alongside a brightly lit bar. It’s only 6pm but the bar is packed with the corporate crowd who have come out to play after work, drawn by the drinks and more importantly, dry setting.

Zeta’s winter concept is inspired by the European style of celebrating winter – mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, hot toddies and even roasted marshmallows are all on offer at the bar. I take a moment to try some of the mulled wine, it’s been spiced with cinnamon and orange zest, the scent is intoxicating and the resulting wine is sweet to the tongue, with hits of spice towards the end. It’s a addicting drink, at first I’m not quite sure what to think but before I realise, my entire glass is empty.

(...)
Read the rest of Zeta Bar – Winter Concept, Hilton Hotel, Sydney (337 words)

Kansai, Wynyard

squishies — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:25:18 +0000

Missing out on a veritable feast of all-you-can-eat ribs and whatnot at Cafe Ish made me terribly sad and somehow during my bemoaning of such misfortune, I ended up at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in the CBD with Ffichiban and Ninja.

Unlike me, they both were dutiful and timely bloggers and have already posted up their take on Kansai. My bad – I actually have no excuse really and it’s all really a bit of a mystery why this hasn’t gone up earlier.

Kansai offers an all-you-can-eat dinner for $28 per person (excludes hotpot and sashimi, or $18 for kids) or $38 per person (includes hotpot and sashimi, or $28 for kids). We figured with such an extensive menu, we could do without the hotpot and sashimi and opted for the $28 all-you-can-eat.

Agedashi Tofu

The agedashi tofu wasn’t too bad, being a bit more firm than expect and slightly chewy, but the sauce saved it.

Gyoza

I had to laugh when I saw the gyoza, as it reminded me of my shock on seeing just how big the Korean dumplings I had at CeCe’s were; these gyozas were a lot bigger than I’m used to seeing… and more deep-fried. Though I can’t complain, they were crisp and tasted quite decent.

Salmon Skin Roll (Grilled Salmon Skin and Cream Cheese); Volcano Roll (Crabmeat, Cucumber and Avocado filling topped with Baked Salmon, Tobiko, Spicy Sauce and Mayonnaise)

I have a bit of a love-hate thing with salmon skin: I love the crispy texture, but its slight fishiness puts me off a bit. However, the addition of cream cheese pushes me more towards liking it, as I think it helps cuts through the fishy flavour.

My worry that the volcano roll would be a bit too spicy for me was unfounded as the “spicy sauce” was merely a mild sweet chilli sauce. While I rejoiced, Ffichiban lamented on the (almost non-existent) heat. Though to be honest, with such a name, one would expect to see an explosion of flavour or heat, so I can see where he’s coming from. I really enjoyed its creaminess and crunchiness topped off a hint of spiciness (for me anyway, I don’t think the guys even experienced any heat! Haha).

Chicken Karaage

When Ffichiban ordered the karaage, he chortled at Ninja’s obvious discomfort and I hoped Ninja wouldn’t cave into the temptation of chowing down these crispy morsels. I felt slightly bad for eating them, but they were rather good and I couldn’t help but assist Ffichiban in polishing them off.

Yakitori

The guys absolutely adored this dish and ordered it several times! I can’t say that I was immune to its deliciousness and suspect that its addictive nature lies in that amazing yakitori sauce liberally drenching succulent chicken pieces.

Soft Shell Crab, Scallop Tempura and Spicy Tuna Handroll

Salmon Roe, Scallops, Scampi and Salmon Sushi

The handrolls and sushi seemed to have more rice than filling and the fillings we had weren’t too bad, but it also wasn’t that great either. I think subconsciously, we all moved onto better things on the menu. Except for the scampi, that is; the guys seemed to be really taken with it and was the only sushi that was re-ordered.

Tonkatsu

Deep-fried, crispy, succulent pork – I don’t think you just can go wrong with Tonkatsu! And I think to make up for not being able to eat the kaarage, Ninja ate this with gusto.

Dragon Roll (Avocado and Deep Fried Prawn Filling with Eel, Tobiko and Kansai Eel Sauce) and Rainbow Roll (Crabmeat, Cucumber and Avocado filling topped with Seasonal Sashimi)

Contrary to Ninja’s description of my reaction to both dishes when I first clapped eyes on them, I did not squeal – I oooh’ed. With such colour and decorativeness, you can’t help but appreciate! Both were really delicious and I wished I had a bigger stomach… or four to fit more of them in.

Italian Roll (Crabmeat, Cucumber and Avocado filling topped with grilled Mozzerella Cheese, Spicy Sauce and Mayonnaise) and Salmon Skin Roll (Grilled Salmon Skin and Cream Cheese)

The Italian roll was something I haven’t seen before and glad that I didn’t have to beg the guys to order it. They seemed a bit hesitant because it sounded so strange, but that was the very reason why I wanted to try it!

The grilled cheese really added a different dimension to the roll in a very scrumptious way, as well as the roll being wholly warm. We all wanted to order another Italian roll, but by this stage, I think we were completely and utterly stuffed.

Putting aside that I find it odd that there is a restaurant open at night in the Hunter Connection (right by the escalator heading towards Hunter Street) when everything else is closed, it is definitely a “cheap and cheerful” place with friendly and quite attentive staff. The food comes out with little delay and while the quality varied with each dish, I thought there were more hits than misses. I think if I ever feel the need for all-you-can-eat sushi, I’ll be sure to come back.

Rolling out the door, and despite how full we were feeling, we went looking for a place to have dessert. Deciding against Lindt at Cockle Bay for its distance, we found ourselves at Max Brenner located in the Metcentre just around the corner from Kansai.

Dark and Milk Italian Thick Hot Chocolate ($6)

The chilly night made me yearn for something hot and also wanting something sweet after dinner, the Italian thick hot chocolate really hit the spot. Ffichiban told me that he likes getting the dark version over the milk because the milk tend to get overly sweet after a while. I thought I’d get the milk hot chocolate anyway as I prefer milk to dark chocolate (blasphemy I know to those who don’t think milk chocolate is proper chocolate). He was right though – halfway through, I found myself needing a glass of water to combat the cloying sweetness; the thickness of the hot chocolate didn’t help things much, but oh! It was wonderfully scrumptious at first. Next time I’ll get the dark version, as I felt terrible not being able to finish my drink.

Chocolate Souffle ($10)

We all wanted something sweet to eat as well, but none of us had space for a dessert alone – so we opted to share a dish: chocolate soufflé with an oozing chocolate-y centre. Oh! It was absolute bliss and we easily polished it off, leaving only chocolate sauce scrapings on the plate.

We definitely rolled home after that. I was so full I thought I was going to pass out on the way home! I think that will teach me to try and keep up with the guys. Tsk.

Kansai
Shop B1, Hunter Connection
7-13 Hunter Street
Ph: (02) 9231 5544
Web: www.kansai.com.au/

Max Brenner
Shop MG 24, Metcentre,
273 George Street, Sydney, NSW
Ph: (02) 9251 7788
Web: www.maxbrenner.com.au/

Bar-Be School, a day out of the office

Howard — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:10:06 +0000

Having worked in a few companies over the years, I’ve been through a fair few team events. They range anything from lunch down at the pub or the severely overdone afternoon of lawn bowls.

One thing I will admit is that I can imagine how difficult it is to organise team events especially for big project teams. It’s hard enough trying to organise lunch when you have a vegetarian in the group, let alone trying to find something which would appeal to 20 to 30 members of a project team.

It’s great to have a team off site now and then. When we are on projects, we often lose sight of the importance of taking time out and getting to know a bit more about our team members. We are so fixated on getting our deliverables completed on time or fending off office politics, that we sometimes don’t even know what the guy sitting five levels down does apart from write good requirements documents.(...)
Read the rest of Bar-Be School, a day out of the office (330 words)

Thanon Khao San, Haymarket

squishies — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:07:22 +0000

Minh and I walked past this restaurant a while ago and was drawn to its decor that was complete with a tuk-tuk! We agreed that we had to try it out, especially since the space was previously occupied by the pretty decent I-San, and promptly hit Ho’s Kitchen for some delicious warm egg tart.

We dined here the night before she was to leave for her Malaysia trip with Helen, Billy and Simon and embarrassingly I am only blogging about it now because I didn’t know the name of this restaurant. I thought calling it “That-Thai-Place-Next-To-Sukjai-Thai is a bit mean and not very helpful.

Mind you, I did try to Google for it and looked on Eatability, but got nowhere. I even tried to Google its address. I really did try!! Ironically enough, searching for it now with its name brings up quite a few Google hits with its address too! Bah, why didn’t it find that in the first place!?

But I digress…

Kiew Tod Khai - Deep Fried Wonton filled with Quail Egg served in Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce ($5)

As soon as Minh saw “quail egg” with “wonton” in the same sentence on the menu, she pounced on dish. I was intrigued to see how it would turn out and shouldn’t have been too surprised to see exactly that: deep fried wonton skin wrapped around a whole, boiled quail egg.(...)
Read the rest of Thanon Khao San, Haymarket (371 words)

Sukjai Thai, Haymarket

Minh — Sun, 02 May 2010 14:00:37 +0000

When I’m out in the city on a Friday night looking for somewhere quick to eat, there’s really only two options available in my mind – Korean or Thai. With the cold snap in the past few days I’ve rather overindulged myself with Korean soups and find myself hankering for something chili and sour. Chat Thai has been ruling for a while, but it’s got some competition coming up with the newly opened Sukjai.

Walking towards Sukjai, I realise it’s not alone, the shop next door (previous home to the now defunct I-San) is also a newly opened Thai restaurant complete with Tuk Tuk in the doorway. Torn I let my blogger instincts guide me and choose Sukjai for its better lighting and funky paintings. We’ve come pretty early in the night and are led straight to an empty table, looking around I’m immediately charmed by the mismatched chairs, crazy artwork and yes, the Airplane painted on the opposite wall.

Sukjai Interior

(...)
Read the rest of Sukjai Thai, Haymarket (781 words)

Celebration of Chardonnay, Park Hyatt

Minh — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:00:38 +0000

If there’s one thing I know about wine it’s that there’s an entire world of wine knowledge out there that I have absolutely no idea of. I’ve a terrible palate, a weakness for sweet candy like wines and couldn’t tell the difference between a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. We’ve been invited to a Celebration for Chardonnay at the Park Hyatt and I think it’s time I’ve broaden my horizons a little with a little wine variety.

Like many girls I suspect, I’ve dipped my toe into the wine world slowly starting from cloying sweet dessert wines to the tamer Reislings but have always avoided the more ‘Adult’ Chardonnay associating it with the overtly heavy tasting white wines my parents were always drinking. I’m happy to say that the selection of wines presented with dinner have put me opened the Chardonnay door just that little bit more for me.

Left: Seppelt Salinger Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2006, Right: Anna Pooley

Anna Pooley is our hostess tonight and she’s clearly passionate about wines. It’s interesting hearing her talk about wines coming in and out of fashion, with the Chardonnay peak occurring back in the 90′s and how just like fashion IT’S BACK! Things start off easily enough with a flute of bubbly, the carbonate makes my nose tickle but it’s subtle enough for me to enjoy its lightness.(...)
Read the rest of Celebration of Chardonnay, Park Hyatt (822 words)

Restaurant Arras, Walsh Bay

Howard — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:50:36 +0000

It’s been a few months since I’ve had a decent meal at a nice restaurant. My recent trip to Japan and Hong Kong sent me broke and quite frankly I just got sick of eating degustations and modern interpretations of French food. I went back to eating at my local restaurants, big bowls of soup noodles and big plates of crispy fried pork with combination fried rice. Sometimes, this type of food hits the spot just as well as an exquisite meal at a hatted restaurant or the like.

However, It was Linda’s birthday recently and we were on the lookout of trying something new and out of the ordinary. I read about Restaurant Arras on Good Living as well as another blog and it looked like the type of restaurant I was after. A restaurant which did more than Modern French and which stretched the boundaries a bit. Another bonus for me was the relatively quiet surroundings of Walsh Bay, it’s a nice area of the Sydney CBD just a few minutes from the Rocks.

Restaurant Arras is considered a Modern British restaurant, with many of dishes having an English background but a modern interpretation. It’s a refreshing change and I’m genuinely excited about what is to come.

As usual we opt for the degustation. Linda has started a no meat diet recently, so she gets the seafood substitutions for her portions. There are quite a few photos, so I’m going to try and keep the content short and sweet. I see this as more of a photo centric view of the restaurant, so people who search for Restaurant Arras and end up at our blog can see what they can expect if they were to dine there. You can only imagine so much from a menu, since it only has the creative names for the dishes rather than what the contents of them are. Feel free to read Good Living and Gourmet Traveller for a ‘professional’ opinion.

As soon as we are seated we are given a bowl of bread crisps, house made and of various flavours. My favourite would be the fennel seeds, but the poppy seed and caraway seed ones weren’t too bad either. I found the crisps a nice gesture, it gave us time to have a snack while taking our time mulling over the menu. I don’t see this often at Restaurants in Sydney, it’s a refreshing change.

Amuse Bouche

The amuse bouche looks very delicate and refreshing. It’s a relief that it isn’t an oyster, I’m not a big of Oyster’s as a starter. This however contains fragrant crab and smooth avocado in the form of consomme. It’s light but flavourful, with the micro herbs ensuring I keep my five vegetables a day intake intact.

Entrees – Mains

The raw and the cooked

This dish was a feast on the eyes, a dazzling array of colours and textures which kept me fixated for a good moment. It’s a salad which is focussed on copious amounts of vegetables and micro herbs. There is a mixture of puree and pickled vegetable, edible flowers, tiny peas … you name it and it has it. What made this dish so good was all the contrasting texture, from the smoothness of the puree to the crunch of the peas.

Left to right : Smoked, roast & dressed, Quinoa Kedgeree, A Pickled Onion, Birds of a feather

The first dish was good, but I found the sardines to be a little too ‘fishy’. However, I then ate all the ingredients together and it tasted a lot better, which I am sure is what the Chef intended. There is a piece of thin crisp fennel on the top and roasted peanuts scattered around. Out of the four dishes above my favourite would be the second one, the Quinoa Kedgeree. Kedgeree is a traditional English breakfast with influences from India. Instead of normal eggs and flaked fish, the clever Adam Murphy substitutes it with quail egg and smoked eel. Everything here just works in unison, and I can see how it historically became a breakfast dish.

Third and Fourth dishes were the Pickled Onion and Birds of a Feather. The picked onion was a slow roasted whole onion, to the extent where it tastes almost like a paste or a jam. It’s surprisingly sweet but a bit heavy. The horseradish creme and honey walnuts flank the onion and complement this unique dish perfectly. Birds of a Feather is a three-piece terrine, but I can’t remember exactly what is made out of.

Left to right : St Clements Duck, Vegetarian substitute

As you can probably see, the duck was cooked perfectly and very tender. The duck itself isn’t seasoned with any specific, with the scattering of side sauces doing the flavour work. I can’t remember exactly what sits beneath the duck, it wasn’t potato. Linda had the vego substitute which looked just as good , if not better than my duck dish. The highlight for her was the baby prawns on the side with the avocado puree in the cone.

This was another vego substitute but it was a fantastic one. More often than not, the vego substitute dishes at restaurants are not as good as their marquee dishes. But it’s fair to say that Arras keeps all types of diets happy. Sitting on a bed of lentils is the spiced mulloway and a rye crisp type of thing. The mulloway was soft and flakey with the crust having great flavour and a crunchy texture. The lentils originally came with bacon, but once the waiter realised this he came back with a small pot of lentils without bacon in them. A nice gesture I thought, without having to take the entire dish back to the kitchen.

Slow cooked lamb, Lavender & Honey sweetbreads

By this stage my stomach is saying ‘please no more’ but my knife and fork has other ideas. It’s probably a good thing that this dish is quite small, but the quality of what is on the plate is awesome. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted lamb this good, so tender and flavoursome.

Dessert

Left to right : Pre dessert, Coulant au Chocolat - Michel Bras (additional cost)

If the meal was to stop here I’d still walk out a very happy customer. But of course, no meal is complete without dessert. When the pre-dessert came out I thought it was the dessert itself. Not only were the portions generous, but the contents of it was good enough to be a normal dessert itself. There was apple crumble, bits of jam, ice cream and sorbet.

We also ordered an extra dessert on the side to go with the main dessert which you will see below since Linda loves chocolate. It’s a chocolate fondant at it’s best, gooey and creamy chocolate inside a slightly crunchy pudding. A scoop of creamy ice cream on top makes this my favourite dessert of the night.

An Adolescent Breakfast

This is another clever name for a dish, the adolescent breakfast. The presentation here is creative and fun, especially the tooth paste tube filled with cream. It’s been a while since I’ve had the dinner so naturally I forgot what kind of cake it was, but it contained caramel and chocolate. Up top was something which I think is meant to resembled yoghurt crumble, but instead of yoghurt a vanilla sorbet was used. I love the idea of the tooth paste tube for the cream, it’s very creative and it’s nice to see a Sydney restaurant cross the borders of art and food.

Left to right : honey comb from the petit fours slab

Now not only is my stomach telling me to stop eating, but my mind is in defensive mode too. I can’t possibly fit any more food in my stomach but I do remember reading about the legendary petit fours ‘slab’. From the corner of my eye I could see the waiter walking with the massive slab of treats, he looked like a pretty fit man but even this was giving his arms an ever so slight work out. These petit fours are nothing I have ever seen in Sydney, it’s like walking into a lollie shop as a kid and not knowing what to buy. The only difference here is that you can pick whatever and as much as you want. Off the top of my head there were chocolates, caramel chews, jellies, coconut balls, honeycomb and maybe even a shortbread somewhere. The petit fours alone are something I am going to look forward to the next time I dine at Restaurant Arras, which I hope is in the near future.

I’ve only dined here once but Restaurant Arras is up there with my favourite restaurants right now. The food is inventive and creative but you can still see the traditional British influences. The restaurant is in a nice location away from the hustle and bustle of the city and it seems the Chef is quite passionate about his food and the aesthetics of his restaurant. From the crisp breads once we were seated and to the epic array of petit fours, this is what I call a meal which is an end to end success. It’s received it’s One Hat and rightly so, there is only one way up for these guys I suspect.

Restaurant Arras

24 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay NSW
(02) 9252 6285
www.restaurant-arras.com.au

Tomislav, Darlinghurst

Minh — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:10:44 +0000

It’s a week of farewells as we’re waving off our Teresa before she heads off to the Big Apple, in true es&t style we take it in our stride and use it as an excuse to eat, drink and of course be merry! The first stop on our itinerary is Tomislav, a relatively new Bistro which has opened across from the main King’s Cross strip, we’re drawn here by the reputation of Tomislav Martinovic and by rumour of his Heston Blumenthal inspired cookery.

The Tomislav signage is so subtle that we don’t realise we’ve been staring at the restaurant for at least 2 minutes while waiting for the lights to change. Stepping inside I take a moment to appreciate the decor of the natural red and orange painting adorning the wall which offsets the almost industrial like look of the rest of the restaurant. There’s a surprisingly great fantastic of the iconic Coke sign as well as the Harbour Bridge and I’m briefly envious of the diners seated on the balcony tables, however a quick gust of wind quickly resolves me of this envy.

Tomislav Interior

There are 4 of us at the table tonight and ordering dinner is simple affair with 4-5 dishes offered for each of the 3 suggested courses, between us I’m relatively certain that we’re managed to order about 80% of the menu! Our waiter is a champion and takes it all in stride handling the order like a pro.

Tomislav Martinovic

The restaurant is actually much smaller than I had thought it would be, a full side of the interior is taken up by the bar and open kitchen and our seats give us a fantastic view of the chefs as they put on the final touches to each of the dishes. I love having the opportunity to see Tomislav Martinovic work, he has a swift hand when cooking and it’s almost gruffly that he calls out, ‘Service!’ upon completing each dish.

(...)
Read the rest of Tomislav, Darlinghurst (1,420 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Fat Noodle Launch, Star City, Pyrmont

Minh — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:15:15 +0000

There’s something which is so decadently appealing about casinos, it’s been a while since I’ve set foot in Star City Casino (appropriately not since my 7 Sins lunch at Sean’s Kitchen). Stepping inside the main doors we’re greeted by beautiful women in Chinese dresses, all set to the accompanying jangle of the slot machines. I think we’re in the right place for the launch of Fat Noodle.

Luke Nguyen is the consulting chef behind Fat Noodle, he is of course the chef behind the ever popular Red Lantern restaurant in Surry Hills as well as the series, Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam which recently aired on SBS. I’ll admit that I’ve kept an eye on this chef, a first generation Vietnamese Australian I’m proud to see a follow Vietnamese person go well and bought the Red Lantern cookbook last year wanting to get a little more in touch with the type of food I ate growing up.

Chefs confirming orders at the Open Kitchen

(...)
Read the rest of Fat Noodle Launch, Star City, Pyrmont (908 words)

Bilson’s Restaurant, Sydney

squishies — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:11:34 +0000

As you may recall in my previous post, F was super bored and picked out 3 restaurants to visit so as to make full use of my Entertainment Card. This was the second restaurant on his list.

We were given what seemed to be A3-sized menus (they were huge!) and spent some time trying to decide which set to order. There was the Fine Gueule 3-course set for $120 where you get to select each course from quite a few dishes, or there was the Fin Bec 7-course degustation set for $135… or the Fine Bouche 10-course degustation set for $165. We thought the Fin Bec degustation would be enough to showcase what Bilson’s have to offer (and would be more financially sensible), but we couldn’t resist the extra dishes in the Fine Bouche degustation. Well, to be honest, I think the fact scallops featured in the set kind of cinched it for us. We’re so terrible.

Amuse Bouche - Blue Swimmer Crab, Grape, Verjus Jelly, Almond Cream

(...)
Read the rest of Bilson’s Restaurant, Sydney (2,204 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, poultry, Seafood

Watersedge, Walsh Bay

Howard — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:03:56 +0000

As I move into my mid 20′s, I’m finding that I am attending more and more weddings. I would of thought that the Gen Y’s would be slowing down with settling down and getting married, but it seems like some things never change over time.

Recently I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a very close family friend of mine. They had the ceremony at the beautiful Balmoral beach and were fortunate for the rain to hold off. If you recall the recent rain we had in Sydney, their wedding fell smack back in the middle of it. Lucky for them, mother nature heard their prayers and decided to stop raining between 1 and 4pm.

Funnily enough, it started raining again from 6pm onwards for the next few days which did wonders for our garden at home. But now we have so much stuff which has bloomed such as rosemary, chives, basil and kaffir lime which we don’t know what do with!

Their wedding reception was held at Watersedge in Walsh Bay. The view here is spectacular, it overlooks the beautiful harbour as well as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Like all weddings though, I always look forward to the food. The weddings I usually goto are held at a Chinese restaurant with a ten course banquet menu, so it was interesting to see what Watersedge had to offer.

'Truffles of the sea' - Sydney rock oyster, smoked salmon, prawn and crab

The name ‘truffles of the sea’ makes it sound more exotic than it is. It’s a simple plate of fresh seafood with a bit of sauce on the side. A light kick start to the nights proceedings.

Pappardelle a la Burina Ribbon pasta al dente w veal, tomato, onion, white wine, herb and Parmesan

I had the pappardelle and I was glad that it was cooked al dente. Taste wise it lacked a bit of punch, but then again I enjoy having my pasta with a simple sauce. One thing that was lacking was the veal, with only a few pieces to prod at. In saying that, catering for 100 odd guests means consistency is often a hit and a miss.

Fillet of cod

I tried some of my Dad’s dish and we both agreed it was extremely overcooked, with the fish being too dry. I tried my mum’s and found the same thing. It was quite disappointing considering it wasn’t all that bad of a dish. But we all know that you can’t save an overcooked fish.

I missed the name of this dish, but I am pretty sure it was a roast veal. On the menu at the wedding it described it as being served medium well, but it was on the verge of well done. The inconsistency of how steak is cooked amazes me, but in their defense when they have 100 odd diners to cook for some things can be a hit and a miss, especially cooking steak. The sauce was amazing though, it really gave the dry steak a bit of life.

Old time favourite bitter chocolate mousse, citrus fruit

Dessert was more of a success, with the chocolate mousse being extremely light and creamy. It’s the kind of dessert which is a win-win addition to any menu.

Pineapple coconut pannacotta w red berries in Grand Marnier and pistachio biscotti

My favourite dish of the night was this pannacotta. The tang of the pannacotta and berries was balanced well with the crunchy pistachio biscotti.

While I wasn’t all that impressed with the food on the night, it didn’t really matter because the night was all about the celebration of a very special day. It was interesting hearing all the speeches, there are always a few funny stories to tell at the expense of the groom. As they enter the next chapter in their lives, one quote from the groom captured me the most. He said that most people say that the wedding is the happiest moment of their lives, he disagreed and said it was the beginning of many happy moments as husband and wife and he was glad to have the people that mattered the most around him to celebrate.

Watersedge Restaurant

11 Hickson Rd
The Rocks NSW 2000
(02) 9247 4927
web : http://www.watersedge.com.au

New Zealand Golden Manuka Honey

Minh — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:25:27 +0000

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

If there’s something I can’t resist its ice cream. No matter what the weather is like ice cream is inevitably on my mind. This appears to be so ingrained in my personality that on a recent est get-together not a single one of the team members blinked when I admitted I’d gone to eat ice-cream before meeting up for dinner.

When we received an invitation from Fiona of Mark Communications to sample the new New Zealand Natural Ice Cream flavour I immediately jumped at the chance. Despite a spate of miserable weather in the previous days the sun shone through that day to make a perfect ice cream eating day.

Helen, Suze and Simon were my co-conspirators on this day and Fiona was generous enough to offer a run at the bar on the house. I adore ice cream but the Chillos are my absolute favourite, an icy smooth mix of crushed ice and ice cream flavour of your choice (my personal weakness is mint-chocolate). Helen seems to share my weakness, going for a Mocha Chillo.

Golden Manuka Honey

The showcased flavour today is based on two of New Zealand’s iconic flavours, Kiwi Fruit and Manuka Honey. Of the two the Manuka Honey is probably the most famous, touted as the ultimate in natural medicines and is said to heal a number of ailments ranging from ulcers to infections.

Despite my reservations the Honey flavour is surprisingly mild which retaining a creamy smoothness. I’d been a little worried that the honey would overpower the flavour of the ice cream but the Honey & Kiwi combination worked nicely together. My suggestion would be to pair the Honey scoop with a slightly blander flavour to avoid it being overly sweet.

Oh hi Suze

In the email invitation Fiona had mentioned that we could also have sample to take home, 9 Litres to be precise. I’ll be honest and thought it was a typo in the email and had anticipated carrying only a 1L tub back to the office, so I was a little gobsmacked at the huge boxes presented to us. My co-workers on the other hand adored me for the next two weeks (my shoulders not so much after the 20 minute lug back to the office).

Of course flavour is totally subjective to the person, so here’s a sample of reactions I got from people in the office:

Would make a lovely taste experience between courses
one of the best ice-cream’s I have ever had. Go New Zealand. (Somewhat biased as the co-worker in question is from NZ lol)
Smooth, creammy and even for delicious with some fresh blue berries
Though it’s really nice, the kiwi fruits were a bit sour to me, so would suggest to go with topping.
I’m not usually a fan of ice-cream, but I actually really like this! It’s got a delicious fruity flavour, almost like frozen yoghurt??? 8/10
That ice cream was DIIIIVINE! Smooth, creamy and bursting with a really clean, fresh flavour. Yummo!
It was a perfect summer day flavour – not to strong or filling but hit the spot perfectly
Smooth, creamy and deliciously sweet – that was a taste sensation. Yum!
I LOVE the Manuka Honey ice cream! I wouldn’t normally go for this flavor but it’s DELICIOUS. Creamy and sweet – but not too sweet. Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust right.

All opinions are unedited to the point that I didn’t even fix their spelling errors.

As part of the introduction promotions, New Zealand Icecream is offering a FREE scoop Manuka Honey Flavour Icecream with any purchase. The offer is valid until the end of February, 2010.

Eat show &tell was a guest of New Zealand Natural Ice Cream, thanks to Fiona for organising and the invitation!

Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill, Sydney

squishies — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:00:58 +0000

Being able to peruse a restaurant’s menu before you even get there is, I think, both pretty awesome and terrible. Awesome because you get all hyped up with what you’re going to eat and terrible because a) you can’t wait to try that enticing dish or b) you can’t decide between 2 mains and hope that your eating partner will choose one of them.

Georges is one of those restaurants who’s menu online has what their physical menu actually offer. So I was pleased that what I had planned could be carried out. I was thinking of sharing 2-3 mezedes plates (kind of like small plates), then a main and naturally a dessert, but somehow after discussing with Gary what he was going to order, we ended up ordering 7 mezedes… and no main for either of us. After all that planning! I can’t say that I regretted the decision though.

Seared Scallops with Fennel & Confit Tomato Salsa ($17.50)

(...)
Read the rest of Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill, Sydney (851 words)

An Azuma afternoon at Gourmet Safari with Maeve O’Meara

Minh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:31:34 +0000

Introduction to Japanese Food

You may have noticed that we really love japanese food. Between the five of us we’ve attempted to cover most of Sydney’s Japanese restaurants and the Azuma restaurants have definitely not been missed. A last-minute invitation from Taryn from the Azuma restaurants asking if we’d like to attend an ‘Introduction to Japanese Food’ session at the Azuma Kushiyaki restaurant found Teresa, Myself and Lorraine in the Lumiere building on a rainy weekend.

Our Japanese lunch has been organised by Gourmet Safaris, a company which hosts a number of Gourmet walking tours both locally and internationally all designed by Maeve O’Meara.

(...)
Read the rest of An Azuma afternoon at Gourmet Safari with Maeve O’Meara (1,209 words)

Zeta Bar Launch – Cryogenic Sorbet & Cocktail Bar, Sydney

Minh — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

It’s the middle of the week and I’ve just hit my slump, but thanks to an invite from Carla of Horizon Communication Group I’ve got a night of ice-cream, dry ice and cocktails ahead of me. Zeta Bar is situated inside of the Hilton Hotel, stepping inside onto the bar terrace we’re greeted with the iconic view of the Queen Victoria Building. Despite the dismal weather things are comfortable at the Terrace as the area is made up of high glass ceilings, leather couches and a more than generous wall of alcohol.

As part of their preparations for summer Zeta Bar has launched a new Cryogenic Sorbet & Cocktail Bar up on the terrace, as part of their new menu they are offering a selection of cocktails in both liquid and gelato form, Nitro Puffs – frozen to taste with liquid nitrogen and Champagne Ice Blocks.

Cocktails

Negroni, Mojito and Margaritas

There’s something I love about Cocktails, maybe it’s just the pretty colours and umbrellas that I get with my drinks that make them so much more appealing than a glass of wine. Much like a moth to the flame I’m drawn to the bright reds of the Negroni, however the bitters that makes up part of the mix is a little too much for me and in the end I find the tart sour Margarita much more to my tastes.

Zeta Sorbet

The Sorbet are as colourful as their cocktail counterparts and if I’m honest, as equally appealing. I’m a little curious as to how they got the alcohol to freeze as anyone who’s tried to make ice-cream will tell you that alcohol is incredibly resistant to freezing. The flavours available are:

Black Raspberry Clover Club
Champagne
Mojito
Margarita
Pina Colada (Recommended!)
Spiced Black Raspberry Mule

Nitro Puffs

Zeta Puffs in action with special guest @frombecca

Nitro Puffs are easily the showiest part of the evening, the cocktail is made fresh to order before being cryogenically frozen with liquid nitrogen. @frombecca is in the audience and is a willing participant in the process, nearly becoming engulfed in the mini-cloud that ensues when the liquid nitrogen is poured into the huge container.

Our puffs are then pulled out of the mixture ready to be eaten in one frozen moment. It’s a bizarre feeling having this icy marshmallow like sensation on your tongue suddenly melt away, and I can’t help but think this would be what brain freeze would feel like if we felt it eating, rather than in our heads.

Champagne Ice Blocks

The Champagne Ice Blocks are presented on individual mini-forks (delivered very enticingly I might add) and it’s a little battle to finish eating the ice before it slides off the fork. The Ice Blocks really do taste like pure Champagne in frozen form and are recommended to any bubbly fans.

The staff are keeping up the uniform theme, from perky waitress dresses to striped aprons all complete with matching caps. I feel like I’ve stepped back into the 50′s!

Canapes

Tomato & Mozzarella, Mushroom Tarts, Pâté, Mini Burgers

It’s not a blog post without a few shots of food! Canapes are moving around the terrace and are a welcome buffer against the alcohol in our systems. As adorable as the mini burgers are, it’s the mushroom tarts that have my attention with a smooth almost pâté like texture.

I’m a little taken aback by how gorgeous the Zeta Bar is with its dark walls, brightly lit alcohol all surrounded by glass balcony’s and ceilings. Over to the side I spot little hideaway rooms, complete with curtains allowing you all the privacy you could want. I’m not sure how I’ve never been to Zeta, especially considering it’s location – I’ll be back again, if just to taste those other Sorbet flavours.

The Zeta Cryogenic Sorbet & Cocktail Bar is only available Fridays till the end of March.

Eat Show & Tell was a guest of Horizon Communication Group at the Zeta Bar Launch on the 28th of January, 2010.

Zeta Bar
Level 4, 488 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9265 6070
Web: http://www.zetabar.com.au/

Emon, Surry Hills

teresa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:00:19 +0000

Here’s a place for some comfort food

As we move into the hot weather, I crave for Japanese food more and more. The lightly-flavoured dishes offered by the japanese cuisine is a great refreshing touch to balance out the heat. So whenever this heat looms, I call my bubbly eating chickadee, B, for a cleansing dinner. There is an abundance of Japanese restaurants in Sydney, which makes deciding where to eat a tough choice.

I enjoy eating around the Surry Hills area due to its quiet and easy-going environment; less crowds, less traffic, less everything but eateries! As a last minute choice, I decide to go for a japanese-style cafe/restaurant called Emon. Located on Cleveland St on the next block from one of my other favourites, Sushi Suma, we walk into Emon welcomed to a warm, cosy atmosphere, filled with a japanese homely decor, an open kitchen and sake bottles of all sizes lining the kitchen counter. (woohoo Sake!)

Cute table decorations

Sake Bottles

(...)
Read the rest of Emon, Surry Hills (603 words)