If you take a stroll to the other side of Chatswood train station, you’ll find Chatswood Chase and a slew of other restaurants. The last time I went to Chatswood, Chatswood Chase looked totally different (10 years ago), so I was surprised to see it get a make over.

What you’ll also find is a new restaurant called The Rice Den. Situated away from the crowds of Eat Street, it sits halfway between Chatswood Train Station and Chatswood Chase. A few friends of mine have been meaning to take us here, it’s a bit of a regular joint for them since they live in the area.

It’s hard to explain the cuisine type here, it’s ‘Modern fusion Asian’ but it doesn’t really stick to one cuisine. You’ll find a bit of Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Malaysian. It’s a jack of all trades, but master of what?

Steamed cheong fun - $6

The balmy summers evening is kicked off with the steamed cheong fun. It’s a photogenic plate of soft steamed rice noodles with a sweet sesame and ‘Rice Den’ sauce, which had hints of hoisin and soy. On top were fresh shiitake mushrooms and shiso leaves and fried onions which added a bit of texture.(...)
Read the rest of The Rice Den, Chatswood (567 words)

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Diners arriving by sea plane

If you like, you can also arrive and depart by sea plane to complete the all round experience.

Fresh warm sourdough w/ french butter

I look forward to the bread at every restaurant. A piece of warm and crusty bread with room temperature butter is always a good start, just like here at Berowra. The butter was, well, insanely good. Lightly salted, it makes you want to eat this everyday for breakfast and not have to worry about cholesterol levels.

Chilled vichyssoise, Oscietra and salmon caviars, beignets of Hawkesbury oysters

This entree seems to stay on the menu all the time, I’ve seen it in other blog posts over the years. I’m saving myself from re-describing this dish, squishies sums it up quite well in her previous post:

The meaty oyster, that raw would normally have me make a face and endeavour to swallow as quickly as possible, was utterly delicious in its crispy outer shell. Some oyster purists might be horrified to see deep fried oysters, insisting that oysters must be consumed raw, but I’ve discovered that I quite liked them like this. However, the chilled vichyssoise I think outshone the oysters, if barely (both components were so good!). There was something about its smooth creaminess hiding minute crunchy bits of croutons and caviar (bestowing tiny bursts of saltiness into the mix) that just appealed to our taste buds. What I thought was rather astounding about the vichyssoise was just how light it was despite being rather creamy.

I wouldn’t call myself an oyster fan, but this dish could swing me over.

Murray cod, sweet green peas, samphire, lemon mrytle

Moist and tender on the inside with a subtle crisp on it’s exterior. The sweetness of the green peas and the slight tartness of the lemon myrtle give the dish a slight edge to it.

Roast local quail breast, langoustine croustillant, spinach-fennel puree

Sometimes the more simple dishes are the highlights, this is a good example which allowed me to fully appreciate the local quail breast. So bloody tender and moist, I hate using the description but it is exactly what it is.

Squab baked in terracotta clay, foi gras cromesquis, mixed wood mushrooms, sauteed potato gnocchi

This a dish which has to be shared between two people. Since Linda is now pescatarian, I had to finish this all by myself. The squab is baked in terracotta clay which they bring out halfway during the cooking process for me to break with some sort of hammer, a bit gimmicky in my opinion but I guess it was nice to see how my dish was being cooked. Based purely on the description, this was the dish I was looking forward to the most. Did it live up to expectations? Not for me.  The squab was a tad too gamey for me, but that is just a matter of personal taste. I found the gnocchi to be a bit ‘heavy’ when eaten with the rest of the dish components. On the flip side, I really enjoyed the mixed wood mushrooms and foi gras cromesquis on their own.

Razor clams, spaghettini, hand picked local mud crab, chilli & lemon beurre noisette

The last time I had razor clams was in Hong Kong, where they were covered with fried garlic and chilli. A few thousand kilometres away in Berowra it’s not quite the same dish, but it tastes just as good if not better. Once again, this is quite a simple dish. Al dente cooked pasta, fresh and plump pieces of razor clam and generous pieces mud crab and a creamy chilli and lemon buerre noisette to tie everything together.

Seared venison carpaccio, braised bell peppers, pickled shallots

This dish was originally meant to be kangaroo venison but unfortunately that was not available on the day. Not to worry, as I was quite pleased that venison was the substitute, one of my favourite types of meat. The presentation was gorgeous, I loved the different colours and textures popping out at me like a three dimensional puzzle. The venison was lightly seared, just enough for it to stay amazingly tender. The pickled shallots and braised bell peppers packed quite a lot of flavour, taking out any gamey taste from the venison.

Dessert variation plate

After all these courses we were quite stuffed, but dessert was still to come. We opted for the dessert sampler which I unfortunately did not get all the names of the desserts. Take my word for it, it’s worth holding off some stomach space for it. In a nut shell, Berowra Waters Inn was a unique dining experience. I really liked the use of local and native ingredients as well. At $150 for 5 courses the price is a bit steep, but in return you get some very high quality food and a unique dining experience where you take a boat to the restaurant which looks out onto the water. Would I come back? Based on price, probably not. But if I was looking for a place to give guests an alternate dining experience, Berowra Waters Inn would be on my shortlist for sure. Another plus is discovering fresh farm produce on the side of the road, we spotted a few farmers selling their produce for significantly reduced prices.

The fresh road side farm produce

Mangoes - $9 a box

Watermelon, nectarines, peaches, mangoes ... you name it.

Berowra Waters Inn

Pick up by private ferry Public Wharves (east and west) Berowra Waters NSW 2082 web: http://www.berowrawatersinn.com

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When we finally booked it, we asked them what was good to order (or to avoid) and their advice wasn’t as much of advice as more raving about how good the dishes were and how full they got: “We had the five course degustation and oh man, we were so full… and then the desserts came out! We were expecting small dishes, but there were four full-sized ones! We practically died… but man, it was just soooo good!” … and so on and so forth.

Both did warn us that the marina car park was a little hard to find in the dark, but since we were going during the day, it should be easy as pie to get to.

Berowra Waters Public Wharf

Excited and a little nervous, we set out two hours before our booking time and arrived at the marina area with 30 minutes to spare. We were advised to call the restaurant to send the private ferry out, but we didn’t really need to, as the ferry makes quite frequent trips to and from the public wharf to the restaurant (this may be a different story for dinner reservations).

On the Hawkesbury

Although it was short trip from the wharf to Berowra Waters Inn, riding on the small ferry in the gently sunny afternoon on sparkling water really set the mood for a quiet and lovely lunch.

The menu has a range of light to heavy dishes to choose from, followed by some cheese and desserts. We opted for the 6 course degustation at $175 (the 5 course is $150) and, as you can choose your dishes, found that we could order everything on the menu bar one dish (which I felt slightly embarrassed in saying, “May we have everything except for the quail dish please?” Such gluttony!).

Cured Ocean Trout, Aubergine, Toasted Tortilla

We were surprised with a pre-lunch dish / amuse bouche as we were working out what to order. The cured salmon was delicately salty, which paired nicely with the eggplant underneath, and the toasted tortilla added a really nice crunchy texture to the delectable morsel.

Sour Dough Roll with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, Monteith's Golden Ale (?)

While we waited for our light dishes to arrive, we chatted over some crusty sour dough roll and I think I’ve finally mastered dipping the bread into the oil to get to the balsamic! I normally end up with oily, soggy bread and precious little balsamic, but I’ve discovered that with a decisive dip into the oil will guarantee balsamic goodness on your bread.

White Asparagus, Green Asparagus, Slow Poached Organic Egg Yolk, Fresh Black Winter Truffle From Manjimup

The first thing I noticed was that the egg yolk wasn’t runny; rather it seemed to be on the verge of being runny and solid at the same time, which I thought was pretty impressive. The juicy asparaguses were perfectly cooked, adding a slight sweetness to the dish, tempered by the saltiness of the truffle underneath. I was amazed at how simple the dish was and be so rich in flavour.

Chilled Vichyssoise, Oscietra and Salmon Caviars, Beignets of Hawkesbury Oysters

I didn’t realise that the oysters would be deep-fried! But I guess now I know what to expect when I see beignets hehe. I’ve noticed that whenever an oyster dish is presented to us, I’d wait til F eats his then ask: “Should I swallow or chew?” His answer this time was a resounding “chew”.

The meaty oyster, that raw would normally have me make a face and endeavour to swallow as quickly as possible, was utterly delicious in its crispy outer shell. Some oyster purists might be horrified to see deep fried oysters, insisting that oysters must be consumed raw, but I’ve discovered that I quite liked them like this.

However, the chilled vichyssoise I think outshone the oysters, if barely (both components were so good!). There was something about its smooth creaminess hiding minute crunchy bits of croutons and caviar (bestowing tiny bursts of saltiness into the mix) that just appealed to our taste buds. What I thought was rather astounding about the vichyssoise was just how light it was despite being rather creamy.

Buffalo Mozzarella, Espelette Pepper, Potato Gnocchi, Wild Mushrooms, Sage Butter

A while ago, Minh told me that she used to dislike gnocchi, but after an awesome gnocchi dish she was converted. I remained unconvinced that gnocchi could be nothing more than some weird, soft, chewy, boofy pasta… well, that is, until now. I still haven’t figured out what about it made me realise that gnocchi could actually be very good. Perhaps it’s something to do with its softness that isn’t too soft, retaining a slight firmness but isn’t al dente, or perhaps it had the right amount of chewiness without feeling like I was eating some overripe, soggy chewing gum. All I know is that this dish made a convert out of me.

I loved the robust earthiness that the wild mushrooms brought to the dish and the accompanying tastily stringy mozzarella. There was the vaguest hint of heat to the dish, but if I barely registered it I doubt anyone else would have noticed it.

Murray Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Leeks, Pickled Salsify, Salted Walnuts

The perfectly cooked cod was well-seasoned and we were delighted to find that the skin was utterly to crispy perfection. I loved how well the tangy pickled salsify and salted walnuts combined together and with the fish; a flavour combination I don’t think I would have ever thought would fit so well in a million years.

By this dish, we were amazed by how simple-seeming the dishes have been and still have so many different flavours so harmoniously balanced and different textures being played against/with each other.

Grilled Sea Scallops, Roasted Smoked Eel, Alsace Bacon, Celeriac, Pear

It’s no secret that we both adore scallops and are always looking for the perfect grilled or seared ones. During our time with es&t, we’ve been to a few places where we believe we’ve had scallop perfection and this would be one of them. The scallop was succulent, tender, juicy, well-seasoned and had a little crispness on its surface. The pear and celeriac brought out its sweetness while the smoked eel and bacon added a heartiness and robustness to the dish. Honestly, it was absolutely pure heaven on a plate.

Butter-Poached Western Australian Marron, Fermented Garlic, Sweet Green Peas

We didn’t know what a marron was and though we found out it was a crayfish via Google, we weren’t expecting it to come out looking so cute and curled up! I almost felt bad eating it and equally felt as bad for loving its juicy meatiness.

The marron was delicious with either or both of the two sauces: the creamy-coloured sauce that was akin to a tangy hollandaise and the dark-coloured one that was an intensely sweet garlic (which I guess was the fermented garlic?). The little dumpling-like parcel of semi-mushed green peas was a surprising but lovely addition to the plate.

Pumpkin Soup with Amaretti

When the little tea cup arrived at our table, I slightly panicked, thinking, “Oh crap! I don’t think we ordered this!” My panic subdued when our waiter introduced the dish as a pre-main course, compliments from the kitchen.

The pumpkin soup was thick, full of flavour and smooth. It was so simple, but it was intensely satisfying and also seemed to cocoon me in its flavour and warmth. Again, the chefs at Berowra has taken something rather simple and have made it extraordinary.

Grilled Wagyu Sirloin, Braised Cheek, Sauteed Sweetbread, Jerusalem Artichoke, Deep Fried Aioli

While the wagyu sirloin was scrumptiously seasoned and well-grilled, it was the braised, slow-cooked wagyu cheek that had us in gastronomic bliss. Wonderfully tender, yet still succulent and I was surprised it stayed on my fork as it practically fell apart at a touch.

I found the sweetbread a bit challenging to eat and though I tried, and though I like the flavour, I can’t seem to get over just how soft and (for me) odd the texture is. I surrendered my half to F, much to his delight.

We both wondered how one would fry aioli, now we know and it paired quite well with the meats in the dish.

Lamb Shank, Steamed Bone Marrow Dumpling, Spinach, Roast Shallot Jus

I was a bit worried about the bone marrow dumpling, thinking that it was a dumpling with bone marrow inside – something I’ve had before and also struggled to appreciate. However, all was for naught as it would seem that they incorporated the marrow into the “dumpling” (which was wrapped around the shank).

The utterly tender lamb itself was gorgeously cooked and seasoned, without a hint of that lamb-y after taste; the accompanying onion in two ways (whole and as a puree) added a deliciously sweet tone to the dish.

St Agur Blue Cows Milk Cheese, Tallegio Washed Rind, Holy Goat 'La Luna', Ossau Iraty Sheeps Milk Cheese, Raw Milk 'Alpage' Cheese

Our waitress offered us a variety of crackers and bread to go with the cheese and on sensing our indecision, she hastened to add, “You could also have a couple of each.” Bless… and so we did, having a couple slices of olive bread, fruit loaf, wheat crackers, water crackers and oat crackers. She recommended that the oat crackers went very well with the blue and tallegio cheeses, not doubting her word, but we were pleasantly surprised at just how well they went with it. Before she whisked away, she added that if we would like more crackers we only need to let her know (which I guess is a given, but it was nice to hear, as we’re always short and for some reason never ask for more).

Going from left to right, we have the blue cheese, which was actually quite mild for a blue though still had a bit of a punch to it, and was paired with a lightly sweet poached pear. The tallegio was creamy and strong in flavour and was accompanied with a black cherry conserve. We’ve had the Holy Goat before and it was interesting to see that it was also paired with a fig (though this time a fresh one) and blanched almonds. The Ossau Iraty was quite smooth and rather mild (with a hint of a sharpness) and went quite well with the poached apple and beetroot oil. Finally, we have the Alpage cheese, the mildest of them all, paired with quince paste.

I’m always surprised at how much cheese restaurants serve you on a tasting platter; invariably, I end up feeling guilty for not being able to finish them. This time was different: we managed to finish both of our cheese platters (amazingly), much to our waitress’ delight. I’m not sure how we did it, but I’m sure F had a lot to do with it.

Citron Custard, Caramel Mousse, Pop Rocks, Almond Tuille

Our pre-dessert was the lovely citron custard topped with a light, surprisingly not-so-sweet caramel mousse and pop rocks. I love pop rocks (I totally reckon it appeals to the kid in me that lurks too close to the surface) and when our waitress mentioned pop rocks, I unthinkingly echoed her (loudly and rather too enthusiastically): “Pop rocks!!!” I think I embarrassed F and our waitress, but they continued on as if I didn’t say anything (thank goodness). Although I wanted more of this delightful pre-dessert (me = pig, yes I know), I thought it was actually spot on with its serving size – not too much to make one feel sick of it nor too little to make one feel like one’s missing out.

Raspberry Soufflé, Raspberry-Mascarpone Sorbet, Chantilly Cream; Braised Pineapple, Coconut Mousse, Semolina Dumplings, Aged Rum Syrup; Dark Amadei Chocolate Tart, Strawberries, Yoghurt Cream; Quince Tarte Tatin, Calvados Ice Cream

My friend wasn’t kidding about the size of the dessert platter! I was a bit concerned that we wouldn’t be able to polish off the platter, but somehow we managed to eat everything (well almost, only we left behind half a semolina dumpling) and managed to impress our waitress again (with our gluttony no doubt haha).

The raspberry soufflé was so airy and light, yet infused with so much flavour, and I thought the raspberry-mascarpone sorbet was a divine accomplice. The braised pineapple was better than expected (and a lot juicier) and I loved its sweetness tempered by the lighter-than-air coconut mousse. The quince tarte tatin was super flaky and sticky from its thick glaze, where its calvados ice cream helped cut through the heavy sweetness. We were advised that the chocolate tart should be left til last as it is quite rich – and boy, was it decadently rich. The richness of the tart was helped by the strawberries, sorbet and yoghurt cream (yes all three), though even with all that, it was a bit too much for F to handle and I happily finished off the rest.

'You can have as many as you want.'

The service has been pretty constant and it felt like we didn’t have to wait for long between courses, so we were glad for the relatively long reprieve between our dessert course and the petit fours with tea.

When our waitress came out with the petit fours tray and saying, “Which one would you like? You can have as many as you want.” My eyes bulged and my sensibility fought with my already burgeoning and utterly greedy stomach to answer. “One of each?” she persisted after a short silence. I could only manage to nod and emit a small “yes please”.

Basil and Lime Macaron, Dark Chocolate Truffle with Amaretti, Peach Jube, Lemongrass and White Chocolate

My favourite out of the petit fours was the soft and gently sweet peach jube, while F adored the lemongrass with white chocolate.

F needed to go to the bathroom, but didn’t want to miss the chance of ordering another round of petit fours. He made me promise that if he went, I would order the jube and white chocolate for him. I duly promised and almost broke it when our waitress came to take away our plate, thinking that we were done. Hastily, I asked if we could have some more (rather embarrassedly), but she was happy to comply.

Travel by Seaplane... Posh!

I read on the website that you could travel to Berowra Waters Inn by seaplane. Seaplane! I didn’t think we should see that happening, but much to our surprise, we did and the customers were ferried to and from the plane with that flat looking boat to the right of the wharf.

Berowra Waters Inn

Sadly, it was time to go, but all good things must come to an end, no? We left feeling utterly content and satisfied with our lunch and gently sighed as the ferry pulled away from the restaurant.

The food was fantastic and we loved its bright, bold flavours, while the service was perfect. Our main waitress was the most sweetest waitress we’ve had the pleasure of having and I was meaning to tell her how much we appreciated the attention (and with a smile too!), but I was too shy and missed my chance.

We would be hard-pressed to pick our favourite dishes, as they all were so very strong in their own way, and I realise now why we got such vague answers from our friends; it is indeed too hard to say what’s good, as they all are.

Sigh. Pretty sunset

While the location of Berowra Waters Inn might be out of the way for some, the experience, the fabulous food and the view is definitely worth it. Especially for sights like this to farewell you on your way home.

Berowra Waters Inn
Via East or West Public Wharves
Berowra Waters, NSW, 2082
Ph: (02) 9456 1027
Web: http://www.berowrawatersinn.com/

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Post tags: beef, Dessert, favourites, Seafood, vegetarian

It made me also think that it felt like only yesterday that my friends were all in Uni. The good old days where we would play basketball at the UTS courts instead of attending lectures, or heading to Ogalos for a heart clogging portugese chicken burger and an easy way drink on the way back. All these memories indeed felt like it was yesterday, which makes me think how time has flown when some of my friends are now getting married.

The great thing is that nothing has changed, the friendships are still there and we crack the same jokes and make fun of the same people (in good jest). It’s comforting to know that these friendships have remained, as I know a lot of people who’s friendships have grown apart once they finish high school and Uni.

Table setting

Anyway, back to the wedding. I had the privilege to attend a beautiful wedding  for two great Uni friends of mine. They have been together as a couple ever since we started Uni, I believe a good eight years now. Marriage for them was imminent, they’ve never been apart during their relationship and they are all inspiration to all on how it is possible for two people can become soul mates.

The reception was held at Gunners Barracks in Mosman, which I have read a lot about regarding their high teas. It’s a fantastic venue, very intimate and has a vintage feel about it. Food was great too, it’s a refreshing change to the Chinese style banquets I’m use to at Asian weddings.

Canapes : Yoghurt marinated lamb skewer w/ hummus, Goat cheese tortellini, tapenade.

There was a good selection of canapes, from dumplings to skewers. I didn’t note down exactly what they were, but since we were seated outside in the cold we were just happy to get into some tucker so we could line our stomachs before filling them with too much alcohol.

Left to right : bonbonniere of marshmallows and lindt choc flakes, toasting marshmallows, interior, Linda's macarons

The bonbonniere was also a nice gesture. We all received little jars of marshmallows and Lindt hot chocolate flakes, a great combination. Linda also created about 200 macarons to be served with tea and coffee after dessert, a mammoth effort which was a hit with all the guests.

One too many drinks ....

Of course, this blog post wouldn’t be complete without a few more photos of the food.

Crisp pork belly, crushed peas, mint & apple chutney

This was clearly the hit dish for our mains. Berkshire pork was braised in a beef stock and then seared until the skin was crisp. Damn, I can still remember how tender it was. The dish was served with crushed peas cooked in a chardonnay vinegar, butter and fresh mint. A dollop of apple chutney topped everything off. The only thing wrong with the dish ? We wanted more.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to try this dish, nor did I take note of what it was. You might be able to find more information on their website menu if you are curious.

Gunners Barracks is a fantastic venue for a wedding reception if you have a smaller invite list. It’s intimate, classy and is nicely tucked away on the waters of Mosman. The food is of very high quality and the service was just as good. It was the perfect venue and a perfect day for the perfect couple. Congratulations Noel and Charlotte!

The Tearoom Gunners’ Barracks

Georges Heights
End of Suakin Drive, off Middle Head Road

Mosman NSW 2088
Phone (02) 8962 5900
web : www.thetearoom.com.au

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I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the menu – it wasn’t just all barbecued meats. In fact there were a whole variety of dishes that seemed like it would pique the taste buds.

We weren’t sure which dish to choose, but were thankfully helped along by Deb and Michael, whom both have been here numerous of times (and loved it).

Entrée

Coxinha - Tender Shredded Chicken coated in a Jumbo Potato dumpling served with a Lemon Wedge ($4.90)

I know this doesn’t look like much, but the dumpling was scrumptiously crunchy and filled with perfectly seasoned and soft shredded chicken. A little squeeze of lemon added a really lovely, refreshing touch to the creamy, mash-like potato that lined the inside walls of the dumpling.

Pastel ($5.90)

I was a little bemused by what looked like a huge, square fried wonton but the taste could not be any different. The pastry was thick at the sides, but quite thin at the top, as though it was blown up like a little bubble… and in that little bubble housed well-cooked and well-seasoned minced beef… or cheese (you get to choose which to fill the pastel with).

You know a dish is good when by the first mouthful it brings a smile to your face. This was one of my favourite dishes of the night, making me smile as I crunched my way through it. Deep fried goodness!

Entrada Para Dois (Mixed Entree Plate for Two) - Bolinho de Bacalhau, Caldo de Sururu, Aimpim Frito, Farofada de Calabresa and Escondidinho ($19.50)

The mixed entrée plate consists of 5 dishes and due to the confusion of all the dishes that arrived and me being unfamiliar with which 5 dishes were part of the mixed entrée plate, there’s only four dishes in the photo. The fifth dish is detailed below.

Michael loves the mixed entrée plate, saying everything tastes really good… except for the Caldo de Sururu – the thick shellfish soup with peanuts and coconut milk. He reckons it tastes too much like the sea (accompanied with a slight grimace). I didn’t quite mind the strong sea-salty flavour in thick, chunky creamy soup.

I thought the rest of the mixed entrée plate was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the crunchiness of the Farofada de Calabresa (salted cod and potato dumpling) and the Aimpim Frito (chunky cassava chips, which has almost the same texture as potato chips, only a bit more fibrous). I think I see a trend going on here hehe, can’t get enough of that fried goodness!

Escondidinho - Carne Seca (Sundried Beef) Topped with Cheesy Cassava Puree ($8.50)

This was one of the highlights of my night. The cassava puree was almost like mash potatoes, which meant I already adored it. The stringy melted cheese was a natural pairing with the smooth, creaminess of the puree and both were perfect accompaniments with the shredded sun-dried beef. It was oh so yummy!

Pao de Queijo - Tasty cheese Infused Bread Puffs (Gluten Free) served with Herb Roasted Garlic Butter (6 Puffs $4.50 or 12 Puffs $8)

This dish was the other highlight of my night. The puffs were chewy, cheesy heaven and somehow even better with a little dab of herb butter. After my first bite (mouth still full), I turned to F urgently and demanded more than asked, “Can you make this for me!?”

Apparently he can. We were told by Michael and Deb that there is a deli store nearby that sells a Pao de Queijo mix in a box and tastes almost like the ones we had. F wanted to buy the mix straight away, well after dinner since we haven’t had mains or dessert yet, and Michael laughed. In our eagerness to reproduce these gorgeously scrumptious cheese puffs we had forgotten that the deli would be closed at such an hour. Michael offered to buy it for us and we quickly took up on his offer. I can’t wait til F gets his hands on that box!

Mains

Pelxe Na Folha De Bananeira - Barramundi Baked in a Banana Leaf served with Fried Banana, Seasonal Salad and Chilli Dip ($17.50)

I didn’t have this dish myself, but I was told that it was really delicious, but quite filling. She was practically stuffed by the end.

Bobo de Camarao - Prawns and Shrimps in a Cassava Puree, Coconut Milk and Dende served with Rice ($18.20)

In a purely strategic move for stomach real estate, I chose this dish over the steak. It worked and it was really tasty too. Win all around, yay!

It surprised me a bit how similar it looked to a Thai curry, though like the pastel, it tasted not quite as it looked. It wasn’t spicy (mentally I was preparing myself for the heat) and it had a strong, creamy coconut flavour that was something like curry (but not). The dish wasn’t thin like gruel nor thick like stew, but somewhere in-between, more towards the thin side. On its own, it could be a bit too much, but together with the rice, it was perfect.

Stroganoff de Frango - Tender Chicken Strips, Champignons, Onion and Garlic in a rich creamy Tomato Sauce served with Rice and Crisp Potato Sticks ($15.90)

I’ve had quite a few variety of stroganoffs before and they’re all slightly different to each other in thickness and flavour. This version of stroganoff was similar in density as the bobo, though a little thicker, and I found it to be a lot more creamy and less dense (or hearty) than the previous versions I’ve tried.

The chicken strips were really tender and I really liked the mini French fries on top. F thought it was the weakest dish of the night, but there were some really strong dishes out there for it to compete with for our taste buds.

Feijoada - Slow Cooked Black Beans, Chorizo, Smoked Pork, Bacon and Beef, served with Farofa, Rice, Chinese Broccoli, Tomato Salsa and an Orange Wedge ($15.90)

This dish is Brazil’s national dish (as claimed on the menu) and one of the dishes Michael and Deb recommended. It wasn’t as thick as the previous two dishes, but it was surprisingly hearty and robust in flavour. We shouldn’t have been surprised though, seeing what was in it – all that meat!

When paired with one or two side dishes, the Feijoada would taste slightly different and it was a lot of fun seeing how the side dishes would affect the final taste.

This was easily F’s favourite dish of the night.

Dessert

Cheesecake de Goiaba - Ricotta and Guava Cheesecake ($7.20)

We were really quite full by this stage, but I overheard a couple of customers chatting about the cheesecake, where one of them vouched for its deliciousness. The cake in itself sounded interesting (who would think to pair ricotta with guava?!) and overhearing the praise for it made me want to try it even more.

F favours cheesecakes that are more cake-like than cheesy (which this one was, cheesy I mean), so it didn’t quite tick all the boxes for him. For me, I thought it was delicious as promised/overhead – being light, not overly sweet, but then again I’m a bit of a cake ‘ho and I don’t really mind what flavour it is, so long as it’s some sort of cake.

Pudim de Leite - Sweet Chilled Milk Pudding with a Caramel Glaze ($6.60)

Throughout our dinner, we saw plates and plates of this dessert stream out of the kitchen and onto tables. “I must have one!!” I thought each time I spied one emerging from the kitchen, so I was quite excited when I finally got to taste it.

I loved how soft, smooth and creamy it was and the caramel wasn’t unbearably sweet. I couldn’t help but order an Earl Grey tea to go with it and mmm, it was a sweet end to our fantastic dinner.

Coco Mar is located on the main strip in Dee Why, right next to the beach and is quite small in size. They had a few tables outside in the chill and pretty much all of the tables (inside and out) were full. The wait staff are quite friendly and the food was of wonderful quality.

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream... nom nom nom

So… Ben and Jerry’s is basically down the road from Coco Mar and being opened til 1am, who could resist from going for a quick visit?

Some of our group were quite surprised we had any room left for ice cream (not to mention that it was also quite cold), but there’s always room for ice cream… and never too cold.

Coco Mar
11 The Strand
Dee Why, NSW, 2099
Ph: (02) 9984 7792
Web: http://www.cocomar.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, poultry, Seafood, vegetarian

There’s a distinctly Asian vibe to the Neutral Bay scene, more often than not I’ll find myself at yet another Thai or Japanese restaurant for dinner. As friend P actually works in the area I decided to let her decide and we ended up wandering inside Papaya Thai, a rather lush looking Thai restaurant.

Dripping Chandeliers inside Papaya Thai

The decor of the restaurant was a rather dark velvet look, with wooden tables, hidden alcoves with couches and chandeliers dripping from the ceiling. As the night was early the restaurant was relatively empty and we were quickly seated and handed a set of menus. When eating with P I somehow always manage to over order, and the spread we eventually ended up with could have easily fed another person, between the pair of us we ended up with an appetiser, a soup, a salad, a curry and a stir fry! Never say that I do things in moderation…

Tom Yum Koong - $7.90

Despite the weather (or should I because of the weather?) we ordered a starter of Tom Yum soup. I think it’s a very Asian attitude that you should eat hot food to combat hot weather, the sweating is somehow supposed to be beneficial. Or maybe, I just really like eating soup. The chilli sour kick of the soup is the perfect way to kick off the meal and I adore that there are whole cherry tomatoes in the soup, giving us a burst of tomato goodness.

Po Piah Koong Ped Tod - Parcel of golden crispy pastry filled with chopped prawns and roasted duck, served with plum sauce - $6.90

Our appetiser is described as a parcel of golden crispy pastry and I’m expecting a Wonton and am a little surprised when what looks like cheese sticks arrive at the table. They’re a great starter with a wonderful crunch with little to no oil residue left on our fingers, the accompanying Plum sauce is actually clear and has a texture and taste much more similar to Honey than the plum sauce I’m used to with chinese cooking. I enjoy the dish but can’t help but wish for a little bit more filling to compliment the pastry.

Som Tum - Shredded Green Papaya tossed with dried shrimps, cherry tomatoes. Pounded in mortar served with sticky rice - $16.90

There’s no way that we could go to a Thai restaurant called ‘Papaya Thai’ without ordering a version of its namesake. The Som Tum salad comes with a choice of meats, and knowing that we have chosen a Chicken Curry I opt for Beef as P is sadly allergic to Crab. The salad comes out with each of the components separated on the plate, although when I see the cabbage leaf holding the salad I just think that George from Masterchef would have removed the offending vegetable immediately. The salad comes with a serving of sticky rice and I’m gleefully eating mouthfuls of the glutinous rice with the tart sour Papaya. The serving size is generous and I could easily see eating the salad as a main.

Kaeng Kari Kai - Whole chicken leg coasted with tumeric curry then slow cooked with whole onions and baby potatoes, served with cucumber dipping sauce

Shocking at this point we’re already struggling to continue, a theory someone told me about sticky rice was that it continues to expand in your stomach making you even fuller… Whatever the case we were in more than a little despair when our mains come out, but I’m immediately taken by the simple plating of the Curry. The entire leg is clearly visible in the bowl and I’m more than a little curious by the whole bulb of garlic sitting in the dipping sauce.

The chicken simply falls apart when we stab with our forks and I’m rather enamoured of the rich coconutty tumeric base. My stomach protests but I can’t stop myself from eating mouthful after mouthful! On the menu the dipping sauce is simply listed as ‘Cucumber dipping sauce’ but comes out as a clear honey-like syrup, and when poured over the chicken it helps brings out the natural sweetness of the meat and coconut milk without being cloying.

Sweet Coconut Milk Chilli Basil Sauce Stir Fry with Prawns - $15.90

The stir fry comes out soon after the curry and at this point we are in literal pain but persevere! On the menu the stir fry list consists of 8 different choice of sauces with our choice of meat, we decide on the Sweet Coconut Milk base simply as I’m curious as to how the sweet would work in a stir fry. In hindsight knowing that we’d ordered a Coconut based curry we would have been better off with a Peppery base to cut through all the fat. The stir fry is probably the biggest disappointment as the various vegetables simply seemed drowned in the sauce and the crispy (almost burnt in some cases) basil leaves aren’t as appealing as you would think.

Papaya Thai Table Settings

We’ve decided against dessert knowing that we’re headed towards Manly and it’s all for the best as we roll ourselves out of the doorways! It’s about 7:30pm at this point and the restaurant is getting busy with waitresses rushing about. Despite this the service was quick and efficient and our glasses of water barely reached the halfway mark before being topped up by our ever vigilant wait staff.  As a restaurant Papaya Thai is definitely within the ‘Trendy Restaurant’ genre oh so common to this area, but it’s backed with some good dishes and quick service.

The weather has thankfully cooled down at this point but it hasn’t kept the punters away from the Ben & Jerry’s launch, the lure of free ice-cream too strong for anyone to ignore. I’m not sure what the line must have been like in the middle of the day but the line is well organised, going across the street to the next block! The line is kept entertained by staff members popping by the line passing out wrist bands, pens and ice-cream menus and we find ourselves inside within 10 minutes.

Ben & Jerry's ice-cream choices

I’m rather torn as to the choice in flavours and settle on ‘Chunky Monkey’ having a strange affinity to Banana Ice-cream, P is set on the ‘Peanut Butter Cookie Dough’ but changes her mind at the last moment and ends up with the ‘Chocolate Fudge Brownie’. I have a strange liking for the Black & White cow pattern and find myself lusting for one of the bags that the staff members are carrying… I’ll just have content myself with the ice-cream. The entire shop is done out in a Cow-like theme with my favourite touch being the Milk Bottle lights!

We settle at the beach with our conquests and proceed to tuck in. I’ve known about Ben & Jerry’s for years but never tried it before, the Chunky Monkey has a definite banana flavour to it although after a few bites I find myself wishing that the flavour was a bit more distinctive. It does however live up to its name with a more than generous ratio of Walnut and Fudge chunks to ice-cream! P has the ‘Chocolate Fudge Brownie’ which is decadently rich and I adore the swirls of Fudge Brownie.

Remains of the day

I’ll be honest though, Ididn’treallylikeit! While I have nothing against the actual flavour of the ice-cream, I prefer my ice-cream, chunkless. Towards the end of my serving I found myself pushing aside the rather large chunks in search of more of the elusive banana ice-cream. To the ice-cream fans out there who adore making sundaes drowning in toppings, this is definitely the ice-cream for you.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday at all.

The Ben & Jerry’s Free Ice-cream offer was an opening day special and available only on Saturday, 28th of November 2009.

Papaya Thai
Shop 6-9, 307-309 Military Road
Cremorne, NSW 2090
Ph: (02) 9953 8992
Web: http://www.papayathai.com.au/

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
Shops 5 & 6, 25-27 South Steyne
Manly, NSW 2100
Ph: (02) 8966 9219
Web: http://www.benandjerry.com.au/

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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A couple of weeks later, he came up to me and quite seriously started to say, “So, I went to Waqu last night… *dramatic pause* AND IT WAS THE BEST JAPANESE FOOD I HAVE EVER EATEN!!” Mind you, he lived in Japan for most of his life so I would most probably add “in Australia”. Blown by his endorsement I endeavoured to go, but we all know how most of the time that turns out. He did warn me that the Winter menu was going to end soon, so if I were to eat what he ate, I should go within the week.

Of course, that didn’t happen, but I did get to sample their Spring menu. The $55 menu is broken up into 5 courses: Amuse, Sashimi, Entree, Main and Dessert, where the amuse, sashimi and dessert course are set and you have a choice from three dishes for each entree and main course.

Amuse - Spicy Softshell Crab Taco; Sweet Corn Vichyssoise, Crystal Bay Prawn Pincho; Kabayaki Roasted Eel Fillet on Sushi Rice; Agedashi Taro Potato Fritter, Sweet Sesame Spinach

(...)
Read the rest of Waqu, Crows Nest (1,342 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, Seafood

I wish I’ve been to Spain and had proper Tapas.  When I think of Tapas I think of Encasa. Sure, it’s a mainstream Spanish restaurants in Sydney, but you gotta start somewhere right ?  To those cultured in Spanish food, it probably shows my ignorance of what real Spanish food is. But to me it doesn’t matter, I love the concept of tapas because of the small portions and how it allows everyone to order copious amounts of dishes to be shared at a table. Order a few drinks with a group of good people and all the sudden you have a great night without breaking the bank.

Enter Japaz, a fusion of Japanese and Spanish inspired dishes by a man with credentials oozing with class. Hiro has worked for Joel Robuchon and plied his trade in Michelen Starred and Hatted restaurants such as Tetsuya’s. Having done his time at some of the most highly regarded restaurants in the world, Japaz is his brainchild of two cuisines which have been been embraced with open arms by Australia palettes, Japanese and Spanish.

My first visit to Japaz is courtesy of an invite from Yas, the hungry digital elf. He has kindly invited a few friends a long to have a good old catch up over some great food. Thanks again Yas!

After a long day at work, I skip the wines and hit straight for the beer. Sapporo beer is a bit on the light side for me, but this means it is crisp and refreshing. It’s quite an easy beer to knock back with any type of food which is why I like it. While I was admiring the can, I noticed the beer is brewed in Canada of all places ?

Tasmanian oysters with wakame dressing

Big, plump and juicy, not words which you would normally associate with oysters served as entrees (They are usually small from my experiences). The wakame dressing is seaweed based and adds a subtle twist to the sweetness of the oyster.

Razor clams w/ rocket & preserved lemon jus

The razor clams tasted unique in the sense that it tasted like meat, even though it was seafood. Texture was very similiar to squid, but it had a hint of a pork taste.  Yes, I’m a bit confused , but the mixture of flavours and textures makes this a great starter to our meal.

Jamon Serrano

Served raw and thinly sliced, jamon serrano is one of my favourite types of jamon due to its softness and sweetness. This stuff is usually quite expensive, but I could easily eat a leg myself without getting sick of it. Jamon to the Spanish is the national equivelant to our Vegemite, the stuff is amazing, I wish I could cure my own.

Fried Eggplant with Honey & Balsamic

Hiro achieves the perfect balance of moistness and crunchiness in this dish. The eggplant is lightly fried but the guilty pleasure of the deepfriedness is offset by the sweet and sticky honey and balsamic sauce.

From left to right : Soy marinated chicken with pesto mayo and Patatas bravas

The chicken was good enough to serve on it’s own and was probably better off without the potatoes. Bite sized and juicy pieces of chicken tasted amazing with the home made pesto mayo, the mayo had a real kick to it. The potatoes were not as inspiring, they were a bit on the bland side but were cooked to al dente with a bit of crispness on the outside.

Ajillo - Shiitake, Enoki, Woodear Mushrooms & Chick Pea

Now this is what I am talking about, a Japaz rendition of a tradtional Spanish tapas dish called ajillo. Ajillo is usually just mushrooms in garlic sauce, but Hiro adds some fantastic mushrooms such as shiitake, enoki and woodear. You can really taste the individual flavours of each mushroom and the chickpeas roundoff a whirlwind of textures and flavours.

Spring cabbage, mince beef, mushroom & carrot

The great thing about this evening was Hiro churning a few dishes which he was experimenting with, this one being parcels of cabbage stuffed with beef. This dish wasn’t on the men

Lamb meatballs w/ winter vegetable Sauce of tomato

When I think tapas, I think of meatballs served in a rustic pan like this. The meatballs are tender and have sucked in all the aromas of the vegetable sauce. This is a realy winter warmer dish, it would of been perfect with some hot crusty bread too.

Cucumber pinchos with seafood paste (crab, scallop, prawn), yuzukosho + miso

This dish reminded me of my visit to Itaru in Japan. Chilled and refreshing pieces of cucumber were topped with a generous dollop of seafood paste. Despite the heavy presence of seafood, it wasn’t too overpowering at all and went down well with my Sapporo beer.

Crumbed Portabello Mushroom

The great thing about the fried dishes so far is that they are not too oily. The portabello mushrooms are lightly crumbed and then fried, resulting in a juicy and sweet mushroom inside which bursts with flavour and juices on first bite.

Grilled quail with quail jus served on tortilla Japaz

This was another crowd pleaser. The quail was grilled perfectly, still tender and falling off the bone. The japaz tortilla filled with alot of onion was quite random, but it went along quite nicely with the quail jus.

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek & Almond Sauce

Collective sighs of ” oh my god ” were heard with each bite of the wagyu beef cheek. It was amazingly tender and fell apart with the slightest bite or movement. The sauce was full of good richness and was infused into the beef cheeks.

From left to right : Strawberry w/ lime infused coconut cream, Peach Sorbet & Apple Cider Jelly w/ Vanilla Infused Olive Oil, Vodka infused Crema Catalana

I’m surprised we had room for dessert, but apparently everyone has a second stomach for dessert. My favourite was the most simple of the trio, the strawberry with lime infused coconut cream.  The coconut cream had me going back for more, so much that I was finishing everyone elses. The peach sorbet was fantastic, very smooth. I found the crema catalana to be a bit heavy on the vodka, but it gave a nice kick to finish off the fantastic meal we had.

A happy team means a good experience for the customers, and it seemed everyone loved what they were doing. The great service and food reflected this too.

Japaz is an interesting foray into the fusion food category. Hiro has a real knack of blending flavours and textures from the two cooking genres in Japanese and Spanish, resulting in some very interesting dishes and flavours.  I found it to be a great privelege to be eating the creations of Chef which such a high pedigree of training and experience, I wonder what his next vision would be for Japaz or beyond.

Japaz

165 Wycombe Rd
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Ph : 02 9904 0688
Web : www.japaz.com.au

eatshowandtell dined as guests of Japaz.

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A slight miscommunication in times meant that at 8am friend P buzzed at my door with me still tucked safely in bed! 20 minutes later we left and practically flew towards Hunter making the trip in just under 2 hours, a great run. Hunter Valley is absolutely doable as a day trip and I would recommend making a relatively early start of it as you’ll avoid the worst of the traffic.

Breakfast from The German Kitchen

After 2 hours of driving we found ourselves in the Hunter Valley and at the Gardens, being past 10am at this point and despite all the white pavilions in the distance we had to stop somewhere for breakfast first. It just isn’t a Sunday morning without a German sausage and sauerkraut! With our bellies taken care of we wandered into the pavilion where a number of chocolate and sweet related store were set up.

Wedding Cake from The Sweetest Things

Piggy Cupcake Cake from The Sweetest Things

At first glance I thought the piggies had been slightly damaged in transit with half of them smeared with chocolate, then realised they were simply playing in the icing! I didn’t get a shot of the rest of the cake, but it was a series of chocolate cupcakes all topped with an individual pig!

Strawberry Chocolate Cup

Given the choice between a chocolate shot, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, or a cup filled with chocolates it was a pretty easy decision! With P distracted by the bon bon stand just next door I found myself popping piece after piece after piece…

Truffles from C'est Si Bon Pastisserie

Chocolate Eclaire from C'est Si Bon Patisserie

There are friends who I inevitably call on if I’m interested in eating, however P is one of those friends I call on when I want something sweet. Between the two of us there have been occasions where our dessert selctions have outnumbered the rest of the group we’ve been eating with. So when we spotted a stand full of pastries P powers onto an eclaire. I end up almost begging for a bite from P as my stomach can’t take much more after all those chocolate strawberries. Did I mention we’d been at the festival for about 20 minutes at this point?

Dark Chocolate with Strawberry and Sichuan Pepper from The Curious Chocolatier

I made the mistake of taking this into work where it was promptly devoured by the girls. The ladies at The Curious Chocolatier tell me that the strawberries are frozen and incorporated into the chocolate whole, resulting in lovely whole strawberry chunks all throughout the bar. The pepper adds an interesting kick which works lovely with the strawberry.

Chocolate Assortment from Chocolate Mint

Fudge Selection from Personalised Chocolates

Junior Mints from American Chocolate

Don’t judge me, for some reason I can’t walk away from American chocolate and peanut butter. I ended up with a packet of Peanut Butter M&Ms and only just managed to stop myself from buying a pack of Reeses.

Cupcake Pops from S Cakes

Hot Chocolate with Chilli and Cinnamon from Mayan Coffee and Xocolate

Leaving the pavilion we noticed a Coffee and Hot Chocolate stand, despite only just proclaiming I couldn’t fit in another bite, the sight of the sign ‘Organic Hot Chocolate Mayan Style with Chilli and Cinnamon’ stopped me in my tracks. I’ve often thought of chilli chocolate as a bit of a fad but call me a convert. The Xocolate team were not shy when adding in the chilli and it added a welcome kick and was a perfect drink for a chilli Winter morning.

Following a tweet from Adriano Zumbo we wandered over towards the judging grounds for the Callebaut Chocolate Festival where he was competing. We arrive just in time to catch the tail end of his interview, but upon realising that a few of the entries are available for viewing on the sidelines I quickly swoop in with the camera. In the midst of my photography haze I find myself side by side with Zumbo himself and can only say, ‘Do you want to swap sides? ‘. Haha epic fail on my behalf.

Later on I think of various introduction lines such as, ‘I saw your tweet and came over,’ but ultimately reject all these lines deeming them as rather stalkerish.

Unfortunately while the majority of the entries had a quick description of their componenets, none listed who had created each one. The standard of these entries was astounding and I couldn’t help but wish they were available for consumer taste testing! Each of the entries was assembled at the competition grounds, the chefs responsible would plate up 4 dishes of each dessert, 3 for the judges and 1 for display.

Thank you to Amy from Wasmedia for providing me with the winners of the competition:

• Winner, Jodie Van Der Velden from ‘Josophans’ at Leura.
• Second place; Brendon Dewar from ‘Bacco patisserie’ at Chiffley Plaza.
• Third place; Brian Pescud from ‘Manna From Heaven’.
• Best apprentice; Immanuel Arena from ‘The Beresford’.

The winning dessert: ‘Palet d’Or et Noisettes’ loosely translated as pillows of gold and hazelnuts. Palet d’Or is often used to name a dark chocolate disc/pillow of chocolate which is coated in dark chocolate with a little gold leaf on top. The winner received the prize of an international trip for a 3 day training course at a Callebaut Chocolate Academy, valued at $5000. Congratulations to Jodie Van Der Velden, Laura is situated in the Blue Mountains, I may just have to make time for another day trip I think…

Tempus Two

We spent around 3 hours at the festival, and upon driving out were grateful that we’d come early as the cars were parked outside the gates on the main road! With our chocolate craving curbed we moved onto some wine tasting! Tempus Two and McGuigans are two of my favourite wineries, every time I go to Hunter I always end up walking away with a bottle of Late Picked Tramminer from McGuigans.

After reading the reviews from Karen and Billy I can’t help but make a stopover at Enzo. Depisite knowing that P and I are already booked for dinner we make the decision to stop over at Enzo for a mini tea break and a taste of their raved about scones. The fact that Enzo is less than a 5 minute drive away doesn’t hurt either.

Arriving at Enzo we are promptly seated in the courtyard and I take a moment to enjoy the sunshine. Glancing at the menu I’m slightly tempted to order a Muggacino which comes complete with a warning in red, ‘this is a warning!! our infamous muggacino’s are very large!) but manage to resist and and order a glass of white wine instead. With my mind set on afternoon tea we settle at our table and wait for our waitress.

Puff pastry tart with confit of lamb rump, young leaves, marinated feta, spanish onion and asparagus with a roast macadamia nut and bacon dessing $26.50

Unfortunately all of our resolves turns to dust as plate after plate of amazing food goes to the tables around us and I immediately beg P to share a puff pastry tart with me. We are not disappointed when the tart comes out with wonderfully flaky pastry and a perfectly seasoned combo of sundried tomatoes, lamb and feta in a serving size that is more than generous enough for us to share.

Devonshire tea 2 scones served with king island cream and strawberry jam $13

A slight miscommunication with the waitress actually sees TWO plates of scones come out to our table. Of course being who we are P and I simply look at each other before digging into our respective plates. One bite into the scone I’m infinitely grateful for the mixup as I don’t think I could have given up my second scone without a fight! Fluffy interior and a crust just lightly toasted with thick cream that begs to be spread over the scone topped with strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. The couple sitting to our right takes one look at the scones and immediately adds them to their order.

I’ll definitely be returning to Enzo on my next trip to Hunter Valley, if their other mains and desserts are even remotely on the same level as the two dishes I was able to try I’ll definitely be in for a treat!

Cafe Enzo
Broke Road Pokolbim
Hunter Valley
Ph: (02) 4998 7233

The Hunter Valley Chocolate Festival is held annually at the Hunter Valley Gardens, entry is $19.90 for adults and $15.50 for concessions.

Hunter Valley Gardens
Broke Road
Pokolbin NSW 2320 Australia
Ph: (02) 4998 4000
Fax: (02) 4998 4001
Web: http://www.hvg.com.au/

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adriano zumbo, chocolate festival, hunter valley

What's under the lids?

When one of my first foodie-dining friends returned to Sydney for a visit, eating and food was the obvious choice. V informed me of a great Japanese place in Neutral Bay. Yes, there are loads of Japanese restaurants in Neutral Bay, however this one was slightly different and more impressive. I should inform you all that I am a HUGE fan of NOODLES. I LOVEEE noodles, any type, any style, any dish. I’d pick noodles over any other carbohydrate. So when V informed me Jugemu & Shimbashi hand made their soba, I was sold!

Watching cooking of scallops

 (...)
Read the rest of Jugemu & Shimbashi, Neutral Bay (748 words)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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So you think I’d be sick of Japanese food after a 3 weeks holidaying in Japan, but I was far from being turned off bowls of ramen, sushi or skewers. In fact, I came back and craved each of these foods nearly every day. After talking to a good friend of mine about how much sake I drank and how much I loved the izakayas, he suggested we go and try Toriciya, located in sleepy Cammeray (Sydney lower north shore). When he mentioned that the sake menu was more extensive than the food menu, I was very keen to try this place out.. so keen that we ventured there that night.

Since it was a friday night, we wanted to book just in case, but they were asking for a $50pp deposit? so we passed on the booking and took our chances. Luckily not many people were there that night. Also, being located at a quiet part of Cammeray (I didn’t even notice there was a restaurant within the row of shops) you wouldn’t expect the place to be overly full.

(...)
Read the rest of Toriciya, Cammeray (670 words)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: izakaya, Sydney North

Back to the platters… It has been a regular tradition of mine for a few years as I found these platters to be of great value, scrumptious, fresh and satisfying.
Therefore, on one hot summer’s night, I had a sudden craving for some fresh and healthy.

I usually call up around an hour or so before I need the platter and order over the phone. However, you could pickup within 30 minutes but it’s always better to allow more time for them to make up the platter. The wide range of platters are on their website HERE (for the Chatswood one) and HERE (for the city one)
There is a huge selection of platters and each Makoto have their own range (there is a Makoto in the city too. They are run by the same company). My favourites include:

• New Sakura
• Sushi Japan
• Deluxe Combination (this is a bigger platter)
• Ozzie deluxe

I’m a huge fan of New Sakura but tonight I decided to venture out and try a different one.

Ozzie Deluxe – $39.90

The Ozzie Deluxe sushi platter contains between 2-4 pieces each of various different sushi’s including raw salmon, ebi furai (prawn), cooked prawn, seaweed, teriyaki chicken, cooked tuna and california roll. There is approximately 30 pieces of sushi in total.

Other sushi platters are just as good… it just depends on your personal choice of sushi!

And to end off… some yummy wine to wash down what I think is a prefect hot summer night’s meal. Refreshing, relaxing and detoxing.
These sushi platters are only available for takeaway. Perfect! I can enjoy delicious delicious sushi in the comfort of my own home. Also, a great choice if you are going for a housewarming or BBQ. So if you are either near Chatswood or in the city on the way home from work… this is a great idea for dinner takeaway!
I even munched on some crunchy soft shell crab goodness on the way home just to “introduce” my appetite of what was to come…

Makoto Chatswood
336 Victoria Avenue,
Chatswood, NSW, 2067
Ph: (02) 9411 1838
Website: http://www.masuya.com.au/en/makoto_chtswd/index.html

Makoto City
119 Liverpool Street (Cnr, Pitt & Liverpool St.)
Sydney, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9283-6767
Website: http://www.masuya.com.au/en/makoto/index.html

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Sydney North

I remember in my younger years, Istana was a regular restaurant joint for my family… delicious chicken rice is all I can recall of this place. Even now, Istana is STILL known for it’s Hainan chicken + rice.

Strangely, just before my trip to Hong Kong and Singapore, I had a craving for CRAB (I think it was from all the food research I was doing…) My last visit to Istana was a few months back and I had an absolute FEAST!! All I remembered was that the crab was SO tasty and NOONE else ate it except for me. So I just had to return to satisfy this strange craving of mine.

Chilli soy sauce + 'sar char' sauce

At every Chinese restaurant, there is always a small dish of condiments. ‘Sar char’ sauce is what they call ‘Chinese BBQ sauce’ and is just minced dried shrimp with chili, oil, etc. One of my favourite sauces! More info here Wikipedia.

Prawn crackers - on the house

These are a ‘typical’ Chinese food snack. I haven’t had these in AGES but they were a great stomach filler. Quite prawny but a little bit oily.

The famed Hainan chicken

This is the famous chicken dish served at Istana. The chicken looked nice and juicy and the chicken rice was very tasty (but luckily not too oily).

The chicken is usually served with shallot+ginger in a salty oil. I love eating this with rice. It’s VERY tasty!

Kang Kong

This “Chinese Water Spinach” vegetable dish is a common Malaysian dish. I find it full of flavour and the spinach soaks up the flavour immensely! It has a prawny flavour due to the shrimp paste they use to cook this dish. mmm YUM!

Salt & pepper tofu

Mmm! I really like the flavour of salt and pepper anything… This was a little bit of a letdown due to too much batter on a little bit of tofu but the flavour was still nice. This was served streaming hot and best eaten that way!

Singapore Chilli Mud Crab

And finally, the dish I had been CRAVING for… crab! I’ve had this dish on many previous occasions to Istana and found that it tasted different this time round. The sauce wasn’t as tasty but good enough! The crab was full of meat, well maybe because I was eating the claw (my favourite part!). It’s fun eating crab with your hands because you can lick the sauce afterwards! nom nom nom!

In most Chinese restaurants, you usually find the chopsticks in a paper tube bag with instructions on “How to use chopsticks.”

I must admit, me being an Asian, I can’t use chopsticks the proper way but I get by using chopsticks the “holding a pencil way”. I’ve read and tried following these instructions many many times, but never seem to grasp the concept for holding chopsticks the “correct way. I’ll just stick to Teresa’s way of holding chopsticks.

I believe the quality has dropped at Istana in recent times as I remember the food being tastier and more flavoursome. I’d personally prefer to go to Alice’s if I was up in this area. But, if you ever need to satisfy a crab craving, make a visit to Istana. And maybe grab yourself a chicken too!

Istana

Shop 15a, 230-238 Pennant Hills Rd
Thornleigh NSW 2120
Ph: (02) 9481 8855

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Sydney North