Justin North

The first thing I realise when we arrive at the Chef’s Table in Becasse is that the table really is set in the middle of the action. We’re set a mere meter away from the induction stove tops and have front row seats for the plating station where the man himself, Justin North is putting the final touches on some dishes before sending them out.

It’s my second time dining at Becasse, but thanks to an invitation from Tourism New Zealand it’s the first time I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Justin North and my first experience of dining in the heart of a working restaurant kitchen.

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© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favourites

Wasted promises a dinner collaboration designed to make you think about what’s on your plate, and deliberately uses ingredients often discarded as part of the cooking process. There’s a tantalising email sent out a few days later, teasing us with dishes promising Nettle, bugs, and Intercostal. I’ve no idea what to expect but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen so curious about a dinner.

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I guess it doesn’t matter in the end; he managed to surprise me by taking me to Blancharu – a restaurant that’s been on my to-eat list for the longest time.

I know we’re degustation ‘hos, usually choosing the largest degustation on offer, but this time we actually chose the smaller option: 4-course degustation for $75. We worked out that where the 7-course degustation is a set menu, the 4-course gives you a choice to pick an entrée, pasta dish, main and dessert from the a la carte menu – effectively we would be sharing a larger-sized, 8 course dinner. Awesome!

Once that was established, it didn’t take us long to choose our dishes (for once).

King Crab Mille-fuille, Iceberg Lettuce, Tomato, Crispy Potato, Basil Sauce

We thought the dish presentation was most striking, where the mille-fuille was a rather pretty centre piece.

The crab was wonderfully sweet and creamy, accompanied with the refreshing lettuce and tomato, and made for a light, delicious dish.

Aburi Ocean Trout with Red Cabbage, 'Egg Yolk Zuke', Garlic Foam

Our favourite entrée would have to be the ocean trout though; the trout was so fresh, succulent and wonderfully flaky. Combined with the red cabbage, egg yolk zuke and garlic foam, made for a delicately delicious and refreshing dish.

Organic Soba, Carbonara Style with Truffle Aroma Foam

The soba was hectic – for something that looks so deceptively simple, it was richly decadent in its creaminess and surprisingly heavy.

We loved the fact that you could faintly smell the truffle emanating from the dish. I took a second to breathe it all in before digging in.

I also loved the use of soba instead of an actual pasta noodle – the texture and flavour profile is a little different, but it made the dish all the more memorable and interesting.

Squid Ink Risotto with Beer Battered Calamari

I don’t think I’ve had many dishes with squid ink in them and I have to say that its blackness is a bit confronting. I think F and I both were taken aback with the dish and was a bit hesitant in trying it.

All our doubts disappeared though as soon as we tasted it. It was A-MAZ-ING.

The perfectly seasoned risotto was divinely rich and creamy with a sharp cheesy bite. The batter of the beer battered calamari was super light and crispy – almost like tempura – with perfectly cooked calamari within.

It was super simple, but it definitely packed a punch in flavour. F loved it so much that he’s declared it to be the best risotto he’s ever had (and he’s had a lot!).

Fish of the Day: Swordfish with Capsicum, Carrot and Witlof Salad with Passion Fruit and Orange Sauce

The swordfish was cooked quite wonderfully and was perfectly seasoned. While the salad was pretty good, it was the sauce that blew our minds. It was so zesty, refreshing and had so much flavour; the fish tasted sweeter all the more for it.

Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Sauce Chasseur

The wagyu was so utterly tender and succulent – something you’d expect from wagyu and would be terribly disappointed if it were anything else.

The sauce added a nice saltiness to the dish overall.

Lemongrass Panna Cotta, Pineapple, Coconut Sorbet

Now, I don’t really fancy lemongrass too much (I know weird for an Asian) and I try to avoid it as much as I can, but F seeing it in a dessert really piqued his interest. I was a bit dubious to say the least.

But of course I had nothing to worry about – the panna cotta was out of this world. The sharpness of the lemongrass was hinted at but not quite there, so there was this wonderful lemony zest playing off the creaminess of the panna cotta.

The pineapple added a nice sweet-sourness to the dish and the coconut sorbet was absolutely heavenly.

The components of the dessert worked quite well on their own, but once combined it was simply a spoonful of perfection.

Peach Compote, Verbena Jelly, Vanilla Ice Cream

Sadly the peach compote, while quite tasty in its own right, was totally outshone by the panna cotta. Unfortunately, it was outshone so much… we can’t really remember what it tasted like.

Inside Blancharu

Blancharu welcomes you quite whole-heartedly and has a friendly and attentive wait staff. The food is so fresh and while most of the dishes we had were quite delicious, there were a few that really surprised us and made us really fall in love with its creativity and simplicity.

Blancharu
Shop 1, 21 Elizabeth Bay Road,
Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
Ph: (02) 9360 3555
Web: http://www.blancharu.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, Seafood

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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So impressed with Arras’ offering last time Howard was there, he thought it would be great if we tried it for ourselves. Why not? After all, we all were enticed by the promise of the amazing bread and even more stupendous range of petit fours (I know I was).

We had just received our drinks and completed our selection of bread when the fire alarm sounded. Almost at the same time we faintly smelt something like burning plastic and noticed a light haze of smoke near the front door.

It’s kind of funny that our natural reaction to the alarm bells was to look around in a puzzled, if awkward, manner, trying to suss out what everyone else was doing and what we should do. While we were trying to decide, the restaurant staff were almost-calmly tried to find the source of the alarm. Eventually we moved outside with most of us bringing our alcoholic beverages or bread (naturally).

Soon after, a fire engine arrived with several firemen to figure out what triggered the alarm.

Ze Fireman

As with the restaurant staff, they didn’t find anything and put it down to a false alarm, leaving as quickly as they came.

Crackers and Bread

Due to the disruption, our wait staff forgot to serve us the crackers one normally received prior to the start of the dinner. Realising what we were missing out on, Howard wasted no more time and asked about them. They reminded me a bit of papadums, but the nuts anchoring the towering crackers were spicy. I was warned off them and settled for watching them to be eaten instead.

One of the things Howard raved on about Arras was their breads. Oh boy, he wasn’t kidding about the variety they had and just how good they were! We had pumpkin, caramelised onion, malted sourdough, multi-grain rolls… it was seemingly endless! I loved how each time they came out, they were all warm, crusty and wonderfully soft inside.

F loved their bread so much that he had about 10, which took him pretty much right up to the pre-dessert – making our poor wait staff a bit twitchy.

The Amuse Bouche

Our amuse bouche was a pumpkin “shot” with micro herbs. It was so fresh and light, it was fairly bursting with flavour.

Green Salad, Ash Goats Cheese

This next dish was wonderfully brightly flavoured by green and white asparagus, cucumber and pea puree. I loved how the delectable creamy goats cheese adds a roundness to the overall dish.

Scallops, Potato and Grapes

As you may very well know by now, I am obsessed with scallops and potatoes – having them both on one dish is enough to make me swoon.

Despite its bland, almost colourless, appearance, it packed a fierce flavour-punch. The potato puree was creamy and velvety smooth while after a brief resistance, the grape yielded its gentle sweetness, which in turn bolstered the sweetness in the almost wonderfully seared scallop.

Eel Nicoise

I adored the presentation of this dish. The mind-boggling, infinitesimally thin strip of crisply fried salmon skin stuck like a pin in a lightly roasted tomato certainly made an impression.

It was kind of fun combining all the different components in your mouth, from the super juicy tomato to the soft and tender eel, as no matter which combination was chosen it was assuredly a most tasty one.

Sardines in Toast

F thought the funny presentation was some sort of food disguised to look like a funny, lumpy plate… only to be surprised to find out that it just was a funny plate (admittedly, he has been watching too many Heston Blumenthal episodes right up to this night).

The toasted brioche slices were delightfully crunchy, sandwiching the perfectly cooked sardines (which didn’t have any overly fishy taste).

“It tastes exactly like sardines on toast,” someone noted half-jokingly. And admittedly, it did! The spiced tomato water was totally reminiscent of the tomato sauce used in the cans (albeit it was a lot brighter in flavour and had a more intense tomato flavour).

Unfortunately for me, I managed to get a slice that had quite a few scales and bones in it, which came to be a bit of a surprise really.

Smoking Peking Duck

The duck was amazingly tender (with no gamey duck taste) and when eaten together with the sliver of cucumber, pancake cigar and rich consomme (which totally tasted like a deeper, richer hoi sin sauce), its flavours were unmistakenly of a smoked peking duck.

It was interesting to see that the duck wasn’t underneath the smoke-filled dome, but rather a waif-like pancake cigar filled with something I have forgotten though I’m sure it was slightly salty.

Square Peg in a Round Hole

The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender and perfectly seasoned; its flavour was simply gorgeous when accompanied with the lavender and honey. Meanwhile, the spinach puree was silky smooth and the caramelised onions added a different sort of sweetness to the dish.

Cheese Trolley

Another talking point of this degustation was whether the cheese would actually come out on a trolley and what type of cheeses they would bring out.

It actually came out on a trolley! And we got to choose which cheeses we had! (So incredibly spoilt). The cheeses ranged from places like France, Spain and Italy.

I would have to say, these cheeses were the best I’ve had – each had their own distinct flavour and were so amazingly smooth and creamy. They were accompanied by house-made chutney and so wide and generous a range of crackers/biscuits that we didn’t manage to finish them!

Pre Dessert

Our pre-dessert was a wonderfully well-balanced collection of meringue, grapes, orange and white chocolate. It was simple, but no less delicious than a more complex dish.

Coulant au Chocolat

This dessert was pretty much the clear favourite of the table and it does not come as a surprise. It was incredibly decadent, rich and sumptuous, as well as oozing chocolate when cut through; all of which are components that make up a perfect dessert.

Two words really comes to mind when eating this dish: freaking fantastic.

The Cinematic Souffle

This divine souffle had a hint of savouriness that was complimented by the lightly salted popcorn. The crunchy chewiness of the popcorn was the perfect counter to the smooth and soft souffle – a combination that would have never occurred to me.

For me, this was my favourite dessert of the night.

Fruit Salad and Yoghurt

I thought this dessert was most surprising. It wasn’t simply a fruit salad with yoghurt, it was fruit sorbet salad with smooth and creamy yoghurt and crunchy muesli. I should have realised that it wouldn’t have been a dish as simple as cut up fruit with a dollop of yoghurt!

The Perennial

Life Gave Us Lemons... and Limes

I have a confession… I can’t remember what these two desserts were like beyond “tart and sweet”.

Honestly, they were quite delicious, but were kind of overshadowed by the other desserts.

Petit Fours

Finally, what we’ve been waiting for the entire night: the petit fours tray – and boy, it did not disappoint. My eyes grew as big as saucers when one of our wait staff brought out the tray (with a bit of a struggle under its weight).

They had given us cute square slates as plates, but when I saw exactly how many petit fours were there (which took our waitress like five minutes to get through), I realised that our little slate would fit four at most. Crap! Making decisions in a really short time with so many choices is not my forte. Hoping for some help, I looked over at F and did a double take.

“Where the heck did you get that plate?” I exclaimed. With a sly grin, he replied: “It’s my affrogato plate.”

A short pause followed. “Damn.” Which promptly followed with a lot of envy. Although I have to admit, the five I managed to fit on my plate was more than enough and found that I was horribly full by the time I reached my last one.

Restaurant Arras is a one-hat restaurant with quite a few surprises up its sleeve. The food, its creativity, was simply amazing – topped with attentive and more than accommodating service; I can definitely see why Howard was so impressed with this restaurant and hope to be back very soon.

Restaurant Arras
24 Hickson Road
Walsh Bay, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9252 6285
Web: www.restaurant-arras.com.au

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, favourites, lamb, poultry, Seafood

I was pleasantly surprised one day to see in the mail a 2-for-1 dinner postcard offer from Restaurant Balzac for F’s and my birthday month. I was a bit puzzled at first at how they knew it was our birthday month when I remembered that I had signed up for Restaurant Balzac’s mailing list last time I was here. Silly me.

The offer was too hard to resist and before long, we found ourselves seated upstairs and in eager anticipation of this season’s degustation.

Pressed Corned Beef with Parmesan Gougere

The pressed corned beef by itself wasn’t all that exciting, but accompanied by the cute miniature bread roll and the mild sharpness of parmesan gougere it was a surprisingly delicious little morsel.

Chilled Tomato Consomme with Cucumber and Chilli Salsa

The cucumber segments were like little refreshing tidbits working wonderfully with the light and bright tomato consomme that was as deliciously vivid as its colour. Although chilli is not my strong point, the chilli salsa was very subtle, adding a biting sweetness. F and I couldn’t stop exclaiming over how refreshing it tasted and how it conjured up bright, sunny, summery days.

Marinated Kingfish and Ocean Trout with Orange, Fennel and Poached Scampi Tail

The amazingly fresh marinated black kingfish and ocean trout was lightly drizzled in dill olive oil vinaigrette; I thought the orange segments added the perfect amount of clean citrus acid to the dish. I quite enjoyed how this dish continued with the fresh, summery vein.

Pan-Fried Mirror Dory with Baby Heritage Carrots, Toasted Cumin and Dried Orange Skin

The mirror dory was delectably pan-fried and was wonderfully accompanied by the smoothest and creamiest carrot puree I’ve ever had. The baby carrots were sweet and though the texture roasted orange peel was chewy and a bit at odds with the rest of the dish, the flavour undeniably melded delightfully with the rest of the components of the dish.

Risotto of Broad Beans and Marjoram with Braised White Rabbit and Fresh Morels

We were both surprised to see rabbit on the menu again since our last visit some months back, but pleased and excited to see rabbit cooked in a different form: braised in risotto. I thought the broad beans risotto was scrumptious with the morels adding a delicious earthiness to the dish. The rabbit was super tender and the risotto bursting with flavour thanks to the chicken stock and parmesan infused sauce. F funnily enough managed to score the plate with a rabbit bone (as he did last time) despite this he simply loved the dish and the flavours.

Breast and Thigh of Free Range Chicken, Hand Rolled Macaroni, Marron Tails, Corn and Braised Chicken Sauce

The perfectly cooked chicken and the braised chicken sauce was a marvellous combination; the succulently marron tails added a gentle sweetness to the dish. However, I have to admit, I barely noticed the macaroni.

Braised Brisket of Wagyu Beef with Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Bone Marrow Butter and Horseradish

The 300-day grain fed Wagyu was tender and perfectly seasoned with the top of the brisket being scrumptiously caramelised. The sauce packed an oommpf of flavour with the bone marrow butter soothing the extreme flavours down with a lovely creamy flavour and texture. The potato fondant and watercress puree helped to round off what would have been an overly rich dish into a well balanced and delicious plate.

Cheese Platter

Although F and I adore cheese, we cannot for the life of us ever remember the names that rolls off our wait staff’s tongue so effortlessly. What I do remember is that we had a French blue, UK cheddar, French goat cheese, French brie, and a Spanish cow and sheep cheese – all of which were fantastic. The cheeses were accompanied with a pear and quince paste, autumnal fruits (apricot, prune and date) and some fresh slices of granny smith apple.

Pimms and Lemonade

Our palate cleanser was a Pimms and lemonade jelly with cucumber, mint salad and lemon granita.
While the Pimms added a slight dry, bitterness to the jelly, the cool cucumber and mint salad adding a lovely refreshing texture with the lemon components adding a nice touch of acid to the dish.

Pavlova of Mango, Passionfruit and Coconut

F’s not a big fan of meringue, let alone pavlova, whereas I absolutely adore them both. This pavlova was so awesomely crisp on the outside and fluffy, yet chewy on the inside that I can’t help but think that this is what meringue should always be like. Its winning combination of mango and passionfruit topping with a sprinkling of coconut was so divine, it even won F over!

Petit Fours

Tonight’s petit fours is raspberry de fruit and walnut truffle. The raspberry is super sweet and we found we had to at nibble it, but it went ever-so-well with our tea. The truffle was expectantly darkly rich, only to be offset by the subtle creamy nuttiness of the walnut.

Coming back to Restaurant Balzac, we found that we loved the food more than the last time; we were amazed by the combination of textures and flavours each dish had to offer! The service, once again, was wonderful and we couldn’t help but leave with a sense of contentment.

Restaurant Balzac
141 Belmore Road
Randwick, NSW, 2031
Ph: (02) 9399 9660
Web: http://www.restaurantbalzac.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, Seafood

I’ve heard so much about Vue de Monde; every time I go to Melbourne and not have at least dropped by Bistro Vue, I get a pitying look and a consolatory pat. Well, pity looks and consolatory pats no more! I’ve finally dined at Vue de Monde… and boy, have I ever been missing out!

When we were comfortably seated and had our sparkling water poured, our main waiter informed us that there are no written menus as they like to surprise their customers with what will come next, but we will be emailed the menu of what we had after dinner. Interesting! He sketched over our menu options (a la carte, x-course degustation) and asked us if we knew what we wanted. I hate to say it, but we’re addicted to degustations and honestly can’t say no to them – the more courses there are, the more we are interested!

Customised 'Ware

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Read the rest of Vue de Monde, Melbourne CBD (3,177 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, favourites, kangaroo, vegetarian

It’s been a year since my last visit to Sepia, and they’ve been showered in Hats, Best Restaurant and Best Chef Awards so I’m interested to see if anything’s changed. Tonight’s degustation is a joint venture between Janice Wong and the Sepia chefs, Martin Benn and Daniel Puskas, the dinner is 9 courses long and much to my pleasure is actually split into an even mix of 50% savory and 50% sweet.

Amuse Bouche

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Read the rest of SIFF 2010, Janice Wong at Sepia, Sydney CBD (1,874 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favourites, siff 2010

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

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

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

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/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, favourites, Seafood, vegetarian

Our first visit to Sojourn was in December 2008, and it was in celebration of the seemly longevity of the blog, at that time it was six friends writing together for nearly a year (since that time Helena has drifted off into the distance and Teresa has abandoned us for the shiny shores of NYC though she has promised us a Mac & Cheese post). Ironically enough we visited Sojourn in 2008 as they were ending their degustation services and switching to ala carte, for their final weeks of service they were serving their $95 degustation once again as a final farewell.

Amuse Buche - Pea Soup with Roasted Pancetta and Chantilly Cream

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore soup and I’m rather charmed by the miniature tea cup the amuse is served in. I’m a little hesitant by the fact that it’s a pea soup, I’m not overly fond of the little green pieces of hell but I’m blown away by the flavour in this tiny cup. My only complaint would be that there wasn’t enough!

Alternate Amuse Buche - Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozarella and Parmsan

Linda has been continuing her non-red meat diet and a number of replacements have been organised for her throughout the degustation, I thought it was a shame that she wasn’t served the pea soup as it would have easily met her requirements without the Pancetta. I sneak a bite of the salad and while I enjoy the tartness of the dressing, still think it pales in comparison to the soup.

Ceviche of Western Australian snapper & scallop with Iberico Jamon, fried capers, crisp shallot & roquette

I’m partial to scallops, especially pan fried so am always a little disappointed when they’re prepared differently. The ceviche is a refreshing dish with the salt from the Jamon blending well with the clean seafood ending with the tart bitterness of the roquette. The silence at the table is a little telling as our respective ceviche are devoured and demolished in seconds.

Angolliti of Yamba prawns with fresh crab salad, fennel puree & shallot dressing

Sometimes I’m utterly surprised by a dish and am blown away by the most unexpected portion of the dish, while the angolliti and fennel puree are enjoyable it’s the tarty crab salad that has me coming back for more. The tartness is almost too much but is the perfect combination with the creamy fennel.

Carpaccio of cured Black Angus beef with cauliflower cream, brioche solder

I can’t help but smile when the Carpaccio comes out, it’s virtually identical to the one we ate almost a year and a half ago and lives up to my memory. The plating with the square cut of beef on the long rectangular plate is a striking contrast and the warm still runny quail egg and brioche solders make me feel as though I’m having a rather decadent breakfast. Sadly Linda still cannot abide raw meat and is infinitely grateful when her alternate dish arrives.

Risotto with Peas & spring onion with brioche

RISOTTO. I feel like this dish is following me wherever I go! I keep feeling as though I’ve missed the boat on this style of cooking but in the interest of trying everything I sneak a bite from the dish. Sweet peas are once again featuring and again take me by surprise in how much I enjoy them, sadly the risotto simply remains a risotto for me and I happy go back to my quail egg.

Twice baked olive & chive souffle with soft goats curd & tomato sorbet

Another blast from the past has arrived and it’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating the entire night, souffle! The plating for the souffle has changed but the cotton soft souffle is a dream to the mouth with a eggy pillow-like texture paired with the salty goat’s curd and frozen at the end with a sweet sorbet… It’s the hot/cold contrast which I love in this dish and I’ve yet to taste a better example.

En crepinette of confit duck leg with parsnip chips, roasted onion tarts & sherry vinarigrette

I’m on a little bit of a high after the souffle but I’m starting to crash a little as the duck comes out, the saucing and various components on the plate are executed well but the somewhat dry texture of the duck ruins a little of my pleasure, we’ve got a bit of disagreement at the table as Howard on the other hand enjoys his duck. In hindsight I should have tasted his meat portion to see if the texture on his side was any different.

Gnocchi with caramelised onion

Gnocchi used to be one of those dishes I never really got the point of, it’s kind of spongy and strange looking and I couldn’t for the life of me see the fun in eating it. Strangely enough it was Nigella Lawson who changed my mind on Gnocchi when I made up a batch with a cider, seeded mustard and cream sauce – bliss! The gnocci on the dish are deliciously soft and I can’t seem to stop myself of stealing more and more.

Barramundi with skordalia, crisp chicken wings, pancetta, oyster mushrooms & jus gras

The fried chicken was the first thing to grab my eye on the plate and I have no shame in admitting that it was the first thing I ate, nothing tastes better than fried! The fish was perfectly cooked with a lovely sauce to match but the frypan must have been a little hot that night as the skin was so crisp i felt like I was eating a chip, an awesomely fishy crisp but a chip none the less.

Roasted milk fed veal with parsley puree, bone marrow fritters, confit new garlic & sweetbreads

As the night went on we started to notice service becoming slower and slower, the restaurant spans two levels and although I wasn’t able to see the patronage downstairs, upstairs the tables were full of large groups all of whom had ordered the degustation. Feeling under the weather on the day and missing my +1 (Oh Teresa I miss you T_T) I decided to forgo the matching wines and could only watch the other tables enjoying their wine.

On the verge of asking a waiter for a status update, the veal dishes came out all at once. Another blast from the past there was no way I’d ever forget that bright green sauce, sadly the dish did not live up to memory as the meat although tender was strangely flavourless as too was the sauce.

Roasted jew fish with slow cooked garlic, salsa verde and zucchini frittes

Linda’s last alternate dish was another fish dish, which I thought was a strange choice considering the dish preceding it had also been fish cooked in an almost identical style. The Zucchini frittes are an interesting look on the dish and as with the previous fish dish was a good matching with its side components but not earthshattering.

Date & almond Baklava with roasted pear, rose petal jelly & almond ice cream

Baklava is always a winner in my books and after our savory dishes we’re more than ready for the sweets. The sweet flaky layers are a welcome flavor change and the texture of the almond ice-cream has me smiling again. The pinkness of the jelly makes me happy and I feel like a little kid tucking into the jelly suares.

Vacherin of strawberry & mascarpone with strawberry & mind salad

It’s almost with a sigh of relief that we tackle our last dessert. The Vacherin is unmistakable and is my clearest memory of our first sojourn visit, primarily as I don’t really enjoy meringue! Undeterred I pass my meringue portion over to the girls and tuck into the ice-cream. I always use Vanilla as my baseline for my judgement of an ice-cream and Sojourn’s vanilla is definitely a winner, paired with a sweet tart strawberry it’s an ideal way to end the meal.

Dinner over the night has been a mixture of ups and downs with food wavering between acceptable and amazing, service is attentive and polite if a little slow on the night but the customers in the restaurant are clearly enjoying themselves with laughter all around. It’s interesting to see that our dinner the first time around was also 4 hours long, I wonder what it says about us that we were ready to fall asleep by 11pm!

Thanks for the food and the memories Sojourn!

Restaurant Soujourn (Closed)
79 Darling St
Balmain East NSW 2041

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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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

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favourites

In continuing the surprise, I kept my eyes on the pavement and didn’t look up even as we entered the restaurant. F told me later that he was silently urging me to look up when we were greeted, as the maitre d’ anxiously flicked his eyes between us, his face betraying the thought that we were fighting and I was in trouble. Hah. Telepathy fail.

When we were seated, F asked if I knew where I was and triumphantly I said, “Of course! We’re at Balzac!” I was rather pleased and smug with my powers of deduction, only to be slightly deflated when he scoffed, “It took you long enough to work it out.” Bah.

Wagyu Bresaola

(...)
Read the rest of Restaurant Balzac, Randwick (1,394 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, favourites, pork, Seafood

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

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, favourites, poultry, Seafood

Quite possibly.
Nested in the back streets of Elizabeth Bay, near the back of Kings Cross, Blancharu is another gem worth trying in this area. Around the Kings Cross, Potts Point & Elizabeth Bay area, you will find most cuisines to your desire, and the quality is top notch. Specialising in Japanese-Franco cuisine, chef Harunobu Inukai (formerly of Galileo & Bilsons) has expanded his horizons and opened up his own culinary experience for those to not enjoy his one-hatted restaurant quality dishes, but also to escape the flurries of the city and cook in a non-pretentious space.

For the past few months, my dear friend Mandy had completely hyped up Blancharu, and when it was time for me to FINALLY pay Blancharu a visit, her last words were “I hope it lives up to your expectations… I’m scared now!”(...)
Read the rest of Blancharu, Elizabeth Bay (792 words)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Last time I was here, I was with Minh and the menu was a la carte. I heard that Oscillate Wildly changed the format after that and only served a degustation menu. I’ve always wondered if the degustation was a good idea (was totally ambivalent about the change) and so it was rather exciting that I got to try it out as an early birthday dinner.

When our waiter advised that I might want to give the bread a miss due to the degustation being fairly large for some ladies, F and I traded amused looks as we thought about our epic effort at Etch. I thanked him for his advice and quite without meaning to, polished off my bread before F did (honest!). A bit belatedly, I hoped my stomach was up to the task.

King Prawn, Eggplant and Beancurd

The warm beancurd was incredibly silky smooth, pairing very well with the perfectly seasoned king prawn and crispy eggplant. The little stick thing was actually dehydrated beancurd, giving the dish that extra crunchy texture. I really wanted to make this delicious dish last, but it was a bit too good to keep from polishing it off somewhat quickly.

Bantam Egg, Ortiz Anchovies and Rye

The Bantam egg was slow-cooked in a 65-degree water bath for I think 65 minutes. The yolk was a glorious gooey mess that mixed together with the saltiness of the anchovies and the almost bland, but wonderfully al dente rye noodles. The crisp, also made from rye, added a welcoming crunch to the dish and I loved visual of the dehydrated parsley that was sprinkled on top of the egg.

Mulloway, Fennel, Speck and Black Sesame Pearls

I can appreciate how hard it is to cook a piece of fish perfectly so that the consistency of the flesh is moist and tender throughout (though I suppose some pieces/fish are easier to cook than others). As I methodically demolished the fish, it was very apparent that this was one very perfectly cooked mulloway. Bliss. The large grains of salt and hard speck added a really nice salty and crunchy component to the fish, though I couldn’t really taste the black sesame pearls.

Chicken, Celeriac and Puffed Grains

The chicken was scrumptiously succulent and I loved how well-matched it was with the roasted puffed grains. Upon request, the waiter told us that there were five type of grains used… though sadly I can’t remember any except for quinoa.

I’ve recently discovered why I get so light-headed when a degustation is particularly good: I forget to breathe properly – I just eat bite after bite, savouring the textures and flavours. It’s silly, isn’t it? I had to remember to take a break and breathe properly by this stage when I realised I was starting to get light-headed.

Pork, Kartoffel Knoedel and Kale

Our waiter came over with our dishes and asked me how I was going. I told him that I was okay and could still eat some more. He commended me on how well I was doing, as the degustation had bested ladies who were bigger than me, and said that I would get prize. Then he hastily added that really there wasn’t a prize and that he really should have said that. Haha… aww, shucks.

It was unfortunate that a bright, blue light switched itself on at this point in time (what is it with me and blue lights?!) and I naturally fretted how the photos would turn out (end result: not happy, so I apologise for the remaining photos).

I think so far, out of all the dishes that have come and gone, this was the most interesting looking. Its dramatic dark blue-purple dollops and smears with the crispy, fan-like kale and the delicious-looking pork just made us stop and admired it at all sorts of angles (though of course I was looking for the best angle to photograph it… haha).

The pork lived up to what it looked like: so tender, moist and well-seasoned and I really enjoyed the different flavour combination of the kale and potato knoedel, using most of my pork to mop up the plate.

Cheese Platter

We were given the option to get a cheese plate or to go straight onto desserts. I’m not sure why we went with the cheese plate, as we normally don’t get it, but I’m really glad that we did. The cheese (unfortunately I have no idea what it was) was mild, soft and smooth, while the fresh apples and kamquats helped cut the creaminess of the cheese. I really liked the “crackers” (for lack of a better word) and I really should have asked what they were.

Sichuan Marshmallow, Mandarin and Strawberry

I was a bit worried with the Sichuan marshmallow (as we all know my tolerance to chilli – or lack thereof hehe), but it was all for naught, as the spice was quite light on the tongue. I adored this dessert: the mandarin sorbet was incredibly refreshing and slightly tart, pairing surprisingly well with the strawberries (both fresh and dehydrated). I forced myself to slow down and just savour the different flavours and textures – it was really hard to have such self-control in the face of something so delicious.

Pear, Chocolate and Celery Sorbet

I was actually more apprehensive of this dessert than the Sichuan marshmallow, as who have ever heard of celery sorbet? For me, celery are best had in soups, as then I can’t taste its bitterness in its raw form. Our waiter told us that the components in this dessert should not be tasted individually, rather they should be tasted all together.

Obediently, I tried all the components together. The chocolate sorbet was surprisingly dry, while the celery sorbet provided the refreshing and bright flavour component of the dessert. The poached pear added the much needed touch of sweetness and juice to the dish, though I barely noticed the basil seeds.

F loved this dish and I think it’s because despite of the unusual components of the dessert, he felt like they all worked well together. For me, it’s a bit too unusual, but that’s not to say I didn’t like it (just not as much as F! Hehe) and I really admire the gutsy-ness in trying something so different.

Petit Fours - Dark Chocolate Caramel Lollipop, Mixed Nuts and Berry Nougat and Blood Orange Jelly

Ah petit fours. I realised that I am in love with petit fours – no matter what they are. It’s always exciting to see what they will be when I order my tea. The lollipop was pretty nice, but I crunched my way through it to get to the nougat (where it dawned on me that I have a soft-spot for nougats). The nougat was soft and as you can see, packed with nuts and berries – bless. I have an even bigger soft-spot for blood orange and saved what I thought would be the best for last. The jelly was soft, sweet and had that sharp tang you’d associate with blood orange. Yum.

Even with such great expectations, I didn’t feel like I was let down once during our meal. Just short of gushing, I loved the delicious creativity and freshness of the produce from Oscillate Wildly. The wait staff were so friendly and always had a smile for their customers. It’s also really nice that they knew the dishes really well and was able to answer all our probing questions (even though I’ve forgotten most of them! Sadness). When our waiter saw me taking photos of the menu, he promptly produced a copy of the menu complete in an envelope for me. Now that’s some service!

Oscillate Wildly, as F tells me, is under some renovation for a couple of months. I’m not sure when exactly they will be re-opened, but keep an eye for it! This is definitely one restaurant you should try. Booking is essential, as it’s a tiny restaurant, seating about 30 people.

Edit: The degustation was $95 and the cheese plate was an extra $12.

Oscillate Wildly
275 Australia St
Newtown, NSW, 2042
Ph: (02) 9517 4700

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, favourite, pork, poultry

For the past few years, as October approaches, details for the food festival are advertised. I read through each event intensely and even jot down the ones I’d love to go to. Then it occurs to me that they are on the weekdays, and being interstate during the week, I’m never able to attend. However, this year was different; I was back in Sydney for October! Rejoice!
This year, Restaurant Balzac was once again awarded TWO hats for the 2010 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards. I went to Restaurant Balzac for my birthday three years ago and wanted to reminisce back to that night where I had some of the tastiest bread ever: warm, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Tonight, I was back for the ever-so-long awaited Hats off dinner for the Sydney International Food Festival.

Beach-themed table setting

Getting ready to dine!

The theme for tonight’s HATS OFF dinner was called “From the bottom of The Deep Blue Sea”

Theme for tonight's dinner

Me, (being THE Pescatarian of the EST team, or the “Pest” as they like to call me), this 10-course hats off dinner was perfect as the degustation involved (basically) all seafood dishes. What was more exciting was the theme and inspiration behind each dish. Each course was inspired from some country on each continent. Have a go and guess the country/cuisine from where each dish is inspired from…!

So here goes with the “beachy-themed” dinner…

Pacific Oyster with Vietnamese Dressing

Occasionally, I have that *small* craving for oysters (or perhaps its the attraction to this “aphrodisiac”…) and this starter was such a teaser! The fresh and sweetness of the oyster complimented very well together with the sweet/savoury dressing. It was a nice, light starter to entice our palate for the other 9 dishes to come.

Soon after, the waitress arrived with a plate of complimentary bread. MMM! This is what I returned for!

The bread was just how I remembered from three years before: warm. crunchy. warm on the inside. The butter spread so well on the bread. nomnomnom!

Salt Cod Manresa-style

The second meal of the night. The bland flavours of the beans mixed with the rather salty “Salt Cod” attempted to balance the salty flavour, but I felt it was still a little too salty still. However, when washed down with a sip of wine (supposedly for the next course), it was a lot easier and more pleasure to consume.

Boston Bay Clam Chowder

(matched with nv Jed Wines Sparkling Blanc de Blanc – Argentina)
The first time I had chowder was in San Francisco (home of the chowder) many years ago. Cream-enriched, flavoursome, and warming, tonight’s chowder was just like the first time. The bits of clam was rather fun to find and eat! It had a nice strong seafood flavour, mixed together with a hint of ham.
The matching wine came from Argentina. I was informed that West Australian wine merchants, Jed Wines travelled to Argentina just to produce this wine. This was a favourite for everyone that night; sweet, light and complimented well with the freshness of the snapper.

Ceviche of Line Caught Pink Snapper

(matched with 2008 Tomich Hill Riesling – Adelaide Hills, S.A.)
Ceviche is a peruvian-style dish: citrus-marinade raw seafood. Tonight’s fish was the Pink Snapper. The snapper, being a light-flavoured fish, was enhanced by the tomato-ey citrus dressing. Very fresh & sweet!
The lightly flavoured Riesling matched well with the citrus-y dish.

Linguini of Spanner Crab and Asparagus

(with matching wine 2007 Torbreck ‘Woodcutters’ Semillon – Barossa Valley, S.A.)
“This tastes just like noodles! My favourite”, exclaimed my dad. *shakes head*. The handmade linguini did have a noodley texture but it was still pasta. The lemon-flavoured sauce for this dish was sweet and made the dish simple, yet interesting. This was my dad’s favourite that night.

Poppadums with mint yoghurt

Curry of Prawns and Basil with Poppadums

(with matching 2007 Domaine Coteau de la Biche – Vouvray, France)
The yellow curry itself was light and sweet… although, I felt that if the prawns were cooked in the curry itself so it could soak up the curry, the prawn would have tasted fantastic. There was only 1 small poppadum each to dip with the mint yoghurt. If only we were given more to dip with the curry, or even consumed together with some sort of legume. This dish was just missing this factor, otherwise this may have been my favourite.

'Surf n turf', Lobster and Wagyu

(with matching wine 2007 Pommier ‘Bourgogne’ Pinot Noir – Burgundy, France)
A classic Australia dish. Obviously, the “surf” was the lobster and the “turf” was the wagyu. This was the only meat dish of the night and I was highly disappointed when informed that the sauce had bits of truffle. As you all may know, I’m a HUGE fan of truffle; the smokey/burnt flavour is my favourite due to its uniqueness and it fascinating taste. My brother and dad inform me the wagyu was not very fatty which perhaps made the beef a little tough to slice, however, it was perfectly cooked.

The brother slowly and carefully enjoying his wagyu...

By this time, I was pretty full, but there was still dessert to come…

Coconut Caviar with Mango

I have and will always love sago. The mango sago drink readily available in Hong Kong @ Hui Lau Shan makes me love sago even more. The use of the sago in this dish was very similar to “caviar”. My brother was merely disappointed when he realised it was not REAL caviar. At first, I thought it may have been caviar and I wondered how they could work caviar in together with mango (a sweet taste). This was a nice refreshing re-dessert to ready the palate for dessert.

Sand, Cones and Umbrellas

(with matching wine 2008 Josef Botrytis Rieling – Tamar Valley, TAS)
I thought this was the most creative dish for the night. The “sand” was crushed shortbread and sugar, the “person” under the umbrella was a handmade waffle with a raspberry swirl ice cream. This dish was so fun to eat! Dipping the cone in the sand… The waffle was crunchy and not too sweet to be eaten together with the icecream, and the sand was not too sweet to be dipped in. MY favourite of the night!
The matching wine was very good as well. It was not too sweet, and very easy to drink. This was my favourite wine of the night too as it went so well with the dessert together.

Tea with salted caramel chocolate seashells

The night ended with a pot of green tea, enjoyed together with salted-caramel chocolate seashells. The sweetness of the caramel was downplayed by the salt. I didn’t think too much of salted caramel, but the seashell had a unique taste. I found this very interesting to eat.

The service was adequently attentive and there was a nice (not-too-long-not-too-quick) break between each meal. This allowed for better digestion of each dish and I quite liked this. I didn’t leave the restaurant feeling like passing out from food coma, so the quantity was perfect for everyone that night. With a price tag of $160pp (or $185pp with the matching wines), I would have expected better quality ingredients, but the creativeness to the theme of the menu made up for this. I enjoy the french/english-style of the food at Restaurant Balzac, but next time, I’ll go for the a la carte.

Restaurant Balzac
141 Belmore Road,
Randwick NSW, 2031
Tel: (02) 9399 9660
Fax: (02) 9399 6929
Web: http://www.restaurantbalzac.com.au/

Open…
Tues to Sat – from 6pm
Friday Lunch only – 12pm to 3pm
Last Sunday of every Month – from 6.30pm (Seasonal Degustation only)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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I thought I’d surprise F with an early birthday dinner and what better way than to do it with a SIFF Hats Off Dinner – a Hats Off Dinner at Becasse to be precise! I was intrigued and drawn by their theme: an acknowledgement to the Heroes and Masters of French cuisine and I thought he might find it as interesting as I did (and enjoy it).

Even after dragging our feet and spending some time at (and eating) Bon Bon Fine Chocolates, we ended up being 10 minutes too early and were asked by the staff to come back when they open at 6. Loitering outside for a bit, we decided to go back to Bon Bon Fine Chocolates, where F dropped a cool $45 on an assortment of chocolates. Surely by now our 10-minute exile from Becasse was up and made our way back to the restaurant.

We were ushered upstairs, where our waitress began to indicate politely our table, only to stop herself with a start and moved to the table behind, brightly amending her mistake with “Sorry! This is your table”. I brightened up too as the table was well-lit – awesome (so now we all know that if the photos don’t look good, it’s because of the camera’s end user haha).

Pumpkin Brioche, Garlic and Herb, and Sourdough Baguette with Smoked Butter and Pink Salts and Olive Oil Butter and Herbs

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Read the rest of SIFF Hats Off Dinner 2009: Becasse, Sydney (2,314 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, favourite, Seafood

Have you ever liked something so much that you find yourself seeing it again, buying it again or eating it again ? I remember when The Matrix came out, I watched it at the cinemas three times and then purchased the DVD. I’ve recently found the perfect pair of jeans by A.P.C, I end up buying two pairs so I can rotate them. In terms of food, well, this is my second visit to Bistro Ortolan in two weeks.

It hasn’t been easy coughing up $110 in consecutive weeks for dinner, but I just had to bring Teresa, Linda and Minh along to confirm that the food was in fact amazing and it wasn’t me going crazy or just blatantly hyping the food up for no reason. Did they agree with me ? Indeed they did.

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Read the rest of Bistro Ortolan, Leichhardt (1,523 words)