eatshowandtell » Dessert

Souk in the City, Surry Hills

squishies — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:00:35 +0000

Sisiely is nothing but tenacious… especially when it comes to food.

Despite not being able to attend the dates she suggested, she persisted and we managed to schedule dinner a couple of weeks ahead… only to have the dinner cancelled right on the day we were supposed to meet! Oh alright, more like postponed, as a week later, we all finally congregated at Souk in the City (I’ll just call it Souk from now on, shall I?).

Souk is a restaurant I’ve been meaning to come back to for ages, while Sisiely seems like she’s been dying to try the food here ever since she went past it one night (and it was too busy to accommodate her party for dinner).

We arrived at Souk at different times, so I missed her expression when Omar, the owner, showered her with rose petals and a very warm welcome upon her entry. I know for me I was quite embarrassed and awkward with the attention, but deep down inside it made me feel rather special.

Souk in the City

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Element Bistro, Sydney

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

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

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

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

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

Ocean Trout Fish Cake with Remoulade Sauce ($18)

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Adriano Zumbo V8 Cake, Masterchef Recipe

linda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:53:57 +0000

You would think that after my last encounter with an Adriano Zumbo cake, I would know enough to make it my final try. However, I’m not one to shy away from challenges and I decided to go one step further this time tackling the V8 Cake.

So what is the V8 cake for those who have been living under a rock in the last couple of weeks? For the Masterchef finale week, the first pressure test challenge was an insane cake made by Adriano Zumbo. The cake takes its name from the 8 different vanilla layers, each presented textually differently. The contestants were expected to complete the cake within 4 hours.

4 hours in the kitchen, how hard could it be?

The finished V8 cake

Boy how I had underestimated the V8. By the time I had completed the cake I was cursing the crazy person that initially conjured up such a torturous idea. Gellan, titanium dioxide, patissier glaze WTF!

Let’s take a look at how I spent collectively SIX hours in the kitchen.(...)
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“This and That” Dessert, My Bistro CBD Experience

linda — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:58:46 +0000

Weeks of researching, planning, organising and countless sleepless nights later, now it’s all over. The food bloggers dinner hosted by Merivale was held on Wednesday night. What a night it was. For this post, I’ll give you a run down of my experiences working in a commercial kitchen and an overview of the initial planning process down to plating up our courses.

Fouad the mastermind behind a couple of secret dinners and SIFF dinners wanted to do something a little more challenging, so he enlisted the help of Billy, Karen and myself. We were told that the idea of the Food bloggers dinner would be each of us individually coming up with a meal to be served in a 5 course meal at Bistro CBD. With this in mind, we were instructed to have a meal plan ready by our next meeting/taste testing session.

Prepping in the Kitchen

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Guillaume at Bennelong, Circular Quay

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

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

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

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

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

Guillaume at Bennelong

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Löwenbräu Keller, The Rocks

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

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

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

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

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

Garlic Bread

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

Mushroom Soup

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

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

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

Venison Stew with Sauteed Mushrooms and Servietten knoedel steamed bread dumplings

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

Braised Lamb Shanks with Mashed Potato

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

Franziskaner Bier Goulash

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

Slow Roast Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potato and Sauerkraut

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

Wine Marinated Slow Braised Beef Cheeks with Mashed Potato

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

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

Garden Salad

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

Schweinshaxn - Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle with Sauerkraut and Mashed Potato

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

Eeep!

Chocolatesuze was kind enough to divvy up the goods. Teehee

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

Heheh

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

Marco Jacobs, Head Chef

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

Lowenbrau Kaiserschmarrn with Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

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

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

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

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

Berowra Waters Inn, Berowra Waters

squishies — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:00:53 +0000

A couple of friends have recently been to Berowra Waters Inn and raved on about the food, telling us that we must eat here.

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 | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, Seafood, vegetarian

Kansai, Wynyard

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

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

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

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

Agedashi Tofu

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

Gyoza

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

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

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

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

Chicken Karaage

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

Yakitori

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

Soft Shell Crab, Scallop Tempura and Spicy Tuna Handroll

Salmon Roe, Scallops, Scampi and Salmon Sushi

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

Tonkatsu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dark and Milk Italian Thick Hot Chocolate ($6)

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

Chocolate Souffle ($10)

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

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

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

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

Ju Ju, Kings Cross

squishies — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:00:22 +0000

It was a cold, dark rainy night when we congregated at Ju Ju in Kings Cross; some people were more wet than others, as they were caught in the fits and starts of the fickle torrential rain.

Tramping down the narrow staircase, we found ourselves bidded by the wait staff to take our shoes off and into the plastic bags offered.

Ju Ju is exactly how I remembered: the warm, wooden decor and the pits! I love how the tables are basically sunken and you have to sit on square black cushions.

We poured over the various laminated menus provided, taking quite a while to decide on what to get. We were so spoilt for choice – it was so hard to choose!

Yukke - Fresh Raw Beef and Egg Yolk with Special Ginger Sauce ($9.80)

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Malaysia Mondays – Road Tripping to Batu Caves and Melaka

Minh — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:25:07 +0000

Anyone who has been to Malaysia will know that while Kuala Lumpur is shiny, apart from shopping and eating there’s not a hell of a lot to do there. We decided early on in our planning to hire a van to drive us around Malaysia, road trip style!

Day 2 – Where I remember how much I dislike monkeys

Our first stop of the day is the Mega Valley Mall (mega indeed), we’re here to pick up our car for the week. Knowing how many people we had in the group and how long we’d be driving we decide to go with a van for our travels. I remember arguing with Billy when trying to choose a car for the trip, often his primary argument was something along the lines of, “Bigger Minh, bigger!“. After a bit of a wait our van finally pulled up and looked like…

This...

…um. Noticing the obvious dismay on our faces the staff are quick to assure us this isn’t our car, moments later a much shinier van pulled up and we are off! Driving in Malaysia is somewhat hair-raising, the white lines on the roads seem to be there primarily as a suggestion and red lights only deter drivers if they can’t see anyone coming in the opposite direction. Billy pulls the car to a stop at a set of lights having just missed the yellow, only to see the cars on either side of him zoom through the red. “I’ve gotten soft!” he proclaims, much to my amusement.

Our first stop of the day is the Batu Caves, but of course first – lunch.

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Post tags: malaysia mondays

Black Forest Cake, MasterChef recipe

linda — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:13:18 +0000

Due to my current obsession with masterchef, it was only natural that the next thing I bake was another masterchef recipe. A couple of weeks back, we saw how by missing out two layers of Gary’s Black forest cake costs Dom his place in the competition.

I’m not a huge fan of black forest cake, if it’s there, I would eat it, if not, I wouldn’t go out looking for it. My brother on the other hand absolutely adores black forest cake, requesting one for his birthday every year. I decided to surprise him by baking his favourite cake.

Obviously the main component of a black forest cake are cherries, unfortunately, autumn is not cherry season for us in Sydney, so instead I opted for frozen cherries. All the other ingredients are readily available at the supermarket.

Gary's version : Image from masterchef.com.au

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Kazbah on Darling, Balmain (Round 2)

squishies — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:00:39 +0000

I said I’d like to come back to try out more things on the menu, but I didn’t realise just how soon we would be back!

With the constant fantastic food that always seems to find its way into my stomach, the lack of exercise and a thin wallet, it seemed unlikely that we would have a big breakfast any time soon. Unlikely, but I guess not improbable… hence our fattiness on a sunny, but chilly Saturday morning.

Carcade - Egyptian Hibiscus Tea ($3.80)

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Coco Mar, Dee Why

squishies — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:00:40 +0000

F and I were invited by Michael and his girlfriend, Deb, to a dine with them and a few friends at an authentic Brazilian restaurant. Only knowing about the Brazilian restaurants that offer barbecued meat on skewers, I thought this restaurant was of the same.

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 | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, poultry, Seafood, vegetarian

Caramel Parfait Glace w/ Salted Peanut Caramel & Milk Chocolate Mousse, Masterchef recipe

linda — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:46:45 +0000

Yay Masterchef is back! With the return of Masterchef, means the return of baking crazy desserts, desserts which takes way too long to bake and complete, but tastes so damn good that it made all the blood sweat and tears worthwhile. Last week’s Celebrity chef challenge saw 20 year old Callum, pitted against one of Australia’s most popular pastry chef, Phillipa Silby Head Pasty chef of Circa the Prince in Melbourne.

Throughout the challenge, I watched in awe as Callum battled his way through the 6 different elements, all within 1 hour and 45 minutes. Profusely sweating whilst trying to beat the clock, I think he did a great job, and deserves to be commended for his efforts.

Since I love a great challenge, I thought it would be fun to also try out this recipe. Being super obsessed with Snickers Bar also convinced me to give it go. I followed the instructions exactly as on the Masterchef website , but how did it turn out compared to what they produced on Masterchef ? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Caramel Parfait Glace with Salted Peanut Caramel and Milk Chocolate Mousse

recipe adapted from Masterchef 2010, chef Philippa Sibley.

Ingredients

For the caramel mousse
500ml thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
135g liquid glucose
190g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, cold
6 leaves gold leaf gelatine, soaked in cold water, drained
160g egg yolks

For the chantilly cream
250ml thickened cream
250g good quality milk chocolate

For the peanut caramel
200ml thickened cream
80g liquid glucose
150g caster sugar
50g butter
100g salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
¼ tsp sea salt

For the peanut dacquoise
140g salted peanuts
250g pure icing sugar, sifted
80g almond meal
160g egg whites
100g caster sugar
For the chocolate plaques
200g good quality milk chocolate

Step 1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced.
Step 2. For the caramel mousse, whip 200ml of the thickened cream to soft peaks, cover and refrigerate until needed. Combine vanilla, remaining cream and 115g of the glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside. Meanwhile, weigh out 140g of the caster sugar. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of caster sugar. Once it has dissolved, gradually add the remaining, stirring constantly, until it has dissolved and turned lightly golden. Slowly pour the hot cream into the caramel, whisking until combined; whisk in the butter followed by the gelatine leaves. Strain into a bowl, set over another bowl half filled with ice and water and leave to cool, whisking occasionally.

Step 3. Combine the remaining 50g of caster sugar, 30ml water and remaining 20g of liquid glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the yolks on a moderate speed. Using a sugar thermometer bring the sugar syrup to 118°C. Remove from the heat and let the bubbles die down slightly. Pour the syrup down the side of the bowl onto the still whisking yolks. Turn up the speed and whisk until pale, doubled in size and cool.

Step 4. To finish the mousse, fold the two cooled mixtures together, fold through the whipped cream then pour into a 20cm x 25cm x 3cm Swiss roll tin lined with baking paper and place in the freezer until very firm.

Step 5. For milk chocolate Chantilly cream, melt the chocolate and keep warm to the touch. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Quickly whisk half of warm chocolate into the cream, to lighten the mixture. Immediately whisk through remaining chocolate and refrigerate.

Step 6. For the peanut caramel, combine cream and glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside and keep warm. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until 1 teaspoon of caster sugar dissolves when added. Gradually add the rest of the sugar and stir constantly until it has dissolved and has turned light golden brown. Slowly pour the hot cream into the caramel, whisking until combined; whisk in the butter. Set over another bowl half filled with ice and water and leave to cool until slightly thickened. Fold through the peanuts and the salt and refrigerate until needed.

Step 7. For the peanut dacquoise, process peanuts until finely ground. Combine icing sugar, nuts, and almond meal in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle sugar onto the whites and continue whisking until firm and glossy. Gently fold the mixture through meringue until combined, but not over-mixed. Spread onto a lined baking tray at a thickness of about 1cm. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the dacquoise is crisp on top but slightly soft in the centre. Remove from the oven and slide onto a cool surface. Place a piece of baking paper on top of the surface of the dacquoise and carefully flip it over onto a small flat baking tray. Remove the paper. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mousse from the freezer and invert onto the slightly warm dacquoise. Press down lightly to ensure the two surfaces are lightly stuck together. Remove the tin from the mousse. Slide onto a tray and return to the freezer.

Step 8. For the chocolate plaques, gently melt the chocolate, no hotter than 45°C, in a metal bowl over hot but not boiling water. Pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a cool, clean work surface and spread it around until it begins to thicken and feels cool to the touch. Return the cooler chocolate to the warm chocolate that remains in the bowl. Stir until completely combined. The chocolate needs to be about 26°C. The chocolate will feel cool on the side of your little finger. Spread the tempered chocolate with a palette knife over 3 x 4cm x 30cm strips of acetate plastic (stuck to the marble with sticky tape). When the chocolate is set to the touch but still slightly malleable, peel the strips off the bench and turn upside down so the chocolate surface is down. To portion the plaques, measure 10cm lengths, mark through the chocolate with a knife heated under warm water then cut the acetate with scissors. You will get 2 plaques per strip of plastic. Store plaques in the fridge until ready to use.

Step 9. Remove the tray from the freezer and peel off the paper and discard. Using a long knife heated under very hot water, cut the mousse into 10cm logs, taking care to keep the edges clean and straight.

Step 10. To serve, smear a small amount of the peanut caramel in the middle of the plate. This will stop the dessert from sliding around. Then place the bar on the plate dacquoise side down. Now peel the plastic off a plaque and carefully place, shiny side up, on top. Using a teaspoon dipped in hot water to form small quenelles and evenly place three on the plaque. Fill the two spaces with peanut caramel then place another plaque on top. Be careful not to get fingerprints on the chocolate. Serve immediately on a cool plate.

OMG that is one heck of a dessert. Out of all the desserts that I’ve baked, this is by far my favourite. Each components just work so well together. Starting from the deliciously chewy slightly salty dacquoise to the rich and creamy yet fragrant caramel mousse, topped with the refreshing chantilly cream contrasting salted caramel, all held together by a couple of melting dark chocolate plaques. YUM! As usual, the boyfriend and family were taste testers. All in all, it was unanimous, this dessert is worth the 2 hours of cleaning up.

Finally, here’s a monthly update of Max. He’s grown considerably in the last month, he’s always learning new tricks, but remains cheeky.

Tagine, Rozelle

squishies — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:00:04 +0000

Ever since a few of my friends and I had dinner at Souk in the City (what seems like) eons ago, M’s developed a soft spot for Moroccan cuisine.

It’s not surprising then that she decided to have a big group dinner at a Moroccan (slash Egyptian) restaurant for her birthday. The restaurant itself wasn’t all that large and our fairly big group of 14 hungry people filled up most of the place.

As there were so many people in our party, we had to get the Tagine Banquet at $45 per head. Considering that you get 5 dishes and a dessert, I thought it was pretty good value.

It took a while between courses for the dishes to come out, but when they did everyone dug into them with gusto.

Entrée

Mixed Dip Platter - Chickpea & Harissa, Smoked Eggplant with Paprika, Olives, and Tzaziki

I think tzaziki and hummus are always battling to be the top favourites in a mixed dip platter, but this time things were a little different. I noticed that a lot of us adored the olive dip with its slightly salty and creamy flavour. Indeed it seemed an almost perfect bite with some Lebanese bread, but I totally fell in love with the smoked eggplant with a touch of paprika for a bit of flavour kick.

Chargrilled Marinated Vegetables

These vegetables were actually served with our mains (which I suppose in a way, made more sense) but it’s here as it’s under the Entrée section on Tagine’s website.

Chargrilled vegetables are a perfect way to balance out heavy, meaty dishes and it most certainly did its job here with its chargrilled perfection. They were almost all gone as soon as the dish hit the table.

Main

Mmm banquet...

Although our mains came out quite a long time after our mixed dip platter, they all came out together and piping hot too.

Couscous and Rice

I heart couscous. There’s something so enjoyable with eating hot, fluffy couscous and having it lightly spiced with cinnamon was absolutely heaven. The rice was really good and fluffy as well, but being Asian I find it hard to appreciate something I have every day (even though I love rice to bits, having it outside from home is always a bit different I think). I thought the sultanas sprinkled throughout both bowls were a nice touch.

Vegetable Tagine

F found the sauce a bit salty, which says a lot as he loves salt, but interestingly, I didn’t find them to be. In fact, I thought the vegetables were well-seasoned and really liked how it was swimming in sauce.

Meatballs with Raisins in Spicy Tomato Salsa

Not all meatballs are created equal – some are too hard, while some are too soft and crumbly, too big or too small (insert immature snigger here).

Interestingly, all that is a matter of perception as these meatballs were a bit hit or miss at our table. Some thought they were too big, had too much spice… or thought they were perfect sized and had a really robust flavour that tickled their fancy. F and I were firmly in the latter camp, though I tried to stay away from the sauce as it had a bit too much heat for me.

Lamb Shoulder with Potato and Roasted Garlic

Being cooked in a tagine, you would expect the meat to be super tender and retains its succulent juiciness. And you would be right for this dish… the lamb practically fell apart to the merest touch. I thought it was a touch salty, but nothing that more couscous wouldn’t fix! Hehe.

The potatoes in this dish was absolutely delicious too (no bias here haha) and were so soft! Mmm potatoes…

Dessert

Feteer Meshaltet

So Tagine’s website tells me that this dessert is an “Egyptian delicacy of home-made layers of pastry covered in butter served with honey, double cream and molasses”. To be honest, I don’t really care what it was. All I know is that it was freaking awesome and it boggled the mind that there was one dessert dish to share between 4 people!! Utter tragedy.

Then again, this is me being greedy and by this stage we were all quite beyond content – pushing towards being too full. It was also quite a large serving for one person, I must admit, but it was so delicious we all kept wanting more despite being nearly uncomfortably full (and past beyond the point where unbuttoning one’s top pants button to ease one’s discomfort).

Fresh Mint Tea

To end our banquet, we were served hot fresh mint tea and “washed” our hands with this perfumed oil, which is a traditional thing to do in Moroccan/Egyptian culture after dinner (if I remember correctly from what I was told).

I love tea and it was just really nice to sit back after such a large meal and relax with a nice, hot cuppa, chatting with friends. Our waiter/owner of the restaurant poured our tea from a really high height (I forget what that’s called, I’m sure it’s called something right?) and we watched in amazement that nary a drop went astray. Unfortunately, he decided to reduce the pouring height when he noticed I was taking pictures of the pour and so this photo is not as suitably impressive as it would have been. Hehe

Tagine is a pretty cozy setting with a great, chatty atmosphere. While the food might take a while come out for large groups, the dishes are well worth the wait and you’d go away feeling quite satisfied.

Tagine
679 Darling St
Rozelle, NSW, 2039
Ph: (02) 9810 6108
Web: http://www.tagine.com.au/

Il Piatto, Horsley Park

squishies — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:00:47 +0000

On my way to and from F’s home, I always pass this one restaurant that is always packed. Well, admittedly it’s the only restaurant that I pass. Anywho, we always said that we will go, but we never managed to do so – we even made a booking one night but had to break it on the day.

Due to a series of unfortunate events (I got stood up by Minh haha), F and I fortunately got to finally visit this mysteriously frequented restaurant.

The menu is quite extensive and it took us a while to decide what to order. Sometimes it sucks ordering for two people – you want to eat/try more dishes, but you can’t because you’re physically constrained by your stomach real estate. Much sadness.

Crostini - Mixture of Wood Fired Bread topped with Tomato, Bocconcini, Basil, Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Spanish Onion ($15)

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Read the rest of Il Piatto, Horsley Park (602 words)

Traditional Pudding, Daring Bakers Challenge

linda — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:30:53 +0000

I have to admit, I’m a little bit obsessed with the DBC, these days my favourite day of the month is the 1st. It is on the 1st of every month, a new challenge is revealed. The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Suet?? For those who don’t know, suet is the solid fat surrounding the loin and kidneys of animals, with suet from beef and lamb predominantly used. My initial reaction at the thought of incorporating raw animal fats into my dessert was one of disgust, only because I don’t eat meat. Unfortunately, it appears that many other participants of DBC felt the same way, so Esther was very accomodating and allowed us to use any substitute that we were comfortable with, provided we stick to either steaming or more traditionally boiling our pudding.

The best choice for me was to substitute the suet for butter. However the most difficult part was to figure out what type of flavours or fillings to use. As bananas are currently in season in Sydney, I decided to go with a steamed banana pudding.

Esther was kind enough to provide us with the recipes for variations of puddings, I’ll post the recipe for the one I used. If you’re interested in other options, check out Esther’s blog.

Steamed Banana Pudding

100gm plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

100gm breadcrumbs

75gm caster sugar

75 gm butter

1 large egg

6-8 tablespoon cold milk

2 mashed ripened bananas

Sift flour, salt, baking powder in to a bowl
Add breadcrumbs, sugar and butter
Using a mixer, beat to a soft batter with egg, milk and ripened banana
Pour in to a spring form baking tray or a pudding bowl. Cover securely with baking paper or foil.
Steam for 2-3 hours.
Turn out on to a plate, and serve at room temperature.

I’ve only started experimenting with burnt butter, because of the fragrant nutty flavour that burnt butter oemitted, I decided to make burnt butter ice cream to serve with my pudding. Overall, I served my banana pudding with caramelised banana pieces, freshly whipped cream, cocoa chips, burnt butter ice cream and chocolate powder.

With all products of my DBCs my brother and boyfriend are usually the guinea pigs, they would usually have a bite, then either walk away or stay to eat the plate clean. Luckily this time they both absolutely loved it, with my brother declaring it “the best DBC ever.” With such statements, I couldn’t help but sample it myself. OMG the banana pudding was so moist! The smell of the banana just permeates the sponge cake. The freshly whipped cream helped balance the caramelised banana, while the cocoa chip added that much needed crunch. The superbly rich and creamy burnt butter ice cream really tied everything together.

As previously mentioned, the thing i love most about the DBC is that it encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, to do things that you never thought was possible. Thank you Esther for choosing such an interesting challenge for this month, now I have another accomplishment under my belt.

The Food Bloggers Battle Royale Cook off

linda — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:44:14 +0000

In life, you meet many people, some you get along with, others you steer clear of. I guess this also applies to the blogosphere. Who would have thought that through the power of the internet, I was able to find a group of people who share common interests and really get along with.

Obviously our common interest is food, whether it be eating out or cooking at someone’s place, it’s the one thing that is gauranteed to bring everyone out of the woods. With Masterchef back on screen now, Billy, Ellie and myself organised a “cook off” with a twist, where a group of bloggers were invited to cook a dish each. However, this was not like any other cook off, it was ” The Battle Royale Cook off.”

Invitation- Designed by Billy

Of course with any challenges, there are rules which all participants must abide by:

Each person will be assigned one of two categories- Savoury or Dessert
For Savoury, you MUST use any form of “fruit” in your dish.
For Dessert, you MUST use any form of “vegetable” in your dish.
Each person will prepare their dishes at home and bring it to the party.

Scoring

Each person must blind taste and score all dishes, except his/her own.
Each dish will be scored on its presentation and flavours
Scores between 1 to 10, 1= lowest, 10= heighest.

Attendees

With this in mind, our small group got cracking, with some people brainstorming ideas from the start while others were quite cruisy, whipping up something last minute. What did we come up with ?

Savoury

Ellie: twice-cooked orange salt rub pork belly with toffee-crisp crackling, caramelised cherry and brandy glaze, potato and apple mash with smoked bacon and savoy cabbage with smoky bacon.

Minh: Pumpkin soup with port melon and vanilla creme fraiche

Richard: Melon Triplets Salmon Tartare

Simon: Korean fried chicken - twice fried chicken thigh pieces with a pineapple chili sauce

Helen: pork ribs marinated in lychee and soy served with lychee and green olives. Or Pig Goes on a Holiday

Dessert

Steph: a trio of beetroot - Chocolate & beetroot macaron, beetroot chocolate brownie with beetroot ice cream and a beetroot lollipop with fizzy sherbert powder

Karen: tasting plate of rhubarb - rhubarb financier, Rhubarb mousse gateau, lemon shortbread with rhubarb jam and rhubarb crumble.

Suze: Rainbow Vegie Layer Cake- beetroot & chocolate, carrot, spinach with cream cheese frosting

Shez: Fennel flan with fennel cream with beetroot sorbet and fennel and fennel brandy snap

Billy: eggplant chocolate tart with candied carrot, purple carrot ice cream with citrus peels and roasted almond

Linda: Caramalised onion panacotta w/ burnt butter ice cream & olive macaron

Unfortunately, by the time we got to taking some of the photos, the ice cream accompanying the desserts had melted. Apologies is advance, as these photos did not do all the dishes justice. As you can see, we went a little overboard with dessert, as per usual. However, true to our food bloggers form, you’d think after the onslaught of 6 desserts, we’d be caught in a food coma, but no, we marched back to eating a final serving of chicken curry and rice which Ellie kindly pre-prepared.

I guess you’d be intrigued to find out who won what for the night.

Best Savoury: Ellie

Best Dessert: Steph

Most outrageous: Linda

Congratulations to everyone for making it such a wonderful night and allowing us the opportunity to sample your creative dishes. Thank you for making the first Cook Off such a success, hopefully this will be the beginning of many more to come.

A massive thank you to Ellie, her husband J and daughter C for inviting us into their home, and being so hospitable. Also thank you to both Billy and Ellie for donating gifts for the winners of the Cook Off.

Jas My Waffles, Rooty Hill

squishies — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:00:09 +0000

A long while ago, F had a craving for waffles – waffles from Rooty Hill in particular. When I quizzed F what made these waffles so special, he couldn’t quite tell me more than “oh my gawd, it’s sooooooo good! You don’t understand how good they are!”

Right. That tells me lot… and so I remained a little unconvinced just how good these waffles could be, as I’ve had some pretty awesome waffles. Sadly, his cravings weren’t to be sated any time soon.

It was almost half a year later that F’s cravings came back in full force (due to a friend gleefully posting of their visit to Jas My Waffles on Facebook). It just so happened that we had a free Sunday for F to finally indulge in his waffle cravings and I to finally experience it.

L to R: Maple Syrup, Pistachio, Flake, Hot Dog, Cheese Waffles (Sampler Pack, $11 for 5 or $2.50 for 1)

These waffles are not your typical waffles you would expect to get from say, Max Brenner. Instead, these waffles-on-a-stick have a dense yet fluffy and doughy inside surrounded by a crunchy exterior. The maple syrup waffle was simple and delicious. Due to the more doughy waffle the generous helping of maple syrup almost seemed too little as I found F wiping the paper ‘plate’ it was served in clean.

The melted chocolate is given a unanimous thumb of approval. Rich and velvety, it is the perfect base for the rest of the toppings. While the chunky pistachio bits added a nice crunch, it was somewhat overshadowed by waffle itself and the lush chocolate sauce.

The Flake on the other hand was a lot more successful as the chocolate sauce complimented the shaved Flake bits. This is a chocolate lovers’ chocolate heaven.

L to R: Cheese, Hot Dog Waffles

The melted cheese waffles ooze with flavour when bitten (or cut) into. The cheese is playfully stringy and stretchy – a perfect match with the waffle itself. This was the favourite of the picks where F actually contemplated buying another.

The fat frankfurt-hotdog waffle was a delight. The sausage flavour worked ever so beautifully with the waffle where not one flavour was lost to the other. F told me that this brought back memories of eating food in the Philippines, as this was quite a common pairing to see at breakfast.

While these waffles lost their fluffy, doughy interior to their savoury counterparts, they still retained the scrumptious crunchy exterior found with the sweet waffles.

Watching the Game... I mean, Fight

Jas My Waffles is a husband-and-wife operation with pretty friendly service and serves waffles in quite a few different forms and sizes. From what I saw, they also serve normal-styled waffles, generously accompanied with fruit, chocolate, or whatever combination the proprietor, Jaspher De Leon, has dreamt up. The waffles we had were pretty good and I have found myself thinking now and again that a cheesy/chocolate-y waffle on stick would really hit the spot.

This post is ultimately dedicated to Pacman – not the circular, yellow, ghost-eating childhood game – rather, the Filipino boxing superstar Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao. Due to his defensive title fight (or so F tells me that’s what the ~~game~~ fight was all about), Jas My Waffles normal Sunday trading hours of 9am – 1pm meant our 2:00pm arrival would not be greeted with closed doors. Instead the store was teaming with people, though I suspect the majority there just for the fight which was showing live and complimentary to the public.

While Rooty Hill might be quite a trip for some, it is quite worth the travel out west to try the spin Jaspher has spun on the humble waffles.

Jas My Waffles
6 Rooty Hill Road North
Rooty Hill, NSW, 2766
Ph: (02) 9575 4814
Web: www.jasmywaffles.com.au/

Taste of Sydney Festival, Centennial Park

squishies — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:33 +0000

I think it was around December that I heard a little fleeting teaser that Taste of Sydney will be on.. soon. Last year’s Taste was so much fun, so I was pretty excited. How excited? As soon as I found out the menu was online, F and I had worked out what to order in a matter of mere minutes and mushed our choices together for an epic mini-gastronomic adventure. And this was about two weeks before our Saturday session haha.

Coming from the west, we took Parramatta Road and then Anzac Parade. Let me tell you, that’s not the best way to get to Centennial Park on a Saturday afternoon. We most probably got stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes, where poor Howie was waiting for us, at Taste, all that time.

Dish 1

Restaurant Balzac - Crispy Wagyu Beef with Wild Mushroom and Truffle Foam (10 Crowns)

(...)
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eatshowandtell » Dessert

Souk in the City, Surry Hills

Element Bistro, Sydney

Adriano Zumbo V8 Cake, Masterchef Recipe

“This and That” Dessert, My Bistro CBD Experience

Guillaume at Bennelong, Circular Quay

Löwenbräu Keller, The Rocks

Berowra Waters Inn, Berowra Waters

Kansai, Wynyard

Ju Ju, Kings Cross

Malaysia Mondays – Road Tripping to Batu Caves and Melaka

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Black Forest Cake, MasterChef recipe

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Kazbah on Darling, Balmain (Round 2)

Coco Mar, Dee Why

Entrée

Mains

Dessert

Caramel Parfait Glace w/ Salted Peanut Caramel & Milk Chocolate Mousse, Masterchef recipe

Caramel Parfait Glace with Salted Peanut Caramel and Milk Chocolate Mousse

Tagine, Rozelle

Entrée

Main

Dessert

Il Piatto, Horsley Park

Traditional Pudding, Daring Bakers Challenge

Steamed Banana Pudding

The Food Bloggers Battle Royale Cook off

Savoury

Dessert

Jas My Waffles, Rooty Hill

Taste of Sydney Festival, Centennial Park

Dish 1

(...)
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