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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fillet of cod

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

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

Old time favourite bitter chocolate mousse, citrus fruit

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

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

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

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

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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You’d think it would be easy, but choosing a restaurant to eat at on a Friday night is surprisingly difficult. On this Friday our only certainty was that there would be three of us, and that we definitely did not want to eat Japanese! Forgoing our usual Surry Hills and Chinatown haunts we decide to go a little further out of the city and visit Glebe Point Diner, located at the far end of Glebe Point Rd far enough out of the city that the majority of the surrounding buildings are all residential.

Glebe Point Diner - Interior

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Read the rest of Glebe Point Diner, Glebe (1,151 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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In the recent past, Danks St Depot was my favourite sunday brunch haunt (note: the creamed eggs are to-die-for) but due to my recent desire to save and just plain ole laziness, I’ve had to cut this luxury out of my life. We’ve posted about Danks St twice before: For the early dinner’s club and of course, for brunch. This place is a personal favourite of mine and after a recent Christmas dinner here, I decide to make a second return.

At $50 for 3 courses at one of Sydney’s finest slow cooking inspired restaurants, Danks St Depot encapsulates value, quality and taste in all 3 of the courses (there is also the a-la-carte option if 3 courses is too much). On my last visit, I felt lucky to be living in Sydney. A place to taste the fine & fresh produce of our country as well as dishes inspired by our laid back & carefree culture. I thought it was the perfect place to introduce my overseas guest, D, to a place not only showing off our simple yet tasty Australian cuisine, but also our culture and lifestyles.

Table setting

The Starters (@$18)

After a long day of sightseeing in humid weather, salad was the popular choice for both of us.

Tattoo from Sydney Aquarium

Panzenella Salad with red roasted bell peppers (otherwise known as capsicum), bread pieces, ox-heart tomato & basil, dressed with tomato dressing.

Funny enough, I was flipping through the Danks St Depot cook book and found this salad in there (so I’m using references to the ingredients in the recipe). My dining companion found this salad to be more an “acquired taste” type dish. The dressing had a strong salty flavour to it (perhaps from the anchovies that’s used in the dressing). The sourdough pieces was covered soaked in the tomato dressing. According to the recipe, it is explained that stale bread is used. This explains the toughness of biting through each bread piece! The salad had an anchovy-cheesey type flavour, but it must be my liking for anchovies which helped me devour each bite & lick all the sauce… (yum!).

Local Peaches and Apricots roasted with Pancetta, Chilli and Thyme served with Rocket and Parmesan chunks

This was a warm salad which allowed the sweetness of the fruits to become infused with the pancetta and rocket. The pancetta was not too salty & the hint of sweetness balanced out the flavours. The peach and apricots were nicely roasted, enough to become mushy when consumed. (Yes I ate the pancetta. Did I mention that my new years resolution was to become an “occasional” omnivore? ) D found this dish to be the most memorable dish he would have that evening. He mentions the smoky flavor of the roasted fruit plus the strong-flavored (goat’s?) cheese was a perfect match and a great way to start the dining course.

Mains (@$25)

Lamb leg with Confit Mushrooms, Dried Cherry Tomatoes and Salsa Verde

The lamb leg was a nice cut of meat cooked to exactly D’s specifications. However, he felt the lamb fillet was like a steak fillet, but just gamier. The sauce tasted so much nicer after mixing the mint & caper topping in with the lamb sauce. The tomatoes were very sweet (and surprised my foreign friend. His introduction to organic tomatoes. It brought out the real sweetness to how tomatoes should taste like.) The mushrooms were a little flavourless but its bland-ness was welcomed since the other ingredients had quite a strong taste. Although there was a positive praise for this dish, D mentions he would pass on ordering it a second time, possibly trying out other main dishes.

Asparagus risotto with Woodside goats cheese curd & extra asparagus

In the past, I haven’t been a huge fan of goats cheese due to the usual reason: too strong. However, I’ve had the goats curd from Woodside a few times recently and found it strange that the flavour was not as strong as what I envisioned goats’ cheese to taste like. It is relatively light but you can still taste the goats cheese flavours. This dish gave you the option to take a small bit of the cheese with each bite or mix it into the risotto. My style of consuming this dish was to ration the “tiny, dainty spoonfuls of goat’s cheese” for each mouthful whilst D preferred the “mix it into your oatmeal” style (D believed my style was far more inferior than his style. “Think of the time one saves with the oatmeal method”, he explains), but we did agree that the flavours matched so well. It was worth ordering on any trip to Danks St (In fact, I had the same risotto on my last Danks St dinner visit).

Dessert (@$12.50)

The waitress took to laughing a bit as D took advantage of the $3 cup/$5 bowl warm beverage up sell and ordered the long black bowl earning this “smart” shopper the equivalent to 3 cups of strong coffee in one, some funny looks from staff and most importantly, a wicked caffeine buzz.

Hot Liquid Centered Chocolate Fondant served with caramelised Strawberries and Whipped Cream

If you asked me what dessert I wanted, I would reply “anything chocolate”. If this is also your answer, you’d love this dessert. As we dug into the fondant, the warm liquidity chocolate slowly oozed out and mixed with the strawberry sauce. This lightened the sweetness of the oozing chocolate. The chocolate fondant was dark, rich and moist. I found it was one of those desserts where you pick up your spoon to eat it, and you don’t put your spoon down, until you’ve finished. Licking helped us towards the end, to savour the flavour.

Pain Perdu - Warm Bread and Butter Pudding served with Vanilla Anglaise and poached Rhubarb

I had this dessert for the early dinner’s club. It was a memorable experience. Drenching the bread and butter pudding into the vanilla anglaise soaked up extra flavours. There’s a hint of chocolate and something fruity (maybe orange rind??). My favourite was the toffee top. It gave the dessert a nice crunch, but wasn’t too sweet to overpower any other flavours. During this course, I made a comment about rhubard: “Don’t you think rhubarb tastes like celery, but its sweet?” – Does anyone else believe in this too because I certainly do! I LOVE cooked celery. The rhubarb was a little sweet to my liking. I guess it didn’t help by being drenched with the vanilla anglaise.

I love daylight savings

I’ve always had a positive experience at Danks St Depot, however during the busier times, the service is sometimes not as attentive as they should be, but the knowledge of how sweet the waitresses are, the attentiveness is not necessary.
The head chef of Dank St. Depot (Jared Ingersoll) believes in slow-cooking, and I being of the philosophy of slow-eating felt a natural draw to come and eat here. So, if you do too, perhaps check this place out for breakfast, lunch, dinner… or all 3. And @$50 for 3 courses per person, it’s a steal!

Danks Street Depot
1/2 Danks Street (Cnr Young St),
Waterloo, NSW 2017
Web: http://www.danksstreetdepot.com.au/

Breakfast & Lunch: Monday to Sunday
Dinner: Thursday to Saturday

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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We ended up getting there before everyone else and so I had to make up some story about how they were running late and for us to be seated first (I guess technically not really a story, because they were!). The surprise kind of fell apart when he overheard the number of people the booking was for (six) and the name the booking was under (Belinda). I lamely tried to hold it together by muttering that my friend’s mother was called Belinda and that I did tell him earlier that it was a really small civil ceremony, but he wasn’t buying it. Sigh. I realised then that organising secret dinners can be hard work but keeping it together til the last minute is even harder!

Grilled Turkish Bread with Rouille, Smoked Eggplant and Broad Bean Dips ($8.50)

Our exclamations of how famished were received with a laugh from our waitress and she asked us if we would like to get the Turkish bread with mixed dips while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. Unhesitatingly, we said yes.

There is always something on the menu that’s totally unfamiliar to me. This time it was Rouille and Wikipedia is ever helpful in telling me that rouille is a sauce made from olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and chilli peppers.

By the time the dish came out, the rest of our party arrived and we were all heartily digging in. The broad bean dip was a big hit with us (though personally it kind of tasted like humus), while I seemed to be the only person who really liked the smoky eggplant.

Grilled Oysters with Smoked Paprika, Chorizo, Tomato and Onion ($3.50 each)

On finding that he actually likes oysters though only when cooked, F eagerly ordered this dish and was not disappointed. The heat from the smoked paprika and chorizo was, so I was told, a very nice compliment to the warm oyster. Everyone seemed to like the oysters a lot – so much so that they ordered another plate!

Grilled 1/2 Shell Scallops with Chilli Hollandaise and Asian Salad ($19)

While I couldn’t try any of the oysters (chorizo AND smoked paprika would have sent me jumping into the harbour, I’m sure), I eagerly dug into the scallops. Unfortunately for me, I forgot about the “chilli” component in the hollandaise sauce and I had a moment of creamy bliss before the fire. Sigh. The scallop was fairly decently grilled, being juicy and slightly firm though on the verge of being over-cooked, and paired quite well with the sauce.

Gorgeous view

As we finished off the remnants of our entrees, we were treated to a pretty sunset and the sun slipped from view just as our mains were served.

Pan Seared Tuna with Tabouleh, Garlic Toum and Romesco ($28)

Nausicaa finding her fish being perfectly and tastily cooked, shared it amongst us and I had to agree: it was deliciously cooked. I thought the sauce was wonderfully creamy, matching very well to the fish.

Salt & Pepper Squid with Chilli Sambal ($26)

The squid was soft and moist – surprisingly the chilli sambal wasn’t very spicy. Though to be honest, I didn’t have much of this dish as I was too busy digging into my main.

Pan Seared Ocean Trout with Coriander Rice, Asian Salad and Chilli Jam ($28)

The fish was very well cooked and seasoned but I think the coriander rice and Asian salad was just a bit disappointing for F.

Pino's Lamb and Rosemary Sausage with Crushed Kifpler Potatoes and Red Wine Jus ($28)

Sadly, I never found out what the lamb and the sausage was like, but from the empty plate I saw being taken away said something I should think! Hehe

Grilled Beef Tenderloins with Pumpkin and Smoked Sweet Potato Mash, Red Wine Jus and Tomato Fondue ($29)

While the beef was wonderfully succulent and tender, there was an overwhelming taste of… well… the char from the grill. I got a bit distracted by it and was grateful for the wonderfully creamy mash, crisps and the quite lovely sauce.

Creamy Mash ($7)

This mash reminds me of the time dad instant mash with not enough milk and too much of the dehydrated potato. His mash was quite thick, but interestingly, this mash wasn’t – it wasn’t dry either, even though it looked like it was.

Assorted Cheese Plate with Grapes and Crackers ($22)

F decided to be different and ordered the assorted cheese plate (I know I’ve said this before, but cheese plates are not dessert!). He thought the cheese were nice and creamy with a smooth texture – and the blue wasn’t too overwhelming. The grapes were a nice touch, as it brought a refreshing sweetness inbetween bites and cheeses.

Cracked Mocha Creme Brulee with Biscotti ($12.50)

I heard that the creme brulee was only “okay”, though much fun was had in cracking the top, as it was satisfyingly substantial.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Caramel ($12.50)

The panna cotta was well liked and the raspberry caramel was enthusiastically mopped up with each mouthful. The fairy floss added that extra bit of sweetness to the dish.

Menage a Trois of Summer Berries with Mascarpone Mousse and Crisp Meringue ($14)

I was drawn in by offering of luscious berries, mascarpone and meringue. I thought it was a really nice surprise to get a big ball of berry sorbet on top of all that yummy goodness. It was a really nice, refreshing dessert, but to be honest, it was a little much. By the end of it, I was quite sick of the mascarpone.

Big Ol' Smily Face Himself

Ripples at Milsons Point was a more casual dining experience than I expected. We all were dressed up and I was surprised (and a little embarrassed) to see pretty much all of the customers in casual clothing. In saying that, it’s a laid-back type of restaurant with gorgeous views and great wait staff.

Ripples at Milsons Point
Olympic Drive
Milsons Point, NSW, 2061
Ph: (02) 9929 7722
Web: http://www.ripplescafe.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, Dessert, lamb, Seafood

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, pork, poultry