They adore Different Drummers for the cocktails, delicious food and cozy atmosphere, so it was a natural choice to make when picking a venue for their farewell.

Cocktails were 2 for 1 when I got there (happy hour is from 6 to 7.30pm, I think), but as F was still making his way to the bar, I asked if he wanted me to get him a drink. A re-sounding “yes” (as if I had to even ask! Haha) saw me return to our reserved area on the rooftop with a tray full of alcoholic beverages, which made me look like I tipple a little too much for my own good.

I was glad when he finally arrived… we could finally order some food! Without hesitation, we chose the large tapas selection ($60), wherein we got to choose 6 dishes from the tapas menu.

Warm Turkish Bread with Trio of Tapenades

The tapenades consisted of baba ganoush, black olive and sun-dried tomato dips. I found the sweet-tinged sun-dried tomato dip a tad spicy, but my favourite had to be the baba ganoush. Meanwhile, F equally liked them all and pretty much wiped the plate clean with the very warm and toasty Turkish bread.

Steamed Asparagus Spears wrapped in Prosciutto and topped with Fresh Parmesan Shards and Bearnaise Sauce

I must admit it: I adore asparagus – not as much as potatoes, mind you, but it’s right up there with broccoli and mushrooms. This just meant I could not not order this dish after seeing it on the menu.

And it most certainly did not disappoint.

The sweet asparagus were fairly bursting with juice and every single spear was steamed to perfection. I would have happily eaten the asparagus on its own, but I loved how the salty prosciutto, creamy Bearnaise sauce, and sharp parmesan were the most scrumptious of accompaniments – I must bug F to make all our asparagus side dishes this way.

Jamon Serrano and Manchego Cheese Croquettes with a Dijon Aioli

The croquettes looked so adorably chubby that I couldn’t wait to eat them. Crisp on the outside, not at all oily, and had an amazingly soft filling that packed a punch of flavour.

Eat it on its own or with the tangy, creamy Djion aioli sauce – either way, you really can’t go wrong.

Haloumi Skewers with Semi Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Thyme Oil and Lemon

I don’t think you can ever go wrong with Haloumi cheese (squeak, squeak!) and this beautifully presented dish was not just a feast for the eyes.

Each skewer was well-balanced and wasn’t overly salty as one might expect. Maybe it had something to do with the squeeze of lemon, adding a little acidity to the dish.

Beef Sliders with Wood Smoked Tomato and Gherkin Relish, Vintage Cheddar on Brioche Buns

These sliders were most probably the cutest, yet most phallic, tiny cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. Simple as they may be, these sliders packed some serious flavour. The pattie wasn’t dry and was well-seasoned; the ratio of smoky tomatoes, tangy relish, smooth cheddar, and bun were just right too.

The tiny french fries reminded me of those french fries chips you get, only better and not as overtly salty.

I think we should have ordered a 2nd plate haha.

Pan Fried Potatoes with Garlic Aioli

Being potato fans, we couldn’t let this dish go by us. The potatoes were wonderfully fried – crispy with a soft center – and the garlic aioli sauce was amazing with it.

Rooftop @ Different Drummer

I quite like Different Drummer’s coziness – I think it’s longer than it is wide! There’s about 3 floors with a couple of different ways to get there, which made it feel like some sort of crazy maze (in a good way!).

It does get quite busy and you can only order drinks and food from the ground floor bar, so there can be a bit of jostling to get where you need to go. The staff are super friendly and very efficient, but what was really surprising was the food served.

I’ll be honest: being a bar, I expected it to serve typical bar food, but they had a pretty large selection of Spanish tapas! Add to that, the dishes we ordered were well presented and most importantly, very delicious. No wonder O and A kept coming back! Haha… I think another visit is definitely required.

Different Drummer
185 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, NSW, 2037
Ph: (02) 9552 3406
Web: http://www.differentdrummer.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2012. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beef, pork, tapas

Needless to say that I was pretty excited when September rolled around and we finally got to go to Emmilou (so much so I think I came a bit over-dressed! Haha).

Welcome Cocktail and Beerage

I had forgotten that we would receive a welcome cocktail upon arrival until our waiter asked us if we wanted it now nor wait til the rest of our table arrived. I looked at F, who looked at little bit desperate after a long day’s work, and asked if we could have it now while we waited for R and S to arrive.

We learnt that each night the bartender would create something new – whatever he felt like on the night. Tonight, he made a very drunkable concoction of cherry liquor, aperol and Cointreau with berry coulis and cranberry. When the girls arrived, they were surprised I was drinking before dinner but quickly understood why (even though S made a face and said she couldn’t taste the alcohol. “That’s why it’s drunkable, S!” I gently admonished, taking a sip).

Guacamole with Grilled Sourdough Bread and Marinated Green and Black Manzanillo Olives

The delightfully refreshing guacamole with a hint of spiciness (which only seemed to affect me, bah) and the slightly salty olives were a great way to start dinner.

The timing was perfect, as just as we were finished with them, our additional special boards came out.

Higado del Pato - Duck Liver Parfait with Walnuts ($13)

The duck liver pate was smooth, wonderfully creamy and quite rounded when paired with the walnut. The toasted ciabattas were a little overly crunchy, but tasted so good with the pate.

Though I did wish there was more bread to the pate-bread ratio; hate letting good food go to waste and not being able to finish it because it’s just too intense to eat on its own. Sigh.

Calabacines Tempranos - Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Truffle Honey ($21)

I don’t know what it is about zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese that just makes F and I light up. These zucchini flowers were stuffed with a creamy goat’s cheese that had a hint of sharpness and were laid on a bed of semi-dried tomatoes. Visually, it made my heart beat a little faster and made me mmm’ed as its flavour ran rampant on the tongue.

Slow-Cooked Trout with Tequila Jelly and Scallop with Grilled Pear and Peas

When the duo of trout and scallop came out, we all ooh’ed in appreciation. It looked so pretty! I felt bad for R, who waited patiently for me to finish taking photos, while F and S (who knew better than to sit in front of me) were happily munching away.

As scallops are my favourite, I decided to leave that to last and went for the smoked trout first. While the toasted bread was again a little on the crusty side, the trout was perfectly smoked and the tequila jelly added a surprising sweetness. It was all gone in several mouthfuls, which was bitter-sweet as I wanted more, but this meant I could finally eat my scallop.

When I came to scoop the scallop onto my plate, I hesitated and looked around to see how the others managed to get it on their plate. I noticed that S and R managed to get it onto their plates with no issues, while F was waiting for me. Uncertain, I slid my knife underneath, stabled it as best as I could with my fork on top and… it toppled over onto my plate. Everyone burst out laughing while I looked on with slight dismay. “Let’s see if you can do it then!” I challenged F, not being competitive at the slightest. He managed to successfully transfer it over to his plate, keeping it upright, and with such smug easiness too!

The scallop had a pretty decent sear and I loved how the pear brought out the sweetness, while the mushy peas added a very subtly heartiness to the morsel. I tried to draw it out for as long as I could, cutting the scallop into quarters then halving them again as I ate, but sadly it still went too quickly!

King Crab and Potato Croquettas with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette

It’s really starting to hammer in why S love Emmilou so much now. The dishes have such a visual impact that you can’t help but admire it for a second before devouring its deliciousness.

While I couldn’t really taste the crab (which I’m putting down to the croquetta being surprisingly spicy), I loved the how soft the potatoes were without being mushy juxtaposed with the crunchiness of the crumbed shell. Meanwhile, the dab of whole grain mustard seeds added a bit of a different sort of spicy kick to the croquetta and the aioli rounded out the flavours quite harmoniously.

Jamon Serrano with Fennel and Garlic Salami

Damn but I do love me some jamon! Both the jamon and salami had strong hearty flavours and soft texture, which is quite in contrast with the crusty, almost-bland-in-comparison bread. I remember thinking that this dish wouldn’t go amiss at a picnic! I can imagine casually wolfing these down on a sunny, serene day lazing about with friends in the park.

It was rather surprising, but we were starting to feel a little full at this stage. As our waiter was clearing our table from empty plates, he asked us if we wanted to wait for a bit for the pork belly or keep rolling along. We all unhesitatingly responded with “bring it on”.

16-Hour Free Range Berkshire Pork Belly with Spring Peas and Kipfler Potatoes

It took a while for the pork belly to come out and we wondered how long it would have taken if we asked for it to come out later, but all was forgiven when we tasted the dish.

Holy moly it was incredibly succulent and soft. The pork belly had the perfect amount of crispiness to it and fattiness too. The mushy peas was refreshing to the heaviness of the pork and denseness of the superbly crunchy kipfler potatoes (I need to know how to make these!! They were way too scrumptious).

Half way through my portion of the pork, I became a little overwhelmed with food. Perhaps it was the heaviness of the dish, but I struggled to finish the last couple of mouthfuls. R gave up the ghost and asked us if we wanted to finish her portion. F hesitated a bit, but after haggling that he’d have three-quarters of it and she have the rest, he was happily munching on the last bits of pork belly.

There was a very brief moment of insanity where we contemplated not having desserts because we were so full, but thankfully that passed and as a compromise, thought we’d at least moderate it to two desserts and not four.

Churros with Warm Chocolate Sauce ($15)

Remembering the delicious churros with chocolate sauce I had a long time ago, I jumped at ordering it with F heartily endorsing my choice. It was just as good as I had remembered, perhaps even better, with its super crunchiness and thick, sinfully decadent dark chocolate sauce. You know when something’s good when you find yourself licking the remnants off your fingers.

Chocolate Tarte with Beetroot ($14)

The girls chose this for two things: chocolate and beetroot; it seemed so strange and had to be tried out.

For the most part, it did seem much like a very dense and moist chocolate cake, but on the odd occasion there were pieces of sweet beetroot – it was kind of a lucky dip! The beetroot ice cream was pretty interesting, where the beetroot flavour was quite subtle. I thought the gooey chocolate sauce topping really gave the cake that extra oomph from decent to quite scrumptious.

Emmilou

Emmilou is such a laid-back place with a very eclectic choice of music (much to my delight). I loved the casual, yet bold decor (all that red and gold!) and the food looked amazing without being fussy – best thing was: it tasted just as good as it looked.

It was so easy to see why S loves this place so much; this was her fourth time at Emmilou this year! And I wouldn’t be surprised if I come back here for another catch up with friends.

Emmilou
413 Bourke St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Ph: 02 9360 6991
Web: http://www.emmilou.com.au/

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, pork, Seafood

I’m traveling with my old buddies Astroboy and Rin and our attitude towards making actual plans is rather blasé, so it’s rather by chance that we find ourselves peckish just as we’re in the Movida vicinity. It’s only 5.30pm when we arrive but we’ve managed to nab the last table and a round of drinks as we start to dissect the menu.

There’s something tantalising about a Tapas menu. It’s still early in the day and we’re more interested in snacking than having a full meal, but the size of the dishes lets us still go crazy with our choices. The specials board is written up above the bar entirely in Spanish, requiring a quick run through with our waiter but the food comes out fast and furious once we’ve finally decided.

Paletilla Iberico de Belotta $28.50 Spanish Iberico Ham, front leg, aged 24 months

Astroboy has had her eye on the Iberico ever since eying it on the menu, Jamon is her fatal weakness when it comes to a menu and she’s absolutely incapable of resisting its pull. The Iberico arrives in millimeter thin strips layered on a large plate glistening lightly, it’s buttery soft with the strips easily pulling apart to the touch and for 5 minute there’s only silence as the plate is steadily demolished.

Boquerones $8

My Spanish is non-existent but when our waiter explains that Boquerones is made up of anchovies and heirloom tomatoes sitting on a crunchy base, I’m sold on the concept. I make the mistake of trying to slice one in two and only manage to paint my shirt with a fresh squirt of tomato juice! One shot it is.

AMAZING. The sweetness of the heirloom tomatoes is almost overwhelming before the saltiness of the anchovies kicks in, and is all finished off by the crunch of the base. It’s a one bite wonder that has me wishing the quality of tomatoes in Sydney was close to anywhere this good. We’re so enamored that we order seconds and end up playing Scissors Paper Rock to determine who wins the last bite (Damn you Astroboy).

Bomba $4.50 Chorizo-filled Catalan Potato Bomb with a spicy sauce

Rin’s gravitated towards the Bomba, the potato chorizo combination is too hard for her to resist. The spicy sauce is oozing enticingly down the size of our Potato Bombs when they arrive and although they’re a little denser than I would prefer, they’re a spicy bite of fried goodness which are surprisingly filling.

Empanadilla $4 each

I’m not too sure what to make of the Empanadilla when they arrive at the table. After the visual pow of our previous dishes they’re looking a little lackluster and Plain Jane on the plate. Things cannot be anymore different once I’ve taken my first bite of the flaky pastry and experience the warming chicken filling. It’s like having a mini chicken puff pie in the palm of my hand!

Viera $16.50

My Scallop obsession is nowhere as crazy as Squishies is but I’m pretty close! I hear little apart from the word Scallops in the description given to us by the waiter but immediately bookmark it as my personal choice. The scallops have been seared and each sit in a little pool of cheesy sauce, all topped with a sprinkling of powdered bacon. It’s a brilliant flavour combination let down by the overcooked Scallops that makes the overall dish a little tough and sadly not one of my favourites.

Escabache Mussels $16.00 Mussels in Vinegar

The Mussels are a logical last choice, but surprisingly it’s not the mussels themselves but the broth they’re sitting in that makes it one of my favourite dishes. The vinegar and lime as well a generous handful of salt has created a lightly green tinted earthy broth with salty overtones that I can’t stop myself from drinking. In the end I surrender to the inevitable and mop it all up with the leftover bread!

My girls are trashed on a single drink each and by the time we stumble out at 7pm the restaurant is packed out with punters eagerly eying our soon to be empty table. Service is busy but attentive, with staff popping by diligently picking up empty plates and asking if we’re up for just one more dish.

Eating at Movida Next Door makes me wish that Sydney had more casual Tapas style dining options closer in the CBD. That said, it’s not a cheap stopover and between us we easily drop $50 each once drinks are calculated into the bill, but there’s a sense of freedom that comes with being able to simply stop by and be assured of great food, drinks and atmosphere without feeling an obligation to order a main and dessert!

MoVida Next Door
Cnr Flinders Street and Hosier Lane,
Melbourne, 3000
Ph: (03) 9663 3038
Web: http://www.movida.com.au/next_door.html

Tue-Thurs 5pm-late, Fri & Sat 12-12 (all day dining), Sun 2pm-9pm (all day dining). Selected lunchtime reservations available upon request. Closed Mon.

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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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)

(...)
Read the rest of Taste of Sydney Festival, Centennial Park (1,481 words)

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

From the outside of the restaurant, the Burlington looks like a small, modern and rather unassuming location. I decide to make a return visit to Burlington to show my international visitor the simple, yet flavoursome cuisine served here.

Upon entering, you would assume the restaurant to be only one room seating around 50 or so people, but to my visitor’s surprise, he was surprised at how large the restaurant was.Don’t be fooled. A trip to the washroom will talk you on a 30 second journey past three separate dining rooms and a full bar!

(...)
Read the rest of Burlington Bar and Dining, Crows Nest (816 words)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Dat and Ier were running a bit late, and as I was getting a bit worried that we might not get a seat, I enquired if it’s possible to grab a table since most of our party were already here. The waitress was apologetic and said that we could wait at the bar instead if we’d like until everyone to arrived (we were kicking our heels at the kerb at this stage).

Once they arrived, the waitress immediate went to seat us though we were plagued with indecisions: inside or outside? Okay, so outside (because we were already outside). The far or near table? Okay, so near then (because we were right next to it). Terrible. I got a bit worried with how we were going to fair with the menu.

Thankfully, we weren’t as indecisive with our choices on the menu as to where to sit and we were all down to the serious business of picking our dishes, making sure that our choices weren’t overlapping (naturally).

Required Bread Shot

We were served a generous helping of bread with some olive oil. We thought that the olive oil was flavoured with something, but after talking to the waiter, it turned out that it was just made with young olives. Interesting that they would taste different to mature ones, even in oil form.

Fried Spiced Calamari with Alioli ($18)

The calamari were wonderfully soft, yet firm and the spices weren’t overpowering but was deliciously complimentary to the zesty aioli. I loved how they were so generous with the dollop of aioli – then I don’t have to be stingy with how much I put on my calamari (and I really love to slather it on). It was a definite hit at our table.

Argentinean Style Beef Empanadas with Salsa Criolla (4 for $13.50)

Spiced Pumpkin and Feta Empanadas with Yoghurt Sauce (4 for $13.50)

“Empanada? What’s empanada?” We looked over at another table and whispered to each other, “Is that it?” When our waiter confirmed our guess, we couldn’t decide which one to get as we couldn’t get both (considering the amount of food we were already getting). Our ever-helpful waiter suggested that they could do 2 of each for us and we quickly agreed.

The empanadas were crisp, crunchy and slightly thick – it also wasn’t oily as I thought it might have been. In other words: they were perfect shells for the two fillings. The Argentinean style beef filling had bits of olives and boiled egg white mixed in and was scrumptiously well-seasoned. The salsa added a welcoming tangy component to the dish. The pumpkin filling was I think spiced with cummin and a couple of slices of chilli, which was nicely tempered by the yoghurt sauce.

Needless to say, another hit at our table – so much so, Ier decided to make her own empanadas at home recently!

The “fish fingers” were light and refreshing, made more substantial by the crunchy garlic toast. The sashimi and ceviche were incredibly fresh with the thinly sliced onion adding some acidity, though we thought there was a bit too much onion.

This dish was our clear favourite of the night and on talking to some of the people in the line for the bathroom, it was also enthusiastically theirs – no wonder why our waiter unhesitatingly recommended it.

Beetroot, Witlof, Labna and Orange Salad ($16)

I adored this salad. It was deliciously refreshing with the scrumptiously juicy beetroot and blood orange segments, accompanied by the thick, soft labna. The witlof added a nice crunch to the salad though there weren’t much in the dish.

Fried Cauliflower, Chickpeas and Silverbeet ($16)

The cauliflower was nice and crunchy and went well with the silverbeets and chickpeas. It was well-seasoned and we found that we had a lot of chickpeas left over long after the silverbeets and cauliflowers were eaten.

Warm Salad of Octopus, Spanish Chorizo and Kipfler Potatoes ($20)

It sounded so promising, but I think this dish was a bit of a disappointment to my friends. While the octopus was soft and firm, but not chewy, well-seasoned with perfectly cooked potatoes, they felt the chorizo lacked something – some oomph that may have made the dish great. They were topped with sliced celery, which was received with mixed reactions. Tien loved its slight bitter crunchiness, while Dat preferred his celery to be cooked, not raw and in the form of a salad.

Seared Scallops with Morcilla, Braised Cabbage and Pickled Cauliflower ($24)

There was a collective “oooh” as this dish was presented at our table. Breaking the crisp took some work, especially when not trying to spill what’s on top, but it added a much needed crunch to the dish. The morcilla was surprisingly tasty and complemented well with the decently seared scallops. The sauce on top of the crisp did a great job helping to meld the two components together. Though I would have to say, I couldn’t really taste the pickled cauliflower amongst everything else, but on its own, there was a nice acidity to it.

Steamed Pork Belly with Warm Salad of Onion and Shiitake Mushroom ($24)

There was another collective sigh of appreciation when our eyes feasted on the pork belly. Ier said something that I thought was pretty much spot: “On its own, the pork belly isn’t anything fantastic, but with the mushrooms and the caramelised onions… mmm it’s great!” The pork belly was sinfully soft and had a good amount of fat – not too much and not too little. I only wished there was more mushrooms!

Slow Cooked Lamb Loin with Roast Garlic Miso and Eggplant ($32)

Our final main dish drew another appreciative noise from our table. The lamb, our waiter informed us, was cooked sous-vide and was lightly seared before serving. It was scrumptious – moist and tender as it looked. The eggplant though being super mushy had some fibrous strands that made it a bit hard to cut. It went really well with the lamb though, especially in the presence of the miso sauce. I didn’t count on the sauce to be so… spicy. I found myself coughing a little and having to reach for my glass of water. Terrible, I know. Sigh. It was worth the fire in my mouth though. I thought the roasted pine nuts was a nice touch.

During the course of our meal, we saw quite a few affogatos being served with Dat and Ier eyeing them covetously. As soon as we received the dessert menu, they looked for it but it wasn’t on the menu. According to our waiter, it’s something that’s a little hush-hush. Interesting…

The affogato’s served with vanilla ice cream, as well as an 8-year old sherry or brandy (sorry, I can’t remember which), and I presumed it went down well as the next thing I know, they were all gone.

Chocolate Ice Cream with Coffee Custard, Mango and Passionfruit ($14)

I was surprised to see the chocolate ice cream between two sugared pastry pieces, but they were certainly welcomed – so wonderfully flaky! The caramelised pistachios were a delicious, crunchy addition to the dessert, along with the fresh, juicy and sweet mango slices and the hint of sourness from the passionfruit. The chocolate ice cream was pretty decent while the coffee custard was silky smooth and well liked by Dat and Ier.

Banana Split: Cream Flan, Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, Ginger Biscuit and Banana ($14)

For some reason, Tien and I latched onto this dessert and was adamant that we had to order it. I don’t know why as considering that besides this and the coffee custard dessert, there was nothing else anyway but the cheese plate (which we all didn’t really classify as “dessert”).

When the dish came out, we wondered where the banana was. On some tentative tastings of a couple of the components of the dessert, we realised that the “split” was basically the two forms the banana was in: as a dense foam and as a puree. I was so impressed with the cleverness. The flan was pretty nice as well with its syrupy, sweet caramel sauce and a very crunchy ginger biscuit.

I loved the service here: the wait staff were so friendly, informative and very attentive. I also loved how they were dressed: vintage style, complete with elegantly vintage-styled hair. The food came out quite quick and we didn’t have to wait for long for a dish to arrive once an empty one was taken away. There was almost an issue of not having enough table space with about 3-4 dishes still not quite finished, but was saved when Tien quickly finished off one of the dishes to be replaced with another.

Bodega does not take bookings, so be sure you get there early, as it gets pretty packed by about 7pm. Also ensure your entire party is present, as they will not seat you until everyone is there.

Bodega
216 Commonwealth Street
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9212 7766
Web: http://www.bodegatapas.com/

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

I always seem to have trouble at tapas-style restaurants: the choices are always too numerous and I am sadly limited by my stomach. Everything (besides the spicy dishes – chorizos I’m looking at you) sounds so yummy on the menu and when you go to eat tapas with only two people, I find that you have to be that much pickier with your choices (naturally, I suppose).

It took us a while but by the time our waitress came back for the third time to take our order, we had our game plan sorted.

Spanish Green Olives Bread ($3.50)

I ordered the olive bread thinking of Harris Farm’s olive bread that I had a couple of months ago. The sliced loaf had actual pitted olives embedded in them and I assumed this would be like what I had. It was clear that it was not when La Sangria’s version came out. I felt a little silly and a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as nice as the bread from Harris Farm.

Grilled Calamari with Onions, Parsley and Garlic ($12.50)

Soft and juicy (and not at all chewy), this dish was definitely a hit with us. There was the right amount of parsley and garlic – not overwhelming the calamari and helped compliment the flavours in the dish.

"All-i-oli" Potatoes - Garlic Mayonnaise Sauced Potatoes ($9.50)

I think you know by now that I whole-heartedly adore potatoes, so I couldn’t resist ordering the “All-i-oli” potatoes (also, the dish name made me giggle). The potatoes were scrumptiously crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly seasoned. I was glad that they didn’t skimp on the garlic mayonnaise – it was quite garlicky and went well with the potatoes (of course).

Garlic Prawns - Fried with Garlic, Chilli ($13.50)

Also by now, I’m quite sure you know by now just how terrible I am with spiced things. I told F that I could feel the chilli hit, though it was quite mild, and he stared at me incredulously, “Chilli? You’re not serious, are you?” He couldn’t taste any at all. *sigh*

Besides the chilli giving me a slight headache, the prawns were pretty nice – they were decently garlicky and juicy.

"Croquetas" of Chicken ($11.50)

Inside view of "Croquetas" of Chicken ($11.50)

The chicken croqueta was one of my favourite dishes of the night. They were wonderfully crispy (as all deep-fried things should be) and creamy inside. They went especially well with the aioli “all-i-oli” potatoes.

Pan-Fried Scallops with Fresh Herbs, Onion Wine Sauce ($13.50)

I think I’ve been terribly spoilt by experiencing perfectly pan-seared scallops as I found these scallops to be way over-cooked.

I thought perhaps I didn’t understand how scallops should be when pan-fried and so I Googled. I found out that pan-fried is done with a little oil (hence the “fried” bit, I suppose) and pan-seared just uses a dry hot pan. Hmm… Somehow I don’t think then there’s really an excuse to cook the scallops to the point where they become slightly dry and chewy. F likened it to “chewing on a rubber thong” (though to be completely honest, I didn’t think it was that bad, but really, it wasn’t that good either).

"Flamenco" Fingers - Pork Loin Rolled with Cheese and Breadcrumbs ($12.50)

It sounded so delicious – deep-fried pork and cheese! – but sadly it was let down by some rather hard, chewy pork. Considering that it was mainly pork and not much else, I found it hard to like this dish. I didn’t notice whether the cheese placement in the roll was random (in the middle, at the end or somewhere inbetween), but it was a nice surprise when I bit into its gooey-ness.

Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce ($9.50)

The warm profiteroles were filled with either chocolate or custard and the warm chocolate sauce was to die for. I loved how generously sauced it was – even after mopping up the sauce with profiteroles, there were still some leftover.

Churros with Spanish Hot Chocolate ($9.50)

Dipping the Churros in Spanish Hot Chocolate ($9.50)

I’ve never had churros until Oktoberfest last year and I had to wonder where the heck I’ve been. Needless to say, this dish was the highlight of my night. The churros were crisp and warm, the hot unsweetened chocolate was silky smooth and thick – together they were phenomenally delicious, but they also stood well on their own.

We noticed that a guy came in specifically asking for the churros dessert. One of the waitress (who I took to be also the owner) gently admonished him that they don’t usually serve customers dessert without them ordering another dish. I’m not sure why she relented, but she was rather good-natured about it.

La Sangria is a welcoming Spanish tapas restaurant with friendly and quick service. The tapas dishes were a bit hit and miss, but the desserts definitely are not.

La Sangria
371A Darling St
Balmain, NSW, 2041
Ph: (02) 9555 2086

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, pork, Seafood

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

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

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

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

Tasmanian oysters with wakame dressing

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

Razor clams w/ rocket & preserved lemon jus

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

Jamon Serrano

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

Fried Eggplant with Honey & Balsamic

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

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

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

Ajillo - Shiitake, Enoki, Woodear Mushrooms & Chick Pea

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

Spring cabbage, mince beef, mushroom & carrot

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

Lamb meatballs w/ winter vegetable Sauce of tomato

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

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

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

Crumbed Portabello Mushroom

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

Grilled quail with quail jus served on tortilla Japaz

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

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek & Almond Sauce

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

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

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

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

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

Japaz

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

eatshowandtell dined as guests of Japaz.

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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No… Not THIS el bulli! (Although maybe ONE day when I take a trip to Spain…)

But both being spanish restaurants and top notch “gems” in busy cities, you’d think the confusion would be common. However, the fact that they are at opposite sides of the world and in different hemispheres, this is what splits both apart.

Tonight, my family and I have come to el-bulli to celebrate the dawn of a new milestone. When new siblings come into this world, in your eyes, they are always the little one. Little ones aren’t meant to grow up, but then suddenly they somehow grow taller than you, ask you about grown up things and the biggest *horror*… STARTS DATING! Nono… little brother’s aren’t meant to DATE! Anyways… after overcoming the “growing up” shock and horror, it was time to celebrate my brother’s 21st birthday… (even though in my mind, he’s still 5…)

My brother decided he wanted to try a spanish cuisine to celebrate his quarter century milestone, so off I went to scourer for a place to dine. A friend jokingly tricked me into believing he went to el bulli, and I was SO jealous for those few jokingly minutes, therefore, in rememberance of this moment, I booked a table at el-Bulli.

The interior

Arriving a few minutes early on a friday night for a 8pm booking, the place was BUZZING with diners, a few on dates (I think!), various birthday celebrations, AND we were left waiting in the cold watching others munch on tapas, sip on sangrias, etc… My mouth was watering! After a few minutes wait, we were shown to our table at the back of the restaurant, more suited for the larger groups of diners.

The interior had a nice rustic, contemporary feel. I felt like I was eating in a lit up dungeon room on long wooden tables and benches. It was awesome!

We order a large jug of sangria as I browsed through the wooden covered menu. There’s quite a lot of food on offer, ranging from tapas plates, to skewers of meat, to paella mains and “healthy” salads. With the different ranges, I recommend this place for large groups, parties, celebrations, etc. It suits the all different tastes and diets (oh maybe not for those on a “diet” diet… tehehe!)

The food arrives rather fast, and luckily it does too as I am STARVING! I think most of the tapas are pre-made, which probably makes them even tastier as the taste soaks into the foods.

Complimentary bread + butter

First is the complementary bread. The butter was creamy, garlic-y and was dug into in a flash! Too bad there wasn’t enough bread for the hungry mouths…

Albondigas con Tuco

Traditional spanish meatballs seasoned with paprika, served in tomato salsa. – $14.50

Me being the vegequarian, I was told the meatballs were very flavoursome and the balls themselves were nice and soft.

Pulpitos a la Plancha

Chargrilled baby octopus dressed with Chimichurri – $14.50

The octopus was a hit! Luckily there was enough for one each or else there would have been fights! It was nicely chargrilled, with a light touch of a chilli flavour. (According to wikipedia, Chimichurri is made from a mix of parsley, minced garlic, vinegar, red pepper flakes and oil.)

Cornalitos Fritos

Salt and pepper deefried whitebait, served with fresh lemon – $11.50

The whitebait leaned a little to the salty side, which I found quite nice. They tasted like these tasty asian fishy snacks, that come in little packets with nuts. I snack on these when I crave for salt! a touch of lemon with the whitebait added an extra freshness to them.

Setas Rellenas

Stuffed grilled mushrooms filled with pancetta, parsley and manchego cheese – $13.50

When these first arrived, I thought “damn! ordered the wrong mushrooms!”. This dish wasn’t too bad, as they were quickly snapped up! I was then ordered to order the right mushrooms quickly!

Gambas a la Sevillana

Panfried prawns in a tomato based garlic, chilli and olive oil salsa – $19.50

Although a little $$$ for the sizing and a little oily (what do you expect when it says served with chilli and olive oil!), the prawns were had a nice garlicy taste. (If only we had more bread to soak up the sauce!!)

Ensalada Catalana

Mixed green leaves, egg, olives, serrano ham, baby sardines, grilled peppers, served with gazpacho dressing – $15.50

Finally, something to balance out the flavours! With all the tapas being so flavoursome, we needed this balance of greens to calm the tastebuds. The salad was blended well with a good mix of dressing and ingredients.

Menestra

Assortment of chargrilled roast baby peppers, artichoke hearts, marinated eggplant, spanish onion and zucchini – $13.50

We saw the table next to us have this and my mum tells me she wants it! (Also, the sangria was hitting her a little) Luckily for her, our stomachs were still a little empty from what I thought would be a substantial amount of tapas. Everyone dug into this dish along with the paella. It was a great side to the carbs and protein!

Paella

Traditional rice dish containing seafood, chicken and traces of chorizo – $28.50 per person

We ordered 3 servings of paella. At first glance, it didn’t look like much but once we started, the flavours and ingredients in this paella filled each empty space in our stomachs. It was a lot more saucier than the one we made for our spanish cookup, which was probably the thing that made this paella so tasty! The paella had a mix of seafood, including blue swimmer crab (!!), prawns, mussels, clams, as well as a load of chorizo. The seafood was very fresh and went SO well with the rice.

Chorizo a la Sidra

Crispy panfried chorizo and spanish onion in a cider glaze – $14.50

The chorizo was slightly salty, but luckily it came with the paella.

Finally, the mushrooms came!

Champinones al Ajillo

Sauteed mushrooms in garlic, parsley, white wine and olive oil – $11.50
The mushrooms were a HUGE hit! It had a strong garlicy flavour (not good for those hoping for a smooch afterwards). The serving was plentiful as each person had a smile, mushroom after mushroom. It was like we all had an extra stomach for the mushrooms.

Full jug of Sangria

Another jug of sangria was on the cards for the end of the meal, but my mum was strangely getting a little too raudy so we rushed to get the cake!!

Being asian, of course my parents got an asian cake. Personally I’m not a fan of asian cakes, due to the fact that people only get the same THREE types:

- durian

- taro

- or something really creamy.

Tonight on order was… *bing* some creamy cake! But it does look good doesn’t it?!

El-Bulli is a great place for larger groups so you can share more plates of tapas as well as have a jolly night with jugs of sangria! And don’t forget to book as this place gets very busy!

El-Bulli

501 Elizabeth St,

Surry Hills NSW

Ph: +61 2 9319 5199

Fax: +61 2 9398 1927

Web: http://www.elbulli.com.au

Open 7 days from 5pm and lunches Tuesday to Friday 12 noon to 3pm.

There’s also a 2nd restaurant in Randwick.

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Merivale has launched another promotion involving it’s highly regarded range of restaurants. One of them which seems to be attracting quite a healthy urban and chic crowd is Ash St Cellar. It is the brain child of Lauren Murdoch, serving up Spanish tapas in an outdoor street style setting with an extensive wine list. I decided to give it a go after being impressed with what they had to offer at the launch night.

I feel that Sydney has been lacking an outdoor food scene. Even during summer, we often have to host our bbq’s at home to enjoy eating out doors. Ash St Cellar’s outdoor seating has the potential to address this issue, if you don’t mind the smokers.  Hidden inside a lane way called Ash St, it is a decent spot away from the hustle and bustle of George St. But how about the food ?

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Read the rest of Merivale Winter Feasts, Ash St Cellar Sydney (1,087 words)

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Last month, we decided to get the es&t crew together once a month and try our hand at cooking different types of cuisines. Our first attempt was a random brunch, which turned into a dinner … or a lunchinner. Atleast this month, we had a theme to stick to which was Spanish.

As usual we cooked too much food, but as they say it is always better to have too much food than not enough food.

Say hi to Randy

Each of us takes turns to host a cook up, with the exception of Minh because her kitchen is about the size of a portaloo. Thanks to Teresa this month for offering her kitchen, I hope we didn’t make too much of a mess. Randy seemed to enjoy our company too. It’s the only dog I know which jumps with it’s two paws in the air when you say ” Pray Randy, Pray!”

(...)
Read the rest of Cook show & tell #1 – Spain (901 words)

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© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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]]> http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/05/19/cook-show-tell-1-%e2%80%93-spain/feed/ 17 http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/01/27/subsolo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=subsolo http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/01/27/subsolo/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:00:31 +0000 teresa http://www.eatshowandtell.com/?p=1559 Finding a place to dine for a group of 12 people (without set menu) is particularly difficult during the Christmas festive season. After days of searching, Subsolo was available and suited all our needs. Subsolo is a relatively new restaurant, located at the former Omega site. (Off-topic: Omega was a great restaurant. Very sad to see it gone!) The interior is quite dark, but their black and red colour scheme really gives life to an “underground” restaurant.


Being a tapas-style restaurant, all our food was to be shared and I was excited because it meant many choices for me to try! Nom nom nom!
After the late late arrival of a few friends due to some horrible traffic, we all devoured our feast! So here’s the food…

Warm bread roll – on the house.
I’m a HUGE fan of bread and when it arrives warm on my plate, I’m extra delighted. Together with some butter or olive oil + salt and pepper, the delightfulness of such a simple food make my tastebuds shout with joy!

At every Spanish restaurant, Tapas is by no doubt a choice on the menu. Tonight, we chose a collection of 4 as something to hold our hunger.

Pan-fried Pork Chorizo and Spanish Onions with Apple and Cucumber Yogurt – $13

Crumbed Meatballs with Melting Manchego Cheese centres in Romesco – $17

Sliced Spanish Jamon Serrano and Catalonia Bread
Paprika Salt and Pepper Squid with Saffron Mayonnaise – both $13 each

The entrees/tapas were fantastic. Each had their own strong flavours and had lovely taste. These were all easily chomped down by everyone!
We were informed that the skewers would all take a while to arrive, so we ordered these at the beginning of our meal as well. On arrival, each skewer hung from a antique-style stand. It gave the skewer a sense of style. Fearing we would have too much food, only 4 skewers were ordered.

Picanha Rump Steak Rock Salt Crust – $29
Misto Completo Rump, Chorizo, Morcilla, Chicken – $32
Frutos do Mar – Seafood King Prawns, Scallops, Squid, Salmon – $39
Portuguese Chicken Thigh Fillet with Piri-Piri Sauce – $30

All skewers are served with Batatas Bravas, Beans and Ensalada

Paella is a MUST try dish at all spanish restaurants. Its like a fried rice with saffron (I think) and a variety of herbs.

Paella with Chicken, Chorizo & Seafood – $33

Overall, Subsolo was a surprisingly wonderful experience. The service was very attentive and friendly (especially since we gave the waitress a slice of our Adriano Zumbo cake). I’d highly recommend this place for a casual group meal as food here is great for sharing and the atmosphere is hardly slient. You would with the variety offered at Subsolo. The more people, the more to try! Fantastic!

AND the interior is very comfy and uplifting, making a dining experience with style!

Subsolo
161 King St,
Sydney NSW
Ph: 9223 7000
Website: http://www.subsolo.com.au
Hours :  Lunch – Monday to Friday, Dinner – Monday to Saturday

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© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Sydney City, tapas

]]> http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/01/27/subsolo/feed/ 8 http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2008/09/03/vintage-cafe-on-the-rocks-the-rocks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vintage-cafe-on-the-rocks-the-rocks http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2008/09/03/vintage-cafe-on-the-rocks-the-rocks/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:26:10 +0000 squishies http://www.eatshowandtell.com/?p=476 Vintage Cafe on the Rocks is nestled amongst an assortment of cafes and niche retail stores, accessible only by The Nurse’s Walk – a narrow, cobblestone path that seems to meander between and behind buildings, a remnant. The cafe itself is actually quite tiny and we were ushered into a semi-separate room to accommodate our group of 16. It was Friday night and they had some groovy live jazz music happening, adding to the cosy atmosphere.

The dinner menu specialises in tapas, so we ordered various dishes in groups of 4 or 6. When the food came out we had some groups eyeing another’s dish, wishing they had ordered that as well – they all smelt and looked great though!

Char-Grilled Eggplant stuffed with Herbed Ricotta

This was delicious – char-grilled to perfection and with the right amount of ricotta too, nestling within the folds of the eggplant slices. We were sorry to see it go so quickly.

Roasted Field Mushrooms with Tarragon and Fetta

This was our absolute highlight of the night. The mushrooms were scrumptiously tender and juicy; it was practically bursting with flavour, which was enhanced by the saltiness of the fetta pieces. We speculated how hard it would be to replicate the dish as it looks so simple – perhaps deceptively so? Needless to say, this plate was swept clean.

Portuguese Garlic Prawns

These were pretty good, though we weren’t too sure if it was because we were so hungry. Nice and garlicky.

Spanish Meatballs with Rich Tomato Chutney

The meatballs weren’t that bad, quite average in taste actually, but I would have to say that the chutney really saved this dish. The tomato chutney seemed to make the meatballs more flavoursome and was great as dipping sauce!

Paprika Beef Skewers

The beef was a bit chewy, but it wasn’t too bad – it just wasn’t highly exciting like the roasted field mushrooms.

Flamed Chorizo – Portuguese Style

We’re so easily impressed by fancy presentation and the flaming chorizo was no exception. We ooh’ed and ahh’ed as our waiter deftly turned our chorizo over, keeping it from burning. The dish itself was cute: in the shape of a piglet! However, the chorizo being a chorizo meant that I could only have a tiny slice of it before I couldn’t handle its spiciness any more. It was a good tiny slice mind you, though my friend didn’t quite like it – it didn’t quite hit the spot for her in terms of taste.

Vintage Cafe on the Rocks is lovely place to spend the night out with friends, sharing dishes and drinking decent sangria. The staff is very attentive and the food comes out relatively quickly, which kind of makes up for the somewhat limited dinner menu (the lunch menu, I felt, seemed more diverse and.. well, just more). If we were to go again, I’d most probably order lots of the roasted field mushrooms and a handful of other dishes, as the servings being… well, tapas-sized… they aren’t quite as filling as one would like.

Vintage Cafe on the Rocks
R2 Nurse Walk
The Rocks, NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9252 2055

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© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: tapas, The Rocks, vegetables

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