Sake

30 May 2012

Sake
12 Argyle Street, The Rocks
P: +61 2 9259 5656 
http://www.sakerestaurant.com.au/

I'm just going to put it out there, I could in fact be the WORST blogger in the world. Sometimes when the food comes, I actually get that excited that I forget to take the photos until its too late. Even worse, half the time I forget my camera and I have no choice but to use the crummy camera on my phone. Tonight is no exception.

Whilst waiting for our friend to arrive, Miss Fi and I ordered some chilli edamame ($8) and Ginzu Bellini ($16) with St Germain, sparkling wine and yuzu. A little sweet for Fi but with St Germaine being my liqueur of the moment, I was happy to enjoy every mouthful.

Starting with the steamed prawn dumplings ($17 for 6) with spicy ponzu which actually blew our minds. I was very impressed with myself that I was able to get a photo of this one before I devoured thse tasty little dumplings. Moving onto the Wagyu Dumplings with spicy sour dipping sauce ($17 for 6) which were delish however nothing could beat the prawn dumplings.... until the sashimi taco came along ($17). 2 tuna & a salmon sashimi filled baby tacos with chilled tomato salsa matched with Kozaemon Junmai sake shots, yes they ACTUALLY come with sake! Wow, I am starting to feel light headed. I'm going to put it out there... should you ever decide to go to Sake, you must get the popcorn shrimp! No if's, but's or maybe's, infact, I don't even care if you don't like prawns, GET THE POPCORN SHRIMP! ($29) these bite-sized prawn tempura pieces are tossed with creamy spicy sauce and are to die for! I was at one point considering licking the bowl, however, clearly, I'm way too classy to even consider that... except when I am at Max Brenner. A few nigiris (Salmon, Salmon Belly and Scallop) and a S express roll ($22) scallops, spicy mayo, cucumber, seared salmon, witlof & sweet sauce we were all done and dusted. Ok we did get dessert but how can one seriously go past chocolate fondant? With a bottle of Dr Loosens Reisling and a few bottles of sparkling mineral water between us, the bill came to $338. Sure its pretty expensive for sushi but I have intrigued you with the popcorn shrimp haven't I?




















Prawny Goodness




















Wagyu Dumplings




















Sashimi Taco















Popcorn Shrimp




















Yes - I had had a few drinks by now - S express roll















Chocolate Fondant with sesame tuile and sesame ice cream
















My lovely friends and I had an amazing night! Thanks Sake


Service : 8 Food : 10 Atmosphere : 9 Value : 7

Zushi - Surry Hills

16 May 2012

Zushi
285 Crown Street, Surry Hills
P: +61 2 9380 8830 E : serena@zushi.com.au
www.zushi.com.au

Located next to The Winery in Surry Hills, and with its sister restaurant in Darlinghurst, I was eager to try what I have heard to be great sushi! After reading recent reviews, I was a little nervous to say the least but as a regular sushi and japanese eater, I was so relieved to to experience a truly mouth watering experience.

Starting ofcourse with Edamame Chilli. I would have preferred a little more heat to it but tasty all the same followed by a small assortment of sashimi which included tuna, salmon, snapper and kingfish all of which were fresh and mouth watering. Onto a zushi wagyu (kobe-style tajima wagyu sirloin cubes "medium rare" nashi pear + apple soy sauce) I wouldn't say that the wagyu was cooked medium rare, more medium but the sauce was extraordinary! a few nigiri, seared salmon and seared scallop, nothing overly exciting about the nigiri but watch out for the wasabi hit after biting into the scallop, wow did my nose clear up! I was intrigued by the gyoza rolls, (pork gyoza, cucumber, sesame seeds, shallots, wasabi mayo) which actually tasted sensational but nothing could top the lobster rolls (lobster salad, cucumber, chilli flakes, topped with salad, wasabi mayo, tobiko). Oh my word! It was like a party of flavours in your mouth! To finish up we had tempura strawberries, filled with milk chocolate and served on vanilla ice cream. I was jumping out of my seat with excitement over this dish. Chocolate, strawberries and ice cream with a little bit of batter... where can you possibly go wrong? With 2 glasses of wine, the bill came to $136.50 for 2. I will definitely be heading back to Zushi!
















Chilli Edamame

















Zushi Wagyu

Lobster Roll















Nigiri















Gyoza Roll



















Tempura Strawberries



Service : 8 Food : 9 Atmosphere : 8 Value : 8

Li'l Darlin' - The Spot

2 May 2012

Li'l Darlin'
51 Perouse Rd, Randwick
W: lildarlin.com.au

After being to the original Li'l Darlin' in Darlinghurst for my birthday, I was so excited to cruise past on the bus and see that L'il Darlin had opened at the Spot, AND within walking distance to home! AWESOME! Shame about the second job that I now have otherwise I would no doubt live there.

This sexy little Tapas/Pizza bar is exactly what the Spot needs, don't get me wrong, there are so many Pizza choices and Tapas choices already but a cool little trendy place that you can just go for a drink, besides Elysium, this is it, and I expect it to be a hit!
Decked out with foliage and fairy lights, it sets a relaxed mood, similar to that of the Winery or the Gazebo. Cocktails flow nicely and the amazing aromas coming from the kitchen make my stomach rumble.

With a few drinks to start with, how can you go past a frozen Margarita and $4.50 pizza's between 4-7pm, we opt for the Grilled Chilli Prawns ($11.90) in a Spanish chilli tomato sauce with charred ciabatta and the Grilled Chorizo and Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza (usually $12.90) grilled chorizo, buffalo mozzarella and a smoked chermoula dressing. With our movie about to start we leave but I still have the mexican nacho pizza on my mind.

After the movie and Lil' Darlin' buzzing, I make the executive decision to go back and try the Mexican Nacho pizza ($11.90) spicy beef mince and red bean with diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and sweet chilli sauce and after the waitress reminded me of the fairy floss cocktails, a round of those and a Peking Duck Pizza later ($13.90) crispy Peking Duck, Hoi sin, shallots, cucumber, coriander and orange, star anise, cinnamon glaze, which, by the way, was absolutely sensational and my absolute favourite of the night, I waddle off home.

Lil' Darlin is highly recommended!

Chorizo and Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza

Grilled Chilli Prawns

Frozen Magarita

 

Mexican Nacho Pizza

Fairy Floss Cocktail

Peking Duck Pizza (AMAZEBALLS!)

Service : 8 Food : 9 Atmosphere : 8 Value : 8

Recipe : Aspargus salad with pan fried Gnocchi

2 May 2012

Ingredients (serves 4 chicks)

• 1 x 500g pkt good-quality potato gnocchi
• 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 200g asparagus spears
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 200g mixed salad leaves
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 tbs shelled hazelnuts, lightly toasted
• 100g shaved parmesan

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and as they rise to the surface remove with a slotted spoon, draining well. Place in a bowl and gently coat in 1 tablespoon of the oil.
2. Blanch the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 1 minute until bright green and crisp. Refresh under cold water and drain well.
3. Roll up the prosciutto and cut into strips. Whisk 2 tablespoons of oil with the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Divide the salad leaves between the serving bowls.
5. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan with the butter and pan-fry the gnocchi in batches until crisp and golden.
6. Scatter the gnocchi, asparagus, prosciutto and hazelnuts over the salad and drizzle with the dressing. Add the parmesan and finish with freshly ground black pepper.

The Spanish Fly

16 April 2012

The Spanish Fly
35 St Pauls Street, Randwick
P: +61 2 9326 4417  

I haven't had Tapas in a while so with my good friend Matty's birthday in tow, The Spanish Fly was the perfect suggestion. Living in the East on and off for the last 6 years, I feel ashamed to say that I haven't really eaten at many places at "The Spot" but zooming past on the X73 it always seems to have great atmosphere oozing out of it.

Liam starts off the ordering, "We'll start with 3 jugs of Sangria thanks! ($22 each and looks like I'm walking home). A few different Sangria options would have been nice, or at least a white option. Most of the plates come with serves of 4, as there were 6 of us, we got most plates to serve each of us, however, the prices below for your convenience is the usual pricing. We move onto some tasty little dishes to fill the hole there once was. Queensland King Prawns ($15) Split in half and cooked in its shell with a fantastic garlic butter flavour, Meatballs ($12) were tasty, maybe not as moist as I would like it, however the sauce was divine, Patatas Bravas ($10) a tapas favourite, decent portion size, Haloumi ($12) topped with roasted capsicum complimented it well, and how can you go to Tapas and NOT have Chorizo ($12) the roasted capsicum sauce may or may not have been licked off its plate. Paella Balls ($10) were tasty, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what was inside, could have been a mushroom aranchini from the local italian and I wouldn't have known the difference. Pork Belly ($15) tender and beautiful, a bit more crackle would have been nice but who can get enough of crackle? Tortellini with mushroom, sage and burnt butter ($15), Zucchini Flowers ($15), WOW, I have actually never had them before and was pleasantly surprised. It also came with a roasted capsicum sauce. Free Range Chicken ($15) had a generous hint of peri peri. I would have preferred it without the bones though.

For the 6 of us, the bill came to $250. Pretty happy with that, we were expecting more. More than satisfied with The Spanish Fly!

Service : 8 Food : 8 Atmosphere : 9 Value : 9

Recipe : Rice Noodle Rolls filled with Prawns

22 April 2012

Ingredients (serves 2-3 chicks or 1-2 dudes)

• 500g Fresh Rice Noodle sheets at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon seasame oil
• 1 tablespoon  peanut oil
• 41 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 spring onions thinly sliced
• 200g tinned water chestnuts, chopped
• 500g raw prawns, peeled, deveined, chopped
• 1 tablespoon  fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon snipped garlic chives
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teapoon seasame oil, extra
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• serve with edamame beans (optional)

Method

1. Open the noodle sheets and cut 8, 15cm pieces
2. Heat peanut and seasame oils in wok and add ginger and spring onion. cook over medium for 2 mins
3. Add water chestnuts and prawns and cook for another 5 mins or until prawns are pink
4. Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar and chives and set aside to cool slightly
5. Spoon mixture into the centre of a rice noodle sheet and fold over to enclose filling
6. Heat vegetable oil in a non stick fry pan and cook the noodle rolls over medium heat in batches until golden on each side
7. combine soy sauce, extra sesame oil and sugar and drizzle over rolls, serve with edamame beans

The Loft - High Tea

21 April 2012

The Loft
3 Lime Street, Sydney
P: +61 2 9229 4770 E : info@theloftsydney.com
http://theloftsydney.com/

A spot of High Tea - fit for a Hen!

A classy change to the normal cliche of a Hens Party, The Loft offers the ladies something a little special on a Saturday or Sunday Afternoon. With stunning views of Darling Harbour, and an amazing fitout complete with chandeliers, you can really appreciate the decor away from those drunken nights out. 

For the High Tea experience, you are looking at either $40 or $50. the extra $10 includes a glass of bubbly or a High Tea cocktail which is actually mixed with T2 tea.

As we sit down and catch up on all the goss, we are presented with a tradional three tiered High Tea platter, complete with egg and cucumber sandwiches, Smoked Salmon Bagel with Creme Fresh, Turkey, Brie and Cranberry roll, Chicken and Leek quiche, Scones with jam and cream, Strawberries, Mini Cupcakes, Portugese Tarts and my favourite, Creme Brulee.

I cannot complain about the quality of food, or the atmosphere, however, I was a little disappointed with the level of service offered. A bottle of sparkling ordered and recieved straight away, but my credit card was MIA for a good 20mins, asked if we wanted tea, given the menu and then no one came back for 30mins and proceeded to ask if we wanted drinks, we had to remind them that we wanted the tea, then when we were ready to leave, the floor staff we too busy having a conversation with each other to help, the barman was too busy trying to pick up the girls at the end of the bar and chopping limes seemed to be far more important than taking our money.

All that aside, it was still an enjoyable afternoon with great friends, celebrating a classy hens!

Service : 3 Food : 9 Atmosphere : 8 Value : 7

Recipe : Chilli Garlic Prawn Pasta

18 April 2012

Ingredients (serves 2 chicks or 1 dude)

• 200g angel hair pasta or spaghetti
• 45g butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon shredded lemon zest
• 12 green (raw) prawns, peeled
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly torn
• sea salt and cracked black pepper  

 

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes or until al dente.
2. Drain and keep warm.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the butter and oil and cook until the butter has melted.
5. Add the garlic, chilli and zest and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the prawns are tender.
7. Add the pasta, juice, parsley, salt and pepper to the pan and toss to combine.
8. Serve with a simple green salad.

Recipe : Slow Braised Lamb with Gnocchi

15 April 2012

Ingredients

• 1 x lamb leg
• plain flour
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 1 leek, white part, only, washed and finely diced
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 5 mm thick diagonal slices
• 1 large carrot, halved and cut into 5mm thick diagonal slices
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 375 ml dry white wine
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 400 g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbs roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbl spoon tomato paste
• chilli flakes to taste
• 400 g gnocchi
• Parmasan

Method

Trim leg of excess fat and dust in flour and shake away excess. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a frying pan and brown lamb then remove from pan. Add a little extra oil to the pan then add onion, leek, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook over medium hear for 10 minutes, or until vegies are soft, but not coloured. Add the bay leaves, white wine and chicken stock to the pan and stir to release any pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped tomato and half the parsley.

Add all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4hours. Add tomato paste and chill flakes and then cook on high for 4 hours. Remove leg and allow to cool slightly. Remove meat from bone and tear into 2 cm pieces (don't cut). Return meat to the sauce and check the seasoning. Keep sauce warm while you cook the gnocchi.

Stir remaining parsley into sauce. Spoon the gnocchi into bowls and top with sauce. Grate Parmesan over and serve.

*Optional - add butter and oil into a fry pan and fry off gnocchi to achieve a crisp finish.

Delicious!

Deckhouse

14 April 2012

Deckhouse
End of Clark Road, Woolwich Dock, Woolwich 
P: +61 2 9817 4394 E : info@deckhousewoolwich.com.au
http://www.deckhousewoolwich.com.au

Located on Woolwich Dock with sensational harbour views, the Deckhouse offers a relaxed environment for breakfast or lunch, away from the hustle and bustle. Walking down to the cafe, you get a real sense of the history that once was, with the dock a historic location owned by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

Having once been here before and being slightly disappointed, I was happy to give it another go. I have to be honest here, I may have had an unexpectedly big night the night before and could have ordered something alot more "prettier", however, in the end, shouldn't it all look and taste good?

Starting with a skim latte, we soaked in the beautiful morning and the open space. I was craving some scrambled eggs ($12.50 and style with ciabatta) needing that bit of extra grease this morning, I also ordered a side of sausage and spinach ($4 for each addition). The eggs were beautiful and creamy and hit the spot perfectly! My partner in crime this morning ordering eggs benedict ($17) which seemed to have been delicious. Either I was talking way too much or the eggs were just THAT good. Considering I am a super fast eater, she was finished well before I was. Thanks to the awesome Sydney North Entertainment Book (worth the $60 with all the discounts) our bill ended up coming to $29! Bargain!

I'll definitely revisit! The food has really picked up in standard since my last breaky there!

Service : 7 Food : 8 Atmosphere : 7 Value : 9

Cafe Sopra - Fratelli Fresh, Bridge Street

2 April 2012

Cafe Sopra
11 Bridge Street, Sydney
P: +61 2 8298 2701 E : customerservice@fratellifresh.com.au
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

* No Bookings

Flavour that lasts after your meal!

Fratelli Fresh, Sydney's leading providore is home to Cafe Sopra, a casual Italian eatery which has made a strong name for itself in the Harbour city! With restaurants in Potts Point, Walsh Bay, Waterloo and now Bridge Street in the CBD and awarded "Favourite Mediterranean" by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide,, I was excited to see what all the fuss was about.

As we were on our lunch break, we asked for everything to come out together. with 2 pastas, chicken, pizza, 2 salads and polenta, as well as a busy lunch rush, we expected to wait a while. 5 minutes after ordering, one member of our party recieved his Buffalo Mozzerlella and Basil pizza ($22) GREAT! However, he had finished his pizza before we received our meals. That though, was the only downside. each dish that we received was impecable! The Linguine with chilli, lemon and breadcrumbs ($18) was simple but tasty. The serving size was huge but I could not leave it. Every mouthful was better than the one before. The Chicken Scalopini was served with a side of coleslaw ($25) and the Meatball fettuccini  ($22) was mouthwatering. The crisp polenta with gorgonzola sauce and mushroom ($18) was creamy and flavoursome. The Rockmelon and Parma salad ($22) a match made in heaven. I was a little sceptical about the Panzanella salad (cucumber, tomato, spanish onion, anchovy and croutons) however it was a welcome addition ($20). With 2 bottles of sparkling mineral water and 2 Banoffe Pies to go, the total bill for 4 people came to $189. I am fairly certain that if I fell down right now that you would easily be able to roll me anywhere. No dinner tonight, but for that fantastic lunch, I am willing to sacrifice just that!

Service : 9 Food : 10 Atmosphere : 8 Value : 7