Be The Foodie

The last few months at work has been manic to say the least. With starting up the blog, a rebounding market and the resultant influx of work, I was fast running out of steam and eagerly looking forward to the lead-up to Christmas. Historically, this has been a time when work slows down and you’re given the opportunity to wind down and let your hair down. No luck there.

In the end, the hard work paid off its dividends when I was fortunate enough to be invited to a dinner organised to celebrate the successes of our overall team during the past quarter. The place that was chosen to host this dinner was Monkey Magic, which, as luck would have it, has been on my ‘to-eat-at’ list for quite some time. For me, it was finally the kick-off point to the festive season and a perfect occasion to sit down to get to know fellow colleagues better. Not to mention, it was also an opportunity to be able to eat to my heart’s content on the company card.

After a quick drink at the Dolphin Hotel next door, we headed in to the restaurant and were seated immediately. Since we had a large group, we had already ordered the set menu, which at just $45 a head* is definitely good value and includes several entrees to share and a choice of three mains. The food is not the most traditional Japanese though, while it retained the some Japanese qualities and used a variety of Japanese ingredients, the food was tweaked to give it a more modern Australian twist. The interior reflected this direction and had a modern warehouse feel to it with its wooden furniture contrasting with the raw brick walls.

Monkey Magic

I loved that this rustic door was retained in its original form even though with the interior remodeling, it now led to nowhere.

Everybody got stuck into conversations while I wandered around taking photos. :)

Edamame with Pink Salt Sprinkles

Unlike edamame I’ve had elsewhere, these weren’t boiled until the soybeans were mushy but retained a good amount of crunch without being completely raw. The rough grains of pink sea salt melted nicely in the mouth to give flavour to the otherwise bland soybeans while you popped them out of the pods.

Sashimi

You can’t have a Japanese set menu without the inclusion of some fresh sashimi. Accompanying the fresh salmon and tuna sashimi, we were given a bowl of pickled radishes which I loved. With my penchant for sour foods, I was slightly upset that they took the unfinished bowl with the plate when the sashimi was finished, but I reacted too late to get it back.

Soft Shell Crab Roll

Always a crowd favourite. The substitution of the usual avocado with the lettuce added to the crispness of the sushi roll.

Caramelised Pork with Roasted Tomato & Nam Jim Salsa in a Lettuce Cup

Last time I checked, I don’t recall ’sang choy bao’ being a Japanese dish. Also, coupled with the fact that nam jim is sweet Thai dressing, I was a bit perplexed with this inclusion on the set menu. Taken out of context, the sauce was light and tangy but the excess of coriander in the mix meant that the flavour of the pork was overpowered. Also, having to eat this with our hands made this dish a little messy to eat – definitely not a word that is usually associated with Japanese cuisine.

Salt & Pepper Cuttlefish with Beansprout, Chili & Coriander Salad

Again, not too sure about how this dish fit into the fact that this place is specifically advertised as a “Japanese Restaurant”. That said, this restaurant’s take on ’salt & pepper squid’ was majority voted as the best dish on the set menu. The cuttlefish was very tender and coated with a very flavoursome salt and black pepper mix. Delicious with a light squeeze of lemon juice for some acidity, the cuttlefish overshadowed the beansprout salad which for the most part went ignored.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Ume-shu & Lemongrass Reduction, Tangelo & Sauteed Peppered Silver Beet

My choice for the main was the pork belly – not the healthiest dish, but I cannot resist the way the  fat melts into the layers of meat when cooked properly. Unfortunately, for this dish, there were a few pieces of meat that failed at this test and could have used an extra few minutes of cooking. I did however love the sauce and the sauteed silver beets that came with this. The ume-shu and lemongrass reduction had a sweet and rich plum flavour with a slight hint of lemongrass while the peppery silver beets were a perfect accompaniment to the sweet notes of the sauce. Included for those who like it was a dollop of hot mustard to be eaten with the pork.

Seared Pepper Crusted Tuna with Eggplant & Miso Puree, & Marinated Red Pepper & White Anchovy Salad

One of the three mains we were given to choose from. I didn’t get to try this, but judging from the empty plate that was leftover at the end it must’ve been quite palatable!

Grain Fed Sirloin with Celeriac & Potato Gratin, Roasted Bone Marrow & Miso & Pepper Sauce

The last choice of the mains, unfortunately this did not receive stellar reviews from my fellow dining companions. I didn’t try this myself, but I was told that the meat was very coarse despite being a sirloin cut and was a bit overcooked.

Monkey Magic

410 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia

P: 612 9358 4444 F: 612 9358 4433

www.monkeymagic.com.au

* Note: a 10% surcharge applies for groups of 10 or more.

Today, I, along with another 50 or so fellow Sydney food bloggers were invited to get together for a Christmas picnic in Hyde Park by fellow Sydney bloggers Chocolatesuze and Grab Your Fork. The only catch – we each had to bring one dish and a food-related kris kringle present.

So after a night of putting canapes together and a slight detour when I got the meet-up location slightly mixed up, I walked tentatively towards a large group of people all standing around what I could only assume from a distance to be a large array of culinary delights. Of course, the abundance of cameras everywhere were a dead giveaway too.

Adding my contribution to the already decent spread, all the food went untouched for a respectable amount of time to allow for everybody to take all the pictures they needed. We all posed for an anonymous group shot and then it was time to dig in.

Peanut Butter & Bacon Cupcakes

Winner for the most innovative dish definitely were the peanut butter and bacon cupcakes which was made by Grab Your Fork (featured below). I’ve always been tentative of the idea of having meat in desserts, but in this case, the peanut butter topping was saltier than the bacon itself which in the end meant in a strange way that it all went together quite well.

Fairy Bread, Cornflake Crackles & Coco Pop Crackles

Ah, the simple things. Seeing these three presented all together brought back many memories of primary school bake sales. :)

Kris Kringle

After all the eating, mingling and more eating until we were all at an uncomfortable dilemma of wanting to try more of the goodies but didn’t have the stomach space to afford it, we moved on to giving out the kris kringle presents. In this case, the presents weren’t predestined to a certain someone. Instead, we each drew a random number, and then going one after another we were invited to either open a new present or steal (borrow) a present that had already been opened. Breaths of anticipation were held while each person opened theirs up.

At first, the stealing (borrowing) portion of the game was ignored with the majority of people unwilling to ruin social decorum by taking somebody’s present. That is, until the Food Face surfaced. The quirkiness of the item meant that everybody who was still waiting in line for their turn vied to be the last one holding it.

My present that I got was a set of Jim Bean marinade sauces. Considering this is barbeque season, I’m sure I’ll be using it sooner or later. So to whoever brought it along as their KK present – thank you!

All done for the day, we all packed up and went our separate ways. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed putting faces to blogs and of course the food was the highlight. Definitely looking forward to the next Sydney foodie event… :)

Say the name Neil Perry, and the ears of anybody who knows anything about food prick up. Over the years this chef has firmly cemented himself into a position of one of Australia’s most influential chefs. He is responsible for a spattering of award winning restaurants around Sydney including Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill and Spice Temple, as well as Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne.

Last month, celebrating a special occasion, I was surprised with a dinner at the original Rockpool which was first opened in the Rocks in 1989. The entrance to the restaurant is understated to say the least. Keep looking straight ahead and because there’s no overhanging sign to signify its presence, you’re likely to walk past it as you’re distracted by everything the Rocks precinct has to offer – of course, how could you not be distracted when the Museum of Contemporary Art is located right opposite.

Walking in, you’re greeted with a smile and the restaurant’s warm and simplistic style. The interior is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and we were led past the open front-of-house kitchen to our table located in a back alcove which at this point is bathed in glorious sunset light. Unable to resist a degustation, we chose to have the 8 Course Grand Tasting Menu.

Rockpool

Lobster & Caviar Summer Roll*

This little starter was a perfect beginning to the meal. The saltiness of the caviar served nicely to prime the taste buds for the rest of the meal and also brought out the sweetness of the fresh lobster meat. The bread on the bottom was soft and fluffy with a daintily crispy crust.

Fragrant Crab Broth with Hand Picked Queensland Mud Crab, Dashi Custard, Tapioca & Wild Bamboo Pith

The broth was unmistakably a crab broth with the crab meat, dashi custard, tapioca balls and bamboo pith all creating multiple textural layers. The broth was seasoned with an extra generous pinch of pepper which was welcomed as without it, the broth would probably have been overwhelmingly fishy. One disappointing point though was that we found a small piece of crab shell in one of our servings – expected maybe in a spaghetti marinara from a street corner cafe, but certainly not at an established eatery like Rockpool.

Green Lip Abalone, Red Braised Thirlmere Goose, Chicken Crisps & Fine Noodles with XO Dressing

The rich goose meat along with the slightly chewy abalone against the cold noodles were a nice contrast in textures. Tying the dish together, XO dressing was tangy and sweet and nothing like what I was expecting. XO sauce generally meant I would be reaching for glasses of water afterwards, so maybe I misintepreted the description as a variant of a spicy seafood sauce common to Chinese cooking, but there certainly wasn’t any chili aspect in the sauce. Neither was there any relation to XO Cognac which was the only other interpretation that I could make.

That said, once I got over my confusion, I enjoyed the dish thoroughly. The highlight was definitely the chicken crisps which as the name describes gave the most satisfying crunch and added a salty component to the dish.

John Dory Poached in Tomato Water*

Next up, the john dory dish was completely unexpected. The tomato taste was subtle but present throughout the flaky piece of the fish while the freshness was added to the dish by the herbs and simple spring vegetables. The berries were tart and gave the dish that extra bit of zing that was a standout.

Redgate Farm Partridge Pie with Sauteed mushrooms & Partridge Jus

Considering the lightness of the previous courses, the partridge pie was significantly more substantial and was the perfect precursor to the next course. The mushrooms and the partridge jus had a very earth flavour and were a perfect accompaniment to the partridge pie. The pie itself had a flaky pastry and the filling was also very rich so the flavours were very nicely broken up by the onion puree underneath.

David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu (Score 9+) Sirloin, Hot & Numbing Brisket, Tendon with Soy & Rock Sugar Sauce

I’m a great fan of steak, so when the piece of meat we were to receive for this dish was proudly advertised as coming from Blackmore* and had a marble score of 9 or more, I had big expectations. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

The wagyu sirloin was a perfect medium rare and the high fat content of the sirloin meant a steak knife was perfunctory as the meat was cut with very little effort. The tendon was cooked until it was extremely soft while the slightly spicy (not quite as ‘hot and numbing’ as I expected) and more sinewy brisket nicely complemented the tenderness of the piece of sirloin. Another level of texture was added by the fresh piece of lettuce and the sweet soy based sauce brought all the components together nicely.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Queensland Strawberries & Rose Granita

With the entrees and mains over and done with, it was on to dessert. First up was the panna cotta which in itself was soft and bouncy and had a distinct and smooth vanilla flavour throughout. Complementing the fresh strawberries, there was also a concentrated strawberry jelly and the addition of chopped pistachios to the mix was a pleasant surprise. The rose granita that topped it all was palate-cleansing and absolutely divine.

Turnover of Caramelised Apples & Calvados Mousse with ‘Granny Smith’ Sorbet

Personally, the caramelised apples were a bit overpoweringly sweet for me especially after the subtle flavours that were present in the previous dessert. While the acidity of the granny smith sorbet cut through the sweetness nicely, there wasn’t nearly enough of it to balance out the apples completely. Other than that, the pastry was flaky and crisp while the Calvados mousse gave the dish a smooth component.

Petit Fours – Salted Butter Caramel, Passionfruit Marshmallows, Milk Chocolate Bar with Candied Orange, Nuts & Preseved Cherries, & Madelienes

Definitely the most generous offering of petit fours that I’ve ever come across. The marshmallows were completely different to any store bought marshmallows I’d ever had before. These were extremely fluffy and literally melted in your mouth coating the tastebuds with a distinct but subtle passionfruit flavour. Sucking the salted butter caramels was delectable with the saltiness bringout the butter taste in the caramel and made you want to keep savouring the salty flavour.

In contrast, the madelienes were simple and delicate which is as they should be. Finally, no girl can resist the charm of a bit of chocolate to finish a meal off. This was a fruit and nut bar with a twist in the candied orange and preserved cherries bringing a sour note against the sweet milk chocolate.

Rockpool

107 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, Australia

P: 612 9252 1888

www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/rockpool

* Note: Somewhere in my post-food haze, I forgot to take along the copy of the tasting menu we were given. The names I’ve given to these dishes are my closest recollection of the correct names as these dishes are no longer available on the degustation menu.

Since I’ve lived in Sydney there’s always been two elusive Malaysian dishes that I’ve never been able to find in a restaurant that have been able to reproduce authentically. So, when a friend and her Malaysian boyfriend started raving about a place that served the “best satay and cendol” in Sydney, my search was reignited and I took the first opportunity to check it out.

The menu largely consists of hawker stall favourites with some typical dishes you would find in other Malaysian restaurants. With a quite a large variety to choose from, I decided that the true test of authenticity would be to go with the dishes that never fail to go on my ‘must have’ list whenever I head back overseas. Definitely no prizes for presentation, but to my tastebuds it was a little trip back to hawker stall heaven.

Abang Sam’s Famous Satay

As close to the real deal that I’ve found so far in my years in Sydney. The satay sticks were marinated until the meat was stained a bright yellow and the chef wasn’t shy with barbecuing the skewers so that you were left with slightly crunchy and charred bits of chicken. The sauce, which was the definitely the highlight, had just the right amount of oil with crunchy chunks of peanuts. This tasted nothing like the peanut butter-like excuses for satay sauce that I’ve experienced elsewhere. The satay was served with pieces of spanish onion, cucumber and nasi ketupat (a typical Malay compressed rice accompaniment to satay), all of which served its purpose in mopping up as much sauce as possible.

Char Kway Teow

In hindsight, I probably should have ordered this with seafood as a test of authenticity. In hawker stalls, this noodle dish is usually fried with a mixture of seafood and fish cakes, but having chose the beef option instead of seafood, my plate I was given was tasty, but not much dissimilar to the fried beef noodles that can be ordered at most Chinese and Vietnamese eateries. Also missing were crunchy pieces of fried pork fat, but given the fact that it’s a halal compliant restaurant, it’s understandable.

Nasi Lemak

My fondest memory of nasi lemak was getting a packet of this wrapped in a banana leaf from an old Malay woman who would make it every Tuesday night and then walk around the neighbourhood on Wednesday mornings selling it for breakfast. Looking at this, all the essential elements of a traditional nasi lemak were there – a serve of coconut rice, a hard boiled egg, fresh cucumber, a generous serving of chicken rendang, a portion of sambal (a Malaysian chilli relish of sorts) even the fried anchovies and peanuts. I didn’t get to try much of this dish, but given the speed that it was eaten up and the empty plate that remained, I’d say it must have been delicious!

Cendol

A typical dessert found in South East Asia, cendol is named after the green pandan flavoured flour based jelly and is usually served with just some coconut milk, shaved ice and a generous drizzle of palm sugar syrup. There are other varieties incorporating a variety of different beans and jellies, but I’ve always like the simplicity of the few ingredients found in a true cendol. When this was served, I was quite happy to discover that they had stuck to tradition. The cendol in this dish was fresh, soft and had a strong pandan flavour which was nicely complemented with the sweet taste of the palm sugar syrup.

Goreng Pisang

Goreng pisang (or pisang goreng if you’re Indonesian) literally means fried banana. I was a bit perplexed with the addition of apple slices and the sauces liberally dribbled over everything, but that aside, the banana was very sweet and the batter crunchy. My only complaint though is that it came out halfway while we were eating our meals which meant by the time we were able to enjoy this, the fritters were drowning in a puddle of melted ice cream. A headsup to the kitchen that we were still eating would have been nice!

Abang Sam Malaysian Family Restaurant

Shop 1, 214 Anzac Parade, Kensington, Sydney, Australia

P: 612 9662 6554

The Sydney International Food Festival may be over for the year, but there’s one place that’s carrying on their Sugar Hit special into November due to the overwhelming response to their offering last month.

Unfortunately every time we attempted to head to Azuma Kushiyaki for their Sugar Hit during October it was a last minute decision we were never able to get a table. When it finally dawned on us mid-month that we needed to get our organisational skills in check, it was already booked out. Disappointed at first, but we were thrilled to find out they made the decision to offer the Sugar Hit in November as well, Mondays to Thursdays only. Needless to say, we booked for early November without any hesitation.

The ‘East Meets West’ dessert tasting plate on offer dwarved the other Sugar Hits which we went to during SIFF and is beautifully presented in a two tier bento box. With six different desserts to slowly relish your way through, the Azuma Kushiyaki Sugar Hit is definitely bang for your buck at $20. Despite this, nothing was given up in term of quality to afford this.

‘East Meets West’ Dessert Tasting Plate

Vanilla Cheesecake

This was my favourite dessert of the bunch. The cheesecake was very mild with a delicate hint of vanilla. The highlight of this dessert was the surprise sour berry sauce that was neatly hidden in the middle which brought the dish up another level altogether.

Belgian Chocolate Mousse

The richest dessert of the bunch. The mousse was light and fluffy was made just that little bit more special with the pieces of chocolate cake interspersed throughout.

Mochi with Kinako served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Japanese Brown Sugar Syrup

The mochi (glutinous rice balls) were soft, bouncy and had just the right amount of chewiness that forces you to simply slow down and savour the flavours in your mouth. Teamed with the refreshing vanilla ice-cream, the slightly nutty kinako (soybean) powder, the fruitiness of the fresh grapes and the richness of the dark brown sugar syrup, the flavours and textures of the dish balanced each other perfectly.

Green Tea Rolled Cake with Chestnuts & Nori Seaweed Langue De Chat Biscuits

The green tea flavour of the cake was very distinct without being overpowering. You can definitely tell that they had used good quality green tea rather than resorting to some run-of-the-mill green tea powder for flavour. The powdery chestnuts in the middle gave another textural level to the cake which contrasted with the soft cake and the smooth cream. The nori seaweed crackers on the other hand, were very crisp and gave a satisfying crunch with each bite.

Azuma Kushiyaki

Ground Floor, Regent Place Shopping Centre, 501 George Street, Sydney, Australia

P: 612 9267 7775 F: 612 9267 7776

www.azuma.com.au/kushiyaki