Om nom nom nom. That is all.

Grabbed a quick bite at the food court Din Tai Fung before heading over to the Australian Museum for my birthday weekend outing.

We crossed Hyde Park to find Cathedral Square decked out with an ice rink! The Winter Festival was on so we stopped by for a few quick photos before continuing to the museum which was awesome but very tiring for a sickling like myself.

Hello my camouflaging friend!

And what kind of museum would it be without stuffed animals?

I love the museum! Can’t wait to visit the American Museum of Natural History! An NYC local who I met on a ferry last weekend told me that that the Australian Museum is only a postage stamp in size!

]]> http://yuggles.koonkii.com/2011/09/23-07-11-out-about/feed/ 0 http://yuggles.koonkii.com/2011/08/the-weekend-in-pictures-vol-26/ http://yuggles.koonkii.com/2011/08/the-weekend-in-pictures-vol-26/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:01:46 +0000 yuggles http://yuggles.koonkii.com/?p=1456 16.07.11 – Bilson’s

This year’s birthday dinner from the (_I_)head! Ahhh-mayyyyy-zing! I was kept guessing about the restaurant up until the moment  the car was parked. The drive went a little something like this:

• Into the city, towards Westfields… Becassè? Nope.
• Then up along George St towards The Rocks… Rockpool? Nope.
• Hook a right somewhere and left onto Pitt St and we’re heading north again… Ah! Bilson’s!

 A real surprise for me because David had always made it known how much he hated Bilson’s despite not having been before – a decoy, perhaps? Hmm.

Upon arrival our coats were taken and we were shown to our seats. The waitress explains that there are five menus on offer:

• Le’Omnivore: Petit & Grand
• Le Jardin: Petit & Grand
• And the mother of all degustations, the Epiphany – Presque Quatre

We figured we may as well have gone all the way out (since we were there) and that was the beginning of an epic night of 15 courses and (I kid you not) 6.5 hours of dining. We arrived for a 6pm start and didn’t leave until 12.30am.

Here is a random selection of pictures from the night:

Marron, Butternut Pumpkin, Mandarin, Mizuna
So awesome! Everything in this dish just worked so well together, from the crunchy texture of the pumpkin seeds against the soft, sweet marron which was complemented by the slight tartness of the mandarin purèe that also tasted wonderful with the pumpkin.

Egg Yolk, Cauliflower, Rye, Sprouts, Fresh Herbs, Vegemite

Polenta, Zucchini, Parmesan, Hazelnut (El Bulli 2007)
Tasty parcels of polenta that just oozed in your mouth. I was curious about the caption next to this item on the menu and the waiter explained that this dish was brought to Bilson’s by Diego Muñoz who used to cook at El Bulli. Ah, yes, of course.

 Hare Jus, Honey Pear, Spiced Crème Fraiche, Truffle

Thanks (_I_)head!

Citrus Presentation
Refreshing – a great ‘pre-dessert’ before the heavy stuff! From memory; blood orange jelly, kaffir lime gel, lemon macaron, lemon sorbet, candied kumquat, marshmallow and foam… and some other thing that I can’t remember

Chocolate Box
Macarons, meringue and an assortment of chocolates that they gladly packed into a small gift box for us to take away (because we couldn’t finish them!)

derishus!

Photos of the other dishes can be found here.

Highlights not pictured but definitely worth mentioning:

• Mushrooms, Potato, Yeast – A tangy salad of mushroom with mmm, yeast!
• Baby Carrot, Calamari, Ink, Macadamia, Cocoa – yum, yum, yummmm. Never eaten anything like this before. Great dish! It was like the Marron, everything working so well together.

All in all, it was a fantastic degustation, up there as one of my favourites. Not just because there were so many courses, but because I either liked or love all of them. Tasting menus are a little hit and miss sometimes, because you can’t be sure that you will like all the dishes but my word, it must mean something if the ratio of good dishes is so high, especially for the meal with the most courses. Very indulgent, indeed –  I was very spoilt!

I had to try this place after perusing the menu because there aren’t many places you can go for “Native Australian/Japanese – no sushi!”.  Our experience was indeed, something different but not necessarily because of the menu (but more on that to follow shortly).

We started off with some beverages – Thien went for the hot chocolate, which he said was delicious and I opted for the Café Ish Masala Chai which was described as “an authentic recipe for Indian spiced tea with a touch of Australiana”. Now, I have a confession to make… I actually prefer the powdered pre-mix that your average cafe tends to serve up over real chai tea lattes that I’ve had in the past (maybe because they’re milkier) but I have to say that I may have found my perfect cuppa here. It was milky, smooth and sweet enough without compromising the complexity of the blend of flavours.

Reuben ish, aniseed myrtle corned free range Wa Gyu, braised cabbage, seed mustard, bush tomato aioli, Kraft cheese

Croc in the rock, crocodile sausage, egg, shallot and organic fetta in toast with tomato relish with a side of potato mochi
Potato mochi = awesome. Fluffy potato encased in a deep fried  glutinous rice skin - I wish it was readily available as a side everywhere I went!

Ai’s freaking awesome fried chicken, vinegar, shallot & garlic sauce
Funny thing happened with this dish… We weren’t sure what to expect but we sure didn’t expect what we got! There was a very strong taste of what we thought was a spice or herb, so strong that it was bitter. We weren’t sure if there was something wrong or if we were just being pussies (it was supposed to be freaking awesome, after all) but we battled on with it because we’d be damned if the chicken was too awesome for us. The table next door also ordered this dish and it turns out that it wasn’t supposed to taste the way it did.  The chef explained that he had mistakenly used bi-carb instead of corn flour which is why it tasted so acrid – and offered to fix us up with another dish. Moral of the story: never question your tastebuds… but I guess it is a bit hard to some times when goat’s cheese is supposed to be appetising…

Thien with Will’s skill tester winnings – Sony catplush toy  & Pedobear earphones

Ahh, Tetsuya’s. We made a reservation when I went on that booking spree around this time last year. If I recall correctly, the next weekend booking wasn’t available until something stupid in advance, so I thought I would just align it to our anniversary which was a good 9 months away. Plenty of time, you would hope, to secure a table.

It was probably the most ‘different’ dining experience we’ve had so far, not in the sense that everything was ground-breakingly out of the ordinary, but different in feel and ambience. You wouldn’t suspect that there was a free standing, two-level restaurant complete with its own Japanese garden in the middle of the CBD. The actual restaurant itself, hidden away behind the Judge’s House on Kent Street gave the whole experience an air of reverence (for lack of a better word). It was very quiet and very peaceful and I couldn’t have felt further away from the hustle and bustle of the city outside. Whoever described it as a ‘high temple of gastronomy’ (as the website reads) captured the feel and atmosphere perfectly.

Bread rolls and Tetsuya’s famous truffle butter

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Sheep Yoghurt Icecream

My favourite course is nearly always the Amuse Bouche. Sadly, this was not to my taste as I’m not a fan of cucumber or sheep’s/goat’s cheese. Can’t win ‘em all, right? It’s a bit tricky with seasonal menus, you can’t always line a booking up with what is currently being offered if you’re doing it in advance. It’s a bit of a gamble.

Pacific Oysters with Rice Wine Vinegar & Ginger
Ah, lucky we had these babies to make up for it. Supplementary oysters.

Bon anniversaire!

Sashimi of Yellow Fin Tuna with Shishito & Garlic Chips

Marinated NZ Scampi with Curd & Junsai

Our view out onto the garden, through the blinds.

Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Celery & Apple
Delicious! Totally lived up to the signature-dish hype. That konbu crust was sensational and the apple totally worked. I’m so glad it wasn’t alfalfa or sprouts or something!

Steamed Mulloway with Blackbean & Ginger

Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber & Lotus Root

Slow-Roasted Breast of Duck with Smoked Eschallots & Foie Gras

Beef Short Rib with Beetroot Jus & Wasabi Mustard
Slow cooked for a very long time (I forget how many hours it was, but it was definitely double digits!). While we looked real forward to this dish, we found it was a bit too meaty tasting for both of us. Don’t get me wrong, I usually eat my steaks medium-rare with but I’ve never had beef that tasted as gamey as this before.

Sorbet of Pione Grapes & Tarte Tatin

Genoa Figs with Leatherwood Honey & Fig Leaf Ice Cream

Genoa Figs with Leatherwood Honey & Fig Leaf Ice Cream

Chocolate Pave with Cream Cheese Ice Cream & Cinnamon Twigs

Checked this out after breakfast that morning. The expo was pretty good for something with free entry. The Fujifilm area had a whole bunch of photo processing booths set up with 10 free prints for each visitor, which I thought was pretty cool. My pictures all turned out poo which is why they’ve been edited like this – but you get the picture, large exhibition hall with a bunch of sponsor set ups!

He is Nikkon

They had the leather case for my camera in the cabinet… wish I could have gotten my mitts on it because there is a complete lack of stock at the moment due to the earthquake. Poo.

Cool Lumix set up with fake flowers for you to test their cameras on

And to Criniti’s for dinner afterwards…

Thought we’d try something new before heading to PMA. It was, however, bad timing for a mid-morning dessert. Patisse was packed like a mother fucker because it had aired on Masterchef the night before – a fact unknown to me until I overheard others in the queue talking about it. We got to meet the chef who was greeting everyone, though. Nice guy.

Clearly, still learning how to use the camera…

Dank St Depot – 2 eggs cooked with cream and butter, served soft with chopped chives, truffle oil, roasted field mushrooms, herbed tomato and sourdough toast.

These were yum. Macarons are usually characterised by their sometimes-overpowering sweetness. These, a little less so, which was a nice surprise. It gave the flavours more of a chance to come through. I really loved the violet. Subtle and flo/(ur)wery.

Patisse - Raspberry Mousse, Raspberry Coconut Dacquois

Spongy and moist. A great balance of sweet and tart, loved the dried raspberry and coconut bits in it.

24.07.10 – Bistro Ortolan

Man, this post has been sitting in my drafts for a good 3 months while these pics have been sitting on my comp for a good 6! It’s taken me so long to get around to posting this because I thought this batch of photos was a complete write off. Aside from the grain (enough to keep an entire race of humans fed for a few millenia), they were dark with terrible white balanace.  I didn’t think they were salvageable. Thank god for adjusting levels! While you are now vaguely able to make out what the food looked like, they’re far from passable, but hey, better than not having anything at all. Here goes.

Tomato and white anchoy veloute with Coffin Bay Pacific oyster and Melfor vinegar granita
Mmm, there is no better way to start a meal than with some veloute… and oysters!

Ceviche of citrus cured ocean trout and baby octopus with fresh Tasmanian wasabi, san choy bau
A nice start to the meal. I can’t exactly remember what it tasted like but when they said baby octopus, they meant it. Those two tentacles you see on the plate are about all that was in the dish.

(_I_)(_I_)(_I_)(_I_)(_I_)(_I_)

Tartlet of Victoria smoked eel and kipfler potato with a petite salad nicoise and softly cooked quail egg
Mmm, the quail was awesome! I love poached eggs and enjoyed watching the yolk ooze out of this one.

Crepinette of Pink Snapper with seared Hervey Bay scallops, foie gras butter and summer greens
The general rule for this meal was that if it was green, it was delicious! Strange, but true. We don’t usually like greens and vegies  but we absolutely loved what they did with this puree, I would have licked my plate clean if noone else was around. Bit of a turn around! I find it funny that the salad we hated from Quay was pink. Seems like green is in!

Pot-au-feu of free-range Burrawong chicken in ‘half-mourning’ with roasted chicken and Tasmanian truffle consomme
I love soups and veloute and sauce, so my eyes lit up with delight with the waiter came around to dress our meals with consomme. Very tender and succulent.

Rare, spice-roasted sirloin of Cervena venison with a fricasee of glazed winter vegetables, foie gras and game pie
We were a bit apprehensive of this one because of the pie, but it turns out that it wasn’t gamey at all. Maybe that’s not what ‘game’ was referring to…

And again! for extra measure

oh, hello there!

Epoisses Berthau with candied almonds and walnut toast
A smelly cheese that came in an interesting wooden container. Very strong, from what I remember, but it went well with the sweeter toast and walnuts. I love soft cheeses like camembert and brie, this was like a saltier, smellier version.

Pear and verjuice sorbet with apple and pear salad
Best. Dessert. Ever!  I may have enjoyed this more than the Snow Egg at Quay. It was so nice and refreshing! I think the apple and pear do it for me more than the white nectarine. GREEN WAS IN!

Date and armagnac creme brulee with caramelised brioche French toast and fennel ice cream
Oh man, we were so stuffed by this course. I’m not sure we could enjoy it properly. I remember it being a very rich dessert that I could not finish

Tea, coffee and petits four

All in all, the meal was a very enjoyable one. I think this place is a nice little gem and am glad we gave it a go. Great bang for buck as well! 9 courses at a ridiculously good price (I think it was $140). This is one I would definitely go back to. I think we did well considering the trouble we were having finding somewhere to dine for my birthday. I’m lucky a spot opened up, otherwise it would have been a 9pm sitting at Aria (waaaaaaaay too late! We would never have gotten out of there!). This booking was for 8 and I was dyingggg to go to bed by the time we finished up. The only thing I can fault Bistro Ortolan on is the lengthy intermission between (if I recall correctly) courses 4 and 5. While it’s nice to have a bit of a break, it isn’t fun when it goes on for almost an hour (or at least that’s what it felt like). Hooray, for little bang for buck gems!

Just a bit of context for you all. It all started back in July when I was ringing around to see what bookings I could get for my birthday dinner with the (_I_)head. Turns out, not any at a week out from the anticipated date. A combination of curiosity and being fed up with rejection led me to start asking when the tables were available.  I was already on the phone with the restaurants, so the (_I_)head and I figured we should just take the plunge and give ourselves something to look forward to by making some bookings. This is how we came to dine at Quay in November. It wasn’t that we were celebrating a special event or anything like that, we had just built up a schedule of bookings after being tired with being turned down all time. It looked something like this:

• September 2010 – Sepia
• November 2010 – Quay
• April 2011 – Tetsuya’s

Mind you, it was only July and there was plenty of time before we would actually eat anything.

So, continuing on, this post, as you may have already figured, is about our experience at Quay. It was a frantic one to begin with,  being held up in traffic and running late before facing the challenge of finding parking in The Rocks. WHAT? $25 parking?! We had no time so we had to go with it. We got into the carpark and snaked our way to the bottom level only to realise that there were no free spaces… and that we had to do a 50 point turn to get back out because at the end of it all, was a friggin’ WALL! Garh!! It worked out in the end but I had to leave my keys with the valet which I wasn’t too at ease with, but alas, there was no other choice given that we were already 20 minutes late. Finally, we arrive at the restaurant and are seated and settle in but not long before I realise that I have left my camera in the car. It was another 10 minutes before we actually told the wait staff that we were ready to dine because David had to run back to the car, the poor thing. It was ok, because I had plenty of time to soak in the amazing view… not. We were fortunate enough to be booked on a day that the Overseas Passenger Terminal was in use by giant cruise liner. *Sigh* Anyway, on with the pictures. I wish, they had turned out more nicely. Damn you, noise! This is the best I could do. It seems I should probably look towards getting something with a bigger sensor…

The menu

Oxtail consomme and jersey milk curd
Have I mentioned that amuse bouches are usually my favourite course? This was amazing! The creaminess and silkiness of the curd worked really well with the salty, savoury consomme.

Smoke eel & sea scallop pearl, horseradish
This was uber impressive on the mother of pearl dish that it came out on. That’s silver leaf on top. Seafood dishes like these are a real winner with me. Derishus!

Salad or pink turnings & breakfast radishes, violets, olives, pine resin, balsamico
It was pretty and all but we felt jipped being served a plate of vegies… We want our $26.25 back, please. We were hoping that Peter Gilmore would somehow be able to make radishes and goat’s cheese taste good, but alas… he could not. We regretted not asking for an alternate dish. I was really disappointed with this because it actaully affected my perception of one of the later dishes.

Gentle braise of pearl oyster, shaved southern squid, lettuce hearts, golden tapioca, lobster velvet, oyster cream, pea flowers
Deeeeeeeeeelicious! This one was also a winner. Now THIS is the kind of salad I’m talking about.

Butter poached partidge, pumpernickel, morel and ethical foie gras pudding, walnuts, quinoa, truffle custard, milk skin
This was originally quail breast on the menu but we had been informed at the beginning of the meal that it would be partidge instead. This was awesome. The meat was so succulent and I guess you could tell by the way that it looks. It resembles a sliver of liver, but I don’t remember it being slimy. The quinoa was a nice touch, I think it really made the dish, giving it that extra dimension of texture.

Poached Blackmore wagyu fillet, Tasmanian wasabi, morels
This was good. But it would have been better if we hadn’t been assaulted by that plate of radishes. As you probably already know, wasabi is made of horseradish. I couldn’t help but shudder a little when the wasabi butter reminded me of that dreaded salad. A real shame, really, because I loved the wasabi butter that accompanied a dish we had at Sepia in September.

Slow braised Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil
I liked this dish. The crackling made me think of the dish as a meaty creme brulee. Pork works well with sweet flavours so I thought the prunes complimented it nicely. David didn’t think so though, ’cause he hates prunes.

White nectarine snow egg
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it lived up to the hype! I forget exactly what it was, but I think it was a bed of moscato granita and white nectarine ice cream in the centre. Different to the widely known guava version, but delicious nonetheless. The icing sugar was a doozy, though. Choked on it a couple of times.

Preserved wild cherry compote, coconut cream, chuao chocolate crumble, sugar crystals, cherry juice and chocolate sorbet
This was ok, but only because I’m not a real big fan of dark chocolate. By this stage I was completely stuffed so I didn’t have the appetite to finish it. That’s ok, that’s what boyfriends are for

The dinner was good, but we don’t rate it as highly in our books as all the hype does. It probably just comes down to personal taste. If I were to dine again at somewhere I’ve eaten before, I would return to Sepia before going back to Quay.

So we cut it really close to get in on the Marie Antoinette High Tea that The Westin had on offer for Good Food Month, but we still made it! For $45 we got our savouries, sweets and a glass of ziboba that we were all a little reluctant to have but ended up getting after The Bumhead paved the way! I do love a good afternoon tea and much fun was had with the masks that were supplied as a part of the theme. The menu was more contemporary than your traditional high tea but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I really wish I got one of the whole tier, it was just lovely to see such a smorgasbord of bright colours!

The venue

The menu

The company

The food!

cheers!

lahhhh-deee-dah!

LOL

slow cooked roast beef with crème cheese stuffed baby belle peppers
My favourite of the day!

Macaron with fresh blueberries

He had this on his head for the whole afternoon (even after we left!) and was asked if we had just come from a Halloween Party, lol!

What would high tea be without scones?
They were cute and all but they weren’t soft and buttery like I feel a scone should be.

Jam and cream

when 1, 2 or even 3 masks are not enough! lol

All in all, a lovely afternoon tea. I’ve been to three so far and I would rate this as one of the better ones. The Westin for a contemporary menu, The Tea Room for a more traditional one and… The Sir Stamford for if you want to feel bad aboutleaving unfinished food behind on the tier…