#55: miso

this is one of the numerous branches of the Masuya group restaurant chain, which seems to be attempting to cater for all tastes and budget requirements in Japanese dining.

Miso is a cute and colourful place conveniently located in World Square which caters for casual dining. We saw quite a few people dining solo, grabbing a quick bite on the way home. We ordered the chicken teriyaki and tempura udon. The tempura came served on top of the udon, and was completely soggy, which I detest. I don’t entirely understand why some places will serve the tempura on the size so it stays crispy, and some wont. But perhaps, some people like it soggy Apart from that the udon itself was okay. My friend wasn’t a huge fan of her teriyaki either, because the chicken itself was dry and lacking the sweet caramelised flavour of teriyaki. The extras were good though – it came with a salad, miso soup, several small side dishes and a small omelette.

Overall, it was passable but I wouldn’t rush to go back.

They also do takeaway bentos. I’ve only tried the salmon bento ($14.5) which I thought was quite average in terms of quality, but a generous size.

salmon bento

shop 20 world square
sydney ph: 2 9283 9686

#54: swiss bakerz

whilst doing night shifts getting a croissant from this place was the best part of my day. The croissants are buttery and flaky just as they should be – the plain and chocolate ones are the best for me. I’m also a fan of their tarts – especially the chocolate and lemon ones, although in recent times the chocolate tarts seem to have gone downhill somewhat.

chocolate tart

101 Oxford St Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

(02) 9361 5643‎

#53: lindt cafe (revisited multiple times)

i consider myself to be an opportunistic chocolate consumer, meaning if it’s there, I’ll eat it. Since moving to Sydney, this has been a huge problem

I like Lindt – I think it’s one of the better ’standard’ commercial brands out there, especially their extra dark Lindor balls…I’ve been back to the Lindt cafe numerous times (including the Martin place installment which I can often not seem to find for some reason…), but I realised I’ve never actually blogged about it so I’ll make a few brief comments.

• At the Martin place store (last time I checked anyway), if you go between 1600-1700hrs beverages are half price (the dark hot chocolate is win).
• Everything at Lindt is really really sweet so caution is advisable (I usually end up getting a black coffee to balance things out)
• I think the best value item on the menu is the degustation plate (dark or milk, for one or two) – the plate for two is easily enough for 4 people to try a bit of everything without becoming dangerously hyperglycaemic.

degustation plate for two

http://www.lindt.com.au/1/4.asp

Numerous locations around Sydney including:

1. cockle bay
104-105 cockle bay wharf, darling harbour, sydney

2. martin place

53 martin place (cnr phillip street), sydney
tel (02) 8257 1600

#52: bavarian bier cafe

the coolest thing about this place is that when you order the meter of schnapps ($40) they ring the bell. I was also rather amused by the motto of this place: come to a place where you eat a delicious dish of meat, with a delicious side dish of…meat. I think this statement accurately sums up the essence of German cuisine.

This is a prime hang out spot for suits during Friday night drinks and when we arrived there at about 730pm the bar was already pretty packed. We secured a table and my friend and I opted for the $20 special – beef schnitzel and a beer (or bier). Drinking a pint of anything is enough to make me  full, so I knew I would have little chance of getting through the schnitzel. I was right – it was absolutely huge and covered the majority of the plate. Underneath was a pile of thick cut chips, whilst a token salad sat on the side to tick all the food group boxes. Definitely good value if you’re really hungry.

http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com.au/

numerous locations around the CBD and outer Sydney

#51: din tai fung

as I’ve probably mentioned numerous times before, I love dumplings, in any incarnation. And I think the dumplings at din tai fung are some of the best.

This very successful international chain has now expanded to Sydney. I’d eaten at the Singapore restaurant several times previously, so I was excited about checking out the Sydney one.

The xiao long bao were almost as good as I’d remembered. Put a dumpling in your spoon, add some vinegar and shredded ginger, poke a hole in the paper thin skin and slurp away – ah heaven. We also ordered some random bowls of noodles to try. My beef brisket noodle was decidedly average, and the dan dan noodle was interesting with its sweet peanuty sauce; after a while it got too much though. My friends who ordered the dumpling noodle soup polished their bowls off without complaint. We came to the inevitable conclusion that the dumplings were superior to the other dishes though.

shrimp and pork shao-mai

I rather suspect the prices have been increased during the transition to Australia. At $25 per head, it was significantly more expensive than I remembered in Singapore. I’ll be back though, for those dumplings.

world square upper level, sydney

http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp

#50: Tetsuya’s

i’ve been lagging more and more with the posts recently. Never fear, this does not by any means indicate that I’ve stopped eating and I have plenty of posts to catch up on. Recently I also recruited PC over in Perth to keep up with things at home.

Tetsuya’s is often listed as the best restaurant in Australia, and has consistently made it into the top 10 of the world’s best restaurants (according to Restaurant magazine anyway…) for the past few years. In August last year I attempted to book a table for October and was informed that there would be no weekend tables available until February…Fortunately with the recent economic downturn, we were able to secure a table for late January, when a few of my like-minded gastronomic buddies came over for a visit.

Dining here is very much about the experience. As you walk past the rather imposing gate, you are intercepted and politely  greeted by waitstaff who guide you in an orderly fashion to your table. The dark wood tones, pressed white linens and view of the garden outside complete with water features lead to a state of zen and inner calm.

There is only one item available at Tetsuyas – the 13 course degustation menu priced at $195. For an additional $90 you can have wines matched to each course, which is decent value in my opinion, although we didn’t go for this option (having to work the next day). The menu comprises 9 savoury dishes and 4 desserts. There are some variations, but a number of Tetsuya-san’s signature dishes and a great deal of seafood will be featured, much to the chagrin of my dining companions who aren’t seafood fans but stoically resolved to eat everything presented to them.

The service was knowledgeable, unobtrusive and observant. Complimentary fresh baked bread with truffle butter was provided to tide us over until the first dish arrived. Each course was presented and announced (although that still didn’t necessarily mean we knew what we were eating )

corn soup with saffron icecream

We started off with the corn soup with vanilla and saffron icecream. This was served chilled in a cocktail glass and was a great way to kick things off, with sweetness of the corn melding well with the creamy saffron ice cream.

smoked ocean trout and caviar

The smoked ocean trout and avruga caviar was simply stunning to behold. It was topped by ball of scallop mousse containing a quail egg. When cut open, the bright yellow egg yolk spilled out. It was good, but incredibly rich.

leek and crab custard

The leek and crab custard was served with a cute wooden place mat and wooden spoon. It came with some intriguing green droplets on the surface which turned out to be leek extract. It reminded me a lot of chawan- mushi (Japanese egg custard).

trio of scampi

Next up was the trio of scampi which consisted of a skewer of raw scampi in a shot glass of seawater and lemon infused olive oil; scampi sashimi with white miso, and cooked scampi and pancetta. Deadly serious, our waiter advised us not to drink the seawater. I wasn’t a huge fan of the raw scampi in seawater, but at least it was so fresh there wasn’t any hint of fishiness. The scampi with white miso was good, the delicate flavour of the scampi matching well with the subtle savouriness of the miso. The pancetta wrapped scampi was probably our favourite.

confit of ocean trout with konbu, daikon and fennel

Tetsuya-san’s signature dish. A healthy portion of Tasmanian ocean trout encrusted with savoury konbu, nestled on a bed of daikon and fennel. It came with a green salad. The combination of trout and savoury crunchy konbu worked really well. By this stage I was starting to worry because I was getting full, despite starving myself for most of the day.

terrine of spanner crab and avocado mousse

This was probably my least favourite dish. The texture (read: mushiness) just didn’t work for me and the avocado mousse was too bland and similar in consistency for my liking. I think part of the problem was that by this stage I was full and desperately needing time to recover from the onslaught.

grilled fillet of barramundi with fennel

After a much needed break we moved on to the grilled barramundi. This was lovely – the delicate oily fish matched well with the sweet caramalised fennel.

I’m not a huge fan of poultry in general at restaurants, having had numerous experiences where the bird was overcooked beyond recognition, but this was great – succulent and perfectly cooked, the black truffle adding a subtle earthiness.

grilled wagyu beef with lime and wasabi

This was fantastic. The lime and wasabi with the rich tender wagyu was a revelation.

peach sorbet and summer pudding

A brief intermission before our waiter asked us if we were ready to move on to dessert, to which we replied emphatically Yes! Yes! The peach sorbet and champagne jelly was wonderfully refreshing and not too sweet. The summer pudding was packed with juicy berries which contrasted nicely with the rich cream and custard.

lemon meringue island

I love lemony things. This was sort of a reversed lemon meringue pie.  The meringue pudding was effortlessly airy and when cut open out spilled a deliciously tart lemony sauce. The whole thing arrived swimming in a rich pool of creme anglaise.

ufo?

This was my least favourite dessert. The most memorable thing about it was its curious shininess and close resemblance to a UFO. It turned out to be a concoction of chocolate, adzuki (red) bean and green tea. The whole thing was too sweet for my liking. But I have a separate stomach for desserts so I polished it off anyway.

Finally, a selection of cookies to finish us off (literally). I liked the chocolate macaroon and the green tea marshmellow.

By the time we waddled out about 5 hours after we initially started, with blissful smiles on our faces, most of the other diners had left.

Was it worth it? At $195 +per head, this would be a once-off or occasional experience for me. However I can say it was probably the best meal I’ve ever had (so far anyway – El Bulli here I come ).

529 kent st sydney ph (02) 9267 2900
tue-thu, sat 6pm-10pm; fri 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10pm

#49 kantas

My disclaimer: This next review is going to be extremely biased.

I was introduced to this little hidden place nearly 2 years ago by a former housemate of mine, who is Japanese, from Kansai province. The chef and owner of this place, also hails from the same province. This quaint little restaurant cannot hold more then 15-20 people, and it is virtually impossible without having to book weeks in advance to land a table on a Saturday or Friday night. However, it is truly a part of Japan in Perth. Anyways, after a many moments of not being able to secure a table, wisely chose to book a table for 27th March 2009, in early March.

For me, it was a reacquaintance with an old haunt, which I had frequented on many an occasion, so I had a fair idea of what the menu looked like and what I wanted, whilst my dining companions need a few moments to acquaint themselves with the menu. First on the menu, large sashimi platter to be shared, followed by entrees (karaage(mine!!), tataki, agedeshi dofu) and my main of curry-don, before polishing off some green tea ice cream.

sliced and diced up fish…

Kantas: Tataki

Karaage, the ultimate score =)

Kantas: Green tea ice-cream

The chef-owner of this establishment is simply brilliant. Going to Kantas is like watching an episode of Iron Chef, staring into Kitchen Stadium (without the dodgy American try-hard Jap accented English voice overs) as he literally does all the cooking, in an open kitchen. This is good, as you can see how your food is prepared and be assured that it is fresh and the chef doesn’t do anything dodgy to it.

The highlight of my meal is always the karaage at this place. This is the ultimate score, the Holy Grail, for it is simply scrumpdidly-dicious. Soft, warm, tender and tasty, and it just seems to melt in your mouth. The tataki was also memorable, nether over nor under seared, juices held within the meat. I’m not usually partial to tataki, as karaage is my choice of entree here, but the quality of what had been served was pretty unbelievable. I was a little underwhelmed by dessert, primarily due to the minute serving, but by the time I had reached dessert, fitting it in was quite an acheivement.

Overall, Kantas is always a good food outing, and I will hopefully frequent this establishment again in the near future. (just need to remember to book in advance) =)

PC 2009

#48 simply pho

This has replaced ‘Es Teler 77′ (a huge Indonesian franchise) in Northbridge, Perth. Pho is essentially a traditional Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish. I didn’t know what it was before, but now I do, as my friend H spent a good 10 minutes explaining it to me. =)

i’ve never been a big fan of vietnamese cuisine, but then again, I’ve never disliked it either. Got dragged here along with maguro by rubberman on her last visit to Perth, and this IS technically her post, but since she’s too lazy to finish this post, pc will compute. Fortunately, she’s providing the photos. =)

The decor has changed a lot since it’s Es Teler 77. It’s very green, but has a nice drinks and dessert display. Menu choices aren’t extensive, as everything main was essentially pho of some sort, with just varying types of meat. For the record, I think we all ended up with the beef pho (see below), with just different entrees.
Anyways, the pho is served in an oversized bowl and a shared dish of sprouts and veges, which diners are expected to mix in with their pho.

I have to admit the decor is a significant improvement. It’s very homely which suits the food that is served. Uncomplicated dishes, homely cooking and a extremely simple menu set. But as some random commercial once said, “The Simple Things In Life Are Often the Best,” and this place was simply pho.
PC 2009

# 47 lemon twist cafe

for me, this is one of the cafe gems in surry hills, which is cafe central. It’s most easily identified by the giant lemon hanging from the doorway. Service has been friendly and personable on previous visits, and price wise it’s good value considering most of the dishes are a very decent size. I also think putting a slice of lemon in the complimentary water is a nice touch. Unfortunately, I’m not really a fan of the coffee here. It’s okay, but I would really only come here for the food.

Food wise they do great fry ups and sangers and have lots of different ways of cooking eggs which I just love. I also like the sweet corn fritters, which are a slightly lighter breakfast option. They come served with a good helping of avocado and tomato on a bed of rocket leaves. Lemon has limited options for those with a sweet tooth though – the the french toast with ricotta and honey or banana is about all.

Most importantly, breakfast is served till late, which means weekend sleepyheads like me can order from both the brekkie and lunch menu when they stagger in after midday

393 crown st surry hills nsw 2010

tues – sat 8-4pm

#46 agni indian cuisine

PC’s first post. PC’s ‘Aunty Dearest’ had complained of the effort required to maintain the number of food reviews she had been publishing and PC has been trying to shirk the responsibility of maintaining a food review/blog, so he has decided to joint-venture with his ‘Aunty Dearest’ in publishing his reviews to her blog. It’s good economics. =)

Anyways, having spent a vast majority of his childhood in UK, it is only appropriate that PC’s first review goes to UK’s national cuisine, Indian curry and goodies.

Agni Indian Cuisine
17 Wotan Street
Innaloo, WA 6018, Australia

Got dragged out here for a friend’s birthday dinner, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the curry that was on offer at this location. This restaurant has buffet and a la carte, but for this particular trip, it was mainly buffet, with some side dishes and dessert from a la carte. Whilst the range was not as extensive as other Indian Buffets I have visited in the past, it is undoubtedly one of the more superior (in taste, and spicyness) curries available in the dreary town of Perth. On offer for Buffet are about 5-7 curries, ranging in spiciness and ingredients. Sadly, my only major complaint was concerning the beef curry which, although excellent in flavor and spice, the meat had been overcooked and dry, marring an otherwise good curry experience.

The naan (flatbread) here is is of particular note. There will be those who’ll cynically view bread as a staple (like rice) and go ‘meh.’ However, good quality naan is hard to look by. Similar to the traditional Italian garlic bread, garlic naan just seems to work. It’s warm, soft and tasty, without an overwhelming taste nor smell of garlic. And when combines this naan with piping hot, thick and spicy curry, or even buttered chicken, it is truly a most precious moment to savour.

Side note: While PC loves a good curry and can handle spiciness as heavy as his Indian/Sri Lankan cohorts, if not more, according to their general consensus, PC is of oriental lineage, not Indian/Sri Lankan. LOL, an Indian restaurant, with Sri Lankan owners (yes!) being reviewed by a UK Oriental. It’s a beautiful world we live in. =)

Gulap Jamun

Dessert was perhaps the most interesting. Tried “Gulab Jamun” which involved dough balls dipped/soaked in a most sugary and yet buttery syrup. Guaranteed to contribute to a heart attack and diabetes simultaneously. But it’s so sweet =)

Although it was a far drive up North of Perth, from my humble abode, it was definitely worth the trip. Prices are quite reasonable (for Perth), staff are very friendly and the cuisine, simply scrumptious, albeit not perfect. Another excuse to head up there for a curry would be most welcome.

PC 2009