Kabuki Shoroku, Sydney

Who doesn't love the sound of sizzling meat at your table? I know some might think that it's a bit silly to go to a restaurant to cook your own food but for me, there is some novelty in being given a plate of raw meat and a hot rock for you to cook it on.

Sushi chefs at work (left) and Seaweed salad - $16

Tonight we're at Kabuki Shoroku, a little Japanese restaurant hidden away on Clarence St behind the QVB. If a friend hadn't recommended it, I probably wouldn't have even know it existed. Even finding the entrance to the restaurant proves a little difficult, but soon we're seated in the restaurant which has a tranquil and relaxed feel, and is a stark contrast to the busy city streets.

Sushi and sashimi combination - $58

Spanish Terrazas, Sydney

All you can eat tapas!

A post on OzBargain advertising all you can eat tapas for $29 leads a group of us to hightail it down to Spanish Terrazas on a cold and wet Tuesday night.

Inside Spanish Terrazas

We've made a booking but it's not entirely necessary because the restaurant is large and spacious with plenty of seats on the night. We also spot a couple of other large groups feasting on tapas which gets us rather excited.

Garlic mushrooms and Chargrilled capsicum

The list of tapas is 21 items long which leaves us spoiled for choice. To minimise food wastage, there is a limit of 3 tapas per person per order, and you can order more after these are finished. Sounds good to us, since there are 6 of us dining so technically we can order 18 items off the menu.

Chicken chorizo and BBQ chorizo

When it comes time to order, we are limited to only ordering half the originally intended 18 items for fear of food wastage. This is a little disappointing to us but we understand about the food wastage (there's starving children in Africa!) so on the promise that the second lot of food will come out after we are done, we concede.

Chicken drumettes

The food comes out relatively quickly and we dig in with gusto. The garlic mushrooms are a favourite of mine and are deliciously garlicky with a touch of chilli as well. You can't go to a Spanish restaurant without trying the chorizo either and there are two types on offer. The chicken "chorizo" is really more of a chicken sausage and has a mild flavour, while the BBQ chorizo packs more of a punch.

Passionfruit Tarts

Summer is my favourite time of year. Not only for the fantastic hot weather (though Sydney really needs to pick up its game this time) but also for the sweet summer fruit that is available right now. I love that all the berries, stonefruit and tropical fruit are readily available in supermarkets and the fact that they're so cheap that I can stock up on them and use them in baking projects.

I've spoken about passionfruit before and mentioned that previously I didn't like to eat the crunchy seeds in the passionfruit. This recipe is perfect for that - you get all the passionfruit flavour without the harsh texture of the seeds.

The recipe does require you to have a lot of passionfruit to really get a punchy passionfruit flavour, but trust me, it's definitely worth it. If passionfruit isn't your thing, replace the juice with lemon or lime to make a luscious, creamy citrus tart.

Apart from the glorious passionfruit filling, my favourite part of this tart is the slightly bruléed top which is a good excuse to use my trusty blowtorch (yay fire!). It's not quite as thick and crisp as the top of a crème brulée, but rather it is a thin, delicate toffee layer which gives and cracks slightly as you bite into it. It's a little sugary, a little burnt, a little buttery, and a whole lot of passionfruit in one mouthful.

Salt Grill on P&O Pacific Jewel

Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled break. A couple of weeks ago I went on a cruise to the Pacific Islands with my family on the P&O Pacific Jewel. It was our first time on a cruise and we quickly discovered that it's not for everyone. For one thing, the ship actually rocks quite a lot when the seas are rough and both Charm and Mum felt a little ill at times.

Salt Grill

We found that the key to overcoming seasickness apart from looking out to the horizon, getting fresh air and popping seasickness pills was to keep yourself busy and distracted at all times. This was easy enough given that the ship's entertainment crew had pretty much organised activities for every second of the day. It was also nice to just explore the ship and while we were doing this we came across Salt Grill, Luke Mangan's restaurant onboard the Pacific Jewel.

Luke Mangan live oil and balsamic vinegar

I highly doubt that Luke Mangan himself was cooking in the kitchen there but his presence was noted with all the branded plates, glasses and other merchandise for sale. His olive oil and balsamic vinegar were also served as an accompaniment to the bread that was given upon our arrival.

House baked plain and zartar bread

The bread was warm with soft fluffy innards which I loved. The zartar (which I think is referring to za'atar?) bread was lightly spiced and reminded me somewhat of raisin toast. There were even raisins in there! So it was a bit weird to have that with olive oil and balsamic but anyways.

Tempura Spencer Gulf prawns, carrot, daikon and watercress