2013 Roundup

Flourless chocolate cake with strawberries

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone and an early Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a delicious Christmas - we celebrated with multiple feasts including a family Christmas Eve dinner at our place which featured this flourless chocolate with fresh summer strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Some dishes from our amazing four course meal at Sepia

But a new year will be upon us soon so it's time for a roundup of my favourite eats from 2013! We started off the year with a very special meal at Sepia to celebrate our anniversary and it was one of the most amazingly delicious and perfectly executed meals I've eaten. It's hard to pick out highlights when everything was so good but the chocolate forest dessert was really something special. I've been raving about it and recommending it to people ever since!

Guacamole from Mejigo, Supercheesygooeychimichanga from Dos Senoritas, Pork belly tacos from Mejico, and Homemade tacos

Izakaya Masuya, Sydney

You can tell that the love of food runs in my blood since it was Mum that first introduced me to this new find. Izakaya Masuya takes its name from its sister restaurant next door, Masuya, which I've been to many times and never been disappointed. The smaller, more informal izakaya has an extensive menu of small dishes perfect for sharing and nibbling on with sake or a Japanese beer.

Sashimi of the day

We start with one of the dishes from the daily specials menu which includes sashimi that is sourced fresh that day from the fish markets. We choose the yellowtail sashimi which includes five slices served on a bed of crushed ice with some freshly grated wasabi.

Assorted skewers (10p) - $28.80

Buns & Balls, Potts Point

Yes you heard right... Buns AND Balls. Get your minds out of the gutter people - we're talking burger buns and meatballs here! And that's exactly what the new Buns & Balls in Potts Point offers - a selection of tasty meatballs and juicy burgers.

Fresh juice cocktails: Pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters (left) and Watermelon, lime and vodka (right) - $12

Of course before we get into the buns and balls, we have a couple of drinks. At Buns & Balls, they have freshly made juice cocktails and we choose to sample the pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters one first. I'm not a huge fan of ginger but thankfully this isn't too gingery, and it's also not tooth-achingly sweet because of the acidity from the pineapple juice. The watermelon, lime and vodka cocktail is equally as refreshing and is perfect for the upcoming warm summer nights.

Balls! Clockwise from top right: Spicy chicken, Barramundi croquette, Beef & pork, Crispy tofu (all $9 per serve), and Spicy Louisiana wings ($1 per wing)

We tried a selection of the meatballs on offer, as well as some of the spicy Louisiana wings. I enjoyed the barramundi croquettes with tartare sauce which reminded me a little bit of fish fingers. The crispy tofu balls were bathed in the deep fryer for a nice crispy outside and firm tofu on the inside. Both the chicken meatballs and wings used the same hot sauce and blue cheese dipping sauce, so they tasted very similar, though I preferred the wings to the chicken meatballs. The beef and pork meatballs with napoletana sauce and grated cheese on top were by far my favourite, reminding me of a classic meatball made by an Italian nonna!

Char-grilled cheese burger - $10

Mejico, Sydney

Would you like a side of theatre with your dinner? If that's your thing, be sure to order the market fresh guacamole ($9) from Mejico. Watch in delight as the waitress comes over to your table with all the raw ingredients - a halved avocado, chopped Spanish onion, lime and chopped coriander - and mashes it up ceremoniously in a molcajete (a mortar and pestle).

Drying chillies out of the front of Mejico

We've actually ordered three guacamoles tonight, because that's how much we love avocado. Although only one of them is made at the table, it doesn't make it any less delicious or fresh as we all pile it on top of the accompanying plantain chips. There's nothing better than freshly made guacamole, and a testament to that is that we were literally scraping every last bit from the molcajete with a spoon.

Mango and habanero chilli salsa - $12

House of Crabs, Redfern

After seeing pictures of crab boil in plastic bags and watching Adam Richman on Man vs. Food hammering the crap out of crawfish to get the meat (and making a giant mess in the process), I was super excited about the prospect of crab boil coming to Sydney.

Clams, crab boil and fries!

Last week, the Drink n Dine group opened their newest venture, the House of Crabs, on the 1st floor of The Norfolk in Redfern. As expected from a place called "House of Crabs", there's plenty of crustaceans to be had in a variety of sauces, but for the non-seafood lovers out there, rest assured there's also steak and some damn good fried chicken ($18) as well.

Cocktails and popcorn

Homemade Tacos

You can tell that summer is just around the corner, with some of the 30+ degree days we've had lately! The heat just makes me feel like eating something cool and refreshing for dinner, and home made tacos are a great option, with minimal cooking required.

The steak filling is marinated in some spices, lime juice and tequila, and then seared on the stove until medium rare. You can also use other meats as well - I've tried the marinade with chicken and it tastes just as good.

The flour tortillas are also made from scratch, which admittedly requires a little bit of elbow grease. You don't have to make your own flour tortillas, but once I realised how easy they were to make, it was well worth the effort and now I can't go back to the store bought kind.

Once you've browned the tortillas, rested the steak, chopped up some avocado and tomato and squeezed on a little bit of lime juice, you have your very own home made tacos for dinner. The best thing about this recipe is that you can really throw in whatever takes your fancy - some chopped cabbage or lettuce, Spanish onion, pickled jalapenos, some corn or cheese... The possibilities are endless!

Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets 2013

October has come around again which means that Good Food Month is back and in full swing! I've visited the Night Noodle Markets in previous years but they have definitely upped the ante this year with more stalls, more seating and more colourful lanterns!

Expanded seating areas at the Night Noodle Markets; Lanterns

In terms of the food, there's a range of dumplings, noodles, dim sims and other Asian goodies to suit everyone's tastes, with offerings from Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.

Huge woks of fried rice and noodles at the Span Thai stall

Roti twirling action at Mamak

The Soda Factory, Surry Hills

Looks like an old-skool Coca Cola vending machine right? But looks can be deceiving - this is actually the door to The Soda Factory, a bar in Surry Hills which serves an array of cocktails, floats and hot dogs. Pull on the Coca Cola bottle on the right hand side and you'll be able to enter the dimly lit bar which is pretty packed on a Tuesday night.

The reason for it being packed is most likely because it's Dollar Dogs day! Every Tuesday, the Soda Factory puts on 4 different hot dogs from their menu for you to purchase for a gold coin. The other hot dogs and menu items are also available to order, but we dive straight into the dollar dogs by ordering one of each.

The Mob Dog

The Mob Dog is probably most classic of the four, with a pork and fennel sausage, oven roasted capsicum, and jalapenos (though the menu says 'hot fresh chili'). The roasted capsicum gives this hot dog quite a sweet flavour, and the jalapenos some heat. I think a saucy element would not go astray on this hotdog as it's a little dry compared to some of the others.

The Texas Redneck

Pei Modern, Melbourne

Ok, so I don't usually take photos of the bread basket, but how could I resist when 4 warmed slices of sourdough were swaddled up in a white napkin? This is how we began our dinner at Pei Modern, sister restaurant of Mark Best's Marque in Sydney's Surry Hills where I've had some great meals. Just before our trip to Melbourne, Pei Modern was also named Best New Restaurant of 2013 in The Age Good Food Guide so that definitely sealed the deal and we promptly made a booking.

Brandade croquettes - $8 for four

To start, there was a choice of selecting a few bar snacks or proper entree dishes. The brandade croquettes was one of the bar snacks - 4 perfect quenelles of salt cod brandade shaped and deep fried to a crisp and served with a creamy mayo-like dipping sauce.

Wood grilled prawn with pork salt - $6.50

Toriciya, Cammeray

There's something about finding a fantastic restaurant that's in a hidden, unsuspecting location that makes it so satisfying. It might be to do with the fact that it feels like you've stumbled across someone's secret, which is definitely the case with Toriciya, a restaurant that's tucked away in an almost-residential area of Cammeray. There were plenty of Japanese people enjoying bottles of sake and yakitori in this izakaya, so we got a table and joined in the fun.

Sake was the first order of the night, and it was hard to choose with such an extensive selection available. We eventually chose a sake on the sweeter side to go with our food.

Kingfish and jalapeno carpaccio

Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes

Moving out of home has its perks, but it also means that there are fewer people in the household to eat the products of my baking. Sure, Sir D and I could (and would!) eat a whole chocolate cake to ourselves but in the interests of our blood sugar levels and waistlines, I've been baking less than I used to.

So I do love it when there's an occasion to bake for and I can make a giant cake or 30-odd cupcakes for people to enjoy. It was L's birthday and a while back I had received one of the Magnolia Bakery cookbooks as a gift from L, but a yer later still hadn't baked anything from it! It seemed only fitting to bake some Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet cake for his birthday.

The recipe in the cookbook is for a tiered 9-inch cake, but I decided to make cupcakes instead. Instead of the Creamy Vanilla icing that was recommended with the cake, I decided to go with Magnolia Bakery's cream cheese frosting. I tried to do the iconic Magnolia Bakery frosting swirl, but the frosting was a bit too soft and it was getting late so I kinda just did what I could with it. Not that it really mattered anyway because the cupcakes went down a treat!

4Fourteen, Surry Hills

Here piggeh piggeh piggeh!

You know you've chosen the right restaurant when you walk in and there's a roasted suckling pig just sitting casually on the counter! This is what we're greeted with as we enter 4Fourteen for Mum's birthday lunch. The menu is designed for sharing, starting with nibbles and moving on to small plates and then onto large plates. We choose a selection of small plates to share, and we can't resist ordering the suckling pig as a large plate which is a special for the day.

Crispy pigs tail with roasted corn - $17

4Fourteen is big on the nose to tail approach so don't be surprised to see some lesser-used cuts of the animal on the menu. I'm all for the crispy pigs tail dish which has the meat from the tail encased in a crispy shell. The tail meat is served with roasted corn kernels, corn puree and some greens.

Chargrilled ox tongue with celeriac remoulade - $17

The chargrilled ox tongue comes as two slabs of thick cut ox tongue with visible grill marks on them. The fattiness of the tongue is perfectly balanced against the celeriac remoulade, the crunchy radish slices and greens on top. If you haven't tried tongue before I urge you to do so - it's one of my favourite cuts of meat as its so tender and flavoursome!

Beef and bone - $22

Fat Noodle, Pyrmont

One of the great things about blogging is that it takes me to people and places I probably never would have gone otherwise. Tucked away in a corner of The Star's casino floor is Luke Nguyen's Fat Noodle, and tonight I was lucky enough to be dining with the man himself while we sampled some of their most popular dishes.

Don't be put off by the fact that it's actually in the casino. It may be surrounded by the bright and flashing lights of the pokies machines and cheering punters at the Baccarat tables, but the food is spot on and the prices are very reasonable. Luke tells us that the dishes at his Fat Noodle restaurant are some of the chefs' favourite hawker style foods found in South East Asia. The menu isn't limited to a particular region, but spans Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to bring you favourites like pho, fried rice, char kway teow, laksa and pad thai.

Roasted duck and enoki Vietnamese rice paper rolls - $13

The menu is broken up into small plates, rice dishes, noodle dishes and wok dishes. We start with some small plates including these roasted duck and enoki rice paper rolls, which had plump and meaty pieces of roast duck (skin on, of course) inside the rice paper rolls, with delicate little enoki mushrooms sticking out of the ends. The rolls were served with a sweet and nutty hoisin and peanut dipping sauce, with crushed nuts sprinkled on top for texture.

Tasmanian oysters - $13

The Tasmanian oysters were an absolute treat, served raw and freshly shucked in the shell. The shallot dressing on top of the oysters was surprisingly sweet and the chopped purple perilla leaves provided a fresh flavour.

Seared scallops - $14

PappaRich, Chatswood

It seems as though queueing at new restaurants is the thing to do nowadays. PappaRich has been open in Chatswood for a couple of months now, but it seems as though the queues still haven't subsided and there's still a good forty-minute-or-so wait until you can get a table. Is it the novelty factor or is the food actually that good? A few friends and I decided to join the queue and find out...

PappaRich has a wide range of drinks that spans about 6 pages of the menu! We started with a Milo Dinosaur (definitely something for the Milo lovers out there), some soy milks and barley drinks, as well as a few iced teh tariks.

Iced teh tarik

Seeing as the drinks menu along is 6 pages, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rest of the menu is also quite extensive. Luckily, we were able to peruse the menu while we waited for a seat so that by the time we got a table, we were ready to order. Ordering is done by filling out a form that tells them the dish you want and the quantities, which is then handed over to one of the waitstaff when you are ready.

Roti canai with curry chicken

Movida Sydney, Surry Hills

Dining at Movida Sydney (left); Sangria - $39

I first fell in love with the food at Movida when exploring Melbourne and splurging on a nice meal at Movida Aqui. When I heard that the Movida team were opening a restaurant in Sydney I was super excited, and determined to share the fabulous food with my family.

To say that they are busy is a bit of an understatement. I booked weeks in advance to secure a table on a Saturday night but trust me, it was worth the wait because the food was just as amazing (if not better) than my experience of Movida in Melbourne.

Anchoa - $4.80

The menu is divided up into a few different sections of smaller tapas to larger raciones dishes. The tapas are served as individual portions so it was up to us to select how many we wanted of each. I'd heard so much about the Anchoa dish, which is one of Movida's signatures, that I had to try it this time. The salty Calabrian anchovy with the cool smoked tomato sorbet was an amazing combination of flavours and I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Movida.

Cerdo croqueta - $7.50

We tried the sticky pork croquettes with sauce gribiche which were little deep fried pucks of goodness. The sweet and sticky pulled pork inside the croquettes was tender and flavoursome and the sauce gribiche provided a bit of creaminess to the dish.

Pinxto de pulpo gallega - $7.80

The octopus pinxto with potato and paprika sounds quite ordinary but this tapa was out of this world! The octopus was so incredibly tender and I wished we had ordered one each of these so I could have one all to myself!

Bocadillo de chorizo - $7.25