I went to Planet Cake and loved it!

My sister gave me the book as a gift some months back. Since then I have flipped through the pages as many times as I read Mr Darcy’s love letter to Elizabeth. Similarly, in vain, I struggled and my cakes just did not do.

So New Year’s Resolution – enrol for Planet Cake Basic 101 decorating class….

Beginners 101 introduces our eager minds to the basics – cutting, layering, icing and finishing. The class, on appearances looks expensive, but let’s not be prejudice.  At $375 for the day you get approximately: Take Home cake – Planet Cake RRP $300, 2 cake boards $70,  Intellectual capital – Priceless!

Kicking off at 10am on the dot the instructor, Linda, warns us that the day will be intense. In fact, it is very intense. Another fact, there is nothing I can tell you here about cake decorating techniques that Paris Cutler has not already done so in her book. This is why the class was such an incredible experience. Seeing the professionals work their magic – I am lost for words on how to illustrate this. Cake decorating is an artform!

First we remove those hard crusty bits off the top of the cake. Then we cut the cake into 3 equal layers and paint syrup on each layer to keep the sponge moist.

Layering the ganache was quite tricky. The cake needed to be completely covered with the edges nice and smooth.

Once this is done we start with the fondant. Knead the icing until soft then roll out the icing until it is nice and thin (and covers the cake). This step requires muscle work and pressure. Being 155cm I was given a stool to stand on to roll out the icing. This really helped, despite the humiliation!

Final touches were to decorate the cake by adding the explosion in the centre of cake. I choose exploding love hearts & silver balls.

By the end of the class we get to take home our impressive ‘exploding stars’ cake. I have to admit, I was quite proud of the results.

Looking forward to 102!

Where: Planet Cake
Location:  106 Beattie Street. Balmain NSW 2041
Dress: Casual
Price: $375 + GST (Basic 101)

Written by Thi

OK. I was sick of my working week. Tired of the city monotony – the sea of dark suits, mediocre paper-cup-coffees and less than sanitary train rides to and from the daily grind. I needed an escape from the “real world” to the ever ellusive garden of Zen to unwind. To me this is somewhere peaceful and quiet with waterviews and great food in its surrounds – and I think I may have found it just an hour’s drive north of Sydney. It is Killcare.

Whilst many of you may not have heard of Killcare, you will undoubtedly have heard of Italian restauranteur extraordinare Stefano Manfredi best known for Restaurant Manfredi, Bel Mondo and di Manfredi coffee. He now runs the restaurant at Bells @ Killcare – a gorgeous, boutique European style country house hotel (and very much recommended by us for a relaxing weekend!).

I think 9 times out of 10 a chef that serves exceptional produce is automatically destined for greatness. There is no need to complicate things here. Stefano grows his own vegies in a garden at the back of the hotel, he selects only the best produce from around the globe (our goat cheese was air freighted in from Italy) and pasta is made fresh on the premises.

Our first taster was some smoked ocean trout served on some toasted panini rubbed in garlic and drizzled with olive oil. Simple yet delightful, the trout flesh was firm and screamed with flavour.

We were then presented with a salad of goat cheese, radish and garden greens served with what I believe was a crushed walnut sauce. Unlike any goats cheese I had previously experienced, this one had been air freighted in from Italy and is much milder and softer than its Australian counterparts. The salad greens were picked fresh from the garden, crisp and succulent.

Pacific oysters with a simple eschallot dressing - we couldn’t resist.

Thi was intrigued by the seafood and pearl barley stew with prawns, vongole and mussels. A lovely rich and flavoursome broth laden with fresh seafood and soft pearl barley.

Now we get into our mains (no I did not have an entree – while all the starters filled me up, it has left me more than enough on the menu to come back to visit soon – yes, this meal was really good!). I ordered the duck and pork ragu pasta and enjoyed watching the sous chef freshly roll and make the pasta from scratch. This is the type of ragu that my mind conjours when I see it on a menu. Beautifully rich, delicate and “melt in the mouth” tender it blended in superbly with the velvety strands of fresh egg pasta.

Satisfied with the dishes thus far, Thi wanted to see how a real chef does rabbit. Cooked simply over the grill on the bone (yes very fiddly but worth the prize!) with a coating of lemon and olive oil the rabbit was succulent and tasty

A meal without wine? I don’t think so! It was a warm evening so we stayed on the whites. A 2002 Tyrell’s Vat 1 Semillon to start and as I had more time to explore the wine menu I spotted a bottle of French Vouvray for only $50! The 2006 Marc Bredif was soft on the pallete and I’d say it was borderline semi-sweet! Perfect to trail off the meal in preparation for dessert (nope we couldnt fit in dessert but the staff talked us into it – and yup was definitely worth it!) 

 Feast your eyes on our desserts …

Excited and pleased with our stay, we had to get a signed copy of Steve’s cookbook Seasonal Italian.

Thanks to Steve and the great staff at Bell’s for one of our best meals in 2009!

Where: Bells @ Killcare
Location:  107 The Scenic Rd, Killcare Beach (Central Coast)
Opened: Dinner
Dress: Smart casual
Price: Entrees about $24 and Mains about $35 each.

Written by Rob

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a professionally designed webpage banner for a dinner at Omerta. This is the story of how our website logo came to be.

Ellie, our gorgeous and talented friend, offered to give our website a nip tuck job – turning our feeble attempts of graphic design into something worthy of welcoming readers to our site. In return we treated Ellie out to a dinner at Omerta (thanks to @Carmr, @Reemski & @felixexplody for the recommendation)

Something  about Ellie

Who is Eliana Mendes?

E lli e is fun, dramatic, passionate and extreme – all at the same time. Her favourite number … you can probably guess. She is best described as a buzzing ball of creative energy or She-Ra leading the Great R ebellion against Hor dak…I’m not sure which one does her more justice.

Professionally, she has been in the design industry for over 8 years. With an impressive portfolio of print and web design under her belt, she specializes in typography and visual communication. Her extensive client list includes 42 Below Vodka, Coca Cola. L’Oreal, RSPCA (and the list goes on). For more about Ellie… check out her website for a full range of her portfolio.

Something about Omerta

What better restaurant to return the favor than Omerta – its’ literal meaning a code of honor amongst the Italian Mafia.

Omerta, located in Darlinghurst, has life bursting out of its front doors - literally. We had a sampling of 8 tapas dishes which included Salt Cod Fritters, 24 month aged Prosciutto, Swordfish with capsicum salsa, Grilled eggplant, buttered Mushroom and lamb cutlets with pesto dressing.

Highlights for the night included the lamb cutlets (the meat was tender and the pesto topping was refreshing) and the mushrooms (delightful buttery little mushrooms, crunchy at the bite but soft and juicy in the inside).

Overall, this was a satisfying night out and always great fun to catch up with old friends. The food was authentic, the variety on the menu vast and the service was friendly (if you can get hold of a waiter).

Where: Omerta
Location:  235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, Sydney 2010
Opened: Mon-Fri 6-11pm, Sat-Sun 5-10pm
Dress: Casual
Price: $12-$22 per dish (recommend min 2 dish per person)

There is something about a steak - a juicy, melt in the mouth and full of flavour steak that really satisfies. We were so excited when something so simple, yet so ellusive was found at MUMU Grill - a recommendation by fellow foodie @Tom - two thumbs up! MUMU Grill is run by Craig Macindoe (@Chefmumu) who prides himself on sourcing the very best in sustainable and organic produce sourced from around Australia.

We started our evening with a wonderfully smooth chicken liver pate served with some bread toasted on the wood fired grill. So yum!

This was accompanied by the chorizo braised in red ale and topped in parmesan.

Now for the real business. The steaks.

Thi ordered the 280gram sirloin from the pastures of Millawa and blue cheese sauce. The steak is cut thick yet the chefs at MUMU cook it to perfection. The blue cheese sauce had the recognisable bite of the blue cheese however did not overpower the taste and flavour of the meat.

I was instantly drawn to the prime rib. For some reason I havent seen prime rib on a menu since I was in Hawaii about 10 years ago! This one was 350grams, crusted in Szechuan pepper and sourced from King Island. I ordered it medium-rare and it came out perfectly. Cooked on the bone, there was an abundance of flavour and the meat was so juicy and tender it literally melt in the mouth. Mine was accompanied with a mushroom sauce which alone was also worth mentioning. Soft, tasty and more like a puree – a stark contrast to the typical watery mushroom sauce that I had become accustomed.

Our friends also ordered a prime rib and the fish of the day which was a baby barramundi served with a mango salsa and a side of asparagus. While we were assured the fish tasted great the real focus of MUMU Grill is its steaks!

Definitely recommend putting MUMU Grill on your foodie radar!

Where: MUMU Grill
Location:  Corner of Alexander St and Ernest Place in Crows Nest
Opened: Lunch (Express lunch options available) and Dinner
Dress: Casual
Price: Express Lunch $13-17, Dinner $30-40

Written by Rob

Rediscovering Danks St Depot

Before the festivals, the fresh markets and antique hubs, there was an unknown cafe called Danks St Depot that opened up in the middle of a suburb best known for its warehouses and factories.

I went here years ago back when I was a uni student undertaking a temp assignment, not long after the train station was built. In search for food, I stumbled across a cafe which I would have missed if not for the awakening smell of fresh coffee and sizzling butter. The café was (at the time) very new – the ambience was fresh and vibrant. The décor strangely resembled a storehouse.

My first taste of the menu was the organic chicken sandwich. I remember feeling like Alice discovering the rabbit hole: Bursting with curiosity as I took my first bite. Staring at the “Eat Me” words labelled across my lunch. Not sure what to expect but full of anticipation.

My experience – the freshly baked artisan bread was met with a delightful combination of organic chicken, whole egg creamy mayonaise, sweet tender corn kernals and the fresh crisp bite of rocket. The flavours dance on my taste buds in faultless unity – all the ingredients a compliment to each other.

For years afterwards the thought of that chicken sandwich made my mouth water but I couldn’t remember the café name or address. When I eventually found it again it had become a celebrated restaurant accompanied with a cookbook and a reputable chef. I was thrilled to see the chicken sandwich was still on the menu.

Having returned several times now, I have added a few other favourites to the list including the awesome garlic bread (and yes! I’ve tried replicating it using Brasserie Bread but it is just not the same). The prices are quite reasonable and service is always friendly. The chicken sandwich, by the way, is still as great as I remembered.

When was the last time you discovered ‘Wonderland’?

Where: Danks St Depot
Location:  1/2 Danks Street (Cnr Young St), Waterloo, NSW 2017
Opened: Mon-Wed 7am-4pm, Thurs-Sat 7am-10pm, Sun 9am-3pm
Dress: Casual
Price: Breakfast/lunch $6-20, Dinner $45 (3 Courses)

Written by Thi

Tasked with the near impossible – lunch for 12 people, at the Rocks and reasonably priced – I set myself to work ie. Googling madly. Fortunately it was SIFF month so I was able to get my hands on the Crave Vouchers for Pony Lounge and Dining.

This rustic restaurant located on the cobbled pavement of Kendall Lane is appropriately decorated with timber flooring, cow hide covered kitchen bench, and (what I think looks like) 3 haystack & rope art feature. The outside verandah was closed off – disappointing given the teasing blue skies outside.

The Express Lunch menu was a choice of 4 dishes:

Chermoula roasted kingfish, warm kipfler potato and herb salad – The Kingfish, well marinated with a creamy dressing.

Eggplant baked with ricotta and wood fire grilled vegetable, salsa verde – excellent vegetarian choice and rich in flavour however the dish came out lukewarm

Thai beef and vermicelli noodle salad, peanuts, chilli coconut dressing – unfortunately no one at our table ordered this dish

Of the dessert menu, the macadamia tart received an all round thumbs up. The vanilla, prune and muscat brulee was smooth and velvety. The banana and lime cheesecake was well presented but very rich (somewhat overpowering).

Despite my minor complaints I was overall pleased with the experience.  The service was refined & forgiving (despite our late arrival). The ambiance stylish & intimate. The food was affordable and beautifully presented looking like little artworks of culinary delights.

Where: Pony Lounge
Location:  Cnr Kendall andArgyle St, The Rocks, Sydney
Opened: 7 days a week. Lunch12-3. Dinner 6pm until late.
Dress: Smart Casual
Price: Crave Lunch Special $25-30.

“Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life”.  Anthony Bourdain

As a first time tourist to Japan, this restaurant was incredibly hard to find. Tucked away in an unidentifiable side street, Seitaro sits just 10 people at any one time. I imagine that there could not be too many restaurants these days that could survive for so many years, serving so few people in any one sitting. This is part of what makes Seitaro so great – you know you are going to experience something special.

Seitaro has operated in the same location for over 50 years. Head chef and owner, Kimitaka Inoue was born the second son of a sushi master and began his apprenticeship in the family sushi restaurant in 1969.

You will find no menus in this restaurant. You quote Kimitaka-san a budget (Ours was 25,000 yen or ~A$350 at the time) and he and his two assistants get to work crafting you a stunningly beautiful, delicious and unforgettable voyage of sushi delights. Kimitaka-san’s wife, highly attentive to our needs served us some warm sake and tea.

Testing the waters and easing us into the journey to follow, the first dish served was an inside out roll with prawn and Japanese style egg. While not sounding so spectacular, there was something about the thin layer of perfectly cooked rice, crisp sweet prawn and moist, flavoursome egg that lets you know that everything at Seitaro is made with the highest level of skill and the best quality produce.

The next dish Kimitaka-san decides to serve us is a teriyaki-eel (Unagi). We watch as the eel is prepared from scratch, gently grilled and then painted with a layer of teriyaki sauce.

We are then presented with a trio of sushi. Now I am not 100% on the varieties however the piece on the left is similar to kingfish, the middle is squid and the right is the meat from a type of shell/mollusque. Conch maybe? It was slightly chewy. All 3 were great.

Toro time! Served two ways. The piece on the left is lightly grilled and the piece on the right is raw, showcasing the high level of fat as the segments are pulled apart. This was so good that I put in a special request for more toro. If you haven’t tried good quality toro before (tuna belly – highly prized in Japan) and you appreciate good sushi, you really MUST give it a go (although please be aware that it is becoming an endangered species due to the high rate of consumption in Japan). Azuma in Chifley tower will occasionally have it on the menu if you are lucky but can’t get to Japan!

Now the pièce de résistance of Seitaro. Kimitaka-san keeps a small live tank of what I believe are a rare, highly valued type of live prawn. Kimitaka-san gave me a special tour of the tank as he was quite proud of his collection. You would be forgiven if you thought it was scampi as the taste and texture were somewhat similar. Freshly caught from the tank, these were as fresh as you can possibly get! Sweet, firm and almost crisp to the bite we knew we were being spoilt! They even grilled the prawn head for us to enjoy whole!

We are then served a variety of 4 sushi rolls. Finely sliced squid, large fish roe, sea urchin and a type of seaweed with cucumber.

Finally we were served a plate of sashimi. Quite possible the best plate of sashimi I have ever experienced and just enough quantity to tease you to want more. Again I am not familiar with all the varieties however there was toro, the kingfish look-a-like, a nice thick cross section of an octopus tentacle, some sort of white fish (maybe snapper?) and a dark piece which if I had to guess was from the dark part of the tuna however I could not be sure. It had a very soft, melt in the mouth style texture.

Afterwards we were served a chilled Japanese egg custard for dessert and a selection of beautifully presented segments of fruit. It was so good I forgot to take photos of the dessert!

So why was the meal so special to me? I think it was something to do with the intimacy and small size of the restaurant, the personal touch that each dish is created especially for you (and yes the other guests all had unique dishes) and the fact that Kimitaka-san has been mastering his craft for just on 40 years. The whole experience was amazing and Kimitaka-san and his wife were very lovely generous people. I highly recommend Seitaro if you should happen to visit Japan.

If you want to find Seitaro the details are as follows:
1-7-11 Dontonbori Chuo-ku
Osaka 542-0071 Japan
Tel: 06-6213-3174

Written by Rob

After a weeklong craving for ramen I managed to convince my best friend, Stacee, to squeeze in a quick pit stop at Ryo’s Noodles before heading out. On the way there, knowing that she was a Ryo virgin I set the ground rules.

1) Expect a queue (and yes, we are queuing if need be)
2) Expect a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant
3) Expect good ramen – very, very good ramen …

Arriving at 5.45pm just after doors re-opened from lunch, the restaurant was almost already filled. We managed to get the last spots available and just as soon as our bums touched the seats a queue started forming at the door. Expectation 1 met.

 I always fear when taking a friend to a restaurant I have been raving about is if their experience is a disappointing one. So putting on my yellow De Bono hat I pointed out the several notably positive features of Ryo; the sayings along the wall, Top 5 ranking ramen chalk board, highly regarded Bolognaise Ramen, impressive record for most ramen bowls consumed in one go (the record stands at 9!). Her glass now half full I offered her a re-fill.

Settling on Top Ranking No. 1 (Soy ramen) and No. 2 (Spicy ramen) our bowls promptly arrived. The chewy and wiggly noodles floated in a thick flavorsome pork broth accompanied by the tender, fatty slices of pork and soy coated eggs perfectly boiled with a translucent yoke. Blissfully devouring mouthfuls of ramen we took a couple of breaths to wildly debate which of us ate more junk food that week. When both bowls were emptied and all 3 expectations realized we heaved a sigh of satisfaction and grabbed the bill.

Happily converting another patron to this delectably addictive ramen house I am pleased to say I am still hooked on these steaming bowls of ramen goodness.

Where: Ryo’s Noodles is located at 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest
When: Lunch Noon til 2:30pm, Dinner 5pm til 9pm. Closed Wednesday
Dress: Casual
Price: Entrees $2-7 and $10-13 per ramen bowl

Written by Thi

Smoked perfection lacking variety

You know you have found the right place when you are greeted by the unmistakable waft of smokey goodness as you walk through the door. Instantly our imagination (or was it hunger?) was filled with delightful meaty delicacies hanging in a traditional smokehouse shed. However, those expecting to find a variety of smoked meats, salamis and the like should look elsewhere. The Smokehouse team are masters at their craft and specialise in traditional, hot smoked seafood. May I add very, very good smoked seafood using only the finest local ingredients and aged South Coast hardwood.

The menu itself offered around 8 different entrees and about 8 different mains. We love a bit of variety, so for the entree we were pleased to find a “tasting plate for two” to share.

 

Starting top left and working our way clockwise around the plate. We start with the crumbed smoked cod fritters that were light and fluffy and just a hint of smoke and a chilli aioli. A word of warning though – these balls emitted a nasty rotten egg gas smell when we bit into them so either gobble quickly or take a deep breath and hang in tight!

Next were the sizeable, tender smoked salmon squares on a crispy rice cracker. We then move on to my favourite taster – the smoked eel on the lemon wedge. No, I didn’t eat the lemon however I thoroughly enjoyed the soft, warm almost jelly-like consistency of the eel! (Just give me 10 of the eel and I’d be extremely pleased).

This was followed by the smoked salmon and dill tarts and then the smoked garlic prawns wrapped in wonton skins and deep fried. The tarts tasted exactly as I had imagined and the prawns were worth a try yet reminded me of those deep fried dimsims you sometimes find at Chinese restaurants.

Lastly we had the smoked trout wrapped in crisp nori on a bed of sushi rice with toasted sesame seeds.  A nice take on sushi however the rice was undercooked and still crunchy. I’d suggest they should stick to what they do best that is, smoke stuff and leave making sushi rice to the Japanese!

Now onto the mains. I ordered the smoked salmon, cod and leek pie. Thi grabbed the smoked crisp skin NZ salmon belly and our friend tried the rainbow trout smoked with dill and warm vegie salad. Yes, by this stage we noticed that 80% of the menu was a variety (is that the right word?) of either salmon or trout – I would have liked to have seen some smoked oysters or haddock on the menu too! The mains took around 30-40mins to come out (and yes, they forgot my order) however they were worth the wait.

The pie was infused with just the right amount of smoked flavour, was creamy and had a delectably crisped puff pastry lid. The salmon belly was exceptional. The quality of the salmon used was excellent and was smoked to perfection. The portions still juicy and plump and showcased the exquisite “fattiness” of the belly.

My only real gripe about the evening was the slow service and not remembering my main meal. To the staff’s credit, they were very friendly, polite and apologetic. They even offered to waive the cost of my pie for forgetting to cook it! This is why I wouldn’t mind going back a second time. There are not that many places that offer traditional smoked foods and The Smokehouse is definitely worth a try (if you don’t mind trying multiple smoked variations of salmon and trout!)

Where: The Smokehouse is located at 204 Devonshire St, Surry Hills
When: Opened Tues – Sat for Dinner and Friday for Lunch.
Dress: Casual/Smart Casual
Price: Entrees ~$15 and mains are ~$24 each.

Tapas seems to be the new Thai in Sydney and we are not complaining! I can think of nothing more enjoyable than trying a variety of small plate “tempters” with a few friends and ploughing through a few bottles of Spanish wine (yes the Ramon Bilbao Crianza Tempranillo is fantastic!)

This is exactly what we did on Saturday night at Catalonia in Kirribilli (http://www.catalonia.com.au/). We were seated downstairs and it was oddly quiet for a Saturday night (a slight cause for concern but it was a very wet, stormy evening). We were far too adventurous to be limited by the set menu so we ordered the following from the selection of ~20 dishes on offer with my thoughts on each…

Zucchini flowers with goats cheese mousse and honey (Texturally satisfying and greeted with the strong yet not overpowering flavour of the goats cheese. The honey didn’t add much for me)

Patatas bravas (Essentially twice fried potatoes)

Chorizo with beans and saffron potato puree (were good but lacked the special kick that makes a dish truly memorable)

Crisp pork belly with lavender sauce, apples and swisschard (Surprisingly the pork belly was done extremely well. Not overly fatty not salty with a perfectly crisped skin. Thumbs up here)

Smoked duck, brussel sprouts, turnips and truffle sauce (I am a big fan of smoked anything however this duck would be more accurately described as cured as it didn’t retain much of the smokey flavour that I’ve come to love. All-in-all it was nice, with the soft textures of the duck working well with the crunch of brussel sprouts and turnips but I would of liked a bit more “smoke”)

Scallops with jerusalem artichoke, medjools date, spinach and curried ’amargo y dulce’ (The scallops were juicy, plump and sweet with a well developed crust – cooked exactly how I’d expect)

Prawns with ajo blanco, sobrassada and ‘rossejat’ catalan fried pasta (These prawns had great flavour and the fried pasta really leant an amazing crispy dimension to the overall dish. Another dish to get my thumbs up)

Pimentón braised lamb, panisse, parsley and olives (I can’t actually remember what this tasted like which is never a good sign.)

We ended the night with some hot churros served with melted chocolate and some coffee.

Overall we had an enjoyable evening at Catalonia however I cannot help but compare it to Bodega in Surry Hills which is by far our favourite tapas restaurant in Sydney.