If I asked you which cuisine Tafelspitz came from you might be wavering and hazard a guess that it sounded vaguely Germanic. But if I asked you which cuisine Sacher torte came from I have a feeling that you might immediately guess Austrian cuisine. It has been a couple of years since my visit to Austria but it still remains a fond memory. I had gone over primarily to visit the Christmas Markets but while we were there I got to try some of Austrian food, not a particularly well known cuisine here in Australia. It’s a cuisine quite different to German cuisine given the Austro-Hungarian connection.

One of my most vivid memories was a 10am visit to the Hotel Sacher in Vienna to try the Sacher torte, the very famous dense chocolate cake split and filled with apricot jam and enrobed in more chocolate. I had tried Sacher torte here and wondered what the fuss was about. And then I tried the one at Hotel Sacher and it was deliciously moist and moreish and suddenly I knew why it became so famous. And keep reading Dear Reader, if you would like a chance to win a whole Sacher-torte of your very own flown all the way over from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna!

Back to the present though. I’m at the Shangri-La hotel in The Rocks to try some of the Austrian food for the Taste Austria dinner as part of the Austrian week of food where they have flown over the Hotel Sacher’s chef Werner Pichlmaier for the occasion. From the 1st to the 6th of August (yes today is the last day!) diners at Altitude restaurant can try Austrian dishes such as Sacher Tafelspitz Aspic, Pike Perch, Rack of Deer and Onion Sirloin Steak and of course Sacher torte. Or if you just want to try the cake the Shangri-La is also selling Sacher tortes to take away for $95 for a 6 person cake if you go into the hotel. But remember after today they will not be available! We’re in for a slightly different menu tonight but one nonetheless quintessentially Austrian.

Travelling to Austria for a meal can seem unwieldy for most and we learn during the course of the evening that people have not only travelled for this evening from as far as Nambucca Heads, but also Townsville and Perth to attend this dinner. The idea behind this Taste Austria dinner is not only to try modern Austrian classics but also to match the food to Austrian wine and the other thing that Austria is known for, classical music. When I walk in an ensemble from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is playing.

The evening starts with a welcome from Austrian Wine Marketing Board’s Willi Klinger who explains the wines that we will be having with our meals. Grüner Veltliner is the predominant wine in Austria and although Austria lies at the same latitude as Burgundy, there are large temperature differences with hot Summer days and cool nights. He calls Austrian wines more ”intellectual” before correcting himself (there was a reaction to that of course ) to say that they are instead “sensual” wines. And interestingly, it has been said that Grüner Veltliner is a good match for Chinese and Asian cuisine which can be notoriously hard to match.

Horseradish marshmallow with lardo, cream of Jerusalem artichokes, Western Australian truffles served with Schloss Gobelsburg Sekt

Now I did read that this was a horseradish marshmallow but I didn’t expect that it would be a horseradish marshmallow! Which sounds silly I know but there is the striking horseradish quality to the confection but it is also very, very sweet much like a spongey fresh marshmallow. It’s sits underneath a paper thin crispy wafer which is crossed with a crisp piece of lardo. On the right is a cup of velvety smooth cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup which has an amazingly aromatic slice of Western Australian truffle-so aromatic that when it is placed in front of me I can smell the truffle before I see it.

Tartare of milk fed veal, yabbies with beetroot served with 2009 Donabaum Thal Smaragd Gruner Veltliner

Read More

Landing in LA is always a slightly surreal experience. For us it is made even stranger by the fact that we are  exhausted and on the tail end of our Canadian adventure and we have an afternoon to check out L.A. before we head home. We hop into a taxi to the Venice area to Abbot Kinney Boulevard. I’ve got to do some last minute gift shopping and we’re a little bit early for our reservation so I thought I would see how much shopping I could do in an area with tempting shops a-plenty. On this stretch of road that we’re wandering down there are a proliferation of home ware stores and young designer fashion boutiques. They’ve certainly got a way with merchandising here with eye-catching window displays designed to lure one in and hand over the credit card. Well this is my story and I’m sticking to it

Plantation

Remy the adorable French Bulldog. I want to keep him.

Venice has the chilled beachy aspect of Bondi meets fashionable Paddington. I go slightly crazy at Plantation where I buy three hourglasses and a Voluspa candle in what other flavour but “macaron” (a steal at $35!). Plus they have the cutest ever little French bulldog Remy who has the most charismatically soulful face. We hear from the helpful owner Ashley that he is about to grace the cover of a dog magazine!

Absolute essentials dahlinks!

And it was a given that I’d buy a macaron scented candle no?

We also visit Bountiful, a gorgeous shop overflowing with some absolutely arresting displays of cake plates, jewellery, candlesticks and matches among many other things. Matchboxes you say? Yes, matchboxes in every colour and design imaginable!

This is just a few of the matches…

And even more matchboxes!

Wheee pink!

Before I know it I’ve spent my time shopping, darting in and out of shops collecting boutique shopping bags and Mr NQN is getting fidgety at the amount of money I’ve spent in this short time so we make our way to Gjelina where we meet Robin. Gjelina is all about fresh and simple dishes and great pizzas with a very pretty but not intimidating crowd.  Inside it’s all wooden tables with bowls of rubied red tomatoes and lush overflowing silver bowls as well as a lovely courtyard out the back. The menu tell us that “changes and modifications politely declined” and “we support local, sustainable & organic practices wherever possible.”

Courtyard

Watermelon and ginger Italian soda $4

The watermelon and ginger fizzy soda is refreshing (hey shopping is thirsty work!) with just the right amount of sweetness.

Kumamoto (Washington) oysters $16

We start with some Kumamoto oysters. I love trying oysters from the different regions that we visit as they vary so widely. Having said that, these are very close to the Sydney Rock Oyster! We take our waiter’s recommendations for other dishes and service is very friendly.

Salt and pepper frites with romesco and aioli $8

Read More

My weekends are so hectic that I often try and schedule nothing on Mondays. I need Mondays to recover from my weekend which is pretty much like a 5 day working week crammed into two days (not that I’m complaining Dear Reader, I love it!). But very occasionally, a lunch may creep into the schedule. This Monday I tapped some energy reserves and ventured out to try Saké in The Rocks for a Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) lunch to celebrate their 20th anniversary. We would be dining in the private dining area and partaking of their “signature dish” menu which is priced at $88 per person.

We start off with a Kozaemon Junmai sake-of course to toast the occasion with a “Kampai!” and it’s with a sake that  looks deceptively like water and is polished to 70% so that much of the outer coating of rice is removed. For the aroma, and it’s strong in Vegemite and yeast, it is quite mild tasting and one of the more pleasant sakes that I have tried. Kozaemon is a 300 year old boutique brewery in Japan.

Edamame

I’m seated and talking with my former travelling buddies so already I’m glad that I made the trip out. We start with the edamame beans dusted with flakes of salt on the outside. We pop the beans out of the pod the salt brushing our lips and seasoning the beans as they pop down the hatch. I immediately think back to my years living in Japan.

Kingfish Jalapeno

They are generous serves of everything and don’t tell anyone but I end up having at least six slices of the hiramasa kingfish sashimi! The kingfish is thinly sliced and served with a zesty, salty yuzu soy and garnished with paper thin slices of jalapeno chili which give it an ever so slight chilli heat kick.

Rice balls

The panko rice balls looked less panko that I thought they’d be (usually they’re those larger crispy shards of breadcrumb). These are smaller breadcrumb balls filled with soy bean, baby bamboo shoots & shiitake mushroom rice balls with the predominant flavour being the rich, distinctive shiitake mushroom. It is served with a wasabi mayonnaise.

Shumai

Read More