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Eating adventures in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney

Review: Doyle’s takeaway at Watson’s Bay

I’m not terribly fussed about Doyle’s the restaurant. I had a really, really bad meal there several years ago consisting of a boring piece of fish and the lumpiest, driest mashed potatoes I could imagine and from my distant memory I can recall some very soggy vegetables and a pretty big bill so I’ve never really wanted to venture back. One thing that I do go back for consistently is the Doyle’s Fisherman’s Wharf seafood takeaway, specifically the seafood basket. For $16.50 there’s enough freshly fried seafood for two people and it’s not just fish but also prawns, scallops and calamari. We were lent a convertible car this one particular weekend and we thought what would be the best use of it on these seemingly few and far between sunny summer days. Watsons Bay and the scenic drive seemed the right order.

We find a park right next to the usually frantically crowded Doyle’s which means that the food gods are looking after us. The stretch of grass in front is full with tourists and people enjoying the sunny day and eating their takeaway. I line up as I need little time to decide - of course we are having the seafood basket. There is a rather unfriendly grumpy man behind the counter who seems intent on being rude to everyone in sight. Unfortunate but seeing as he stands between me and the seafood basket I place my order with him. Our seafood basket, a large tray with definitely enough for two emerges a few minutes later. Instead of sitting picnic style on the lawn, we opt for the large tabled area to the right and back of the takeaway.

Opening up our golden fried seafood bounty we see that they still don’t provide tartare sauce, but a sweet chili instead. Why oh why can’t they give us tartare? We start with the king prawns which are quite juicy with a light coating of crumbing (Prawn count in box=3). The scallops with the roe on are next, and they’re soft and fresh and lovely and thick (Scallop count=2). Bliss. To add to the rapture, calamari, which can be tough and chewy is melt in the mouth (Calamari ring count=5). I don’t think I’ve had better calamari. My husband, not usually a calamari lover declares these the best. So I’m looking forward to the big pieces of fish (Fish count=3 pieces).

Unfortunately whatever magic they weaved for the rest is lost on the fish. Even with copious amounts of lemon squeezed from the one piece and salt from the extra sachets, it’s flavourless. I try and try again but give up. It’s devoid of flavour and I leave my hungry husband to have the rest. The chips are fat chunky traditional cut chips and they’re quite good, with a few twice fried chips at the bottom of the box which I have a perverse joy in eating.

We lean back full and watch the crowds board the ferry in front of us.

Doyle’s Takeaway Watsons Bay

11 Marine Parade
Watsons Bay Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9337-1350
Open 7 days until sundown

8 comments | March 28, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Review: Pondok Buyung Indonesian Padang restaurant, Kensington

It’s been years since my last visit to Pondok Buyung but I know what I want and what I want is BRAINS! No I haven’t turned into a zombie although you’ll certainly be forgiven for thinking I have such was my first reaction when my sister introduced me to their lamb’s brain curry. I insisted that I wouldn’t eat it but watching her delight at getting the whole portion suggested to me that I was missing out so I tried a bit that she had mashed up so that it looked less brain-like and I was hooked. She was less thrilled as that meant that she had lost half of her portion.

Also if you’re missing Bali or Indonesia, and being Australian, you’ve probably been there at least once, you can reminisce here. It’s more Padang cuisine from Sumatra rather than the touristy areas of Bali. On Anzac Parade, sort of opposite Peters of Kensington, Pondok Buyung is not the most attractive of eateries but it will provide you with authentic Indonesian food and the authentic Indonesian experience. So I warn my husband before we visit that whilst it’s not gorgeous inside, the food will make up for it and cross my fingers and hope that nothing has changed.

The two women behind the counter are sweet and softly spoken. I ask if they have the brain curry and they seem a little surprised. “You would like brains as in lamb’s brains?” she says tapping the side of her head. I nod eagerly and she says regretfully “Sorry we’ve run out” and shows me the bain marie with just the curry sauce. I must look devastated because she looks at the pot boiling behind her and says to me that a new lot will be ready in 10 minutes. I’m more than happy to wait and we order drinks while we are waiting. The ginger coffee has run out but they have ginger tea ($2) and Eis Chendol ($3). Their menu hasn’t changed for years, I only know this as the phone number at the top is still missing the 9 in front of the 8 digit number. There are all sorts of Indonesian specialties and drinks (the drink’s trademarked logos faithfully reproduced on the menu).

Ginger Tea $2

We try the tea and in a word, it’s delicious. My husband, usually a man of few words, keeps telling me “Mmm it’s good” and I try it and indeed it is. Already sweetened, the hot tingly ginger literally dances on the tongue like a fizzy mineral water and warms you on the inside. It’s terribly good, so good that my husband drinks it all and immediately orders another.

Eis Chendol $3

My eis chendol is an arresting looking sight of latte coloured drink with green “worms” of rice flour droplets and is refreshingly good and strong with palm sugar and coconut milk.

They let us know that the brain curry is ready and whilst we try and order other things on the menu apparently all that is available is the Nasi Campur-a selection of 3 bain marie dishes and rice ($7.50 for 2 meat and 1 veg dish or $8 for 3 meat dishes both including free sambal and hot tea). I’m not sure when the other soups are available, perhaps they are a lunch only item and dinner is just Nasi Campur.

Nasi Campur $7.50

As my husband is not very hungry having gorged himself on white peaches, I am doing most of the eating. I choose the lamb’s brain curry, the beef rendang and the braised chili eggplant ($7.50) and I also order the potato cake and an omelet for him ($2.50 each).

Lamb’s Brain curry closeup

Digging into the lamb’s brain curry first it’s as good as I remember it to be. Supremely soft and melt in the mouth the sauce is delightfully mild and aromatic. I mash up some for my husband knowing that otherwise he won’t eat it, after all, it does still look like brain. He likes it too.

The beef rendang sauce is good too but the beef is not as meltingly soft as I’ve had it. It’s good although not very strong in lemongrass which always enhances rendang. The chili eggplant is soft and tasty and not too oily which it can sometimes be. My husband particularly enjoys this.

Omelette and potato patty $2.50 each

Trying the other plate, the potato cake is good, similar to the filling of a samosa with a slightly crispy outer. The omelet is crispy and bouncy on the teeth and would be great with the rice and curry sauce but of course I’ve managed to polish all of it off. It wasn’t really hard, rather very easy in fact to finish it all.

We observe their customers, a steady stream of them, half non indonesian and half indonesian. The indonesian customers eat in whereas the non take away their goodies. We want to cry out to them “You’re missing out on the ambience!” although I’m sure they’d only look at us incredulously.

Pondok Buyung

124 Anzac Parade
Kensington NSW 2033
Australia
T: 02 96632296
Open 7 days
Monday-Sunday (except Thursday) 10:00-20:30
Thursday 10:00-7pm

12 comments | March 24, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Kensington Peking restaurant for Chinese New Year dinner

Its something of a tradition that on Chinese New Year my uncle takes the whole extended family and friends out to a big Chinese New Year dinner. And before you tar us with the “freeloader” brush, our family usually hosts everyone for Christmas dinner. Not that I mind being a freeloader now and then you understand.

We’re ushered to the room upstairs, which tonight is jam packed and noisy as its Thursday evening, the actual Chinese New Year’s Eve. Even noisier than most Chinese restaurants which are never really quiet, subtle places to dine. Its practically rowdy. I can’t hear the other people at my table for most of the evening so we’re lip reading when we can. The 30 minute wait for our first dish (no house soup again! Arrgh) makes for some interesting lip reading. There are 13 of us dining tonight and my uncle has taken care of the ordering.

Peking Duck $40 for 2 courses

The first dish to arrive is the Peking Duck, and as there are 13 of us, they cut smaller and more numerous pieces. I don’t think Peking Duck can ever be bad but this pancake has far too much of the meat in it and the skin is slightly crispy, although not as juicily mouthwateringly crispy where the fat just runs out of the package into your pancake wielding paw.

Peking Duck noodles (second course)

The second course arrives and my uncle has ordered the noodles (we usually go for the Sang Choy Bau lettuce cups) and the noodles are thick and tasty, almost udon like but I can only count 6 pieces of duck. No wonder as most of it went into the pancakes.

Steamed Barramundi $35.80

The Barramundi arrives next, the whole fish stretched out on an oval plate. Its tasty but lacking sesame in the soy, coriander and spring onion sauce. However it is very fresh and clean tasting and I am almost glad when my husband passes it up so that I can have his share.

Chinese broccoli with ginger sauce $13.80

Our vegetables arrive and thankfully they don’t arrive last as so often happens when you’re way too full to fit them in. The Gai larn is slightly bitter and with a soft bite to it. I can’t detect the ginger in the sauce at all, it tastes like oyster sauce to me.

Salt baked chicken $13.80

Our next dishes come out in quick succession. The salt baked chicken is similar to the chicken that you would get with chicken rice which is a cold, steamed chicken, just a little saltier and a little warmer but its not excessively salty by any means. And that description doesn’t mean that I thought it was boring, it was rather good in fact and sometimes you need the subtlety in a chinese meal.

XO King prawns in shell

Speaking of unsubtle, the king prawns in shell with XO sauce is an enormous dish full of large XO coated prawns swimming in that gloriously tasty XO sauce. I usually feel that there is never enough XO sauce (unless we’re at Crystal Garden) but there is plenty on this dish and I happily ladle spoonful after spoonful into my rice bowl. I am about as happy as a pig in mud or a pig in XO sauce as fate has placed me. I know that some people like their prawns shelled and I do if they’re coated in sauce so, like the child that gets a big, expensive present for Christmas and prefers playing with the box it came in, I am deliriously happy with the sauteed lettuce garnish and sauce, leaving the prawns behind for those that want saucy fingers.

Tofu with shrimp egg $16.80

We’re curious to try the tofu dish which we initially think is salt and pepper tofu until we see the sauce underneath it. Its said to be tofu with shrimp egg. I’m not sure where the shrimp egg comes into it, but I do know that the rectangular golden ingots of tofu are beautifully crispy on the outside due to a thin but sturdy batter coating on the outside and a sumptuously soft inside. Each bite melts in my mouth and am almost panicked in my haste at getting my second piece.

Fillet steak chinese style $16.80

Perhaps it was the particular piece of beef I had, and by then I was too full to attempt another piece, but the fillet steak with broccoli chinese style was too chewy to eat and I tried to subtly remove it from my mouth and hide it as I couldn’t chew it.I don’t know how chewy it was to begin with but it had definitely had the bi carb of soda marinade, it just hadn’t been tenderised it enough. That would’ve been an unbelievably chewy, tough piece of beef otherwise.

Hakka pigs trotter with Fat Choi $32.80

Just when we were bursting at the seams out comes the pièce de résistance. Placed on our table we’re told its a Pig’s trotter. The young among us are agape. It looks beastly, or vaguely pornographic (I can’t help where my minds wanders) or perhaps like a hairy heart or similar organ. No one quite knows what to do with it and we mostly just stare at it, slightly scared and curious. The waitstaff take to it with a fork and splits it up into pieces, the flesh parting easily. As no-one makes a move to try it I spear a tiny piece and everyone watches while I eat the mouthful. And its good, so very good. Like the fatty melt in the mouth pork you get as a prize in the middle of a banana leaf wrapped rice parcel. Its flavoured with star anise, five spice and fat choi (the little strands that look like hair). I help myself to more, even though I’m so full, its wonderful unctuousness is beckoning me. And for a table of people that are very full, we do a rather good job of almost finishing it.

Our lychees and orange arrives and those of us who have the room or inclination partake of these. The rest of us moan and clutch our stomachs and moan Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Kensington Peking

172 Anzac Parade (near Todman Avenue)
Kensington 2033 NSW
Phone: (02) 9313 7100
Open Thursday-Tuesday 11am-3pm
Sunday-Tuesday & Thursday 5pm-10.30pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-11pm
Closed Wednesdays

5 comments | February 10, 2008 - 4:00 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar at Bondi Beach

There’s very little that can go wrong with a view like this. The view uninterruptus from Icebergs has got to be one of the most iconic Sydney vistas, that of Bondi beach. Icerbegs opened with a splash and since then reviews on the ground have been mixed but the chef Maurizio Terzini still received his two chefs hat this year from the SMH.

We’ve booked for 6.30pm, a little early we know but seeing the view as it descends from daylight to twilight to the fall of darkness is something quite spectacular and I find that watching a pool of glossy black water isn’t quite as exciting as seeing it develop to hand.

Its surprisingly busy with diners given the early timeslot. We’re ushered to the best seat in the house, right next to the window. Service is efficient if not especially warm and relaxed, the staff seems a little stressed out and serious.

Sourdough bread and olive oil is brought to the table while we ponder the menu and the scenery. Along with the menu items, there are quite a few additions to the menu for the evening with 3 entrees, 2 mains and 2 extra desserts. I find that the entrees are beckoning me more as they seem more creative so I order one of the special additions to the menu suggested by our waitress: scallop sashimi with crispy garlic, marjoram and grissini $32 and a regular entree: crab, soft polenta, garlic, chili, lemon $28. Blythe orders the figs with gorgonzola, ricotta, walnut and honey $26 and the Flinders Island Salt Crusted Suckling Lamb and mache salad $48. She’s intrigued by the idea of Polenta chips with sour cream $14 which she saw on the website which are actually from the bar menu so we order those.

We studiously avoid the carne menu which is full to the brim with fascinating red meat offerings such as the Wagyu Rib Eye 800g sliced for two $165 and the Black Angus Cross Wagyu Rib eye 300g bone removed $92 which is bred exclusively for Icebergs.

Scallop Crudo-raw scallop sashimi with cripsy garlic and marjoram $32

Interestingly, there’s no amuse bouche to be had, just the bread which is good: lovely, chewy and sour which is how I love my sourdough. We have scarcely enough time to ponder the waves outside and the Police helicopter that is relentlessly circling before our entrees arrive. My scallops comprise of 8 scallop halves, dressed in oil with a sprinkling of majoram leaves and crispy deep fried garlic shards. One slice into them and I know I’ve ordered well. They’re beautifully soft and fresh and deliriously good, the dressing giving it an even more lustrous texture and the marjoram and garlic complementing it perfectly. The grissini isn’t really necessary for the taste but I suspect its more for the look.

Fig Salad-figs with gorgonzola, ricotta, walnuts and honey $26

Blythe’s figs with gorgonzola and ricotta is light on the honey and walnuts which it could do a bit more with but the figs are lovely, full and ripe.

We are transfixed by the surfers and the police helicopter activity as well as the passing traffic. There’s a real mix of people, the flashy, trashy flamboyant ones seem to gravtitate towards the bar whereas the more conservative patrons are in the restaurant. Eeek, what does that say about us?

Crab with lemon, chili and garlic with creamy polenta $28

Our People watching is cut short by the arrival of our mains. My main is of course the crab entree, a large pool of creamy polenta resembling a creamy sauce surrounds a large mound of crab meat. Its delicate and every flavour resonates from the lemon, chili and garlic.

The Polenta chips arrive and they resemble fat rectangular hand cut chips. Unfortunately they don’t taste of anything and even a liberal sprinkling of salt can’t save these which is a real pity as the outside is wonderfully crisp.

Blythe is very pleased with her Flinders Island lamb. There is one piece with the ribs and the meat is incredibly soft and tender, falling off the bone. The two separate pieces of lamb are unctuous and soft, in parts a little too fatty for me, but the outside is crisped to perfect and almost pork crackling like. Its strong in balsamic and the mache salad is a meandering stream in the middle of the wonderfully soft lamb dish. Its also incredibly filling and any plans to have a dessert each is abandoned.

We decide to share the dessert, a trio of Sicilian Cannoli, chocolate zabaglione, Ricotta and candied fruit, vanilla custard $18. We had mistakenly thought that we would get a Cannoli, a Zabaglioneand some ricotta and candied fruit with some vanilla custard on the side but what we get instead is three cannoli, each with the different filling. Starting off with the vanilla bean custard, its good, still crispy but the filling is a little unexciting and bland. The chocolate zabaglione is by comparison, dangerously good, the strongly flavoured chocolate filling rounded off with a touch of coffee. The last cannoli, the ricotta and candied fruit is also very good if a little light on the candied fruits which I can’t really detect, the ricotta giving it a richer texture than the custards.

We sit back and watch as the surfers leave and the night descends and the view is replaced by the sparkling lights and a luminous pool. Its a spectacular show.

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar

1 Notts Avenue
Bondi Beach NSW 2026
Tel: +61 (02) 9365 9000
Tues-Sat 12noon-Midnight
Sunday: 12noon-10pm
http://www.idrb.com

4 comments | February 4, 2008 - 4:00 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Ramen Kan at Bondi Junction

Its been a long time between Ramen feeds. I had tried to take my family to Ryo’s noodles over Christmas but found it closed for the holidays so Your Honour, I did make a failed attempt. When your husband is ravenously hungry, ramen seems the logical choice to fill him up and have him slurping happily. After some shopping and browsing at the Borders “library” at Bondi Junction, I was reminded of a place I had walked past a few times that advertised the magical word… “Ramen”.

Its a lot sleeker and more modern looking than your usual quaint ramen joint and the fairly extensive menu offers not only ramen, but also udon, curry rice, fried rice and sashimi . I accidentally flip to the last page first and I see what I want to order straight away, Tonkotsu Ramen $10.90, a collagen laden pork stock boiled for 3 days along with 20 types of vegetables and dried foods, intensely flavoured and rich. How could one refuse the offer for a facial treatment while slurping on noodles?

Dithering on what to get for the other dish, we settle for the easiest option, a dinner box complete with a little of everything from the menu, seaweed salad, teriyaki chicken, sashimi, miso and rice $15.90. There is a choice of grilled salmon, pork or chicken katsu or fish teriyaki but I need the sweet salty comfort of chicken. We also choose the takoyaki octopus balls as a starter $4.90. Its scarcely 5 minutes before our takoyaki and mains arrive within minutes of each other and good thing too as we’re hungry.

Takoyaki Octopus balls 5 pieces $4.90

The takoyaki are crispy on the outside, crispier than we’ve ever had them and gloriously soft on the inside. They’re definitely a contender for the nicest takoyaki I’ve had, even the ones cooked fresh at market stalls don’t have this crispy an outer and the contrast makes the soft filling even more luscious than normal.

Tonkotsu pork soup $10.90

Fried shallots and garlic for Tonkotsu

I try the Tonkotsu ramen, a large steaming bowl filled with gelatinous rich fragrant soup. The soft velvety richness of the stock is instantly soothing whilst the pungent ginger aroma arouses the senses. Its like being lulled and then woken but not minding at all. The thin BBQ pork slices are fall apart good and the ramen themselves are good although of course, the actual noodles are better at Ryo’s. So far we haven’t come across a place that does the actual ramen better. If only I could have this heavenly Tonkotsu soup with Ryo’s ramen it would be Super Ramen!

Ramenkan Dinner box $15.90 (with miso soup not pictured)

I try the dinner box next, starting with my favourite item, seaweed salad. The thin bright green strands are flavoured with the lovely sesame and chili dressing. I don’t like the fatter darker green seaweed as it mainly taste of salt so I leave that. The chicken teriyaki is great when mixed with the rice, the teriyaki sauce pooling at the bottom of the compartment. The salmon sashimi is good, the pieces a little thicker than normal. I don’t like tuna sashimi so I leave that to my tuna sashimi adoring husband. I also leave the miso to my husband as I have scarcely the stomach space to fit in more.

My husband is protectively clutching the Tonkotsu ramen bowl, willing me to leave him to eat the rest in peace. No such luck.

Ramen Kan

Shop 3, 33 Bronte Rd Bondi Junction Sydney 2002
Tel +61 (02) 9387 5691
Open 7 days 11am-9.30/10pm

7 comments | January 17, 2008 - 4:00 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Bill’s at Woollahra

Bill’s is an easy choice when it comes to going out for breakfast. When my sister Blythe comes to visit, she always insist on a visit to a Bill’s, her desire partly fueled by Bill Granger’s reputation in London. Since her last visit, there has been a new addition to the Bill’s empire, a new location in Woollahra.

I’ve been to all three locations and out of the three, Woollahra is my favourite, not just for the gorgeous nearby boutiques to visit pre and post breakfast. Housed in the courtyard in Queens Court, it offers al fresco umbrella shaded tables or an indoor section. The courtyard, set back from busy, leafy Queen Street means that its a lovely respite from the hustle and bustle of the traffic. Sydney’s weather is putting on a good show so its outdoors, in front of the nearby bookshop that we sit. We feel that we must order the dishes for which Bill is famous. Blythe orders his toasted coconut bread ($5.80) and Ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter ($16.60). Rose orders organic scrambled eggs and toast ($12.80) with extras of Avocado ($3.90), bacon ($4.50), chicken chipolatas ($5.00) and mushrooms (for me $3.80). I order the grilled chicken salad with pistachios, pink grapefruit and sumac yogurt ($22.50).

Grilled chicken salad with pistachios, pink grapefruit and sumac yogurt $22.50

Its scarcely 5 minutes before our food arrives, a minor miracle given how busy it is but for which we are grateful as the sight of the food at other tables makes us even hungrier. My grilled chicken salad arrives hidden under a bough of continental parsley, rocket and thinly sliced fennel with smashed pistachios sprinkled on top and a dollop of sumac yogurt which resembles blueberry yogurt. Overall its a rather bitter salad with the pink grapefruit, fennel and yogurt which some may not mind, but the chicken is char grilled and moist still. The much needed yogurt is a piquant complement to the salad leaves and when I help myself to the mushrooms that Rose has ordered for me, its perfect. It needs that bit of juicy moisture as it is a touch dry without it.

Organic scrambled eggs and toast with extras of Avocado, bacon, chicken chipolatas and mushrooms $30

We try some of Rose’s scrambled eggs and extras, she’s particularly impressed with the creamy scrambled eggs and buttery toast. The bacon is a perfect texture, not too crispy and the nicely done chipolatas are tasty fat little fingers of chicken. For $30 including the trimmings, its not the cheapest eggs you can get but its certainly the best that money can buy.

Toasted coconut bread $5.80

Blythe’s toasted coconut bread is crispy, buttery and full of juicy shredded coconut. I’ve made Bill’s coconut bread before and I add raspberries and white chocolate to it and serve it untoasted with butter for afternoon or morning tea. If dessicated coconut is used instead of shredded, it becomes more like an afternoon tea cake and more delicate.

Ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter $16.60

She is more impressed with the Ricotta hotcakes, a dish she always orders when she visits Sydney. They’ve changed over the years, I remember when we used to get a disc of the honeycomb butter on top of the hotcakes. This time, the honeycomb butter is puddled at the bottom along with the caramelised banana. The hotcakes themselves are fluffy and as good as they always are and as the ritual goes, we try and try to finish them but despite our tastebuds telling us that we can’t, our stomachs tell us that we can’t. Forks down, we steady ourselves for some shopping.

Bill’s

Queen’s Court
118 Queen St
Woollahra Sydney 2025
Mon-Wed 7.30am-19:00pm
Thurs-Fri 7.30-22.00
Sat: 8am-22:00
Sun 8:00-17:00
10% surcharge on weekends
Ph: +61 (02) 9328 7997
Also locations at Darlinghurst and Surry Hills
http://www.bills.com.au

7 comments | January 5, 2008 - 4:00 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Claude’s Restaurant at Woollahra

Such subtle signage, such an awesome reputation. Claude’s fourth owner Chui Lee Luk, a former lawyer, is now at the helm of Claude’s. Counting down to the days, there was anticipation in the air but this was tempered by reading reviews prior to our visit. Reviews were mixed, with many diners complaining of over salting and other culinary crimes.

Its 7.30pm, the time of the first booking and we press the doorbell. Its like knocking on a friend’s house who has a function catered by staff. The room itself is small (there is another room upstairs) and rather like a blank canvas. Cream walls, dim lighting and Limoges plates with Napoleon’s crest line the two side walls. And aside from the chairs and tables that’s about it in the way of decor.

Service is friendly, deferential, polite and unpretentious. Soon after we’re sipping our very lightly carbonated imported Mineral water (Haddon from England) and perusing the menu. Its degustation only tonight so there isn’t much in the way of choosing which makes it all very easy. The menu is a tantalising sounding mix of French and Asian influences.

Amuse Bouche: walnut and mushroom tart

Our first morsel of the evening arrives, a small amuse bouche of walnut and mushroom tart. Petite and melt in the mouth buttery, its delicious and perfectly balanced.

Smoked Salmon consommé with chive and fennel pastry

Our first course surprising arrives very soon after, the Smoked Salmon consommé. I love smoked salmon and this frothy creamy consommé is very much like smoked salmon but its too heady in scent for me and I take a few sips and pass my espresso cup onto Blythe. It seems that they’ve taken the criticism of over-salting to heart as we need to add salt to the consommé. The light pastry with chive and fennel on top is delicious and paper thin.

Green Papaya salad with ocean trout

Our next course arrives, its simply described as Green Papaya Salad on the menu but its so much more than that. A slice of seared ocean trout sits next to pieces of Andoiue, which is a pork tripe sausage while the green papaya salad is sprinkled with finely chopped hazelnuts. Again this dish needs salt added to it and its interesting although the sausage is strong when compared to the subtle taste of the ocean trout perhaps overpowering it.

Deep fried soft shell crab, spannercrab custard with sago

Our next dish, soft shell crab in rose petal dressing arrives. Its sitting alongside a spanner crab custard which is topped with sago. The custard is peppery and eggy, much like a peppery Japanese chawanmushi. The soft shell crab is mixed with greens and the rose petal dressing, although delicious, isn’t particularly rose petal-ey.

As the restaurant fills the gaps between courses become larger and the rest of the courses come out with a larger space between them. Curiously, during the night, the lights become brighter and dimmer which is a little disorientating. The music is also very quiet but as we’re sitting beneath the speakers, we notice that the track “Thais” by Massnet is played on loop and repeated over and over again.

Blue eyed cod with deep fried squid and sorrel with a curry sauce

The next dish is described as “Whitefish, squid & sorrel”-more specifically, its Blue eyed cod with a spiced curry brandy sauce with deep fried squid. On the left, the finely ground green powder comprises of curry leaves and cashews pounded to a fine powder. The sauce is based on the Indian soup Mulligatwaney. Its good when the green crystallised powder is mixed in with the rest of the dish, doing a similar job to salt.

Aylesbury duck with kibbeh

Our second last savoury dish is the Aylesbury duck, a Queensland duck bred from the Aylesbury duck and Peking duck to give it a fatty layer. Accompanying this is a large kibbeh which is filled in the centre with dark duck meat and almonds and alongside this is a bitter braised endive. The seville orange sauce imparts a slight tart bitterness to the duck but the delectable kibbeh is soft, moist and flavoursome, the centre a concentration of the lovely duck flavour with some sweetness from the almonds. Its my favourite dish by far.

Fillet of Angus beef with cauliflower and horseradish puree

The last of the savoury dishes arrives, titled simply “Fillet of Angus Beef”. It is a slender cut of beef, cooked medium rare, folded over and filled with daikon, shimeji and king oyster mushrooms and intensely flavoured intercostals (the meat between the ribs) that have been marinated in red wine jus and resemble thinly sliced black truffles. The intercostals and king oyster mushrooms are particularly good, the mushrooms having an almost sashimi like texture. Its served with a creamy horseradish and cauliflower puree which is thankfully very mild on the horseradish. Its a little runnier than I might have liked, if it were less runny it would’ve been good to help soak up the lovely juices from the beef.

Avocado Blancmange with white cherries

Its 9.30pm and we’re asked whether we’d like a break before our desserts but time beckons and we throw caution to the wind and go straight for it. The Avocado blancmange is a soft quivering variation of creme caramel and is distinctly avocado flavoured. The one that I don’t photograph is actually falling to pieces its so soft and I am a little bewildered that they would have sent it out of the kitchen looking less than perfect. Indeed some of the dishes that we’ve received tonight are off centre on the plate or in need of a bit of a tidy up. In any case, the taste is delicious and the white cherries, soaked in a sugar and brandy syrup are also divine.

Pineapple soufflé with brandy cream and fresh mango

By now I’ve hit my wall and I don’t know if I can eat any more. But before I know it, the copper tinned pineapple soufflé hits the table, hot to the touch and I am asked to make a hole in the centre with my spoon where they pour in brandy cream and spoon over some diced fresh mango. The sugar on the top and sides has caramelised and is delicious, the inside of the soufflé is less sweet but beautifully airy and the pineapple flavour is very subtle.

Madeleines with lime tea syrup

After ordering tea with petit fours (icing sugar dusted madeleines with lime tea syrup), our friendly waiter having taken note of the relentless flash fires from my camera throughout the evening, asks if we would like to go upstairs to meet the chef, she is working but we could always go up and say hello. We venture up the narrow staircase where Chui is busy spooning souffles and warming up madeleines. We have a quick chat and she asks us which dishes we enjoyed. Blythe asks her about the mix of cultures along with the French cuisine but Chui strongly dislikes the term fusion as she says that it implies a fundamental lack of understanding of the cuisine. She’s busy and we feel like we’re intruding so we thank them for the meal and go back downstairs to the now dimly lit room to partake of the tea dipped madeleines and tea to the strains of what else but Thais by Massnet, of course. Its certainly an unusual space and an unusual chef.

Claude’s Restaurant

10 Oxford Street, Woollahra
+61 (02) 9331 2325
Dinner Tuesday-Saturday 7.30pm - late.
Three courses $135; tasting menu $165; wine flight $85; corkage $15 per bottle.

2 comments | December 25, 2007 - 4:00 pm | Not Quite Nigella

The Cupcake Bakery at Paddington

The Cupcake craze has definitely taken Sydney by storm. When you think of how many specialist cupcake bakeries there were a couple of years ago compared to now, the humble cupcake has been uplifted from an add on at a bakery to a baked good wortht of its very own store. Shopping on Oxford Street in Paddington one afternoon I stumbled upon a new addition to the cupcake scene, The Cupcake Bakery. Finding myself without camera I made a note to revisit it soon and scarcely a week later and the lure of a new cupcake is too strong and we find ourselves, camera in hand, ready to partake of these cupcakes.

The front display shows about 8 different types of cupcakes ranging from carrot cake, chocolate, sticky date, vanilla, chili chocolate and lemon & poppyseed. But what we’re really interested in after an afternoon running around under the hot Sydney summer sun is a Cupcake Sundae. We have a choice of two sizes, regular $8 or large $12 and when she shows us the two containers, we choose regular due to the cute ceramic ice cream container (the large being housed in a glass bowl). I choose the Sticky Date Delight: scoops of vanilla and caramel ice cream with warm stick date cupcake topped with fresh cream, caramel sauce, toasted walnuts and finished with a maraschino cherry.

We go out to the back tea garden and relax in the shaded courtyard. Looking upwards there are grapevines woven through the roof trellis and flowers threaded through the side trellises, a nice respite from the buzzing hum of Oxford St.

Sticky Date Delight Sundae regular size $8

Our Sticky Date Delight sundae arrives and its as pretty as a picture. We almost don’t want to destroy it by eating it but it looks terrifically tempting too so we dig in. Underneath a huge mound of whipped cream on one side is a warm sticky date cupcake next to a scoop of vanilla and caramel ice cream. There’s lashings of chocolate topping (not caramel as on the menu), toasted walnuts and the promised maraschino cherry which completes the sweet retro look. The cupcake itself is delicious, a soft warm cupcake with swirls of brown sugary caramel which goes beautifully with the cold creamy ice cream. The whipped cream needs a little sugar in it and caramel topping would have suited it better but the toasted walnuts are a great crunch. Its so delicious its gone within minutes.

Carrot cake cupcake $3.50

We go to the counter to pay and choose some cupcakes to takeaway. We choose the carrot cupcake (primarily for the adorable mini carrot on top) and the chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing. The carrot cupcake is soft and good but is light on the carrot and walnuts and doesn’t have any pineapple in it. The cream cheese icing is soft and sweet and perfectly suited although there are tiny flecks of butter still in it.

Chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream $3.50

The chocolate cupcake is dense and perhaps not as fresh and less sweet with a bittersweet dark chocolate taste to it. The buttercream is incredibly sweet and the two don’t seem to go as well together as the carrot cake and the cream cheese icing. Service is a vague and a little unsure, indeed we could’ve walked out without paying. Nevertheless, the sundae was a definite winner and I’ll use any excuse to pop into a tea garden to escape the shopping hoards!

The Cupcake Bakery

438 Oxford St Paddington
NSW 2021
ph: +61 (02) 9332 3700
mob: 0430 216 424
email: info@thecupcakebakery.com.au
Monday-Wednesday 7am-7pm
Thursday & Friday 7am-8pm
Saturday 8am-7pm
Sunday 9am-6pm

11 comments | November 29, 2007 - 4:41 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Una’s at Double Bay

Revisiting Double Bay brings back memories of high school years. Things don’t seem to have changed much although some shops change, for the most part, Double Bay stays the same. Tonight, we’re after a hearty feed after a day of recreation so its off to Una’s Double Bay. It comforting to know that in a suburb dubbed “Double Pay” that you can get a huge, well priced meal.

Una’s used to exist only in the Darlinghurst location churning out gigantic schnitzel after schnitzel and piles of roesti and cabbage salad. It was very busy as the servings were enormous but very well priced but the service rather autocratic with a woman ruthlessly manning the tables in order to get the maximum number of eaters per table each night. Turnover was fast and you weren’t supposed to linger and you and your party were only seated once everyone had arrived. But since opening up the Double Bay and Broadway locations its been markedly easier to get a table at Una’s and as they have a no bookings policy, we are thankful for the two new additions.

Organic Ginger Beer $3.90

Double Bay has a more gentle feel to it than the frenetic pace of the original Darlinghurst version. Its busy but there are a few tables free. Our friendly waitress escorts us to our table and we drink in the surroundings. Its wood paneled and there are requisite painted wooden chairs and decorated in Una’s unmistakable style. We peruse the menu, its slightly different from the one on the website but I am honing in on the one item that I want: schnitzel!

I order the Jager chicken Schnitzel with the mushroom sauce on the side as I like my schnitzel to be as crispy as possible down to the last second it hits my hungry mouth. It comes with a side order of cabbage salad and the roesti. I want to order the cabbage rolls for my husband but they are out of them so I order the Pork Knuckle which he gripes and moans about. Being raised a vegetarian but being an omnivore for the past 7 years, he doesn’t like the idea of having a chunk of meat and swiftly forgets that he has ordered lamb shanks many a time. Aiyana and Tuuliki share a fettucine provencale, extra roesti side, crumbed mushrooms and Davs orders the Gypsy veal schnitzel. An order of deep fried camembert is for the table, I’d yet to try deep fried cheese so I practically insist on it.

Crumbed mushrooms $7.90

About 10 minutes later our enormous meals arrive and we’re pleased to see that indeed nothing has really changed. The schnitzels are still fresh, hot and massive.

Jager chicken scnitzel with mushroom sauce on the side served with roesti and cabbage side salad (not pictured) $19.40

My Jager chicken schnitzel with mushroom sauce in a boat on the side is crispy and absolutely delicious and tender inside despite the crispy exterior and especially good when dunked in the creamy mushroom sauce. Its a perfect combination of crispy and creamy. Its huge too, with two gigantic crispy pieces of schnitzel, if I lay them against each other, they’d cover the whole plate. My roesti is crispy on top and soft and velvety on the bottom. Give me Una’s Roesti morning, noon and evening and you’ll never hear a peep of complaint from me. Not being a fan of raw cabbage salads (unless its Coleslaw coated thick with mayonnaise) I leave the paprika flecked cabbage side salad behind.

Cabbage side salad (comes with all schnitzel orders)

Gyspy Veal Scnitzel $19.40

I try the Gypsy schnitzel and its not bad but the sauce has made the crumbing very wet and wet fried items don’t do a thing for me. The capsicum sauce is a little spicy but I’m sticking to my Jager sauce on the side.

Pork Knuckle served with roesti and kassler sauerkraut $19.90

The Pork Knuckle, is soft and tender and falls off the bone. Its gelatinously rich and superb for those who really savour their slow cooked meats. There’s nothing subtle about this cut, from the frank name to the Flinstones like appearance. The sauerkraut, which is dotted with tiny bacon squares is tangier than I’d like. I much preferred the sauerkraut at Doma’s Bohemian Bier Cafe.

Deep fried camembert $7.90

The deep fried camembert is a lovely surprise. The triangles are lightly crumbed and deep fried, the outside crispy and the cheese oozes out slowly. I don’t know if I would eat this too often but I’m ever so glad that I tried it. The cranberry sauce isn’t quite the most harmonious match for it.

Fettucine Provencale $13.90

The fettucine provencale sauce comes in a cavernous bowl and the sauce flavour is rich in a goulashy sour cream sauce that is plentiful with mushrooms. Its very filling, creamy and flavoursome.

Roesti extra side serve $5.90

None of us, bar Davs, could finish our meals despite how hungry we thought we were and we retire our cutlery and push back our plates. We couldn’t fit in dessert if we tried.

Una’s Double Bay

372 New South Head Road, Double Bay 2028,
Ph: +61 (02) 9327-7287
Tue - Fri: 17:00 - 22:30 Sat - Sun: 08:00 - 22:30

Also at:

Una’s Darlinghurst

340 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst 2010
Ph: +61 (02) 9360-6885
Mon - Sat: 07:30 - 22:30 Sun: 08:00 - 22:30

Una’s Broadway

135 Broadway, Ultimo 2007
Ph: +61 (02) 9211-3805
Mon: Closed, except for group bookings of 20 people or over.
Tue - Sun: 11:00 - 23:00

4 comments | November 11, 2007 - 6:24 pm | Not Quite Nigella

Noga’s Cakes at Bondi

Noga’s cakes we are told, are heaven on earth. Her cheesecakes are award winners and a quick glance at her website shows a heart thumping selection of lusciously tantalising cakes. Driving down Old South Head Road, we stop at her store whose windows are adorned with faded, laminated pictures of her cakes. It actually looks closed but it is open and we are a little shocked when we walk in. We were expecting rows of lusciously beautiful cakes, glazed strawberry tarts and striking Dobos tortes but we are greeted with something that looks like a storeroom mid renovation. The left wall full of stacked cardboard boxes and the right fridge wall full of boxes that are presumably filled with cakes. It appears like a thin layer of flour is dusted upon all surfaces.

I ask the two helpful young guys working the counter whether they are open as it doesn’t actually look like a shop at all, it looks like we have happened upon a building crew mid refurbishment. “Umm no, this is how we usually are” he says spreading his arms. We see Noga herself is busy making cakes in the industrial kitchen which you can right into. Looking behind us we see some towering lemon meringue pies. Hang on, this is the ubiquitous lemon meringue pie that appears in all cafes across Sydney-you know it, its the one with a huge mountain of cascading meringue. Ahhh ok, so it finally clicks, they usually sell wholesale but also sell retail hence their lack of decor.

Cakes are either sold whole or in miniature form and since the aim today is to try as many cakes as possible, we opt for the miniatures. Aiyana and Davs order 2 blueberry tarts and I order1 bannoffee tart and 1 chocolate molten cake (to be heated in microwave just before serving we’re told) for my husband and I to share . Unfortunately the triple chocolate mud cake is sold out today. All miniature cakes are $4.50 (large, full sized cakes are above $30) and we head off with our bounty in tow.

What she lacks in store decor, she makes up in taste. The Bannoffee tart is delicious, the tart buttery with a lovely texture, not too crisp, not too crumbly. More often I’ve had Bannoffee with a more crumbly biscuit base like a cheesecake which was also delicious. The slices of banana are lush and ripe and the caramel thick and sweet and the whipped cream voluminous.

The Blueberry tart has the same base as the Bannoffee but instead of a thick cheesecake type filling, its a light fluffy cheese filling. The blueberries are plentiful (there looks to be half a punnet of blueblerries on each) and glazed beautifully and it has a satisfying texture to it, from the biscuit bite to the soft moussey filling contrasted with the glazed soft blueberries.

A disappointment is the molten chocolate cake. Now I confess the reheating may have been my fault. I nuked it for 60 seconds while watching it curiously and saw the volcano peak slightly and release a chocolatey lava at the end. But prodding with the spoon showed that the lava wasn’t liquid and inside there was no melting chocolate to be had at all. It was a soft spongy chocolately pudding with a distinct cinnamon taste to it. I don’t know about you but whilst I love cinnamon with apples and many other items, I find cinnamon and chocolate a repulsive combination. Chocolate seems to bring out the powderiness in the cinnamon and leaves me gagging. My husband too is unimpressed by this cake and after two spoonfuls, its unceremoniously thrown out. Long live the Bannoffee!

Davs ready to devour a blueberry tart

Noga’s Cuisine

375 Old South Head Road North Bondi
Tel: + 61 (02) 9365 5584.
Open Mon-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-4pm.

5 comments | November 6, 2007 - 3:52 pm | Not Quite Nigella