It’s funny how life changes. Two years ago I dined at Marcus Wareing’s Petrus restaurant (back when he and Gordon Ramsay were business partners) and we had a fantastic meal where every single little course, including the amuses and in between courses sparkled. It was a meal we remembered well because there wasn’t a single jarring note. We got on the plane back to Australia thinking that it was a lovely memory. Fast forward two years and I find myself the lucky beneficiary of an invitation to a Private Lunch with Marcus Wareing from the lovely people at Visit Britain. Marcus Wareing was of course visiting here as part of the Sydney International Food Festival.

Amuse Bouche: Fish and citrus soup

We take a seat in the private dining room of the Four in Hand Dining Room and we are given our first taste of the day, an amuse bouche. Looks are deceptive. Resembling a carrot or pumpkin soup this elegant little demitasse of fish soup with citrus is deliciously rewarding, given depth with the fish stock and an accent with the citrus flavour.

Sashimi Bonito and tuna with pickled cucumber and snow

I have to admit that the smear wasn’t perhaps the most fetching feature on the plate but underneath the long shreds of pickled cucumber were some delectable sashimi pieces of bonito fish and tuna. I see bonito popping up more on menus nowadays and it’s a lovely, mild flavoured fish. The snow is the tangy green granita in the centre and there are also slices of raw cauliflower and slices of radish. It’s more a sashimi salad and I’m a bit perplexed by the green smear as it has a very mild taste.

I take some photos and then look up and see Marcus watching and smiling. “Are you the actual Not Quite Nigella?” Marcus asks me across the table. He tells us of how he used to ban food bloggers from taking photos until his staff convinced him otherwise. “I’m old fashioned” he says and shows us that he has a phone that is just a phone “and I may sometimes text” he says. His main objection to food blogging is people writing awful things and taking poor quality photographs.

Daisy next to me is a vegetarian and Marcus says that he loves vegetarians. Pardon me? I almost have to ask. Many chefs are known (notoriously Gordon Ramsay who told people he’d like to throw them out of a plane) for disliking vegetarians but Marcus tells us that they have a special vegetarian degustation and want to give them the same quality of meal as an omnivore.

Crisp pig’s ear with crab and roast corn salad nad ginger beer jelly

“Ginger beer jelly?” I say out loud. On the right is a crispy deep fried pig’s ear which is fantastic (and I know you’re going to ask, it doesn’t taste “ear-y” ). I do love corn and this roast corn and crab salad is generously portioned with sweet pieces of crab meat. As for the ginger beer jelly, I like it in small amounts but it’s tangy and sweet and quite strong and it is surrounded by a mayonnaise type of sauce.

Spring Lamb: two ways with Spring Vegetables

In just what has to be the most feast like presentation, the slow cooked shoulder of lamb sits in the centre of the table to be shared between 3-4 people. It’s served with a variety of Dutch carrots in fetching shades of yellow, purple and orange and battered white anchovies. It is also served with what has to be one of the best mashed potatoes I’ve had-they’re silky smooth and creamy and covered in a blanket of herbs . Chef Colin Fassnidge is Irish and at the risk of culturally profiling someone, he definitely has a way with potatoes!

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Last year towards the end of Winter I rang Corner 75 to make a booking. Being that it was on a Saturday night, they were fully booked and it was with a sense of sadness that I realised that it would be another year until I could make another booking. You see I love the idea of eating these hearty Eastern European cuisines in Winter but come Summer, I’m all about salad.

I’m with my usual partners in crime, Miss America, Queen Viv and Mr NQN.  We arrive on this chilly Winter’s evening and find a brightly lit and full restaurant. The clientele mostly appears to be Hungarian and it is decorated with lots of pretty Hungarian touches from embroidered aprons to whips. A candle holder that also holds salt, white pepper and paprika sits on the table. Pictures of the Hungarian Presidents line the walls to the bathrooms upstairs. Service from our waitress is sweet, friendly and knowledgeable.

Langos with sour cream $6.50

The entrees come out very quickly. I know Miss America will love this as he adores pastry. I recall having this at Manly markets a year or so ago and this deep fried dough is frightfully addictive. You know it’s deep fried dough after all and not exactly going to get you ready for swimsuit season but you just cannot help eating more. We dip it in the strong raw garlic sauce and then spread sour cream over it for a crunchy, oily, garlicky and creamy sensation. Bliss.

Cold Cherry Soup $9.50

Queen Viv tries the cold cherry soup. “Oh it’s wonderful” she says “Just the right balance of flavours”. I try some and she’s right. It’s a sweet, milky soup  made creamy with sour cream and given aromatics with cinnamon. There are also whole sour cherries at the bottom and it’s delightfully good.

Hortobágyi Crepe $9.50

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There’s a brutal change in seasons around this time of the year. For us Sydney-siders it happened this past two weeks. Rain poured down relentlessly, laundry went unwashed for some, dryers spun for others, shoes got soaked and umbrellas bore the brunt of most of the pluvious assault. Then it became sunny but cruelly the temperature dipped to the low teens. So what does a good eater do in times of these? Ok your first reaction might be to seek the sunny Summertime shores of the Northern hemisphere (and I’m coming in your bag) or embrace the Wintry cold by indulging in my favourite Winter past time. Stuffing oneself with dumplings.

Wang Wang Silver Star is a newish place on busy Anzac Parade in Kingsford. Serving Shanghai style dumplings it was a closer version than busy Ashfield’s Liverpool Road. The dumplings were said to be good although the general consensus is that they were no Shanghai Night. We were a motley crew that night, my parents wanted to have dinner with Mr NQN and I and my mum asked us to invite along the Assman (Mr NQN’s brother). Ahem…yes the Assman has this effect on many women.

At 7pm, it’s busy and there’s  queue outside. My parents seem to know the place so they tell us that there’s an upstairs where we head towards winding past the boxes of tissues, plastic spoons as the stairwell is used for storage. Despite it being fairly new, the double sided laminated picture menu already shows signs of being pored over again and again. Some dumplings are priced per dumpling (these are the larger fluffy white baos) whilst most are grouped together in lots of 4 or 6. Prices are higher than Ashfield but they would never qualify as expensive under anyone’s definition.

Kelp salad $3

Alas this is nothing like the moreishly fabulous Japanese seaweed salad but it’s not bad. Slightly slimy as seaweed is, it’s flavoured with garlic and soy sauce and is served cold.

BBQ Pork buns $1.20

Nicely fluffy and enormous, the filling is filled with the distinct aroma of cinnamon which is odd. I’m not sure if this was a strange batch and whether these are meant to taste like cinnamon.

Shanghai Steamed Mini Pork Buns $4.80

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