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Strawberry Mousse

Yes I know, I know, I’m so late to be posting about Adriano Zumbo’s Summer collection but in my defence, your Honour, I don’t really live closeby and I do find it hard to get here. However this time, I am ordering cakes for my birthday and of course where else would I get them but Zumbo.

Marry Me Ed

Piste As She Goes

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Not even the dampening, miserable weather could put a lid on my enthusiasm for today. For today was the day that I was to meet and attend a cooking lesson held by Adriano Zumbo, creator of the most sublime cakes. Held as part of the Balmain Rozelle Food Week (April 21-27) this Wednesday night Adriano held just two classes for some very lucky people.

The elusive Adriano Zumbo

Trained in Paris at Ecole Lenotre, Adriano has also represented Australia in the Wold Cup of Patissier, the “Coup de Monde de la Patissier” and the “Chocolate Masters” yet those of us that await his new season’s creations like eager groupies at his small but perfectly formed patisserie only know of his friendly staff, as Adriano himself remains an elusive character. Not so tonight.

The recipe

It’s wet and rainy this Wednesday night at 6pm yet there are 20 eager students huddled in the entranceway. Each one is given a clean tea towel and apron as tonight’s class, Gateaux de Voyage is a hands on class making a coconut and coriander cake as well as a tart filled with caramel, lemon curd, praline feulletine noisette and topped with chocolate mousse and chocolate swirls. In the flesh, Adriano is much younger than you’d expect. I pictured an older grumpy but tortured egotistical artistic genius but he a young, smiling and modest guy with an eyebrow and upper ear piercing who looks like he’d be right at home at a music festival or sitting at an inner city cafe. The crowd tonight is a fairly even mix of women and men, some couples, some mums and daughters, even two of my old university professors are there and of course food lovers and I’m chuffed to hear that some are NQN readers-hello!

Adriano asks everyone to introduce themselves and explain what they do for a living to break the ice. After that, people group off into 4 groups of 5 people, each team making their own coconut and coriander cake and then making parts of the multi layered tart.

The first supply to materialise is an enormous hunk of butter on a blue plastic sheet - a good 50cm cube which was taken to with a large knife by the various groups to get their supply. I am somewhat fascinated by this enormous chunk of butter-I realise too fascinated when I get home and realise that I’ve taken 7 pictures of said hunk of butter.

Yes another pic, but it was huge!

Supply room

For the rest of the ingredients they are directed to the storeroom, a neatly stacked and ordered room.

Gordon Ramsay would be proud

There’s also a sign reminding everyone of cleaning standards, something Gordon Ramsay would only be too proud of.

I also see the beginnings of the famous Miss Marple crepe cake!

Everyone starts mixing and beating and I survey the kitchen. Adriano and his team of 4 is on hand to give advice and to ensure that everyone is following the directions that they’ve been given. Bowls are passed out and everyone is busy busy busy.

I look around and notice all of the equipment. There’s a thing that looks like a linen press or a piece of gym equipment which I am told is a pastry machine which stretches and rolls pastry. There are also three Kitchenaids of the heavy duty variety and another large mixer. At one end of the room is a huge prover set at 32 degrees for dough and at the other end two multi tiered ovens.

There’s also a huge dough mixer and I also see the enormous dough hooks that go with it.

I ask Adriano how his inspiration process works and he explains that he is at first struck with inspiration for a look which he then pairs with a list he has of flavours that he feels will work well together. Inspiration can come from anything and everything and of course like a writer or an artist, when he wants inspiration, it refuses to come. He is never short of ideas though, hence his being able to come with up a new collection every 3 or 6 months and his next collection for Winter may be out in June this year. And for those of you who want to see a cake runway show, do go to the Adriano Zumbo Appreciation Society Facebook page. When he feels that he has enough people interested, he will do one!

Tonight, they’re making two variations of the cake, a coconut and coriander butter cake and a lime and basil butter cake. Adriano shows a lady how to roll up the basil leaves together in order to cut them easier.

Buttering tins

Dusting with shredded coconut

Filled with cake mix

The mix for the cake is almost done and the tins are buttered and then dusted with shredded coconut and then filled before being popped in the oven.

Now onto the tarts! The first step is to make the caramel, lemon curd and the chocolate caramel mousse. It turns out that the chocolate caramel mousse didn’t quite come together so a fast chocolate mousse was used instead. Whilst each group does a different filling, one group starts trimming the ready rolled uncooked pastry. These are then filled with liners and then pie weights and baked dark until beautifully crispy. And I do love these tarts shells more than a person should love pastry.

One of the things that most Zumbo lovers appreciate is his attention to detail and his unfailing refusal to use the same details or decorations across his cakes. Indeed it is astounding how many individual components are made to create one single cake, at least 5 or 6, let alone the range of cakes that his patisserie produces. Ever since my first try, I’ve been hooked on the look and the taste of these fabulous creations.

Using the heat gun

So it’s with fascination that we watch Adriano create the chocolate swirls - the flourish to top off the tart. The whole process to make the 16 or so swirls takes about an hour from start to finish yet his patience is unwavering in the pursuit of the perfect flourish. It starts with heating the chocolate and getting it to the correct temperature. Adriano heats it to 50 degrees then drops it by 23 degrees, he of course knows this by feel and by instinct but most of us would be doing this by the thermometer. he’s looking for the perfect “crack”when the chocolate breaks with a glossy finish. When the chocolate needs more melting, he uses the heat gun again.

After that he sprays large sheet of acrylic with the coloured sprays, a relatively new product from France which is a huge time saver in his kitchen. Adriano says that Paris is is really the place to go to learn about the craft although there is a cooking school in Chicago run by two French chefs that also does an excellent job.

Once dry, these are then cut into strips

He then dollops a measure of melted chocolate and then using a comb runs it through touching the acrylic to make the lines.

He lifts it off and then semi dries it .

Each piece is then cut in half and twirled around and let to set in the fridge into a curl shape.

The tarts are then filled firstly with the liquidey caramel, then a light sprinkle of salt flakes, and then the praline disc.

They are then filled with lemon curd.

And then topped with piped chocolate mousse before receiving their last flourish-the chocolate swirls!

We learn that these tarts are a one off not sold in the store and created specially for tonight’s event which makes these delicious morsels even more special. One bite into the crunchy crust and praline, sweet caramel but tangy with lemon and dark chocolate I’m reminded again of how much I love the textural and flavour balance of Zumbo cakes. And when we hear the pop of champagne corks and are handed some bubbly, suddenly everything gets even sweeter.

The cakes are cut up and everyone takes pieces of the cakes and tarts home in a large white cake box. Everyone thanks Adriano and his lovely team for having us, it seems we are all happier for the glimpse into the Zumbo kitchen and to meet the man himself and his team.

For more events see the Balmain Rozelle Food Week program guide here (pdf).

To visit and join the Adriano Zumbo Appreciation Society Facebook page, click here.

To download the recipes click Adriano Zumbo Coconut and Coriander cake or Adriano Zumbo chocolate caramel lemon tart

Adriano Zumbo

296 Darling Street
Balmain NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9810-7318
Open: 8am-6pm Mon-Sat
8am-4pm Sunday

Sophia Loren once attributed her ever youthful looks to a bowl of pasta a day. As she is a celebrity, it probably also involves a Petrossian caviar masque and a diamond dust exfoliant but I suppose that’s giving away the real secret. If you are in the mood for some anti ageing Sophia Loren style, The Italian Bowl seems a suitable place to start. After a movie one Saturday night at the Dendy Newtown, we walk the three doors down to The Italian Bowl and it’s long line snaking onto the footpath. Luckily most people are getting takeaway and we nab a seat opposite the counter where we are to order and where they cook the pasta in front of you.

Order and paying at the counter, I choose the Beef Tortellini with chicken peppercorns and the Spaghetti Bolognaise, a dish that when done well is a lovely comfort food but is often done badly. I must be blind or the font is hard to read but I miss the best deal, the combo with any choice or pasta and any veal or chicken dish ($18, seafood pasta $2 extra). I also order a Chinotto drink ($3), the Italian version of Coke, made from the bitter citrus Chinotto tree.

We’re in a prime location to watch the pasta being cooked. It’s all cooked furiously fast and fresh to order. The waiters are vocal, it seems that there’s nothing that can be said unless it’s shouted across the restaurant and takeaway customers have their numbers bellowed out and one unfortunate takeaway customer gets an impatient chastising as the waiter calls her number out a few times to collect her order. In the kitchen area itself, there’s much clanging, yelling and high licking flames and within 5 minutes, we’re presented with our pasta dishes.

Beef Tortellini with chicken peppercorn sauce $12

The beef tortellini with chicken peppercorn sauce has a good amount of tender chicken breast scattered throughout it. Even as a garlic lover, I find the sauce a tad too heavy on the garlic and whilst it’s creamy there aren’t enough peppercorns in it to balance out the other flavours. When you do come across a green peppercorn and it explodes in your mouth, suddenly you think “Ahhh this is nice, if only there were more peppercorns.” Perhaps in the frenzy of cooking to order so many dishes, balance is haphazardly applied.

Spaghetti Bolognaise $10

The Spaghetti Bolognaise is next, we can see straight away that it is very watery and with a small amount of mince and only mince. I prefer a thicker tomato sauce and some bacon or carrot in the bolognaise sauce and I find this disappointing. Trying to thicken or flavour it up with parmesan improves it a little but not enough. The pasta itself is a little overcooked too which is something I cannot stand. It has to be al dente or nothing. I leave most of this behind and my husband reluctantly finishes this.

We spied a tiramisu at another table, a large sundae glass filled with creamy mascarpone and sponge ($8). Unfortunately there isn’t enough stomach space to fit this in. We might be back for the Combo deal at a later stage but will steer clear of the Spaghetti Bolognaise.

The Italian Bowl

255 King Street Newtown
Tel: +61 (02) 9516 0857
Open 7 days from 10:30am-10:30pm
Except weekends 10:30am- 11:30pm

I approach Easter like that of a child: a week long chocolate eating opportunity. Unlike a child though, I get a say in the type of chocolate that I consume and my preferences are by Colefax chocolates in Haberfield and Belle Fleur in Balmain-both Australian made using Belgian chocolate. I have bought, in my time, over 150 chocolate truffles from each company for myself or friends/family, in all various shapes and sizes, lured by the tempting displays at David Jones confectionery counters. What I particularly liked, apart from the sublime taste is the craftsmanship put into each truffle. So when I was told that they both had shops that I should visit, I left it until Easter, when I knew that the best displays would be on show.

We head off to Colefax in Haberfield, the suburb right next to Leichardt where there is a strong Italian influenced population. So much so that there’s even a Bocci court in the local park and all of the shops on Ramsay street have a definite Italian flavour. As its Easter they’re open on a Sunday and we walk into the chocolate coloured shop, resplendent with all sorts of Easter goodies in a kaleidoscope of shades.

Reg, the owner Peter Lee’s father, is a very charming and affable fellow whose passion for chocolates is almost equaled by his passion for wine and cheese. He tells us all about Haberfield (yes I’m embarrassed to admit that whilst I was born and bred here in Sydney, I had never visited it, only driven through). He tells us that whilst Leichardt is the sister suburb for eating out, Haberfield is a great place for buying produce and cooking at home. I get the feeling that he’s to go-to man for all sorts of food related advice and his enthusiasm is infectious.

There’s a showstopping range of easter chocolates from the gigantic aboriginal paint inspired eggs with 1 kg of chocolate and hidden eggs peering out from detailed holes (the moulds that Colefax use are from Belgium only, such is the detail on them-check out the detail on the Hen’s night favourite “Kama Sutra” chocolates).

Kama Sutra chocolate

There are also huge half egg shells within which sit a range of smaller eggs in various sizes, colours and patterns in four different sizes up to the enormous extended family version. The colourful eggs are not surprisingly a bestseller and I am crushed to learn that their Babushka easter egg which consists of 6 easter eggs all within a layer of each other (the closest thing to a never ending chocolate fantasy) has been sold. Indeed, Reg laments that yesterday during a 20-30 person crush yesterday that their Babushka display model was stolen! All of the chocolates are made daily starting from 6am for maximum freshness so unfortunately I am out of luck as far as the Babushka is concerned.

Single origin chocolate eggs $30

Single Origin Taster pack 6 eggs for $15

He shows us the latest trend in chocolate-single origin chocolate. These are chocolates where the cocoa beans and butter are sourced from a single location around the globe giving rise to markedly different chocolate tastes. There is Peru with a 32% cocoa, Venezuela 43%, Peru 64%, Ecuador 71% up to Tanzania which has a 75% cocoa component. “Its like wine you see-where a Cab Sav from one place will have a different characteristic and flavour to a Cab Sav in another area” he explains and that these are for gourmet chocolate buffs who treat their chocolate like wine. Seven years ago, the chocolate mix they were selling was 85% milk chocolate and 15% dark. Now its 60% milk chocolate and 40% dark and he expects it to reverse to 40% milk and 60% dark as people pick up on the health benefits of dark chocolate.

He also tells us of a great chili truffle trick. When serving truffles or dessert after dinner, start with a chili truffle. This will help clear the palate and make the next course taste much clearer and true, working much like, or even better than a sorbet. Indeed, he recommends serving truffles at the end of the meal not with a champagne but with Tokay which perfectly balances the sweetness.

Along the way he offers us a sample of the Fiesta chili truffle (divine with a mild chili tingle). There are two chili truffles, the Gold Award winning Fiesta chocolate and there’s also the Chili Bomb for the serious chili enthusiasts. A sample of the Vera Myrtle turns me into a quivering mess with the gorgeous dark chocolate surrounding a perfect whole toffee macadamia-if you wanted to convert someone into a dark chocolate lover, give them this chocolate. Even the novelty caramel easter egg, is divine with gorgeously smooth and butterscotchy caramel with a slight crunch-definitely no relation to the tooth aching sweetness of the caramello koala caramel.

I choose for my purchase the carton of eggs, the smaller version of half a dozen eggs as the colours have caught my eye and my imagination ($15). The bunny with the two types of filled eggs (peppermint and strawberry) also finds his way into my basket ($8) along with a variety of truffles to give to my mother for her birthday ($90 per kg). They’re boxed beautifully and Reg slips in some extra truffles so that the box looks great. What a sweetie.

Unfortunately three hours in the car and the bunny didn’t make it home intact. I feel like a muffled, disguised voice has rung me and said “Your bunny is dead” and hung up. Its quite devastating but thankfully the rest of my purchases remain perfect.

With my mother, she lets us sample these along with her (yes its possible to slice a truffle into two). The St Lazare, sugared pistachios and Italian nougat in milk chocolate is gorgeously rich and nutty.

The Alannah, a vanilla ganache in white chocolate named after their daughter is a sweet and delicious creamy vanilla.

The Orange Blossom, a white Marnier ganache in white chocolate is delicately scented with Orange Grand Marnier.

Sunshine, a pineapple fondant in dark chocolate is a somewhat jarring sounding description but the proof is in the eating. Its gorgeous with the sweet tangy pineapple fondant perfect against the bittersweet dark chocolate. Its one of my favourites.

Cupcake is a raspberry marshmallow with nougat in milk chocolate. Of course I had to buy this being that it is cupcake shaped. The nougat is very nutty with an interesting juxtaposition against the spongy raspberry flavoured marshmallow.

Pamela, the milk butter truffle in milk chocolate flakes is soft and gorgeous like an upmarket flake. Its named after his mother.

The Deco, a honey and almond ganache is a honey lover’s dream. Gorgeously smooth and distinct with fragrant honey. Its one of my favourites.

The easter bun has the slightest hint of cinnamon and a sublime creaminess.

The three eggs: peppermint in dark chocolate, strawberry in white chocolate and caramel in milk chocolate are decadent good version of the humble egg. The caramel is definitely my favourite although the other two are close behind.

The Fiesta: a chili ganache in milk chocolate we save for our experiment. A few days later, we have our main meal and then try some Banana bread. We note the flavours and then try a Fiesta truffle. Then we try the Banana bread again and interestingly, we taste a wider palette of flavours-the other slightly more hidden flavours like walnut emerge alongside a more salty flavour. Its a very interesting experiment and one well worth trying at your next dinner party!

The dark chocolate coffee beans ($22 for 250g), ones that we were warned were moreish are frighteningly and compulsively so. I had to put myself between them and my husband or he would have gladly eaten the rest of the 250g bag. The coffee beans giving a fresh roasted crunch (roasted in their kitchens and then coated) and the sublime dark chocolate enrobing them.

My “carton” of half a dozen eggs is tried last and they are dark chocolate vividly streaked and patterned eggs, gloriously artistic but even better when being consumed. After trying these I’d definitely have to say that whilst Colefax does all kinds of chocolate, their dark chocolate is most certainly the star. I’m not even a particularly big dark chocolate eater but find myself enjoying their dark chocolates the most. The only issue here is that I had 5 left waiting for me to eat them and I have to somehow resist.

In May the rest of the renovations will be completed and there will be a huge cafe with coffee and chocolate and other temptations. I think we’ll definitely have to make this our second visit to Haberfield.

Later on in the day, we visit Balmain to pick up some Easter chocolates from Belle Fleur. We walk in past the sun shaded windows which disappointingly render the displays behind the glass invisible (I am too short to peer over the top of them!). Pity as they’re quite creative ranging from chocolate houses to chocolate burgers. Its all very quiet and whilst the people are polite, there’s a decidedly efficient but quiet atmosphere as if they want to get us in and get us out. I buy some truffles and instead of being boxed they’re plonked into a plastic bag marring the top of the cappucino truffle - if I had intended to give it as a gift, I wouldn’t have been able to do so. I also buy a chocolate bunny with eggs and the when I ask for a bag, they give me a plastic supermarket bag, even though there are spiffy paper bags available. Indeed another customer after buying quite a dozen eggs is given a plastic bag which she declines and asks for a proper paper bag. Surely the paper bags doesn’t cost that much? Call me a fussy customer but given the chocolates are so good, its a sloppy ending.

Obviously the chocolate itself is top notch but the staff putting the delicate truffles in a plastic bag where they will get crushed in the heat of Easter and then putting it in a plastic shopping bag does their chocolate no justice and makes a customer feel like they’ve just bought something from a local milk bar or supermarket.

The cappucino cup is a delicate milk chocolate cup three layer creamy ganache filling consisting of milk chocolate ganache, coffee ganache and white chocolate ganache. Its smooth and creamy but not particularly strong in the coffee taste.

The Easter bun is very, very lightly scented with apple and I might be tasting a bit of Calvados in it although it is very, very light.

The Violet chocolate is gorgeous-unusual and heady with violets. I can imagine that if you like floral teas like Earl Grey, you might enjoy this.

The praline filled white bunny and eggs is good-creamy and sweet.

Colefax Chocolates

78 Ramsay Street
Haberfield NSW 2045
Tel: +61 (02) 9798 2022

32 Cottam Avenue
Bankstown NSW 2022
Tel: +61 (02) 9796 2022

Mon-Fri : 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sat : 9.00am to 4.00pm
Both boutiques are opened on the 2 Sundays proceeding Easter and Christmas each year.
http://www.colefaxchocolates.com.au/

Belle Fleur chocolates

658 Darling Street Rozelle NSW 2039
Tel: +61 (02) 9810-2690
Mon-Fri: 9:00am to 6.00pm
Saturday: 9:00 to 4.00pm
Sunday: 10:00 to 4:00pm
http://www.bellefleur.com.au/

After a recent visit to Carne station in Parramatta, we were driving back home and passed Hooters, to which we immediately screeched with laughter. Once our laughter subsided we realised that we just had to come out for a visit. More for morbid curiosity than anything else. Hooters is an American phenomenon that hasn’t quite made an impact here with just the two locations in Sydney and one in Queensland. We wanted to know whether the “image” of Hooters was anything like reality. Would it be like a down, down home version of the Playboy mansion much like the show Blokesworld? I haven’t known a single person that has visited, due to its location being rather far away and the reputation being that of a busty, bawdy, blokefest.

We needed to convince my food adventure friends Queen Viv and Miss America that this was indeed, something we should do in the name of research. Miss America was more than amenable, she even threatened to bring along her own inflatable swimming pool and lime jelly. Getting the regal Queen Viv to agree was another thing. We asked if she was busy and that we were thinking of having another food adventure out to a place that has a certain charm. Once we had ascertained that she was free, we told her that it was called “Oouteurs” suggesting that it was a chic little French bistro. I gave the game away as I couldn’t keep a straight face and Queen Viv was a good sport and thought that there was some merit to our morbid curiosity. We thought that it would be an interesting thing to see who would go there on Valentines Day and my husband, relieved of Valentines Day cooking duties, agreed. I didn’t mind giving up Valentines Day. After all, our wedding anniversary is only a few weeks later and we have planned something big for it.

I wanted to dress up as a prim and proper Victorian lady with high Victorian collar and lace parasol and ask in a haughty voice “Where are the OWLS?” but my husband, Miss America and Queen Viv said that I would be the only one

Ringing ahead to book I was told that it was indeed “singles night” where they match up a girl and a guy to go off and have dinner together. Half of the restaurant was booked up for this event with places running out but the other half was walk in traffic.

At 7.30pm on Valentines Day, we arrived after fighting some insanely awful traffic. Miss America and Queen Viv have just arrived too and are looking a little distressed. “Its very LOUD music in there!” Queen Viv exclaims and we walk in to an aural assault. They have our booking and we’re led to a high table with menus on the side, a caddy of squeezy bottles of tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and American mustard and something that makes us laugh, a paper towel dispenser, with the last towel decorously folded over modestly.

The room itself is decorated in a lot of warm, solid woods and TV screens featuring all manner of sports, I guess appealing to men and music loud enough to have to do away with conversation which, presumably also appeals to men. Signs are everywhere cracking the usual blonde and boob jokes and the waitresses are outfitted in tiny nylon orange shorts, white Hooters singlets, thick white socks and sneakers, not to mention the industrial strength shiny pantyhose that could probably withstand a jet blast and survive intact. The back of the singlet says “Delightfully tacky. Yet unrefined” which sums up the experience really. The outfits are like 1985 came and stayed and any minute we expect Jamie Lee Curtis from Perfect to walk in wearing her green aerobics outfit.

Our waitress is Emma, we know this because, in American style she tells us her name and that she’ll be our waitress for the night and to further emphasise her point or perhaps stake the table, she writes down her name on a napkin. She’s friendly, smiley and could give some waiters a lesson in service. We girls are given a free drink for the night, a cocktail of cranberry juice and Malibu-its not bad but coconut and cranberry juice aren’t natural partners but who am I to complain when I’m getting it free just for being a girl? Beers are a little on the expensive side, at $5 for a beer on tap and $6.50 for a Crown Lager.

As promised singles night is in full swing with large tables of people sitting around chatting, denoted by the orange and white balloons. Looking around the room we see plenty of couples having a Valentines Day dinner-on the menu there is the Hooters Gourmet Dinner that has perhaps lured them. For $109.95 you get 20 buffalo wings served along with a bottle of Moet Chandon champagne. As the menu says “Its as much as class as you need!”. Unfortunately we don’t see a lot of bottles of Moet being drunk or champagne corks being popped. There are also families and plenty of young singles that aren’t actually taking part in the singles event. In fact there are a lot more men than women so I am not sure where this reported “man shortage” comes from. Perhaps Hooter’s is an exclusionary zone.

But for me, as always, the food is what beckons me. I had a look at the menu online earlier in the day and for once, its actually current. We order food to share and extra plates. When they bring out the moist towelettes, we realise that we’re firmly in deep fried territory.

Medium heat chicken wings 10 for $10.50

The chicken wings are the first to arrive (10 wings for $10.50). Juicy, crispy and battered they’re very tender and although we’ve ordered medium, there’s not a trace of chili or spice to be had. Perhaps we needed to go to the “real hot 3mile island” or the “screamin’ hot 911″ heat levels. From what we’ve been told, from a friend of a friend, this is pretty close to American style wings. The leg portions are much juicier than the wing portions and I happily munch on these.

The Buffalo platter is next ($19.50), a tray of deep fried calorific goodness on a green lettuce and salad base with carrot and celery sticks just so you feel like you are getting your vegetables. We had a choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing and we chose the ranch which is creamy and tangy. On the Buffalo platter are chicken strips, buffalo shrimp and more chicken wings. The chicken strips are very tender and juicy and Queen Viv’s favourite but the Buffalo shrimp are an awful disappointment. These shrimp have seen better swims and taste completely dry and flavourless.

The Delta Cobb salad ($15.50) is the next to arrive and its comparatively small but good, with cos lettuce, bacon, egg, cheese, tomato and topped with what else but fried chicken strips! Its indeed very tasty, if not exactly healthy but its crisp and textural enough to keep us happy and feel like we’re not eating one giant deep fried buffet.

Our fish and chips ($14.90) consists of two enormous pieces of fish (one resembling a swimming fish), fat traditional cut chips and side salad. The fish is freshly cooked and juicy although the fish itself is very flakey and appears almost minced in parts so we presume it to be shark like most fish and chips. We’re not under any delusions, its not an upmarket restaurant and unlikely to be another type of fish.

Doing the…

We’re finishing up our meals and unfurling our miniature sized moist towelettes when there’s some action happening mid floor. Its 9 o clock and time for the … Hooters girls to dance the Nutbush? There are 5 in total dancing together and after the Nutbush they get up on chairs and the booths and dance some more. Its a little surreal, compounded by the fact that they look a bit embarrassed and bored during. As Queen Viv points out, its very reminiscent of the jumping stripper dance from My Name is Earl.

Single girls

Single guys

But let’s not forget Singles night. Its time for the single girls to get up and tell us what they’re looking for in a man and then its the single men’s turn to describe what they consider to be their “perfect date night”. Although its hard to hear most answers, we do hear one gem from a guy that answers that his perfect date would be: “KFC, DVD, Hooters and then rooters”. Well ladies, you know where to find him. Form one orderly queue please…

Hooters

132 James Ruse Drive (Cnr Hassall St) Parramatta
Tel: +61 (02) 9633-5160

3-7 The Kingsway 2230 Cronulla
Tel: +61 (02) 9929-7255

Also located at

Hooters Mermaid Beach
2488 Gold Coast Highway Mermaid Beach QLD
Tel: +61 (07) 5572 4100

General enquiries 1300 466 291 or 1300 HOOTERS
http://hooters-oz.com/
Hooter’s blog! http://blog.hooters-oz.com/
Open 7 days, Midday until late