It was Saturday afternoon and I was hunting for a place for Mr NQN and I to have dinner with Queen Viv and Miss America that evening. The latter is very easy going but Queen Viv always needs convincing so I texted Queen Viv ”How about Toshiya in Cremorne? They have sashimi tacos.”
“That sounds interesting and possibly revolting, let’s give it a go” she answered back straight away. A shrinking violet Queen Viv is not 
Which is how we found ourselves in her car driving at what seemed like warp speed with Queen Viv at the wheel. I had already stalked the menu online and from all reports the food was delicious and good value so I wasn’t in the slightest bit worried about Queen Viv’s foreboding text.
There are all of the usual items on the Japanese menu but what really caught our eye was the page with the sushi specials. With items like the aforementioned sashimi tacos as well as 3 way salmon, tempura sushi and scallops, hi -ha rolls and pari pari chicken. “Let’s try the weird stuff” Queen Viv said and Miss America agreed and they reminded me of why I enjoy dining with them so much. The only criticism that I had read of Toshiya was that dishes seem to come out with gaps between them but that to me isn’t a problem as we share everything. There are also add ons like Hon Wasabi (freshly grated real wasabi) and their home made soy sauce.
Sashimi tacos $13 for two
The salmon sashimi tacos came in a deep fried gyoza wrapper curved around like a taco and filled with diced, marinated salmon sashimi. I find that there’s a bit too much dressing in there and it makes the taco shell a bit wet if you waited much longer and I actually prefer the sashimi outside of the shell but Queen Viv and Miss America love it and Queen Viv rescinds and literally eats her earlier words.
Wakame salad $7.50
The wakame salad comes out in a beautiful bowl and features seasoned wakame salad, salad leaves, tomato and red onion with a home made sesame dressing. There is also some dried, shredded laver seaweed on top which provides a nice contrast.
Tempura sushi?! and scallops (6pieces) $15
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| February 7th, 2012 by Not Quite Nigella
I have to mentally prepare myself when entering hipster joints. I have to tell myself that they’re just hipsters and they mean well enough and that they don’t harm anyone really. For good measure I remember the quote from Seinfeld when they referred to Kramer as the “hipster doofus” and realise that being a hipster is not a state of being for most people. And when I was warned by many that The Corner House was hipster central, well I braced myself. Mr NQN and I were on a date night, just the two of us.
Mr NQN and I walk into one entrance of The Corner House in Bondi which takes up residence where the Old Castile pizza joint used to sit. We’ve dining early at 6pm and we are shown to the empty back room. The maitre’d is brusque and seems as if he has a thousand other important things to do other than seat us. Thankfully the Arctic chill ends there and the waiter and bartender are lovely and everything settles down just nicely. We take a look at the menu (a sheet of paper wooden pegged onto an A4 sized piece of box cardboard) and the waiter gives us some recommendations. Prices are excellent here with most mains hovering around the $30 mark.
This drink is a riot in London $18
The cocktail list has a fun list of names including this one which caught our eye called “This drink is a riot in London” and has Tanquerey, St Germain, Campari, apple and cucumber and is sweet and refreshing and summery. The description reads “All the elements of an English Summer: fresh, floral and a hint of bitter lawlessness.” The bartender that conceived the idea was in London during the riots and was inspired to make this cocktail.
Bread
The bread, two fresh fat fingers, is drizzled in olive oil and salt with roasted pepitas and sunflower seeds.
Crowded House Pizza $23
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| February 1st, 2012 by Not Quite Nigella
Some may call it gossip, I prefer to call it a catch up and when you haven’t seen a girlfriend in weeks or even months, well I think that the polite thing to do is avail yourself of all of the girly gossip ahem…current affairs you can.
Except of course if you’re sitting elbow to elbow to the table next to you which happens to be the position Christie and I happen to be in. We’ve got a booking and we are the first customers at 12 noon at Honeycomb, the already popular new place from Cafe Sopra’s Andy Bunn and we take a seat at the banquette against the window of the restaurant. Within seconds, two tables of two sit down right next to us and then suddenly all juicy bits of information disappear from our lips as we feel like we’re sharing them with the other diners so we zip our lips and concentrate on the menu.
The menu is tighter than the sprawling chalkboard menu at Cafe Sopra and seems to be more hand picked favourites which makes choosing easier. The waitress is friendly and recommends some dishes to us-the specials also sound good and we choose quickly. Unlike Sopra where there is a no photos policy, they seem a bit more lenient here at Honeycomb and when I ask if it is ok to take photos the waitress asks if it is for a blog, I nod yes and assent is given.
Vitello tonnato $20
I’m an absolute fiend for vitello tonnato, the Italian dish made with thinly sliced veal, tuna and a creamy sauce. It’s a doppelganger of the Cafe Sopra version except there’s added flavour from the plump white anchovies, baby capers and paper thin sliced lemon. It’s the kind of dish where we wish we had some bread to mop up the sauce (noticed by the waitress who brings bread with the mains).
Roast pumpkin salad with coriander, chilli, aged balsamic and grilled quail $24
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| January 30th, 2012 by Not Quite Nigella
Ever passed by a place dozens of times on the way somewhere, pegging it in your mind for a longer, lingering glance but have never stopped in? That happens to me a lot in Sydney where a new, bright, shiny restaurant or cafe seems to emerge from the restaurant ether every few days or weeks or so. And whilst I have walked past The Winery many a time either in or out of Thomas Dux next door or on my way to another appointment I never quite made it in. Which meant that the suspended peacocks and Elvis room hadn’t excited me until today. And well of course taxidermy always gets me excited.
The Elvis room
Having a business meeting is always made that much more pleasurable when there is lunch or food involved. And when the people you are having the meeting with don’t mind you whipping out the camera and taking photos of the food well, all the better. Who am I kidding? I used to do it even before the blog We’ve ordered a selection of food to share among the six of us.
Crispy little fish White bait, chipotle & lime mayo $18
The entrees come out before long and little fishies are coated in a crunchy, light seasoning like a fine polenta and deep fried and served with a spicy chipotle and lime mayonnaise. They’re not bad and the fish flavour is quite pronounced on these and remind me of whiting (as opposed to the smaller whitebait that you can buy sometimes called nanata that are served in fritters).
Stuffed roasted mushrooms with ricotta, pinenuts & pesto $18.50
The stuffed roasted mushrooms are simple but well executed with a nice balance of flavours. There is milky, creamy ricotta and the pesto mushrooms are juicy and slightly addictive.
Brandied chicken liver pate & toasts $19
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| January 26th, 2012 by Not Quite Nigella
I must admit that for the first two weeks of January I was in an unnatural state. I was mostly at home and not travelling. Which meant that I was cooking furiously and frantically and testing out dishes but it also meant that I was feeling a bit stir crazy cooped up at home. And I feel sorry for anyone that has met up with me during this time because I may have talked your ear off in excitement about being out and socialising. Oops, sorry about that!
One outing that had me excited all week, actually for several weeks ever since the invitation was issued was the Sydney Festival. Now I know events are popular and many of the ones that you want to go to sell out quickly. This evening we are going to see the performer Meow Meow in the incredible Spiegeltent (Queen Viv adores it and has described it to me in luscious detail). And before that we are going to hit one of the relatively new restaurants Sokyo, where Californian Japanese chef Chase Kojima creates modern Japanese food. Chase is the former worldwide chef of the Nobu restaurant chain.
Chase Kojima (left)
Part of The Darling hotel, the restaurant is dark, I was warned this although we are dining relatively early so that it isn’t pitch dark. There are lacquered surfaces, an expansive gleaming sushi bar where the freshest of fish glisten under the lights and ropes seem to be the predominant decorating theme. Service is very deferential as befits a Japanese restaurant and there is the requisite “Irasshaimase!!!” welcome greeting when we enter.
We’re dining from the festival menu and for $55 a head you get a choice of 2 courses out of a range of entree, main and dessert. A tip: desserts can be added for the a la carte price between $9-$12 each with the dessert platter at $25 so the best value is had by ordering the entree and main and adding on dessert if you want it. All come with a beverage, a wine from the festival sponsor McGuigan’s who are sponsoring the festival for the first time. The wine comes from their list of five premium limited release wines called “the Shortlist” or you get also get a bottle of still or sparkling Tasmanian rain water. The entree and main courses are from the regular menu whilst the dessert is created for the festival menu.
Tuna Umeshu served with McGuigan’s 2005 Riesling
The courses come out quickly to ensure that everyone makes their festival booking and we start with the tuna umeshu which has two parts to it-the tuna and a salad. The tuna has six luscious pieces of tuna sashimi topped with red vein sorrel and tiny cubes of lightly bitter choya umeshu. There is also “garlic soy umami” drizzled on top but the star is the tuna which is so lusciously good. I have an embarrassing time with the double ended chopsticks and struggle to pick up the jelly pieces. The simple mixed leaf salad with sesame salad dressing is another favourite at the table with many wondering how to make the dressing.
I always thought that everyone were red wine drinkers (or perhaps that’s just my friends) but here most people order the 2005 Eden Valley Riesling with the dark golden shade from the ageing process. So that we could try both, I ordered the McGuigan’s 2009 Barossa Valley GSM (grenache, shiraz and mourvedre) which is a popular Rhone Valley blend.
Lamb Chop Maple Miso
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| January 24th, 2012 by Not Quite Nigella
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