“Will NQN ever shut up about her birthday?” I hear you ask. I totally hear you and understand what you are saying and I will cease and desist with the birthday babbling just as soon as I’ve finished with writing about my last birthday dinner. My third dinner was with my parents Rose and Ronald. We do a separate dinner with them you see as they don’t like traveling outside of the Eastern Suburbs (certainly not crossing the bridge, it’s a mental barrier) and they both like Japanese food. I’ve heard that Rise is like “Tetsuya for everyone” in that it is fusion cuisine, but at a more reasonable price. I remember my one and only visit to Tetsuya very fondly so I am keen to try this alternative.
So at 6pm we’re standing at the mysterious looking red door of Rise and are greeted with smoky Jazz music. The small restaurant is dimly lit and already one third full and we’re led to a table right by the window. There is only the Omakase degustation on offer tonight so that takes the drama out of ordering and while admiring the simple pebble chopstick rests, before long we’re greeted with our first course. The menu is Japanese influenced by Chinese and Korean cuisine unlike Tetsuya which is French Japanese. Since the restaurant is dimly lit we didn’t feel we could use the Flash as it would’ve made for quite the strobe light show for the other patrons, therefore the photos aren’t anywhere as good as we wanted. So let me apologise in advance before proceeding with the food.
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May 26, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
I love Weddings. It has been 2 years since our wedding and one of the many, many traditions is the Bouquet Toss. Since most of my guests were already already married or older or simply not interested in catching a bouquet (too close to sport) I didn’t think do a Bouquet toss. This beautiful citrus scented cake is an alternative to a Bouquet toss to be served at a Kitchen Tea.
The idea is simple, attach 1 piece of ribbon to the centre bouquet with the rest of the lengths of ribbon unattached. Whoever picks the ribbon attached to the bouquet “Catches the Bouquet”! No clawing or scratching at others or people falling over to catch the elusive bouquet and no boobs falling out of dresses (I’ve seen pics where women jump up to catch the bouquet and their dress doesn’t follow). You can also attach “wishes” or a prize to the ends of the ribbon or even names depending on the age and interest of your guests.
I’m one of those odd people that don’t like fresh oranges cut up (I always bypass the orange pieces served for dessert at Chinese restaurants) but I do love orange in things, especially orange rind. I could’ve, or should have, dusted it with icing sugar but I only thought of that once it was served and cut. You could certainly match the central bouquet with the brides bouquet and ribbon according to the colour theme of the wedding. Yes lads, that’s right, there probably was a colour theme to your wedding, you just didn’t know it 
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May 25, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
If you start to see a pattern of me reviewing restaurants around the Kingsford way, you are indeed sensing a theme. My husband and I are houseminding for my parents who live in the Eastern Suburbs and we thought that while we were here, we might take advantage of the fascinating eatery studded strip of Anzac Parade.
Tea Inn is a Taiwanese Fast Food and Tea House that I haven’t been to for years. It’s just the order this one afternoon when we need to eat something sustaining but quickly. I don’t eat McDonalds so this is the next best thing. It’s full with students and young people no doubt from the nearby university.
Bubble Pearl tea is like the Coke of Asia, the chewy fat pearls of tapioca sucked up through the fat straws in a satisfying way. My husband loves these so we order the most interesting coffee combination: Pomegranate Coffee with pearls $3.80. We also ask what is good and authentically Taiwanese. The waitress suggest the Sa Cha Beef and rice ($8) and the deep fried chicken in salt and pepper with noodles ($8). For dessert we choose a shaved ice dessert topped with peanuts, sweet lotus seed and black plums for $5.80 (any of the sweet toppings can be ordered in a singular shaved ice for $4.80 each). The menu is huge and seafood dishes top the range at $14-$15 whilst other meats such as chicken or pork dishes are $12 and there are also Laksas ($9.5) and noodle dishes ($8) as well as 2 pages of drinks and desserts of the shaved ice variety.
There are even $5 dishes such as pork mince on rice for the truly frugal and a ridiculously cheap afternoon tea menu featuring dishes from $4.80-$7.50 which includes a drink.
Pomegranate Coffee with pearls $3.80
We’ve asked them to hurry as I need to make a beauty appointment and within minutes, our dishes are making their way to the table. The Pomegranate coffee is surprisingly delicious and lightly tinged pink. It’s not particularly strong in pomegranate flavour though but it is good-it reminds me of Japanese iced coffee or coffee jelly. Curiously, the cups of water we ask for are a little salty in taste!
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May 24, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
The souffle’s reputation is like that of a diva. The good thing about this souffle however is that people who think that you’ve slaved over this dish, cajoled it, placed it into the oven in hushed silence and done everything including whispering sweet nothings into its ear and stroked it lovingly need never know that you slapped it together a couple of hours ago and bunged it into the oven without ceremony. And who doesn’t have Bree Van Der Kamp fantasies every now and then?
I’ll admit right now that it tastes much better using white bread than the wholemeal bread I used but alas, that’s all I had. And the impressive rise lasts for just a few minutes so bring it out for guests as soon as it comes out of the oven. After a few minutes, it won’t be flat until you cut into it, but it just won’t be as beautifully and proudly puffed.
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May 23, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Does it seem like to you that there are suddenly now numerous places to eat Malaysian /Singaporean food? It seems only a few years ago that there were only 2 or 3 restaurants. Walking through Chinatown and World Square, it looks like many more have sprung up. Not a bad thing, you understand of course. Quite good in fact for a Malaysian/Singaporean food lover like myself. A little further afield, tucked away behind Thornleigh station off West Pennant Hills Road lies a small restaurant that has been offering Singaporean and Malaysian Hawker style goodies for a few years now. At almost an hour’s drive away, it’s not exactly nearby to us so we made it a Sunday adventure to drive out to Thornleigh and check out some other foodie eats and enjoy the drive to the outskirts of Sydney.
Chicken and Prawn Laksa ($13.80)
Arriving at 6pm when it opens, we’re greeted with a welcoming sight. It’s rapidly filling with Singaporean/Malaysian clientèle (always a good sign for authenticity). We order a Roti Canai with Lamb curry ($11.80); Chicken and Prawn Laksa ($13.80) and a bowl of Chicken Rice ($2.50) and for dessert Ice Kacang ($5.50). Alice, who takes our order is friendly and happy to recommend dishes. The Laksa arrives quickly, within 5 minutes, and we dive in. There’s a mix of Hokkien noodles (my favourite) and vermicelli noodles (my husband’s favourite) as well pieces of soft chicken, large prawns, tofu cubes and fish cake. A scarlet orange pool of oil floats across the top and diving in to retrieve the long noodles risks a scarlet splash on your clothes but it’s well worth it. The taste is rich, creamy and subtle, not as pungent as some Laksa and the beautifully soft and toothsome chicken (from the Hainan chicken rice) is a particular highlight.
Roti Canai with Lamb curry ($11.80)
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May 22, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
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