Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Wishing you a healthy, safe and propserous 2014 to all!I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break with your family and friends. Over the break I’ve received a few more requests for the MatchaMisu recipe I made for Christmas 2013. Sharing the love and recipe based on Keiko Ishida Okashi recipe, it’s deliciously easy to make, just a matter of assembling!

MatchMisu (Green Tea Tiramisu)

Although it can be a no-bake recipe, I chose to make my own biscuit sponge fingers to layer in the tiramisu but you don’t have to! You can also use the store bought italian sponge fingers too which I have done before and it still turns out well (on this occasion the store bought ones at home had expired when I was about to make this…) though I have found the homemade sponge fingers texture is more softer so able to absorb moisture better than the store-bought ones.

Biscuit Sponge
– 2 eggs (separate egg yolk and egg whites)
– 60g Caster Sugar
– 60g Self Raising Flour (sift twice)
– 1tsp Vanilla Bean Extract

1. Preheat oven 200C
2. Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Beat egg yolks with half of the sugar and all the vanilla until creamy.
3. Make meringue with the egg whites and remaining sugar.
4. Add one-third of meringue mixture into egg yolk mixture and fold. Add sifted flour and fold. Add remaining meringue and fold.
5. Spoon batter into piping bag (1cm tip) and pipe 7cm (or to suit your serving dish) long fingers onto a baking tray. Dust with icing sugar and bake for 7-10min. (Bake immediately after dusting the icing sugar, don’t let the sugar melt into the fingers before baking as it will burn more easily).

MatchaMisu (Green Tea Tiramisu)
– Biscuit sponge (about 20 fingers)
– Mascarpone Filling
– 2 eggs (separate egg yolk and egg whites)
– 70g Caster sugar
– 250g mascarpone cheese
– 100g pure cream
– 15g matcha green tea powder
– hot water (around 150ml)
– Matcha green tea powder for dusting

1. Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Beat egg yolks with half of the sugar until creamy then add mascarpone cheese and mix well.
2. Beat pure cream to make whipping cream until stiff. Fold through whipped cream in the mascarpone mixture.
3. Make meringue with the egg whites and remaining sugar. Fold meringue into the mascarpone mixture.
4. Dissolve 15g green tea powder with hot water in a small bowl. Dip each biscuit sponge into the green tea mixture to soak up green tea and place in a serving dish (or individual serving cups).
5. Spread mascarpone cheese mixture over the layer of green tea soaked biscuit sponges. Dip more biscuit sponges in green tea and layer over the mascarpone mixture. Spread remaining mascarpone mixture over the 2nd layer of biscuit sponges.
6. Dust generously with green tea powder and refrigerate (can be kept refrigerated for about 2 days…but who can wait that long?!)

If you like red bean, you can also add a layer of azuki red bean between the biscuit sponge and the mascarpone mixture. Or if you want extra green tea flavour, add some in the mascarpone mixture as well.

Enjoy!

L’eclair Patisserie

Remember this amazing cake which was made for me for my 21st?

Well I do, and I loved every bit of it from the sponge to the fresh cream frosting. It was made for me by my dad’s colleague when he used to run his own Japanese restaurant. And now 4 years later she has finally opened her very own patisserie in Mosman, L’eclair Patisserie (672 Military Road, Mosman).

Mum and I decided to trek over the bridge to enjoy some lunch and afternoon tea on a rainy Saturday. It was a nice surprise to find that they also serve lunch as well as dessert. Mum ordered the Roast Beef sandwich with horseradish while I ordered the hearty Beef Stew which was perfect for winter with melt in your mouth beef chunks in a rich stew served with a freshly baked bread roll and a side salad. I was very happy with the generous portions!

Now onto the important sweet treats! I really wanted to have a piece of the signature Mont Blanc cake, however it was not meant to be, as it had already sold out for the day. Instead I had a Strawberry Cream instead which was delicious with light fresh cream, fluffy sponge, delicate chocolate leaf decoration and reminded me of my 21st cake. Mum had a Chocolate cake and was expecting this to soft but it was more of a rich decadent fudge but not overly sweet. I also wanted to try the Green Tea Latte which was delicious with a great matcha flavour, very similar to the green tea cappuccino at Cafe Cre Asion. We also bought some cakes to take home to share with the family and we received a couple of complimentary danishes too!

L’eclair Patisserie

Roast Beef sandwich

Beef Stew

L’eclair patisserie also do an afternoon high tea, but you’ll need to book this in advance.  I will definitely try again for a piece of the Mont Blanc cake 🙂

Luxury Travel: Malaysia Airlines

My job entails a lot of travelling, sometimes as local as Wollongong and if I am lucky, other times as exotic as Asia or as far as Europe. Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…but what I was more excited about was travelling in business class. I would not have had an opportunity to fly in business class so soon if it were not for work, so I thought you might be interested to peek into what lies beyond that curtain separating us plebs from the hoity toity business class travellers.

First up is Malaysian Airlines.

Our flight was actually delayed by a few hours which meant we had more time to relax in the plush armchairs of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge at Sydney International Airport with complimentary wifi, snack cheeses, cakes, chocolates and an abundance of drinks. Although we were flying Business, they kindly let us have access to the First Class lounge as the air conditioning was absolutely freezing in the Business Class lounge – the only difference we found were the drinks on offer at the bar counter so instead of Smirnoff they had Grey Goose, instead of Gordon’s they had Tanqueray etc. We also took advantage of the “Bistro” which offered made to order meals like nasi goreng, chicken laksa and chicken curry.

Chicken Laksa from Golden Lounge Bistro

Stay cool, stay cool is all my colleague and I were thinking as we made the unfamiliar left turn as we boarded the plane and were greeted by the stewards, by name. Almost immediately we were offered magazines to read and pre-flight drinks, deciding to have the signature guava juice.

While my colleague was more interested in getting some shut eye, I was more interested in the food served! Malaysia Airlines “satay service” won Skytrax Best Signature Dish 2013. OMG the signature satay sticks for appetizers were lip smacking good, they offer a mixture of beef or chicken but I asked for all chicken and mopped all the spicy satay sauce up. The rest of the meal was also pretty good a prawn and avocado salad, silver cod served with potatoes and a capsicum sauce.

There was plenty of leg space for a myself at 152cm, and plenty of storage for our hand luggage which could be placed either in the overhead compartment or the compartment between the seat and the window, which I prefer to placing small bags under the seat in front of you. I was really impressed with the amenities Tumi pouch with a mini Colgate plax mouthwash and toothpaste, hairbrush, Infectiguard hand sanitizer, Clarins lip balm, Clarins hand and nail cream and Clarins hydra quench cream. Also loved the noise cancelling headphone which I could pop over my ear pain plugs while I watched Taken 2. The only disappointment was that the seat did not lie flat 180 degrees, the back reclined however the leg rest was at an angle which made it uncomfortable as I risked slipping off the seat to the floor. If I were paying for business class, I’d definitely want to be able to lie flat. The service was efficient, friendly and it was easy to communicate to the flight attendants. I could not wait for the return flight home so I could have some more of the satay sticks XP

Chicken Satay sticks

Prawn and avocado salsa

Silver cod served with potatoes and a capsicum sauce

TUMI amenities kit

Hey mummy, I’m being good with a guava juice!

Wayama Japanese Restaurant

Earlier this year we made a visit to Wayama Japanese Restaurant (28 Princes Highway, Sylvania) just down the road from Paul’s Famous Hamburgers voted Sydney’s Best Aussie Burger…but that’s a story for another day. If you’re familiar with the Sylvania area, Wayama occupies the same space as Masa Japanese Restaurant, just by the foot bridge. The restaurant is run by the sweetest couple, ex Azuma Head Chef Noboru Takayama and his wife Miki Takayama who is a friend of our family and they run the restaurant almost all on their own! which means the service can be slow but also great, friendly hospitality ; ) The small restaurant is cosy and homely and it looked like the locals love this place too as the restaurant was full.

For this occasion we had the Chefs ‘Kaiseki‘ Course $48pp consisting of several minimalist seasonal courses, which was exciting as the chef has trained in Japan for numerous years before coming to Australia. With a glass of umeshu we started off with a course similar to sunomono, a salad of cucumber, celery, shredded crab with yuzu dressing to whet the appetite. Followed by sakizuke, an appetiser with bite size pieces of salmon nanban, tsukemono (pickles) sushi, snapper fry, teriyaki chicken ball and sweet vinegar white radish. The snapper was delicious encased in a crispy panko crumb and I love love love sweet vinegar white radish, my mum makes the red radish at home but not often enough I say! The mukozuke course is traditionally a cold dish, usually sashimi, in this case we had seared salmon and thick slices of fresh tuna on a bed of ice, the presentation was so pretty but the portion was so small, wish I had more! Yakimono, is a grilled dish, rich slices of roast duck with pine mushroom sauce, ruby grapefruit, snow peas and red capsicum, the roast duck and subtle pine mushroom sauce was the highlight of this dish, as the side was julienne vegetables. My favourite course was the shiizakana, melt in your mouth wagyu beef and vegetables in a red miso and red wine stew. This dish is perfect for winter, a hearty dish warming the soul, wagyu beef flaked as you cut into it and I really enjoyed the red miso sauce as the red wine was not too overpowering. The rice (gohan) was a mixture of potatoes and abura-age (deep fried tofu sheet) which is served at the end of the meal along with red miso soup. For dessert or mizumono a trio of homemade cheese cake, green tea ice cream and seasonal fruits.

Wayama Japanese Restaurant

Salad of cucumber, celery, shredded crab with yuzu dressing

salmon nanban, tsukemono (pickles) sushi, snapper fry, teriyaki chicken ball and sweet vinegar white radish

Sashimi

Roast duck with pine roast duck with pine mushroom sauce, ruby grapefruit, snow peas and red capsicum

Wagyu beef and vegetables in a red miso and red wine stew

Homemade cheese cake, green tea ice cream and seasonal fruits

I’d definitely recommend trying Wayama if you’re in the area and in the mood for Japanese, it really is a great local gem (my other favourite local Japanese is Kazuki, Hurstville). If you’re interested in the Kaiseki course, book one day ahead, it also changes often and seasonally. As the owners ae both Japanese, they have items on the menu which are traditional Japanese foods we would enjoy at home and aren’t usually found in Japanese restaurants like traditional tonjiru (pork soup) or tsukemono (pickled side dishes). Be warned, parking can be painful, there are lots of ‘No Stopping’ signs in every which way of the surrounding streets which are terribly confusing 😦

Brickfields, 2013 SMH Good Cafe Guide Best Small Cafe

Congratulations to Brickfields, 2013 SMH Good Cafe Guide Best Small Cafe!

On the way to the city one Sunday morning, a small crowd caught my eye outside a tiny bakery and we decided to spontaneously make a stop. The cafe was Brickfields (206 Cleveland St, Chippendale) which in fact is a half a bakery by Luxe head baker, supplying bread to the likes of Cornersmith and half espresso bar by Mecca Espresso – with a collaboration like that you know it’s going to be great.

Though Brickfields appears to be in a very small space, they definitely make great use of it, making the cafe feel open and airy with hanging plants, large windows and a peek into the working bakery behind the counters. Even smarter use of the space are the industrial looking swivel stools which can be hidden under the counters. There are several large tables outside however, luckily for us it wasn’t too busy this particular morning and we grabbed a couple of counter seats by the large sacks of flour and grains.

You would expect great coffee by Mecca Espresso and Brickfields did not disappoint, the coffee was smooth and one of the creamiest I’ve had. Just a note ladies, they don’t offer skim milk, but they do have Bon Soy! They also serve carafes of homemade mint sodas and lemon sodas which most tables were enjoying. Bill likes to judge eateries based on how well their bacon roll is, and he didn’t have any complaints, bacon, lettuce, mayo sandwiched between a freshly baked roll. I opted for the Breakfast Plate which was as satisfying as it sounds, a piece of sourdough toast beneath layers of fried eggplant, tahini, a halved boiled egg perched on top with zhoug (a green paste made with spices and coriander) served with a wedge of lemon. The entire dish as a whole was so delicious from the zhoug to the zing of the lemon, I forsee many breakfast stopovers here just for the Breakfast Plate.

Brickfields

Breakfast Plate

Bacon Sandwich

Brickfields is located on Cleveland Street but it’s best to find parking around Balfour Street. The menu is quite limited but you won’t be disappointed by their freshly baked goods and if you don’t happen to grab a table just sit by the wooden planters under the trees with a take away croissant and coffee.

I’ve Moved! Welcome ♥

Hello and Welcome to my new home on the interwebs!

I promise to try and get back into it…so please update any links/bookmarks as this will be my new address ♥

Thanks for visiting, let me know what you think!

…and Here’s a taste of what’s to come…

 

Three Blue Ducks

Treating ourselves and wanting some fresh air and sunshine before Autumn comes along, Bill and I took advantage of our Day in Lieu and made the drive to Bronte. Three Blue Ducks (141-143 Macpherson St, Bronte) led by former Tetsuya head chefs, has been on my list for a while for a brunch session after sampling their foods at The Paddington Markets, we hoped to beat the weekend crowds and visited on a Friday.We arrived there just in time for breakfast which ends at 1130am (lunch starts at 12pm so don’t get caught out in beween these times and starve) and were seated in the bar side of the cafe where we watched the bartender juice fresh fruits and admired the quirky teapots hanging on the wall. The menu was exciting and initially I had my eye on the Quinoa and fig bircher with caramelised peaches, fresh fruit, yoghurt and toasted nuts but sadly they were already sold out. We started the morning right with an organic latte, fair trade and roasted by Single Origin Roasters for me and a fresh  and instead opted for a seemlingly simple bowl of bircher muesli with seasonal fruits. This was the perfect bowl of muesli, each spoonful was delicious, the crunch of apple slices, toasted nuts, berry compote, natural smooth greek yoghurt, sweet fig and the bursts of fresh passionfruit – so amazing and satisfying that Bill and I were fighting for each mouthful.

Three Blue Ducks

Needless to say the food was fresh and of a high quality making you feel good from the inside and absolutely delicious. It may be because the produce used is local and as organic as can be. They even have a cute garden at the back (just keep walking down the corridor) making use of all the space.
After brunch we took a short stroll to Bronte beach which in turn led to a full on coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee and back to Bronte.

P.S Victorians, you can also get a piece of Three Blue Ducks gorgeous foods at Falls Creek XP

Matcha Panna Cotta with Queen’s Jel-It-In

I hope you all have had an enjoyable Easter break!

After all the chocolate madness over Easter, I was looking to make a more healthier dessert using some leftover matcha powder when Beyond the Square Communications approached me to try samples of Queen Fine Foods Jel-It-In.

Finally now I'm able to bring pannacotta's and jellies to share with my Muslim, vegan and vegetarian friends! Jel-It-In is a plant based alternative to gelatine, made from extracts of seaweed and seeds from the carob tree, think similar to agar-agar. Even if you're not vegetarian, Jel-It-In is a healthier alternative to gelatine which is made from the by products of animals (I always thought it was pork fat but it could also include skin, horn, hoof, bones – you name it!).

Matcha Panna Cotta

Matcha Panna Cotta tweaked for Jel-It-In gelling powder.

1 tbs Matcha powder

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs water

2 packets Jel-It-In gelling powder

5 tbs water

400ml milk

80g sugar

1. Mix the matcha powder and 2 tbs sugar with 1 tbs hot water to create a matcha sauce.

2. Dissolve 2 sachets of Jel-It-In in the remaining 5 tbs water.

3. Dissolve 80g sugar in the milk, half of the matcha sauce (step 1) and add the dissolved Jel-It-In (step 2) and bring the mixture to boil.

4. Once boiling point is reached, pour the mixture into the mould and leave it in the fridge to set.

5. Pour the remaining rest of the matcha sauce to serve.

I found it easy to use, clear and unflavoured. It was very fast-acting, as my panna cotta started to firm up while at room temperature soon after I poured it into the mould. I'm not sure whether it was the Jel-It-In but the panna cotta slid easily out of the mould when serving and held the shape of the mould very well when served – almost too well.

All in all I found it a great alternative to gelatine, though I will need to tweak my recipes used for gelatine as I found it set too fast and too hard compared to gelatine. I am especially excited to be able to share desserts with my Muslim and vegetarian friends as they only usually eat agar agar jellies and now they can have the taste that is seriously divine panna cotta desserts!

MoVida Sydney

My my how fast 2013 has already flown by, cannot believe it's already mid March! If you follow me on twitter or instagram you'll know that I've been in and out of Sydney in recent months for work and though it may be two nights here and there, it starts to accumulate and I always feel really far away from the boy. So when I returned from a back to back Malaysia and Perth trip, he suprised me with a lunch date at MoVida Sydney (50 Holt St, Surry Hills).
We've been wanting to go to Movida Sydney since it opened in Sydney as we loved Movida in Melbourne and Bill wanted another taste of the anchoa! However it's always been booked out, but yay they're now open for late Saturday lunches and take bookings.

We were seated on the high tables lined by the windows – and yes they have bag hooks under the table – and we were served crusty bread sprinkled with salt with olive oil for dipping. Now Movida has always served complimentary bread however some months they participate in Bread for Change where diners can pay an optional $1 for the bread which is donated towards a charity – our donation went towards the Salvation Army's Bushfire Disaster Relief Appeal and it's  great initiative by restaurants participating, and imho the bread is definitely worth the extra $1. The Sherry Cobbler with Fino Sherry, Orange and Lemon was a delicious way to kick off lunch while Bill went for the Sangria.
It was pretty easy ordering this time around, knowing how big the portions were for each type of dish, if you haven't been to Movida the waiters are very helpful in ordering enough for your party ranging from small tapas plates to larger share plates. Bill's only request was he definitely wanted the Anchoa again, the single salty piece of Cantabrian anchovy with a quenelle of smoky tomato sorbet on a perfectly thin crisp was just as good as the one we first ate in Melbourne. The Bocata de Buey was a sight to see! A hollow air baguette wrapped with a thin rost biff wagyu topped with Tocino de Cielo and altogether paired so well with the sweet pickled and black garlic – this was going to be a new favourite along with the Anchoa. We only ordered one serving of the Pintxo de Pulpo Gallega but I wishe we ordered one for each, it was perfectly cooked, my knife cutting the octopus pincho like butter which was melt in your mouth and seasoned with paprika served on top a potato mash. Of the larger plates we ordered the Mojama, perfect blocks of watermelon topped with slices of air cured tuna with beetroot, marcona almonds and goats cheese. We also could not go past the Cecina which we missed on our previous visit in Melbourne, thin slices of air cured wagyu beef with the creamy, gooey poached egg and truffle foam was decadent and amazing, our favourite dish from our lunch. I was tempted by the churros for dessert, but I wanted to taste the Flan which blew my mind last visit and did not disappoint in Sydney, we indulged in the creme caramel which wobbled on the plate, velvety smooth we finished it within minutes.

MoVida Sydney

Sherry Cobbler and Sangria

Bread for Change

Anchoa
Artisan Cantabrian Anchovy with Smoked Tomato Sorbet 4.5 each

Pintxo de pulp gallega
Octopus Pincho served with Potato and Paprika 6.8 each

Bocata de buey
Air Baguette, Rost Biff Wagyu, Tocino de Cielo, Pickled & Black Garlic 8.5 each

Mojama
Air Cured Tuna with Beetroot, Watermelon and Marcona Almonds 19

Cecina
Air cured Wagyu Beef with Truffle Foam & a Poached Egg 21.5

Cecina

Flan
Crème Caramel served with Pestinos 14

Movida Sydney is an aboslutely great addition to Surry Hills with a great vibe, fantastic service and the food just as great as the Melbourne Institution. Now there's no need to jump on a plane, just make your way down to Surry Hills, be sure book ahead as it's so popular we were unable to book even a weekday dinner for my birthday last year, however they do have few spaces for walk ins by the bar also. As they change their menu items often, I can't wait to go back and try the other dishes.

Merry Christmas Lunch Ingham Turkey and Strawberry Santa

I hope you're all having a great start to the holiday season! I certainly am (besides not having finished my Christmas present shopping) and have kicked it off with a lovely Christmas lunch. So… I've never ever made a roast whole anything not chicken or turkey or quail and decided it was time to take the plunge when I received some Turkey samples from the wonderful people at Ingham.

One of the samples I received was the Whole Turkey Breast Buffe which came pre-marinated, making it a little less daunting for a first timer. The breast buffe weighed in at 3.6kg, and having been kept in the freezer thus far I took it out to thaw in the fridge for a couple of days (13hrs for each kg). Once it was thawed, I pat the turkey dry with paper towels, slipped some rosemary into the skin, stuffed the cavity and placed it on a rack in a roasting pan wih 2 cups of water and into my conventional oven it went. Simple! For the first hour I covered the turkey with foil and added a bit more water to the roasting pan and for the next hour I let it roast foil off until golden brown. Wanting to keep my stuffing simple I used what I had on hand – quartered lemons, rosemary, thyme and garlic. The turkey took around 2.5hours until it was roasted to perfection – a tip to use a meat thermometer so that it reaches 80C to ensure the turkey is cooked. Though the skin was not an even colour and had broken in a few places, when carving the turkey up it revealed the juicy and succulent meat which I was happy with. My family were also impressed and enjoyed our first Christmas lunch wih turkey as the centrepiece – usually we'd have sashimi and seafood…not very Christmassy. As it was my first time roasting a turkey, I was surprised at how simple and effortless it was, making my job a whole lot easier for the day.
While my turkey was roasting away I made a quick and easy warm potato salad with asparagus, leek and crispy pancetta.
As the salad only took 20mins to prepare, I also made a start on dessert Choux Pastry filled fresh cream custard – by making a custard and  combining it with fresh whipped cream you're left with an amazing to die for filling.

Ingham Whole Turkey Breast Buffe

Warm potato salad, asparagus, leek and crispy pancetta

Choux pastry with fresh whipped cream custard

Also, thank you to all the lovely readers who have commented on the Strawberry Santas I made for various Christmas gatherings 🙂 As some of you have asked for a recipe, it's very very easy to make!
Strawberry Santa Recipe
Wash the strawberries (preferably large strawaberries), remove the leaf and cut the strawberry into two 1/3 from the tip for the hat and the remaining 2/3 will be the body of the Santa. Whip some fresh cream with sugar, ensure that it is stiff so that it can hold up the strawberry hat, and squeeze some onto the body and onto the tip of the hat. Carefully place a black sesame seed for each of Santa's eyes and place the strawberry hat on top. Easy! These are perfect for decoration to a cake or impress with these super cute and easy to make snack.

Strawberry Santas

Hope you all have a safe holiday season and wishing you a Merry Chrismas!
Ayana ♡♡♡

Sub Station 152 Cafe

As I browsed a friends Rise filtered sandwich lunch from Sub Station 152, I knew I had to make a trip on the weekend. Sub Station 152 Cafe (124 McEvoy St, Alexandria) opened on 3 September 2012 and from the outside appears to be a little nook, however it has transformed from previously being an electric substation into a cute little cafe complete with a narrow outdoor area and an annex featuring a vertical garden.

 
via @annieso
 
via @annieso

The menu here is simple with a range of sandwiches and salads and also the specials. On this occaision they were offering their signature Shakshuka dish, a traditional Israeli dish with 2 free range poached eggs cooked in chunky tomato sauce with grilled vegetables and a touch of chill and fresh herbs served in a shallow pan with a side of bread. Suprisingly this is a dish I'd definitely order however on that day I was after a Poached Chicken sandwiched assembled perfecty with the freshest ingredients while Bill had the simple and homey bacon and egg roll.

Sub-Station

 
 

Poached Chicken

Bacon and Egg roll
 

Everything about Sub Station 152 screams "cute" from the size of the cafe to the wooden spoon table numbers and the highlight would be getting some sunshine in the decked outdoor area. I just loved the atmosphere of having a very relaxed brunch here for a dose of Vitamin D.

Porco Rosso

Bill having recently had a Studio Ghibli movie marathon, I decided to keep the theme going and take him to try Porco Rosso (33 Allen Street Waterloo) for our date night – doh he had already heard of Porco Rosso as he works in Alexandria. Porco Rosso is one of Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli films about an Italian ex war hero who is transformed into a pig – although we didn’t know whether the restaurant referred to the Ghibli Porco Rosso. The restaurant is hidden under a residential complex and appears to be a favourite for locals who kept popping in for take away pizzas. Reminiscent of an industrial space it is minimally decorated, concrete floors, bags of flour stacked against the glass panelled kitchen and racks of fresh pasta to dry – I especially loved the magnetic specials board with super cute letters of the alphabet.

The menu has hints of Japanese influence (see the tofu salad and edamame) and is divided into Antipasti, Salads, Pizza and Homemade Pasta. The pizzas were named in Italian numerical order and the homemade pastas were named in Japanese numerical order, both lists omitting the number four which is unlucky in Japanese cultures.
We started off with antipasti of caprese with buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of black pepper. A simple but beautiful dish, and with tomatoes being the new bananas I savour the chance to have great tomatoes out. We did get food envy when a mountain of parma prosciutto plate with carefully balancing jumbo grissini was ordered by almost all the other tables dining that night and we made a mental note to order that dish next time. Bill chose the Otto (8) pizza, a puffy and chewy crust with tomato sauce topped with fresh mozzarella, wild mushrooms, sausage and bitter radicchio. Naturally I gravitated to the Japanese influenced homemade pasta Go (5) spaghettini with mentaiko which is a chilli marinated cod roe, topped with shredded nori, fresh basil and lemon zest each ingredient present in each forkful. Normally I’d only use mentaiko with soy sauce so I loved how the basil and lemon zest added a freshness and zing to the dish. There’s no separate dessert menu but a cabinet showcasing the desserts of the night which filled as the night progressed. A strawberry custard cake with layers soft sponge cake filled with delicious fresh cream and strawberries caught my eye and a traditional tiramisu layers of coffee and marsala wine soaked chocolate cake and marscapone was the perfect decadent end to our evening.

Porco Rosso

Caprese with buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato and extra virgin olive oil

Otto (8) tomato sauce topped with fresh mozzarella, wild mushrooms, sausage, radicchio

Go (5) spaghettini with mentaiko, nori, fresh basil and lemon zest

Tiramisu

Strawberry Custard Cake

The restaurant for dinner has a very laid back vibe, perfect for a casual dinner date and I’d love to come back here for lunch as their coffee was great too. Yet another great addition to the ever growing industrial Waterloo/Alexandria area with friendly staff and great Japanese Italian ‘fusion’ food.

Four in Hand

My mum becomes some what of a foodie fan-girl whenever Colin Fassnidge makes an appearance on television, so when the time came around to book a restaurant for her birthday lunch, her first choice was naturally, Four in Hand (105 Sutherland St, Paddington). Four in Hand is nestled in the residential street of Paddington and the dining room is further hidden through the pub. We were seated in an intimate dining room with elegant dark wood floors, beneath the giant squid painting. I was excited to dine here as Four in Hand makes the most of their produce through the nose to tail cooking philosophy.

To start, complimentary Iggy's sourdough bread is served, airy and delicious, followed by an amuse bouche of basil, paprika and citrus served in a tiny cup to whet the appetite. Though their menu is on the smaller side, it was hard to decide between the dishes. Luckily between the four of us we managed to cover the most of the menu.
I could not go past the lightly seared bonito with apple and cucumber jelly with a combination of textures, flavours which was all very prettily plated, while the others ordered the beautifully presented sashimi of trout hidden beneath ribbons of radish. I continued with the white meat theme and had the roasted jewfish with deliciously smoky vegetables for a main but was envious of mum's gorgeous piece of beef, bone marrow and delicate onion rings in the most amazing cast iron plate and a side serving of green beans with hazelnut dressing. A combination which I wasn't too sure of was the spanish mackeral with prosciutto and squid gnocchi which was perfect together in an amazing seafood mussel broth while you cannot go wrong with the suckling pig served with a side of the absolutely smoothest and creamiest colcannon, an Irish mashed potato dish with kale. Dessert was an easy decision, the chocolate snickers presented much like a garden of soil of scoops of chocolate mousse ad peanuts dusted with cocoa and sprinkled with micro herbs popping out. For the brother with a peanut allergy, a caramlised ad stewed apple with a refreshing yoghurt popsicle.

Four In Hand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Four in Hand is definitely deserving of the GFG two hats, surprising flavour combinations which worked perfectly and an experience topped off with attentive and warm service. Definitely a place I would love to take Bill for a carnivorous hit and I am sure he would enjoy the braised tender meats and head to tail cooking philosophy. Loved it so much I'll also have to make our way to Four Fourteen soon.

The Grounds of Alexandria

Springs here and there's no better time to make your way to the gardens at the old Four n Twenty pie factory Building 7A, No.2 Huntley St Alexandria, or better known as "The Grounds". Oh boy, this is a long overdue post having visited The Grounds of Alexandria (Building 7A, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria) when it first opened for breakfast and a few lunches after since April 2012.

Arriving what we thought early at 9am for breakfast, we still faced a 20min wait after adding our names to the clipboard. Not to worry, it presented a great opportunity to get a takeaway coffee (their coffee is amazing!) and wander, taking in The Grounds Garden, from the wishing fountain to the herb gardens. The outdoor seating area, available for venue hire made the wait enjoyable, and we could have easily had take away coffee and some sweet delights in the garden.
We were seated outside this time with the heaters to keep us warm and shades to keep the sun out, Bill had the Breakfast Board and I the Rolled eggs which the friendly waitstaff informed was quickly becoming their signature dish. Bill's a very happy chappy when the Breakfast Board arrives with an abundance of foods styled on a wooden board, a mountain of fine double smoked ham, perfectly sliced half avocado, Persian fetta, heirloom tomato salad, two poached eggs and housemade pesto on sourdough toast with the all-important side of bacon served crispy. It's easy to see why the rolled eggs were becoming their signature – a delicious, fresh and healthy dish using seasonal produce. My perfectly cooked rolled eggs oozing yellow, looked impressive balancing atop a tower of asparagus stalks, rocket leaves, watercress and oven roasted roma tomatoes. Though the truffle oil seemed non-existent, I loved the crispy quinoa giving the dish texture and a nuttiness to the dish, easily making this a favourite for me. Just a warning, as they do use seasonal produce their "garden herbs" added in this dish can change from rocket and watercress to coriander…which I learnt the hard way on my subsequent visit – I have issues with coriander so half the dish was inedible for me the next time 😦

The Grounds of Alexandria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Breakfast Board  double smoked ham, avocado, Persian fetta, heirloom tomato, two poached eggs and housemade pesto on sourdough toast
With side bacon served crispy ($4)
 
Rolled eggs with crispy quinoa, asparagus, roasted tomatoes, garden herbs w sourdough toast

Best coffee eveeerrrrr

Other notable lunch items we've tried are the Buffalo mozarella, heirloom tomatoes and hand picked basil salad which fresh and wholesome while Bill of course rated The Grounds Burger with a thick dry aged angus beef patty, cheese, tomato, pickles, mustard and a side of chunky chips.

It was during my most recent experience at The Grounds which has left me a little wary of the uber busy establishment. Unfortunately although the floor manager did a great job circulating the gardens and reassuring us that our names were indeed on the list and updating us on waiting times which definitely made us feel better, the service in house left us disappointed. Having waited an hour to be seated, we knew exactly what we were having and immediately ordered, however as many other tables received their food prior to us although they had ordered after us I inquired with the waitress who let us know briskly they were quite busy and there may be a wait for the food to arrive. Eventually 5mins after our food arrived cold leaving us quite sad and disappointed deciding it was definitely not worth the wait.   

Still my favourite place to get a coffee in Alexandria and though I am happy to grab take away, it may be a while again before I return to dine in. The Grounds is no doubt a great warm addition to the industrial Alexandria area, also with the introduction of The Grounds Markets held each last Saturday of the month. I absolutely loved the decor and appreciated the culture and the overall character of The Grounds.

Cowbell 808

Oops, apologies for my absence…it has been a while since I've been back from Canada…but I'm back with the new kid on the Surry Hills block.

Cowbell 808 (616 Bourke St Surry Hills) is a retro inspired cafe complete with hip hop graffiti feature wall, indoor basketball hoop, a counter behind a row of old school vinyl records and lego knick knacks…I think my 80's McDonald's happy meal toys will fit right in here. The kitchen is small but they make mostly everything on the premises, even smoking their bacon and the house blend Toby's Estate made for a delicious coffee. It took a while however our food eventually arrived on our vinyl table burnt with an iron. I had the Pork 'n' beans on toast, a mountain of white beans and hearty saucy pork with a nice kick of tabasco topped with grated provolone made for a perfect brunch on this winter's day. Bill naturally wanted to try the Cowbell 808 burger a ground beef pattie, lettuce, cheese, pickles and a side of onion rings. I loved the onion rings and wished we could have ordered a side of these to share! My friend had the Grilled Eggplant roll which we agreed was the tastiest dish of the day fried cauliflower, eggplant, hommus and mint on grilled flatbread.

If you're feeling adventurous and in the need of some comfort food you can't go past the Fat Stacked Hotcakes with marscapone, bacon ice cream and espresso syrup, which we're saving for next time!

Cowbell 808
 
 
Lismore spoon
 
turn around Mr Legohead
 
Cowbell 808 Burger
 
Pork 'n' Beans on Toast
 

With our bellies full, it was off to the 18th Biennale of Sydney to check out the exhibitions on Cockatoo Island. My favourites were the Hylozic Series: Sibyl and the Dune lights in the Dog Leg Tunnel while Bill enjoyed the Living Chasm a pure water fog.

Biennale of Sydney ends 16 Sept
 
The River
 
 
 
Domesticated Turf

Domesticated Turf
Industrial doillies made of sand