Good Food Month comes to an end for another year

Last stop was Intercontinental 's sugar hit which was quite good considering the my friend's comments were all that flash. There was suggestions it was too similar to last year's. The place was still under renovation at the start of the good food month so some people was having their sugar hit upstairs.

a longer update later.

Noodle Markets @ Hyde Park plus Chocolate workshop at Essential Ingredient and Westin Sugar hit !

The Noddle Markets features Banana Blossom , Zilver , East Ocean ,Wagamama , Cargo Bar , Serependity Ice-cream , Dutch Pancakes ( can't remember the name of it) and more.

I still remember the first time I experience Noddle Markets where they had Sailors Thai and other famous restaurants offering overall more variety but unfortunately in the past few years the variety of food has declined ( correct me if I'm wrong) since I remember more than 3 outlets serving satays.

This year I got that just on time just as the market started luckily managing to find a parking spot next to St Marys Cathedral. Had a walk around the stalls before meeting with J.


Eventually decided to start off with the rice balls $9 from Banana Blossom. It was covered minced pork and vegetables , had to dig one out for the photo.

Next was dutch pancakes which charged extra 50c for fruit and other extras unlike last year fruit was included in the price. For $9 you get a plate of dutch pancakes and choice of 2 toppings.


Wagamama offered 2 sides and 3 noodles. Sweet potato kusabi for $4 was the good value for money. The sauce ( basil and wasbi mayonnaise) complemented the potatoes quite well but lack the taste of wasabi.

Last but not least Serependity ice-cream tried the fig and vanilla and chocolate . Chocolate was better than the fig and vanilla since really couldn't taste the fig.







Quickly off to the next Good Food Month event Chocolate workshop with Thomas Schnetzler at Essential Ingredient at Crows Nest. The night composed of a explanation of how chocolate behaviours at various temperatures and tempering chocolate. There were 6 tables but 2 was doing the same thing. Thomas showed us how to make 3 types of truffles dark , mocca and earl grey. The remain table was making almond crunch.


The 2 hours flew by so quick. Everyone was waiting for the chocolates to set since some of them needed to be in the fridge. There some left to take home.

Next stop sugar hit at Westin since we were so close to city about 8kms I think. Not as value for money as the sampler plates at the other hotels but banana mousse on top of the aloe vera jelly offered something different.

Good Food Month

GFM is on again.
Sugar hits I would recommend Intercon as its nearly the best one every year.
http://gfm.smh.com.au/
Wouldn't mind trying a few of the special lunches for $35 since $35 at Aria one of top restaurants inSydney ain;t bad.

Hats on Hats off

Sydney Morning Hearld rates restaurants each year
So for 2008


3 hats
Bilson's
Bilson's Restaurant
Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney
27 O'Connell Street
Sydney NSW 2000
+61 (0) 2 8214 0496


Claude's
10 Oxford Street Woollahra, NSW 2025
Phone: +61 -2-9331 2325

est.
est. restaurant
Level 1, 252 George Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
02 9240 3010

Marque
355 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph : +61 2 9332 2225 Fax : +61 2 9332 3090

Quay
Overseas Passenger Terminal,
The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Tel: (61 2) 9251 5600
Fax:(61 2) 9251 5609

Tetsuya's
TETSUYA'S RESTAURANT NSW
529 KENT STREET SYDNEY
Telephone : +61 2 9267 2900
Fax : +61 2 9262 7099



2Hats
Aria
ARIA Restaurant
1 Macquarie Street
East Circular Quay
Sydney 2000
Tel: +61 2 9252 2555


Becasse
Bentley Restaurant & Bar
Bisto Moncur
Buon Ricordo
Forty One
Guillaume at Bennelong
Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
Lucio's, Pilu at Freshwater
Restaurant Balzac
Rockpool
Sean's Panaroma
Yoshii



1 Hats

Assiette

Astral
Level 17
80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont Sydney
1800 700 700
or international + 61 2 9777 9000.

Azuma
Level 1, Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square
(Cnr. of Phillip & Hunter Street)
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel : (02) 9222 9960


Billy Kwong

355 Crown Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

02 9332 3300

Bird Cow Fish

Bistro CBD


Bistro Ortolan
Bistrode
The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay
buzo
Catalina,
Fish Face
Flying Fish
Forbes & Burton
Four in Hand Dining Room
Foveaux Restaurant + Bar
Galileo
glass
Glebe Point Diner
Grand National
il piave
Longrain
Lotus
Milsons
Oscillate Wildly
Otto
Pello
Perama
Pier Tasting Room
Restaurant Atelier
Salon Banc
Restuarant Soujourn
Sailors Thai Restaurant
The Wharf
Three Clicks West
Yings

More links to come.

Fink Cafe

Apart from lindt and max breener there is Fink Chocolate Cafe in Lane Cove. It only opens till 5:30pm on weekdays and weekends 3pm. Its next to main road Burns Bay Road so it might be a bit noisy with traffic. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. The sampler for $15 is worth trying to share between two even though is quite hard to share since there are chocolates and crepes in it.





Sampler : ice-cream, crepe, brownie and more $15


Hot chocolate $4

Fink Chocolate Cafe
225 Burns Bay Road
Lane Cove

Homemade meal

The easiest way to combine vegetables and meat into some what healthy dish is to either to cook it with noddles or rice. Latter option seems to be the norm. Ingredients were red /green capsicum , onion , shiitake mushrooms , tofu fish balls , pork, carrot ,broccoli stalks and chinese meat mushroom balls. It tasted a little bland without much sauce. Tp be healthy you meant to eat 30 different food which must include fruit , meat and vegeatbles. I heard that on the radio which was meant to be a view taken by Japanese researchers.

Mickey's @ Paddington

After golf at Moore Park , lindt was meant to be our next stop but by that time Lindt was closed. I suggested Mickey's. Was a bit dissapointing since the cookies and cream cheesecake was bit hard since I think I had the last piece of day. For the Turkish delight sundae my friend expected there to be wrapped with the chocolate not just the filling he was pretty dissapointed with that.





268 Oxford Street
Paddington
9361 5157

Homemade desserts

This was third time I made creme brulee but this time for one batch I didn't put them in ramekins. Instead I put it in a baking square dish. Use a cartoon of eggs all in one day to make it. I don't think I ever will use so many eggs in a day.

Creme Brulee in progrees in the oven Was a bit worried if was going to be cooked evenly.

After around 35mins in the oven it was cooked but somehow I ended up with cracks.

The end result was good except someone had already took chunks out of it before I put the sugar in top. It doesn't look as professional at the restaurant ones since I don't have one of those guns to put a nice solid suagry top so putting in the oven was the best I could do.

Green tea ice-cream sundae with red bean. Credit to my family friend who loves baking cakes :p.The green team ice-cream was homemade while there was a break in playing poker :P.

Gelato stop number 2 this year Gelatomassi @ Newtown

After searching for Gelatomassi at Newtown for about 10mins finally found it opposite Dendy Cinemas. Was greeted by the owner introducing the banana spilt sundae but we were too busy looking at the flavours. After Bella Gelati I have the expectation that good gelato shops stock at least 3 or 4 unique flavours. I was a little dissapointed to find only watermelon and cherry ripe.









With my love for chocolate I had try the Belgian chocolate which look so smooth and before you taste you know is going to be nice. Pistachio Nut was very nice it retained its nutty taste while able to be sweet enough to be not overpowering. Watermelon tasted very fruity but the after taste was a bit too sweet.

Gelatomassi Newtown

262 King St Newtown NSW 2042

Phone (02) 9516 0655

Fax (02) 9516 0755

Grower's Market at Pyrmont Bay Park update 1

Finally after a 2 month wait Grower's Market is back. Was going to go December but didn't ended up going. Arrived at around 9 o'clock but had to wait for my friend who had a card for free parking at Starcity. First time at the markets walked around too much without buying much until it was too late the peaches was so sweet and tasted so fresh. " you see it you buy it " ( said by the store owner of the peach and apple store). Update more about it soon.




Ended buying chocolate and cocount cake , pistachio with something I can't remeber cake hee , chocolate brioche and walnut and honey pancake (honey was so very sweet)
$10 for 2 I prefer the Raspberry & Apple not as sweet.

Nam Dining Room @ Bondi Beach

Decision was made on having Thai/ Vietnamse food since we were quite hungry after shopping at Bondi Westfields and obvious my friend being vietnamese. We ordered the only dish which had any resemblance to vietnamse food Calamari with special vietnamse sauce. As you can see from the photo it looked like more just fish sauce mixed with soya sauce. Luckily the best was coming up Jungle Curry with chicken ( without coconut cream) and sauteed prawns with green mango salad. With the right mix of spicness and sourness the Jungle curry was best curry I tasted for ages. The prawns with the mango salad was nice combination , this the first I have eaten green mango. The restaurant has a slick modern feel to it with wooden tables and red lantern like lights. The only downside was we waited so long for our dishes where there was only about 6 tables occupy.

$12 Calamari with special vietnamse sauce ( not great value)

$16 Jungle Curry with chicken ( should had it with lamb)

$17 Sauteed Prawns with Green Mango Salad

Kenta @ Neutral Bay

Planned to go to Kintaro but it was closed for renovations till the 28th so we headed across the street to the Japanese BBQ Koh- Ya Yakiniku but that was all booked out as well. Finally ended up at Kenta but that was busy too , lucky there was a spare table just as we entered. I ordered the Fish Tonkatsu while my friend ordered the Beef Steak. Both came with miso soup and rice. Apart from the beef being a little too salty it was pretty good.

81 Military Road
Neutral Bay
9953 5422

Buffet @ Cafe Mix

Wasn't expecting to go to buffet. The night started off on a good note by somehow finding probably the only three parking spots in the Rocks that needed no ticket! Our seat was about 2 metres from the Lobster , oyster and the prawns. Lobsters were a nic szie but had a bland close to tasteless taste. The best dessert was the gelato ice-cream with hazelnut being the best.






Cafe Mix
Level One Shangri-La Hotel
176 Cumberland Street
The Rocks NSW 2000
9250 6000

Bella Gelati @ Neutral Bay

A variety of fruity gelato flavours. The combination of Rockmelon and Vanilla Blueberry Mascarpone complemented each other very well.

Bella Gelati
Shop 2/ 158 Military Rd Neutral Bay 2089
9904 5044