Author: Ardi

Outback Steakhouse

Rating:

7 / 10
Taste: 7/10

Price: $40 per person

Place: 8/10

Review:

When you step into an Outback Steakhouse, you will experience a Wild West saloon. Outback provided us with a nice hint to their specials in their menu: just look at the highlighted item on the list.

The first dish of the day was Bloomin’ Onion ($9.95). It was a ginormous onion with dipping sauce in the middle. I wasn’t expecting a dish this big for a microscopic price. It was like ordering 5 plates of onion rings but tasted so much better than any rings I’ve ever had. It also gave a true meaning to ‘share plate’; you really MUST share this dish! The next one was No Rules Burger ($17.95). The name said it all! You can customise your burger according to the items on the list, 13 in total. The burger was quite small when compared to the bloomin’ onion that came in just before this one. Otherwise, it was just a simple burger.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take picture of the next dish: it was Original Slow-roasted Prime Rib ($28.95 for medium). There was only a tiny difference in pricing for its sizes, ergo buy the largest. As usual, the steak came in a variety of cooking, with medium-rare being my favourite choice. It also came with complimentary soup or salad of the day and freshly made side dishes. You could also order a mini main course for a fraction of the price. In this instance, we ordered Half Lobster Tail ($15.95). I think the lobster was so much better than the steak. It was cook perfectly and off its shell easily. The lobster was accompanied by butter sauce. It really accentuated the lobster’s taste whilst lessened its seafood flavour.

Lastly, we had the BBQ Beef Ribs ($33.95). With this dish, you can just forget about pretty dish presentation. It is a meat-lover dish and it should be presented the way it should: gloriously barbaric. It was a slab of smoky, chargrilled ribs with a serving of fries. The ribs was nice and juicy.

The final verdict: I dare not think calories when eating Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse. It was unbelievable and unfortunately the cheapest dish of the night.

Did you know?

Although it’s called Outback Steakhouse, this restaurant chain was actually started in America in 1988. It didn’t reach Australia until much later when the first Parklea restaurant was opened in 2001.

When I read Wikipedia, they mentioned that Outback’s Cheese chips dish was one of the unhealthiest dishes in America – and I missed it!

Details:

Level 1, 3 George Street, North Strathfield, NSW 2137

+61 2 8756 5741

http://www.outbacksteakhouse.com.au/

May 27, 2012
Suminoya

Rating:

8 / 10

Taste: 8.5/10

Price: $55 per person

Place: 7/10

Review:

I have always loved Suminoya for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to write about it, but I always had a problem putting together writing and pictures that represent Suminoya. My apology since there is a discrepancy between picture and real life condition. The price has now increased by $5.

If you see the menu, there are plenty of dishes to choose from. You have a choice between gourmet and premium buffet. With premium buffet, you can order as much Sashimi as you want with other fantastic additional dishes along the way. It’s no brainer that I would choose the premium buffet, considering that you only pay $8 more for it. There is also an option to get as much Calpis drink as you want for an extra $5.

I will start off with the Sashimi. They have a range of Salmon, Kingfish, Tuna, Beef, and Squid. Even if you eat just the Sashimi for the whole night, you’ll get a massive value for your money! In line with the Sashimi, they also have Yukke. It’s a marinated raw beef with egg yolk. I know some people might stay away from it, but if you are really adventurous you really must order this. This is the best Yukke I have ever tasted.

With premium buffet, you can order unlimited number of plates for Beef Tongue and Beef Ribs Finger. You get one plate each for the gourmet one. The good news is, they have upgraded their beef to Wagyu for the new menu! There is also Chicken Gristles for bone-crushers. This dish requires a good understanding on how to cook chicken and you really must not eat it raw.

From the seafood department, you can always order Scallops, pre-chilled Unagi, and Garlic Prawns. Like its Sashimi, this seafood was incredibly fresh. It is highly recommended that you cook them through to avoid any food poisoning.

For those of you who don’t really like to cook your food, Suminoya also provided you with a small range of cooked dishes. On this occasion, I tried to order Beef Komutan which is a soup-based dish. There is also a range of salad like Seafood Salad and the always tasty dried seaweed.

The final verdict: Suminoya is one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney. Their Yukke and Sashimi are to die for!

Did you know?

I am really ecstatic to see that Suminoya is now part of the Entertainment Book. Since this is the restaurant that I will always go to, 25% off doesn’t sound so bad!

Do me a favour and buy this book… You won’t regret it and I guarantee you’ll save a lot more than what you pay for the book!

PS: I wasn’t paid to say all these!!

Details:

1 Hosking Place, Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9231 2177

http://yakiniku.com.au/suminoya/

May 9, 2012
World’s Restaurant of the Year 2012

Congratulations to Noma from Denmark for the hat-trick at the top of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants!

Asia’s best restaurant is now at the hand of Iggy’s at number 26! In addition to Iggy’s, Singapore also had 3 other restaurants in the top 100.

Australia is still represented by four restaurants this year, but we have a shift in ranking.

Quay is still at the top of the list at 29, although overall they were down 3 spots in this year’s Restaurant of the Year 2012 list.

Marque is the new number two and sitting at 61. They went up by 3 this year.

Attica also went down by 10 to number 63.

The worst performer, but still managed to hang on to the top 100 spot is Tetsuya’s. They are now at 76, down 18 spots.

May 1, 2012
Pier Restaurant

Update 17 September 2012: Unfortunately, Pier Restaurant has closed its doors in June.

Rating:

8 / 10 Taste: 8/10

Price: $100 pp ($119 degustation)

Place: 9/10

Review:

There are a few restaurants in Sydney with a more stunning view than Pier Restaurant whilst commanding a fantastic dining experience. Pier Restaurant is located in a posh suburb of Rose Bay with a view of the harbour and plenty of boats.

There were two choices of Market Menu or Six-Course Degustation menu. We thought that we would get more variety by ordering the Market Menu and I didn’t really fancy the degustation menu since they only served chocolate for dessert.

Cones of King Salmon – Ocean Trout

Our first dish was cones of king salmon and ocean trout. It was presented on a desk-like plate in a crispy cone. The fish was accompanied by capers, salt, and garlic. It was a really refreshing start to the day. I liked the trout better since it had more flavour than Salmon.

They could also serve kingfish or yellow fin tuna for this cone.

Whiting Carpaccio – soft herb leaves – lime water vinaigrette

Our first entrée of the day was whiting carpaccio. It was a very delicately and nicely decorated carpaccio with a surprisingly generous serving. The vinaigrette complemented the carpaccio well. It was light and had a touch of summer in this autumn season.

Spanner Crab Gazpacho – avocado mousse – almond oil

In contrast, the second entrée was a really heavy one. This was the chef’s representation of the Spanish Gazpacho. It was very rich in flavour and there was also this strong taste. The strong taste was softened by mixing the delicate avocado mousse. The centrepiece of it was soft-boiled spanner crab. It provided yet another dimension to the dish. Lastly, it was accentuated by green leaves and almond oil. Definitely not your typical Gazpacho!

Rangers Valley Sirloin – watercress – chips – bordelaise glaze

We ordered the only non-seafood main course in the menu, medium-rare sirloin. I was again amazed with the size of the sirloin. The steak was covered in black sauce and I had a suspicion that it was Indonesian’s traditional ‘Petis’ sauce. I am glad I was wrong and it turned out to be a nice complement to the steak.

Roasted Barramundi – braised cos – shimeji mushrooms – mushroom consommé

For the second main course, they poured the consommé after the dish was in front of us. This allowed the barramundi to be further roasted whilst on the plate. Cos was used to accentuate the plate on an otherwise monochromatic display. The fish was extra soft and perfectly cooked inside with a very crunchy skin.

Kiwi Fruit Vacherin – yoghurt meringue – apple sorbet – basil – mint

I didn’t need to ask the waiter what’s good for the dessert. The description said it all. It was just great, except for the meringue that looked a bit gooey. This dessert was a busy one. It showed multilayer of complexities, from the crunchy crumble, icy sorbet, basil seed and minty flavour.

Strawberry & Guava Soufflé – strawberry sauce – strawberry crème

My mind was made up even before I looked at the menu because I noticed it when the waiter brought this dish somewhere else. It was an eye-catching presentation with a little pre-serving routine. The waiter cut the soufflé open and poured the sauce in it. It literally melted in your mouth and was heavenly smooth. The cream provided an extra dimension of cold.

The final verdict: Pier restaurant’s dishes were surprisingly massive, compared to other degustation restaurants. It was a really long and satisfying lunch for us. High quality of food and service as expected from this one-hat restaurant. However, there wasn’t anything spectacular to warrant a comparison to a three-hat restaurant.

Did you know?

Pier was one of the top restaurants in Australia with three-hat status from 2007 to 2010. However, the unthinkable happened in 2011 where they lost two hats and had been a one-hat ever since.

Details:

594 New South Head Road, Rose Bay, NSW 2029

+61 2 9327 6561

http://www.pierrestaurant.com.au/ – The restaurant has closed and replaced by The Sailors Club

Apr 26, 2012
Kensington Peking Restaurant

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: $25 per person

Place: 6.5/10

Review:

I have heard about this legendary Peking duck restaurant for ages but I haven’t got the chance to visit. I can proudly say that I have now visited Kensington Peking restaurant twice after my initial visit almost a month ago!

Without further ado, I present you the indescribable Peking duck. For the whole duck, we got three-course meal out of it – not bad for a $41 price tag! First course of the duck was Peking duck with side dishes of pancake, cucumber, spring onion, and hoisin sauce. I really couldn’t stop enjoying the crispiness of its skin and the juicy meat.

San choy bow was the second duck course. It was not really my favourite dish since there were a lot more vegetables involved than I would like to. The third course was Noodles with shredded duck. This one was actually a distant last in the actual order of appearance, as with any noodles in a Chinese restaurant.

My group and I had a different opinion about the next dish, drunken chicken. Most of them didn’t like it since it was cold and looked unappetising. On the other hand, I found that the chicken was really great with the rice wine and it was the cheapest dish of the day! I also liked our next dish, Shredded beef, and this time I wasn’t alone. The beef was extra crunchy, fried to perfection and a lot less oily.

Just when you thought you had enough of anything fried, we also ordered salt and pepper white bait. It’s just like the better tasting white baits all over town. The white baits here were slightly fatter, thus meatier, than normal. I kinda like the crunchy one, but the taste was still better than the average. Steamed fish ginger and shallot had a bit more than average shallots but the fish fillets.

I wouldn’t comment the last two dishes since they were just stir-fried vegetables. One was all greens and the other had tofu and beansprouts.

The final verdict: Kensington Peking really lived up to my expectations! They have (in cost-benefit term) the most cost effective Peking duck compared to its taste.

Did you know?

There were plenty of Easter shows happening around Sydney. We went to the one in Entertainment Quarter. It was a free event with a lot less goody bags, but it was still heaps of fun.

Details:

172 Anzac Parade, Kensington NSW 2033

+61 2 9313 7100

Apr 16, 2012
Musashi Dining Bar

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7/10

Price: $35 per person

Place: 8/10

Review:

Musashi dining bar is a special type of Japanese restaurant called Izakaya. Wikipedia defined izakaya as ‘Japanese drinking establishment for after-work drinking’. Historically, izakaya paid more attention to its assortments of drinks. However, Musashi also developed a nice range of platters that can actually be enjoyed on its own.

Two of our first dishes came in sizzling hot plates. It was perfectly cooked BBQ John Dorry slices with sides of vegetables and Teriyaki sauce. We were then indulged by the succulent Wagyu Yakiniku. I couldn’t get enough of medium-rare beef, wagyu-style.

Their Aburi Salmon Sushi was really interesting. It was very lightly grilled and pre-soaked in soy sauce. 5 slices of sushi were laid out on top of pandan leaf with a blob of wasabi. If you need more rice and less meat, I suggest you order Onigiri Sake – Salmon Onigiri. It’s a traditional Japanese rice ball with a twist of salmon.

Personally, I think Musashi’s best dish of the night was its Musashi Bento Box. It was a bento box like no other and packed with loads of goodies: 1 crumbed deep fried prawn, 1 crumbed deep fried fish fillet, 1 potato croquette, 4 pieces sushi, 2 pieces sushi roll, teriyaki chicken and 10 pieces sashimi. This bento was like a showpiece of half of the menu!

As an izakaya, Musashi had a nice range of mocktails and cocktails. For me, it couldn’t get any better than a refreshingly sweet Musashi Blue – Lychee. If you still have enough room after all these, then Green Tea Brulee would be the perfect ending to the night.

The final verdict: If you were to order one dish, then my advice was clearly the Musashi Bento Box in Musashi Dining Bar. It had the most complete elements in a bento box!

Did you know?

Musashi is located on the Capitol Square. It is also the home of Capitol Theatre, best place in town to watch plays. For computer enthusiasts, the second floor of capitol square is a heaven on earth.

Musashi used to have an excellent okonomiyaki. For some reasons, they are not doing it again.

Details:

447 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9280 0377

http://www.musashirestaurant.com.au/ (The Website is currently inactive)

Mar 27, 2012