Author: Ardi

Laura y Oriol Grande Fiesta

It is another appreciation week on my blog, Laura y Oriol Grande Fiesta. I present you 2 Spanish chefs (I don’t believe you guys are actually doctors) who cooked fabulous food for us.

Terms:

If you know all about Spanish food, you can skip this part.

Gazpacho: Blended tomato, red pepper, onion, garlic, and cucumber soup with a hint of olive oil and vinegar.

Tortilla de patatas: Potato Omelette.

Escalivada: Oven-baked eggplants and red peppers in Olive Oil

Nachos con Guacamole: Avocado sauce with tomato, coriander, and cream cheese, served with nachos.

Salmon with balsamic and pesto sauce: Signature dish of the day. Lightly grilled salmon with caramelised balsamic vinegar and pesto (olive oil, pine nut, basil, and parmesan) sauce.

Arroz con leche: Rice with milk cooked with lemon peel, sugar and cinnamon stick.

Experience:

It all started in Setiabudhi where we gathered all the ingredients for the night’s fiesta (no, I don’t get paid for advertising the store :P). After much debate on what ingredients to buy and with double and triple checking of the stuffs needed, we still missed the main ingredient: parmesan (mainly due to my mistake on thinking cheddar = parmesan).

Without further ado, we begin the night with two starters. We have Gazpacho soup and Tortilla de patatas. Gazpacho on its own presented us with taste-building appetite perfect to open the night. The soup was both savoury and fresh. For an extra fill, we can dip toasted bread into it. Our second starter for the night was a massive potato omelette. I don’t want to think how much carb it had, but it was very tasty and filling, especially if you put extra pesto sauce on it.

The next three dishes could actually be enjoyed together, but the salmon is written last to put an emphasis on. Nachos con Guacamole is originated from Mexico. It provides the crisp taste for the meal. Escalivada was my favourite vegetable dish. They were simply baked and peeled off with a generous pour of salt and olive oil.

What makes the Salmon with balsamic and pesto sauce special? It was the couple’s signature dish, perfected after years of evolution. Described as a Spanish cuisine with Mediterranean influence, the salmon was mixed with balsamic vinegar and generously poured pesto sauce. The combination gave us a rich and unique flavour of juicy pink salmon, sweet and strong balsamic vinegar, and tasty pesto sauce.

By the time we finish the dishes, we hardly have any space left on our tummy. Luckily, the dessert, Arroz con leche, was actually better when refrigerated first. Oriol illustrated this dessert as an alternative way to enjoy rice; and he was right. With the added sprinkle of cinnamon powder, Arroz con leche was refreshingly sweet.

Did you know?

Laura and Oriol are both from Barcelona, Catalonia (not España!). Although similar to Spanish language, Catalans have their own dialect,culture and/or food. Additionally, their city is home of the world’s best restaurant, El Bulli.

Location:

Inggita’s home, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

Mar 11, 2010
Hot Cui Mie

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7/10

Price Range: Rp. 15,000 –

Rp. 20,000 » $1.8 – $2.4

Place: 7/10

Terms:

This will be a new section that briefly explains the terms I use in the review.

Gorengan: It’s like deep fried wonton/dumpling without the meat.

Kulit Ayam: Deep Fried Crispy Chicken Skin

Udang Rambutan: Deep-fried prawn balls that are shaped like Rambutan fruit.

Review:

If you look at the price range, there was no typo there. That’s just how ‘affordable’ (if you don’t want to say cheap) food can be in Indonesia. As a general rule, when we go food hunting in Indonesia, it’s the taste that matters.

Hot Cui Mie presents us with a unique bowl of noodles. Their signature dish is Hot Cui Mie Ayam Jamur(Chicken and Mushroom). The bowl was coated with gorengan and the noodles is served with deep fried chicken and mushroom with spicy sauce (and some veggies, of course). For those of you who don’t like it spicy, they also provide us with the No Hot version.

We ordered Kulit Ayam and Udang Rambutan for starters. Both starters came with sweet and sour dipping sauce for extra taste. Kulit ayam were deep fried to a point where it still retains the softness of chicken skin, yet it’s crispy on the outside. It also filled us up incredibly quickly before the main arrived.

Udang Rambutan wasn’t well presented. It looked like a plate full of crackers. You had to dig into the crackers to actually get the prawn ball. Their prawn ball was also filled with quail egg.

For the drink, I would suggest you to order Iced Mocha. However this is not the regular mocha coffee that you’ll find in coffee shops across Australia. Instead, you will get slices of avocado in shaved ice with chocolate milk. I like this drink a lot since it is refreshingly sweet.

Did you know?

There was the big mud flood incident near the city of Porong years ago that causes the trip from Surabaya to Malang doubles. The government built natural barrier to isolate the mud. ‘Lumpur Lapindo’, as the locals said it, can still be seen on your way to Malang.

Surabaya citizens normally go to Malang or Tretes for a quick weekend getaway since it has cooler temperature than the scorching hot city life.

Location:

Ruko Kawi Atas 43-B, Malang, East Java, Indonesia

Mar 3, 2010
Poong Charcoal Korean BBQ

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7/10

Price Range: $11-$15 per dish

Place: 7/10

Review:

Poong charcoal korean bbq restaurant is pretty unique in a way that it presents us with a traditional-styled restaurant. The decors were excessively ‘ordinary’ and everything was painted in green. There was no adequate exhaust fan for the smoke generated from the pot so I would advise you NOT to wear fancy outfit. Despite all these drawbacks, the restaurant caught my attention because of the hominess feeling and of course it is pretty cheap as you go with more people.

Normally we go into the restaurant from the back entrance through an alley. There will be no a la carte menu in this restaurant and You will be cooking your own food on a burning-hot charcoal mesh. It is important to cook your food fast as it will be burnt pretty quickly if you are not aware.

There’s not much variety of food they offer and their menu is presented in Korean with a loosely translated English (e.g. Beef triple, Beef Skirt Slice). They do serve Korean Soju (rice wine) or Beer that you can try.

One must-order dish that I would recommend is Marinated BBQ Spare Ribs. You will get two layered, boned-in spare ribs that you can cut to your bite size. The meat is very juicy and a little bit BBQ-sweet. No matter how you cook it (from medium raw to well done), it will still be soft and tender. Once you’re done with the meat, I would also recommend you to cook the leftover bone for its tasty tendon.

As a side dish, you will be given complimentary kimchi and a plate of assorted raw vegetables. You will also be given sesame oil and homemade sauce – tastes a little bit hot and sour, like kimchi. The drink is served in an aluminium container/cup and there’s an additional charge for rice.

Did you know?

For the daredevils, you are welcomed to try Poong’s authentic Korean cold noodle, called Arrowroot & Cold Noodle Soup. My not-so-much-of-a-fan illustration of this noodle would be: it’s grey noodle chucked into crushed ice with Kimchi sauce and some vegeteables.

I’m pretty sure they like it a lot but it’s not suited to my tastebud.

Parking space is available in nearby Canterbury RSL.

Location:

Corner Canterbury Rd and Griffiths St, Canterbury, NSW, Australia

Feb 25, 2010
Churrasco Brazilian Style BBQ

Rating:

7 / 10

9/10 for its Cheese Bread

Taste: 7/10

Price Range: $35

Place: 7.5/10

Review:

The first thing you need to know about Churrasco Brazilian style BBQ: All You Can Eat Steak. So, please empty your stomach before you heads out to Churrasco. Also, as with every other famous restaurant: book in advance to avoid disappointment.

They have a unique style of serving your meal. Waiters will walk up and down the restaurant offering you the meat they have on the plate or skewers. They give you a two-sided, coloured badge that is used to indicate whether you want to eat or rest. Normally, I just put mine on Green all the way. Sim, Por Favor ^_^

If I may categorise, their churrascaria is divided into two: the common lot and the uncommon dishes.Throughout the night, they will give out the common beef cuts like Sirloin, Rump, Eye Fillet, Scotch Fillet and BBQ Chicken. But, you must keep an eye on the uncommon ones that only passes once every 15 minutes or so. Sausages, lamb, ham, and pork are among the uncommon dishes.

There is one particular dish that I love the most: the Cheese Bread. It is the tastiest bread I’ve ever eaten! This dish rarely comes out, only once every half hour. It’s basically cheese that is baked and plumped like bread, but it still retains the rubbery and tasty feel of a cheese.

To accompany the meal, you will be given three sauces (chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete) and three side dishes (Rice, Red Beans, and Potatoes).I will give you an explanation of what the sauces are since most of you have never heard about it before. As you can see from the pic, Chimichurri is the orange sauce, farofa is the one that look like bread crumb, and vinagrete is the tomato vinegar. I suggest you to mix the chimichurri with farofa to start of with and add vinagrete towards the end of your meal.

For the drink, if you don’t drink Caipirinha or Palma Louca (Brazil’s most famous beer), I would suggest you to drink Guaraná Antarctica. This drink is fantastic and only available in Churrasco (couldn’t find anywhere else in Sydney).

Did you know?

For those of you who are vegetarians: Bad Luck, because this restaurant is not meant to be for you ^_^ The only green that you’ll see in the menu is Zucchini. They serve salad for an extra $10.50 a bowl, which I suggest not to try.

Location:

240 Coogee Bay Road, Coogee, NSW, Australia

http://www.churrasco.com.au/

02 9665 6535

Feb 18, 2010
Four Seasons Wedding Banquet

Four Seasons Wedding Banquet Experience

This week, I’m not gonna make a verdict on a particular restaurant, but I’m gonna tell you my experience of eating at my friend’s fantastic wedding Banquet (Congratulations Caro and Joel ^_^) that was held in Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney on the 23^rd January 2010.

As you can see from the menu above, the dinner was a three-course dinner with cakes and coffees at the end. There is also a choice of red, white, and sparkling wines to choose from. The courses are alternated between guests.

My first course of the night was Antipasto plate. Basically, it’s a plate full of veggies with prosciutto, bocconcini cheese and “carpet slipper” (Italian translation) bread. I couldn’t comment on the prosciutto because I gave it away to Jerry, but the cheese was fabulous. It was perfect bite-size, soft and yummy… Just what I need to build my appetite!

At the other side of the table, they had Prawn & Green Pea Risotto as the entrée menu. I couldn’t really comment on that besides it looked green and prawny.

After a few speeches from everyone plus the MC trying to dance or something, the main course was served. This time, I got the Beef Tenderloin in Red Wine Sauce. It was served on top of garlic potates and spinach (I guess). And lucky enough, I had the most perfectly grilled beef of the night (after talking with other friends on the table). The beef was cooked medium-rare, just to my liking, so that it still leaves the juicy and tender taste.

Again, at the other side of the table, they had Paper Bark Smoked Lamb Rump, which I could only take the picture of.

After the dance and a lot more picture-taking sessions, comes the dessert for the night: a White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berry Compote & Almond Tulip. The cake was a combination of the sweet and fruity.

Alternate dessert was Sticky Date Pudding in Butterscotch sauce that they said was really, really sweet.

Then, the best attraction of the night came in after dessert, the wedding cake. This was not just an ordinary cake; it was The Infamous Croquembouche. Croquembouche, as the French said, means ‘Crunch in the Mouth’. You can literally crunch it then had it melt away in your mouth at the same time. Croquembouche is made of a cone of profiteroles threaded together in caramel with sugar coating and fruits. On the second picture, you will be able to see the glassy golden texture of the caramel on the profiterole.

The night was closed by an assortment of chocolates and coffee of your choice (or more Wines if you could still walk)…

Additional Information:

Four Seasons has a fantastic lounge that serves daily Crème Brulee. You get a different kind of crème brulee each day (or so they say). It’s really good and also a good place to just chill out after a day’s work.

Location and Time of Visit:

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

199 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Feb 4, 2010
Hurricanes Steakhouse

Rating:

8 / 10

Taste: 8/10

Price Range: $26 – $50

Place: 8.5/10

Hurricanes Steakhouse review

Before we talk about Hurricanes steakhouse, make sure you pick up your phone and call in advance before you head out to the restaurant. If you don’t do it, prepare to wait for 1 – 1.5 hours to get a table.

Now the million-dollar question is: why would people want to wait for 1.5 hours just to eat in a restaurant?

It is simply the ribs! Whether you choose to have pork or lamb, they’re equally exquisite. You can literally rip the ribs off the bone! I would recommend you to share a full rack of lamb (or pork) for two due to its massive size.

Optionally, you can choose to have a half rack and chicken. Their Portuguese-style chicken is better than Oporto’s and apparently their head chef was from Portugal.

To complement my ribs, I normally ordered Onion Rings and/or Garlic Mushrooms to share with others.They’re a nice addition to it because the ribs plate only has fries. They also give us complimentary brown bread.

For a complete dinner experience, I would suggest you to order Rocket & Parmigiano (in Balsamic Vinaigrette). If rocket is not your favourite, they also have a whole range of salad.

Did you know?

If full rack of lamb is not enough for you, Hurricane’s has the answer you need, a 1 kg Rump or T-bone steak. This ‘monster’ or its ‘Goliath’ cousin will surely test your tummy to its limit. Not surprisingly, it is also the Best value for money ^_^

Hurricane’s is located at the heart of Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondi_Beach,_New_South_Wales).In the summer time, it is always packed with people trying to get sunburnt ^_^ Just around corner, there’s the self-titled ‘world-famous’ deep-fried Mars Bar.

Details:

130 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

http://hurricanesgrill.com.au/

02 9130 7101

Jan 28, 2010