Category: Modern Australian

The term Modern Australian arises when the influence of globalisation, mainly the exotic flavour of South East Asians, is fused with contemporary food.

West Juliett

Review:

One weekend, my friends took me to a café that I was not quite aware of (it was out of my area). When we arrived at the café, I noticed that it was the café that was always busy when I went past it a few times. The name of the café is West Juliett.

The café described itself as making simple rustic food and coffee. At first I was quite afraid of the queue, but apparently it moved along quite quickly. Since there were three of us, we only ordered three items on the menu.

Breakfast plate of leg ham, ricotta, avocado, poached egg, tomato, toast – $16.90

You got each one of the items stated in the menu in a fashion that reminds me of children lining up their food on the plate. The description on the menu can also serves as a check box: poached egg…tick! Well, butter is not on the list but it was on the plate!

It is obviously rustic… but it is way too simple!

Soft scrambled eggs, cured salmon, sorrel, yoghurt, fennel on toast – $18.90

The soft scrambled eggs dish was more fitting to the rustic description in my imagination. It was simple, yet well presented!

On a side note: the yoghurt was pretty sour to eat on its own.

Poached eggs, avocado, feta, parsley, cress, lemon, dukkah on toast – $16.90

The dish was the best looking out of the three that we ordered on the day. It was full of green vegetables with the poached eggs and toast hiding underneath.

All elements in the dish also married up perfectly.

The final verdict for West Juliett

It felt like your typical weekend brunch at West Juliett. I love the fact that despite the queue we actually got the seat quite quickly. The dishes were pretty big. The taste was also there.

Did you know?

We also ordered the coffee but it was quite so-so. The milkshake was also quite ordinary especially when compared to similar restaurants around the area.

Rating for West Juliett:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $11 – $19 for big dishes

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

30 Llewellyn Street, Marrickville 2204

+61 2 9519 0101

https://www.facebook.com/westjuliettcafe

Jun 5, 2015
The Cellar Restaurant

Review:

This week, we were in a pretty rare occasion that we actually decided to stay, rather than having a return trip to Hunter Valley for the weekend. After some discussions with the family, we decided to eat at The Cellar Restaurant in the Hunter Valley Gardens. It’s also because not a lot of restaurants are opened on Friday night.

House sourdough roll, Olio Mio olive oil, dukkah and beetroot relish – $3

The sourdough roll was accompanies by Hunter Valley’s Olio Mio olive oil. The usual suspects (dukkah and beetroot) completed the dish.

Yorkshire pudding with braised Wagyu skirt and horseradish crème fraiche – $6

We ordered the Yorkshire because a lot of people have been talking about it in Urbanspoon. The portion is pretty small, so sharing is NOT an option. All I can say is: It is awesome and it is a must-order dish!

Indian spiced kangaroo with sweet potato and onion bhajis, pickled carrots, lentil dhal and coriander yoghurt – $26

I am pretty sure there is no kangaroos in India. So, having an Indian spiced kangaroo was sort of interesting. What’s more interesting was that the taste actually worked!

Free range duck confit with beetroot and eschallot tart tatin and Seville orange marmalade sauce – $39

I only tried a little piece of the duck and my wife said it was lovely.

300gr Cape Grim grass fed sirloin with anchovy and parsley butter – $32

It was a bit of a gamble for me ordering this main dish considering that I am VERY particular about my steak. The sirloin steak that came out was beautiful and juicy. The anchovy and parsley butter enhanced the flavour but just enough that I could still taste the quality of the meat.

350gr Angus rib eye cutlet with Café de Paris butter – $36.50

My brother ordered the rib eye but he wanted more on the medium side.

In addition to the types of butter listed above, you can choose ten other sauces.

Brandy snap “taco”, lime and mascarpone parfait and spring berries – $16

When I am in a new restaurant I always look for something unusual to try. The dessert “taco” was something that I had my eyes set on since the start of the dinner.

My curiosity paid off early, the brandy snap “taco” was very pretty. The taste was also not disappointing.

Apricot sorbet, little meringues, candied oranges, kaffir lime and toasted coconut – $16

The apricot sorbet is actually more refreshing than the taco, but I am not a big fan of the apricot.

The final verdict for The Cellar Restaurant

Anyone who can cook the steak according to what I like is automatically in my good book and The Cellar Restaurant is one of them!

Did you know?

Hunter Valley is the wine country tourism for the state of New South Wales.

Rating for the Cellar Restaurant:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $32 – $39 for main course

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Hunter Valley Gardens, Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320

+61 2 4998 7584

http://www.the-cellar-restaurant.com.au/

Apr 24, 2015
Cafe Sydney

Review:

Cafe Sydney is probably one of only a few restaurants in Sydney with the best view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Since we came to the restaurant with a rather large group, we opted to have shared entrees and skipped desserts altogether.

Entrees and Side Dishes

When I see Pepe Saya butter, I tend to want to order them. At $3, the sourdough roll with Pepe Saya butter is a pretty good deal. However, the ones that we could not get enough off were the garlic naan and spiced caramelised onion naan.

garlic naan and spiced caramelised onion naan

Our first entree was unanimously voted to be ordered: Carpaccio of wagyu beef, truffle dressing, caper, aioli, baby rocket. It was a light and refreshing entree.

Carpaccio of wagyu beef, truffle dressing, caper, aioli, baby rocket – $27

Our second entree was Tathra rock oyster with Vietnamese-style dressing and salmon roe. According to the menu, the oyster was unique to Nelson’s lake in NSW.

Tathra rock oyster, Vietnamese style dressing, salmon roe, cucumber – $5.5 each

We also ordered Dutch cream potato Lyonnais, caramelised onion, béchamel. It is a pretty good addition to your main dish, considering that the main dishes did not include any carbohydrates.

Dutch cream potato Lyonnais, caramelised onion, béchamel – $15

Main Dish

There were quite a few main dishes ordered on the night. Due to proximity issues, I could only take pictures of four of them.

Our first dish was Crisp Berkshire pork belly. However my friend said it was lacking the crisp.

Crisp Berkshire pork belly, morcilla sausage, pork confit croquette, celeriac, cherry, pecan, watercress – $39

The award for prettiest and most exciting dish went to the Blue eye trevalla. It was served with pumpkin gnocchi, peas, pipis and tapenade butter.

Blue eye trevalla, pumpkin gnocchi, peas, pipis, tapenade butter – $44

I was interested with the Tandoori roasted Tasmanian ocean trout with saffron cucumber, coconut, onion bhaji, and raita. They were golden on the outside and a pink inside!

Tandoori roasted Tasmanian ocean trout, saffron cucumber, coconut, onion bhaji, raita – $39

The dish that I ordered that evening was the Beef tenderloin with roasted oyster mushroom, cavalo nero and creamed spinach. I liked the combination of creamed spinach and roasted mushroom for my steak!

Beef tenderloin, roasted oyster mushroom, cavalo nero, creamed spinach – $39

The final verdict for Cafe Sydney

Restaurants tend to overcharge when they are on premium sites. Cafe Sydney balanced that with decent quality food! However, I do not recommend you to come in for early dinner.

Did you know?

We went to the Cortile at the Intercontinental Hotel for desserts as Cafe Sydney used time limits on their tables.

Our group likes to unwind there for a few desserts and drinks.

Macarons

Creme Brulee

Pavlova

Rating for:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $35 – $48 for main dish

Place: 9.0 / 10

Details:

5^th floor, Customs House, Alfred St, Circular Quay

02 9251 8683

http://www.cafesydney.com/

Cafe Sydney:

The Cortile:

Jan 29, 2015
Balthazar

Review:

You might be wondering why I put a picture of the bread and butter as the main picture that represents Balthazar Restaurant. It was because they were the most spectacular out of the whole night.

The bread was presented in a heavy duty black pouch, which we first found quite strange. Upon taking the bread, we found a bed of hot stones to keep the bread warm. It was perfectly paired with the black garlic salt butter! It was up there in the list of best butter I’ve ever tasted.

Wood fired bread, butter, black garlic salt – $3

However, our supposedly main dinner night in Perth turned out to be a not-so-spectacular one. Granted they might fill in the checks for being a fine dining restaurant with their nice looking and well-presented dishes.

Entree

My first choice of entree was its crab (fried soft shell crab and crab meat). The watermelon was featured prominently in the dish, but the crab meat was more of a side attraction. It was quite a confusing combination of sweet, salty, savoury, and spicy with a hint of crispy soft shell crab. I love each individual items (and that’s why I ordered it), but I think they were not meant for each other.

Crab, watermelon, jalapeno, shallot, watercress – $23

My colleague told me that the Kangaroo fillet was okay with the mushroom ketchup (or sauce). He also added that the kangaroo would benefit more with a couple of authentic Australian herbs to match the taste.

Kangaroo, peas, radish, mushroom ketchup – $22

In-Betweens and Side Dish

Between the entree and main course they gave us a Palate Cleanser. I guess it really did cleanse your palate as that small icy dish was very sour and quite bitter.

I am also giving a special acknowledgement to the side dish that we ordered: Duck Fat potatoes with rosemary and garlic. They were so tasty and fragrant!

Duck fat potatoes, rosemary, garlic – $12 – and Palate Cleanser

Main Course

The first main course, pork loin and ham hock, had the cool effect: they poured a purple substance into the dish shortly before serving. It also had mouth watering description: Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple.

Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple – $42

However, once again it fell a bit short in the taste department.

Our other main course was duck. It was probably the nicest out of the four courses.

Duck, carrot, lemon, bok choy, ginger – $46

Dessert

I did not try the Goats Cheese Peach as I am not a big fan of peach.

Goats Cheese Peach – $18

The Banana Mousse looked like a big scary yellow thing in the middle of pretty edible decorations. It was probably one of the biggest desserts ever served in a fine dining restaurant.

Banana Mousse – $18

It is amazing how the cheaper ones constantly outperformed the main dishes in Balthazar restaurant. Our other desserts (the exploding jelly pop and the caramel) were only costing us $4 a piece!

Caramel and Jelly Pop – $4 each

The final verdict for Balthazar Restaurant

When the best dishes of the night were the bread and side dish in a fine dining restaurant, I say it merits a call for concerns for Balthazar restaurant. Service was also quite sub-par.

Did you know?

Balthazar restaurant might have quite the reputation of being one of the best restaurants in Perth back in the days. However, they seemed to have fallen off a few spots from the AGFG list.

Rating for Balthazar Restaurant:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $30 – $47 per main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

6 The Esplanade, Perth 6000

+61 8 9421 1206

http://balthazar.com.au/

Jan 21, 2015
Nine Fine Food

Review:

One evening, I was walking around with a couple of friends in Northbridge in Perth. We couldn’t decide where to eat and had to ask for advice from our faithful friend, Urbanspoon. We decided to dine in Nine Fine Food, because 90% out of 1,200 patrons liked it!

Our first impression was the restaurant was quite pricey for a casual dining. Little did we know that they were ranked in the top 20 in the Australian Good Food & Travel Guide list. Since I was only in Perth for a short period, we decided to have their most comprehensive menu: Chef’s Selected 5 Course Tasting Menu.

Everyone has the same dish for the first two courses and a choice of two dishes for the last three courses.

1^st Course

Spicy Tuna Sashimi – Spicy Miso Marinated Fresh Sashimi Tuna, Mixed Beans, Herbed Salad

The first course was quite a simple Tuna sashimi that had quite a bit of punch in the miso sauce.

I was just unsure about the red hair-strand lookalike at the top that’s actually quite hard to chew.

2^nd Course

Kinoco Caviar Pasta – Angel Hair Pasta, Mushrooms, Tobico Caviar, Onion, Creamy Rice Wine Sauce (Additional Soft Shell Crab 6.5 each)

The Kinoco Caviar pasta was quite a unique dish. It was presented in a small cup with a cracker. The top bit was covered with colourful tobiko (fish roe). The pasta was, expectedly, al dente. This was the dish that I loved the most for the night. It was pleasing to see and fun to eat!

3^rd Course

Salmon & Scallop – Roasted Salmon, Grilled Scallop, Yuzu Mascarpone, Orange Miso

This course was by far the messiest of them all. The sauce (possibly the yuzu mascarpone) was everywhere. The fish itself was beautifully cooked with the occasional burst of flavour from the salmon roe (ikura). I’m not quite sure why the tiny grilled scallop was even included there.

Pork Belly – Roasted Pork Belly, Tempura Bacon, Apple Mango Sauce!

None of us picked the pork belly on that day. However, the dish looked to have quite the perfect combination in the description.

4^th Course

Barramundi – Steamed Saltwater Barramundi, Herbed Salad, Plum and Chilli Miso

I chose the dish to be the cover because it looked the prettiest. I had a small bite of the barramundi and it was also cooked perfectly.

Lamb Duo – Braised Lamb Shoulder, Grilled Back Strap Fillet, Mash Potato, Balsamic Soy

The lamb looked quite dry in the picture but it didn’t really do justice. The grilled lamb was cooked nicely and complemented by the mashed potato. The braised lamb was more of a melt-in-your-mouth experience.

5^th Course

Tiramisu – Creamy Tiramisu, Bitter Espresso

Unfortunately none of us picked the Tiramisu either, so I could not comment on it.

Mattcha Brulee – Green Tea Custard Brulee

I love Creme Brulee and I will never miss a chance to order creme brulee when available. This green tea-flavoured brulee was enjoyable and had the right amount of green tea.

The final verdict for Nine Fine Food

We were very pleased with the service and quality of food delivered by Nine Fine Food!

Did you know?

The restaurant is actually located on the outskirt of Northbridge. Northbridge is well-known as the main nightlife district of Perth and has quite a vast array of cuisines.

Rating for:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $77 per person

Place: 9.0 / 10

Details:

227 Bulwer St, HighGate WA 6003

08 9227 9999

http://www.ninefinefood.com.au

Jan 8, 2015
Est

Review for lunch menu:

Our rare moment without the little guy was spent for lunch at Est. Restaurant. They have quite a flexible lunch arrangement of two, three and four-course lunch. You can also request for degustation menu, but I think it’s a bit too much for a lunch period. In this occasion, we had the three-course lunch with an extra plate of oysters to start the lunch with.

I am pretty sure I don’t need to describe the menu in full details as the name of every ingredients is already listed.

To start

Six freshly shucked rock oysters, ponzu dressing ($5 each)

As six oysters would have been an overkill (especially for my wife), we decided to share this dish. Presentation was simplicity at its best and the ponzu dressing was pretty good!

In addition to the oysters, we also got the usual bread and butter. However the bread and butter was too ordinary to remember.

Course 1

Moreton Bay Bug, orange, green shallot, fennel, watercress puree, puffed quinoa.

The bug was presented very nicely. I love how all of the flavours worked well together. For Your Information, Moreton Bay bug is known as flathead lobster outside Australia.

Lamb consommé, slow cooked lamb belly, green peas, pickled radish, mint oil

When I saw it, I knew immediately that this dish was the one I should have ordered. The lamb belly was presented like a roast pork belly. I have never seen lamb cooked this way and I was even more impressed with how it tasted! It was presented beautifully and the consommé was fabulous.

For the first course, the slow cooked lamb belly beat my Moreton Bay bug anytime!

Course 2

Slow cooked rangers valley wagyu beef tri tip, spinach puree, salsify, spring onion, rye crumb, red elk.

My first impression was that the steak was actually quite small (I blame my tummy!). As soon as I tried everything on that plate, I was actually very impressed with the taste of the beef and the charred taste of the onion and rye crumb. The spinach puree gave an extra dimension of freshness to the plate.

Murray cod fillet, shaved abalone, snow peas, black fungi, ginger – green shallot vinaigrette

The vinaigrette was a high-end version of the usual Chinese restaurant’s steamed fish with ginger and shallot. However, the Murray cod fillet was beautiful… like really beautiful!

Both dishes were on par in terms of quality and taste, but I guess I am leaning towards the Murray cod fillet as it was slightly bigger than the wagyu beef!

Sides of spring asparagus, ricotta salata, marjoram, extra virgin olive oil ($11)

You can choose a selection of sides to accompany your main(s). We chose spring asparagus for this and was pretty pleased with it. They actually gave a near perfect amount of asparagus for us to enjoy.

Course 3

Strawberries, rhubarb granita, ginger cream, sorrel sorbet, hibiscus wafer

I thought granita was the highlight for the dish, but I think the two sorbets stood out more. It was a highly refreshing dish with the curious addition of ginger cream.

Peach, fresh peach juice, pistachio, summer berries, lemon verbena sorbet

I am not a big fan of peach, therefore I cannot make a fair judgement of what to like between the two. However, I am willing to try the mango with goat’s milk yoghurt the next time we visit Est.

Drinks and Petit Fours

At the start of the service, there was a trolley full of champagne. I guess it made sense as most people were here for a special occasion (except for a few people who looked like big bosses of big companies having normal work lunch).

There were still a plate of petit fours and a small birthday cake to end the day, but I am not a big fan of chocolate.

The final verdict for Est. Restaurant

Est. restaurant thoroughly deserved the two hats status for their lunch menu. Service was fabulous and food certainly did not disappoint. The best dish of the day was the slow cooked lamb belly.

Did you know?

Est. restaurant is Merivale’s flagship restaurant. The group owns several top market, high-rating restaurants in Sydney including Mr Wong that we reviewed earlier this year.

Rating for Est. Restaurant:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5/10

3-course lunch: $95

Place: 9/10

Details:

Level 1, Establishment, 252 George Street NSW 2000

+61 2 9240 3000

http://merivale.com.au/est

Jan 1, 2015