Category: Global Cuisines

All About Food Blog loves trying different cuisines from all around the world. Sometimes food has the same name but completely different look and taste.

El Bulli Surry Hills

Review:

11 courses dinner, $60 price tag, for two people… I will let that sink in for a minute… To put it into perspective, each tapas at the restaurant ranges between $8.50 and $26.50.

That was the Groupon winter special at El Bulli Surry Hills. Instead of the full recommended retail price of $153, we get all of these tapas below for just $60!

Chickpea & Chorizo – a tasty broth of chickpeas, coriander and chorizo served hot

The usual plate of tapas with chickpeas and chorizos on tomato broth.

Pan con Queso y Jamon – toasted ciabatta served with a wedge of manchego cheese and slice of jamon on the side

Aceitunas Mezcladas – a selection of black, green & stuffed olives spiced up El Bulli style, wait for the kick!

These two were served together with the bread on the side. Jamon and cheese were the perfect pair for the bread. Also, loads of different olives in a bowl… love it!

Croquetas de Jamon – croquettes filled with white sauce & ham rolled in breadcrumbs, lightly fried & topped with alioli

Salt & Peppered Chipiones – lightly seasoned salt and pepper crispy squid served with lemon and alioli

Another jamon dish, but this time it was made into little croquettes. It was paired with salt and pepper squid and alioli (pay attention to the word ‘alioli’, it’s not a typo).

Patatas El Bulli – deep fried chat potatoes served with an emulsion of fritas & bravas dressing – house favourite

Patatas bravas is one of the most common dish in a Spanish tapas restaurant. It was also one of the first tapas dishes I’ve ever tried, made by a Spanish friend a long time ago! El Bulli spiced it up a bit and called it Patatas El Bulli.

BBQ Alitas – bbq hot and spicy chicken wings marinated in chimichurri & peri peri sauce

I usually liked chicken wings. However, I was not a big fan of this. Probably overshadowed by the other ten dishes on the night.

Medallon del Rey – eye fillet medallion on a bed of caramelised onions topped with a creamy blue cheese butter

Pinchitos de Gambas – grilled prawns skewered and infused with a Mediterranean saffron and cinnamon sauce!

It was interesting to see that they decided to bunch up two of (what I thought to be) the highlights for the night in one dish. Both the eye fillet and prawns were nicely done.

Mejillones en Salsa Picante – Giant pot of chilli mussels cooked in a traditional Spanish salsa, pumped up with shallots, basil, chilli & garlic

It took a while before the last two dishes arrived.The first want was rather spicy with quite thick salsa.

Almejas Tallarinas con Jamon – South Australian Pipis pan fried with jamon served in a white wine and lemon sauce with a dash of cream

The pipis was a little light on the cream.

The final verdict for El Bulli

Would we pay a full price for these tapas at El Bulli? Possibly No! However, $60 for 11 tapas is a hell of a deal!

Did you know?

To our surprise, El Bulli Surry Hills is actually a pretty big restaurant. The interior was very dimmed with virtually no sunlight in the venue.

Rating for El Bulli Surry Hills:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $60 for 2 people

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

504 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills 2010

02 9319 5199

http://elbulli.com.au/

Nov 10, 2015
Majestic Harvest

Review:

Majestic Gourmet Grocers is a pretty interesting place. It is located in an old cinema building in Petersham that have been refurbished. The restaurant side of the place is called Majestic Harvest. They also have the grocer/gourmet market next to the restaurant.

Kids Spaghetti – $8

The kids spaghetti is a pretty good-valued meal with quite a big portion. It is not on the dinner menu, but you can request one.

Seared beef fillet carpaccio – $18 – with button mushrooms, a la Greque, rocket, parmesan and truffle oil

This has got to be the most generous serving of beef carpaccio I have ever seen. It is also full of things that I like!

The beef was cut a lot thicker than the usual beef carpaccio.

Zucchini flower – $18 – w/ ricotta, pine nuts, basil, burnt butter muscatel, lemon

It was a stark contrast to the carpaccio in terms of serving. However, the zucchini flower delivered a better-tasting dish.

Roasted Spatchcock peri peri chicken – $24 – with kale, green beans, chickpeas and tomato, lemon & mint yoghurt dressing

I ordered this menu because there seemed to be a confusion whether it was a spatchcock or a chicken. I think it ended up being spatchcock with peri peri sauce.

The spatchcock was surprisingly spicy! It also had the reigning healthiest vegetable in the world, kale.

Braised lamb gnocchi – $21 – with rosemary, olives and preserved lemon & pepper

I think the lamb gnocchi was the hero dish for the night. It was everything I expected it to be!

Rocket salad – $8 – with pear, walnut, snow pea and blue cheese

I quite like this salad. It was quite rich and multi textures.

Roasted fig feuilletine – $15 – with pistachio nut mousse, pomegranate syrup

We ordered the dessert because we had such a lovely dinner. However, the dessert was sort of a letdown. Despite the interesting description, the elements did not go well together. The overall dessert was warm and I think it could be better with a scoop of ice cream.

The final verdict for Majestic Harvest

It is always uplifting when a restaurant gives you a great service. Majestic Harvest also had a pretty good lamb gnocchi.

Did you know?

Midway through the dinner, one of the attendant actually came to our table to excuse himself. It seemed that his shift had ended and we started to have a little chitchat. I’m pretty sure he went to every table he attended before finally departing. It is quite an interesting experience and we were quite appreciative of the gesture.

Rating for Majestic Harvest:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $50 per person

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

49 New Canterbury Road, Petersham NSW 2049

02 8097 2222

Majestic Harvest on Facebook

Nov 4, 2015
Boilerhouse

Dining Experience:

A pretty unusual dinner invite arrived in my inbox from esPoiR Communications. It was a themed dinner titled ‘Rich Man, Poor Man: Food Through the Classes´. The dinner is based on the food offerings served to the different classes of passengers that stayed at the Quarantine Station back in the late 1800s/1900s.

Having seen Heston Blumenthal’s themed dinner on TV, I was pretty psyched in going to my very first themed dinner! The dinner was prepared by Chef Matt Kemp who has worked in and owned some of the best restaurants in Sydney.

There was an MC dresses as a crooked captain guiding us through the dinner with a story of disease spreading in the dining room. He then tried to pinpoint which class was infected.

Canapes – Oysters Rich Man Poor Man Style – Oyster with Caviar & Leek and Potato Oyster Shooters

Drinks of Class – Beer, G&T, Bubbles

The canapes were actually served on the other side of the restaurant near the wharf. The three different drinks represented the three typical classes of passengers arriving at the quarantine station: Bubbles for first class, G&T for second class and Beer for the third class.

There were only two types of oysters: The upper class with Caviar and the lower one as shooters. I prefer the shooters than the ones with caviar as the latter was too dry and pretty warm for oysters.

Poached Smoked Haddock Fish Cakes with Wild Weeds with matching Bella Riva Pinot Grigio

The first course was the dish historically served for first class passengers. It had all of the elements of expensive entrée with sophisticated name and salmon roe at the top of the fish cakes.

Beef Braised in Ale with Cabbage, Carrots & Suet Dumplings with matching De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Grown Shiraz

It was meant to be a third class dish. However, I’m pretty sure back then it was served and presented nowhere near this dish. The ingredients actually illustrated the difference in class. They used ale-based sauce and suet, or some might know it as beef or mutton fat.

Whole Saddle of Mutton, Neeps & Tatties, Garden Mint Sauce with matching Bella Riva Sangiovese

The third dish was designed as a share plate (I am wondering why it is not being done for the third class) for second-class passengers.

This dish was my personal favourite for the night. The fatty and crackle-like edge was so good when enjoyed with the garden mint sauce!

The chef asked us to plate our own dish… so here it is!

Pimms Jelly with Cream & Fruit – Middle Class Sweets

Again, it might not reflect a true ‘middle class’ back in the days with its presentation and edible flower. However, you would see how simple it was when compared to the desserts for the upper class passengers.

High Tea – Selection of Traditional & New Idea Sweets – with matching wines Deen De Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis

High tea is the custom observed by the wealthy classes in England in the 1800s. It represented the upper class delicacies perfectly with the matching Botrytis.

The final verdict for Boilerhouse Harbourside Restaurant

Although it was not in the same stratosphere as Heston Blumenthal’s themed dinner, Boilerhouse’s was pretty amazing!

Did you know?

Boilerhouse Harbourside Restaurant is part of Q Station Sydney Harbour National Park in Manly. This place

There are a whole range of activities that you can do at Q Station, including Ghost Tours for every age… and for your bravery level!

Details:

Q Station, North Head Scenic Drive, Manly 2095

02 9466 1511

http://www.qstation.com.au/boilerhouse-restaurant–bar.html

Oct 28, 2015
Sambal

Review:

I rarely eat out North of the bridge. I went to Sambal Malaysian Restaurant in North Ryde because it was a midway compromise amongst our group of friends. It was also rated pretty decently in Zomato.

Chicken Satay – 6 Skewers – $14.80 – Skewers of marinated chicken, grilled and served with spicy peanut sauce and cucumber pieces

There were only four little cuts of cucumber for the six skewers of chicken. The peanut sauce was also not spicy at all.

Hainan Chicken Rice – $22.80 – Boneless chicken steamed to perfection served with rice cooked in aromatic chicken stock

The Hainanese chicken rice was actually pretty decent in terms of both quality and quantity.

Beef Rendang – $21.80 – Bite size pieced of beef cooked in curry spices till dry and topped with fried shredded coconut

The beef rending pieces were slightly bigger than just a ‘bite size’. It was also still quite soupy.

Belachan Kangkong – $15.80 – Fresh water kangkong stir-fried with chilli shrimp paste

It was the only vegetable dish of the day and the portion was rather small.

Assam Prawns – $29.80 – Prawns sautéed in a rich tamarind sauce

It was supposed to be the most expensive dish of the night. However, there was no ‘wow factor’ on the dish and I enjoyed the Hainan chicken rice more than this.

Sago Pudding – $7.50 – Sago pearls served in coconut milk and covered with gula Melaka syrup

I quite liked my sago pudding. It reminded me of the sago I used to have when I was little.

One of my friends was not as lucky; His dessert never came. There was also a dish that I was very keen to try but it was sold out that night. It was Ikan Panggang (or grilled fish). Not just a regular fish, but a skate fish (or stingray).

The final verdict for Sambal

Sambal is a decent Malaysian restaurant if you happened to live around the area. It commanded a slightly more premium price.

Did you know?

Sambal is a Malaysian/Indonesian word for chilli. However, none of the dishes we ordered that night was particularly spicy.

Rating for Sambal:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: $15 – $29 for main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

285 – 297 Lane Cove Road, North Ryde NSW 2113

02 9889 7977

http://sambal.com.au/

Oct 26, 2015
Pho phd

Review:

PHD in Marrickville is named one of the best pho restaurants in Sydney by Noodlies.com and chopinandmysaucepan.com. This time we didn’t go to PHD, but rather its spinoff that is located just a few blocks away, called Pho phd restaurant. As the name stated, the restaurant specialises more on its pho.

Milk and Soda with egg yolk – $4.50

I must say that this drink is not for everyone… especially when thinking about egg yolk was dunked into your milk and soda! It is really an acquired taste.

There is a drink in Indonesia that is pretty similar to this called STMJ with milk, egg yolk, and honey and substituting soda for ginger.

Thai-style Fish Cake – $10 – Tasty marinated grilled fish paste on prawn crackers, served with sweet chilli sauce

I think $10 for four fish cakes and crackers is a bit steep. It tasted just like any other fish cakes.

Crispy Skin Chicken with Tomato Rice – $13 – Crispy skin chicken Maryland fired to crispy golden brown served with our special dipping fish sauce

Despite being the dish that I ordered, I failed to remember how it tasted. It wasn’t particularly bad and wasn’t particularly memorable either.

Pho with Medium rare beef and combination (Extra Large) – $19 – Pho dish served with tender medium rare thinly sliced premium beef in beef broth and combination of beef brisket, beef balls and beef tripe.

The regular-sized pho is actually the cheapest amongst other pho restaurants I have reviewed in this blog. However, I was more interested in the extra-large pho. It was seriously large!

The final verdict for Pho phd Restaurant

Despity being the younger sibling for the famous PHD, Pho phd restaurant failed to live up to our expectations. The exciting novelty of extra-large pho was quickly subdued by indifference.

Rating for Pho phd Restaurant:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $12 – $19 for the pho

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

260 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

02 9090 2869

http://phophd.com.au/

Oct 20, 2015
The Bridge Room

Review:

One of the perks of having a birthday at the end of September is that you get to wait until Good Food Guide is released for the year. You can then book one of the winning restaurants. This year, we went to the ‘double winner’, The Bridge Room. In addition to getting their third hat, they were also crowned Restaurant of the Year in 2016.

We came in for lunch on Friday and the restaurant was decently filled. Without further ado, let’s talk about the food!

Children’s Beef Steak – $25

Well, the fact that they have a kid’s menu still amazes me. On top of that, this has got to be the best kid’s menu dish I have ever seen and tasted in my life. Our little one is also a pretty good ‘reviewer’ – i.e. he wouldn’t hesitate saying ‘yuck’ if it was a crappy dish. In this instance, he devoured everything on the plate.

Fraser Island Spanner crab, pickled and shelled, new season asparagus – $34 – artichoke butter, basil, celery leaf salt

Our first entrée looked so light and simple yet it was elegant and sophisticated! The soft crab meat combined with the delicate seasoning created such a rich dish. When you add artichoke butter and asparagus into the mix, you got yourself a very unique dish!

It is perfect for people who wanted to start their lunch on the lighter side.

Robata grilled raw beef, pickled greens, shiitake mushrooms, puffed jobs tears – $33 – dried mushrooms, miso, roasted peanut oil

I have always known robatayaki to be a cooked beef satay. So, looking at the description of raw robata beef, I was very intrigued. Presented in a dark-themed plate, the raw beef was exquisite!

The beef was rather obscured by the dried mushrooms and was perfectly complemented by shiitake mushrooms and miso!

Wild caught Snapper, burnt celeriac, celeriac softened in butter – $48 – Cipollini onions, sticky chicken sauce

Our first main course was a snapper. The fish was cooked perfectly with crispy skin. It was enhanced by crunchy celeriac and sweetness of onion. The black sauce was the icing on the cake. It bound the dish into a perfect experience!

Ocean Trout, crisp skin, silken eggplant, roasted tea broth – $45 – sesame, puffed rice, organic soy sauce, grilled rock kelp.

This is not a dish that I would normally order in a fine dining restaurant as I would really hate my fish to be overcooked. When the dish came, it looked perfect. The taste? The meat was beautifully cooked and the skin was extra crispy.

There was also another surprise in this dish. They put hot and spicy stuff (I’d guess something like chili seeds!) on the silken eggplant! It added a whole level of complexity to the ocean trout. It was an exciting surprise!

Steamed broccolini, smoked onion puree, sweet pickled onions – $11

Steamed broccolini was the side dish that accompanied our main courses. There was actually quite a lot of them on the plate! I actually loved mixing the smoked onion puree with my ocean trout. It gave that extra sweet taste to the fish.

Burnt caramel cream, candied Packham pear salad – $18 – pistachio crumb, mint, basil, raisins, pedro ximenez

The burnt caramel cream looked a bit more like a savoury dish with all of those edible flowers and ‘salad’.

It was a rather bitter dessert with enhanced crunch from the pistachio crumb. The pear salad and mint balanced the bitter flavour really nicely.

It is suited for people who like complex dish to end the service.

Aerated passionfruit, roasted nougatine, passionfruit ice cream – $18 – passionfruit seed powder, glass biscuit

On the other hand, the passionfruit ice cream gave us a very refreshing end to our lunch.

There are quite a lot of elements on the plate, including tiny meringue-looking aerated passionfruit.

A word of advice: Just try to cut the glass biscuit in small pieces … It was quite difficult to digest in a big chunk!

The final verdict for The Bridge Room

There is no doubt that The Bridge Room deserved the three hats and title of Sydney’s best! Everything was spotless when we dined there!

Did you know?

This is only the second restaurant that we have ever given a score of 9.5, the other one was Tetsuya’s.

You should also order their Berry cocktail with Yuzu. If I don’t need to work after lunch, I would order a second!

Rating for The Bridge Room:

9.5 / 10

Taste: 9.5 / 10

Price: $250 for two excl. wine.

Place: 9.5 / 10

Details:

44 Bridge Street, Sydney 2000

02 9247 7000

http://www.thebridgeroom.com.au/

Oct 12, 2015