Tag: Article

These posts do not carry the usual ratings. It can also come from different authors.

Sansu Yuzu
Product Review – Sansu Yuzu

What is Yuzu?

To be honest, I am not sure what it is and I have never seen the actual Yuzu fruit. Borrowing from Wikipedia, Yuzu’s point of origin is the East Asian region and it is believed to be a hybrid of sour mandarin and Ichang papeda.

My first exposure to Yuzu drink was when I went to a Japanese restaurant with the same name in Pyrmont a few years ago. At that time, I ordered the Yuzu tea and I instantly fell in love with Yuzu. These days, I am always interested in ordering dishes/drinks with Yuzu in it, if available.

A little blurp from the maker

Sansu are the first company in the world to offer Yuzu as ready-to-drink fruit drink – allowing you to enjoy Yuzu anywhere. Its intense flavour is the perfect accompaniment to any meal and a great alternative to alcohol.

With bumpy curves and a tangy taste, a hybrid of a lemon and grapefruit, Yuzu offers an intense citrus flavour with unique floral undertones. It has three times the Vitamin C of an orange and an abundance of flavonoids that act as powerful antioxidants. Its taste is powerful, with rich aromatic notes. It is both a delicate and refreshing flavour.

Yuzu’s scarce production quantity and high costs have limited its usage. However, Sansu has made this rare, exquisite fruit more accessible in a ready-to-drink format. Sansu fruit drinks were first launched in London in 2014 to introduce Yuzu to a new audience. It has rapidly grown in popularity and is now stocked in leading retailers, restaurants, cafes and bars across the UK.

All the juice ingredients are not from concentrate. All flavours are sweetened with grape juice and there is no added sugar, preservatives, flavourings or colourings. Sansu fruit drinks are available in four delicious flavours:
- Original
- Yuzu and Blackberry
- Yuzu and Pear
- Yuzu and Pink Guava
How does it taste?

They are actually pretty sour with only a hint of sweetness. The original Yuzu is our most favourite from the four.

The ones with pear and pink guava actually overpower the Yuzu flavour. So, those two taste more like pear and pink guava respectively.

Contact Details

Thirst for Life

17 Fred Street, Lilyfield NSW 2040

02 9810 0804

[email protected]

www.thirstforlife.com.au
Nov 20, 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
SMH Good Food Guide 2016
We have a new winner in this year’s Good Food Guide 2016. The Bridge Room by Ross Lusted took the prize as well as upgrading their status to a three-hat restaurant!

Other Awards in this year’s Good Food Guide 2016

Best new restaurant of the year is Bennelong. The new restaurant by Peter Gilmore.

Pasi Petanen from Cafe Paci has won the Chef of The Year award. Cafe Paci was upgraded to a two-hat restaurant this year.

Fleet in Brunswick Heads was awarded the Regional Restaurant of the Year in 2016. Its head chef is Josh Lewis.

Janni Kyritsis received the Legend Award. I had the pleasure of dining with Janni on the opening of Chef’s Gallery Macquarie. He is truly inspirational!

Young Chef of the year award was given to Lauren Eldridge from Marque.

Cam Fairbairn (ACME) won the Service Excellence Award.

Food for Good award was given to Rob Caslick from Inside Out Organic Soup Kitchen and Cooking School. This award combined innovation, charity and sustainability.

If you want a good wine, you should go to Bentley Restaurant & Bar as they won this year’s Wine List of the year.

Sommelier of the year went to Sebastian Crowther MS from Rockpool.

Best Bar Food can be found in Rockpool Bar & Grill.

Best Bar is Monopole.

Best cheap eat is Chaco bar.

People’s choice went to Catalina.

List of restaurants with hats in Good Food Guide 2016

Three hats

There are four restaurants awarded with three hats as listed in the Good Food Guide 2016 website:
- The Bridge Room – They gained one hat AND captured the top prize in 2016! Kudos to Chef Ross Lusted!
- Rockpool – The group has several restaurants including two two-hat restaurants, Rockpool Bar and grill and Spice Temple.
- Quay – 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2013 restaurant of the year. Quay is still one of the household names in Sydney’s fine dining… Although, it remained to be seen how Peter Gilmore operate two of the finest restaurants in Circular Quay!
- Sepia – Winner of 2015, 2014 and 2012 Restaurant of the year award.
As listed from the website, the rest of the hats are as follows:

Two hats

ARIA, Bennelong, Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Berowra Waters Inn, Cafe Paci, Cottage Point Inn, est., Ester, The Four in Hand Dining Room, Guillaume, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Lucio’s Italian Restaurant, LuMi Bar & Dining, Marque, Momofuku Seiobo, Mr. Wong, Ormeggio at The Spit, Oscillate Wildly, Pilu at Freshwater, Porteño, Rockpool Bar & Grill, sixpenny, Spice Temple, Tetsuya’s.

One hat

10 William St, ACME, Ajo Italian Restaurant, The Apollo, The Bathers’ Pavilion, Billy Kwong, Bistro Moncur, Bistrode CBD, The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Bodega, Buon Ricordo, Catalina, China Doll, Cho Cho San, Felix, Firedoor, Fratelli Paradiso, Gastro Park, glass brasserie, Izakaya Fujiyama, Jonah’s Restaurant, Kepos Street Kitchen, Longrain, LP’s Quality Meats, Monopole, Moon Park, MoVida, Ms.G’s, Nomad, Osteria Balla, Osteria di Russo & Russo, Otto Ristorante, The Restaurant Pendolino, Sagra, Sake Double Bay, Sean’s, Sokyo, sushi e, Three Blue Ducks, Uccello, Ume Restaurant, Vini, Yellow.

The following restaurants lost their hat status

Black by Ezard, Cafe Sopra, The Devonshire, Flying Fish, Lox Stock and Barrel, Vincent, Sake (The Rocks), 4Fourteen, Aki’s Indian Restaurant, Alpha, Bar H Dining, Farmhouse, Clareville Kiosk and Hartsyard.

The following restaurants closed permanently

Arras, Fish Face

Note: Green is a new entry to the list. Blue is the one who lost a hat
Sep 8, 2015
Voulez Vous Experience

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Unfortunately, Voulez Vous has closed its doors for good.

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My Voulez Vous Experience:

This week’s review is about a brand new restaurant in Surry Hills named Voulez Vous. Even if it’s technically still Surry Hills, the restaurant is actually located closer to Hyde Park, so parking is not a problem around the area! I dined as a guest for #ZomatoMeetUp event, invited by Nick from Zomato.

There were two sets of three-course dinner for the night. I managed to try the other set from Thang of Noodlies.com.

Meat Entrée

This entrée was not on the menu, but instead was created so that we could taste the range of meat entrées at Voulez Vous. It is a mixture of traditional Serbian and Mediterranean dishes.

It was a balanced mix that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I think I would love to have this kind of entrée permanently on the menu as it showcases what Serbian cuisine is about. Especially for us who are not accustomed to the cuisine.

Fish Entrée

This was the fish (or seafood) entrée that I did not get the chance to taste. The dishes were not designed to be shared.

Lemon and golden quince sorbet

This was a pretty good palate cleanser.

Sesame coated tuna steak with steamed vegetables

To be honest, I am not a big fan of tuna. However, their steak was grilled perfectly. The sesame and red bits added a crunchy texture to the tuna. It was nice and refreshing.

Saach

Saach was the dish that the owner talked about more and was considered as the national dish of Serbia. It was a stew of veal and lamb with vegetables and herbs.

Pear poached in red wine

When the poached pears arrived on our table, we could not hide our delights on how nice it looked. Then we had a taste…

The combination of red wine, chocolate and vanilla ice cream (although it tasted more like aerated vanilla mixture) was amazing.

I did not say this because I was invited to Voulez Vous, but that Pear dessert was awesome! I actually had to come back to the restaurant a few days after to ensure that what I got wasn’t just made especially for us… and it was still awesome!

It was definitely one of the best desserts I have tasted this year!

Nutella Torte

In a way, I was pleased that I did not get the Nutella torte, because I am not a big fan of chocolate. Opinions were divided amongst our group and some of us did enjoy the Nutella Torte.

A few interesting things about Voulez Vous

One thing that got talked about a lot on the night was Quince-flavoured Rakija. Rakija can be considered as a fruit brandy with 40%+ alcohol content. According to the owner, it is best served at 40°. Voulez vous is also a good place for you to try Serbian beer, Jelen Pivo.

Details:

6 Hunt Street, Surry Hills 2010

+61 2 9211 3880

Other pictures of Voulez Vous on the night

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Aug 10, 2015
Surjit’s Indian Experience with EatNow

For this week, I was invited by EatNow to try their online takeaway and delivery services. This will also be our first take away review ever! As we feel like eating Indian cuisine, we made an order from Surjit’s Indian restaurant from their Sydney CBD Food delivery page. We also order a few starters and drinks from Cellarbrations.

Surjit’s Indian Restaurant

We made the decision to go with Surjit’s as it was one of the better ones according to some of the review sites. The good thing about having Indian (or to some extent Thai) food for takeaway is that you can simply reheat the food without losing too much of the beautiful texture and flavour.

After around half an hour wait past the scheduled delivery, the food arrived! For our entrees we ordered Surjits Onion Bhajia and Vegetable Samosa. The entrees were complemented by cucumber and mint raita. I love how the raita soothed the rather spicy taste of the samosa. The Bhajia is not as crunchy as I would have hoped for.

For our main courses we had Murg Mumtaz Begun (Butter Chicken) and Korma Zaffar Shahi Beef. I wanted to try the mild option, for obvious reasons! The takeaway containers were a bit messy but the taste was nice for the price that they are charging.

Obviously, you need naan to accompany your Indian dishes. There are quite a few options available, and for the day we had Garlic Naan, Keema Naan, and Plain Naan. Keema naan was probably the only thing I haven’t tried before. It was a lot heavier than the other types of naan.

The overall taste of Surjit’s dishes was quite spicy but it was still something that I can enjoy.

Drinks and Starters from Cellarbrations

If you want to spice up your evening (pardon the pun!), there are quite a few beverages and starters ordering options in EatNow.

Capi Blood Oranges, Duck pate, Camembert, Sun-dried tomato and Baby Octopus

I actually find this service to be pretty useful, especially when you need the items ASAP but you do not have the time to actually go to the shop yourself. Obviously for alcoholic delivery, you have to be over the age of 18.

Jun 29, 2015
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015

Despite the name ‘world’s 50 best restaurants’, the organiser actually named the top 100 restaurants in 2015. They released the list for 51 – 100 a week earlier.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015

The top three is pretty similar when compared to last year. El Celler de Can Roca (from Girona, Catalan, Spain) has retaken the top spot from Noma (from Copenhagen, Denmark) in this year’s 50 best restaurants list. Noma actually dropped two spots to number 3. The runner up is Osteria Francescana from Modena, Italy.

Australian Restaurants in the 50 best restaurants 2015

Once again, Attica from Melbourne is the only restaurant from Australia included in the 50 best restaurants list. Their ranking is steady at 32.

Three more Australian restaurants were included in the top 100 list:

– Quay at 58. Quay is still the only restaurant in the list that we have visited.

– Sepia at 84. In addition to being a debutant on this year’s list. Sepia is also named as the one to watch in 2015. It has certainly been on our list for as long as we can remember!!

– Brae at 87. Brae is a countryside restaurant in Birregurra, Victoria. According to the 2006 census, Birregurra was only inhabited by 688 people!

The list for the top four restaurants in Australia is very similar to the one voted by Australian chefs in Financial Review.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015

Earlier in the year theworlds50best.com released a list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants 2015. Gaggan from Bangkok Thailand is number one on the list.

However, on the world’s 50 best restaurants 2015 released yesterday, Narisawa from Tokyo, Japan actually ranked higher than Gaggan. I am actually not sure how they managed to be ranked differently.

Indonesia’s best restaurant in 2015

Indonesia was represented by one restaurant in 2014. However, not a single restaurant managed to get into the 2015 list.

The full list of 50 Best Restaurants 2015:

1 El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
2 Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
3 Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
4 Central, Lima, Peru
5 Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA
6 Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
7 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, UK
8 Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
9 D.O.M, São Paulo, Brazil
10 Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
11 Mirazur, Menton, France
12 L’Arpège, Paris, France
13 Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
14 Astrid y Gaston, Lima, Peru
15 Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
16 Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
17 Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
18 Le Bernardin, New York, USA
19 Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
20 The Ledbury, London, UK
21 Le Chateaubriand, Paris, France
22 Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
23 White Rabbit, Moscow, Russia
24 UltraViolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China
25 Faviken, Jarpen, Sweden
26 Alinea, Chicago, USA
27 Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
28 The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa
29 RyuGin, Tokyo, Japan
30 Vendôme, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
31 Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden
32 Attica, Melbourne, Australia
33 Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany
34 Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
35 Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
36 L’Astrance, Paris
37 Biko, Mexico City, Mexico
38 Amber, Hong Kong
39 Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain
40 Per Se, New York, USA
41 Mani, São Paulo, Brazil
42 Borago, Santiago, Chile (tied)
42 Tickets, Barcelona, Spain (tied)
44 Maido, Lima, Peru
45 Relae, Copenhagen, Denmark
46 Restaurant Andre, Singapore
47 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris, France
48 Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland
49 Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, USA
50 The French Laundry, Yountville, USA

Jun 2, 2015