Tag: Article

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

2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

This year, the Australian Financial Review started publishing the Top 100 restaurants in Australia. Instead of being judged by food critics / food bloggers / some random people, the list was actually made by the top 500 chefs in Australia. Being at the top of the list means that your peers agreed that your restaurant is the best in Australia. I am pretty sure that’s the best recognition that you could possibly get.

Sepia is at the top of this list of 2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia. Its chef, Martin Benn is also recognised as Australia’s Top Chef. On this occasion, Australian Financial Review also asked the public to vote for their top Australian restaurant with an award called The People’s Award. The People’s Award winner for 2015 is Catalina Restaurant.

All About Food have written a review for only eight of the top 100 restaurants:

Quay at number 3, Mr Wong at number 9, Tetsuya’s at number 10, Rockpool at number 12, Bentley (at the old venue) at number 13, Ester at number 14, Est at number 25, and Marque at number 33.

The number of top 100 restaurants by state:

NSW 45
VIC 37
SA 5
WA 5
QLD 4
TAS 3
ACT 1

They also have the more extensive top 500 restaurants in Australia if you are interested to know.

The full list of 2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

1. Sepia, NSW
2. Attica, VIC
3. Quay, NSW
4. Brae, Birregurra, VIC
5. Cutler & Co, VIC
6. Vue de Monde, VIC
7. Cumulus Inc, VIC
8. Sixpenny, NSW
9. Mr Wong, NSW
10. Tetsuya’s, NSW
11. Flower Drum, VIC
12. Rockpool, NSW
13. Bentley Restaurant & Bar, NSW
14. Ester, NSW
15. MoVida, VIC
16. Momofuku Seiobo, NSW
17. Garagistes (closed April 2015), TAS
18. The Town Mouse, VIC
19. Cafe Paci, NSW
20. Cafe Di Stasio, VIC
21. 10 William St, NSW
22. Saint Crispin, VIC
23. Porteno, NSW
24. Supernormal, VIC
25. Est, NSW
26. The Bridge Room, NSW
27. Estelle, VIC
28. Lee Ho Fook, VIC
29. Rockpool Bar & Grill (Sydney), NSW
30. Lake House, Daylesford, VIC
31. Biota Dining, Bowral, NSW
32. Billy Kwong, NSW
33. Marque, NSW
34. Franklin, TAS
35. Fratelli Paradiso, NSW
36. Esquire, QLD
37. Golden Century, NSW
38. Monopole, NSW
39. Sean’s Panaroma, NSW
40. France-Soir, VIC
41. Chin Chin, VIC
42. Rockpool Bar & Grill (Melbourne), VIC
43. Coda, VIC
44. Magill Estate Restaurant, SA
45. Restaurant Amuse, WA
46. Bar Lourinha, VIC
47. Orana, SA
48. The Apollo, NSW
49. Lau’s Family Kitchen, VIC
50. Ezard, VIC
51. Pilu at Freshwater, NSW
52. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, NSW
53. Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, QLD
54. Pei Modern (Melbourne), VIC
55. Yoshii, NSW
56. Moon Park, NSW
57. Fish Face, NSW
58. Guillaume, NSW
59. LuMi, NSW
60. Africola, SA
61. Spice Temple (Sydney), NSW
62. Provenance, Beechworth, VIC
63. Pendolino, NSW
64. Cho Cho San, NSW
65. Il Bacaro, VIC
66. Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield, SA
67. Ormeggio at the Spit, NSW
68. Nomad, NSW
69. Tonka, VIC
70. Grossi Florentino, VIC
71. Urbane, QLD
72. Oscillate Wildly, NSW
73. Sokyo, NSW
74. Gerard’s Bistro, QLD
75. ARIA Restaurant, NSW
76. Gingerboy, VIC
77. Vasse Felix Restaurant, Cowaramup, WA
78. Luxembourg, VIC
79. Belle’s Hot Chicken, VIC
80. The European, VIC
81. Ms G’s, NSW
82. Bodega, NSW
83. Movida, NSW
84. Moon Under Water, VIC
85. Ethos Eat Drink, TAS
86. Izakaya Den, VIC
87. Print Hall Bar & Dining Room, WA
88. ACME, NSW
89. Spice Temple (Melbourne), VIC
90. Longrain (Melbourne), VIC
91. Epocha, VIC
92. Peel St, SA
93. El Publico, WA
94. Ten Minutes By Tractor, Main Ridge, VIC
95. Aubergine, ACT
96. Longrain (Sydney), NSW
97. 4Fourteen, NSW
98. Buon Ricordo, NSW
99. Da Noi, VIC
100. Lalla Rookh, WA

May 19, 2015
Planet Popcorn

Product Review

Around mid-January, I received an email with a header: We want to send your our Popcorn. I was so tempted to say ‘What are you waiting for?’. However, I am not used to the idea of a product review and have never really done it before.

Long story short, a box of popcorn with six different flavours arrived at my office and the fun started!

Obviously the first one to go was the Original Planet Popcorn as you want to know how ‘the original’ is supposed to taste. The popcorns were a bit bigger than your usual cinema popcorn and they were very round (like a planet !). The Corn Soup popcorns had a well-balanced flavours. However, I find the name ‘corn soup popcorn’ has a bit more corn than it’s supposed to…maybe some fancy name like ‘salt and sugar popcorn’ suits better 🙂

The next two flavours were more on the spicy side. Basil Chicken and Kimchi. It was actually pretty spicy when compared to your normal snacks. My partner is a huge fan of spicy food and quite a hater of snacks. However, she enjoyed the Kimchi popcorn so much that she actually could not wait Planet Popcorn to officially open in Australia!

Then we have the ‘dessert’ type popcorn: Double Chocolate – Premium limited edition put it in the fridge to get the best taste – and Coffee.

These two were more in the sweet side of the spectrum. Double chocolate is supposedly the premium limited edition variant. However, I am not really a big fan of chocolate, so I’m not sure whether I should talk about Double Chocolate.

My Personal Favourite: Corn Soup! I think the Corn Soup flavour from Planet Popcorn has the right combination of sweet and salt.

Additional Information from the people at Planet Popcorn

Planet Popcorn was founded in 2010 by a team with energetic and creativity. With the mission of spreading enjoyment and dismissing boredom, we turn plain and ordinary popcorn into a spiritual antidote that rich in enormous power of joyfulness, bringing you an unprecedented experience of happiness!

Where can you buy Planet Popcorn?

They are opening their first Australian store in Hurstville Westfield Shopping Centre on Level 1 on the 13th April 2015.

How much does Planet Popcorn cost?

The small pack is $ 9.90 and the medium pack is $ 13.90. Their limited edition – Double Chocolate will be selling in small pack only and it’s $ 13.90.

You can also read the following Planet Popcorn Media Release.

Mar 19, 2015
Cloud 9 Chocolate Cafe Experience

My Cloud 9 Chocolate Cafe experience:

I had to enlist the help of my Chocolate-loving friend, dr Phil (not that guy who regularly appears on your TV screen), for last week’s visit to Cloud 9 Chocolate Cafe. I am really bad at differentiating the kinds of chocolate and I am also not a fan of bitter dark chocolate.

It was an invite from Melissa from Evil Twin PR (such a cool name!) that got us to try Cloud 9. Also considering that I will be in the Inner West more often towards the end of the year.

Melissa described it as premium quality desserts without the expensive price tag. They are right on the spot about the price tag. Their most expensive item, Fondue for Two, is only $11 and you get quite a lot for the price!

Their ‘signature dish’ is the Gelato Sliders. You can choose from six different cookies and three brownies to make up the ‘bun’ for your slider. You will then need to decide which gelato flavour to complement the ‘bun’. They told me that they would have different flavours from time to time.

Gelato Sliders –

Gelato Sliders – $6

You can also have its variant, Slider minis. Instead of cookies or brownies, you get a proper bun, or brioche to be exact, for your ‘burger’.

Slider Minis – $4.5

We ordered this next dish last because we were curious about it. It was Molten Lava Cake. We were glad that we actually ordered it. The lava cake had the perfect sweetness, it’s not bitter and the cake was covered in milk chocolate! It also came with a scoop of gelato (apple shortcake) and strawberries. That would probably be the best $6 you have ever spent in Sydney!

Molten Lava Cake – $6

When I asked dr Phil what he thought about Cloud 9, this was what he said ‘The texture is different. Balance of flavours is just right. There is no grittiness unless it is the actual ingredient (there on purpose)’.

Did you know?

If you are around the area in Valentine’s Day, they have the Love Sliders promotion. It’s a heart-shaped waffle dipped in chocolate and encasing a scoop of gelato.

Details:

199 King Street, Newtown

+61 2 9516 4575

Cloud 9 on Facebook

Feb 10, 2015
Wagaya Sydney Experience

My Wagaya Sydney Experience

Wagaya Sydney has been on on my radar for quite a while but they were always pretty busy on weekends. When opportunity knocked (courtesy of SD Marketing Global) to review the restaurant, I wouldn’t want to miss it!

Wagaya Sydney is an izakaya restaurant, which technically means they are more of a drinking establishment than a restaurant. The food serves in an izakaya is meant to accompany the drinks. However, it is quite a posh izakaya restaurant!

Wagaya Menu

The first dish of the day was actually chosen by my son: Japanese Style Scallops Spaghetti. I am not a big fan of Spaghetti, but I really don’t mind eating this one (after being granted the permission to try his food)!

Japanese-Style Scallops Spaghetti – $10.90

From the ‘quick nibbles’ section, we ordered Lotus Root Chips and Crispy Salmon Skin. The lotus root chips was probably the best suited dish for izakaya. You can never get enough off it! I always liked deep fried crispy salmon skins and they are actually pretty good to fill up the tummy.

Lotus Root Chips – $7

Crispy Salmon Skin – $5.80

If you are after a rather ‘heavy’ food, then you can choose one of the Sukiyaki options. Beef Sukiyaki was our choice of the night.

Beef Sukiyaki – $13

They also have an assortment of Sushi rolls and you can either order half roll or a full roll. Given my love to scampi, we chose Fried Scampi Roll. It turned out that fried scampi didn’t have the same appeal as fresh scampi. The sushi itself was quite delectable.

Fried Scampi Roll – Full – $12.50

The one thing that made our visit to Wagaya Sydney worthwhile was its Sashimi. It was arguably one of the freshest Scallops Sashimi I have ever tasted! It actually ‘provoked’ me to order another sashimi dish, Crystal Bay Prawn Sashimi.

Scallops Sashimi – $9

Crystal Bay Prawn Sashimi – $7.90

A couple of dishes that we also ordered on the night were Chicken Gristle and Lamb Chop. The chicken gristle are great bite-sized nibbles! The lamb chop was more of a curious purchase and we were glad we ordered it!

Chicken Gristle – $8.20

Lamb Chop – $12

A few interesting things about Wagaya Sydney

– Wagaya Sydney’s membership card has quite a few perks and it works just like the Credit Card point system: $1 for 1 point. The prizes range from a discount voucher to iPhone!

– Wagaya is part of a Japanese group of restaurants, including Sushi Hotaru.

Details:

1/78 Harbour Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

+61 2 9212 6068

http://www.wagaya.com.au

Dec 25, 2014
Chefs Gallery Macquarie Opening Celebration – Part 2

Review:

In this second instalment of the Chefs Gallery Macquarie Opening Celebration, we focus more on the food that they served on the night. If you want to read about the celebration, please go to my Feng Shui Blessing post.

On Arrival – Chefs Gallery Macquarie

The evening started off with the usual canapés and drinks. Unfortunately, my camera went funny when I took the pictures of some of them: prawn and squid shu mai with avocado, and Jumbo prawn dumplings.

Luckily I managed to salvage a picture of the last entry on the ‘On Arrival’ menu: Spicy wonton chips. This dish is one of those ones that you cannot stop eating unless the plate is empty!

Chapas – Chinese Style – Chefs Gallery Macquarie

In line with the usual sharing tradition in Chinese cuisine, the service that they had for the evening was Chapas, presumably Chinese Tapas or some sort.

Macanese style mini burger filled with pork fillet, pork floss, lettuce and a sweet chilli mayo dressing

It was a light and fluffy start to our dinner service. The mini burger was small enough for me to swallow as a whole.

Shredded peking duck with cucumber, hoisin sauce rolled inside a fluffy Chinese roti

Peking duck was my favourite dish of the night. It was anything you could ask for in a Peking duck with the added extra kick of toasted Chinese roti. The Chinese roti tasted a lot closer to a Roti Pratha than the usual Peking duck wrap.

Crispy soft shell crab with fried shallots, garlic and chopped chillies, served with Chinese salad in a sesame soya dressing

Another dish that I have always enjoyed is a soft shell crab. In this dish, the crab was quite obscured by the garnish.

Crispy pork belly and barramundi pieces. Wrap both pork belly and fish in lettuce, topped with fresh basil and mint leaves. Drizzle with a dash of gula Melaka flavoured with cinnamon and mandarin peel

This dish has quite an interesting combination. It is also compounded by exotic flavours of cinnamon, mandarin and sugar (gula Melaka). You eat it similar to Korean BBQ where you wrap the meat inside a lettuce and dip it in the sauce.

For the next three dishes, it was quite a revelation for me that Chefs Gallery put so much pride on their noodles. Not only that they had special Noodle making session on the Opening Ceremony, they also served three noodles dishes (of different colours!) for the Chapas.

Spinach handmade thick noodles, wok fried with prawns, mussels in shell, baby calamari tubes, Chinese shitake mushrooms, dusted with seaweed and sesame powder.

Personally this is the one I liked best after the shredded Peking duck. From the appearance, it looked more of a seafood dish than noodles. It also had quite a strong seafood taste (too strong for Janni the chef). But, who wouldn’t want to try a green-coloured noodles dish?

Fish noodles served with chicken soup

Although it looked quite ordinary, there was nothing ordinary in terms of its taste. It was quite a unique noodles dish with texture I’ve never tasted before!

Knife-sliced sorghum noodles served with a Shanghainese spicy sauce

The sorghum noodles dish was also pretty interesting. It was slightly pink in colour and was cooked with wonton. I kinda like the taste, but unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan of spicy dishes.

Dessert – Chefs Gallery Macquarie

Signature “Piggy Face” sesame bun and “Totoro” marshmallow arranged in an edible garden setting, beautifully presented and served with ice cream.

We would have enjoyed the desserts a lot more if it wasn’t closer to 10 PM on the night and I wasn’t on my 12^th plate for the day. I have always loved the cute-looking ‘piggy face’ buns since the first time I went into the restaurant. It was delightful to see the playful, shared-plate dessert at the end of the banquet.

Details:

Macquarie Shopping Centre Shop 407

197-223 Herring Rd, North Ryde, NSW

+61 2 9267 8877

http://chefsgallery.com/

All About Food Blog was invited by White Works Public Relations to be the guest for the Chefs Gallery Macquarie Opening Celebration dinner.

Dec 8, 2014
Chefs Gallery Store Opening Feng Shui Blessing – Part 1

This will be a two-part chronicle as I think it’s important to tell the story on the actual procession and not just the food.

The second part (the food review) will be available for my next post. I will update you with the link on this page when it is published.

Chefs Gallery Macquarie

I went to the Chefs Gallery Macquarie Celebration Dinner / Feng Shui Blessing because I was invited by Stewart and Leonardo from Whiteworks Public Relations. The event was attended by quite a few notable names in the culinary industry, including chef Janni Kyritsis. Thanks to Chopinand from ChopinandMysaucepan.com, I was spared the blushes of not knowing his achievements!

There were quite a few attractions before the feng shui blesing ceremony started. We were entertained by Master Calligrapher (which I forgot his name – apologies) demonstrating his skills in writing our names using Chinese calligraphy. A friend of mine gave me a Chinese name “??” a long time ago, so I’m getting that calligraphy made.

In front of the master calligrapher, there was a Guzheng zither played.

After a few rounds of finger food and light refreshments, the procession was opened by the usual ribbon cutting ceremony by the owners.

The table was already pre-arranged and I was sitting next to Chopinand and the guy who sponsored the drinks for the night. On our table, we had three distinguished chefs, including Janni, the MC (Claudia Chan Shaw) and a news reporter. The table was beautifully presented and each of us received a token resembling ancient Chinese gold ingot in gold envelope.

Chefs Gallery Macquarie restaurant was decorated with Chinese Calligraphy all around the restaurant and there was a lot of hanging brushes for Feng Shui purposes.

More information about Chefs Gallery Macquarie centre can be found on their website and this media release.

Feng Shui Blessing

So what is Feng Shui blessing? Feng Shui House Blessing website offers quite an extensive article about the practise.

Claudia Chan Shaw (our host of the night) explained that Feng Shui literally meant wind and water. It is generally used to create a balanced chi for your establishments. It involved several steps including the cleansing rituals and appeasing the Gods (in this instance it included the God of kitchen).

The Cleansing Rituals

Appeasing Kitchen God

Appeasing Gods

Noodle Master Pei Lin Jai demonstrating his skills

The last ‘attraction’ of the night was Noodle making session by Noodle master Pei Lin Jai (aka Chef Panda). Just like in the video above, chef Pei Lin Jai masterfully demonstrated how he created four different types of noodles on the night.

The first was ‘regular’ noodles.

Noodle Making Session by Pei Lin Jai (LJP)

He then made a finer type of noodles.

Up to the point where the noodles were extra fine! They then lit up the noodles that we thought was almost borderline smoke hazard that would set off the smoke detectors.

Noodle Making Session by Pei Lin Jai (LJP)

In addition to those ‘regular’ noodles above, he also created specialty noodles: spinach thick noodles, fish noodles and sorghum noodles. Unfortunately I only had the sorghum noodles pictured below.

Noodle Making Session by Pei Lin Jai (LJP)

With this, I conclude my first part of the review. It is truly an amazing experience watching Feng Shui blessing.

Details:

Macquarie Shopping Centre Shop 407

197-223 Herring Rd, North Ryde, NSW

+61 2 9267 8877

http://chefsgallery.com/

Nov 25, 2014