All About Food

Tag: Article

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

  • Tea Room

    Tea Room

    Experience:

    It’s a night to remember for our newly wedded couples, Jun Guo and Endre Kollo. They found this amazing site for their wedding, at the far end of Mosman, called Gunners’ Barracks. Stonewall building right by the sea, overlooking the panoramic Sydney, it was truly a sight to treasure.

    There were three pre-dinner canapés and regretfully I missed taking picture of the first dish, which was the Aburi Salmon Tempura-coated Sushi. The second one was Grilled Scallops in Cheese. The last one was a Risotto mushroom.

    There were two alternating sets of dishes presented and like any other French menu, this one was really a pain to explain. For the entrée, I got Berbere spiced Poussin, basmati rice, confit leg tortellini. Poussin is a very tender 28-days-old chicken simmered in Ethiopian’s Berbere sauce on top of basmati rice with side of duck confit. The other dish was Prawn Cannelloni, spiced Calamari, sauce Vierge. The prawn and calamari were very smooth and the sauce vierge – aka Virgin Sauce (consists of olive oil, lemon, tomato, and basil) really complemented the seafood and created the refreshing taste.

    The main course was equally mouth watering. My share was Pan fried barramundi, potato gnocchi, tomato, feta and basil. Perfectly juicy barramundi on top of ultra soft gnocchi was a new combination for me and it was great. The other main was Saffron and cumin marinated rack of lamb, capsicum, roast eggplant. It was a quite colourful plate with generous servings of lamb.

    After some speeches from both sides, came the desserts. Caramelised apply tarte tatin, hazelnut ice cream, calvador sauce was really an eye candy. It was an upside down caramelised apple with pastry base topped with hazelnut ice cream. I was also fortunate enough to taste the Passionfruit brulee, sable biscuit.

    Their Tea Room signature came in when the coffee and tea were served. It was a flowery mug with silver milk jug.

    Did you know?

    There are two The Tea Room venues in Sydney, but the gunners’ barracks is by far the prettiest. On any other day, The Tea Room serves high tea and other dining menu.

    Location:

    The Tea Room, Gunners’ Barracks

    End of Suakin Drive, Georges Heights, NSW 2088

    Website:

    Home

  • Potluck

    Potluck

    This week will be our Special Potluck Event. We invited 12 friends to share dishes. We had three appetisers, three main courses, two desserts, and a drink menu. I am going to list the dishes based on its order of serving. Since there will be 9 items here, I will only describe what it looks like.

    The Experience

    Appetiser #1 – Pacific Oysters with Tetsuya’s Vinaigrette

    Coincidentally, my dish was presented first. It was a kind of too-simplistic version of Tetsuya’s infamous Vinaigrette Oysters. It was simply a mixture of ingredients stirred together to form the vinegar and, then, poured on a freshly shucked Pacific oyster.

    Appetiser #2 – Hokkien Prawn Mee

    Our second dish for the day was made by Pin Fong. Two perfectly cooked prawns and fish cake were laid on a bed of Hokkien mee and glass noodle with a handful of bean sprouts, sliced egg, and excellent prawn-based soup. This was Pin Fong’s traditional dish when he lived in Kuching, Malaysia.

    Appetiser #3 – Chicken and Mushroom Pie

    A classic Australian meat pie, made by Shienny was next on the menu. Chunks of chicken breast, mushrooms, and onions were baked and covered by layers of crunchy pastry. It was so delicious that we could not believe it was her first attempt!

    After the appetisers, we had a one-hour break to lessen our tummy’s tension before getting into the main course. Some of us played the Board Games ‘Acquire’ and some just watched some cuddly animals on TV.

    Main Course #1 – Indonesian-style ‘Empal’ Beef

    Maria and Sud presented a finely decorated plate of ‘Empal’ beef. It is an Indonesian-style dish that was made using the pressure cooker method and then sweetened and fried. It was accompanied by Indonesian Rice Crackers.

    Main Course #2 – Roast Lamb

    This one is Wil’s all-time favourite, Roast Lamb. It was an oven-roasted lamb with Wil’s special mustard marinade. He cooked it in a way that the lamb was still tender and juicy. It was another simple dish with a big taste!

    Main Course #3 – Singaporean Chili Mud Crab

    Another first-attempt dish of the day, Singaporean Chili Mud Crab by Inggita. A mixture of blue swimmer crabs and mud crab twice cooked in Singaporean-style chilli sauce. It goes well with Basmati Rice.

    This time we also took an hour-or-so break to prepare for the always-so-devilishly-delicious desserts.

    Dessert #1 – Blueberry and Chocolate Mousse

    Jason brought in a beautiful looking cake which was layers of dark chocolate mousse, chocolate hazelnut biscuit, blueberry compote with a mirror of blueberry glaze.

    Dessert #2 – Homemade Tiramisu

    This one is Rahmat’s fully-perfected homemade Tiramisu. The tiramisu needs to be chilled for a day before serving. It was also non-alcoholic due to dietary requirements of some of the drivers.

    Home-made Tiramisu, Potluck

    Drink – Fruit Punch

    Apart from regular soft drinks, we were also treated by Arein’s special Fruit Punch. A mixture of sliced fruits are combined with heaps of fruit juice that created a very refreshing drink.

    Did you know?

    According to Wikipedia, apparently Potluck was originated from England in Middle Ages.

    Location:

    Our Apartment, Maroubra Junction NSW 2035

    Website:

    http://ardipradana.com/

  • 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

  • Four Seasons Wedding Banquet

    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 23rd 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