Review: Japaz, Neutral Bay

Chorizo with Veal Cutlets and Pesto Mayonnaise

So, where do I start?

For as long as I can remember, SK and I have spent many a days in the office and at uni simply compiling a list of all the places we would like to visit around Sydney. I believe the last time I checked, the list rather resembled an ad hoc extended version of the Good Food Guide than a "list". I believe we may be onto something...

Either way, Japaz has been one of those places which we had been dying to visit, but simply never got around to - and when the occasion finally arrived, I think we were so excited that Coca Cola could've bottled our excitement and used it as fizz in their soft drinks.

Mixed Plate: Coriander Crab Puff, Barcelona Salami, Chicken Yakitori

Japaz has an intriguing menu. The name of the place is pretty self explanatory - Japanese Tapas. Did I ever mention that there's nothing more I love than hanging out with friends over tapas? And beer? And more tapas?

Since AY was joining us for the evening, it meant that SK and I could happily order away at our favourite dishes without having to worry about wastage. (And AY says, "what wastage?") First up was a beautiful Mixed Plate. I absolutely fell in love with the deliciously crunchy crab cakes. Seriously, I have no idea what the bedding of the crab cakes were, but they were absolutely divine. I think they may be been egg baskets that were lightly fried. We also ordered the roasted eggplants which were soooooooooo melt-in-your mouth. I could've licked 2 plates clean happily.

Left: Pork Belly with Sauteed Rocket, Sweet & Sour Piquillo Capsicum; Right: Oven-roasted Snapper in Mustard Jus with Braised Fennel

The pork belly was also another melt-in-your mouth addition which was just so flavourful. Fat rendering is seriously man's second most awesome invention after sliced bread. I don't know what I would do in a world without flavournoids.

Fun fact: most flavour-molecules are hydrophobic and hence dissolve in fat. That's why fatty things tend to taste good. Yum!

The oven-roasted snapper with mustard jus was also a fingerlickin' delight to tuck into. The fish was a tad on the dry side, but it wasn't anything that a good slashing of the delicious jus couldn't fix.

Left: Wagyu Steak on a bed of Sauteed Chinese Cabbage and Red Wine Jus; Right: Wagyu Meatballs & Seasonal Vegetables in Tomato Salsa

And now as I am trawling through the photos and attempting to find the names of each individual dish on the menu, I've come to the epic realisation that we may have ordered every meat dish on offer minus the lamb (since JL doesn't like lamb). I blame SK for the lack of dietary fibre. I'll get on to that in a little more detail in the future.

Wagyu meatballs and wagyu steak. Seriously. I love meatballs. I scoff down Ikea meatballs at a pace that makes JL hand me a stack Jenny Craig brochures. I also drooled onto my table as I watched Tiffany make her smackalicious ballpark meatballs in this week's Top Chef.

I nearly faceplanted into the meatballs at Japaz.

Did I mention that I love meatballs?

Left: Wagyu Steak on a bed of Sauteed Chinese Cabbage and Red Wine Jus (served); Right: Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks & White Almond Puree

Another special mention goes out to the braised wagyu beef cheeks. I think AY may have mentioned on the night that this was a recommended dish from all the other foodblogs out there. I must say I'm jumping on that bandwagon and furthering the recommendation because seriously, this is something I would come back to Japaz for. The meat was soooo beautifully tender and moist, and the sauce was rich and flavourful.

Left: Torrijus (Spanish Style French Toast) with Poached Apple & Brandy Ice Cream Pedro Ximinez Honey; Right: Raspberry Tart, Nut Semifreddo & Raspberry Coulis

Last but not least, dinner with SK just wouldn't be dinner with SK unless we desserted the night away. I wouldn't say that these were Japaz's strong points - especially after the incredible braised wagyu - but they were refreshing and satisfying as a way to tie up all the loose ends in the evening. Needless to say, the Raspberry Tart looks smashing as it arrived at the table, and the Torrijus was definitely something different to tuck into and explore. Lightly sweet with a lingering aroma...

"Please sir, may I have some more??"

Japaz

165 Wycombe Street

Neutral Bay, NSW 2089

Tel: (02) 9904 0688

Website: http://www.japaz.com.au

Review: Rise, Darlinghurst

So, like. This post is totally like...3 months overdue. Gosh.

For those of you who may remember, JL and I visited Rise for a very special dinner last year for our anniversary. So smooth and memorable the night had been, that when the same question of "where should we go?" was asked again this year, the only natural response was, "well, let's go to Rise again".

Steamed chicken, tofu & tomato salad with sesame miso sauce (1)

So off we went to visit one of what would perhaps be one of Sydney's most underrated restaurants to enjoy once again its beautiful omakase.

Grilled polenta, prawn tempura, Chinese sausage & chunyan chilli sauce (5)

There were slight changes in the menu - for one, our beloved potato soup was no longer there, instead replaced with an equally satisfying tempura of prawn on a soft cube of polenta. Alas, I miss their potato soup!

Assorted sashimi (3)

The thing I love about Rise is not only the fact that there is plenty to smell and taste, but this time we sat at the counter, meaning that we could watch the chef methodically plate up the sashimi dishes ready for the next sitting. It was really incredible watching the sheer precision and thought-out system of setting everything up.

Behold. The German Sushi Army!

Seasonal Plate - Rice paper roll with cured tuna & avocado, soy milk flan with Shitake sauce, Cured ocean trout with "yuzukosho" tartare (not pictured) (4)

The taste profile here at Rise remains nevertheless on the side of umami (at least for the first few courses), intricately balancing the delicate taste of fresh produce with the occasional burst of bold flavour coming from a tiny something on the plate. It almost always catches one offguard.

Some things don't change so much. I.e the fresh spring rolls and the Chawanmushi.

Tom Yum with Scallop Tortellini and Mussel (2)

An interesting addition this time round was the Tom Yum soup. Taste-wise it was incredibly refreshing. Perfect #2 plate to get the tongue salivating. I see how it works on the menu, but I must admit a question mark did go off in my head when I first noticed it on the menu.

Roast duck breast, grilled witlof , mushroom, french beans, mash with Hoisin sauce. (6)

Mmm...duck. My favourite protein in the world! Here at Rise they sure give serve you some finger-lickin', fork'n'knife-lickin', plate-lickin' duck. The breast was cook beautifully (as you can probably tell from the picture), and the fat rendered just enough to give it a touch of sweetness. The bed of potato mash beneath it is also to die for. Brilliant supporting act - smooth, creamy and so full of flavour. I was almost sad to see it slowly disappear from my plate.

Amaretto granita, pink grapefruit jelly, panna cotta. (7)

Lastly, as a brilliant palate cleansing way to finish off the evening, came the refreshing pink grapefruit jelly, panna cotta with amaretto granita. Amaretto? Yes. Amaretto. For someone who generally dislikes the taste of amaretto, I was really surprised to see myself wanting this by the bucketload.

'Nuff said. I'll most definitely be coming back sometime soon.

Rise Restaurant

23 Craigend Street

Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

Tel: (02) 9357 1755

Website: http://www.riserestaurant.com.au

Review: Yulli's, Surry Hill

--- Written and Photos by WX

As a conflicted carnivore torn between being somewhat paranoid about developing anaemia and being unable to absolve the guilt of killing animals for personal indulgence (yes, I consider eating meat an indulgence), I've often contemplated what the step into the vegetarian world would feel like. It's places like Yulli's that really spark hope in myself that I would perhaps one day take the difficult leap successfully. Eating meat is almost like a nicotine addiction - except they don't make patches for it.

Alas, I'm too dramatic for my own good.

Yulli's is situated on the busy Crown Street in Surry Hills, next to the White Horse across the road from Clock Hotel. The place bustles with grooviness (yes, that's really the only way to describe it), and the warmth and artsy decor could only be described as being evocative of a certain liberalism.

One quick glance at the menu, and you instantly think that if it were possible for food to possess a political compass, the offerings at Yulli's could only be described as left-wing. In fact, I would go so far to say that they would be the appropriation of Bob Brown ideology, in food form.

On the other hand, just as one would always ooh and aah at Asian-Mediterranean mixed race babies, the fusionesque menu at Yulli's attracts the same sort of entrigued and misguided "so-does-it-look-more-like-the-mother-or-father?" reaction.

The service here is perfectly casual, but attentive and informative. There is little claustrophobic upper-class snobbery and everyone is seemingly down to earth and non-pretentious. The atmosphere is friendly, warm and laid back. If the restaurant was a canvas, this place would be a coherent and expressive masterpiece.

Baby Burrito Plate (spicy beans, sour cream, salsa, avocado and tiny tortillas) - $15.50

First up was the Baby Burrito Plate. The bean salsa was exquisitely tangy and mildly spicy. The tortillas were as soft and warm as a baby's bum. Definitely more-ish, in a non-weird-pedophilic way.

Mixed Chip Plate (sweet potato, taro, lotus root, beetroot and spanish onion) - $12.50

FW was the Mixed Chip Plate's number one fan. The dish came with 3 dips - rosemary salt, tomato salsa and dill yoghurt. I only managed to get a taste of the taro and lotus root chips with the yoghurt and salsa dips. I was an instant fan of the taro as it was fragrant and really crisp. The lotus root was also very crispy, but lacked the originality and distinctiveness of its own flavours.

Eggplant Involtini (grilled eggplant stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and spinach, topped with lemongrass and tomato sauce, served on roti) - $17.50

The involtinis were my absolute favourite for the night. They were cheesy, tangy and exploding with fresh flavours of basil and tomato. In the middle were perfectly grilled eggplants which oozed with flavour and sweetness. The roti base was crispy and mildy sweet which provided a beautifully elegant balancing act against the tanginess of tomatoes.

Salt & Pepper Tofu (served with a green papaya salad) - $15.50

Another winner for the night was the green papaya salad served with the salt and pepper tofu. It was peanutty, crispy and once again, tangy but not the slightest bit overpowering. The salt and pepper tofu was nice, but could have done with a little more of both salt and pepper.

Vegetable Sambal (fresh seasonal vegetables, stir-fried Indonesian style, served with jasmine rice) - $15.50

Next up was the vegetable sambal. The sambal itself was fresh, spicy and bursting with flavour. The rice was fragrant and provided a good accompaniment.

Grilled Haloumi Toasted Bagel (served with avocado, grilled mushroom, caramelised onion and hummus with chips) - $14.50

Haloumi featured on quite a few of the dishes on the menu. We eventually settled for the Grilled Haloumi toasted bagel. The waiter kindly warned us that this was a dish that was difficult to share, but we nevertheless attempted to do the undoable. The haloumi was absolutely wonderfully grilled and nicely chewy in texture.

Spring Rolls (with fresh vegetables and served with a light sweet chilli sauce) - $8.50

Spring rolls were part of the second round of ordering which occurred later in the meal. The fillings were beautifully delicate in flavour, but quite peppery. I was sad to only eat a half - that's just cruel teasing.

Pad Thai Linguine (with fresh seasonal vegetables) - $16.50

Lastly we all shared a serve of pad thai, which was actually one of the more fascinating dishes. The use of linguine was an interesting substitute. Furthermore, I could swear to God that I tasted Chinese pickled vegetables (Zha Cai 榨菜) in the dish. Whatever it was, it gave a wonderfully crunchy texture to the sweet and spicy dish. Definitely food for thought - in an abstract sense.

Overall we had a great evening in Surry Hills, finishing off with a box of cupcakes from Cupcakes on Pitt. (Yes okay, Sparkle was across the road, but I think it was closed at the time).

My verdict? Definitely recommended.

Yulli's
417 Crown Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9319 6609

Review: Lotus, Potts Point

Long story short, I've been trying to milk the Merivale Winter Feast all I could with what little budget I have. I have yet to be disappointed by the quality of food and service from the various restaurants of the group.

When I first saw the menus on offer at the different restaurants, I must admit that the one for Lotus got me the most excited. It was really such a shame that the place was not within walking distance from where I worked in the city. That's when friends who are happy to drive kick in!

Parking around the place was potentially vein-popping. Being the hot-tempered, road-rage prone driver that I am, the thought of trying to find a park in time for a dinner reservation in such a place makes me want to cringe and hide beneath a rock of some sort. Luckily for my companions on the night 1.) I wasn't the driver and 2.) we were quite lucky and found the very last free spot within a comfortable walking distance from the restaurant.

The restaurant was dimly lit, quite romantic in setting with a gentle flowery pink glow all around. It caused me to struggle a little with the camera, but alas, the place was simply beautiful to dine in.

We all sat down around the table, which was a tad on the cramped side and could definitely have benefited from an extra table, and had a quick chat before selecting our 3 courses for the evening. Service was quick and efficient, and the waiters were polite and patient as we struggled over what dishes to choose.

Parma Prosciutto, Honeydew Melon, Pecans and Endives

SK and a few others on the table ordered the light salad to begin with. I personally thought the presentation of the dish was lacking, as it really just seemed like a pile of stuff on a plate. Taste wise I thought it was pretty good. The prosciutto added nice flavour and a balance of texture to the dish, and on a personal level I've always fancied the nut and endives combination.

Butternut Pumpkin and Parmesan Soup, with poached free range egg and thyme crumb

KT and I dived straight for the soup. I found it a tad on the salty side, but I think for most people the soup would be perfect. The poached egg (with its gooey yolk) was a really decadent and beautiful addition to the soup as was the thyme crumb.

Salad of Calamari, Mint, Cucumber and Coriander with white soy and ginger dressing

I can't remember who it was that ordered this dish, but by the look of it was definitely a light and refreshing way to start off the evening.

Char-grilled Black Angus Rump Steak with Mashed Peas and Red Wine Jus

This was probably the most disappointing dish of the evening. At first glance it looked as if the meat was cooked to absolute perfection, but as soon as people realised that cutting through the steak with a steak knife resulted in a work-out of the arms, we immediately knew something was going terribly wrong.

The cut of meat could have been better for a restaurant of this calibre. I was really quite surprised that such a piece could have been served. Tendons were frequently encountered throughout the meat, and overall the meat was just incredibly tough (even though it was still very pink inside).

Caramelised Pork Belly, Apple Salad, Celeriac Puree

Meanwhile, while others struggled with their steaks, I almost felt guilty indulging in this melt-in-your-mouth quality of a perfectly cooked pork belly.

Oh good lord, I wanted to have seconds...and thirds....and perhaps even fourths.

"Fish of the Day" grilled with Crushed Potatoes, Leek and Tarragon Sauce

FL chose the fish of the day and once again I couldn't really dig in to any myself. Sitting diagonally across a table has its invariable issues when it comes to sharing food. All I know is that she happily tucked away, and didn't have much to complain about.

Pine-Lime Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream

Lastly the desserts arrived to finish off the night with a bang. My Pine-Lime Granita definitely hit the spot as I needed a little acidity to cut through the fattiness and richness of the pork belly. The vanilla bean ice cream was absolutely divine, and has given me great motivation to invest in an ice cream machine at home.

Chocolate Terrine, Butterscotch, and Creme Chantilly

The other option that appeared on our table was the chocolate terrine, which was really essentially a block of beautifully smooth and rich chocolate served with its perfect duo, a quinelle of chantilly cream. It was a simple, yet elegant dish and left us all with a smile on our face.

Overall, apart from a few hiccups with the beef, this trip was quite the success. The place is elegant, beautiful and the service pleasant - definitely worthy of a revisit and a taste of its standard menu.


Lotus
22 Challis Avenue
Potts Point, NSW 2011
Tel: (02) 9325 9000

Review: Rise, Darlinghurst

JL and I had our very first anniversary yesterday. In the week leading up to the big day, JL had been dropping clues every once in a while, just to make me guess where we were heading.

Let me tell you this now. If there ever was a cat that got killed by curiosity, it was probably me, in my past life, no jokes.

I think in the end he regretted ever starting the game with me because I would annoy him every few minutes with a "GIMME ANOTHER CLUE! GIMME ANOTHER CLUE!"

So here were his clues, given at various times of the day, over a few days:
Clue #1: "The place we're going to has a four letter name"
Clue #2: "Ok it's not Waqu"
Clue #3: "I think it serves a degustation menu as well"
Clue #4: "I don't think you've mentioned it before"
Clue #5: This one is too long for the blog, but he basically copy and pasted an introduction of Hideki Okazaki from Menulog, and blotted out the restaurant name and made me promise not to google it.

I kept my promise, and controlled my urges by playing Restaurant City on Facebook all day instead.

We were about 15minutes late for a booking. It's incredible how many cars people manage to squeeze into the tiny avenues and lanes weaving between the buildings in Kings Cross. We eventually settled for a park a few blocks away, and just walked the rest.

Eventually we arrived and before long, we were served our very first course for the evening - Marinated Ocean Trout.

1st Course: Ocean Trout marinated with Gochujang Miso & Poached Quail Egg

To be honest I was wary at first. Apart from salmon and kingfish, I've never really taken a liking to any other types of raw fish - especially tuna. Nevertheless, I told myself that one cannot claim to be a foodie if they don't try everything and my goodness, I was delighted that I did! The ocean trout itself has a taste that resembles salmon, except the flesh is a bit firmer and the texture is less oily. The miso marinade really helped bring out the sweetness in the fish and complemented the bed of rocket that it was served on. Oh, and there was no fishiness!

I'm not sure what the white thing on top was, but whatever it was, it gave a really nice crunch to provide a nice contrast with the quail egg and the trout. I loved this dish, and would definitely come back for more.

2nd Course: Potato Cream Soup with Tempura Prawn & Tofu

This Potato Cream soup was an immediate winner with JL and I, and remained our favourite course for the entire evening. The taste of the cream soup was delectably light and the richness well controlled and satisfying. It served a double purpose in this dish as we enjoy it not only as soup, but I happily dipped my freshly fried tempura prawn and tofu into the cream potato soup in an almost sauce-like manner. The flavours are subtle, and exceptionally delicate.

My taste palette will forever be jaded after this.

3rd Course: Assorted today's fresh market sashimi

JL nearly jizzled his pants when he saw this dish come out. In fact, I think he did. Or at least his face showed it.

Clockwise from the bottom left: Kingfish with mustard vinaigrette; Jewfish with balsamic dressing; Ocean Trout with traditional soy and wasabi; Tuna with I-forgot-what-sauce, and Oyster with light citrus Japanese soy(?)

The kingfish was our biggest surprise on the plate. More appropriately, the mustard vinaigrette used as a dressing for the fish was our biggest surprise winner. JL claimed to want to drink the dressing because it was that good, and I had to agree, because it really complemented nicely with the fish, and gave a complete spin on the traditional sashimi.

4th Course: Egg flan, mushroom & miso red curry sauce; Rice paper roll of miso chicken stick; Duck confit salad with 'Hoisin' in wonton cup

This plate was also an outstanding arrangment of assorted savoury delights. The spring rolls on the left really took a focus on the blend of natural flavours from the food - with the lightly marinated miso chicken stick subtly orchestrating the blend. Despite this, for me, it was the egg flan in the centre which really made the magic happen.

The egg flan, or chawanmushi in Japanese, was gently steamed to perfection and tasted soft and silky and delicate in flavour. It was topped with a red miso curry sauce, which, I must admit, sounds a little strange on paper, but in reality it tastes somewhat like that yellow stuff you get in crabs, except not as overpowering in flavour, and needless to say, not fishy at all.

The wonton wrap on the side, as pleasant and tasty it was, failed to shine through when contrasted with all the other dishes which had been served. To its merit, however, the cup was crispy and not too oily, and the bamboo shoots provided a nice crunch of a different style to accompany the sweetly flavoured duck

5th Course: Steamed Scallops, Green Tea Noodle & Ginger Shallot Sauce

I have to say this was a bit of a hit and miss for me. JL loved it, but I found the dressing to be salted a little too heavy-handedly, and competed with the incredibly sweet scallops in flavour. The green tea noodles were pleasant, and in one mouthful, the trio worked gave the tastebuds a good jolt of excitement.

6th Course: Soy Braised Chicken, daikon & green beans

Ok. Just for the record, I've just about run out of adjectives showing delight, deliciousness and general tastebud-happiness. Whatever I used for the other courses, I'm going to say that this dish takes them all. Except for the creamy part. But what I can add, uniquely to this dish, is that despite being well flavoured, the saucing is nevertheless gentle and thus the natural flavours of broccolini and bean sprouts retain their integrity admist everything.

Oh, and you may have noticed that it's not green beans, but bean sprouts served with the dish. Dayam good bean sprouts.

Rice, along with Miso Soup, was served alongside this dish. I gave my miso to JL as I'm not a fan of drinking soup during my meal.

7th Course: Today's Dessert

Lastly, we finished off our meal with Grapefruit Granita with mixed berries, and Coffee & Kahlua Granita with Panna Cotta.

Given how much of a coffee addict I am, I was quite a fan of the strong coffee flavour in the granita. What I wasn't too thrilled about was the sweetness of the kahlua beneath, blending in with the panna cotta. Given the subtlety in flavours in all the other courses, I found this one a bit outcasted and fell one short of the rest. On the other hand, the grapefruit granita was refreshing. I wasn't sure what the yellow custard-like stuff beneath was exactly, but whatever it was it was beautiful, and went nicely with the berries.

To top the evening off, the service at Rise was really exceptional. The waiter/waitress were well informed about each individual dish, and were professional in every aspect of their job. This is definitely a place I would return to - even if they don't change their menu anytime soon, I would happily have it a second time round.

And that, sadly, brings me to the end of this post. Heck of a long one if you ask me. But I had a great evening and couldn't help but share it in quite a bit of detail.

Hehe, we nommed it good.

Rise
23 Craigsend Street
Darlinghurst, NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9357 1755