Review: Azuma Kushiyaki, Sydney

Gomenasai, this post is SO belated that it's almost ridiculous to be doing it now. But it seemed like such a waste if I didn't post about it, because out of all the Sugar Hit experiences that were on offer, this one simply blew away the rest of the competition.


Of course, I'm talking about the much raved Azuma Kushiyaki.

Since I'm so backlogged in posts, I'm going to stop my usual non-important ramblings and cut straight to the real deal here. Clearly you're not here to listen to my ramblings, so here it is:

For those who were unaware, Azuma's Sugar Hit menu was so popular that they were completely booked out for the whole of October (during which the Sugar Hit event was happening). Instead of sticking to the rules and forcing eager beavers like us to miss out completely, Azuma decided to extend their offer into November, which was when we managed to get our booking.

Just take a squiz above and its not hard to see what it was such a hit. Especially when you compare it to this one.

Mochi with Kinako, Vanilla Ice Cream and Japanese Brown Sugar Syrup

My favourite bit for the night was this Mochi with Kinako (which is a soybean flour) and Vanilla Ice Cream. The round balls of mochi were soft and chewy and I absolutely fell in love with the Japanese brown sugar syrup.

Japanese Brown Sugar Syrup, Nori Seaweed Langue de chat Biscuits, Green Tea rolled cake with Chestnuts

The Nori Seaweed biscuits was also a surprise hit with me. The seaweed had a toasted flavour and the biscuits were brilliantly crisp and fresh. I was so sad that I finished mine so quickly.

Brown Brothers Orange Muscat

Hennessy V.B

I love a bit of muscat, but the boys decided to go the Hennessy way. I felt like telling them that it just wasn't going to make them grow any bigger if they drank this stuff with their dessert.

Belgian Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla Cheesecake

Vanilla Cheesecake

My favourite part of a cheesecake is the biscuit base. In other words, I'm no fan of cheesecakes in general and this was no exception. But I have to admit that for cheesecake lovers, this probably would've hit the spot head on. On the other hand, I absolutely fell in love with the Belgian Chocolate Mousse. It was so beautifully light yet rich in flavour without being sickening and there were nice layers of either chocolate sauce or chocolate sheets in between which gave it an interesting contrast in texture at times.

I loved the experience here and would definitely recommend the menu to anyone. Sadly I'm not sure if it still on offer. However, given the showcase presented for the Sugar Hit event, I would think that whatever is on offer right now is sure to impress, and I would definitely return for a second stint sometime in the near future.

Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping
501 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9267 7775

Review: Adriano Zumbo Cafe Chocolat, Balmain

...because one visit wasn't enough.

The very next day after Macaron Day, I revisited Adriano Zumbo with another group of friends -- this time to visit the cafe.

The cafe itself is situated in a little courtyard a few doors down from the patisserie shop. A quick glance at the menu will give anyone a headspin -- some things in life you just cannot choose with ease.

The Younger Years

This was CL's order, called "The Younger Years". I'm pretty sure most people would pick up the connection pretty quickly, but if you don't, then I won't spoil your innocence by any means whatsoever.

Taste-wise? Well look. It's Adriano Zumbo. He's not THE Adriano Zumbo for no reason.

La Vie En Rose

The title of this dish stood out to me by a long shot not simply because I love Edith Piaf, nor was it for the fact that I'm secretly in love with Marion Cotillard, or that Audrey Hepburn sang this song in one of my favourite movie scenes, but when I read the menu, I envisioned flavours that melded together so prettily - if such a word may be used to describe food. My vocabulary fails me at this moment, but 'subtle' simply isn't the right word, and 'delicious' simply doesn't do it anymore justice. I've always found that rose flavoured desserts were often overlooked for more common indulgences such as hazelnut and chocolate. It makes me sad a little because I would love to see more rose flavoured ice creams and desserts around the place. This one definitely did not disappoint. I also found the coconut-muddled berry and tapioca pearl drink to be wonderfully complementary to the sweetness of the sorbet, custard and macaron combination.

This is definitely something worthy to draw one back for a revisit.

Mrs Marple, deconstructed

Lastly, JL chose the sunny "Mrs Marple Deconstructed". This was also something I would gladly have served up to me any time, any day. The sweetness factor was just right, and the dish was beautifully presented for the extra "eat me" factor.

I wish I could give you a few more words because I feel like I haven't given this post justice, but I'm awfully tired seeing exams have just finished and it's late and I have work tomorrow. I promise I'll do a better job next post.

Cheers.

Adriano Zumbo, Cafe Chocolat
308 Darling Street
Balmain, NSW 2041
Tel: (02) 9555 1199

Review: Adriano Zumbo, Balmain

Macarons, macarons every where,
And all inside did shriek;
Macarons, macarons every where,
Nor any particular one to seek.

Never have I seen so many macarons in my life! Pink ones, green ones, purple ones, 10 billion different chocolate ones, orange ones, bright red ones...you could fill the colours of the rainbow with all the different macarons Adriano Zumbo piled his store with today.

60 flavours, one day. And all the mouths of Zumbo-fans around Sydney to fill. The flavours range for the typical favourites such as Chocolate & Praline and Strawberries & Cream to the slightly more exotic flavours like Blue Cheese & Pear to Maple Syrup, Bacon & Pancake for the more adventurous.

Honestly, picking what flavours to get was by far the most difficult part of the experience. We needed a moment to just settle down to all the vibrant colours around us, before VH finally pulled out her iPhone and looked up all the different flavours online.


"Can we please get 2 Golden Gaytimes?"
"Make that three"
"And 2 Mango and tonka beans?"
"Is that Cheesecake? Oh my god, can I get a Cheesecake as well?"
"Ooooh what's that purple one? Can I get a purple one?"
"Make that two"
"Hey look there's Toasted Marshmallow!"
"Two of those please! And a Finger Bun one"
"Can I also get a Strawberry Bubblegum please?"
"Sorry what's that one there?"
"Lamington"
"Oh can I get that?"
"Whats that you're getting?"
"Lamington."
"OH could I get one as well?"
"What are you guys both getting?"
"Lamington."
"Oh me too!"
"Let's get a Maple Syrup, Bacon and Pancake one..."
"Hmm....yeah okay, let's do it!"

Spoils of war

To be honest, I have no idea what we ended up getting in the end. Not like it really mattered. AL, VH and I just divided our spoils into three boxes and agreed that it'll just have to be like a lucky dip. All the more fun for each of us.


We actually TRIED, to distinguish them by sniffing, but macarons don't really give anything away. All I know so far is that I've bitten into what I thought was Golden Gaytime, half a Lamington, Strawberry Bubblegum, Fig & Blackcurrant, and what I presume to be Chocolate & Salted Caramel.


All in all, we made a great day out of the event. A great big Happy Birthday to Adriano and what a great success the store has been. And yes, I just realised I used "great" three times in two sentences, but I blame that on the sugar coma that I'm under at the moment.



Adrian Zumbo Pâtisserie
Shop 296, Darling Street
Balmain, NSW 2041
Tel: (02) 9810 7318

Review: Sugar Hit at Grace Hotel, Sydney

Nearing the end of the Sydney International Food Festival month, it was natural that another Sugar Hit take place before the end – although the popularity of Azuma Kushiyaki has prolonged that particular option for an additional month so you may all anticipate a post about that soon! I had heard from several people that Grace Hotel had one of the largest selections on their dessert platter offering and upon seeing the plate, this was very much confirmed.

Brown Brothers Dessert Wine

The large rectangular platter had seven little desserts including: Turkish Delight with Fairy Floss, Walnut and Fig Biscotti, Sticky Rice with Custard, Pavlova with Berries and Cream, Tiramisu, Mango Sorbet in a Brandy Snap Basket, and Vanilla Bean Brulee Tart. A very detailed description of the desserts which I otherwise wouldn’t have known – as I am still a foodie-in-training – had I not done a quick search on Grab Your Fork. The waiter and waitress who served us were not only incapable of properly (by that I mean gently) setting down our plates of dessert and glasses of dessert wine, but didn’t even try to explain to us what we were about to eat. With such a large selection before us, I would have expected at least an explanation of which dessert was which, if not a brief spiel about how we should progress to give our tastebuds the maximum pleasure!

Dessert Platter

Disregarding the poor service, the dessert itself didn’t wasn’t particularly special to making my impression of this Sugar Hit any better. The basket holding my sorbet was disturbingly soggy and the tiramisu lacked the familiar flavour and aroma that makes it usually one of my favourites. For tonight’s Sugar Hit, the pavlova was honestly the only item I could say I ate without frowning or feeling a bit let down by. Although we were offered to most here, compared to the other Sugar Hits, I was quite disappointed at both the quality of service and that of the dessert which we were served.

The Grace Hotel
77 York Street (corner of King St), Sydney
Tel: (02) 9272 6636

Review: Sugar Hit @ Sheraton on the Park, Sydney

Brown Brothers Orange Muscat

After our Mamak visit we headed for Sugar Hit @ Sheraton on the Park. Initial reactions were a bit mixed seeing that the Tea Lounge looked rather like much like the lobby area of a hotel with napkins and cutlery arranged on the tables. Confusion soon disappeared once we were seated and treated to a glass of Brown Brothers Orange Muscat.

Warm Chocolate Pudding with Ice Cream and Chantilly Cream

Putting my indifference towards chocolate aside, the warmth of the chocolate pudding was surely an indulgent way to finish off the night. The pudding was rich, and oozing with sumptious chocolate - perhaps a little too rich for my liking. I managed to devour half the pudding before pushing my plate away and offering it to the sugar monster - aka. JL.



Sugar Hit @ Sheraton on the Park
161 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9286 6686

The Most Diet-Unfriendly Cake You'll Find Here

...and it's all thanks to Donna Hay.

Over the years I've found Donna Hay recipes to be a tad on the sweet side for me. This then got me into the habit of messing around with the measurements and what not - which probably explains why half my baking adventures fail miserably. However, this Chocolate Truffle Cake really leaves me with nothing to complain about - except perhaps the fat content.

I am going to repeat this once again. If you are health-conscious, turn away now. Otherwise, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

This is also a time consuming cake, but it definitely is worthy of every minute spent labouring away in the kitchen.First you need to sift the flour and cocoa flour. Not once. Not Twice. But THREE times.
Do it. Or you'll be kicking yourself.
Next grab 4 eggs ad 1/3 cup of caster sugar.

I'm a strong believer of Free Range Eggs. The thought of my own garden-hogging chickens flap up when I get tempted by the price of caged eggs.

Won't somebody think of the chickens!?!
Beat the egg and sugar until light and fluffy. You'll notice your mixture growing in size. It's kinda cool like that. Next, fold in the cocoa and flour mix. I always use either a rice paddle or a metal spoon when I fold - I think the metal spoon idea came from Huey's.

Pour the mixture into a springform tin (one of the most awesomest bakeware ever). Smack the tin down on the bench gently to pop any large air bubbles which may have been trapped inside.
Pop it into an 180°C oven for 25 minutes. You may want to make the truffle filling at this point.

See, I told you it would be time-consuming and lots of hard work.
For the filling, grab about 400g of dark coverture chocolate and 2 cups of single cream. The original recipe asks for more, but I prefer this ratio. Melt it while stirring over a double boiler.

I find the Nestle Cooking Chocolate works fine, but if you're a chocolate connoisseur then by all means use high quality stuff to your liking.
It was some time here that the timer on my oven went off and I had to go rescue the cake. I know this because the ordering of photos on my camera tells me so.
I'm also going to use this opportunity to show you oven mits (?) that SK got me from the U.S. It took me ages to work out what the shape was meant to be, so I'm just gonna it leave it there for everyone to guess.
Back to the chocolate mix. Remember to keep stirring or it may just catch on the bottom.
After it is melted, set it aside and let it cool.
Next, separate six eggs. You'll need the yolks. The whites you can use for meringues or macarons. You can even make them and then stick them as decoration on the cake, or do something trippy and make it all Adriano Zumbo-esque.
Put the egg yolks with 1/3 cup of caster sugar over a double boiler. At this point I'm going to say I hope you have a power point near your stove, or you're going to need an extension cord.
Next, beat the egg and sugar over the double boiler. Make sure you scrap the bottom regularly with a spatula to make sure that the egg doesnt cook on the side of the bowl.
When the mixture is thick, put it aside and let it cool slightly for about 2 minutes.
Next, fold in the chocolate cream mixture from before. Make swift, gentle folds so that the mixture stays light.
And then place it into refridgeration for 30 minutes.
While the truffle filling is cooling, proceed to slice the cake into two. Don't be like me, cut them evenly, please.
Place the bottom half of the cake back into the springform tin. At this point I will stress that you remember to tighten your tin. Nobody likes runny truffle mixture all over the benchtop.
Pour half of the truffle mixture over the bottom layer. The mixture, at this point, should be at a consistency so that it will naturally spread itself over the layer without the need for a spatula, but it should not be so runny that the sponge cake will start absorbing it like syrup.
Put the top layer of cake on top of the truffle mixture...
...then pour the rest of the truffle mixture on top.

Easy right?
Then pop the entire thing into the fridge and leave it there for at least 5 hours. I experimented once with 5 hours, and once overnight. The overnight one was definitely more cutting friendly and was better texture-wise.

Once the cake is set, detach the springform tin carefully. It should come off quite easily without needing to run your knife around the edge.
Then just cut it up and serve!

(from Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2)