Review: The Falconer, Darlinghurst

Rocket, radicchio, pear and parmesan salad with aged balsamic - $12 (large)

Oh my god. It's been a while...I can almost smell the mouldiness of the place already...

Apart from being completely bamboozled by what can only be described as an utter black plague of assessments this semester, I've also had my time quickly devoured by a few extra commitments I've taken on. Never mind that, I figure that instead of trying to divulge all the reasons why I haven't had the time to post, I may as well get a move on with the dusting of cobwebs around here.

Crispy shoe-string fries with the Falconer aioli - $8

Thanks to the wonderful Billy, the team here has finally had a few lessons on how to make our photos even more droolworthy. After-all, we are the hub of saliva-generation are we not? I'm still not too good with Lightroom, but practice makes perfect, and I'm happy to say that I've finally gotten over the noobish fascination with mindless clicking of the auto-white balance feature in Lr.

It's awesome isn't it?!

Okay, let's get back to work.

A few weeks ago AY, AW, JL and I decided to hit town for a night of relaxation in the midst of a World War against our textbooks. As we ran from the incessant fire of APV and DCF models, we luckily found a quiet refuge at The Falconer, located on Oxford Street, after a friendly recommendation by FW.

"So what's so good about this place?" I asked.

"Well, apparently they serve rabbit."

Braised organic rabbit ragu pappardelle with tomato, port & mustard seeds - $19

I must admit the thought of hacking up a fluffy bunny and cooking it did not at all seem appetising, but it was a thought which I pushed aside into my cranial Pandora's Box as I gave in to my unfettered weakness for pappardelle. On this particular occasion, luckily, the pappardelle did not disappoint with its bite and flavour. The ragu was beautifully cooked and the bunny meat so amazingly tender that I would have happily devoured two plates of this despite my initial apprehension.
Risoni with sauteed mushrooms, lemon, thyme and white truffle oil - $14

Bunny hackings aside, AW and JL both chose a serve of Risoni with sauteed mushrooms with lemon, thyme and white truffle oil. The flavours surrounding this plate was most definitely earthy and robust, but sadly the risoni was just a tad too al dente for my liking.

Slow-baked Bangalow pork belly with saffron pears and chestnut puree - $24

AY being the awesome solo demolition team at any dinner table, ordered a nice hunk of pork belly just to rub satisfaction in the face of the health-conscious. The amazing thing is, it doesn't seem to show on his body. Feel free to sign here for life-long membership to his hate-club. Jokes.

In all seriousness though, the meat was moist and tender, and so full of flavour that sadly there just simply wasn't enough to satisfy the hungry sonuva-. But in retrospect that was a good thing, especially for those of you reading this...

Because...

Vanilla bean crème brûlée with mango & cashew nut crisp - $11

Ooooright. Giggidy giggidy.

For dessert we had a lovely, smooth Crème brûlée (albeit a little runny still). The mango and cashew nut crisp which came with the dish was so wonderfully crispy and light - a wonderful accompaniment.

Can you tell that my word of the day is "wonderful"?

Not sure if it was because I had a little too much wine and cocktails to drink beforehand, I quickly became unsatisfied with eating the crème brûlée like a normal, healthy-minded human being. Acting in the name of research, I began to enjoy my crème brûlée with the french fries pictured above and oh gollie was it sensational! It was like the childish fascination with dipping you fries into your sundaes at Maccas, except so much awesome-er. Definitely recommended if you're not too fussed about being classy. Perfect for those suffering from a mild-case of Peter Pan Syndrome.

Overall, my the experience here was a big thumbs up. I gave it bonus points for its ability to make me feel like I should be wearing more vintage style clothing that came straight out of Frankie Magazine. If you like that old-fashion diners atmosphere that feels warm and inviting - look no further, this is the place for you.

The Falconer
31 Oxford Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9267 8434

Review: Jah Bar, Manly

I live up in the Northern Beaches area and the rest of my friends either live on the North Shore or somewhere down south or out west. What does that mean? Well it means that we rarely ever dine out near my area which subsequently leads to me driving far far away for outings. This particular night however, JTC and WF were going to be in the area and so we decided to choose a place in Manly to satisfy the growling of our stomachs.

We had no preference for cuisine, so the criteria were merely anything which tasted delicious and was bearable for our wallets. Jah Bar was what we ended up with. Situated in a small laneway right opposite a large carpark which has free parking at nights, it was bustling with people by the time we arrived. The restaurant itself was separated into three sections with a couple of tables out the front, the bulk of tables out the back and a bar in between. The diners here ranged from couples on romantic dates to large group bookings all eating and drinking under an area lit dimly by a string of Christmas lights. 

Being a table of boys, we were pretty much starving by the time we sat down and made swift decisions to order. Not long after, we were graced with the complimentary presence of sourdough bread and olive oil. Nothing particular special but always a nice way to start a meal - and to keep us munching and distracted while we waited for our main course.

The first dish that arrived was the Pizza Margarita with Tomato, Basil & Buffalo Mozarella, sliced neatly for us to share. I'm a big fan of the crispy crust which seemed to be achieved with oil at a bare minimum. The tomato was deliciously juicy and surprisingly did not affect how crunchy the base was. I felt quite happy with my slice of pizza and not at all unhealthy. Sometimes it's a nice change to eat something so delicious and still feel unburdened by oil and fat!

Pizza Margarita $16

I think I failed to mention that when we made the orders, both JTC and WF looked straight at me and had little input except with the serving of prawns. Naturally, I picked dishes that I loved and the Seared Scallops & Morcilla with White Bean Puree fell right into that category. I have many friends who aren't big fans of seafood and don't like the slightly chewy texture of scallops but I beg to differ. That texture is beautiful, flavorsome and when seared ever so lightly and dipped in that beautiful puree - it was brillant...that's what my tastebuds told me anyway, so don't take my word for it!

Seared Scallops $14

Chorizo is a dish which has brought upon both pleasure and pain since I was first acquainted with it. In Hong Kong, I've experienced the spiciest, most inedible chorizos I have ever tried but in a general sense, has actually brought great joy to me. This particular variation accomplished the latter but with most chorizos, my only complaint was I had to share with the other guys on the table. Yeah, yeah...I know that sharing is caring...but sometimes taking such a small bite doesn't quite satisfy my eager taste buds. 

Chorizo $8

This was quickly followed by an assortment of mushrooms which had been sauteed with garlic and a squiz of vingagre de jerez. Mushrooms in home and at places that I have dined at, are usually complementary to many dishes, mixed in to add that tangent of flavour. As a feature dish, the different types of mushrooms with a side of bread was delicious - absolutely loved the juicy crunch in my mouth. Meanwhile, the waiter had delivered our King Prawns & Sobrasada cooked in Spanish apple cider and just judging by the small dish, the prawns had definitely soaked up all the flavour. I'm not generally a big fan of prawns, especially the 'take-my-shell-off-with-your-hands' variety. I'm a bit lazy to do it usually and I find that all the flavour is lost once you remove the shell. It was, however, quite yummy so don't let my personal laziness put you off from ordering this one!

Assorted Mushrooms $11

King Prawns & Sobrasada $13.50

Of course, you'll rarely ever catch me finishing up a dinner out without dessert so these Spanish doughnut sticks were a given. Ask me to dip anything into a pot of melted chocolate and you'll be greeted with a smile - a perfect way to end a splendid dinner out at Manly!

Churros $8

Jah Bar

Shop 7, 15 Central Avenue

Manly, NSW 2095

Tel: (02) 9977 4449

Taste of Sydney 2010, Centennial Park

Coming back from overseas and jumping straight into full time work and part time uni doesn’t leave me much time to be browsing newspapers and flicking through magazines to actually know what events are coming up. What I rely on are friends and family or the occasional blog to keep me ‘in the know’ and this time, thanks to Betty from Betty Bites I stumbled upon something I should’ve known about ages ago – Taste of Sydney.

Armed with a set of tickets and a minimal amount of crowns (currency for this event), WX and I set foot (albeit a bit late) into the grounds of what I like to call Premium Foodie Heaven. Just to be specific, by minimal, I meant that we had $30 worth of crowns to share…to put things into perspective, we ended up spending about an additional $70 each on crowns during our 3.5 hour stay!

As with any event remotely associated to the word ‘food’, there is bound to be some sort of free promotional item including a Gourmet Traveller magazine and Ferrero Rondnoirs within our first five minutes there.

Our first stop, even though our stomachs were grumbling quite loudly, was the first session of the Australian Gourmet Traveller Taste Kitchen featuring Giovanni Pilu from Pilu at Freshwater who showed us the way he made Risotto with Crystal Bay Prawns and Zucchini.

I’m not much of a cook myself (that’s WX’s department) but just watching the digital screen showing us the detailed process was enough to make me salivate. Did I mention it was already 1pm and we’d opted to watch this session before satisfying our stomachs? For someone who only needs to cook to survive and has never really tried to make anything elaborate by himself, it was interesting to hear from Giovanni that soup stock should always be made rather than purchased. Apparently the different types of soup stocks that you can purchase are, in fact, taste and smell exactly the same! Or maybe I’m just a noob =)

After that half hour session (where we weren’t able to try the dish!) we finally made our way through to the food stalls. It was the beginning of a journey…one which would leave my jeans constricting my waist…

First up, was the Miso glazed Marlborough King Salmon with Japanese radish salad from Assiette. It was the first dish we tried and probably the most satisfying of the lot. No, we weren't paid to write this review but seriously, by the end of it, both WX and I were envious at Assiette's mastery of cooking the salmon just enough to leave the flesh tender and flavoursome. I can tell you now that this taste test has definitely placed Assiette on the cards for a visit soon!

Miso Glazed Marlborough King Salmon with Japanese Radish Salad

Saddle of Suckling Pig with Garden Peas and Smoked Bacon Jus from Restaurant Balzac was next. I'm a big fan of suckling pig normally, with a particular emphasis on the skin. I'm a fairly health conscious person and avoid food items which may place me in my coffin any earlier than necessary but this is a dish which I would never pass up. Unfortunately, what I looked forward to the most was quite disappointing. Perhaps it was the preparation method and the logistics behind producing the dish quickly for this sort of event, but the skin was a big letdown - tough and soggy. We saw that subsequent dishes actually had the skin removed so I'd say it was a logistics issue.

Saddle of Suckling Pig with Garden Peas and Smoked Bacon Jus

Slow Roasted Moran Lamb Spit Roast from ARIA

12 Hour Slow cooked Lamb Shoulder; Minted Crushed Peas and Feta Dressing from Four in Hand

The words 'slow', 'roasted' and 'lamb' had me salivating. Being followed by 'slow', 'cooked' and 'lamb' only made matters worse! Let me just say that I was lucky that WX is a girl and she only has limited stomach capacity!

Paella a la Maestre from El Toro Loco

We never ended up trying this but for the sake of satisfying our readers' visual hunger, we decided to take a photo of this Paella from El Toro Loco. It was truly an amazing sight but when you come to something like the Taste Festival, you really need to pick and choose what you want to eat. Instead, we picked the Vanilla Stone Fruit and Sangria alternative to quench our thirst and provide a bit of sweet relief. It was only after I skulled the remaining Sangria did I remember I still had to drive and I wasn't on my full licence! The stone fruit was juicy and not too sweet and made me feel like I was making a good attempt at being healthy!

Grilled Vanilla Stone Fruit with Sangria from El Toro Loco

Attempts at being healthy certainly didn't last long. Just imagining the chocolate oozing out of a fondant was enough to make me fall in love with the next dessert we chose. Overall the Warm Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Restaurant Balzac wasn't too sweet and having a spoonful of the cold ice-cream with a spoonful of warm chocolate fondant placed me in the highest levels of tastebud heaven! I didn't appreciate the Zippulas nearly as much unfortunately. I would liken it to the 'Sar Yung' Chinese Sugared donuts that you can order at Yum Cha. Delicious but I'm not a big fan of citrus flavours.

Warm Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Restaurant Balzac

Zippulas - Sardinian Donuts with Citrus Sugar from Pilu at Freshwater

After our small splurge on desserts we managed to get back on track and finally tried the risotto from Pilu at Freshwater. It was was as good as it looked - the consistency of the risotto wasn't too runny or thick and the flavours of the prawns and zucchini ran right through each mouthful. Shame that it was just a tasting plate - I wouldn't mind having it for lunch every once in a while.

Risotto with Crystak Bay Prawns and Zucchini from Pilu at Freshwater

Yellow Fin Tuna with Sweet Pork Crackling and Ruby Grape Fruit from Flying Fish

First words: beautiful presentation. Second words: delicious. I've always imagined tuna to be quite a hard dish to cook but this was done really well. The tuna was fresh and just melted in my mouth with the sweetness of the ruby grape fruit. WX decided not to try the pork crackling so I got to devour the whole thing - oh yummmmy!

Slow Cooked Lamb Rump, Confit Capsicum, Eggplant Caviar and Black Olive Oil from Marque

Lamb - again? Well you can never have enough of lamb though I did feel it was a bit overcooked. I did however, like the flavour combination of confit capsicum and eggplant caviar.

Tiramisu Roulade - chocolate sponge rolled around a Paesanella Mascarpone and Marsala Sabayon from Bird Cow Fish

Ultimately, my biggest soft spot is for desserts, especially the chocolate-y kind, so to finish off our eating endeavours for the day before Taste Kitchen presentation, we tried the tiramisu. The alcohol in this tiramisu wasn't as overpowering as many that I've tried before giving a good balance of lovely chocolate aroma. It was the perfect way to end my eating escapades that day!

Finally, we made it back to the seating area to await the start of the final Taste Kitchen demonstration for the day by Peter Kuruvita of Flying Fish.

He was an extremely charismatic chef and definitely kept me entertained for the entire session. I was also grateful that he was willing to bend the rules to serve us the golden brown potato chips he cooked up right in front of us!

Everything that he made looked absolutely amazing and the day I decide to get off my lazy ass and learn how to cook properly, I aim to make a crab dish the way Peter does - it's like a work of art! The aroma of it was extremely tempting too - shame he wasn't willing to share that with us!

Taste of Sydney was definitely a great day for my stomach and my tastebuds. My wallet would probably disagree wholeheartedly but overall, it was a really good opportunity to taste the food from such a large array of fine restaurants. What do we do from here? We save lots and lots of money so we can satisfy our stomachs some more - this time, it's not going to be tasting portion size!

Review: Tastevin Bistro and Wine Bar, Darlinghurst

So the order set out from AL was "I don't care, I just want French. Maybe we could hit up that place that gave us the awesome mash?"

The "awesome mash" place she had been referring to was Sel et Poivre in Darlinghurst, and despite constantly craving the mashed potatoes and the beef cheeks served there, I simply didn't feel like it was due for another visit until Winter strikes again.


Meanwhile I directed her attention to Tastevin, a French slash Modern Australian restaurant hidden in a pool of chaos that is Kings Cross.


In true Parisienne fashion, the place here is sleek and stylish. You most definitely won't be finding any nonsense in decor or furniture here. Likewise, its selection on offer is similarity straight-forward and no-nonsense, with just a few selections on offer, more than enough choice for the petite group of three we had that evening.

Beautifully soft and freshly baked bread was made immediately available after everyone arrived, and served with a soft round of butter and a dish of the balsamic & oil duo.

Gnocchi à la Parisienne, sauteed mushrooms & white truffle mornay - $16/27

We selected an entree to share, which was the Gnocchi à la Parisenne, with sauteed mushrooms and white truffle mornay. The mornay was delightfully rich and creamy in texture, and the fact we had shared it among three left us all wanting more. The gnocchi were the gentlest pillow-buds encased with slices of mushroom in every spoonful. The dish was simply divine.

King Fish tartare with sorrel cream, flying fish roe & finger lime dressing - $17

VH ordered a King Fish Tartare in an entree size for her main. The sorrel cream was indeed delicate in flavour - much like the king fish, but was simply too rich to finish. The flying fish roe drizzled around the edge of the plate made the entire dish seemed rather like a piece of artwork, and the thought crossed my mind as to whether it was polite to run a spoon around and lick it off.

Luckily for VH, AL and I were practically family.

Duck two way with spaetzle, sugar plums & sage beurre noisette - $29

AL selected duck two way with sugar plums and spaetzle (missing?). Thinly sliced duck piled up on top of a bed of what seemed like a duck pattie. While the slices were moist and juicy, the pattie below seemed rather uninspired and uninteresting. AL prodded it a few times and thought it was really dry, and left it mostly untouched.

Crisped skin pork belly on celeriac remoulade & pickled grapes - $17/28

I chose the Crisped Skin Pork Belly as my main. The layers of pork belly meat were lusciously tender and moist, and wonderfully balanced by the tartness of the pickled grapes. The celeriac remoulade was beautiful also, and I happily scraped up every last morsel along with the meat. Sadly I was disappointed by the chewiness of what was meant to be crispy skin, and after tackling one slice, I could not bring myself to put in all the effort to tackle the second.


Tastevin Bistro & Wine Bar
Level 1, 292-294 Victoria St
Darlinghurst, NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9356 3429
Website: http://www.tastevin.com.au/

Review: Aki's Fine Indian Restaurant, Woolloomooloo

If there is one cuisine that I consider to be the most often overlooked, it has got to be Indian. Most people I know have only ventured so far that their idea of Indian consists mainly of butter, and chicken. If they're a bit more adventurous, then maybe some sort of enterproteinhere korma.


However, tucked away near the corner of the entrance to the long sunfilled walk of Woolloomooloo wharf, sits Aki's Indian - a place where Terry Durack once referred to as the high point of Indian cuisine in Sydney.

Pappadums - aren't they just adorable?

The choice here was simple - a $55 per head banquet menu with an extra dish on the side (which I claimed to have ordered for research purposes). I will warn you now, this banquet isn't for the faint-hearted - it kept me filled for both lunch & dinner. A great bargain if you ask me!

Relishes - Cucumber & Yoghurt "raita", Tomato & Onion 'kachumber", Sweet Mango Chutney

The banquet menu comes with a basket of pappadums and a selection of relishes on the side, too!

Lycheeliscious

Mango Pash

Appletini - most definitely lesser on the 'apple' and big on the '-tini'

Clifford Bay '08 Sauvignon Blanc

Since JL, SK, AY and I were planning to go all out for the day - why not have a few luxurious cocktails with our meals? Make that a few cocktails and a bottle of wine, just for kicks.

Crab with Iddiapam - $23

First up was the Crab with Iddiapam. This was an extra which we ordered on the side of our banquet. Why? Because it is Aki's signature dish, and a dish which I frequently have terrible cravings for. The crab was so tenderly cooked, JL and I were so gobsmacked by the layers upon layers of flavour which was embedded that we straight away agreed that we would be happy eating this for the rest of our lives.

What's that brown bedding you ask? Tamil Brown Rice string hoppers. I liken it to the Indian form of rice vermicelli.

Palak Patta Chaat - $13

Did I mention that Aki's Indian has a brother restaurant? Oh my bad - blame it on my memory. Situated in North Strathfield is Aki's understated brother restaurant- Abhi's Indian (review coming up soon). This Palak Patta Chaat, a dish which is a revved up rendition of the humble spinach, is the signature dish of Abhi's. It consists of deep fried spinach leaves in a light, crispy lentil batter, doused with layers of yoghurt, tamarind and date and chilli and mint sauces.

Talk about flavour explosion much? It even had the non-vegie-eater (SK) hooked.

Namkeen Squid - $16

While we're on the topic of revving up humble dishes - here we have exhibit B. Aki's rendition of the ubiquitous salt & pepper squid. Immediately after I made my first cut into the squid, I noticed just how easy it was to pierce through the flesh. There were none of the usual criss-cross scoring - and yet...still so tender?I couldn't have been anymore pleasantly surprised. No doubt whatever the secret spices were in the "spiced tapioca flour", it worked like magic. The tamarind and ginger dipping sauce was also a huge hit with me, being a rather exotic and delicious alternative to the typical sauces you get presented with.

This one most definitely goes in the list of most memorable salt & pepper squid - along with Cantina, Darlinghurst.

Achari Tikka - $14

The Achari Tikka bore a resemblance to the usual Chicken Tikka - except with a slightly more natural colouring than the flaming red that we usually see. The chicken was most pleasantly moist, but a touch on the salty side for my liking. JL nommed it up good, though.

Post-writing-thought: Wouldn't it be funny if "Achari" meant "Chicken"? That would make the opening of this paragraph rather redundant wouldn't it?

Gola Kofta - $15

This is a must have dish for all you lamb-lovers out there. The lamb mince used in these balls are hand-minced, and you can most definitely taste the strong lamb-smell with every bite. I was sad to have only eaten one - despite how hot they were and how much they made me cry, they were simply divine with lashings of the cool cucumber yoghurt served with the pappadums.

Next, we move on to the mains.

Yeah, those were just the entrees. There's still another 2 courses to come.

Beef Vindaloo - $27

This is Aki's version of the "not-your-average-vindaloo" Beef Vindaloo. The beef was meltingly tender and fully imbued with the flavours of tomato and cumin sauce. Oh and did I mention that this one made your tongue catch on fire? Well, it did, but AY and I ate most of it anyway because it was just that dang-freakin' good!

Pilau Rice

The mains came with a serve of perfectly cooked Pilau Rice and a stack of plain Naan breads. Perfect for soaking up all the sauces!

Subzi Kofta Curry - $18

The Subzi Kofta Curry was probably my favourite main out of the 4 which were served. The list of ingredient generates eyebrow-raising first impressions, but the dish does not take long to convince even the biggest skeptics and that flavours DO indeed work hand in hand and that they couldn't be more wrong to have doubted it. So what's in there?

Carrot, raw banana, beans and fresh English spinach. Amongst other "ridiculously appetising ingredients" (says JL).

The kofta balls were incredibly moist, and almost makes one wonder how they retain their shape yet still manage to have a fall apart and dissipate effect in one's mouth. I couldn't begin to describe the myriad of flavours present.

Chicken Makhini - $25

Butter. And Chicken. I know I love it, and I know most people out there love it too. Aki's version definitely strikes the uncanny balance between tanginess of tomato with sensual creaminess and a hint of smokiness from the chicken cooked in a tandoor.

Once you taste this, butter chicken from the local food court just won't cut it. You have been forewarned.

Goan Prawn Curry - $29

The last of the mains was a dish of curried prawns. Black tiger prawns cooked in a sauce of coriander, cumin and freshly ground coconut - a must have for the seafood lovers. We all agreed that this was good, except that we were all so bloated by this point that we couldn't really bring ourselves to fully relish in its flavours.

Having said that, JL still mopped it up good.

Indian "kufti" Ice Cream - $13

Lastly, after requesting a LOOOOOOOONG, drawn-out break to allow us to digest (the peeps at Aki's are most definitely flexible with their service), we were finally presented with a light slab of Cardamom and Pistachio ice creams to cool our mouths downs. These were definitely flavours up my alley, but may be a hit and miss with others.

To me, the experience at Aki's was not only memorable, but rather the quality of dishes it produced was rather humbling for the palate, and reminded you of just how much of an art there is to match flavours with produce. The dishes which were served up not only fascinated and intrigued me, but it kept me wanting more and challenged my curiosity. You can bet your ____ that I'll be heading back there sometime soon.


Aki's Fine Indian Restaurant
1/6 Cowper Wharf Road
Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011
Tel: (02) 9332 4600
Website: http://www.akisindian.com.au/index.html