restaurant « Sugar Snapped

May 21

Restaurant Review - Mud, Launceston

Our first full day in Launceston we enjoyed a great meal at Mud Bar and Restaurant. The restaurant is located down by the water and from the walkway out the front there is a fantastic view of the city perched on several large hills.

Lunch was confit chicken with wild rice, orange, prosciutto and candied walnut salad, and a serve of beef and pork meatballs, served with an rich tomato sauce. The lunchtime prices were very reasonable for the portion sizes and restaurant seemed to be a good size and had a nice atmosphere. If you’re in Launceston I recommend checking it out.

Mud Bar and Restaurant
28 Seaport Boulevard
Launceston, Tas
Ph: 03 6334 5066
Web: www.mudbar.com.au

Mar 19

Restaurant review - The Crosstown Eating House

The Crosstown at Woolloongabba has been on my “must-try” list for quite some time now. I finally made it there for lunch one rainy weekend and was pleased to discover that it lives up to the hype.

The lunch menu is not particularly extensive, but has a range of options for most tastes – some vegetarian, some lighter meals, gluten friendly options and mains or meals to share. My dining companions all had the sweet corn and chicken risotto which was a nice portion size for lunch – filling without being to large. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the chicken is served chargrilled and in one piece on top of the risotto. I didn’t try this dish, but my friends assured me it was delicious.

Personally, I enjoyed the salad of the day, which was stuffed field mushrooms (stuffed with ricotta, chilli, walnut and sultanas) on a bed of watercress/rocket and some very finely shaved fennel. It was a beautiful, unusual salad, albeit slightly over-seasoned. I did find that it wasn’t particularly filling for a main, especially with my hearty appetite! Fortunately I had the foresight to order a side of bread and butter.

Overally I enjoyed my lunchtime dining experience. The food was delicious, the service good (if a bit hurried) and the prices were reasonable for the portion sizes. I look forward to going back on evening and enjoying some of the tasting plates.

Crosstown Eating House
23 Logan Road
Woolloongabba
Ph: 07 3162 3839
Web: http://www.thecrosstown.com.au/index.html

Mar 06

dell'Ugo relaunch

Occasionally I am fortunate enough to get invited to special events in the Brisbane food scene. Last night I attended the “relaunch” of dell’Ugo New Farm, hosted by the Robertiello family.

It was a sophisticated affair, where the drinks and canapes flowed. The restaurant has recently been renovated and has the open and welcoming style of restaurants I visited in Italy.

Special mention goes to the Prosecco cocktail, with strawberries and mint. It was refreshing, light and delicious, and looking around at my fellow guests, it seemed to be in high demand. Another favourite was the polenta with porcini mushrooms and truffles – I stalked the waitress when she brought these out! Rather than discussing the restaurant’s “signature dish”, we were all treated to a sample of Casarecce al ragu’ di carne mantecati con parmigiano – described on the menu as “Our signature rich meat ragu’ with home made Casarecce with tomato and basil”.

The relaunch had a large cross-selection of people – there were fellow food bloggers, PR people, Italian nonna’s, family, friends, restaurateurs, and even Phillip Johnson, owner and local celebrity chef from E’cco Bistro.

I will be back for dinner and drinks soon dell’Ugo! Thanks for the invite, and a great night.

Full disclosure: drinks and nibbles were complimentary.

Dec 06

Restaurant Review - Zafron on Brunswick

I promise I will cook something worth blogging about soon! We’ve just moved house and I’m still trying to get my kitchen unpacked and in working order. Coupled with the start of the festive season, there haven’t been too many interesting dishes coming out of my kitchen the last few weeks.

In the meantime, I thought I’d review Zafron on Brunswick, a Persian/Mediterranean restaurant at New Farm. I have been meaning to try this place for quite some time now, so a birthday celebration seemed like the perfect opportunity. Fortunately, it lived up to my expectations, and my dining companions and I enjoyed a lovely meal.

A hot tip – on Wednesday and Thursday nights, Zafron do a 4-course special for $32 – great value! Beautiful fresh Turkish bread is the first course, followed by a choice of 3 appetisers. I went with the salt and pepper calamari which was some of the best I’ve had in Brisbane – beautifully tender and cooked to perfection. The sauce was almost a honey-mustard flavour, and I probably would have preferred a more traditional garlic aioli – but to each their own.

Again, it was a choice of 3 options for the main. I had the stuffed capsicum, stuffed with lamb and beef mince, lentils and raisins. It was delicious, and a generous portion. My dining companions tried the other dishes, including a delicious vegetable and chickpea tagine, and a cherry rice dish with meatballs. All the meals were a beautiful balance of sweet and savoury that seems to be common in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.

Finally dessert. By this stage I was pleasantly full, and I probably didn’t need dessert. I’m trying to learn mindfulness when eating, but it’s hard when it comes to dessert! Dessert options were rhubarb and apple crumble, creme brulee and baklava. I enjoyed the crumble, but my photo is atrocious so I won’t put it up! The creme brulee look like it had great “crackability” and real vanilla bean through it. I believe the baklava was good, but didn’t try it myself as I am not a fan.

Overall, Zafron is doing some really interesting, reasonably priced meals. I’ll be heading back at some point to order of the normal menu.

Zafron on Brunswick
7/726 Brunswick St, New Farm
Ph: 3358 2655
Web: http://www.zafrononbrunswick.com/

Dec 03

Food blogger's dinner - Black Pearl Epicure

Black Pearl Epicure is one of those names that’s bandied around foodie circles. So it’s somewhat of a surprise that I had never been there.

Black Pearl Epicure describes itself as “a premium food institute in Queensland comprising of the wholesale distribution business, showroom and cooking school all located in adjoining warehouses in the Fortitude Valley district in Brisbane”. Attending one of the famous cooking classes has long been on my to-do list, so when the opportunity came up to attend a tasting night I couldn’t pass it up.

Even more exciting was the fact that J was actually able to attend this event as well. I always feel sorry for him when I come home and regale him with stories of the elaborate meals I’ve eaten, and he tells me he had sausages, or spaghetti for dinner (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

After a brief survey of the items in the shop, a large crowd of Brisbane foodies were ushered upstairs. For the next 1.5 hours we were educated about gourmet food products. What resonated the most with me was how passionate Babak is about what he is doing and the food products he is introducing to Brisbane. I wholeheartedly endorsed many of his ideas – that food should be eaten in season, that the origins of products should be respect, that it is better to pay more for a high quality product, and use it sparingly, then use vast quantities of inferior products…

I sometimes become concerned that my passion for food can come across as pretentious and self-absorbed to some people. I completely acknowledge that this pre-occupation with gourmet products is a very first world, middle class concern. But I try to think of the bigger picture. We live in a world that is increasingly about convenience, speed and instant gratification. Food is ridiculous cheap and easy to come by (for most people). Most people eat at least 3 meals a day, and we need have little regard for seasons as products are shipped in from all over the world. Yet I can’t help but wonder if this lifestyle of convenience and ease is doing us any real favours. I am concerned when I hear of friends who seldom cook, who don’t see the simple pleasure in cooking something for yourself. Our taste buds become so accustomed to the taste of salt, sugar and fat that a simple salad seems dull in comparison. We eat tomatoes year-round, but they are uniform tasteless impostors.

I think we need to come back from the brink, take a step back from industrialisation. Part of my motivation in writing this blog is to try to convey some of the joy it brings me to cook a meal, no matter how simple. It is to show people that eating in time with the seasons can be rewarding and eye-opening. That, in the long run, perhaps it makes more sense to spend more money on a special product that when used sparingly will make your dishes pop. That there is still value in handmade, homemade, non-industrialised food production.

I came away from Black Pearl Epicure thinking, if I spend $20 on a bottle of wine, why not spend that on a good vinegar? As Babak pointed out, it will last much longer than a bottle of wine (certainly in our household!). If I want a balsamic vinegar, why not hunt out the aged product made in a traditional manner, rather than a supermarket version that adds sugar, rather than use the sweetest grapes, that adds caramel to get that balsamic colour we love. A comparison of supermarket olive oil and a Joseph’s first run extra virgin olive oil taught me that there is a difference in the taste and smell of these products. And I know which one I would prefer to dress my salad.

I know we can’t all afford these products and I know the supermarket products have their place. But there is truth in the saying that a little can go a long way, and that sometimes goods things are worth waiting for.

The evening ended with a lovely fresh meal of chicken in Moroccan seasoning, cous cous and a green salad. Dessert was a fantastic Roquefort and Comtit Gruyere.

Thank you to everyone at Black Pearl Epicure for an educational, and delicious evening. I’ll be back to buy some more products in due course!

Black Pearl Showroom
36 Baxter Street, Fortitude Valley
Ph: 3257 2144
Email: showroom@blackpearl.com.au
Web: http://www.blackpearl.com.au/

Nov 17

Restaurant review - degustation at NuNu

Our final night in Cairns, and why not finish our holiday with a bang? A decadent degustation at NuNu in Palm Cove sounded right up our alley. You can choose between 5 and 8 course versions. Have we met? Of course we went for the 8 course option, 6am flight be damned. And my dining companions took the decadence one step further by enjoying matched wines. I just had a few sips, but as always was astounded by the skillful choices of the sommelier. Unfortunately, my memory is failing and I cannot remember which wines went with which dishes – however, I have made a list of all sampled wines.

Brace yourself, there is going to be some gushing in this review, but I’ll try to keep it to a minimum. I apologise for the quality of some of the photos, the restaurant was quite dim (I believe that’s called “atmosphere”, which I promptly spoiled by using the flash). A moment to rave about the location – picture palm trees, the soothing sound of surf, jazz softly playing the background, candles, open walls and the smell of sea salt. Tropical paradise.

Pre-degustation

Homemade bread with preserved lemons and sea salt. Piping hot from the oven, and a real wake up to the palate with big hits of lemon and salt.

Course 1

Millionaires salad: shaved local heart of palm, honeydew melon, lime, baby herbs and chilli. Light and refreshing start to the degustation.

Also, salmon roe, garlic chips, fried shallots, green papaya (and a mystery ingredient or two!) wrapped in betel leaves. I loved this dish and it was one of the highlights – such a variety of textures and flavours, yet perfectly balanced.

Course 2

Hervey bay scallops with spanner crab, hazelnuts, new season muscatels, parsnip and gold leaf. I must admit, I don’t really see the point of gold leaf, but that aside this was a great dish. I don’t believe the scallops were cooked but they were so fresh they melted on your tongue.

Course 3

Butter poached tiger prawn and spiced lentil toasty, yoghurt, cucumber and curry leaf. One of the most amazing things about this degustation was the high standard of every single dish. This was no exception.

Course 4

Local line caught reef fish, smoked eggplant salad, tumeric sauce and clams. The sauce in this was amazing, some was served in the clam shell and eagerly slurped up by my party. A dining companion declared this his favourite dish of the night. A huge flavour hit.

Course 5

Slow roasted red duck curry with squid and young coconut salad, thai basil and jasmine rice. Even I loved this dish, and I’m not the biggest fan of duck. The red curry paste/sauce was out of this world!

Course 6

Garlic rubbed beef, with burnt butter gnocchi, crushed peas, sprout leaves, hazelnuts and gorgonzola dolche latte (and an onion ring!). Another highlight for me – the beef was beautifully cooked, the gnocchi featherlight, and I loved the combination of hazelnuts and gorgonzola.

Course 7

Cheese – Gallo Dairyland Baci (Brie) with date paste, a tuille and fennel seeds. A smooth rich cheese. We found the additional of fennel particularly inspired, and it worked so well with the matched wine.

Course 8

Passionfruit souffle with passionfruit icecream and passionfruit curd tart. I love it when “dessert” is actually 3 different dishes – a great dish to show off the merits of a sometimes underrated tropical fruit!

Wines

Sparkling – Ayala, “brut majeur” from Ay, France

Riesling – 2008 Dr burklin-wolf trocken from Pfalz, Germany

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – 2009 Henschke ‘elanor’s cottage’ from Adelaide Hills, SA

Aromatic – 2008 Domaine la grange, muscadet surlie from Loire Valley, France

Pinot Noir – 2008 Rabbit ranch from Central Otago, New Zealand

Zinfandel Shiraz – 2008 Buckshot ‘the square peg’ from Heathcote, VIC

GSM – 2006 Cotes du rhone ‘Guigal’ from Rhone valley, France

Sweet – 2008 Bress ‘kindust cut’ guwurtztraminer

A restaurant after my own heart, NuNu are commited to using local, seasonal and, where possible, organic produce. They were awarded “Regional Restaurant of the Year” by Gourmet Traveller in 2008, and it’s easy to see why.

NuNu Restaurant
123 Williams Esplanade
Palm Cove, Queensland
Ph: 07 4059 1880
Web: http://www.nunu.com.au/

Restaurant Review - Mud, Launceston

Restaurant review - The Crosstown Eating House

dell'Ugo relaunch

Restaurant Review - Zafron on Brunswick

Food blogger's dinner - Black Pearl Epicure