Mr Taste and I were recently invited to take part in New Shanghai’s first ever Wine & Dumpling dinner, which also coincided with the launch of their brand new wine menu designed and compiled by Treasury Wines.

The new wine menu features aromatic whites with dry lean characteristics and robust reds that are full bodied in finish. The wines are designed to both complement and contrast New Shanghai’s menu, not only to cleanse the palate but also balance out the rich flavours.

I was particularly impressed with the selection of whites, which included a Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2011 with subtle pear and apple notes and the Angel Cove Marlborough Savignon Blanc 2010, which had a refreshing cut grass and fresh capsicum quality. Sadly, both wines are restaurant exclusives, so do give them a shot if you spot them.

To ease down the wine, we were served six courses of New Shanghai’s signature dishes, including their famous panfried pork buns and xiao long bao – which need no introduction at all!

Pan fried pork bun and pan fried pork dumpling

Steamed soup dumpling, mini crab meat and pork bun, steamed vegetarian dumpling

We began with a cold platter, including pickled cucumber, kelp and drunken chicken. All three are considered ‘drinking snacks’ in Chinese, so it was a great way to start the dinner.

Shredded kelp in spice and vinegar, chopped cucumber with fresh garlic and drunken chicken, soaked in Chinese wine

I was a big fan of New Shanghai’s shepherds purse dumplings, which sat in a nutty sesame butter emulsion. The topping of grated cucumber added some subtlety and crunch to the dish.

Shepherd

The main course of crispy chicken and sticky pork belly was also a standout. The pork worked perfectly with the Penfolds Koonunga Hill 76 Shiraz Cabernet 2010 which I found too overpowering sipped alone. But together, the wine brought out a lovely plummy caramel quality in the pork belly. All hallmarks of a great pairing!

Braised pork belly and deep fried chicken in special garlic and chilli sauce

The dessert of slow cooked fungus was a bit of a wildcard. As it was slow cooked, the fungus was quite ‘slimey’ and made it a difficult flavor and texture to grasp for the uninitiated. I didn’t mind it so much, as it was a welcome sweet respite at end of the meal.

Slow cooked white fungus with papaya soup

New Shanghai will be holding a series of Wine & Dumplings dinners this summer, with the next one scheduled for the Charlestown store in November For full details, please visit www.newshanghai.com.au.

New Shanghai
Chatswood Chase
Victoria Avenue
Chatswood NSW
# 02 9415 3536
www.newshanghai.com.au

Azuma Kushiyaki’s Sugar Hit offering has always proved to be one of the most popular options for sweet lovers during the Crave Sydney International Food Festival. This year Azuma has pushed the boundaries by introducing bold Japanese flavours such as yuzu, shochu, kinako and white sesame. It’s a great excuse for those unfamiliar with Japanese flavours to be a bit more adventurous with their palate. Created and designed by Head Patissier Chef Miya Matsumara, the dessert bento boxes come with a glass of Browns Brothers dessert wine or hot green tea.

The top tray contains a matcha tiramisu with velvety mascarpone, fresh cream and shochu soaked sponge fingers; a small sample of nigori or yuzu sake; sake soaked sponge bites and a handcrafted chocolate praline with a pop rock centre.

The bottom tray offers a scoop of white sesame ice cream and an anmitsu fruit salad dressed in a brown sugar syrup and topped rice dumplings (the dumplings are rolled in kinako powder, made from lovingly roasted soy beans).

Azuma Kushiyaki’s Sugar Hit is priced at $20 per person and is available from 9-11pm from Monday to Saturdays during the month of October.

Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground floor, Regent Place
501 George Street, Sydney
# 02 9267 7775
www.azuma.com.au/kushiyaki

A big thank you to Tarryn from Azuma for organising a very special preview of Sugar Hit before the mobs hit!

I couldn’t have been more relieved to hear this: his Quay cookbook – though an amazing visual read – is quite limited in what it offers the humble home cook. I wondered whether my foodie companions felt the same, as we sat in on this special masterclass organised by Electrolux.

Tackling the tricky category of seafood which many shy away from (myself included), Peter set out to show us how quick and easy it is to prepare seafood at home with two simple recipes: seared scallops with lime creme fraiche and sauce vierge and steamed snapper with soy and ginger.

Peter offers these tips:

* For scallops, the key is to sear quickly and evenly on a hot pan. The middle should still be glassy.

* One trick to cooking scallops is to line them up on a sheet of baking paper and wack it straight onto a hot pan.

* For steamed fish, Peter uses a pin boned snapper, which he squares off so the fillet cooks evenly. Steaming is a very delicate and healthy way of cooking fish requiring no oil at all.

* Microherbs and flowers make all the difference to the presentation of a dish by adding that special gourmet touch!

It’s a joy to watch Peter in the kitchen – he makes it all look so darn effortless, tossing ingredients together like an orchestrated symphony. His knack for turning simple ingredients into elaborate creations has earned him the awe and respect of diners around the world. You also see just how much Peter enjoys induction cooking. In fact, most of the entrees at Quay are prepared at a dedicated induction station in the kitchen.

The masterclass ended with a sinfully decadent caramelised French toast, which he confesses he has never made for his wife but will need it one day for when he’s in the dog house.

As Peter bid farewell, we all sat down for a five course degustation at a beautifully elaborate long table with the harbour lights surrounding us.

I’ve always been a fan of the produce Peter selects for his menu and tonight is no different – from the rich bluefin tuna belly and marbled Berkshire pig jowl to the crimson confection of vegetables that is the starter – each is a decadent highlight.

Southern Tuna, toro, pink turnips, jamon de bellota juniper, wasabi flowers

Slow braised Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil

Salad of pickled rhubarb, endive, beetroot, purple carrot, rosa radish, kohlrabi, sheeps milk curd, pomegranate molasses, violets

What Peter does with textures is also quite intriguing. Take the corturnix quail breast for instance, slow cooking gives the quail a delicate, chewy, almost raw quality, yet it sits on a bed of creamy chestnut purée, milk skin and a crunchy mix of quinoa and walnuts. What a delightful and unusual contrast!

Slow cooked coturnix quail breast, pumpernickel, walnuts, quinoa, truffle, chestnuts, milk skin

While my companions were disappointed not to see the snow egg on the menu, the amazing caramelised white chocolate in the dessert certainly made an impression. The chocolate nibs had a dulce de leche taste about them with the aroma of roasted nuts, I could really see myself getting hooked on these!

Warm vanilla and palm blossom brioche, caramelized white chocolate, amaretto cream, walnuts and prune sorbet

Many thanks to Open Haus and Electrolux for the great evening, I certainly will be pulling out Peter’s recipes for the warmer months ahead!

Located next door to Berta, this tiny 22 square cafe is owned by Yu Sasaki, a trained chef who cut his teeth at the steamy kitchens in Universal.

Though small, Cre Asion pumps out regular batches of macarons throughout the day. This ensures the supply is fresh, moist and in tip top form – all hallmarks of a good macaron.

Zumbo fans will enjoy Cre Asion’s selection of weird and wonderful flavours, including white miso, bamboo charcoal and black sesame, wasabi and grapefruit, yuzu and red bean. All flavours are made from scratch using real ingredients, which shows in the end result. Macarons are priced at $2.70 each, $19 for 8 or $30 for a box of 14.

If you’re lucky enough to nab a seat in this cafe, you’ll love all the thoughtful touches, such as the pashmina throws, the charcoal blocks in the water jugs (to catch the impurities, Yu tells me) and the fully expandable glass walls – perfect for the summer or when the crowds get unbearable!

Big props to Chocolatesuze for discovering this gem!

Café Cre Asion
21 Alberta Street, Surry Hills
www.creasionmacaron.com

Open from 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday and from 8.30am to 4pm on Saturdays

We began our recent meal with a pressed terrine of confit duck and foie gras – a combination that’s hard to beat, even more so with the addition of balsamic caramel and jellied consommé. I’m quietly amazed at the thin ribbons of king brown mushrooms, which add a whole different texture to the dish.

The dish I was most keen on trying was the snapper with crispy scales. Chefs normally groom each fillet meticulously for scales but Grant King has done the exact opposite and left the scales untouched. The scales are satisfyingly crisp and add a layer of crunchy perfection to the moist fillet of snapper. If seafood is King’s passion, then this dish is his homage to the sea. The odd splashes of murky ink sauce ties everything together beautifully.

Each course at Gastro Park is a piece of art, deserving a display case in MOMA than on a plate. The lamb saddle showered with flowers and cauliflower snowflakes looks more like a woodland forest in the autumn than a humble meat and veg dish. Mushrooms get top billing in this dish and there’s plenty to choose from, in all shapes and forms too (including the genius mushroom wires). The shantarelle, king browns, shimigi and enoki layered together add heady umami flavours to the soft buttery cuts of lamb.

We ended our meal with a chocolate, honeycomb and mandarin sphere. It wasn’t my first choice but rightfully swayed after a thumbs up from our waiter. The dish appeared swirling in dry ice, with the same sort of wonder as the opening scene of a Cirque du Soleil show. When we cracked open the sphere, a velvety cream poured out and enveloped the crumbs of gingerbread, the mini macarons and the salted caramel cubes in a custard landslide. It was bliss on a plate!

Go on, if you want to see what a home run looks like, give Gastro Park a buzz now. I’m now somewhat saddened that Gastro Park has ruined me for the rest of the year, I don’t think anything else will live up to it.

Gastro Park
5-9 Roslyn Street
Potts Point
# 02 8068 1017
www.gastropark.com.au

But boy, has this paid off for LL Wine & Dine.

Maybe it’s the recent culinary research trip to Shanghai or perhaps the gifted hands of chef Jin Kung, LL’s dumplings are pretty darn impressive. The skin, skillfully thin, envelops a hearty prawn and scallop filling with lobster broth. Though it’s closer to the yum cha breed, the dumpling is full of flavour and without the nasty sticky MSG after taste.

Steamed lobster bisque soup dumplings filled with prawn and scallop

Another dish LL does well is Peking duck – well, a more contemporary ‘jazzed’ up version that features shredded confit duck breast that’s far tastier than it’s Chinatown equivalent. While the homemade pancakes are a little eggy for my liking, I’m impressed with the taro chips which add a nice crunch. 

Confit crispy duck breast with five spices served with homemade pancakes

The standout dish for me is the sashimi nachos – which is actually a rather misleading label because they’re not really nachos at all. It’s a tricky dish to manoevur – trying to balance fish, corn salsa and sour cream is a challenge especially after a few cocktails – but the effort is rewarded with a scrumptious mouthful. There was something distinctly ‘Cantonese’ about the dish and it took me several nachos later to realise it was the drizzle of ginger and shallot oil on the bread. Genius!

Sashimi nachos of kingfish and ocean trout served with a spicy lime, capsicum and corn salsa, avocado, sour cream and black caviar

These gems, along with a handful of other dishes, feature on LL’s new winter menu. Don’t be fooled by LL’s swanky exterior, you’ll find some seriously bold flavours here. Just take the mint jelly that complements the lamb cutlets or the jumbo prawns in the Singaporean curry, LL’s chefs aren’t messing around.

Roasted lamb cutlet crusted with Massaman curry and lime leaf served with cucumber and mint jelly

Singaporean jumbo king prawn curry

I’m a little ashamed it’s taken me so long to visit LL, it’s a beautiful space to be in. It’s hard to believe this used to be a sex shop – though the retro porn collage on the wall is an amusing reminder.

LL Wine & Dine
42 Llankelly Place
Potts Point 2011
# 02 9356 8393
www.llwineanddine.com.au

Thanks to Chris and the team at LL for the intro, I’m hanging for another Chee Chee Mule!

Sepia was at the top of my ‘to dine’ list and when that opportunity finally came around last week, I already had it pegged alongside the best.

Yet, four courses in, I got worried.

The first few courses failed to strike a chord with me, whether it was the combination of ingredients, the textures or the lack of seasoning. Starting with the amuse bouche of cuttlefish, I found it too fruity and lacking in acid.

Slow poached cuttlefish with passionfruit, baby cucumber and ton buri caviar

The oysters with rice wine vinaigrette followed and again it was too sweet and syrupy for my liking.

Rock oysters with rice wine vinaigrette

The tuna also suffered from underseasoning, the flavours were too subtle for me and the result felt muddled. My dislike of goats cheese probably didn’t help either. While the flavours weren’t quite what I expected, I was amazed by the construction of this dish – simple in concept yet unspeakably elegant

Yellow fin tuna, dashi jelly and goats cheese fromage blanc

I was also let down by the scallops, which were a little rubbery and lacked any distinct taste. The chickpeas felt misplaced among the pumpkin purée and puffed rice.

Miso marinated scallop with a Japanese pumpkin puree, puffed rice and chickpeas

The turning point of our meal came when the spanner crab risotto arrived, a dish considered by many to be among Martin Benn’s best work. It was heedy and herbaceous, with just the right balance of ingredients and flavours. The buckwheat risotto was a nice touch, adding bite and texture to the dish. I loved the little flakes of crabmeat and the foam, which turned into a rich sauce when mixed in with the risotto.

Queensland spanner crab risotto with shellfish essence and tarragon butter

The mulloway was next and the sheer presentation of the dish was enough to blow me away. As the waiter walked us through the long list of components, we were later pleased to find that they didn’t overpower the fish, rather, they formed a nice complement to the lead. It’s magical when a complex combination of ingredients such as these pay off.

Palm Island mulloway, sake infused trout roe, lemon curd, squid ink, shiso leaves and lentil sprouts

Our favourite dish of the night was the duck breast. Cooked to a medium rare, it was tender, juicy and incredibly flavourful. The sweet and sour confit eggplant was a nice addition, as was the sour cream.

Roast duck, confit eggplant, eggplant puree, honey finger lime sauce and sour cream

Next up was the venison, a protein I’ve never had before. Again, cooked to a perfect rare, the venison was tender, with a richer, more intense flavour than beef. This could’ve had something to do with the boudin noir which was quite heavy and bitter.

Slow roasted venison, boudin noir and lemon mayo

While it may have taken me a while to warm up to Sepia, our dinner did end on a high note. Before a quick palate cleanser of rock melon, coconut tapioca and lemon sorbet, we readied ourselves for the ‘Forest Floor’.

Rock melon, coconut tapioca and lemon sorbet

This spectacular Heston Blumenthal-esque creation was too special for words. On a bed of chocolate soil (it alone enough to make me squeal), lay finger lime pearls, matcha powder, blackcurrant cubes, elderflowers and candied fennel leaves which had a beautiful sweet woodsy fragrance. As you loosened the ‘topsoil’, there was a velvety chocolate ganache and lavender cream. It is the single most impressive dessert I have ever had!

Forest floor

The finale was a new dessert creation known as “Japanese Stones”. Inside each of the stones were scoops of ice cream, including cherry, coconut and chocolate. The dish was finished off with a dusting of black sesame and green tea moss.

Japanese stones

Sepia has taught me a valuable lesson and that’s to not let expectations get in the way of a great meal. Next time you’re out, leave expectations at the door and simply let the chef dazzle you with their best work.

The degustation dinner at Sepia is priced at $140 per person. A special tasting menu is also available on Saturday nights.

Sepia
Darling Park
201 Sussex Street
Sydney
# 02 9283 1900
www.sepiarestaurant.com.au

All too often, falafels are dry and crusty, without much flavour. Sabbaba’s magical falafel are made fresh to order and served piping hot. They’re so fresh in fact, there’s a machine dispensing balls of chickpea goodness right into the deep fryer. The result is hot fluffy falafel with a crispy golden exterior.

Sabbaba’s falafels are best enjoyed wrapped in pita bread topped with tomatoes, pickles, hummus, babaganoush and nutty tahini. It is a delicious combination that isn’t as sinful as the Double Down, but just as satisfying! I knew I wasn’t alone in thinking this as line to order stretched to the door when we popped in.

For the carnivorous, Sabbaba offers generous share plates with a nice selection of lean meats and fish, grilled to order. There are also fresh salads, Middle Eastern sweets and homemade pink lemonade.

Perhaps not the most authentic spot for a taste of Middle East (you won’t find El Jannah’s legendary garlic sauce here or Al Awafi’s smokey charcoal chicken), but Sabbaba does deliver wholesome food with great flavours in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Sabbaba Newtown
148 King Street
Newtown NSW 2042
www.facebook.com/sabbaba

Open daily from 7am – 10:30pm Monday to Wednesday and until late from Thursday to Sunday.

Thanks to Splendid Communications for organising our visit, no falafel will ever be the same again.

From its humble beginnings as an Edwardian teahouse in the 1930′s, the Inn shot to fame in the 80′s as Australia’s first internationally recognised restaurant. It wasn’t until 2007 that the Inn took a new lease on life with the arrival of Dietmar Sawyere.

Dietmar has long had a love affair with the Inn, mesmerised by its history, allure and location. In his cookbook, Table By The River Dietmar recounts taking a hire car to Berowra Waters Inn the moment he landed on his first visit to Sydney. At that time, the restaurant was run by Tony and Gay Bilson who purchased the Inn in 1976 and commissioned architect Glenn Murcutt to redesign the building.

When Tony left the Inn in the 1980s, Gay and chef Janni Kyritsis continued the restaurant’s legacy until the mid 1990s. In 1995, Gay took up operations at Bennelong restaurant and put the Inn up for sale. While Dietmar toyed with the idea of purchasing the Inn then, he decided against it after much deliberation.

The property came up for sale again in 2007, when the Inn’s proprietor at the time, Jeremey Laws spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald about selling the restaurant. Coincedentally, Dietmar was at a turning point: Forty One was 16 years old and while he enjoyed his time in the city, he was looking for a change. Berowra Waters Inn seemed like the perfect next step.

I had read Table By The River cover to cover in preparation for my visit last Christmas. Table By The River is a pleasure to read, it takes you on a journey, anecdote after anecdote, following Dietmar’s journey in transforming Berowra Waters Inn into the two chef hat dining destination it is today. The recipes in the book are just the bonus!

The journey to Berowra Waters Inn alone is worth getting excited over. The scenic drive north takes you past sandstone valleys, oyster farms and winding ranges. The Inn itself cannot be accessed by road, so guests hop onboard a private shuttle boat that takes them to the restaurant at Dusthole Point. There’s something secretive and incredibly cultish about the whole experience.

Our lunch at the Inn began with a crunchy morsel of salmon. The addition of orange and coriander brought bold bright flavours, to the beautifully cured ribbon of fish.

The menu at Berowra Waters Inn is designed to be a degustation, a sensory tour of Dietmar’s best work. The first few courses we sampled showcased his strong repetoire, including the classics (vichysoisse with oysters), the unusual (kangaroo carpaccio) and the unexpected (razor clam spaghettini). Each was a dish of extraordinary flavour and contrast, sneaking in little surprises when you least expect it.

Being by the water, Berowra Waters Inn receives a great variety of shellfish – including mud crab, rock oysters, squid and school prawns. In addition to local product, Dietmar uses Yamba prawns, sea scallops from Queensland, yabbies from Kangaroo Island and West Australian marron. Surprisingly, lobster isn’t an ingredient that Dietmar uses often and he doesn’t miss it much either.

Seared kangaroo carpaccio, braised bell peppers, pickled shallots

Slow braised white and green asparagus, duck egg yolk crouton, grilled asparagus sauce

Razor clams, spaghettini, hand picked local mud crab, chilli and lemon beurre noisete

Chilled vichyssoise, oscietra and salmon caviars, beignets of hawkesbury oysters

By the time we reached the ‘heavier’ courses, we were well and truly won over – not only by the food but by the Inn itself. I could see how Dietmar, and so many other gastronomes before him, fell in love. Among our favourites was a tender ‘minute steak’ dressed in a peppery paste, a perfect parcel of Murray cod laced in samphire and a juicy quail breast matched with fresh languistine.

Murray cod, sweet green peas, samphire, lemon myrle

Wagyu Minute Steak

Roast local quail breast, langoustine croustillan, spinach fennel puree

Mr. Taste and I also shared the squab which was baked in a salt clay shell. We were even invited to crack open the salt clay mould before the squab was returned to the grill for some crunch and colour. On its return, the squab came beautifully dressed with wood mushrooms, gnocchi and a foie gras cromesquis. It was a hearty combination but suprisingly delicate in flavour at the same time.

Squab baked in terracotta clay, foie gras cromesquis, mixed wood mushrooms, sauteed potato gnocchi, for two persons

The dessert selection showcased the best of summer fruits, including cherries, mango, raspberry and passionfruit. My favourite was the lemon and lime custard, topped with a very eyecatching Aubergine crisp. Other desserts included a rich dark chocolate tart, a brilliant mango souffle with passionfruit ice cream and a creamy parfait.

Lemon and lime custard, aubergine crisp, strawberries, basil

Mango souffle, passionfruit ripple ice cream, mango

Dark amedei chocolate tart, raspberries, yoghurt cream

White chocolate parfait, kirsch maceraed cherries

We ended our meal, several hours later, with coffee and petit fours. Most of the diners had gone at this stage and the working week was staring at us in the face. But just for that moment, as I looked out on the Hawkesbury in all its beauty, I forgot where I was and that was a moment I would forever remember.

Petit Fours - handmade jellies, fruit mince tart and ferrero

The five course lunch degustation at Berowra Waters Inn is priced at $150 and inlcudes coffee and petit fours. Additional courses can be purchased for $25 each.

Berowra Waters Inn
Via East or West public wharves
Berowra Waters NSW 2082
# 02 9456 1027
www.berowrawatersinn.com

We hopped along to a screening of Sophia Coppola’s Somewhere at ME Bank Starlight Cinemas last week. While it lacks the backdrop that the city venues offer, Starlight Cinemas has its own charm set in North Sydney Oval with its heritage grandstands and ‘hallowed’ turf.

There are three seating areas available at Starlight Cinemas, the most sought after being the Crust Lawn Lounge up front which offers rows of cushy bean beds. Star Class tickets are also available, which include a dinner hamper, bar service and deck chair seating.

As sponsors, Crust is offering pizza deliveries to movie goers. Simply call up Crust Neutral Bay beforehand to place your order and your pizza will arrive at 7:30pm, leaving plenty of time to enjoy before the movie.

While most guests bring along their own snacks and drinks to the movie, I thought the food and beverage offering at the venue was very reasonable: $4 gets you a chocolate brownie, $5 a bottle of beer and $6 a glass of wine.

There’s still time to catch a movie before the 2011 summer season ends on 6 March. Check out www.mebankstarlightcinema.com.au for more information. Tickets start at $16.

A big thank you to the team at Crust for organising our visit.