The secret to phenomenal hotcakes lies in the egg whites, which ‘puffs’ up the mixture, turning hotcakes into soft airy pillows. Give them a shot and let me know what you think!

Ricotta hotcakes recipe

Ingredients

250g ricotta
150ml milk
3 eggs
185g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
30g caster sugar
50g butter
A pinch of salt

Method

1. Cream egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add ricotta and milk, mix to combine.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.

3. Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites thorugh batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.

4. Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of the butter and drop 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake into the pan (don’t cook more than 3 per batch). Cook over low to medium heat until both sides are golden.

5. Top with fresh fruit, maple syrup, yoghurt to serve.

No, not cigarettes, but the cooking technique.

I love the subtle ‘lift’ smoke can bring to a dish and the wonderful earthy flavours that seem to go hand in hand with poultry.

I didn’t realise smoking was as simple as throwing together tea leaves, rice and sugar on a stove. I gave this technique a spin using some lovely quail from Game Farm, which are bred and grown locally in the Upper Hunter Valley.

I was really pleased with the results, the quail had an even smoke and golden caramel colour. Though my kitchen did smell like burnt cigarettes at one stage!

Oolong tea smoked quail

Adapted from Patricia Yeo

Ingredients

Marinade
2 tablespoons Sichuan pepper
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely diced ginger, skin on
6 whole quail

Smoking
1/2 cup oolong tea leaves
1/2 cup demera or raw sugar
1/2 cup raw rice
Strip of orange zest
3 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2 cloves

Method

1. Combine the pepper, salt, zest, and ginger in a bowl. Rub the marinade all over the quail, inside and out, and set aside for two hours.

2. Line a large, deep pot, such as a stock pot or an old wok, with a generous amount of foil. Make sure the inside is completely covered and there is a foil overhang of about 3 to 4 inches. Line the lid with foil. Place the smoking ingredients in the bottom of the foil-lined pot. Place an oiled rack securely inside the pot, at least two inches above the smoking mixture (you can use empty tin cans to support the rack). Brush off excess marinade from each quail and place them on the rack.

3. Put the pot over high heat, and when the mixture begins to smoke, place the lid securely on the pot. Smoke for 5 minutes. Do not smoke for longer as it will overpower the quail and taste terrible.

4. Remove the pot from the heat to a well-ventilated spot, and loosen the foil slowly, pointing away from you so you are not hit with a blast of hot smoke. Cook the quail for a further 10-15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees.

Thanks to Game Farm for the introduction to cooking quail at home!

Pan Asian

During my recent trip to Melbourne, Ziba from Harvey Publicity invited us to dine at Pan Asian, an asian fusion restaurant located on the Chapel Street precinct. Feeling adventurous, I put my skepticism aside and kindly agreed.

Pan Asian

Walking into Pan Asian is like steppingback in time onto an old Chinese movie set. There’s an eclectic mix of antique dark wood chests, woven bamboo chairs and grand floor-to-ceiling carved wooden screens. The manga-style mural on the kitchen wall is a little over the top, but no doubt adds to the atmosphere of the place.

Pan Asian

Once seated, we were greeted with dinner and drink menus. Pan Asian has quite a refined menu offering with an interesting mix of dishes – some more bold (or should I say, ‘fusion’) than others – such as the stir fried shark or blue cheese and leek gyoza.

We start with drink orders, and the lychee infused black tea catches my eye. As does the mojito on the cocktail list, which our waitress reveals to be the most popular cocktail on the menu. I can’t say I’m usually a fan of mojito, but the Pan Asian version, I can certainly warm to.

Lychee infused black tea

Pan Asian Mojito

As we wait for our dishes, we are brought two shots of the housemade soy mushroom broth.

Soy mushroom broth

The first dish to arrive is the beef tataki. The slices are thin but tender and come accompanied with Japanese mayo, black sesame seeds and shoots.

Beef tataki with Japanese mayo, sesame and shoots

Our next order is the char grilled cuttlefish and green papaya salad. Papaya or paw paw salad is a personal favourite of ours and although we’ve had quite a few variations, this dish lacks the depth of flavour and spiciness we’ve come to expect. That said, it is quite light on the palate and the supple cuttlefish curls are a nice addition.

Char grilled cuttlefish and papaya salad

Char grilled cuttlefish and papaya salad

The tea smoked duck breasts was a real stand-out for me. Although the duck alone was a winner in its own right, it was the pickled watermelon rind and toasted pistachios that brought all the flavours together in one intoxicating mouthful. I’ve never seen or tasted anything like the pickled watermelon rind – it was both sweet and sour and resembled the texture of a firm pear. I couldn’t get enough of it!

Tea smoked duck breast with pickled watermelon rind and pistachios

Tea smoked duck breast with pickled watermelon rind and pistachios

The last main to arrive on the night was Chinese style pork belly. We were both surprised by the generous serving of pork belly, it was probably the most generous we’ve ever seen in any restaurant. The strips of pork belly arrived doused in a blood orange sauce and tossed with celery and radish. While I didn’t eat as much of this dish as I would’ve liked (Mr. Taste and I were both loosening notches on our belts by this stage), I thought it was an interesting, if not clever combination.

Chinese style roasted pork belly with blood orange, celery and radish

Chinese style roasted pork belly with blood orange, celery and radish

Of course, we couldn’t leave without having dessert.

Our order of pandan panna cotta, blood orange sago and mandarin shortbread was absolutely amazing. This was the perfect fusion of flavours for me and I couldn’t have been happier to end the dinner any other way. The panna cotta was velvety smooth, with just the right amount of pandan. The blood orange soup was a little unusual but a treat with the sago pearls. And finally, the mandarin shortbread was delightful end to the meal.

Pandan panna cotta with blood orange soup and mandarin shortbread

Blood orange soup with sago

Mandarin shortbread

Pan Asian
267 Chapel Street
Prahran, Melbourne
# 03 9533 7022
www.panasian.com.au

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00-3:30pm and from 5:30pm to late.

Cappucino with Red Velvet and Orange Jaffa minis

This cute cupcake boutique is no bigger than 10 square metres and yet it bakes an impressive daily selection of cupcakes – including my personal favourite, Red Velvet.

Cupcakes here come in two sizes – mini ($2) and regular ($4). Though the small size is a mere mouthful, it’s a great way for first-timers to sample the flavours without the burden of eating too much. Although, the cupcakes are so light and airy that you wouldn’t realise if you did!

Little Cupcakes Melbourne

Little Cupcakes Melbourne

There are just enough chairs and tables for those who wish to dine in, but most stroll in for a quick takeaway treat. Sitting inside this cafe is a delight in itself, the decor is adorable and there are interesting details everywehre you look.

Little Cupcakes Melbourne

Little Cupcakes is a big hit with kids

During our particular visit, Mr. Taste and I try the Red Velvet, Orange Jaffa and Chocolate Mint flavours. Each is wonderfully made, both soft and airy, without the dryness and density that often brings down other cupcakes. The icing on the cupcakes is even fluffier, plopped on like a cloud of sugary goodness.

Chocolate Mint Cupcake $4

Chocolate Mint Cupcake

In all honesty, I don’t think any of the cupcakes I’ve had in Sydney live up to the ones at Little Cupcakes! Needless to say, we will be back for a second fix…

Little Cupcakes Melbourne

Little Cupcakes
Shop 7 Degraves Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
# 03 9077 0413
www.littlecupcakes.com.au

Open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and 10am to 5:30pm on weekends.

A heavy helping of ramen at Gumshara.

Hidden in the Eating World food court on Dixon Street, Gumshara is known for one thing and one thing only – its thick, glutinous, pork bone broth which has not only won over food bloggers but also the head chef of Lotus, Dan Hong who came up with the only fitting name for this ramen -  ‘chronic’.

Gumshara's Tonkotsu Ramen$8.50 with egg $1.50

The flavours in the broth are unbelievably intense, and although thick, it isn’t difficult to slurp down.  I’ve had my fair share of tonkotsu ramen in my time and this one tops the list by far.

A word of warning, this ramen really isn’t for the faint hearted. My throat was webbed up for a good 4 hours afterwards – not even two cokes could wash it down. You can opt for a ‘toned down’ version of the ramen though.

Gumshara shop front

Close-up of the ramen bowl

Gumshara
Eating World Food Court
Shop 209, 25-29 Dixon Street
Chinatown

Open Tuesday to Sunday

I used to be able to stroll into Adriano Zumbo, grab a croissant and be on my merry way. But now, I have to fight off thirty other customers in line, while secretly hoping they don’t pick the dessert I want.

Luckily, it’s a little easier to enjoy a slice of Zumbo heaven at Cafe Chocolat. There are four made-to-order creations, along with Adriano’s signature macarons and a tempting selection of hot and cold drinks.

Heaven on a plate

On this occasion, I’m joined by a couple of friends, who have driven close to an hour to check out this top nosh patisserie. Naturally, we divide and conquer the menu by ordering everything and sharing.

Chai Latte

Miss Marple Deconstructed

Miss Marple Deconstructed is first up. The crepes are suppley soft, but it’s the tantalising maple and mascarpone cream inside that melts away in your mouth. To finish off, the crepes are topped with fresh strawberries and orange jellies, which provide a fresh and tart pop of flavour with each bite. While I don’t usually like citrus, this dish hits all the right notes for me.

It's Not A Burger

It’s Not A Burger shows up next. Besides the dark chocolate macaron ‘bun’, we aren’t too keen on this one – not sure if it’s the banana and caramel rice pudding, the delce de leche gelato or the combination together. Mr. Taste, however, loved this one best. There must’ve been something he tasted in there that we didn’t.

La Vie En Rose

My personal favourite, La Vie En Rose gets full points for presentation. I felt like Marie Antoinette being handed her afternoon tea. The dessert comes in two parts – a sago, coconut and strawberry shake; and a glass ramekin filled with layers of rose brulee, lychee, raspberry sorbet and rose macarons. There’s so many different flavours and textures in this dish – it is creamy, fruity and tart all at the same time.

The Younger Years

No doubt, the most anticipated dessert day was The Younger Years – which arrived last. The chocolate fondant is the centre-piece, not only is it oozing with chocolate sauce, but there’s a separate syringe for you to overload the pudding with vanilla anglaise and raspberry couli. Accompanied by a scoop of peanut butter gelato and salty peanut caramel, this is a winning combination of a (kidney) dish. The unusual presentation is just part of the appeal!

This is me getting carried away with the raspberry sauce

Cafe Chocolat

Adriano Zumbo Cafe Chocolat
Shop 5, 308 Darling Street
Balmain
# 02 9555 1199
www.adrianozumbo.com

Open from 8 to 4 Monday to Friday, 8 to 5 on Saturdays and 9 to 5 Sundays.

At home, our hotpot of choice is the Sichuan kind. Undisputedly the king of all hotpots, every mouthful is coated with tongue tingling oil, bits of chilli and hidden sichuan peppers, waiting to unleash its face numbing super powers.

Start your eating

Fry up that chilli paste

I like to fry the flavour packet in a bit of oil first to unleash the peppery smells into our apartment. Ms. Taste likes the non-chilli side of the pot with pickled chinese mustard greens, chicken stock and coriander. Once things get hot and simmering, we bring the pot over to the portable gas stove on our dining table.

Adding the chicken stock

Chopping in the coriander

While the thai style “sukiyaki” and the vietnamese “lau” have a strong emphasis on the freshest of ingredients, our hotpot is the total opposite. We usually buy a tray of frozen lamb for each person, accompanied with half a frozen basa fillet per person and a pack of frozen fish tofu cubes, lobster balls and other assorted sea creatures.

Sea creatures and the rest of them

For vegetables, we have plenty of baby bok choy, enoki mushrooms and some daikon. Soak some of these babies in the chilli oil and prepare for fun. Quail eggs are also a nice addition. But really, you could add whatever random things you have in your freezer/fridge/pantry.

Fish, daikon, sea creatures, quail eggs

Fatty fatty sliced lamb

Throw your food into the pot, not too much otherwise it takes longer to cook, but enough to just get you started. You want to get into the rhythm of fishing out cooked goodies and adding them to your bowl whilst simultaneously eating and adding more food into the pot. It’s all a delicate dance that everyone needs to perform in sync. Otherwise you will have everyone sitting idly and watching the pot, waiting for food to cook, followed by frenzied grabbing for the sexiest pieces, followed by waiting and more waiting.

Start your eating

For us, there’s no better way of spending winter at home than in front of simmering pot of chilli-soaked goodness.

Ms. Taste's Fried Rice

Mr. Taste's Fried Rice

The problem is, Ms. Taste likes her fried rice in that boring, flavourless, ‘end of the wedding banquet when no-one cares about food anymore’ style; where I like my fried rice in flavourful, totally not boring, amazing and super tasty tomato sauce style. We discussed at length the pros and cons of each of our proposed fried rices through the ever-reliable medium of loud shouting. But still, there was no sign of a pending resolution.

So we set about finding the answer through the ancientest of ancient traditions which has made and destroyed civilisations: the little understood ritual performed by Amazonian witch doctors, reportedly said to bring eternal youth and a cookbook deal to all that endure it’s unrepenting cruelty – the battle for kitchen supremacy.

Ms. Taste’s Fried Rice

Ms. Taste's Fried Rice Ingredients

Ingredients:

• Leftover Rice
• Eggs
• Canola Oil
• Light Soy Sauce
• Fish Sauce
• Chinese Rice Wine
• Chicken Slices
• 2 Eggs, Scrambled
• Bowl of Shredded Lettuce

Method:

Heat pan until hot, drizzle oil in centre and swish around. Fry chicken slices until just cooked. Transfer to a bowl and let it rest.

Clean pan and reheat on high heat, drizzle a generous amount of oil and fry up the eggs. When they are almost done, pour in rice and stir quickly.

Stir the rice into the scrambled eggs

When the rice and eggs are evenly mixed, combine the chicken and lettuce.

Stir quickly to prevent rice from sticking to the pan

Stirring quickly, pour in the soy, fish sauce and rice wine.

Drizzle on that rice wine

Turn off the heat and serve!

Serving the rice

Ms. Taste's Fried Rice

Mr. Taste’s Fried Rice

Mr. Taste's Fried Rice Ingredients

Ingredients:

• Leftover Rice
• Canola Oil
• Sweet Soy Sauce
• Chinese Rice Wine
• Sriracha
• Tomato Sauce
• Chinese Sausage
• Chicken Bits
• 2 Eggs, Scrambed
• Assorted Frozen Vegetables

Method:

With a bit of oil, fry up your eggs like an omelette but rip the egg bits into shreds. Set it aside, and then fry up the chinese sausage and then also the chicken seperately.

Tossing the rice with the soy sauce

Heat up your wok nice and hot and get the oil to be also nice and hot. Throw in your rice and toss it around a bit so it all gets some of that oil. Then you can throw in some soy sauce and toss it around.

Throw in the meat

Then throw in your eggs and toss it around. Throw in the sausage and toss it around.

Throw in the vegies

Then you can do the same for the rest of it. In fact, the order of it all doesn’t really matter, the important thing is to toss everything around so there aren’t ethnic gangs of rice clumps, ready to cause uneven mouthfuls of trouble.

Make sure its all evenly tossed

Mr. Taste's Fried Rice

So, the question remains, who’s cuisine reigns supreme?

Trying to make Zumbo's vision my reality – Image courtesy of Masterchef

Now, Adriano was not kidding when he said the cake’s difficulty was 10 out of 10. While I was happy with my cake overall, I did have problems putting it together. The biggest issue with the recipe was that it was incomplete: parts of the method was missing, for instance, it doesn’t tell you that you need two pieces of jaconde for the cake and extra for the decorative piece on the outside.

This is why I made sure I studied the recipe in detail before I started. I also worked on substituting the more obscure ingredients with simpler replacements, such as using blackberry jam instead of making the blackberry ganache from scratch.

And so, here it is, my interpretation of the Zumbo Mousse Cake. It looks nothing like the original, but I do believe it hits all the right taste notes!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Note: For those of you thinking of attempting this recipe, I highly recommend getting a few extra pairs of hands with you in the kitchen. This way, you can separate the recipe and work on the layers simultaneously. I also recommend you work on the mousse first, to allow it to set properly before assembly (see below for why).

Ingredients

1. Pate sable cinnamon

285g cold butter cubed
185g caster sugar
375g plain flour
1 egg
2g ground cinnamon
1/4 scraped vanilla bean

2. Texture apple tatin insert

PART A
4 granny smith apples, peeled & diced
350g caster sugar
175g butter

PART B
3 granny smith apples, peeled & diced
10g butter
1 orange zest
6g fresh ginger (leave in large bits)
50g caster sugar
15ml calvados

3. Salted caramel layer

300g caster sugar
60g glucose
120g water
220g cream
5g gelatine leaves
125g butter unsalted
2g sea salt flakes

4. Biscuit decor jaconde

Cigarette decor paste
50ml cream
50g egg white
50g icing sugar
30g plain flour
20g cocoa

Biscuit jaconde
60g plain flour
40g butter melted
200g almond meal
200g icing sugar
6 eggs
180g egg whites
90g caster sugar

5. Chocolate blackberry sabayon mousse

Blackberry ganache
125g blackberry pulp
12g inverted sugar
50g caster sugar
6g caster sugar
3g pectin nh
200g 64% dark chocolate
35g butter

Sabayon mousse
60ml liquid strained black tea
50g sugar
50g egg
145g blackberry ganache (see recipe above)
60g 64% chocolate
400g whipped cream soft peaks

6. Chocolate spray
500g dark chocolate
350g cocoa butter

Tempered chocolate
500g white chocolate

Method

Pate sable cinnamon

Pate Sable Cinnamon ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 160°c.
2. Add butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla to a food processor and process to fine crumb. Add egg, mix till it comes together. Tip mixture onto bench and knead lightly. Roll out on a sheet of baking paper until 7 – 8 mm thick. Place ring mould over pastry and cut around outside edge, remove excess outer pastry.
3. Transfer pastry and ring mould on baking paper to an oven tray and bake until lightly golden.

Baker’s notes: I found this pastry incredibly hard to work with. It is important for the butter to be really cold – anything warmer actually melts the dough. I wish I had known this at the start as I ended up using double the required amount of flour in order to balance out the stickiness of the dough. That said, when baked, my sable turned out fantastic – less than 8mm, firm but not brick-like.

Pate Sable Cinnamon fresh out the oven

Texture apple tatin insert

Apple Tatin insert ingredients

PART A

1. Dry caramelise the sugar, emulsify the caramel with the butter. Add the apples, cook until the apples are translucent and caramel in colour. Cool mixture.

PART B
1. Peel & dice the apples. Add butter, orange zest, & ginger to a pan and cook until aromatic. Add sugar & apples. Cook over high heat for 1 minute, add calvados & flambé. Cool mixture.
2. Mix the 2 apple mixtures together. Place in a silicon mould. Place in blast freezer until set.

Apple Tatin caramelizing

Baker’s notes: I decided to only make PART A of the textured apple tatin insert. While the resulting texture was lovely, I couldn’t help but think that I may have overcooked the apples as the caramel sauce was quite bitter. Please keep a close eye on this one!

Salted caramel layer

1. Heat cream. Place sugar, glucose, water in a saucepan, cook to caramel colour. Deglaze sugar with cream. Add gelatine. Cool to 50°c. Add butter and blitz.
2. Place in a silicon mould and place in blast freezer.

Baker’s notes: Apologies for the missing photos here – I was too scared of getting a sugar burn that I forgot all about my camera. This was the first time I made caramel and did so quite successfully. The resulting caramel was beautifully smooth and velvety. I couldn’t find gelatin leaves in my local supermarket so I had to use the soluble kind. I reduced the amount of water required to compensate for this.

Biscuit decor jaconde

Biscuit Jaconde ingredients

Cigarette decor paste
1. Mix all ingredients together.

Biscuit jaconde
1. Melt butter. Whip eggs, icing sugar, and almond meal together. Whip egg whites and sugar together to form stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into egg almond mixture alternating with butter & flour.
2. Preheat oven to 160°c.
3. Place cigarette paste on tray, swirl pattern with fingers. Place in freezer. Using a pastry scrape or palette knife spread cigarette paste with a thin layer about 3mm thick of jaconde. Bake until lightly golden. Cool.

Baker’s notes: I didn’t attempt the cigarette décor paste part of the jaconde. However, I did find the jaconde recipe to be very eggy. I think 4 eggs is plenty for this recipe.

Chocolate blackberry sabayon mousse

Chocolate Blackberry Sabayon Mousse ingredients

Blackberry ganache

1. Heat blackberry pulp in a saucepan, add sugar and inverted sugar, bring to the boil. Add extra sugar and pectin.
2. Pour mixture over chocolate in a bowl, stir until smooth. Cool to 40°c, add butter and blend with a stick blender.

Sabayon mousse

1. Place tea, sugar & eggs in a bowl over simmering water (bain marie) and whip to form a sabayon. Melt chocolate, mix in cream. Fold in blackberry ganache, gently fold in sabayon.

Baker’s notes: While this is the last layer in the recipe, I really think it is important that the mousse is made first so it can set. My mousse turned out very watery and was not firm enough to fill the cake with. If only I had that blast freezer! I didn’t attempt the blackberry ganache part of the mousse but my blackberry jam was an easy and effective replacement.

Chocolate spray
1. Temper chocolate see method below. Cool to 40°c. Add cocoa.
2. Place in spray gun.

Tempered chocolate
1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl. Add more chocolate stirring until melted, until the temperature of the chocolate reaches approximately 32°c (dark chocolate), approximately 30°c for milk or white chocolate. The chocolate should be tempered. To test, use a small square of silicon paper & dip in chocolate, place on bench (cool place), the chocolate should set at room temperature.
2. To temper the cocoa butter melt in pot on stove, then pour onto a clean work surface to cool rapidly (around 32°c), add colour as soon as you pour the cocoa butter on table and work with the palette knife. When cool, brush on clear plastic provided working left to right, and keep brushing until cool in same direction to obtain brush strokes. Cover in tempered white chocolate, and cut and shape to desired finish. Place on top of cake as desired.

Baker’s notes: Without a spray gun at my side, I decided to attempt the chocolate spray with an atomiser bottle instead. Unfortunately the mixture was too thick to yield an even spray. All I got were lines of chocolate drizzle. This gave me the idea of decorating the top with a web of chocolate drizzle. I would’ve dusted cocoa powder over the top to seal everything in, but I ran out of the time for Mr. Taste’s birthday party.

Assembly

Layer of mousse in bottom of mould
Layer of salted caramel from silicon mould
Layer of jaconde
Layer of mousse
Layer of apple tatin from silicon mould
Layer of jaconde
Layer of mousse
Sable

Baker’s notes: I know you’re meant to assemble this recipe upside down, but unfortunately, without a ring mould, I had to do it the right way up. It didn’t turn out too bad. I did have problems with the mousse though. Because it was so runny, it didn’t hold anything together and only made the layers slip apart!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Close-up shot

The cake survived a 40 minute drive to the party and I was very nervous about cutting it apart. But when I did, I was pleased to find that all the layers had stayed in place. Plus, seeing all that gooey caramel was definitely a bonus!

Taking the first cut

Adriano Zumbo
296 Darling Street
Balmain
# 02 9810 7318
www.adrianozumbo.com

Open 8 to 6 Monday to Saturday and 8 to 4 on Sundays.

All You Can Eat Sushi Platter

Determined to check out this deal, I took the day off work and gathered my foodie friends together for a power lunch at Kobe Jones.

We arrived at 1:00pm, were promptly shown to our table and given menus.

The all-you-can-eat sushi selection included:

• DRAGON ROLL – tempura prawns with crab salad and cucumber with unagi and avocado layered on top with nori, tempura flakes and
  smelt roe sprinkle

• VOLCANO ROLL – oven baked scallops layered on a crab salad and avocado roll with Kobe’s special cream sauce and a sesame seed
  and shallot sprinkle

• SPIDER ROLL – crunchy soft shell crab with avocado, crab salad, cucumber with smelt roe sprinkle

• CATERPILLAR ROLL – unagi, crab salad, cucumber with avocado layered on top

• DYNAMITE ROLL - spicy tuna, kingfish, salmon or scallops with cucumber and sesame seeds

• KOBE JONES’ FINEST NIGIRI – selection based on market availability

When we finally flagged down our waiter after 15 minutes of chasing, he told us bluntly that we couldn’t choose what pieces we got as it came in a ‘platter’. Geez mate, would’ve been nice to have been told that at the start.

Our first platter arrived some 30 minutes later. The first thing that struck me about the sushi was how poorly they had been put together. They weren’t just messy, some looked like they were falling apart. I was also let down by the quality and freshness of the sushi. The rolls were plain, a little stale and boring. The nigiri sushi was probably the most disappointing. Considering these were the ‘finest’ nigiri Kobe Jones had on offer, the sashimi that sat on top of the nigiri was ‘torn’ and stewy. I also noticed that our platter was missing the Spider Rolls.

Volcano Roll

The Volcano Rolls on the other hand, were no disappointment – they tasted just like how I remembered. The crab salad and avocado filled rolls were soaked in a creamy tangy sauce with pops of scallop. Once we had eaten the allocation in the bowl, we had no shame mopping up the sauce with other stray pieces of sushi.

Kobe Jones 'Finest' Nigiri

Our second platter was a little more pleasing, the sashimi was much fresher. I took this as my cue to get some good photos of the sushi. But still, the Spider Roll was nowhere to be seen.

Dynamite Roll

Once we got around to our third and fourth platters, we were done with eating the stale pieces of nigiri and decided to peel off the sashimi instead.

Nigiri, sans the sashimi

I had a real issue with the service we received at Kobe Jones. Cold, insincere and even bored at times, the waiters were short of “rolling their eyes” at us when we went to order our next platter. Forget about getting your tea refilled!

The poor service really lets down the overall dining experience at Kobe Jones. I’ve been here several times in the past and the service has always been a bit of an issue for me. Lucky for them, the Volcano Roll does bring me back – but probably not as often as I should.

The platters took an average of 20-30 minutes to arrive, so if you thinking of a quick lunch during your lunch break – forget it. It took us a full 2 hours to polish off four platters – although we were full, we were nowhere near satisfied. If Kobe Jones can’t afford to serve the same standard of food I’ve come to expect here, then they really shouldn’t be offering the all-you-can-eat deal. It’s as simple as that.

Note: Kobe Jones’ $25 all-you-can-eat sushi lunches are available from Monday to Friday from 12-3pm.

Kobe Jones
29 Lime Street
King Street Wharf, Sydney
NSW 2000, Australia
# 02 9299 5290
www.kobejones.com.au

Lunch – Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Dinner – Monday to Friday from 6pm

There is a 10% surcharge on weekends and public holidays.