- Cutler & Co – Fitzroy, Melbourne
By Ms. Taste
On our last trip to Melbourne, I kicked myself for missing out on eating at Cutler & Co, The Age Food Guide’s 2009 Restaurant of the Year. It wasn’t until seeing Andrew McConnell on Masterchef four days before we were due to fly to Melbourne again that I picked up the phone and made a reservation.
When our flight landed at 7pm, we raced from the airport to the city, dropped off our bags and caught the 86 tram to Fitzroy. The restaurant had a great vibe when we walked in and our party of four was shown a table near the back.
We had a bit of trouble deciding what to order from the menu – the dishes all sounded really fantastic and we wanted to cover as much ground as possible. We did travel farther than anyone else to eat there after all.
Amuse Bouche of Crisp Crostini with Tender, Slow-cooked Octopus, Chorizo and Aioli
Parmesan chips
Mr. Taste and I shared the Salad Lyonnaise for our entree, which had a poached egg yolk encased in caramel as its centrepiece. I had seen it on the food blog, Melbourne Dining Experiences beforehand and was dying to try it.
I absolutely loved this dish, it was a smorgasbord of contrasting textures, colours and flavours. The egg was a real highlight and had me wondering how I could recreate it at home.
Salad Lyonnaise - frisee salad with crisp pancetta, garlic sausage, smoked tongue, confit gizzards and poached egg yolk - $19
Our friends, Wendy and Molly shared the Asparagus Salad as their entree. Decorated with Nasturtium flowers, this dish tasted as good as it looked. “Real” crab is hard to come by on restaurant menus. We normally see the frozen variety, but at Cutler & Co, we were pleased to find fleshy chunks of spanner crab lining the plate.
Asparagus Salad, Seared Scallop & Picked Spanner Crab - $26
Mr. Taste’s main, the line caught snapper, had him enthralled from the first bite. The glistening flakes of fish, accompanied by the broad beans, shallots and potato aioli was a winning combination.
Line caught local snapper, broad beans, glazed shallots, potato aioli - $39
The pork belly was also a memorable part of the evening. Cooked sous vide (a method used all too often on Top Chef), the pork was pull-apart tender, with lots of flavour. The crisp layer of crackling on top provided the perfect finish.
Roast suckling pig, sweet and sour onion, prune vinegar - $43
While I’m not a big lamb eater, I chose the slow roast lamb for my main. The dish was accompanied by a ’spring roll’ filled with a confit of slow braised lamb. The roast lamb was probably a little too rare for my liking, but its braised counterpart was right up my alley.
Slow roast lamb, merguez spice, carrot & black olive oil - $40
Throughout the night, we had excellent service from our attentive waiter who didn’t hesitate to check up on us regularly. This made us wonder whether we had been sticking up with Sydney’s notoriously bad customer service for too long.
Violet icecream, chocolate ganache, sour cherry sauce and chocolate sponge - $17
Although our original plan was to skip dessert at Cutler & Co and head somewhere else, we found it hard to move (literally). So we settled on a third course of strawberry sorbet on vanilla rice and chocolate sponge with violet ice cream. The two desserts couldn’t be any more different and yet, we enjoyed them all the same.
Strawberry sorbet, vanilla rice & verjuice jelly - $18
Cutler & Co
55-57 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
03 9419 4888
www.cutlerandco.com.auOpen for lunch on Friday and Sunday from noon and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm-11pm.
- Pendolino – Sydney CBD
By Ms. Taste
With Quay booked out until mid January, Mr. Taste surprised me with dinner reservations at Pendolino for my birthday late last year. This one-hatted restaurant nestled at the top of the Strand Arcade feels like Sydney’s own little piece of Europe. It’s almost like you’ve stumbled in from an unmarked alleyway in Venice.
Pendolino turns your assumptions about Italian food on its head. Dark, elegant and mysterious, Pendolino is a delightful find in this city’s crowded (and sometimes monotonous) gastronomic scene.
The menu at Pendolino is not available through the website – and some of their best dishes are not listed at all, but are instead offered as a daily special. Chef Nino Zoccali (ex Otto) has a skillful command over flavours: the dishes are rich and layered with an element of surprise. This could have something to do with the extensive range of extra virgin olive oils that are at the centre of Pendolino’s dishes.
Carpaccio of Hiramasa Kingfish, Rocket Cress, Baby Chard, Sicilian Capers, Red Radishes - $22
We start with a Kingfish Cappacio, an old favourite that never fails to impress. The kingfish is sweet to taste while the capers and rocket cress add an intriguing bitterness. I’m normally used to some sort of citrus with this dish, but with Pendolino’s rendition, I really don’t miss it at all.
Squid ink ravioli with baby scallops - $26 (entree size)
When our waiter was reciting the specials for the night, the word ’squid ink ravioli’ piqued my interest. Sure, I’ve had squid ink noodles, but never in a pasta. This dish turned out to be the standout of the evening and really made my night. The ravioli was stuffed with feta and baby scallops and sat in a sea urchin and clam reduction. The texture of the ravioli was beautiful, wafer thin and yet with lot’s of bite. This had to be one of the most successful uses of squid ink that I’ve ever seen.
Risotto Milanese - $21 (entree size)
I was so captivated by my ravioli, I hardly touched Mr. Taste’s Milanese Risotto.
Slow-Roasted Fennel and Rosemary Scented Pork Belly with white bean and potato puree, Fennel and Orange salad and Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil - $37
Our shared main of pork belly was an interesting dish. I couldn’t fault the pork belly, it was cooked to perfection and the white bean and potato puree was an enjoyable complement. But I was a bit thrown by the use of citrus in this dish and in particular, the blood orange extra virgin olive oil (which I actually loved with the complimentary bread).
Passionfruit Trio - Sorbet, Jelly and Panna Cotta - $16
Although I was ready to pass out, we found it hard to pass up the dessert special, a passionfruit trio comprising of sorbet, jelly and panna cotta. Individually, the components were nice, but when combined, the flavours really came together. The sorbet was no doubt my favourite of the three.
A big thank you for Mr. Taste for spoiling me with this wonderful meal.
Pendolino
Shop 100, Level 2, The Strand Arcade
412-414 George Street, Sydney 2000
02 9231 6117
www.pendolino.com.auOpen for lunch Monday to Friday from 12pm – 3pm and dinner Monday to Saturday from 6pm until late.
- Recipe: Gingerbread Christmas Tree
By Ms. Taste
I love seeing new recipes that take a fresh spin on an old classic. And who better to inspire me this Christmas season than the master of reinvention, Adriano Zumbo?
This month’s Gourmet Traveller magazine features a collection of Christmas themed recipes from Adriano Zumbo. The gingerbread christmas tree in particular wowed me and it was surprisingly easy to pull together (well, compared to his other famous creations, the croquembouche and the mousse cake).
I decided to forgo the recipe for gingerbread in the magazine and use my old faithful gingerbread cookie recipe. I bought a star shaped cookie cutter set in three sizes and baked eight in each size (it’s important not to overcook the gingerbread). Once they were cool, it was a matter of stacking them together and fixing the layers together with royal icing. To finish, I propped a star on top of the tree with a toothpick and dusted with icing sugar.
And voila! a fabulous and festive centrepiece for the Christmas table.
- An afternoon affair – High Tea at home
By Ms. Taste
What better way to spend your Sunday than a High Tea brunch with your very best girls?
I always feel a little cheated paying $45 a head for High Tea. So I set out trying to recreate the special experience at home. I made all the staples the night before – scones, cupcakes, sandwiches and macarons, while my girlfriends each brought a little something as they arrived.
In the end, we managed quite a spread of goodies. Blessed with perfect weather, we spent the afternoon sipping champagne, eating sweets and catching up.
And on the High Tea menu was…
* Vanilla cupcakes with raspberry and rosewater frosting
* Trio of macarons – lemon cream, raspberry jam, peach & strawberry
* Salmon sandwiches without crust
* Fresh strawberries and cherries
* Scones with freshly whipped
* German pastries – cherry custard strudel, chocolate custard slice
* Savory quiche tartlets
* Assorted teas
* Piper champagne
- Recipe: Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream Filling
By Ms. Taste
On a high after my first winning batch of macarons, I cracked four eggs and aged the egg whites over the work week in anticipation for a mega macaron making session on Friday night.
But when Friday rolled by, Mr. Taste spilt most of my egg whites over the kitchen counter when I was downstairs buying dinner. Extremely upset, I tried to make the most of the situation and whipped out my measuring cups to see if I could salvage enough for one batch. Lucky for me (and Mr. Taste), there was just enough.
And so I decided to make chocolate macarons. A little reluctant to try a foreign recipe, I stuck with my
basic macaron recipe and added 15 grams of cocoa powder. I was extremely happy with the results – the macarons had perfect feet, flat tops and a crispy shell. I’m on a macaron roll!
- Recipe: White Chocolate and Rosewater Macarons
By Ms. Taste
Two dozen eggs, four packets of almond meal and a kilo of icing sugar later…. I finally made my first successful batch of macarons.
All in all, I tried three methods, six different recipes and read another 20 – and it was a recipe by Frosted Envy that gave me success. That’s not to say the macarons were perfect though – some had cracked tops while others had uneven feet. But it was a great start and gave me pointers on what I had done wrong previously.
While I’m no expert on perfect macarons, I do believe I have a fair idea of what makes awful ones. So here are my top 5 tips to avoid macaron disasters in the kitchen:
1. Age the egg whites. I didn’t do this for my first five batches and they all failed. Aging the egg whites releases moisture and also makes them more stable. I aged mine for 5 days uncovered on the kitchen bench (you can also cover it with a paper towel to stop things flying in).
2. Be organised. That means prepping the almond meal and icing sugar mix, placing your piping bag in a tall glass with the sides turned over and having your sugar ready. If you don’t, you’ll be scrambling at the last minute and you really can’t afford to be.
3. Bend and press – not fold. Most recipes will tell you to ‘fold’ the almond mixture into the meringue. If you fold it in like you would a cake, you will end up with air bubbles in your macaron and it will puff up like a biscuit in the oven. I’ve also tried ‘beating’ the air out of the mixture as seen here on Youtube, but it was too hard to control and my mixture went runny. With my winning batch, I used a push and bend technique which yielded very successful results. Instead of mixing the almond mixture and meringue together, I pushed the two together by pressing on the sides of the bowl. It will start off quite thick at first but the mixture should come together quite nicely soon after. I would count your strokes, anywhere more than 40 strokes and your macarons could collpase in the oven.
4. Invest in a baking mat. The silicon baking mat makes a real difference to the heat distribution of the macarons. I found that on a baking tray, my macarons were slightly burnt on the outside rim but undercooked on the inside. The baking mat fixed this problem. I got mine for $24.95 at Chalet.
5. Leave the macarons out to dry in a warm place. I read that macarons that are left out to dry for 30 minutes to an hour have better feet than ones that don’t. While I did leave previous batches out to dry, I didn’t get the ‘dry to touch’ film on the surface which meant that I got no feet. I left my winning batch out to dry on a stool near the oven (I read that warm places were better). And surely enough, after 20 minutes, a nice film formed on top.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing your success stories!
- Rockpool Bar & Grill – Sydney CBD
By Ms. Taste
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I landed a last minute booking at Rockpool Bar & Grill. I could hardly keep it together that day, thinking about the fabulous dinner I was having that night. I’ve been hearing rave reviews all year, with many praising Rockpool to be the toast of 2009.
We arrived not long after our 6pm booking. We were seated in the dining room on the ground floor. Dressed in a white overcoat, our waiter strolled over and offered to take our drink orders. His tone was sterile and made no attempt to start a casual conversation. We were approached many times thereafter to check when our other guests were arriving and whether we’d like to place our orders first. I found this really annoying – we were told by reservations that we had until 8:30pm to vacate the table. I wasn’t too fussed about rushing because I was a fast eater and so were most of my dining companions.
House bread and butter
So when the others arrived we were all deep in conversation. Of course, we were all deciding what to eat too, the menu isn’t exactly easy to navigate. But we were interrupted multiple times by our waiter to place our dinner orders. It was unprofessional, pushy and extremely unexpected from a place like Rockpool.
Charcoal Roast King Prawns, Split and Marinated $34
Charcoal Roast Squid and Pork Belly $28
I have to admit, our food didn’t take long at all to arrive. Our two appetisers were pleasing, well cooked and set a nice tone for what was to come. The mains were all of reasonable portions, but the sides were extremely generous and provided the perfect complement to the mains.
Our waiters arrive with our mains
The boys’ steaks were both cooked to perfection. Mr. Taste’s budget option – the Wagyu skirt, was wonderfully tender, moist and full of flavour. With a 9+ marble score, there was no denying this was one of the best steaks we’ve had, but the price tag that accompanies makes it out of reach for many.
David Blackmore’s Dry Aged Full Blood Wagyu - Skirt 240g 30 days $39
Cape Grim Dry Aged 36 Month Old Grass Fed Rib-eye on the Bone 350g 80 days $58
Wood Fire Grilled Grass Fed English Bred Lamb Cutlets and Chops with Mint Jelly $39
The two pasta dishes were equally impressive, Perry has a way of extracting flavour out of a dish without upsetting the natural textures in the food.
One of the downsides of being a food blogger is that you get to eat last. Your friends are all yelling at your for you to take their main first. By the time I got around to eating my pasta, it was already cold. I would’ve liked to see more substantial bites of wagyu in the dish, the pieces I got were the size of peppercorns.
Wagyu Bolognese with Hand Cut Fettuccine $25
Spanner Crab, Roast Cherry Tomato, Spicy Prawn Oil with Semolina Noodles $29
We were all extremely pleased with our selection of sides, they were hearty and really added to our rather plain looking mains. The ‘Mac and Cheese’ was particularly delightful.
Sautéed Zucchinis with Garlic and Mint $9 / Onion Rings $9 / Charcoal Oven Roast Pumpkin and Sweet Potato with Garlic Yoghurt and Burnt Butter $9
“Mac and Cheese” $9 / $11
Mr. Taste has a habit of finishing off everything on the table. Even if he is bursting at the seams, he will find room for it in his stomach. But at 10 past 8, our waiter cleared everything without asking. He did it so fast we had no chance to stop him. Moments later, the bill was tossed onto the table. Needless to say, we were extremely annoyed .
Maybe it’s because we didn’t order from the pricey wine list, or maybe we had unknowingly broke one of the house rules, but the service we received at Rockpool left little to be desired. It cast a shadow of disappointment over what would’ve been a wonderful meal.
Rockpool Bar & Grill
66 Hunter Street
Sydney
# 02 8078 1900
www.rockpool.com.auOpen for lunch and dinner.
- tasted by two featured in Tiger Tales magazine
By Ms. Taste
My first contribution for Tiger Airways’ inflight magazine came out this week. I will be regularly contributing to the Sydney Hotspots section, so please look out for it if you are ever flying Tiger!
- Recipe: White Chocolate and Rosewater Cupcakes
By Ms. Taste
Our office decided to spend Melbourne Cup inside this year and we were each asked to bring in some afternoon tea. I immediately decided on cupcakes, a safe and reliable option after failing at four disastrous batches of macarons the weekend before.
With a simple vanilla cake bottom, the cupcakes have a deliciously light white chocolate and rosewater buttercream frosting.
Read more…
- Recipe: Paw Paw Salad
By Ms. Taste
The tantalising yet refreshing flavours of Paw Paw Salad is a specialty across South East Asia, with many variations – from the vibrant Vietnamese version topped with prawn and pork to the Laotian version which is intensely spicy.
I’ve seen Mr. Taste’s aunts prepare the Laotian version, which is heavily reliant on a mortar and pestle to grind the flavours out of the garlic and chilli bulbs. The paw paw strands are also thinner and are drenched in sauce. The Vietnamese version I’ve had in restaurants is more like a salad, with varying textures and flavours.
