wine

17/9/2010

De Vine

Felt like a drink one night so I rounded up the troops for a glass of vino after work at De Vine. As the night went on we got a little hungry and decided to order some food. For some reason our impromptu dinner an impromptu theme.. great minds think alike!

We really enjoyed the meal, and looking at these pictures make me want to go back again. On the other hand, there are still so many uncharted restaurants in Sydney.. tough decisions for a food lover huh!

De Vine, Sydney

Duck liver pâté – brilliantly creamy, not too overpowering, generous portions. Yum!

De Vine, Sydney

Slow cooked duck leg, confit leg ragout – tasty but a little dry.

De Vine, Sydney

Duck pappardelle – divine!

De Vine, Sydney

Dessert platter – great for sharing and for those who can’t decide what to have. We noticed a missing Valhorna chocolate cake (which was replaced by a semifreddo) but because we really wanted some, the waitress obligingly brought out a slice. Predictably, I went straight for the crème brûlée and the pannacotta – I may just order the platter all for myself next time!

Related links: De Vine Food and Wine, Sydney.

30/6/2010

Hunter Valley

There aren’t many things I would prefer to do than to try something new or explore someplace I haven’t been. Some times this obsession of mine does more harm than good especially when it involves a whole lot of unsuspecting people (like, when I thought organising a collective bungee jump was a great idea!) and some times it results in an awesomely fun day; and if everyone is happy after that’s just a bonus.. or the after effects of an afternoon of wine tasting.

[From top; L-R]
#1 – Breakfast at All Press.
#2 – Book for the day; I am enjoying Hobb’s assassin series immensely though it took me about 2 months and constant bugging from MJ to get on it. Once you pop you can’t stop! Am now on the second book in the trilogy.
#3 – Ray mapping out our route to destruction
#4 – Lunch – salt and pepper calamari! Wasn’t half as good as it looked.
#5 – Gorgeous country
#6 – I believe this was the Hope estate function room
#7 – And it begins!
#8 – Favourite of the day: Brokenwood estate
#9 – Last stop, Peterson House

Though it’s not really my first time at Hunter Valley – I barely even remember my first trip more than a decade ago. We went up for the food and wine fest that was happening that weekend but blew it off entirely once we started hitting the estates. Can you really blame us? There are some bangin’ wineries around the Hunter region and I really should stop using these shocking adjectives.

15/3/2010

My weekend

On Friday night I took a cab to the city. I was running pretty late having dropped in on an impromptu art exhibit at the National School of Art after work so I had to rush back and change. Having traveled around the block I noticed the meter was just over $9 on a day rate – so I made a comment about the fare. The cabbie explained that there was a $3.20 flag fall no matter how short a distance we’ve traveled and I told him that I take this route at least once a week and it usually costs me under $10 to get to my destination. So I decided to take a video of the meter ticking away. By the time I got to my destination it cost me $15. I told him I was going to file a complaint.

Just to give you an idea of how much I (felt) like I was overcharged, my return trip with the 20% night time surcharge cost me under $11.

I thought about this over the weekend and decided not to report it. But then I watched the video I took again and got annoyed so I just submitted a report at the 131500 taxi feedback page with a link to the video.

According to Transport NSW, it is $1.93/km and 83c per minute while vehicle speed is less than 26 km/h (stationary) and I’m not sure how it cost me $15 for a 1.5km trip (looked up the distance on Google maps) that took a few minutes. I’m even more annoyed that I had to take a cab as I’d normally walk there.

I did give him a chance to explain but as the boy said, it’s not like he’s about to admit he’s just rigged the meter in his favour. Hopefully I’m wrong, but if I’m not this guy is making 50% more on his fares – why should the public have to pay for that? Bah.

On another note the weekend was lovely. On Saturday I made a trip to Market City and came back with way too much food. I hardly get a chance to buy fish so I picked up some tenggiri and made assam fish curry for dinner that I had with some fresh lime coriander cous cous. The other reason I hardly buy fish in Sydney is because I’m so used to seeing whole fish at the markets in KL and it’s hard for me to recognise the types of fish that I like because I barely know their english names and it’s hard to tell when most fish on display is filleted! I would much rather buy whole fish and gut it myself but for convenience’s sake I stick to other proteins since butchers are easier to come by near where I am.

On Sunday Ray rang to tell us he stumbled upon the Hyde Park wine event and by the time we caught up with him he had purchased about 20 bottles! It made for a wonderful afternoon, plenty of sunshine, food, wine tastings and great live music. I picked up a Vinturi wine aerator at one of the stalls for dad; it’s such a cute little thing. I slept most of the rest of the day away and finished a whole season of Sex and The City, so much for doing things in moderation.

24/11/2008

Little distractions that come at a price

I keep writing, and deleting, and rewriting, and saving, and I never seem to be able to finish this post I started almost a month ago. Different things are important to me now, I guess, and although this blog has never been a priority I like having it around. Even more so now that it seems to be one of the small links to life before Sydney. I just can’t seem to put my thoughts into words.. sorry. It really is easier talking about food.. heheh.

I’ve been here for almost five (now six – wow) months now – how time flies. However different life may be from the one I left in KL, I feel like I’m meant to be here. It’s hard to admit I don’t miss home much except for family and friends (and local food). Sydney wears like a second skin.

Last weekend (three weekends ago now) was the annual Food & Wine Fair at Hyde Park North, a charity event by the top restaurants and wineries around, and a stone’s throw away from where I live. I had a pretty good time hanging out with my friends, and meeting not one but four gorgeous Malamutes, and discovering new establishments to further expand my waistline in. I have three upcoming bookings for restaurants I’m keen to sink my teeth into.. one of them being a Franco-Viet joint in the neighbourhood! (For the record, it was very good)

It was also the same day I saw the aftermath of a suicide jumper, from the top of the building next to mine. It wasn’t very pretty.

I’ve been eating out a lot these days, where I used to stay in and cook when I first got here. I finish work every day at 6pm, something I never thought would be possible in this line of work, which leaves me plenty of time to round up one or two unsuspecting friends for dinner. Everyone keeps telling me how amazing it is that Malaysians (and I think Asians in general) love their food so much, and putting two Malaysians together anywhere and the conversation inevitably steers to the subject of.. food! What can I say.. I’m not biased. I like drinks too.

Anyway, a couple of my fav haunts so far.. obviously a work in progress :)

Thai
Undeniably, Spice I Am on Wentworth Ave. A Tony Tan recommendation, and one that has impressed even the most unimpressionable Thai I know: one that makes the best Thai in Malaysia. Must haves: Fried whiting, steamed fish cakes (otak-otak style) basil pork, moo pa, green curry, red duck curry and my absolute fave.. the som tum. No one has done it better. Chat Thai on Campbell St does a great pad thai, but doesn’t score as well on the rest.

Tapas
Kika Tapas Bar on Victoria St. Really, really good Sangria; Must try: the chorizo omelette with garlic aioli is absolutely divine, so is this dish with blue cheese in between two cuts of beef (can’t remember what it’s called) and their patatas bravas are a staple favourite. Also fabulous: Raquel’s on Oxford St and Encasa on Pitt St. For upmarket Spanish, I like Subsolo; their house creation cocktails are delicious.
Want to try: Velero.

‘I miss home’ food
Alice’s in Thornleigh does bang-on Assam Laksa on the last Sunday of the month, BKT for dinner and better nyonya kuihs that the stuff I used to have in KL. Except it is quite a journey to travel just for some (very good) kuih. Mamak on Goulburn St. What a no-brainer concept. Even the tableware has been purchased in PJ old town. My only gripe is that the roti pisang is served with ice-cream, but otherwise the fish curry and sambal is pretty decent. And the roti planta is made with planta. Can’t go wrong there.
Want to try at some point: Lee’s Malaysian for curry laksa, Ginger & Spice and Temasek.

Sunday morning brunch
Forbes & Burton, corner of Forbes & Burton Streets. Great coffees; particularly enjoy the croquet monsieur and their bubble and squeak. Bill’s in Woollahra/Surry Hills. Best scrambled eggs ever. Great aged cheddar, mushrooms, bacon, grilled roma tomatoes and salmon for sides. They are also famous for their ricotta hotcakes which I lurrrrrve! Except breakfast for two costs somewhere in the region of $70-$90, which REALLY hurts. Scrambled in Newtown. Manor eggs – scrambled eggs with with grain mustard seed, is seriously amazing. Also really, really liked their chocolate milkshakes (and I’m not really a fan of chocolate milkshakes – I don’t like the taste of chocolate that’s not somewhat pure).

Italian
A Tavola on Victoria St. Love the house-made pastas, and the Panna Cotta is absolutely divine!! Light Brigade does an authentic and very tasty classic beef lasagne, without all the modern-day mods. Have yet to really explore this side of Sydney. I liked Buona Sera on Norton St in Leichhardt. They made the best bruschetta I’ve ever had. But unfortunately it’s closed down since.

Australian
Oscillate Wildly in Newtown; hard to get booking but well worth the wait. Universal in Republic 2. Heavily Asian-influenced menu. Sublime desserts. Must try: Veal with foie gras, lobster and tamarind soup. But menu changes every now and then. Café Sydney at the Customs House overlooking the harbour. Loved the green pea soup with roasted yabbies, crusted lamb rack, grilled swordfish, strawberry and lime tart.. pretty much everything. Oh, and the fabulous views. Rockpool(fish) at The Rocks. Lovely fish, but not quite sure if it’s worth the price(y) tag.
Want to try: Strangers with Candy, Le Pelican, Sands on Coogee

Mexican
Flying Fajita Sisters, Glebe.. great enchiladas, burittos and the spiciest chili I’ve ever had in my entire life. Pacifico makes some serious Margaritas at $70 a jug.. pricey but worth it.


We love our margaritas…

Wine
Time to Vino, Stanley Street. Who would’ve thunk the simple addition of meringue crumble to a cup of fresh masticated strawberries swimming in Chantilly cream would result in the most glorious dessert ever?? Also a great wine list, nice chill out joint and two sibling sommeliers.


Latest obsession.

I think Hurricane’s is so overrated. Decent, but overrated.

I know I’m missing a few from this list but it’s past 1am (and as of tomorrow I start work at 9am instead of 9:30am so I really should get some sleep.. soon).

Going to slow down on the chow down in the next couple of weeks. Working freelance hurts when the company you’re working for is closing for two weeks year end – no billings for me :( Probably a good thing, I need to kick start my savings since I’m going to be in KL for three weeks in February.. and then there’s that TV I’ve been meaning to pick up but never got round to..

You know, it really is kind of strange that I feel normal not having a TV. Last week, Zona and Lee gave me their old one and it took me two days to get it hooked up and another day before I turned it on. Didn’t do much.. I listened to the news then went to sleep. But I guess all that will change WHEN I BUY A PLAYSTATION3!!!!

Dying, dying to play some games again. Urgh. Especially since I’ve been working on gaming magazines at work – Holy Batman them upcoming games like RE5 (not that I will play it), MK vs DC, Tekken 6 (but I think on Xbox) look really good.. currently playing Assassin’s Creed. On my DS. Not as fun as playing it on the Xbox with a 40″ at MJ’s but I will get round to it.. eventually. All this will cost me a cool $2k. Ouch. Things are expensive here.

Good night for now. And wherever you are, I hope things are well.

28/7/2008

Pass the cheese, please

It’s 5am and I’m wide awake. I don’t know how many times I’ve made mental notes about not having coffee past 10pm but I still do it on occasions. This time my excuse was that watching Dark Knight on a huge IMAX screen was so fun that err.. well.. wait, I think it’s the freezing temperatures upon exiting the cinema that persuaded me to go “Hey, let’s grab a coffee!”. Although in hindsight the cinema was probably colder than being outside at 11:30pm.

[Six days later]

The past two weeks have been pretty full on. Mom was in town for a bit, and we were doing a fair bit of exploring all over Sydney and beyond. Including a 40-minute trip to Thornleigh to check out this Malaysian restaurant my cousin’s hubby is going to work at. He’s a chef. Anyway, the food was well worth the journey, so much that a return trip for the monthly assam laksa special was made on Sunday. I was blown away, it’s the nicest I’ve had in months and not just because I’m here. It’s better than the one I always have during my local pasar malam that I’ve had since forever! Didn’t manage to take any pictures.. forgot about that when the food arrived. Haha. Anyway, the restaurant is called Makan @ Alice’s and they make really good nyonya kuihs and do BKT for dinner.

I wish I had some pictures to post. Must remember to use camera when I’m out. That’s if I remember to bring it out :P

Have been enjoying the food here quite a bit. And really, really enjoying cooking it at home! I made grilled lamb cutlets with coriander pesto and mint leaves, garlic sesame prawn fettucine (turned out awesome.. although most people would find the garlic overpowering, I like it that way) and I made lamb backstraps with lemon myrtle couscous from a DJs recipe because mom bought macadamia oil and peppercorn steak with cheddar mash potatoes and asparagus cooked in a butter sauce and baked herbal chicken. Yum. Of course I enjoy eating out also but I have to watch my expenses :/ So many restaurants so little money.. kek.

Oh err.. almost forgot to mention the wine too. Went in search of my fav wine, the St Clair whites, and so far no where I’ve been to stocks this.. which is strange since it’s an NZ export. Finally met someone who was able to tell me where to get it here. Apparently it’s the only place that sells this stuff here and this guy, Michael from Dan Murphy’s, seems to be a big fan :) He recommended something quite decent with the same flavours as the St Clair, but if I wanted a bottle of St Clair I have to travel about 30 mins to get it. They do city deliveries but minimum order is 12 bottles.. GG.

I miss Vintry! And I’m jealous of all you people (you know who you are) who can drink this whenever you want :P Oh BTW its in the $23–27 range here.

Oh and here are some long overdue pictures from Good Living Growers’ Market in Pyrmont that I went to with Nick last month. The next one is this weekend and it happens only once a month :( I got some really super awesome to die for lamb patties there the last time, so I’m praying those guys will be there this weekend! Also awesome gourmet potatoes and hopefully I save enough money to buy an eye fillet. And cheese! Must remember to drag Zona along.

This is not turning into some food blog. I’m still giddy over the food choices here. Not that there’s not a lot of food in KL, dammit I’m Malaysian I don’t need to justify my love of food :) Also, to be honest I haven’t been up to that much else. There’s still a million things on my to-do list but I haven’t felt compelled to tick those boxes so fast. Am looking forward to this weekend though, working whole of this week so I haven’t had much time to run around.. not even at night because I’m catching up on Boston Legal. Dammit Roy <3

Related Posts with Thumbnails