Hello Winter, Can You Please Go Away Now?

I really really hate cold weather, I've been such a recluse these past few months. I haven't been out at all, even the thought of going out is tiring. The good thing is that it's been warming up in the last week or so, but the nights are still bitter cold.

In May I went on a holiday to Shanghai and Tibet (I should post that soon I think), the trip was great except we were both sick in Tibet and that didn't help with the high altitude sickness. I think after you come back from a holiday it's quite normal to feel a little depressed, especially since our trip was so satisfying. It kind of further highlighted the fact that Australia is really quite behind in a lot of things, mainly transport and urban planning side of things. I miss Shanghai with its millions of things to do and see, its easy-as public transport systems, huge shopping malls and of course, the food! I miss having literally millions of choices when it comes to deciding what to eat that day. 

Life back in Sydney kinda sucks, I'm thrown back into the daily mundane routines. I recently got Netflix so it made not going out and having contact with the outside world even easier for me. Feeling very unfulfilled with my life to be honest, everyday is laced with self doubt and just a general disinterest in things and people. I feel like perhaps this will go away when the warmer months come, well I hope so anyway. 

Crab Carnival Fail

It's Autumn and crab season, so I was quite excited (make that VERY excited) to hear that 'The Morrison' is doing a crab carnival. Apparently this is the second year they're doing this since the first time around was so popular. So I had a look online at the menu and I gotta say, the special crab dishes sounded very nice indeed. 

You had crab tacos, crab rolls, chowder, soft shell crab burger, crab linguine and chili mud crab to choose from. So I made the booking and off we went, first of all, the atmosphere was pretty good, the front area is the bar and is a bit noisy, packed with white collar groups. The back area is the restaurant dining hall which was a lot more intimate. We were greeted by a hostess who clearly did not want to be there. The crab tacos are $5 each during happy hour (6-7pm) and we wanted 2, we also ordered the crab rolls, the burger and linguine. 

Ok..where do we start? The tacos and crab rolls came first, we actually ordered 2 but they gave us 6. I guess it's an honest mistake since it said 3 per serve? But there was only 1 crab roll when the menu said it was also 3 per serve. We asked the waitress and she didn't seem to know anything, after a bit of confusion she brought out the other 2 rolls.

The crab tacos were essentially just bits of crab tossed with chillies and herbs and plonked onto a piece of lettuce. The crab meat was so bland and could've really used some kind of dressing, it was a HUGE disappointment because when you think about tacos you imagine a flavourful tasty treat instead of the piece of sh*t that was given to us. Moving onto the rolls, pretty much the same crab meat tossed with chillies and herbs sandwiched between a bun that looked like they got from the supermarket (the no frills kind). These people really shouldn't be so frugal with the sauces, it was so dry and tasteless.

So having had 2 terrible starters, Julian was getting very frustrated by this point. I was hoping perhaps the mains would redeem this place but they didn't. I had the pasta and boy that was the worst pasta I have ever tasted in my life. I'm starting to think that either the chefs do not have any taste buds or they just can't be bothered to taste their own food. The pasta was WAY overcooked, the sauce is basically just lemon juice. You cannot taste anything else other than lemon juice. What a waste of crab meat!

Julian's burger was just fried soft shell crab in between 2 buns (which may I also add, looked like they were bought from a supermarket). The only good thing from that dish was the duck fat chips. 

I would recommend them to stop doing the 'crab carnival', seriously, just don't. The bill? $114, no tips for you thank you!

P.S. I didn't take any photos because I felt like they really didn't deserve it.

 

Olivia

I've always admired Olivia Palermo, the girl's got a wicked sense of style. I was watching MTV's "The City", the show which is totally "real". But anyway, I loved seeing her outfits on the show, she really knows how to mix prints and textures. She reminds me of the kind of woman who always steps out looking fabulous and made up, people these days don't really do that anymore. I recommend following her on Instagram, she's doing a lot of collaborations with designers.

Churrrr Bro

It has been so hot lately that I've been eating a lot of junk food. Kinda been on a burger binge these 2 weeks, but everyone loves a good cheeseburger right. 

There's actually quite a few burger joints that people have been raving about, one of these is Chur Burger. It sits in a quiet lane way in  Surry Hills and once you get in, the music is pumping, the smell is incredible and the food and service is fast. The kitchen is in full view, you get to see your food being prepared from start to finish. the atmosphere is great, they play a mix of old skool hip hop to new songs and contemporary tracks. 

We ordered 2 cheeseburgers and I got a Milo milkshake as well. The milkshake looks very big but I actually finished most of it, it was so creamy but not too heavy like most milkshakes end up being. The cheeseburgers comes assembled with grilled beef, cheese, tomato jam, mustard mayo and pickles. The cheese was overflowing on my burger and it was so drool worthy! The bun was super soft, I'm guessing it's a brioche bun. The pattie itself was cooked just right, still a bit pink on the inside, it was so moist and juicy. The sauces combined with the slightly crunchy pickle...it was just perfect. 

I think we destroyed our burgers in under 10 minutes, the whole meal lasted under 45 minutes I think because we had to wait for a seat. But even if you do have to wait, the line is never that long because people just eat and leave like we did. I think the next time we come I will try one of their sides like the sweet potato fries or the wings.

48 Albion Street, Surry Hills
http://churburger.com.au/sydney

On a side note, Jules and I tried to make our own burgers the following week, we bought a brioche bun and cut it into a reasonable size. The pattie was from Coles, the Heston one which actually turned out to be quite delicious. We used Colby cheese and he made a sauce out of Sriracha and Aioli and I used a boring BBQ sauce. 

The end result was surprisingly good!  

Dear Mr & Mrs [ Insert Last Name Here ]

Dear Mr & Mrs [ Insert Last Name Here ],

I'm not really sure why I'm writing this to you, I can't imagine you being the kind of people that read blogs. But I suppose this is my way of venting about your darling daughter. I'm sure you haven't heard, even if you have it would be from the Police, she ran away with over $4,000 worth of my stuff last week. 

I guess I have to take some responsibilities for that too, I was naive enough to let that pathetic excuse for a human being into my home. But you know, under the circumstances, I thought she'll only be renting for a month so I didn't really bother to ask too much, I'm obviously regretting that decision now. Perhaps I should have kicked her out sooner when I started noticing her complete disregard for other people's things, but oh well, it's a bit late for that now. 

See, among the things she took from me was my $3,000 Chanel handbag. You must be wondering why anyone would spend that much money on a bag, just like how I wonder a person like her could even exist. You'll have to excuse my rudeness, she has put me through a lot of anguish and stress in the last week. The feeling of not being safe inside your own home is not nice at all as you can imagine. By the way, did you know that our planet's resources are being used up at an alarming rate? You probably don't, doesn't seem like the kind of people who would care but anyway. It would be so great if the resources that went into raising your daughter would say, go to raise the next Stephen Hawking or someone else who would eventually make some kind of positive impact on the future of humanity. 

I suppose the saddest thing of them all in this situation would have to be your grandson. Having a father who went to jail and a mother who is well, your daughter, I can't imagine a future for him that involves a lot of prospects. He'll probably grow up to have some kind of mental deficiency due to his mother's drug abuse while he was still in her. I'm one of the millions of people who actually do my part for the society and pay taxes, those tax dollars goes to people like your daughter who abuse the system. It really makes me angry to think that my money goes to support another generation of oxygen-wasters. I was quite depressed but I think now I'm just angry, but it's ok, she's only made a small dent in my life. She is irrelevant, to me and to this society.

I hope I never have to see her again, but if we do it would be in court. Although the chances of me getting my things back are slim, I'm still somewhat hopeful. If she's smart she would've sold them already, but then again we all know she's anything but that. 

With Regards ( Not really ),

T.Z

Let the Courses Never End at Momofuku

Momofuku Seiobo brought to Sydney by chef David Chang is fast becoming one of the most sought after places to eat for Sydney siders. Unlike other restaurants in its category, you can easily book online as they only have 20 day cycles so the chances of you booking a table is a lot higher than say, Quay (you'll have to book a year in advance). This week marks the one year anniversary of Mr Jules and I so we decided to try out Momofuku. 

Situated inside The Star, it's located opposite Adriano Zumbo's store (another place I must remember to try in the future). The restaurant is divided into a dining area and a bar with the chefs cooking your food while you watch. The menu is seasonal and at $185 for 10 courses it is a bit pricey but hey it's all for the experience right. We were seated at the bar and Jules chose the non-alcoholic pairing which includes a mixture of juices and teas. They played a mixture of rap, rock and old school songs which at times was a bit loud. The service was very prompt and attentive, and on with the food!

This was a snack and not a part of the 10 courses. Served in little crunchy cups were:
- Mud crab, chickpea puree
- Zucchini balls, black garlic puree
- Sea urchins and Furikake

The crab was firm and sweet, you can tell it's very fresh and the chickpea puree is mild and creamy. I've had bad sea urchins before so my impression of it wasn't great, the sea urchins served here were so fresh you can taste the ocean from which it came from. The zucchini balls and black garlic puree one took me by surprise as the garlic was very pungent but not in a negative way. The zucchini balls added a very nice crunch factor. 

This is chicken tails fried and served with fish roe. It's very refreshing to see restaurants serving cuts of meat that is otherwise considered garbage, like chicken tails.The tails are fried golden and crispy with no oily aftertaste, the fish roe is refreshing and pops in your mouth. This would be great as a side dish to beer.

Next up is Cep mushroom and hazelnuts on toast. The toasted hazelnuts are hidden underneath the mushroom fuzz so you get a nice crunchy surprise when you bite in. The taste and aroma of hazelnuts and mushrooms fills your entire mouth, it's smooth and creamy but overpowering either. The taste and texture of this is very earthy and we both enjoyed it very much. There's about a 10 - 15 minutes wait between each course, I thought It'd take a lot longer but maybe it's because we're the first ones there. I also really enjoyed watching the chefs preparing the food, certainly have gotten some ideas for my next dinner party. 

Scallop wonton, duck and kombu broth. When you bite into the wonton, there's actually some kind of puree or sauce inside the scallop. I can't tell exactly what but I think it tasted a bit like seaweed. The broth is heavenly! I would think that the duck was stewed in the broth for days with kombu. With a hint of sweetness, it goes perfectly with the noodles that still has a bit of bite to them. 


You can't see it but it is seared Wagyu beef cut into bite sized chunks under all those petal like radish slices. The beef is cooked to medium, served with fermented black bean sauce and covered in fresh and marinated radish slices. It's so pretty to look at, like a blooming flower. The beef is very tender and juicy, it went very well with the salty black bean sauce. The radish was crunchy and refreshing which is what this dish needs otherwise it'd be too dense. 

This is marron with pea and pistachio puree. Marron is like a small lobster essentially, one of the chefs actually brought a live one out to show one of the diners. The Marron is so tender, the flesh is silky and sweet. The peas are quite crunchy, the whole dish is very mild in taste, which after the previous course of the beef is quite suiting in my opinion. I would say this is my second favourite course out of the ten. 


 
Here we have John Dory, broccoli, lemon and almonds. The fish is steamed if I remember correctly, the green puree is made with avocado. The broccoli is very tender, I normally don't like eating broccoli but this was delicious. The fish itself was sweet and not a touch overdone but I think the hero of this dish would have to be the lemon puree. I loved it so much! Full of flavour, the puree is slightly salty and goes so well with the fish. I want to try to replicate this puree at home now haha. My favourite dish of the night goes to the John Dory.


This is Partridge with truffles and endive. I've never had partridge meat before so I was pretty excited when I heard it was partridge. The meat is slightly pink, the skin is very golden and crispy. The flesh is very tender with a little bite, however I found it lacking any flavour. The other elements on the dish didn't really have much flavour either so it wasn't as memorable to me especially after the previous course of the John Dory, it was quite disappointing.





Next up is Duck with swede and rye. The duck on my plate was a bit tough, the skin however was awesome. I didn't really get the point of the swede, it just tasted like boiled cabbage and seemed a bit useless on the plate. Probably my least favourite dish of the night.




Time for dessert yay! First up is something called Ewe's curd, choux, rose. The pastry reminds me of a profiterole but a lot more crunchier. The curd inside is very creamy and sweet, the rose syrup is also very nice and refreshing, I can imagine eating a dozen of these by myself.  

Next is corn, chervil, anise. I had to break apart the meringue on the top to show what's underneath. The yellow and green creams are the corn and chervil. The chervil tastes extremely weird, like some kind of grass or tree bark. I think my mind was expecting some kind of green tea taste. The meringue was very nicely done though, sweet (thank god) and light, which helped with the weird aftertaste. This would have to be my least favourite dish of the night.

This pretty little thing is called artichoke, pear, sunflower. The pear is really soft and delicate, almost melts in your mouth. The sunflower seeds offer a nice crunch and texture. The artichoke is also very soft and a bit gooey, the whole dessert was very light and not too sweet.





The last treat was these, caneles. The pastry chef told us that these were made with a beeswax coating. I actually looked up the recipe afterwards and they take a lot of effort to make. The outside is very crunchy and looks a bit burnt from the caramalisation, the inside is soft and a bit spongy. We really enjoyed these little things and was very sad the night had come to an end.

I would highly recommend Momofuku, every course was a delight although I personally did not enjoy some courses. But in the end it was a great night, Jules' non-alcoholic pairing was also awesome. You also get to take samples of their tea home as a gift. Would definitely come here again, perhaps when the menu changes according to the season.

Get Stoned at Ms G's

Ahh and the nice weather has come back! It's officially spring and there's sweetness in the air, time to venture out and try new places again. This time we are visiting Ms G's in Potts Point, a very funky modern Asian restaurant. There's actually heaps of really cool places in this area, remember "Hinky Dinks" which I also blogged about?

We went on a Wednesday night, the restaurant had just opened and we were asked to go to the top floor for a drink as they prepare for dinner service. I had the "Aloe Vera" (Absolut vanilla, limoncello, crushed lemons, Aloe Vera foam) and Jules got the "G’n & T’d Slushee (Beefeater, green apple and peach liqueurs, pink grapefruit juice, jasmine and pearls). His drink actually came packaged "Asian style", as you would get from any Asian bubble tea stall. The cup was super cute and it's nice to see this place embracing the Asian culture not just in the form of food. The aloe vera foam on my drink was quite refreshing, the drink itself was mostly dominated by the taste of limoncello but very nice regardless.

The decor is quite hipster, like what you would expect from a place like this actually. Random words or song lyrics fill the huge black wall on the one side, neon signs, dim lighting from industrial style pendants, mix match vintage chairs and plates. There's a floor length window at the end of the room which gave you a very nice view of the city as well. 

Anyhow, let's get to the food! So we got:

House-made black pudding, bbq octopus, crispy potato, chilli jam

Char-grilled fish wings, chilli nam yum, shellfish oil, crispy garlic

Beef short rib – “Roll your own adventure” green tomato & lemongrass salsa, wasabi nuoc cham, various herbs & leaves, rice paper & peanuts 

"Stoner's Delight part 3" - doughnut ice cream, peanut dulce de leche, peanut & pretzel brittle,
crispy bacon, mars bar brownie, potato chips and deep fried nutella

It's my first time trying black pudding, I've had blood before but in the jelly form so I was quite interested in seeing what black pudding tasted like texturally. It was served with bbq octopus and potatoes. The black pudding was salty, had the texture of a very moist cake and I could taste chinese five spice in it too. Jules found it too salty but I loved it, paired with a bit of potato and dressing it was just heavenly. 

The fish wings was just fins chargrilled and served with nam yum sauce. The fish was cooked just right, the flesh is firm with a little bit of bite. The tip of the fins you can literally chew on because it's so crispy, like potato chips.

If you're familiar with Vietnamese food then you'll know rice paper rolls, most Vietnamese restaurants have roll your own rice paper rolls too but this is so much better! The beef ribs by far is the best beef ribs I've had ever. The meat is still pink on the inside, slightly salty and melts in your mouth. You dip the rice paper in the bowl of water, it only needs about 2 seconds, place the paper on your paper and fill the center with vermicelli noodles, beef and fresh herbs. Roll it up, dip in sauce and put in mouth, happy days.

For dessert we went with the most awesome sounding one on the menu. "Stoner's Delight Part 3". Deep fried nutella, say what?! When it actually came, it was slightly disappointing I must say, we had imagined it to be somewhat more extravagant. The deep fried nutella is very gooey and warm on the inside, overpowering all the other elements though. I feel like after eating this dessert I need to go for a run.

We didn't get too much this time and managed to finish all our food, my favorite would have to be the beef ribs. It was just so delicious, moist and tender. Come and celebrate Asian culture at Ms G's!

155 Victoria Street, Potts Point