Everybody knows that quality ingredients are necessary for making delicious and tasty meals but there are many other factors which enhance and create the perfect dining experience. The atmosphere and the view are major players and of course the awesome company that you dine with make for merry times. Chef Lex generously organized a paella part to celebrate and make most of his proud paella pan purchase.

Check out the 6 quality prawns

Pea puree in action and egg separating

Knowing full well that some of the foodbloggers won’t be full with just a paella *cough*Yas*cough* a starter was prepared.

The scallop sausages prepared for simmering

When Lex was pouring in the pure cream I could see that everybody’s eyes were saying “more more MORE” or maybe that was just me saying it out loud…

“…and then Chef Lex slowly and carefully pulled back the plastic to reveal his sausage…”

Oh baby when we first bit into this soft and luscious… sausage (hmm maybe I should refer it to as scallop boudin from now on haha ) we all gave a moan of pleasure. The texture was almost jelly-like and slightly melty in the mouth. The scallop flavour was present but not too intense and that pea puree married the boudin beautifully.

Work work… yes milord

This is what happens when Lex worked his charm and magic onto the pan; Simon and his set up hee hee

The final masterpiece in all its’ glory!

The extra wagyu on top may not be authentic but the open mussels, baby octopus, chicken pieces, chorizo and the almighty charred rice served with a dash of chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon meant this was pretty much as a fellow blogger put it “awesomeness in a pan”. Each bite meant a different combination of flavours and the contents of the pan was quickly devoured.

Feel the wrath of the pop rocks!

The awesome Steph brought us some dessert (Yayyy thanks so much ^^!). Cute little cupcake ice creams with a surprise in them…. a clump of pop rocks in the cone!Popping candy sure provides hours and hours of entertainment especially when it makes somebody giggle like a little schoolgirl hee hee. (I would have a great photo of the cross-section if not for my external dying *sniff* along with many other photos like the macarons that Simon got on a 2nd trip to Zumbos).

A huugggee thanks to Lex for the wonderful food and everybody else for making it such an awesome time ^^!

FFichiban

Travellers and locals often read and hear that Tetsuya’s distinguished dinner is something to try ‘once in your life’ in Sydney; but, what about places for lunch that shouldn’t be missed? Plan B by Bécasse is an answer that many would agree on. More specifically, the 600 day grain-fed wagyu burger, also known as ‘the most blogged burger in Sydney’.  This hole in the wall café sits humbly next to Bécasse with sparse stool-seating inside and three tables outside, no doubt the bulk of their customers call ahead to takeaway back to nearby parks or favourite lunch-hour rendezvous. With a rough waiting time of 15 minutes, the orders come out of the Bécasse kitchen…

Here Comes The Food

600 day grain-fed wagyu burger ($10):

For a respectable price of $10 and knowing it comes out of a hatted restaurant, there is already a feeling that this will be good. The toasted brioche-like bun matches the width of the wagyu and has an alluring glaze topped with sesame seeds.

The centrepiece is a 600 day grain-fed David Blackmore Wagyu that is served slightly pink with melted aged cheddar cheese blanketing it. Accompanying the patty, there is homemade pickled beetroot in Forum vinegar, caramelised onions in house-rendered duck fat and a salad of rocket and baby spinach.

Whilst the burger fits comfortably into your hand, the size is deceptively small as one burger will easily satisfy any patron’s carnivorous hunger. Notably, many will find it hard to fit the burger into an open mouth without compacting it with your palm.

A recipe for the burger can be found here

Organic grass fed Gundooe wagyu steak sandwich ($10)

If you can’t see yourself engorging in a burger, the next obvious choice is the sandwich which is the next best thing. A day after visting Plan B for the wagyu burger, I returned to pick up my takeaway of sandwiches. The sandwich is lightly toasted and has a generous layer of slender wagyu steak, fresh tomato, onion jam and aioli. I found that the sandwich was more troublesome to eat than the burger because the steak wasn’t as easy to bite as the patty and that the burger was more flavoursome and overall enjoyable.

So there you have it, one of the places for lunch that you must try in Sydney. Would anybody care to offer suggestions for other places? Lunch at Marque is another place that comes to mind.

Plan B by Bécasse

204 Clarence Street Sydney
Ph: 02 9283 3450
Web :  http://www.becasse.com.au
Open : Monday to Friday 8am-4pm

Posted by D

Cool down lights ^^!; Artistic painting but to be honest I think it is a Rorscach test and I am seeing a… duck

When relatives came over, a good way to entertain them for a whole day is of course a day trip to the Hunter Valley for all those wine tastings! Busing it from vineyard to vineyard is hungry and thirsty work so a stop at the Firestick Cafe for a light lunch was in order. There was quite a few places I had wanted to try (from reading other foodblogs hee hee) but as this was recommended and close to our wine testing this place was chosen.

Mmmmm pizza XD! Hee hee the happy pizza chef looks like he is singing

When we were led to our table we went past the wood fire oven and I spotted these tantalizing pizzas calling out to me saying “eeaattt mmeee”. I made a quick mental note to order the pizzas for sure! Thinking about the pizzas we ordered and Here Comes the Food

Amuse Bouche

A nice airy puff to start off the meal. As you can see everybody was starving and digging into this with a passion and I was fortunate enough to pull off some quick shots hee hee.

Pork schnitzel with crushed potato, rocket and waldorf salad ($24/$36)

I am unsure as to whether this was entree or main size but it was disappointingly small (so probably the entree). The taste however was appreciated with a crumbly coat and tender pork inside. It still loses to places like Bavarian and Unas but it was pretty decent especially since we were all starving hee hee. The salad and potatoes worked very well with the pork with a good creaminess to cut through any monotony of the schnitzel.

Pumpkin, fetta and olives ($23)

The pizzas did not disappoint at all, the dough were beautifully baked with a crispy bottom but also soft and fluffy just as I like it. The chhesseee was nice and stringy and althought I am not a big fan of olives but the feta added a nice salty touch whenever you came across one of them while the pumpkin was soft and slightly gooey.

Confit pork belly, caramelized fennel and gherkins ($25)

Did someone mention pork belly?!?! XD Just look at that fat! My heart was a-flutter at the thought of pork belly and something caramelized on a pizza. Although the taste was not very strong it was very delicious indeed and not too salty thankfully.

Wagyu burger with caramelized onions, tomato, mesclun salad, grilled hearb bread and fries ($23)

When I saw this on the menu I just had to order one for myself to share (cos sharing is caring ) and compare to the others here in Sydney. Although it is pricier than Plan B it is bigger and look at that generous serving of fries to go with! The wagyu patty was tasty and soft and cooked very professionally, while the caramelized onions enhanced the whole burger immensely for me hee hee. The herb bread is not as good as the brioche of the Plan B but it did add a nice herby flavour to the burger.

Cured duck breast and confit leg with fennel, braised witlof and orange vinaigrette ($26/$39)

The duck was also another highlight of the meal with juicy and tender slices of duck and an accompanying layer of beautifully browned flavouring. From memory, I did not sense much of the orange vinaigrette but that could just be my memory lacking.

Braised goat and baby turnip pie with mesclun salad ($20)

The pie came with a delicious golden brown pastry covering and opened up to reveal chunks (and shreds) of goat, carrots, baby turnip and Jerusalem artichokes (from memory). This was not their best dish but it was still fairly tasty and I loved the flaky pastry most of all.

Pan fried kingfish with corn, potato and cockle chowder ($26/$39)

Kingfish and corn was an interesting combination I must say and I think they managed to make it work. The fillets of kingfish flaked away to reveal a delicious and tender steaks of fish while the corn and chowder added a sweetness to it.

The rocks outside ROCK/Firestick Cafe

A pleasant meal was had by all with decent food and a serene view of some vineyards and a pond.

On our way back from Hunter Valley we also stopped by the Entrance to see the pelican feeding! Can you spot the one with Nemo and Marlin ?

ROCK Restaurant & Firestick Cafe

(located within Poole’s Rock Winery estate)

576 Debeyers Rd

Pokolbin, 2320

Ph: (02) 4998 6968

FFichiban