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10 year Celebration of Espresso di Manfredi

FFichiban — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:01:37 +0000

Chocolate fatness in the middle… These sweet words stood out perused the posters and photos around the office-turned celebration room. Although my mind was temporarily occupied with the thoughts of chocolatey fatness, it was actually one of it’s good partners that we were celebrating – coffee. Stefano Manfredi; a man with an impressive biography in the food industry having opened and operated restaurants such as Bel Mondo, Restaurant Manfredi and now currently running Bells at Killcare. Also the proud author of four books and weekly column ‘Seasonal‘ for Sydney Morning Herald’s Spectrum section. Furthermore he developed coffee brand Espresso di Manfredi by Piazza D’Oro for which has been successfully providing coffee culture to Sydneysiders for 10 strong years.

I so wanted to grab that buffalo mozzarella ball and run…

Entering the venue out of the rain into a warm and cozy atmosphere, the first thing to hit us was the sweet aroma of fresh ground coffee beans. Then as we entered into the main area we could spy the preparation counters where delicacies of sweet and savoury nature were being assembled. Here Comes the Food

Espresso & Hazelnut Tart

Pretty much every dish had some coffee inspiration or infusion, as it should had been for that was the star of the celebrations!

Naturally, Kahlua is involved

Espresso di Manfredi Cocktail

These cocktails had a good strong hit of coffee, a bit strong for some, but I found the contrast of sweetness of vanilla infused-vodka and bitterness together with the warming effects of alcohol very enticing. I did manage to work my way through a few of these over the period of the night.

An impressive list of pastries, panini, biscotti and dolci were available and the best method was to wander around grabbing nibbles here and there and meeting people from all different areas of the industry.

Panini

Vitello tonnato; Cured ocean trout, soft egg with salsa verde; Mozzarella di bufala, tomato and pesto; Proscuitto, pecorino, Franci “Villa Magra” gran cru extra virgin; Taleggio & grilled radicchio

These bite-sized sandwiches contained beautiful combinations of flavours. The bread were soft and crusty, just the way I like it. My favourite would probably have to be the proscuitto panini although the buffalo mozzarella also has a place in my heart (especially with pesto, much love for pesto!). Although does not have any coffee, these provided the savoury hit in between the sweeter dishes.

Olives

Pastries & Biscotti

Set up in a tiered manner just like high tea! Oh how sophisticated I felt seeing these on the table. A variety of pane e cioccolato, lemon custard pastry, aniseed honey roll, espresso fingers, walnut & quince, sbrisolona (polenta shortbread), ricciarelli and cioccolatini tantalized our tastebuds. From the soft and fluffy aniseed honey roll to the crumbly sbrisolona, I was able to enjoy them without drawing attention to myself by wandering from table to table and “researching” bits from here and there.

Cool wall art

Espresso, cardamom & mastic panna cotta

Smooth and silky panna cotta and although I couldn’t check out its’ wobble factor it definitely had a pronounced hit of cardamom back up by the espresso layer. The crunchy biscuit on top adds a wonderful textural contrast and bite to this dessert.

Cappuccino torta

Delicate layers form together to create a light and airy dessert. The coffee flavour is heady and aromatic but with the soft texture, it was an excellent combination.

Espresso & Hazelnut tart

I had been eyeing this from the beginning of the evening and with good reason. The pastry was baked to a wonderful soft texture and flavour and the filling had the right balance of coffee, chocolate and hazelnut. The nutty flavour goes magically with coffee and chocolate, and crumbles in the mouth to release all the flavours at once.

Tartufi di cioccolato

These chocolate truffles topped off the night wonderfully. With a light dusting of cocoa and a chocolate shell that bursts with a gooey, liquid centre of bittersweet chocolate at the slightest touch of the tongue. I could had stayed there and popped these all night long but the night must come to an end.

Congratulations to Stefano Manfredi for 10 years of Espresso di Manfredi by Piazza D’Oro.

Here Comes the Food attended this event courtesy of Stefano Manfredi and Laura of MPagency

FFichiban

Park Hyatt Chardonnay Dinner – The Rocks, Sydney

FFichiban — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:40:11 +0000

I may not be as eloquently spoken as some other foodbloggers, be as photographically adept as others or just be plain awesome as others but as a foodblogger, my blog is my refuge, my sanctuary, my place of thoughts and way of sharing my passion. So when pretentious people prejudice us and casually flaunt their discourteous manner about our pride and joy in front of us, it hurts. But I try not to let this kind of ignorance take away from the wonderful opportunity of being one of the lucky ones to be invited by Raje to attend an exclusive Chardonnay Dinner for Grazia and Bloggers at Park Hyatt. Here Comes the Food

Seppelt Salinger Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2006

All of the wines this evening was hand-selected by Anna Pooley, our Chardonnay fountain of knowledge, and then Andrew McKee worked his magic to create dishes based on these wines. Greeting us at the door was this light and refreshing Chardonnay to set us into the mood. The bubbles tingles your tastebuds and allures you to crave something say… cheesy?

Local cow’s milk burrata with vine ripened tomato and Lakelands olive oil

This dish may have been one of the simpler ones but it probably was my favourite and by the strong aura of enthusiasm I was receiving from my left side, I think it was a favourite among a few others too. The soft blob of cheese, pulled apart with a poke of the fork to ooze cream, was matched beautifully with a tomato, balsamic vinegar sauce and a drizzle of good olive oil. I could probably ramble on about the tastiness of mozzarella and mozzarella-related products all night long but there are other delicious dishes and Chardonnays to explore.

Lightly grilled tuna with green beans, olives and crisp potato matched with Rosemount Diamond Label Unoaked Chardonnay 2009

Two chunks of tuna grilled tataki style was presented topped with a cute little quail egg quarter and an interesting potato net. The dots of sauce, I found to be slightly out of place along with the potato net but the beautiful meat of the tuna paired nicely with the green beans and, of course, the Rosemount Diamond. A tropical fruity Chardonnay that leaves a lingering sweetness which I found to be a total delight, if not my favourite of the night.

Toasted fregola cooked as a risotto with Australian scallops and puffed pork matched with Rosemount Show Reserve Robe ‘Cool Climate’ Chardonnay 2009

I had to sneak in a quick “what is fregola?” to my fellow foodbloggers. Upon tasting it revealed its wheat flavours and properties and reminded me of barley. The scallops were nice and plump with a meaty bite to them but the puffed pork was just like Asian pork floss. The Rosemount Robe exhibited very nice properties and had a distinct acidic crispness to it due to the cooler climate which allows for even ripening of the fruits with less day and night variations.

Heemskerk Coal River Valley Chardonnay 2008

A simple bottle but a tasty wine. Matches wonderfully with the savoury dishes and it has a bit more bite on the palate.

Barramundi fillet with poached leeks, celery, smoked oyster emulsion

The look of the beautifully crisp skin brought a big grin to my mouth. The crack of the skin as I bit into it, doubled that grin to a mega grin. The fish itself was also flakey and tender under the knife, although could have done with a teeny tiny bit more salt. The smoked oyster emulsion was also added a great dimension to the dish.

Slow roasted lamb saddle with lemon potato and spring vegetables

The slow roasting really did this lamb justice as it was juicy and very tender. The spring vegetables were done so they retained a good crispness to their texture without being too bitey. This lamb really rounded off the savoury dishes nicely.

Anna Pooley (aka The one knowledged in ways of the Chardonnay)

Anna introduced all the different varieties of Chardonnays with a passion. It was easy to see that she truly enjoys her work and producing the finest products possible.

Simon (aka Cheeky monkey)

Vanilla creme brulee with rosemary sorbet

A very smooth creme brulee supported by its strawberry accomplice and rosemary sorbet. The only gripe I had with this was the lack of sugary crunch layer but apart from that I really enjoyed this dessert. The rosemary sorbet was interesting and I was a bit surprised because it worked in my opinion.

Petit Fours

Honey biscuits which didn’t really crack but more like give in to a sticky break. These finished off the meal beautifully, especially with dots of dark chocolate and macadamia nuts. If only I could buy bags of these, they would make the perfect snack for.. well anytime!

As the night goes on, the chatter goes on and like the candles, emotions in my heart burn bright. However it is not one of anger or hate for condescending manner but simply burning for my passion for food… so let it burn *insert half-naked Usher*.

Here Comes the Food attended this event courtesy of Hauusmann Communications and Park Hyatt (Thanks to Chocolatesuze)

FFichiban

Band of Brasserie Bread – Sydney CBD

FFichiban — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:04:29 +0000

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everybody has a wonderful 4 day weekend (for most) full of chocolate, bunnies, hot cross buns and happiness! What better way to spread the cheer than going for a hot cross bun delivery at various checkpoints in the city with team Brasserie Bread. Mei, our team leader, provided all the baked goods, butter, signs and locations while my Master Yoda and I provided empty stomachs and hungry mouths.

“I will butter your buns anytimmmmmeee ” – Anonymous

Our first stop was Opia Cafe, a pretty new establishment, where we saw some friendlies Howard and Reem. The sun was shining, coffee was flowing and buns were being buttered. A very blissful afternoon break indeed! A lovely salary-woman was kind enough to hand model the buns for me.

Step #1 – Pick you bun from the 2 choices of REAL hot cross bun or dark chocolate and sour cherry

Step #2 – Carefully slice it open

Step #3 – SMOTHER it with real butter

I am not much of a coffee guy so I opt for hot chocolate. It was pretty decent, creamy and chocolatey (although slightly weak since I’m too used to thick thick hot chocolates now) and I loved the bubble at the base of the glass.

My first victim was the REAL hot cross bun and it definitely had the distinct real taste to it. Soft and fluffy even when cold so if it was heated up it would’ve been super-magical. The strong cinnamon flavour and sweet specks of raisins was really enjoyable.

My second victim was the dark chocolate and sour cherry hot cross bun. The contrast between the sweetness of the chunks of chocolate and sourness of the cherry really made this one for me. Again the bun was nice and fluffy and bursting of flavour. After some cheerful chatter, the business people had to go back to work and the rest of us heads on to the last checkpoint of the day.

The Ninja enjoying carrying the bread a lliiiiittle too much… but it was totally understandable

My third victim actually occurred in the Breadmobile (No, I did not sneak some hot cross buns in the van for there were witnesses ) where I decided to go for a little airtime and landed on the unsuspecting box (Sorry!).

Our last stop was at Coffee Trails near Central Station. A basket of tasty baked treats was enough to lure a certain someone away from a meeting and someone away from meeting his friends. Once again we relax in the sun talking about mainly food of course ^^! Good company and good food equals good times, have a great but safe Easter everybody!

PS for a good butter-your-bun time click here

FFichiban

Sydney Foodblogger Xmas Party ^^! – Hyde Park, Sydney

FFichiban — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:12:26 +0000

Our gracious hosts ^^!

Christmas time has come around again, time for presents, Xmas lights and decorations, Xmas sales and of course Xmas parties (wOOt!). However, this year has been extra special at it has given birth to the Foodblogger Xmas Party hosted by Helen of Grab Your Fork and Suze of Chocolatesuze ^^! Through their amazing collaborative efforts an awesome bunch of 49 Sydney foodbloggers and 1 guest Singaporean foodblogger (no, he did not fly all the way here just for this picnic ) made their way to Hyde park for the mass picnic.

Group shot by Simon; please ignore the fail heart by me and Suze… eh hm

After lots of introductions and the distribution of name tags to help avoid confusion, the unveiling of many wonderful dishes and hence everyone automatically went into snap-happy mode.

Here Comes the Food

That’s a huugggggeeeeee spread hee hee

I bet there was a smirk on everybody’s face when they saw the final amount of food that has gathered on the grass. There was too wide a variety and I didn’t manage to get a photo of everything or try everything but I did my best and regret on missing out on many dishes

Dragon eye champagne jelly by Billy; BBQ pork; Chicken wings

Sweet and prettily decorated with gold leaf, the champagne jelly was a hit even though it was hard to pick up. The crackling on the bbq pork was something that nearly caused a fight between 2 foodbloggers who I shall keep anonymous and the finger licking chicken wings were beautifully tender and meat fell off the bone with ease.

Elvis cupcakes by Helen; Cupcakes by YaYa’s yum yums; Gingerbread hearts; other gingerbread goodies, cream puffs, marshmallows, boxed goods?

I was kicking myself for missing out on the Elvis cupcake especially since I had my eye on that center one with the giant bacon piece from the beginning! However team Yaya’s yum yums provided some very pretty cupcakes that were assembled on-the-spot fresh! Jacq made some cute gingerbread people and trees which were very tasty even with the lack of a gingerbread face and Steph provided some very gooey and tasty fudge sandwich xmas trees.

Momofuku Bo Ssam by Billy; Cake by Rose; Antipasto in a bite by D

Billy had at least half of the group there oohing and mmming over his 6 hour slow roasted pork. It was so soft and tender and well accompanied by the side dishes I was lucky to get some as it was gone in an instant (refer to photo above and how many people were shoving lettuce leaves in his face hee hee).

Sticky cinnamon scrolls by Yasmin; Fairy bread, honey joys and chocolate crackle by Suze; other goodies

These soft and sticky scrolls were sticky and sweet just as they should be mmm wish I had some more right now. Hee hee nothing can go wrong with kiddy snacks like hundreds and thousands on white bread hee hee whheeeeeee. Simon brought some Korean chicken wings with a sticky and chilli sauce and some mini cheeseburgers which were both very tasty and juicy.

The real? Mark; and I am starting to think that Suze is actaully a robot that runs on gurana-based beverages and twitter

Another highlight of the picnic was meeting Amelie in person!! She is just sooo adorableee XD and look how happy and wide her eyes get when she is with her master hee hee.

Oh hai guys ^^!

This is how we roll; yeah sleep-drinking, ninjas are too good at multi-tasking

(ninjas from Little Gamers <- awesome webcomics)

Nikon POWAHHH

Photo time and Kris Kringle!!

Everybody brought in a food-related (mostly) present and people were given the chance to pick one from the pile or steal one that has been opened previously. I believe this game was somehow involved in the causation of the Cold War…

Hee hee I distracted Yas with a marshmallow from Sweetness and started my plan…

It was awesome meeting everyone at the party and a HUUGGGEE thanks to our awesome hosts Suze and Helen ^^! Good food, good company = good timmmesss! Hopefully many more gatherings/parties are to come and definitely see everyone again (and more) for next years Xmas party !

Merry Xmas all ^^!

FFichiban

Glebe Street Fair – Glebe, Sydney

FFichiban — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:59:21 +0000

Staring across at the sea of fellow street fair-goers, I felt a sense of amazement and how many people were as crazy as me and willing to bear the uncomfortable heat to venture down this long. closed stretch of road. The Glebe Street Fair was on once again for the 26th time but this was the first time I had visited and it was a definitely and fun and foodful experience even in the sweltering heat. The 2 rows of stalls came in all sorts of shapes and sizes and there were many fascinating products on display.

There were also many forms of entertainment! Fun and exciting for the whole family to enjoy. There were 2 stages performing live music and different ends of the fair and it was good to just sit down and relax after walking from end-to-end. There were also giant inflatable jumping castles!!! But I was afraid of being mocked by little kids so I didn’t go on…

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles ^^!

I felt very bad after taking the photos of the American Indians while they performed as they gave me a sad sort of look afterwards, which made me wonder if I had stolen their soul or something… There were also some colourful shishas/hookahs on sale.

Impressively muscular lady… I couldn’t stop staring O_o haha

I had to walk past the Broadway Gyms’ stall a few times…. those arms were HUGGEE! There were also some awesome street performers keeping the crowd entertained with daring tricks and light-hearted jokes. All this walking in the heat makes one very hungry and thirsty so Here Comes the Food!

The jamon man doing his thang; the Mayan Coffee guy wearing the ever-so-familiar outfit and making deliciously aromatic brew; and the Newcastle Pudding Lady makes another appearance

I am regretting not getting one of these buckets of rainbow fairy floss now. They look so purdy and fluffy and tasty mmmm. The 2 tone slushee was a must in this heat and its’ refreshing coolness kept me going. It could have been a 4 tone slushee but one of the machines was playing up and was being fixed. The chilli & cinnamon xocolat coated coffee beans from Mayan Coffee is one of my favourite snacks right now. A great combination of rich and aromatic flavour which meld beautifully together in the mouth.

Gozleme

I think there must have been at least 6 or 7 gozleme stalls at the fair. I probably should have gotten one from each stall for research purposes haha but the one we got was fresh and hot from the pan. A filling of beef, spinach and cheese plus a squirt of lemon clearly demonstrates why this is so popular.

Orange vs Lemon stalls

Yes, that is a Communist Party Australia stall… I was very surprised to see it there haha

German Sausage Hut; Seafood Paella stall

I really should had got a sausage from the sausage hut as they looked so tasty but the queue was crazy long. The giant paella pans reminded me of the awesome paella that Chef Lex made for us.

Jerk Chicken with rice + peas – coleslaw, beetroot salsa-salad ($10)

The smokey smells from My Jamaican Guy (a food STALL not an actual guy XP) had me getting the Jerk Chicken. The beetroot salsa was very sweet and refreshing while the chicken was beautifully jerked and smoked with a hint of spice. The rice was also surprisingly good which normally is not how I have had rice from fairs.

Dutch Poffertjes

About this time our sweet tooth kicked in and we got some of these mini pancakes with a strawberry coulis and dusted in icing sugar ^^! Fluffy and soft little pancakes were a good way to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Lush Berries

A strawberry skewer dipped in luscious milk chocolate was also necessary. The strawberries were not very sweet but the contrast between the slightly sour fruits and the sweet milk chocolate made it even better.

Big Lou’s Chips with Gravy

Freshly fried, thick cuts of potato smothered and blanketed in a viscous and gooey gravy. Add a sprinkle of chicken salt and you have a perfect salty treat. Even in the heat, chips and gravy are something that makes people happy (well maybe deep fried foods in general haha?).

This dog has the right idea… I need to get myself a human slave hee hee

Spending a few hours at the fair, the crowds did not diminish but grow larger as the day went on. But after eating my fill, I called it a day and back to the comfort of home.

Glebe Street Fair 2009

November 15th 10am-5pm

Glebe Point Rd

http://www.glebestreetfair.com/

FFichiban

King’s Vault Pop Up Bar – Darlinghurst, Sydney

FFichiban — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:50:37 +0000

Nooo I did not do that spillage! I only just got there…*hic*

Where is King’s Vault… No, seriously where is King’s Vault? Was what Chocolatesuze and myself were asking each other while rushing along the sidewalk until finally we saw the big burly bouncer and simple but elegant set up in the old ex-art gallery. This pop up bar is one of the new trends in the fooding world where a group of strangers become friends over good wine, hearty food and lively conversation.

We were running fashionably on-time but just in time catch all of the introduction from MC Nick Stone. He made the night particularly fun with witty banter and good description of all the wines from King Valley in Victoria. All the wine makers were also present to represent their proudly produced wines; such as Fred and Joel Pizzini of Pizzini Wines, Arnie Pizzini of Chrismont, Sam Miranda of Sam Miranda King Valley and Otto and Michael Dal Zotto of Dal Zotto Estate.

Each seat had an array of 5 reds and 5 whites ready for tasting but when I sat down, the first thing I noticed was….

THIS!!! Cheese Board ^^!

The cheese board here was simply divine! A soft and gooey brie, a strong and bitey blue, and a crumbly and tasty goats cheese with a collection of bread, lavosh , dried grapes and an awesome grape jam/jelly. The cheese were so good that I could have greedily taken the whole board for myself but we must restrain and keep some class in this sort of environment hee hee. I ended up smothering lavosh with goats cheese and the grape jam which I found to be the ultimate combination.

Antipasto platter; Garlic bread; Smoked ocean trout dip

A beautiful platter of proscuitto, eggplant and a fennel, walnut and mandarin salad created a pleasant harmony with the wines and with each other. Mixing and matching with the garlic bread and ocean trout dip allowed for different flavour combinations which enhanced the wines. The sweet and sour salad was very refreshing while the proscuitto may not have been the best I have had, it was very delectable and silky.

Mushrooms and a grilled sausage; Fried sage leaf stuffed with olive tapernade

The fried sage leaves gave me a little surprise as the olive tapernade bursting with flavour was released after my first bite. The saltiness of the olive and the crunch of the leaf really hit a spot and I could easily finish buckets of this bite-sized morsel.

Duck leg with citrus sauce and vegetables

These succulent pieces of duck meat just fell off the bone with the slightest poke of the fork and the sweet and sour sauce matched beautifully with the meat. I personally found the carrots could have a bit more bite to them but overall we were very pleasantly surprised at such a dish at this sort of event. When I suddenly looked down and saw that there were 3 sets of duck bones on my plate, I knew it was time to restrain myself.

The King’s Vault is a pop-up bar that is only available for a limited time from 18th November to 27th November so check it out for some fabulous wines, food and wonderful company to share these good times with!

Please don’t mind me while I grab more cheese… ^^!

Here Comes the Food attended this event thanks to Edwina of Yarn PR

Where is King’s Vault

20 McLachlen Ave

Darlinghurst, 2011

http://www.whereiskingsvault.com.au/

FFichiban

Bistro CBD Tasting Night – Sydney CBD, Sydney

FFichiban — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:50:48 +0000

Birthdays are always usually a memorable and celebratory event, as they represent another step forward to maturity and wisdom. At the age of 15, however, most people go through the terrible phases of an adolescent which involves experimenting… O_o But this was working to the advantage of Head Chef Simun Dragicevich and his team at Bistro CBD as it created an elaborate smorgasbord of delicate and tantalizing canapes. The lovely Melissa had invited a group of us to the celebration so a big thanks to her!

Getting a sneak peek at the canapes!

2x E,S&T, Simon Food Fav, Citrus and Candy, Chocolatesuze, Lonefoodie, Grab Your Fork and I sneaked up the back route to come in contact with a warm and tasty welcome of platters of canapes! The room was soon full of flashes, camera clicks and temporary blind staff members but then the other guests were welcomed up and we all dug in! Here Comes the Food

(Top) Duck Rilette & Beetroot En Croute

A crunchy crouton base with a combination of duck, beetroot and honey mustard dressing. I loved the textual contrast between the crouton and the softness of the duck and beetroot and the flavour combination worked very nicely.

(Bottom Left) Ocean Trout and Cucumber Tartare

I love the smoothness of the ocean trout, the crunchiness of the cucumber and the hint of coriander in this canape but it was much better on the crispbread (below) rather than these pastry shells.

(Bottom Right) St Agur and Fig on Lavosh

Blue cheese can be strong for some people but I enjoy any cheeeesssee and the sweet fig on top complimented the cheese very well.

(Right) Flamiche Tarts

I found these to be delightful bites as they were still warm and had the richness from the egg and the sweetness from the leeks.

One of the major attractions were the freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters. With a simple squirt of lemon, these babies are popped into the mouth along with some flutes of what I would like to believe to be Dom Perignon (in reality was sparkling wine)

Roast Beef Open Sandwich

Mmmm these sandwiches were one of my favourite probably because I am a carnivore but the soft and fluffy foccacia (although some were a bit harder) spread with a sweet mayo and sandwiched a bed of spinach leaves and slices of tender and juicy roast beef. When I spotted the steak of roast beef I was tempted to steal it…

Crisp Skin Jewfish, Romesco Sauce

Another winner of a canape was the crispy crispy skin of the tender and flaky jewfish. The tomatoy romesco sauce with a subtle sweet and spicyness also matched the fish beautifully but the crispy skin was still the winner. Again some tempting thoughts of stealing a plateful of crispy skin crossed my mind…

(Top Left) Simons‘ special bianchini sandwich with a banana cake filling; (Right) Simun and another chef working hard to feed the hungry demands of the crowd; (Bottom Left) Bianchini & White Chocolate Tarts

The bianchini were cute mini-pavlovas with a crunchy exterior and a nutty interior. The white chocolate tarts had a wonderful citrusy twist with a topping of mandarin puree.

Double Chocolate Brownies

The sight of the deep rich brown of chocolate brownies had me staring but when Simun fired up the blowtorch (with unlimited ammo, and how) to melt the top layer of chocolate and give it a glossy shine I was mesmerized. These brownies had a rich chocolatey taste we all expected but with some crunchy texture of nuts and the smooth melted chocolate on top finished off in a very stylish manner.

Caramelized Banana cake

These were easily the favourite of the night with many multiple trips back to the dessert table for a dose of the banana cake. The dizzle of cinnamon syrip on thin slices of creamy banana and a fluffy banana cake base it was a explosion of flavour and texture in the mouth.

Chefs working hard in the kitchen

Happy B’day and congratulations to Simun Dragicevich and his team at Bistro CBD for a very successful 15 years!

Here Comes the Food attended courtesy of Merivale and Bistro CBD

Bistro CBD

Level 1, 52 King St

Sydney, 2000

Ph: (02) 8297 7010

Head Chef: Simun Dragicevich

FFichiban

Take it Slow, Mumu – Crows Nest, Sydney

FFichiban — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:55:30 +0000

MOOMOO… I mean Mumu! The slow food movement was founded to combat the fatty and unhealthy fast food chains but a firm believer of good, clean and fair slow food is Chef Craig MacIndoe of Mumu. Thanks to him and the lovely Lorraine, I was invited to Take it Slow dinner where the emphasis is on local, organic, environmentally-friendly and tasty produce straight from the source to our plates.

When I arrived, the others were already busy snapping away in the kitchen and getting details about the produce and cooking methods from Chef MacIndoe

The cheery and charismatic Chef MacIndoe showing off the slowly roasted beef mmmmm

Arcadia Saltbush Lamb Cutlets, Duck Fat Potatoes and 100% grass-fed Aged Taralga Springs Rib Eye Roast

Getting a tour through the kitchen and getting sneak previews of the food made me very hungry and so when they mentioned some appetizers at the bar, I did not needed to be told twice hee hee.

18 month Jamon Serrano

We started off with some beautiful melt-in-your-mouth smokey Jamon which were matched perfectly with soft, doughy bread. The only problem was there were many other hungry guests and so these disappeared very quickly.

While enjoying the Jamon we were also presented with a short film about the Arcadia Saltbush Lamb farm

This very informative video only added to our appetites which made the following few words just that little bit sweeter…

Here Comes the Food

Slow roast Arcadia lamb done 2 ways – grilled cutlet with pea and mint puree

Slow roast Arcadia lamb done 2 ways – 13 hour slow roasted shoulder with creamy cauliflower gratin

The lamb cutlet was beautifully cooked so the flavours and juices of the lamb remained in the meat and squirted out with each bite. The pea and mint puree was very refreshing and cut through the fat on the cutlet so that it was not overpowering. After cutting most of the meat off you instinctively pick up the cutlet and gnaw away to get every last bit. The slow roasted shoulder was also done tastefully so that it was tender and juicy. The cauliflower gratin was a perfect match with a cheesy layer and delicate bite of the vegetable. The kumato chutney with Mache (lambs Tongue lettuce) were plump and sweet and I could had done with some more of the chutney.

With each meal there were matching wines by Polin & Polin

But more importantly for me the main course was next ^^!

Aged Taralga Springs Rib Eye Roast – 100% grass fed beef slow roasted for 4 hours with Duck fat potatoes, green beans and bone marrow sauce

A nice chunk of meat was presented to us for our mains on top of a bed of fluffy, golden-browned potatoes roasted in duck fat and green beans and smothered in a thick and creamy bone marrow sauce. The bone marrow sauce is one of the highlights of the dish and I was lucky enough to get a sneak taste in the kitchen beforehand. The potatoes were also wonderfully flavoursome without being overly oily or fatty considering that they were roasted in duck fat (which is rendered in the kitchen by Chef MacIndoe and his team) and the green beans provided a nice crisp crunch. But the meat was obviously of good quality and roasted to a tender state. My piece was on the rare side and I know some others had cuts which were slightly too pink but I found my piece just right for my taste.

We were all eagar to get out sweet-tooth on at this stage especially since we knew a chocolate and raspberry square was on the menu

Us doing our thang!

Chocolate and Raspberry Square – with vanilla gelato and Belgium chocolate tile

Dessert was a clear winner with a warm and gooey chocolate square accompanied by a healthy splash of raspberry and vanilla gelato with a chocoalte tile to top it off. If only it could had been a giant block instead of just a square hee hee.

The docket is your friend! I am your friend. I however, am not…. GOOD!

A big thanks to Chef Mumu for the wonderful eye-opening meal to the beauty and importance of Slow Food, thanks to Graham Strong of Arcadia Saltbush Lamb, Michael Polin of Polin & Polin, Peter Clay of Taralga Springs beef and Lorraine of NQN for the invite!

Other fellow snappers:

Billy (A Table for Two)

Lili (Pikelet & Pie)

Simon (The <3 of Food)

Yas (hungry.digital.elf)

Karen (Citrus & Candy)

Here Comes the Food dined courtesy of Mumu Grill

Mumu Grill

70 Alexander St

Crows Nest

Ph: (02) 94606877

Head Chef: Craig MacIndoe

FFichiban

Tupperware Party – One Bite More!

FFichiban — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:34:56 +0000

Tupperware party…?!?! Isn’t that what old grannies do to pass the time?

Apparently not anymore! Tupperware parties are the new rage nowadays, well among a few of us at least hee hee because it is the perfect excuse for a gathering and a feast! Our delightful and generous host, Shez, had slaved in the kitchen to provide us with a spectacular spread of tasty treats for the party so big Thankkkssss to Shez for being an amazing hostess ^^!

Table of goodies!

Enter other foodbloggers and there were bound to be more food brought in of course!

Simon made some awesome Katsusandos to rival Atomic’s!! (SP Studioed Simon)

Suze brought a delectable Peach Slice (while donning a +10 cool shirt from ThinkGeek)

Chef Lex brought mouth-watering banana leaves…

Steph brought boobies… hee hee hee I meant, good times and much hilarity ^^!

I just brought an empty stomach stuffed my face and felt a bit like a piggy though hee hee! Here Comes the Food

Smoked trout, fish roe, cucumberand cream cheese open baguette & Brie, ham and seeded mustard open baguette

Started off with a refreshing savoury note of smokey salmon with crisp cucumber and creamy brie and ham.

Katsusando

These were delicious with good crunchy batter and tender pork, mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, fresh lettuce and soft white bread to balance it all out. The only problem was there were too few of them haha

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes

I loved the baby cupcakes soo cutee ^^! The tiny swirl of icing on a dense and tasty ricotta cupcake will brighten up anybodys day.

Ricotta cheese and Peach Slice

Mmm cheese is a necessity at any banquent, pity it was not from her homemade batch though! The sweet peach slices had the beautiful aroma and subtle flavour of cinnamon and good crusty base.

Clockwise from Top left – Profiteroles, mini Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Biccies and ‘Leftover’ raspberry and custard tarts

All of these tasty sweet treats were a big hit but the favourite were the ‘leftover’ raspberry and custard tarts with a soft crumbly pastry and a drizzle of chocolate. They are titled so as they were made from the leftover ingredients from making all the other desserts hee hee. The profiteroles had beautiful airy fluffness to them as well as the meringue.

Our Tupperware Lady – Michelle

She explained to us the brief history about Mr Tupper and the benefits of real Tupperware, then showed us some of the products and it was truly informative and interesting to see all these containers with nifty little extras on them.

And they come in a variety of colours ooohhh!

Somehow all the items ended up stacked in front of me…

After the Tupperware talk we got to try out some of the products and what better way than to bake scones ^^!

Mr Lee flexing his baking muscles and the silicon baking tray

Silicon baking ware is so easy to use as they just don’t stick to anything and all the food just pops right out!

Fresh hearty and warm scones with freshly whipped cream (refer to picture of Chef Lex) and jam, yummm ^^!

We also got take-home party plates! Which may or may not have been nibbled on, on the car-trip home hee hee

My views of Tupperware parties have definitely been corrected thanks to Shez. Thanks again for hosting such a eye-opening event and of course great to see all everybody again ^^!

FFichiban