Take it Slow, Mumu – Crows Nest, Sydney
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:
Here Comes the Food dined courtesy of Mumu Grill
Mumu Grill
70 Alexander St
Crows Nest
Ph: (02) 94606877
Head Chef: Craig MacIndoe
FFichiban
July 14th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Didn’t even notice the comment in the last shot. However, it doesn’t make any sense to me. Do you know what the meaning is?
Love you shot with the wine glasses and the dessert.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:15 am
nice action shot of the food bloggers. they seem to do amazing desserts.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:41 am
You’re welcome for the invite!Good to have a plcae North Side for a quick meat fix (and I know how much you love your meat!)
July 14th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Wow, talk about meat-lovers’ special! The slow-cooked lamb looks fantastic and everyone looks so happy.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:21 am
i am your friend. hahaha awesome i didnt see that! and oh man that dessert was sooo good
July 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
ha, can’t believe we posted on this at the same time. great minds, aye? nice action shots of craig and the kitchen crew too
July 15th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
How lucky! The place looks fantastic and I am very jealous of all the lovely food you ate
(especially the dessert…)
July 16th, 2009 at 12:03 am
mooo….. great photos dude… are you heading back there soon for the Xmas lunch?
July 17th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Simon – Haha yeah no idea either.. but found it interesting. Ahh thx I was deciding whether to make it B&W tho.
!
Simon Food Fav – Thx
Lorraine – XD XD XD!!! You know me soo well!
Belle – I think they could improve with larger portions hee hee but that’s just me
Chocolatesuze – Hee hee yeah quite random so I knew you would like
Helen – Yup! Awesome minds think alike!
Anita – Hee hee thhxx!
Billy – Baa thx man… hmm maybe a gathering is in order?
July 19th, 2009 at 4:13 am
Hmm-hmm the dinner was surely nice!
my lamb was perfectly medium rare – just the way I like it!
Soon after I transferred my photos onto my computer, HDD died… I’ve got no pictures from this dinner now
*sob*