Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers that put up with our tantrums, cares for us when we are sick and loves us through thick and thin! Thank you so much for everything you have done and hope we show our appreciation daily; but today just a bit more! Well technically this was a premature Mothers Day celebration as my brother is busy all of the Sunday we had a small early lunch at sort-of newly opened El Toro Loco.

The tables along the verandah had a nice view of the crystal blue water; perfect for relaxing, casual eating

The restaurant was surprisingly roomy with a great row of tables along the verandah for prime view of the water. The Spanish feel of the restaurant is proud and bold with Spanish rumba beats pumping loudly (I think the whole album was Gipsy Kings but Bem Bem Maria was the only one I recognized). Miguel Maestre, of Boys Weekend and Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen has an infectious lively personality which is seen reflected in this restaurant. 

I can see this place becoming very lively when SPAIN battles for the World Cup in several weeks hee hee

Hee hee can’t wait for the mermaid!

A quick browse of the menu but firstly no Spanish meal is complete without….

SANGRIA!!! Here Comes the Food

We start off with Scorched Peach and Vanilla Sangrai ($30) – creme de peche, red grapes, citrus and scorched vanilla peaches topped with cava, but as they were out of peaches, they were replaced with pears. Very fruity and little and surprisingly bubbly as they used sparkling wine. A refreshing and tingly way to start off the meal ^^!

Ceviche de pescardo blanco y boniato con leche de tigre – kingfish ceviche, sweet potato, tigers milk ($15)

There were 2 specials of the day and we decided on this Kingfish ceviche. Tender cubes of Kingfish with notes of sweetness contrasted with the sourness of the sauce. Our waitress advised that we start with the fish, then try some of the sweet potato and finish off with a light touch of the tigers milk. The tigers milk  turned out to be very sour compared to the sweet potato and I suspected it was just lime or lemon juice with ginger and chilli. However it did turn out to be a great combination of sour, sweet then sour again.

Pate de pato al jerez, con pan de carrasca y pepinillos – duck pate sherry style, cornichons, toasted sourdough ($13)

It is pretty hard to pass up on pate when we see it on the menu. The one they have here seemed a bit hard at first when we try to spread it on the sourdough but the flavour delivered beautifully. Although I wish it was texturally soft and more like butter, it was still sweetly flavoursome and along with the crunch of the toasted sourdough it was a match made in heaven. An occasional crunch on the cute little tiny pickled cucumbers provided a burst of sourness to cut through all the richness of the pate.

Chorizitos picantes  a la sidra con cebolletas – baby spicy chorizitos, pickled onions, fresh cider ($13)

These cute little baby chorizitos were bursts of meaty goodness, although could had done with a bit more chilli punch in my opinion. The little baby pickled onions were soft and added some sweet contrast to the dish as with the cider sauce.

Traditional Sangria – seasonal fruits, cointreau, rum, cinnamon, grenadine and red wine topped off with soda ($28)

We opted for the traditional Sangria next as we saw our neighbors with this cool jug and I got jug-envy. This one turned out to be my favourite of all the flavours with a good fruity punch and so very dangerously easy to drink.

Deditos de queso  manchego con confitura de tomate – Crispy manchego cheese fingers, tomato confit ($15)

Three simple words… deep. fried. cheese! Crispy is an understatement and the gooey cheese oozes out like molten lava with each bite. The goat flavour isn’t very strong but is detectable but does not worry me as I am a lover of goats cheese. The tomato confit is refreshing although I would had preferred it warm rather than cold to go with the cheesy fingers. Pure bliss ^^!

*Note* the following dishes are not on their online menu so apologies for not knowing proper names/prices

Crispy pork belly with fennel and zucchini salad

The musical crunch of that crispy pork crackling with the right amount of saltiness brings a uncontrollable grin to my mouth everytime. The rest of the pork belly is soft and tender although a tad lacking in flavour but that is maybe because I ate the crackling separately haha. The fennel and zucchini salad accompanied the pork belly very nicely.

Duck and pork cheek sausage with pistachios and artichokes

A pleasant combination of flavours and textures but there was not much wow factor to this dish, for me. The duck and pork cheek meat were maybe a bit too confused together so I couldn’t really taste either duck or pork cheek, while the pistachios added a bitey texture to the sausages.

Ox tail stew with white beans, toasted sourdough, (fried pig ears?)

This was my favourtie dish of the meal. The thick brothy stew was as hearty as it could get, full of gelatinous goodness and very tender fall-apart meat. Thinking back has my mouth watering already haha. The crunchy toasted sourdough was a brilliant vessel for any leftover stew while the slivers of what I believe to be pigs ears, provided a beautiful crunch and also a bit more gelatinous/cartilaginous goodness. The thought of pig ears may be daunting for some but I love them mmmmm.

Sirloin on roasted potato with a blue cheese dressing

A very seductive piece of sirloin cooked to a beautiful medium rare/rare state on top of soft chunk of potato. Even though I like blue cheese, I found it a bit too strong and overpowered the natural flavours of the meat itself. Therefore maybe a lighter blue cheese would be more appropriate as I did enjoy the blue cheese and sirloin combination; and the dressing goes wonderfully with the potato.

Twisted Sangria – lemons, lychee and mint with white wine and lychee liqueur topped off with lemonade ($28)

The final flavour of Sangria is a lemon and lychee twist! Sparkly, light and refreshing, a great combination but does not beat their traditional Sangria.

Black Paella a la Maestre

What kind of people go to a Spanish tapas and does not try paella? Unless they are in a hurry, it is a must in the tapas world. However, the paella we tried was disappointing especially when I have something like this to compare to. There was no sign of a crunchy bottom and the mussels were slightly underdone but the squid was done nicely. I am hoping it was just a bad day as the paella can be the critical point as it is quite a signature dish in tapas.

Although the paella was disappointing was not able to ruin the wonderful lunch we had here. It was obvious you can see and feel the Miguel in the atmosphere of the place. A very flamboyant and fiery passion for life, food and drink. I highly recommend the ox tail stew, cheese fingers and traditional sangria! And next time I shall have to try some of their desserts! Once again Happy Mothers Day!!! Hope some Spanish food and Sangria can make your day hee hee.

Gotta end it with a fanboi pic hee hee

El Toro Loco

49 North Steyne

Manly 2095

Ph: (02) 9977 0999

Head Chef: Miguel Maestre

FFichiban

Now that it is near the end of the year it means people are going on holidays to wonderful places like Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong etc etc where food is plentiful, cheap and super tasty while others (like me) are here going work work like a peon. For those who don’t know but D has actually gone away to Japanland for a few weeks so there will be ramen/tonkatsu/sushi posts a-plenty when he gets back. But before they left, it is always a good excuse to get together with a bunch of good friends and share some tapas! (aka leftovers according to some) Encasa is a pretty decent place for tapas action and they have some reasonable set menus so

Here Comes the Food

Garlic Bread; Sangria

The bread made it a great start to the meal. The crunchy/crusty exterior with a soft and fluffy middle which is still steamy and hot. The garlic flavour was present although could be a little stronger in my opinion. Sangria is a must at any tapas meal to help aid form lively conversation, this cocktail is light and refreshing especially with chunks of fruit to add some texture and crunch.

Salad 2-way

A wise man once sang “You don’t make friends with saaaaalad! You don’t make friends with saaalad!” while dancing in a congo line and it usually rings true for me (come on! it’s a congo line song!) but the salad here was very crisp and refreshing with a great combination of textures of crunchy cucumber to leafy greens and squishy tomato. The other one was more of a Greek style with fetta cheese, olives and capsicum.

Patatas Bravas – fried potato with garlic mayonnaise and spicy tomato salsa

Chunks of fried potato smothered by a drizzle of garlic mayonnaise and spicy tomato salsa is a winner of a dish regardless. The soft bites of potato with the creaminess of the mayonnaise and the slight after-tinge of spiciness meant this was easily the most moreish dish of the night for me. If this appeared at a buffet I would try and score the whole tub for myself hee hee.

Champinones al Ajillo – garlic mushrooms

Little button mushrooms were fried into a garlicky state meant a beautiful aroma as long as everybody was eating it. The mushrooms were soft and springy and had a good bite to them and the garlic flavour matched wonderfully.

Chorizo a la Plancha – grilled Spanish sausage

Thin slivers of chorizo were cooked to a nice crisp and flavour with a very subtle hint of chilli. Contrary to the top right photo, they did not taste like blur.

Sevillanas – prawns in spicy tomato

Succulent curls of prawns cooked in a spicy tomato sauce bubbled happily away as they were presented to the table. The tomato was pretty weak in spicy so a good dose of the chilli oil was applied to give it a more noticeable touch.

3 types of Pizza were included in this set menu

- Pollo – chicken, mushroom, BBQ sauce, sesame seeds

- Campesina – artichoke, goat’s cheese, roasted red capsicum and eggplant

- Seafood – prawns, calamari, mussels, crab meat, octopus, fish, garlic

At first I was a bit confused why we were eating pizza at a Spanish restaurant but after the first few bites I was content with having these pizzas. The base was cooked to a nice crisp but not too hard while the topping was decently portioned with beautiful cheese creating lovely strings. All 3 types of pizzas were tasty with good combination of flavours but I found that the chicken was a little bit dry since they only used breast, although the BBQ sauce smothers it all nicely.

Our pizza/prawn and mysterious blob cocktail… so mature guyyyss

I have to consider Encasa as one of those cheap and cheerful places. The atmosphere is a bit of a hustle and bustle but with tapas, it should be like this. Cheerful chatter and clatter of plates/cutlery as people help serve each other and with friendly staff and warm lighting. Our Set Menu 2 was only $27 pp and everybody walked out full and content.

Being a typical foodblogger, I did however walk out rubbing my tummy and wondering… Sooo what’s for dessert? hee hee

(in case you were wondering, we ended up going Gelato Messina)

Encasa

423 Pitt St

Sydney 2000

Ph: (02) 9211 4257

FFichiban

Once again I eat along the path of fusion at Japaz where my first visit had left a very good impression on me in particularly the way Chef Hiro is able to fuse Japanese and French into a Spanish style tapas. This time, however,  is a big thanks to Yas who along with Chef Hiro and director Maori invited a couple of foodbloggers to a evening if sampling their tasting menu. I immediately noticed a few changes from last time (not that difficult since it has been a while) but the obvious ones were the renovations which gave the place a warmer feel and the additions of a specials board with a number of items that we hoped to sample that evening.

Here Comes the Food…bloggers – Shez, Suze, Yas, Simon, Lorraine and Howard!

As soon as we had gotten comfortable the whipping out of cameras begins. Of course, a comparison of sizes could not be avoided Especially when Yas was showing of his new baby proudly! I did feel a little bit uneasy at first surronded by Canons but I had to represent Nikon power hee hee

A little bubbly to start off with hee hee

Who would have thought that alcohol makes everything blurry (even though I didn’t drink any! btw drink responsibly kids!)

But shuffle aside champagne, because Here Comes the Food

Tasmanian oysters with wakame dressing

Beautifully slippery and fresh oysters kick started our meal to a great start. The juicy oysters worked well with the seaweed based dressing which added another dimension of flavour and texture to this dish.

Fried eggplant marinated with honey and balsamic vinegar; Razor clams with preserved lemon jus; hand sliced Jamon Serrano

A little mishap *cough*dulce *cough* then left me absent for the presenting of the next 3 dishes so a big thanks to the other bloggers and to Howard for saving us some (especially the eggplant!) and helping me take photos The fried eggplant was probably one of my favourite dishes with its crunchy bite with soft gooey middle releasing a perfumy honey sweetness along with the eggplant. I couldn’t really taste much balsamic vinegar to it but that was probably because I wolfed it down so quickly embracing the sweet honey and crunchy batter combination.

The razor clams had a surprisingly meaty texture to it which also reminded me of the sticks of cheese that you get in individual packets. There was a firm but chewy texture which was interesting but I found the ever so slightly hint of cheese but that was just me…

I have not had any sort of jamon that I had not enjoyed so these slivers of salty goodness are always welcome.

Soy marinated chicken with pesto mayo and patatas bravas in spicy tomato sauce

The chicken were soft and tender with bits and pieces of crispy and were very tasty but it was the pesto mayo that won me. The creamy and alluring mayo had the wonderful fragrance of pesto and would make a great sauce for anything. The potatoes also had a crispy exterior but I found the tomato sauce to be a bit average so ended up dipping the potatoes into the pesto mayo.

Medley of mushrooms with chickpeas (shiitake, enoki and wood ear)

A great combination of mushrooms and chickpeas but being a self confessed carnivore this did not excite me too much. It was good and I did enjoy the garlicky hint along with the variation in textures however.

Spring cabbage wrap with mince beef, carrot and mushroom with wagyu jus

An experimental dish that Chef Hiro wanted us to try that is not on the menu. The sweet cabbage worked well with the natural sweetness of the carrot as well as the meat so overall it worked for me but had a slight chinese feel to it for me.

Lamb meatballs with winter vegetables and a sauce of tomato and coriander

This dish was a very warming and homely dish. Chunky balls of lamb with tender and soft stewed vegetables really hits the spot on a cold chilly winter night. The problem I encountered last time was that the seasoning of the dishes were not even and this one was slightly under seasoned in my opinion.

Cucumber pinchos with seafood paste (crab, scallop, prawn), yuzukosho + miso

This palate cleanser was quite refreshing with the cuts of crunchy cool cucumber and a dollop of strong seafood paste. It may not have been for everyone but I found that it was a good sort of ‘intermission’ in between the other dishes.

Crumbed portabello mushroom

Big, juicy chunks of portabello mushroom is crumbed and deep fried to a beautiful and succulent state. The crunchy exterior created a wonderful contrast with the soft, meaty mushroom inside. Another one of the more favourable dishes of the night.

Grilled quail with quail jus served on tortilla Japaz

The quail is normally served with the savoy cabbage but as he had already served us the savoy cabbage roll, Chef Hiro decided to mix it up and serve the quail with a tortilla Japaz which was all the better for us as it was delicious. The tortilla Japaz consisted of slices of potato and onion but was also somehow light and delicate. It went well with the tender and juicy quail which had us digging in with our hands.

Braised wagyu beef cheeks with almond puree

Last but not least were once again the almight beef cheeks. These cheeks bring so much joy and a tear to my eye. The meat just falls apart so easily that care must be taken to ensure that it is in your mouth before it does. The almond puree also adds a nice additional flavour to the beef cheeks and this time there was more sauce to go with it. However the lack in seasoning proved once again in this dish.

Everybody who reads Yas‘ blog (and if you don’t it is a very good idea to start ^^!) knows about his sexy sexy shots… so I bring you Super Sexy Yas x4 (I am too lazy otherwise I would had turned it in a gif hee hee)

Oh my… what a big blowtorch you have…

Peach sorbet & apple cider jelly with vanilla infused olive oil; Crema Catalana Japaz; Strawberry with lime infused coconut cream

After our many many many dishes of savoury we were treated to a delightful surpised of a trio of desserts. Our friendly waiter suggested we started with the strawberry and coconut cream, then the peach sorbet and finish off with the creama catalana. Following his advice the strawberry and coconut cream was soon devoured. The coconut cream was whipped to a light and frothy state and I became totally addicted to it. The strawberry matched beautifully with coconut crema with the ever so subtle hint of lime.

The peach sorbet was wonderfully refreshing and I really like the apple cider jelly that went with it.

The Crema Catalana had a strong taste of vodka, which prevented me from eating too much as I had to drive after. Otherwise I wouldn’t mind having more hee hee!

The cheerful crew ^^!

You can tell the staff here work well with each other and can palpate the love in the air hee hee This just emphasizes how happy staff can make the happy customers through friendly service and great food. Also I just want to take that leg of jamon and bite into it…. *munch*

Here Comes the Food dined courtesy of JAPAZ

Previous Japazing:

Japaz – Neutral Bay, Sydney

Japaz
165 Wycombe Rd
Neutral Bay 2089
Ph: (02) 9904 0688
Dinner: Monday – Saturday, 6:00pm till late
Lunch: Thursday – Friday, 12:00 noon to 3:00pm

Head Chef: Hiro Takagi

FFichiban