Dear Singapore, the bright sunny place I call home, see you soon.

Dinner by Myself

I had dinner by myself last night,
sitting by the seaside
looking onto the far side.

I had dinner with Schubert, Mozart and Chopin last night,
a march, a sonata,
a song and a waltz.

I had sushi and nutriwater for dinner last night,
watching dogs run by
and people running after their dogs.

Last night I had dinner,
with me, myself and I.

End.

Ganache

Croissant and white and dark chocolate mousse cake from Ganache, which R bought for Elise and I. Thanks!

I has the croissant the day after, hence couldn't really tell if it has that crunch or not, but sure does taste good. Very buttery. R told me that Ganache reckons he is the best croissant maker in Sydney.. hmmm, I don't know about that since I'm not a croissant-type of person, meaning I don't go round Sydney eating croissants. But I sure have tasted better in other countries... Anyway, I made a bacon and cheese sandwich with the croissant the following morning. Totally yumm. =D

The chocolate cake was really good. It is like a feuille d'autumne except that it uses white chocolate for wrapping the cake. The dark chocolate mousse with dark chocolate sponge inside is rich and not too sweet, which compliments nicely with the much sweeter white chocolate. I like!

Thanks R!

End.

NSW Wine Week 2010, Hyde Park

14th March, wineries all over New South Wales arrived in Hyde Park, Sydney, in an effort to get the locals to support local wines. 14th March, 11am, Elise and Heidi arrived in Hyde Park, Sydney, in hopes that we'd find some nice Riesling, Muscato and Port to go with our lovely pastries.

The entrances is free. If you want to taste the wines, you'd have to purchase the coupons ($4 for one shot). We got the one-for-one special, where for $30, you get 5 X 30mls tastings and one plastic wine glass each for two people.

You see, Elise and I have very little tolerance for alcohol. Yet, we had the nerve to attend a wine fair. We took our chances with the wines, avoiding most of the reds (unless it is port) and dry whites if we could recognize it. There were a few times where we had to discreetly pour our wines into the bushes... Our perseverance paid off, we did find an excellent Riesling (McGuigan) and a lovely sparkling muscato (Capercaillie), the search for port was fruitless, sadly.

Food stalls from some very good restaurants featuring chi-chi food for chi-chi prices. I got an olive bread from Sonoma for $5.

We went to a less crowded area to enjoy lunch by the water. See that memorial style building? A word of caution (impressed upon me by a well-meaning friend): Don't go in there at night unless you want to get pregnant.

Most popular food stall: Gozleme, cheese, lamb, spinach and chilli, $9.

Toby's Coffee! $3.

End.

Le Pain Quotidien

The rain came out of nowhere, just when Elise and I were traveling along Bourke Street towards Ten Buck Alley (Gourmet Traveler rated it number one cafe in Sydney). Desperate and feeling rather pathetic (sharing a single umbrella), we went into nearest cafe we could find- Le Pain Quotidien, just next to the pizza restaurant.

The interior of the cafe managed to be both modern and country-style at the same time. It is probably because of the generous use of wooden elements in the tables, chairs and shelves. I particularly like the huge metal clockwork with roman numerals. I think it is romantic.

We ordered a cappuccino and a latte, about $3.60 each. Carefully observe the cups, you will realise there are no handles! Which was quite interesting, because I had to drink the coffee as if I were drinking from a bowl, like a soup. If only the coffee was better... The cafe does their own blend and roast, and uses organic coffee beans, which had me thinking: wow, their coffee must be good. But, the coffee, disappointingly, left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue, which in my opinion, no good coffee (after the addition of hot milk) should.

The chocolate tart was pretty good, $5.50. It looks abit dodgy though, with the neutral glaze (why do you even glaze a chocolate tart?) and neatly arranged almond flakes (strange presentation). First impression aside, the chocolate filling surprisingly pleasing. It was cold, rich and smooth, with a hint of coffee. The tart base is your normal short tart variety, average.

Apparently, Le Pain Quotidien is an international chain of cafe (available in over 20 cities) that has its roots in Brussels.

There are three in Sydney. The one that we visited:

Surry Hills

Cnr Fitzroy & Bourke Sts, NSW 2010

PH: 02 9360 8460

Quay

It was Ja's idea; coming to Quay. "Heidi, there is a four course dinner at Quay for $150"

When I heard it, I thought there was a promotion going on in Quay. Knowing that Quay, a three hatter (Australia's equivalent of Michelin Star), Sydney's Top Restaurant (top 2, Time Out Sydney) and World's best restaurant (top 46), is doing a promotion, how can I miss it?! Except that there wasn't a promotion. I misunderstood. (Why would Quay need promotion anyway?) Doesn't matter, I am set to go. =)

It was a mad rush. Class ends at 4:30pm, our reservation was at 6:30pm. If you take away 1 hour for traveling time, the 1 hour left is hardly enough time for a girl to dress up. Naturally, I arrived late. I had my food orders taken via phone (Stella kindly recited out the menu to me). When I finally made it to the table, all was left to do was to choose a wine to go with the dinner, and tuck in.

Quay is nicely located in the Sydney Passenger Terminal, on the second level, where you have the amazing view of the towering Sydney Habour Bridge on your right, and the iconic Sydney Opera House in front of you. The ambiance is dominated by the large glass panes, that allows plenty of the soft evening light to enter, and simple white tables with comfortable chairs, creating feelings of calm and relaxation. The moment I entered Quay, I knew I was going to enjoy dinner.

The Sydney Habour Bridge.

My staple company for good food: Kimmy, Stella and Ja. This must be the first in 12 months, that I properly sat down with them for dinner, where we can talk about absolutely almost anything. We tease each other, share our dreams and ideas and look out for each other. God, I missed them.

Amuse bouche (compliments from the chef): Yellowfin tuna tartare, horseradish, tapioca infused with smoked eel and creme fraiche. It is so beautiful! It looks like a bottled ocean garden doesn't it? It tastes like it too.

Left: Polenta and sunflower seed sourdough, Malt and wholemeal sourdough. The polenta sourdough is tough, I had to really exercise my jaws to get it down my throat. But it quite exciting because you discover the different textures of bread, polenta and sunflower seeds. And because I had to chew on it for quite some time, I find that it has got a subtle sweetness in the polenta and the sunflower seeds. Nice! The malt sourdough, on the other hand, is soft, surprisingly so, and it has a sharp taste.

Course 1: Sea Pearls; Sashimi tuna, aquaculture caviar, sea scallop, smoked eel, octopus, mud crab, abalone, $20 supplement.

The sea pearls dish is Quay's signature dish, something that Ja has repeatedly emphasized. All four of us went for the sea pearls as our first course. Out of the five "pearls" here, I especially liked the aquaculture caviar (2nd clockwise starting with the red "pearl") and the dashi jelly with abalone (4th). The aquaculture caviar reminds me of japanese rice ball except that it tasted like bacon. Strange I know. Even stranger is it was the crunchy scallop-wing that tasted like bacon... I was baffled.
The slightly more normal dashi jelly is, like its name suggests, a jelly that melts the instance it touches my tongue, releasing a cold, intensely flavoured dashi stock with a few strips smoked abalone to chew on. I guess the dashi jelly is an acquired taste since none of the girls liked it, I even got an extra jelly (from kimmy).

Course 2: Crisp confit of pig belly, braise of abalone and cuttlefish, handmade silken tofu, Japanese mushrooms, chive flowers.

The dish was wonderful, tofu so soft and silky (the first I have tasted in Sydney), pig belly that melts in your mouth, japanese mushrooms that are oh so fragrant. The cuttlefish is an interesting addition, although I wasn't sure if I liked it... This dish was overly Asian for me. I don't think there was a balance between the Asian and Western influence. What I was looking for, was an entirely new product; something I won't be able to identify with any culture, something that solely belongs to Quay. It's like what kimmy said: hmm, the mushrooms taste like my mother's braised mushrooms..

Course 2: Butter poached quail breasts, pink turnips and onions, white lentils, morels, truffle custard, bitter chocolate black pudding, jamon de bellota, milk skin
I didn't have this dish, but according to Ja, it was very good. She especially like the bitter chocolate black pudding (the black cube of thing there). I liked it too. It tasted like a sweet liver pate albeit with a crisp skin. The quail breasts were so soft and tender. yumm.

Course 3: Crisp pressed duck confit, kabu turnips, winter melon, hasuimo, sea scallops, duck juices
This dish is special. Just by looking at the shape of the duck confit, you'll be scratching your heads, asking how did the chef do it? The soft tender duck meat is finely shredded and pressed into this squarish shape, then wrapped with an impossibly thin and crispy duck skin. Out of the third courses we ordered, this is my favourite!

Course 3: Slow cooked pure bred Suffolk lamb loin, young vegetables, garlic custard, roasted quinoa, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, hazelnuts
The lamb loin was also very tender. It was a nice pink in the center. But even with one forkful, I could taste the lamb in the meat. how should I put it? hmm, you know how with seafood that is not fresh, you get that fishy stink? That was what happened with the lamb. It wasn't overpowering, but it was there. So I was a little disappointed with this dish.

Course 3: Roasted John Dory, Button squash, leek seedlings, lemon confit, fennel pollen, elder & corriander flowers, currants, melon seeds, brown butter
The dory fillet was nice and firm with a slight golden hue on the surface. What surprised me was the fennel pollen and currants. The fennel pollen tasted like micro sour cherries with an indian twist? I don't know how to adequately describe it. When eaten together with the fish, it was like having mini explosions of sour cherries and sweet currants amid buttery firm flesh of the fish. It did put a smile on my face. :)

Fromm Riesling Spatlese, Marlborough, New Zealand 2006

I am so infatuated with this wine. Sweet and lightly crisp. Quay has such an extensive wine list, we didn't know which wine to get. So we got the wait staff to recommend. We gave him a guideline to follow: must be sweet and below a $100. And we were not disappointed.

Stella, Kimmy, Ja and I!

Course 4: Eight texture chocolate cake featuring Amedei 'Chuao' Chocolate (italian chocolate, single origin: world's best)

All sweets-lovers must try! This dish was quite a show. The waiter places the round chocolate cake in front of you. Then another waiter comes around, with a small copper pot, and ladles out hot chocolate ganache onto the center of the cake. The tempered chocolate top layer melts immediately, allowing the molten ganache to penetrate further into the cake, creating a crater-like cavity. Dramatic.
The chocolate cake itself was heavenly. Every mouthful was a blend of chocolate in various texture, but pure rich decadent chocolate nonetheless. There was definitely crumbly (from the fudge tart-like base), crunchy (chocolate caramel layer), smooth (mousse) and brittle (tempered chocolate. Being pastry students/chef, we tried to mentally deconstruct the layers. (it's a work habit. we will always want to know what makes it so good.) After several mouthfuls, we only came up with six textures. So we turned to the waitstaff. The waiter, whom we questioned, is well-trained. Without batting an eyelid, he rattled off the eight textures, describing each texture and patiently clarifying some of our doubts. I was impressed.

Course 4: Organic Fraises des Bois, fresh raspberries, strawberries & cream jelly, sugar crystals, violets

This dish was beautifully presented. It looks like a berry dance, that revolves round the giant jelly dome. The strawberry jelly tastes like, well, jelly. normal. The strawberry sorbet were great. It was amazing how, in the amount of time we took to take pictures (of the desserts and ourselves), it didn't melt, not one bit. But the instant I put it in my mouth, it dissolved into liquid straight. The wild strawberries were another mystery as well. These dry looking, shriveled up strawberries is ten times in terms of flavour and intensity, of normal strawberries.

Course 4: Nectarine snow egg
This was another dessert that we couldn't crack. A thin layer of toffee crust dusted with icing sugar, coats a ball of meringue with a glob of nectarine anglaise nestled in the center, on a bed of nectarine sorbet. As usual, the sorbet turns straight into liquid in your mouth, without having to go through the melting stage. Ja had to apply some force to crack the toffee shell. The caramel coat was crunchy, as if it was fried. The meringue was mildly sweet and the anglaise was very refreshing which was strange because a meringue is usually very very sweet and the anglaise is not exactly the lightest sauce. Delightful.

umm, I know we are adults and all. but occasional taking-pictures-of-yourself-in-the-toilet can be quite fun.

As the saying goes, there is always space for dessert.

Sex and the City minus the sex? =)

I'm so dead.. I blew a week's worth of allowance on dinner... again.

Overseas Passenger Terminal, Level 2

The Rocks, Sydney 2000

Phone: (61 2) 9251 5600

End.

Makoto Sushi

Tasmanian Sushi, $6.60. These are a few of my favourite things. =)

Yellow Bistro

I went to Yellow again. There are some pastries that I would like to try (including the elusive date tart, though no luck this time as well. the weather is too hot, the chef said), and I had promised Elise and Stella that we would go this week.

Cappuccino- Single Origin, $3.45. Coffee is not as good as Toby's Estate. I could still taste a slight bitter in the coffee and the aroma is not as strong.

Croque Madame, $18.98. When I saw it on another table the last time I came with Ja, I knew I had to return to try it. It is pricey, as with all things here, but they are generous with their portion and it is quality food as well. Croque madame is basically 2 slices of pan-fried toasts stuffed with melted Gruyere cheese, generous ham servings and a runny yellow egg. There is a thick sweet chilli paste at the side, which I slathered onto the toast. It goes well together, savoury and sweet. Best part of it was the melting cheese and the golden crisp toast. It was so good... I remember the three of us just eating and not talking. We shared one plate; must leave some space for the pastries.

Strawberry Marscapone, $11.50. I like it! Coconut dacquoise (three layers), filled with light marscapone cheese and halved strawberries. Refreshing and fragrant. Coconut flavour is very intense, lots of dessicated coconut for texture. People who are not keen on coconut shouldn't like this, but people like me, who loves coconut, will rejoice! I particularly like how the chef has slightly caramelized the top, giving a bit of colour to contrast the pale marscapone and dacquoise layers.

Chocolate Ganache with Raspberries, $12.65. At first look, I assumed it was an Opera. It looked like one, you know, the classic chocolate glaze with gold leaf decor. It was Stella who brought this cake to our attention. Thick and luscious chocolate ganache? (from the colour i would think it is a mousse), fresh raspberries (middle layer) and very very moist and chocolatey sponge layers (i suspect it is flourless chocolate sponge). The top is covered by chocolate glaze and a sprinkle of gold-dusted bits of nuts. (who would have thought to dust your nuts with gold?)

One wonders how did they set the price to include all these weird cents and decimals..

I was so so full by the end of it. Almost too full to have lunch... but I did anyway, haha.

Yellow Bistro and Food Store

57 Macleay Street, Potts Point 2011 NSW

Phone: 9357 3400

End.

La Renaissance

After pyrmont market, in need of something cold and sweet, Elise and I decided to walk from Pyrmont to Circular Quay, to La Renaissance.

Sitting in the courtyard garden of La Renaissance, armed with a glass of cold orange juice each and two cold desserts, we nursed our tired and dehydrated bodies from walking 2.6km on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

La Renaissance is famous for their creme brulee. We didn't try it the last time we were here, so Elise got it this time. There is ample sugar on the top although it doesn't look like it. When Elise brought her creme brulee to the table, I said: you want to get more sugar for that? Yeah, probably. But when we tested our spoons on the surface, we found that there was sugar alright, just not enough colour. I suppose La Renaissance used white sugar, because Bourke Street Bakery's brulee tart has got a more intense colour, and they use brown sugar. The custard was very smooth and light, with lots of vanilla seeds in it (which were discovered when we reached the bottom of the ramekin).

Zulu- Valrhona “Araguani” 72% and Jivara 40% chocolate mousse with a chewy salted caramel “Araguani” Ganache centre, macaron biscuit and flourless chocolate biscuit base. Eat in $9.00

Take away $8.00. I originally wanted to get the creme brulee too. But I saw Zulu, this smooth velvety dome marred by a messy smear of bright, chocolate glaze, beautiful... I'll take that. It did not disappoint. It tasted as interesting as it sounded on the description card, though I had imagined the ganache center to be a mildly sweet and salty adzuki bean paste. Don't know why, it just tasted like sweet salty bean to me. The Valrhona chocolate mousse was wow.

La Renaissance Café Patisserie

47 Argyle Street

The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000

End.