Orange Part II - Legall Breakfast

Last time I came to Bathurst, I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when unfortunately Legall was closed, and more unfortunate that it isn't open on Sunday. So I completely missed out on having luscious French pastries for breakfast. I've been shown the goodness of their pastry and the wonderfully tangy tarte aux citron so when an opportunity came to visit Legall, I seized it.

Oh it was decadent. Mini tarts on the counter meant I get to sample as much as my stomach can hold. Lemon tart, date and brulee tart, chocolate macaron (I MUST compare macarons wherever I go) were my breakfast while Martin sampled a deliciously flaky almond croissant.

Lemon tart and date brulee tarts were divine, and prompted me to buy some for later. Macaron was a little disappointing - wasn't very chocolatey, wasn't melt in your mouth, a tad firm in the center, and had a big air pocket under the shell. What a shame.

The next morning we had Legall brioche French toast with maple syrup - simple sophistication. Joy.

L'Etoile

I was stuck in traffic on a friday evening on my way to L'etoile, so I ILLEGALLY called my gourmet friends to ask what the menu was, so I didn't need to waste too much time poring through the menu deciding on what to eat, making my friends wait.

It was a great idea, not only did I then quickly make the order once I arrived, also it served to entertain me while I sat on the congested Sydney Harbour Bridge. Underlined are what were ordered:

Entree menu included petits poireaux a al vinaigrette de truffe (baby leeks with truffle dressing), potage de lentille et bacon, crouton au lard (speck bacon scented lentil soup and toasted sourdough with cured lard), pate de campagne de canard, contiture d'oignon et pain (duck liver pate with onion jam and sourdough toast), choucrout de la mer, beurre blanc au champagne (seared scallop, steamed mussels, clams and kipfler on saurkraut and champagne beurre blanc), cassollette de ris de veau et de champignons sauvages (veal sweetbread and wild mushroom topped with puff pastry), boudin de St Jacques, bisque de crustaces (silky sausage of scallops with crustacean bisque).

Oh the duck liver pate. Oh the bliss of biting into it. This was more a terrine than a pate, but who cares. Onion jam - delicious sweet red wine and caramelised onion a standard complement to a terrine. Topped with a touch of mustard - oh the flavour explosion, but at the same time subtle, filling my senses with nothing but pleasure. (NB this was similar to what Katie made for xmas 2009 - incredible effort and result). I didn't have the other dishes, but the boudin de St Jacques looked amazingly delicate, and was one of the other entrees I considered. But I could never say no to a good canard!

Salads: Salade de foie de volaille et lardons (salad of chicken livers and crispy speck bacon, raspberry vinegrette) and salade de chevre chaud (melted goats cheese on toast with frisee and walnut)

Plats principaux :
Pochouse de St Pierre et calamar, petits legumes (poached John Dory and calamari, chardonnay sauce, abby vegetables), filet de kingfish roti a la Grenobloise (crispy skinned kingfish with lemon, caper and crouton butter sauce), filet mignon de porc farci au pomme et estragon, sauce au cidre (pan roasted fillet of pork stuffed with apples and tarragon, cider sauce); selle d'agneau roti et parfume a la sauge, legumes glaces (slow roasted lamb saddle scented with sage, glazed baby vegetables), Bavette d'aloyau sauce au poivre et cognac (butcher's steak, black peppercorn and congnac sauce, gratin dauphinois); risotto d'orge aux champignons sauvages (pearl barley risotto with wild mushrooms)

Tossing up between butcher's steak and lamb, decided on the lamb (won't tell you the reason, has a bit to do with work). Oh dear this lamb was out of this world - tender, juicy, evenly throughout the whole piece of meat; not one bit was more cooked than the other except the 1mm or so on the surface. Baby vegetables were the cutest things - both as a delicious side and as a garnish. A bit of sage was rolled inside the lamb and you just get this whiff of sage as you put into your mouth - wonderful. The only thing I cringed was the salt - the lamb was very salty, but I was told that French food can be salty ... oh well. The pork was amazing too, NOT SALTY but just juicy sweet and wonderfully tender.

Side dishes: Petit pois a la francaise (fricassee peas, bacon, spring onions, lettuce); Haricots verts au beurre d'ail (baby beans with garlic butter); pommes frites (potato chips) and salade verte (green salad).

Desserts: the highlight of my meal (see divinedessert.spaces.live.com) - creme brulee, la tarte tatin de maman (mum's caramelised apple tart with sour creme), mousse chocolat et son palmier (dark chocolate mousse with caramelised biscuit), poire belle Helene (poached pear, vanilla bean ice cream, toasted almond, chocolate sauce).

Creme brulee was a good brulee but it didn't blow me away. Vanilla seeds had sunken to the bottom - which often happens, but I have had vanilla seeds throughout the creme brulee once so I don't know if they could have done it better. But Bather's Pavillion creme brulee still reigns supreme. Chocolate mousse was RICH - one mouthful was probably enough, very lush, reminds me very much of the filling for fleur de lys cake.

Overall I will rate this 8/10 - really beautifully executed dishes, attentive service, unfortunately the desserts were, well, fine but no fireworks. I may be unfair though, we were stuffed at that stage, so our appetite probably didn't do it service. Noise in the restaurant - not sure how it could be helped, maybe less tables? The outdoor heaters were a bit too high, it was quite close to the patrons so that's another problem, maybe it could be rectified by having less tables, or use a different type of outdoor heater that doesn't have such direct heat? The tables were also quite close to each other so that if the water is in the aisle guests could be trapped in the meantime. Regardless - I would definitely come back!

Have to somehow get in the habit of updating my blog!

Again it was a while since my last update, as routine DDT update became my focus so it took most of the photos of my amazing good adventures...

Alas, I still have frequent and enjoyable food experiences so from now on I shall add Viva la Cornuta back on my "to blog" list!

Let me start by some of the goodies appreciated in 2010:

For the start of 2010, fellow foodies visited Melbourne via country Vic/NSW, the highlight being Brown Brothers at Milawa, Vic, where every dish from entree to dessert came with a matching Brown Brother's wine, and the servings were generous, not to mention delicious!

It's not easy to get to for most people involved; most of the patrons I believe are on holidays, and thank goodness for a half-way point like Brown Brothers for roadtrippers between Sydney and Melbourne.

Back to Sydney - part of the Sydney Festival, many restaurants offer Sydney Festival food and wine deals where you get a main course and a wine (not matching wine, unfortunately... just house red/white) for $35. We chose Summit Restaurant for its revolving 360 view of Sydney, its beautiful cocktail creations (Orbit Bar) and its delectable dessert selections.

The food and wine deal was average - we concur that we have had better. Thankfully the dessert and cocktails redeemed Summit for us! The chocolate and coffee creme brulee (not mocha creme brulee, but a blob of chocolate creme brulee PLUS a blob of coffee creme brulee) was top notch and we all highly recommended it.

Third place I'd like to introduce to people is Phamish, which is somewhere I've wanted to come to but never did for whatever reason... Its a fusion Asian cuisine, with a blend of flavours from various regions of Asia, in fact apart from calling it SE Asian food, I couldn't put my finger on a particular location; the dishes often have Chinese, Thai and Vienamese flavour elements, sometimes one more distinct than the other, sometimes just blended (eg style A + flavour B). It was very delicious, certainly would return for more, but the purist that I am, I still prefer my "single origin" cuisines!! Highly recommend the duck roll (with egg pastry and tasty tender juicy duck pieces), and crab dumplings (luxurious dish).

Surviving Spice I Am

Sorry - no photos - when the food came, it was YUMYUMYUMYUM followed by HOTHOTHOTHOT...

For KT's birthday a whole bunch of us went to Spice I Am at Surry Hills, which was a challenge as no bookings allowed, which meant we were very much dependent on everyone arriving on time to secure tables. So we had to secure 2 tables at a time... and grab another when a couple more people arrived... and grab another table when the table next to us had finished...

That did not detract us from enjoying the fantastic food and efficient service. Here are the few dishes I remember having despite the pain on the tip of my mouth:

Mieng kuay teaw - a fresh spring roll of pork and sprouts in flat rice noodle, with a green sauce that was spicy from fresh garlic, fantastically light and appetising.

Ho Mok - like an omelet wrapped in banana leaf (mild) - i remember it being delicious, except when I was having it my tongue was suffering from the following dish ...

Soft shell crab salad: soft shell crab was the same as any good soft shell crab, but the salad under it - TOP STUFF - spicy, mouthwatering, tangy, fragrant, appetizing, I would have it again.

Chu chee curry (with beef) - extremely delicious, spicy but not burning hot, very rich and aromatic. Much loved by all.

Duck tom yum curry - mild, trangy fragrant tom yum base, gorgeous. Loved it too.

Deep fried sand whiting with spicy sauce - crispy skin, spicy delicious sauce, very good.

Duck with tamarind sauce: tangy juicy duck

Some spicy prawn salad thing - call 000 and ask for fire services.

There were other dishes - can't remember what they were but they were all well received by those who ordered it.

I'll certainly come back, and will arm myself with a pot of cream or chocolate mousse (like I did this time) to douse the fire.....

Ding Tai Fung World Square

The long awaited opening of my favourite restaurant Din Tai Fung in Sydney after a couple of months delay (advertised to open in April but didn't open until June) means I can now have my favourite steamed pork dumplings with crab roe whenever I like without forking out the airfare. A truly exciting event and much to my delight, the place is well received by locals and fellow Taiwanese/Chinese/Cantonese alike, meaning this place should continue to do very well.

Here is my own blurb about Din Tai Fung: I remember this place for as long as I can remember. When I was a youngster I would go with my family and line up for half an hour just to get a seat (you will most likely share a table with strangers by default due to its popularity) in what appears to be a dingy little restaurant, and enjoy what they are most famous for, the steamed pork dumplings. The success of their business as a result of their ever-so-fantastic quality of their signature dish helped the growth and expansion of their business. This place has now transformed to a modern chain restaurant with over 40 stores over 9 countries, but thankfully the quality of the dumplings (and their other delicacies) did not falter, thanks to stringent training to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. Speaking of customer satisfaction - they have their staff so well trained that you will feel very well looked after. They are always there but never there - very polite, attentive and feel genuinely friendly. I once saw a little note on the till that says "from 6pm to 7:45 pm 36 customers complimented on their good service". It must mean a lot to them to see happy customers.

Traveling from the Northern to Southern hemisphere, the essence of Din Tai Fung was not lost. Same good dumplings, same good service, same long queues of patient patrons. A few things I noticed to be critical as an amateur critique: the menu is not as extensive as the ones in Taiwan or Shanghai (seasonal issues as well as supply of certain raw materials - don't blame them really), and the staff appear a little overwhelmed at their popularity, and hence a little frazzled (but they'll get used to it over time). And it is quite a lot more expensive ($8.80 for six little dumplings is a bit dear...). However we have now learned that 1. going there as a group will get you more varieties and 2. ordering a fried rice or noodle soup will help fill your stomach while you enjoy the dumplings.

DEFINITELY worth your while waiting half an hour for their food. And I still think it's worth the money. Though to me it's a bit of nostalgia too :p

Another excellent home dinner

The fact that we live in an apartment with limited entertainment space has become our excuse for not throwing our phenomenal home parties. Although, it's not exactly an excuse, as the limited space makes it hard to cater for more than 8 people comfortably. But when dear friends arrive from overseas, nothing stops them from barging into our door and demand not only to be fed, but to be fed well. And of course, mother obliges.

It won't be mum's phenomenal dinner party without a few novel creations: Stuffed celery with mustard dressing, beautifully presented on a gold rimmed plate, gone before I could say "can I have a taste". Other dishes include pickled spicy cucumbers, spicy tripe, pigs trotters (with the skin tantalizingly bouncy - but I still stay away from this), steamed fish with pickles and pork mince, chicken and mushrooms with sweet-spicy sauce (empty plate in no time). And the piece de resistance - rice with chinese sausages and hams cooked in an earthenware pot, so the fat and juice of the meats would seep through the rice, which crisps up at the bottom of the pot.

A very happy meal with not much of left over. Though there was enough for my lunch box the next day... phew.

Bathurst adventure

The long weekend (courtesy of Her Majesty Queen E) is great time for a short break, though unfortunately for me this weekend was fragmented due to the annual Dragon Boat Festival family feast (Blog coming VERY soon) on Sunday, so any attempt for a weekend away would have been futile. But we don't complain - when it comes to food anything else is secondary... almost.

But we still managed to have a day out to Bathurst/Orange on this bright beautiful mild blue sky day. Why Bathurst? It's where Bathurst 2000 V8 supercar race is held annually, and the race circuit is open to public for a fun drive (with a speed limit of 60kph and constant police monitoring too). The top of the hill also offers a good vista to the entire town, which was a scaled down version of visiting the Centerpoint Tower.

Anyway, just like any other country town, it has it's quirkiness, relaxed country pace, and depending on where you go, quality local produce and culinary fare. We went to a little cafe called Ziegler's, with a lovely courtyard and slightly alternative interior decoration such as a scroll of buddha alongside oil painting of landscape or abstract objects.

We were there for lunch and asked for a lamb with chargrilled eggplant, asparagus and tomato ragu, and an Osso Bucco, but the friendly waitress then came out very apologetically telling us "it won't be ready for another 3 hours". We didn't know whether to feel pleased that they slow cook their osso bucco properly, or to feel annoyed that it's not available but it's on the venue. The osso bucco was then replaced with a steak open sandwich with fries, which had delicious grilled haloumi cheese, salad and cucumber yogurt. The meat was a bit overcooked for my liking - we asked for medium but it was definitely well-done. My lamb had the same problem but a bit worse as I asked for medium rare (pink but not bloody) but it came well-done and therefore a bit tough, but the tomato ragu was VERY flavoursome, not too acid at all. The asparagus was a bit tough too but I think it's not quite asparagus season yet, so I forgave them for that. The chargrilled eggplant at the bottom has a fantastic charred taste and because it had soaked up the tomato ragu flavour it was my favourite part of this dish.

I have also ordered an apple juice, which was freshly pressed from granny smith apples - so the juice was very tart but very refreshing. The macchiato also passed the critique's judgment, with bonus points for being fair trade coffee.

Later in the evening for dinner we visited the Robin Hood Hotel at Orange for their (in)famous HUGE sized pub grub - a full sized pork rib with spicy sweet marinade, and lamb shanks (two shanks from the biggest and fattest lamb you could find) with mash. I ordered pork ribs because I have been warned of their size, and ribs usually have less meat on them, but it had more meat than bones, tender juicy and good sweet-spicy flavour. The lamb shanks were off the bone - one shank would have been enough to feed me, while I could only have half the rib and barely touched the vegetables and chips on the side.

So I was fat and happy at the end of this day trip. To be fair these weren't the best meals I had, but certainly one of the most satisfying due to its generous country portions.