We found a fantastic gelateria et pizzeria called Ice and Slice, located at 135 King St (Broadway end), courtesy of the entertainment book. Coming with no expectations, we were overjoyed and delighted to see the many flavours of gelato on display at the entrance, and instantly knew we will have gelato for dessert.
We were led into the back room of the cafe where they had to clear a newly finished table for us because they were busy. We were hungry, therefore quite annoyed that we didn't get any table service. Then Peter realised we've got to order and pay at the counter. So we picked our pizza and gelato flavours (after long deliberation on flavours), and we impatiently waited while salivating at the steaming pizza at the table next to us.
After a short wait we got our prawn pizza (called The Queenslander) and Quattro Stagione which has ham salami olives cheese and mushrooms all mixed up. The pizzas, I swear, were up there with Napoli in Bocca standard. Thin, soft but chewy crust that wasn't charred and crispy like Gourmet Pizza Kitchen (which any pizza purist will never go near), and the toppings were fan-tabulous. The Queenslander is an off-putting name unfitting for the delicious pizza - Prawns were big sweet and fresh, quite unlike most of the seafood pizzas elsewhere (even Dolcissimo's seafood pizza used frozen prawns!!), and our Quattro Staggione was equally satisfying and mouth watering. And the cheese that just drags and clings and made our mouths water uncontrollably as we try to cut the stringy mozzarella away from the neighbouring slice (break, damn it, break!)
Made us think maybe we could have had a pizza each. Then again, we wanted to save room for gelato.
The gelato. Oh the gelato. I haven't had these flavours for years and I'd almost forgotten how yummy they tasted. Silky smooth, rich in flavour but not heavy or overly sweet, aromatic hazelnut, rummy rum and raisin, and the pistachio, oh that pistachio, no wonder pistachio is one of THE gelato flavours to have. And it left us wanting more despite feeling rather full already.
Pizzas were about $15 on average and gelato was $6.10 for 3 scoops. They also do sundaes ($7.90) such as banana boat and peach melba and other tantalizing mix of flavours (one of them a "vanilla bean gelato spaghetti"). They also do desserts such as tiramisu and baked cheesecake. The waffle with maple syrup and vanilla gelato looked attractive too but not sure how good the waffle is considering its not freshly made. Only trouble is finding parking, so car pool or try public transport. But it doesn't matter. This place is excellent value, hugely satisfying, and I would definitely come back for more.
Sorry, no photos as we weren't expecting fine dining. Besides, it'll be impossible to photograph a fantastic pizza while you're starving. I'm sure you understand.....
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Blue Eye Dragon revisited
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Thai Princess
The usual Friday night, post-salsa hunger. Where to tonight? "Lets go to that Thai place next to Cindy's friend's restaurant!" (http://www.thaiprincess.com.au/)
Alright I wasn't particularly hungry thanks to my cuppa soup before leaving uni (ahh the simple pleasures of artificial flavouring in a cup), and neither was Jean, so we only ordered 2 things among the 3 of us. Pad Thai with tofu, and stir fried chicken with chilli and basil.
Fabulous Pad Thai. The tofu is still soft and moist on the inside and crispy and flavoursome on the outside, while the noodles were 'al dante' (eh, in want of a Thai version to describe the perfect noodle texture!!) and flavour not just your usual take-away sweet-tangy Pad Thai. Chilli basil chicken was also more than satisfactory - I would have soaked up all the sauce (spicy but not firey, thank heavens) with more rice if I were starving... And we enjoyed the piles of basil buried under the piles of chicken too. And, although it didn't seem like a lot of food when it first came, we were STUFFED at the end because the portions were deceivingly large! They really packed it onto the plates!
Our friendly waitress was very attentive and chatty (probably because we kept asking her how hot our dishes are) and walked us to the door - very nice! She also reminds me of a dear friend who's soft spoken, petite and very friendly, so we left the restaurant with that "we'll be back" mentality! And they didn't mark the Entertainment card so we get to use the discount again! YAY!
(I promise to return to La Brasserie, which is right next door, I promise... some day....)
Alright I wasn't particularly hungry thanks to my cuppa soup before leaving uni (ahh the simple pleasures of artificial flavouring in a cup), and neither was Jean, so we only ordered 2 things among the 3 of us. Pad Thai with tofu, and stir fried chicken with chilli and basil.
Fabulous Pad Thai. The tofu is still soft and moist on the inside and crispy and flavoursome on the outside, while the noodles were 'al dante' (eh, in want of a Thai version to describe the perfect noodle texture!!) and flavour not just your usual take-away sweet-tangy Pad Thai. Chilli basil chicken was also more than satisfactory - I would have soaked up all the sauce (spicy but not firey, thank heavens) with more rice if I were starving... And we enjoyed the piles of basil buried under the piles of chicken too. And, although it didn't seem like a lot of food when it first came, we were STUFFED at the end because the portions were deceivingly large! They really packed it onto the plates!
Our friendly waitress was very attentive and chatty (probably because we kept asking her how hot our dishes are) and walked us to the door - very nice! She also reminds me of a dear friend who's soft spoken, petite and very friendly, so we left the restaurant with that "we'll be back" mentality! And they didn't mark the Entertainment card so we get to use the discount again! YAY!
(I promise to return to La Brasserie, which is right next door, I promise... some day....)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Lindt Chocolate Cafe
It was a case of self-induced chocolate overdose last Sunday.
The IMAX pre-movie advertisement was nasty. It started with these huge IMAX sized chocolate desserts floating on the screen, followed by a soothing voice telling us “this is a gentle reminder not to have too much popcorn.”
Seriously, since I started at the gym I’ve been watching my calories (shock horror!) but this ad totally broke any of my inhibitions and self-discipline. “We’re going to Lindt after the movie!”
There were too many choices it makes my head hurt, and too many temptations it makes my waistline tremble. Anything you can imagine about chocolate was there – an assortment of cakes, tortes, gateaux, slabs, biscuits, macaroons, ice cream, hot or iced chocolate drinks, as well as the Lindt chocolate flavours you never see in supermarkets. The moment you lay eyes on these happy creations you toss the hard work at the gym out the window… and you indulge.
My friend went for a chocolate cake made of 70% cocoa chocolate – it was fabulously dark and intensely chocolatey. I went for the indulgence for one – their chocolate degustation plate with a bit of everything (warm silky chocolate sauce, chocolate ice cream, chocolate truffle, chocolate and hazelnut praline slab, chocolate macaroon, and a small piece of St Moritz cake which is layers of white, milk and dark chocolate mousse). First bite into the ice cream – smooth (but sweet). Second bite into the ice cream with a bit of the chocolate sauce – smooth (but sweet). Then came the attack on all fronts – a bit of chocolate slab (yum), a bit of St Moritz (luscious), a bit of my iced dark chocolate drink (which I gulped lustily), and after just one bite of everything I declared myself incapacitated by cocoa and sugar overdose.
The iced chocolate drink was fantastic, it was rich but not thick, very chocolatey and surprisingly not too sweet. Or maybe it was in comparison with the St Moritz, which was divine but sugar loaded. Towards the end I could not really tell the flavours anymore – all my tastebuds were sugar-coated. I’d also felt a slight pressure on my temples and much to my friend’s amusement, I giggled and behaved like I was tipsy (“oh I’m on a chocolate and sugar high… oh no… oh no…”)
I still say this was well worth the trip – who can I blame but myself for not being able to handle the divine sweetness and rich cocoa? After this experience I still love chocolate, though when I should head back for another self-induced overdose, I shall shelf that thought till indefinitely…
Tip for your visit to the café – go with a small group, get yourself a table first, grab a menu and make your decision while you’re in the queue if the café is busy. The degustation plate for 1 is really enough for 2 or more – especially if you’re weak like me. Their coffee is more expensive than the average café coffee ($4.50) so I would recommend trying their specialty chocolate drinks instead. So what if you get a chocolate/sugar overload – you only live once!
The IMAX pre-movie advertisement was nasty. It started with these huge IMAX sized chocolate desserts floating on the screen, followed by a soothing voice telling us “this is a gentle reminder not to have too much popcorn.”
Seriously, since I started at the gym I’ve been watching my calories (shock horror!) but this ad totally broke any of my inhibitions and self-discipline. “We’re going to Lindt after the movie!”
There were too many choices it makes my head hurt, and too many temptations it makes my waistline tremble. Anything you can imagine about chocolate was there – an assortment of cakes, tortes, gateaux, slabs, biscuits, macaroons, ice cream, hot or iced chocolate drinks, as well as the Lindt chocolate flavours you never see in supermarkets. The moment you lay eyes on these happy creations you toss the hard work at the gym out the window… and you indulge.
My friend went for a chocolate cake made of 70% cocoa chocolate – it was fabulously dark and intensely chocolatey. I went for the indulgence for one – their chocolate degustation plate with a bit of everything (warm silky chocolate sauce, chocolate ice cream, chocolate truffle, chocolate and hazelnut praline slab, chocolate macaroon, and a small piece of St Moritz cake which is layers of white, milk and dark chocolate mousse). First bite into the ice cream – smooth (but sweet). Second bite into the ice cream with a bit of the chocolate sauce – smooth (but sweet). Then came the attack on all fronts – a bit of chocolate slab (yum), a bit of St Moritz (luscious), a bit of my iced dark chocolate drink (which I gulped lustily), and after just one bite of everything I declared myself incapacitated by cocoa and sugar overdose.
The iced chocolate drink was fantastic, it was rich but not thick, very chocolatey and surprisingly not too sweet. Or maybe it was in comparison with the St Moritz, which was divine but sugar loaded. Towards the end I could not really tell the flavours anymore – all my tastebuds were sugar-coated. I’d also felt a slight pressure on my temples and much to my friend’s amusement, I giggled and behaved like I was tipsy (“oh I’m on a chocolate and sugar high… oh no… oh no…”)
I still say this was well worth the trip – who can I blame but myself for not being able to handle the divine sweetness and rich cocoa? After this experience I still love chocolate, though when I should head back for another self-induced overdose, I shall shelf that thought till indefinitely…
Tip for your visit to the café – go with a small group, get yourself a table first, grab a menu and make your decision while you’re in the queue if the café is busy. The degustation plate for 1 is really enough for 2 or more – especially if you’re weak like me. Their coffee is more expensive than the average café coffee ($4.50) so I would recommend trying their specialty chocolate drinks instead. So what if you get a chocolate/sugar overload – you only live once!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Viscardi's
Viscardi's Ristorante is the restaurant by the Event/Convention Center Le Montage (Leichhardt/Lilyfield area), which is the location of my best friend's wedding (NOT of the Julia Roberts variety, thank you very much) later this year. We intended to have brunch there but missed their breakfast venue by 10 minutes! But having steak at 11:40 was way too heavy so we all went for something simple - Pasta.Orders for our lunch - Penne alla Romanov - penne with salmon in vodka cream sauce - my choice. The other two orders were Linguine al'arrabiata - linguine in tomato based sauce, basil and chilli, and Linguine Cinque Terre - linguine with prawn, pesto, tomato and cream.
Verdicts? YUM. YUM. YUM. Each mouthful drew a "mmm" and I kid you not, it was so satisfying we could not stop saying "mmm" constantly. The creamy pastas were smooth and rich and full of flavour, but not thick and heavy like some other restaurants do, and absolutely delicious to the last bite. Arrabiata was text-book "ripe red tomato aroma", very delicious, and I could eat that forever (or until my stomach explodes). We reckon the Linguine Cinque Terre must be tossed with freshly made pesto - because it tasted so fresh, the pesto tasted almost minty. Not one of us even thought to reach over for the salt and pepper shakers - no need. They were PERFECT pastas. And guess what, they each costed less than $20 - which is not that much more expensive than what most Italian restaurants
charge (eg Dolcissimo charges about $15-25 for their pastas), so we agreed unanimously that this place was excellent value for money!!Then we had coffee. Because my pasta was creamy and filled me up a little, I decided to have an espresso. TOP CHOICE. Excellent coffee, thank you Mr Barista. A badly made espresso or coffee made of mediocre beans leave a bitter after taste. This espresso was actually not bitter to the taste - truly aromatic and full-bodied with a thick layer of rich crema on top, and actually left a somewhat sweet aftertaste! Argh and it was only $3.... compared to the rubbish served by Starbucks, which was more like $3.55 worth of skim milk with no more than a splash of coffee flavour, THIS is what you call coffee!!
As you can see we were incredibly pleased and
satisfied with this place, and for the first time in weeks my friends were able to relax and really enjoy and feel their meal... I was so happy for them... and many thanks to their letting me tag along and share this experience.... truly divine!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Blue Eye Dragon
Blue Eye Dragon is one of the many restaurants listed in the Entertainment Book, which I otherwise would not have found, as it is tucked away on the quiet side of Pyrmont. But what a brilliant find! I completely utterly absolutely enjoyed their food, ambiance and service, and would happily come back again even without the discount voucher!
What they serve are popular dishes from Taiwan. Before I describe what we had, it is important to introduce to you a bit of history and geography of Taiwan in relation to China. In 1949 thanks to the unstoppable advancement of the red wave, the Nationalist Party and many of the civilians retreated to Taiwan. They brought with them treasures and artifacts of the Forbidden Palace, people of different cultural backgrounds, and very importantly, their food habits. Many of them didn't know what to do for a living, so they started by selling food from their home town, on street stalls, push carts, and small shop fronts. Eventually these turned into restaurants that serve authentic, traditional Chinese food from all regions of China, north, south, east and west.
And, fortunately for me, this is the kind of food environment I grew up in.
Taiwanese cuisine is not very well-known for two reasons - there are not too many restaurants that specifically focus on Taiwanese cuisine, but more importantly, Taiwanese food is really the essence of all the cuisines from the different provinces and regions of China, so it is difficult to define Taiwanese food. What most Westerners known as Chinese food really are Cantonese food, which only forms one small region of the whole of China. It is a pity, because personally, Cantonese food is no where near as enjoyable as the lighter and more delicate dishes from the Eastern/South Eastern provinces.
When I first heard "Taiwanese cuisine restaurant" I was very skeptical because my knowledge of real Taiwanese local cuisine is not what I consider "fine dining". But Blue Eye Dragon surprised me. Their not-so-long menu (in English, of course) included many dishes I immediately identified as dishes I had as a child, and are a variety of dishes of different origins. Some were even dishes that my mum makes at home – that’s GOT to be good!
So we ordered the crispy chicken with basil, five spice and salt-pepper dip on the side (a more delicate version of the ever-popular street-stall food), and crispy prawn with plum sauce for entrée, followed by tender beef strip stir fried in Taiwanese satay sauce, and san-bei calamari (san-bei meaning three cups, each cup being a condiment).
The crispy chicken was great, deep-fried but it felt surprisingly light, nowhere near the grease of KFC! And although I’m not one who eats much salt, their salt-pepper really added a great touch to the chicken. The prawns were average in my opinion, I think the chicken just stole its glory. The satay sauce for the beef was very authentically Taiwanese, it’s a popular dipping/stir fry accompaniment, though I never liked it that much because of its texture, grease and salt content. But my compliments to the chef – the flavour was there, without the dripping grease and overpowering salt. I still don’t like the texture but that’s just me. The san-bei calamari was delicious – it was rich in flavour but it wasn’t heavy. San-bei, meaning three cups, are sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine, and are traditionally cooked with chicken, along with plenty of basil, garlic, ginger, and chilli to taste. It is usually cooked until the liquid has reduced, which means the chicken will have absorbed all the flavour but also became drier. The San-bei calamari at Blue Eye Dragon was still tender and moist, with heaps of sauce in the pot. Delicious, but not quite authentic enough in my purist point of view.
We had room for dessert – Ice cream is not ‘Taiwanese’ but they served a brand of ice cream that created a storm there. Movenpick Ice Cream of Switzerland… Oh my, smooth, creamy, full of flavour, but not heavy with cream… Oh my. I don’t normally like caramel flavoured ice cream but that was one heck of a caramel ice cream… And that chocolate ice cream, dark Swiss chocolate flakes in the chocolatey ice cream… and you can see the vanilla seeds in the ice cream (and I detect a hint of mint??!!)
As we sat and chatted we started eavesdropping to the conversation between the owner and the table next to us. The owner’s mother is the head of this business, apparently she takes her food ingredients very seriously, and would spend more on quality fresh in-season ingredients. Then she would take her time looking through the purchase, pick and choose, and discard whatever that was substandard. I was pleased to hear that they take great care in choosing what they serve us – makes me more comfortable dining there.
The service was great. Their waitress was very friendly and genuine. The atmosphere was pleasant. After La brasserie this is the second restaurant that makes me feel I can just sit here for hours, with my friends or on my own, but this restaurant may be quieter as it’s tucked away in the quiet side of town. Highly recommend it. They are located at Shop 2, 42 Harris Street, Pyrmont (02 9518 9955), but only open for dinner on Wednesday to Saturday.
Sorry, no photos, but I will visit again and make up for it!
What they serve are popular dishes from Taiwan. Before I describe what we had, it is important to introduce to you a bit of history and geography of Taiwan in relation to China. In 1949 thanks to the unstoppable advancement of the red wave, the Nationalist Party and many of the civilians retreated to Taiwan. They brought with them treasures and artifacts of the Forbidden Palace, people of different cultural backgrounds, and very importantly, their food habits. Many of them didn't know what to do for a living, so they started by selling food from their home town, on street stalls, push carts, and small shop fronts. Eventually these turned into restaurants that serve authentic, traditional Chinese food from all regions of China, north, south, east and west.
And, fortunately for me, this is the kind of food environment I grew up in.
Taiwanese cuisine is not very well-known for two reasons - there are not too many restaurants that specifically focus on Taiwanese cuisine, but more importantly, Taiwanese food is really the essence of all the cuisines from the different provinces and regions of China, so it is difficult to define Taiwanese food. What most Westerners known as Chinese food really are Cantonese food, which only forms one small region of the whole of China. It is a pity, because personally, Cantonese food is no where near as enjoyable as the lighter and more delicate dishes from the Eastern/South Eastern provinces.
When I first heard "Taiwanese cuisine restaurant" I was very skeptical because my knowledge of real Taiwanese local cuisine is not what I consider "fine dining". But Blue Eye Dragon surprised me. Their not-so-long menu (in English, of course) included many dishes I immediately identified as dishes I had as a child, and are a variety of dishes of different origins. Some were even dishes that my mum makes at home – that’s GOT to be good!
So we ordered the crispy chicken with basil, five spice and salt-pepper dip on the side (a more delicate version of the ever-popular street-stall food), and crispy prawn with plum sauce for entrée, followed by tender beef strip stir fried in Taiwanese satay sauce, and san-bei calamari (san-bei meaning three cups, each cup being a condiment).
The crispy chicken was great, deep-fried but it felt surprisingly light, nowhere near the grease of KFC! And although I’m not one who eats much salt, their salt-pepper really added a great touch to the chicken. The prawns were average in my opinion, I think the chicken just stole its glory. The satay sauce for the beef was very authentically Taiwanese, it’s a popular dipping/stir fry accompaniment, though I never liked it that much because of its texture, grease and salt content. But my compliments to the chef – the flavour was there, without the dripping grease and overpowering salt. I still don’t like the texture but that’s just me. The san-bei calamari was delicious – it was rich in flavour but it wasn’t heavy. San-bei, meaning three cups, are sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine, and are traditionally cooked with chicken, along with plenty of basil, garlic, ginger, and chilli to taste. It is usually cooked until the liquid has reduced, which means the chicken will have absorbed all the flavour but also became drier. The San-bei calamari at Blue Eye Dragon was still tender and moist, with heaps of sauce in the pot. Delicious, but not quite authentic enough in my purist point of view.
We had room for dessert – Ice cream is not ‘Taiwanese’ but they served a brand of ice cream that created a storm there. Movenpick Ice Cream of Switzerland… Oh my, smooth, creamy, full of flavour, but not heavy with cream… Oh my. I don’t normally like caramel flavoured ice cream but that was one heck of a caramel ice cream… And that chocolate ice cream, dark Swiss chocolate flakes in the chocolatey ice cream… and you can see the vanilla seeds in the ice cream (and I detect a hint of mint??!!)
As we sat and chatted we started eavesdropping to the conversation between the owner and the table next to us. The owner’s mother is the head of this business, apparently she takes her food ingredients very seriously, and would spend more on quality fresh in-season ingredients. Then she would take her time looking through the purchase, pick and choose, and discard whatever that was substandard. I was pleased to hear that they take great care in choosing what they serve us – makes me more comfortable dining there.
The service was great. Their waitress was very friendly and genuine. The atmosphere was pleasant. After La brasserie this is the second restaurant that makes me feel I can just sit here for hours, with my friends or on my own, but this restaurant may be quieter as it’s tucked away in the quiet side of town. Highly recommend it. They are located at Shop 2, 42 Harris Street, Pyrmont (02 9518 9955), but only open for dinner on Wednesday to Saturday.
Sorry, no photos, but I will visit again and make up for it!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Kobe Jones
I love spontaneous get-togethers! On Monday Lisa asked for a girly catch up, and on Thursday Anne Lisa and I met up after our hectic day's activities just like old times. As it was a Thursday night we thought it'd be easy for a restaurant to fit three reasonably skinny girls in, so after 15 minutes of careful menu analyses along King St Wharf, we ended up at Kobe Jones.
Sushi. I love Sushi. Kobe Jones does sushi. We took out time, and ended up with a "dragon roll" (grilled eel and avacado on top, prawn tempura and nori wrapped in rice, smelt roe and bonito shavings on top), "dynamite roll" (spicy tuna with sesame seed sprinkle) and "salmon skin" (crispy BBQ salmon skin, cucumber, burdock root, with sesame and bonito shavings
on top). The menu didn't tell us that the dragon roll contained prawn - just said "tempura" - so unfortunately Lisa couldn't have it, but luckily the eels were sitting on top of the rolls and not in contact with the prawns, so she managed to have a taste of the eel for the first time. I really like anything with eel on it, and this eel sushi was quite different from all the other standard eel-on-rice preparation so I loved it. The dynamite roll was lightly spicy (as we ordered a milder heat level), and was also very delicious, but I thought the 
chilli actually doesn't quite go with the delicate tuna, and it also robbed me of the pleasure of dabbing it in wasabi. The salmon skin roll was a pleasant surprise because of the crispy texture and just the right saltiness/sweetness without any more wasabi or soy sauce (to me).
After this light but satisfying meal we decided there is room to really appreciate dessert (unlike my previous over-indulgence at Napoli in Bocca) and ended up with Yokan (chocolate sabayon on a hazelnut biscuit with vanilla anglaise) and a Kanpai trifle (sake infused trifle with marinated cherries in jelly). Yum. My trifle was light and fragrant, not too
rich so quite a perfect end of the meal. The chocolate sabayon was absolutely divine! It was chocolatey, and yet not too sweet and overly rich.Highly recommend this place. The price seem a bit high at first for a sushi restaurant, but their sushi was different and delicious, and has a very relaxing atmosphere unlike the usual hectic Japanese restaurant. We also ordered a sauvignon blanc from Orange that went down well with the light meal too. I'd come back one day.....
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