Restaurant Review: Le Monde, Surry Hills

One of my highlights of the year has been meeting and making friends with some of Sydney's food blogging community. It's food club meets camera club, with great people thrown in. What more could you ask for?

A blogger I haven't met, but very much enjoy reading, is the Unbelievable Lightness of Being Hungry. Lee Tran Lam seems to have a knack for getting into places before anyone else, features less well known joints and, helpfully for me, largely focuses on my nearby suburb of Surry Hills.

When she reviewed the three course breakfast degustation at Le Monde, I immediately wanted to go. A work colleague and I have been attempting to agree a time to visit since May and finally made it there this weekend! Unfortunately the degustation is now so popular that you have to book and we had to settle for the regular breakfast menu instead.

I ordered the scrambled eggs with spinach and feta. The toast was generously smoothered in butter. The eggs were soft and the crumby, salty feta added an extra dimension. They might not be Bills eggs, but I did enjoy them.

The two poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce looked a bit stark. Something about their plating didn't quite work. The poached eggs were good, but I wasn't so sure about the hollandaise sauce.

I didn't taste the granola, but it looked sexy in the glass. Unfortunately the verdict was too much yoghurt and not enough granola. However, it did give me the inspiration to finally make some homemade granola, which I can report was a success!

Being honest I wasn't blown away by the breakfast. It was pleasant, but nothing exceptional. I'd still be keen to try the degustation as it's an innovative idea that I don't know of being emulated anywhere else.

David Suzuki at the Opera House

David who? Exactly.

Those of you that read my recent blog will know that I'm keen for lots of new and random experiences here in Oz. So when my friend Maria invited me to join her to hear David Suzuki talk at the Opera House I jumped at the chance. It wasn't important that I didn't know who he was, I'd never seen a performance at the Opera House before!

Those of you more cultured, or wordly, than myself might have heard of David Suzuki. If you haven't he's quite a big cheese as an environmentalist. Famous enough to fill the Opera House concert hall (~2,000 people) on a rainy Sunday night.

Suzuki is a very good public speaker. He took the audience on a journey, convincing us of the importance of the environment to humans and the urgency with which we need to do something about the problems mankind has created. Costa was sitting just in front of me taking notes. The atmosphere was so electric that he even got a standing ovation from parts of the audience.

However, I couldn't help feeling that the speech had missed the point. Admittedly I'd inadvertently stumbled in, but most people were already concerned about the environment. They didn't need to be convinced there was a problem. I would have preferred an agenda for change. Ten things we could all do to make a difference. And another ten things we could lobby politicians to do.

Despite all of the re-assuring nods and gasping agreement during Suzuki's speech I couldn't help thinking how hypocritical most of the thirty something audience with their disposal lifestyles probably were. It's a lot easier to agree that there is a problem rather than not take that next holiday, buy the laest gadget or use your car for a month.

I've taken my environmental philosophy from the side of London's bin lorries. Reduce, re-use and recycle. We should look to reduce the amount we consume, rather than do what we like and have the attitude it's ok because we recylce.

Project Hunter: Weeks 4&5

I'm over half way through Project Hunter. A work trip down to Melbourne and a busy few days meant that I only managed to eat in Hunter once during week four, so I'm combining weeks four and five into a single post.

I have now eaten at fourteen of the food stalls. This week saw me visit all new places that I haven't been to before.

My only trip to Hunter in week four saw me buy a bento box ($8) from Sushi Nagashima. This place comes across as being very authentically Japanese. There is a sushimi counter where you can select different fish to create your own sushimi platter. This is probably what I should have done, but instead I went for a chicken bento box. A nice selection of food, not quite sure the pasta and red kidney beans are particularly Japanese....

Next door is Organic Produce where I picked up an organic Thai red chicken curry ($9.50). This is probably the most expensive dish on sale in Hunter, albeit by not by a huge margin. They don't offer you a plate even if you eat in. The curry was nice with two tender chicken legs, but it tasted like they were using paste from a jar so it wasn't anything particularly special.


I'm not sure if the final two stalls are part of the main Hunter food court or not. They are in a little annex at the southern end, physically separated by a retractable glass door and with different staff cleaning the tables. However, this is my challenge and I've ruled they are included.

I had my second beef Pho ($7) of the challenge from Pho Na Noi. They have a selection of six or seven different types of Pho. I enjoyed the broth and there was a generous amount of beef. I can see myself ordering this again.

My final visit to Hunter of the week saw me order stir fried vegetables, black pepper pork and tender beef ($6.50) from Top One Kitchen. There was eager and friendly service and they seemed to have a band of regular followers who were making a beeline for the out of the way stall. I found the black pepper pork quite one dimensional in flavour, but the other two dishes were good. I thought Top One provided the best value for money I've had so far.

I found this article in the SMH slating Pho Ha Noi and Top One for their food hygiene. I didn't get ill, so hopefully they've reformed their ways!

Namatjira at the Belvoir Theatre

On Thursday night I was kindly invited to the Belvoir Theatre by Kren and Dave. This was my third visit to the Belvoir and I'm beginning to really enjoy the theatre.

From the plays I've seen, Belvoir seem to have a policy to commission or give premieres to new works, casts are generally small and the whole thing is extremely well polished. It must be quite a risk to shun populist plays and cheaper scripts, but I'm pleased for the Sydney art scene that they do.

On Thursday night we saw Namatjira. The story of Albert Namatjira who is famous for his watercolour paintings and the pioneer of contemporary Aborignal art.

I've no idea if Namatjira is a well known figure in Australia. I didn't have a clue who he was before the play, and I think I missed some cultural references near the start as a result. They play assumed a little bit of knowledge, but it was easy enough to keep up if you'd never heard of Namatjira.

There was a cast of just five, with two lead characters and three background extras who didn't speak. The excellent Trevor Jamieson played Namatjira and carried the entire play relating the story in a narrative style. It was quite a feat delivering an engaging monolgue for two hours!!

Derek Lynch played every other character, where one was needed, to help convey the story. There was a lot of humour in Derek's acting with several instances of him needing to cross dress.

I enjoyed the play more than I was expecting. I thought it could be a bit heavy, but the play was surprisingly humorous. There were contemporary jokes about white / aboriginal political sensitivities, middle class owners of Darlinghurst terraces and modern Australian youths. All very well done.

Restaurant Review: Napoli in Bocca, Haberfield

When I was on the marathon diet I made my first trip to Haberfield, visiting Peppes Pasta to stock up on carbohydrates for my lunches*. Since then I've been meaning to return to sample the ricotta cheesecake from the Habberfield Bakery and some of the other Italian restaurants in the area. Haberfield comes across as a more traditional and relaxed Italian suburb in contrast to Leichardt which has been overtaken by a confusing array of restaurants.

I was therefore happy to visit Napoli in Bocca on Tuesday last week for dinner. When I arrived outside there was cheesy Italian music coming from tinny speakers wafting along the pavement. I had an "Oh no, where are we going?" moment. However, once inside the music blends with the frescos on the wall to create a homely Italian atmosphere. It could be dreadful, but it seems to work.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the food, but that might have been my fault for travelling across Sydney on a Tuesday night to an essentially neighbourhood joint. However, the locals seemed to be loving the place and with decent homemade food, cheap prices, huge servings and quick service it's not hard to see why this place would be a neighbourhood favourite.

If you go, look out for the specials board as it had some interesting options that we unfortunately didn't spot until after we had ordered.

Carafe of red wine, two thirds of a bottle at the astonishingly good price of $8.

The rocket and parmesan salad was large and came served in a pyrex bowl. No messing about with fancy plating here.

 Spagetti marinara

The pizza was a bit bready for me. However, it tasted good, particularly with the chilli oil.

*I meant to write a quick pasta review for the blog, but never found the time. Pasta Gallery at Eveleigh Markets gets my vote over Peppes Pasta. That is all you need to know!

Project Hunter: Week 3

Welcome to week three of Project Hunter, a little bit of fun as I graze my way round the Hunter Connection food court.

I started the week with the cheapest lunch I've had so far, a Vietnamese chicken roll ($4) from Phuong BBQ. Sandwiches were my lunchtime staple in the UK, but eating the chicken roll I realised it was only the first or second time I've had a sandwich for lunch since moving to Sydney. Full of salad and Vietnamese goodness it was pretty tasty, but I do prefer a hot lunch now.

Next up was crispy pork, chilli chicken, pak choi and steamed rice ($6.50) from Yi's Kitchen. This was my second visit to Yi's. On the first visit I had the wonton noodle soup and this even inspired me to make wontons at home for the first time. On this visit I choose three selections from the hot counter. The deep fried pork was good but incredibly unhealthy, the chicken full of bones and fiddly to eat, and the pak choi cold. Average food court fayre, but nothing special.

My final trip to Hunter of the week saw me visit Manna Healthy Chef. I enquired what the purple rice was, to be told that it was healthy multi-grain. When I asked for the healthy choice, the girl serving looked at the whitey suspiciously and offered me half multi-grain and half fried rice. I took this as more of an instruction than an offer and duly agreed. Accompanying the rice was fried greens, chilli tofu and stir fried beef. I enjoyed the food and will probably visit again once the challenge is over. I'm not sure if I agree the Healthy Chef label though.

*Only three visits to Hunter as a public holiday and work commitments got in the way.
**The links are to reviews by my friend John. There aren't any official website for food court joints!

Parramatta

When my parents came to visit in May one of their favourite days out was a trip to Parramatta. The thought of spending a day sightseeing in Parra draws quite a few raised eyebrows from Sydneysiders. The western suburb is not known for its' natural beauty. However, I decided to give it a go last weekend with my friends Kren and Dave.

Our day started with the hour long ride on the Rivercat along the Parramatta river. The ferry gives you some great views of the inner harbour and even on a day with a cold wind it was fun to sit outside and take in the scenery.

We started at the National Trust run Old Government House which was home to the early Governors of New South Wales. The house is staffed by volunteers and the lady taking the money was definitely a few marbles short of a set, which resulted in a comedy exchange as we tried to purchase our tickets. Thankfully the lady that conducted our guided tour was a lot more with it.

I wasn't particularly gripped by the tour, but it was interesting to see the house and how it has evolved over the years. There is an interesting photo showing the house in total ruin around 1900 before Kings School moved in and took it over.

 After lunch we visited a second National Trust property, Experiment Farm. The farm house was an 'experiment' because it was the first land grant in Australia made in 1789. We were again shown round by a volunteer. Experiment Farm was staffed by male volunteers. Was there a sex scandal in the NSW National Trust a few years ago, and the volunteers at properties are now segregated?

The farm cottage is pretty small with just four rooms and the basement included in the tour. However, it's quite interesting and furnished from a period when a surgeon lived in the property.

At both NT properties they were keen to point out their 'original' furniture. A subtle dig at the Historic Houses Trust run Elizabeth Farm that we visited next.

I really like the way the HHT stage their properties for visitors. There are no guide ropes or barriers and you are free to wonder round, sit on the furniture and touch objects. It's true that most of the objects in the house are reproduction, but to me that doesn't matter. We were slightly rushed as we looked round having only 45mins before the property closed for the day.

It was a good day, although I don't think I enjoyed my trip to Parra as much as my parents did theirs. As Dave remarked, because so many of Australia's historic properties are from the same period once you've already seen quite a few of them, there isn't a lot of variation left.

We took the train back to the city as low tide meant the Rivercat was replaced by a bus for part of the journey.

The oldest mobile phone

I got my first mobile phone in 1999. It didn't take me long to realise that I don't actually spend much money on my phone each month and it works out better for me to be on pre-pay.

I can't remember when I bought my trusty Nokia 3120, but it must have been about five years ago. At first it was out of fashion because it was big, then because it didn't have a camera and more recently because it isn't a smart phone (aka an iPhone).

I haven't really been too concerned, but recently there have been times when being able to check my emails or a map on the go would have been useful. I think it's time for an upgrade.

The idea of signing a two year contract fills me with dread. I can't bring myself to spend £600 / $1,000 on the latest iPhone handset. Last weekend I thought I might have found the answer in the HTC Wildfire, a decently priced smart phone. Yes, it's not the cutting edge of phones, but as the photo above demonstrates, that doesn't really concern me.

However, it isn't compatible with Macs. The idea of trying to 'make' it work or running a Windows simulator isn't that appealing. I guess I'm waiting for the iPod Nano of iPhones.

Restaurant Review: Bau Truong, Canley Heights

One of the things I most admire about my friend Penne  is her get up and go. There is a seldom a weekend when she doesn't have a new café that she wants to try, exhibition to visit, an event to attend or a new suburb that she wants to check out. I've had many a good time following her round Manhattan and Sydney.

Conversely it is what I perceive as one of my biggest weaknesses. I've wasted far too many days sitting on the sofa. I'm not an ideas person, unfortunately. One of my resolutions on moving to Australia was to try and change this. I want to experience this fine country while I'm over here. In this spirit of adventure I jumped at the chance to have dinner in Canley Heights (near Cabramatta) on Friday night. It definitely ticked the box of being a little bit random.

I caught the train to Canley Vale and then walked over to Bau Truong in Canley Heights for dinner with food blogger friends Amy and Rhonda.

I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to Vietnamese food so I was happy to let Amy and Rhonda do all of the ordering. What a feast we had!

1. Chạo tôm, Grilled Prawn Paste on Sugarcane
2. Chicken feet with green mango salad
3. Bò lúc lắc, Shaking Beef
4. Jelly fish salad

We started with some DIY rice paper rolls of Chạo tôm and Banh Hoi Nem Nuong. I thought the water brought to our table was a finger bowl. Luckily Rhonda educated me that it was for softening the rice paper before I made a complete fool of myself!


After we'd devoured the rice paper rolls two salads arrived of chicken feet and jelly fish! Against expectations, the only previous time I've eaten chicken feet I actually quite enjoyed them. Unfortunately it wasn't the taste this time. There was quite a lot of bone / gristle left in the chicken feet and it was an unpleasant experience not knowing if you will bite into soft meat or bone.


Conversely the only time I've previously had jelly fish it was chewy and horrible. However, the jelly fish and green mango salad was pretty good. The salad contained pork, prawns, green apple and lots of other yummy things.


I was verging on being satisfied at this point, but we weren't even half way through the feast! Next up came the beef salad of Bò lúc lắc. The beef itself was pretty ordinary, tasting like an generic stir fry. However, I found the watercress and lime & fish sauce dressing quite moreish.

1. Canh Chua, Sweet & Sour Soup with fresh herbs
2. Cá kho tộ, Caramelised fish in Claypot
3. Sườn nướng, Grilled Pork Chop

Bubbling away on our table was a hot pot of canh chua or sweet and sour soup. This was probably my favourite dish of the evening. The soup had an initial sourness that faded to quite a nice sweetness at the end. We could mix our own okra, beansprouts, pineapple and tomato into the fish soup.

I didn't find the caramelised fish (Cá kho tộ) particularly exciting, but the Sườn nướng was very tender and tasty.

In a wonderful surprise the delightful Amy gave me a copy of New Flavours or the Vietnamese Table so that I could try some of the recipes at home. I've already used the book to cook BBQ five spice chicken and I'm definitely looking forward to trying some more Vietnamese food. Rice paper rolls and the sweet and sour hot pot are next on my hit list.

Project Hunter: Week 2

This is the second week of Project Hunter, where I am working my way round every stall in the Hunter Connection Food Court. Three consecutive sushi stalls in a row made this Japanese week.

Monday saw a visit to Plat de Japan, which impressively manages to fit a sushi train into the food court. Despite the hybrid name there was no French influence evident. I picked up three sushi rolls and a miso soup to takeaway for the unbelievable value of $5. I selected avocado & salmon, chicken teriyaki and pumpkin tempura sushi rolls. There was a lot of rice in comparison to the ratio of filling. Decent enough, but I'd be prepared to spend a little more money for better balanced sushi rolls.

Next up in Japan street was Sushi Corner. Having already had sushi once this week I selected chilli pork rice ($6.50). There were generous amounts of pork, which was hot but not crazy spicy. I particularly liked the pickled carrot that accompanied the pork. I think this is a food stall I'll visit again once the challenge is over. I liked how lunch was served on cute little trays, a nice touch of Japanese style.

I asked the stall holders at Miraku Japanese Cuisine what their most popular dish was and followed the crowds ordering the Miso Ramen ($7.50). The ramen took a reassuringly long time to arrive and I could see it being cooked out the back. This was a dish that faded on me. I started off loving the miso flavour and all of the vegetables in the soup; sweetcorn, bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage and bamboo shoots. However, there wasn't much meat and the noodles weren't the best quality.

There were only three visits to the food court this week as I took a home cooked lunch to work on Tuesday and Thursday.

Restaurant Review: Café Mint, Surry Hills

On a rainy Thursday night I stepped off Crown Street and into Café Mint and I haven't been able to stop enthusing about this place since. The restaurant was full, so we were seated at the bar to have drink and look at the menu while we waited for a free table.

The décor doesn't give you any clues, but when you look at the menu, Café Mint is definitely a Moroccan restaurant. The friendly and knowledgeable staff were happy to answer all of my questions about some of the different dishes on the menu. They clearly knew their stuff and I wondered if they might be the owners.

The side dish of spiced chickpeas, spinach and dates was heavenly! Easily the favourite dish of the evening the chickpeas were perfectly tender, the spices gave a rounded flavour and the dates a lovely finish of sweetness. I've got some dried chickpeas in my cupboard and I'm definitely going to try and recreate this dish, although I'm not sure if I'll succeed.

Next came a selection from the mechoui. The mixed grill brings you a selection of ras el hanout chicken, merguez sausage, lamb kofta and grilled steak. It was a nice selection and a great way to taste virtually the entire grill offering on a single plate. I don't think the grill was cooked over charcoal as there wasn't quite the smokiness that you get from cooking over coals.

Our main course was rabbit, sucuk, olivers and bulgar wheat. Unfortunately the rabbit was a bit dry and I couldn't help jealous glances to the duck tagine with lentils at the next table which looked fantastic.

I have an idle dream that I'd like to open my own cafe / restaurant one day. Café Mint comes pretty close to what I'd try to achieve. A small place with a great atmosphere, good service, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Most importantly they had reasonably priced, lovely food. It's not trying to be pretentious, just an honest local joint.

Cooking: Laab moo ลาบ หมู

I'm a bit of a geek and often try and work out how things I order in restaurants are cooked. Two dishes over the years have particularly foxed me. It took my five years to develop a theory on how Le Manoir make their poached egg ravioli. I'm not going to try it though; I'd risk proving myself wrong and having another five years of angst.

The second dish that has me very confused is the deep fried avocado and shredded chicken my dad ordered on our trip to the Great Ocean Road back in May. A bread crumb coated avocado shaped ball arrived on a bed of salad. When it was cut open, half was avocado and the other half was shredded chicken. How did they get the shape so perfect? How did it stick together without falling apart? How did they cook all the components evenly? So many unanswered questions...

After the mighty som dum (ลัม ตำ), laab is one of my favourite Thai street stall dishes.  It was not until I read this recipe, that I realised I hadn't got a clue how laab was cooked. I've never heard of poaching mince before and I wouldn't have guessed that was how it was cooked. I'd also wondered how a dish with very little visible chilli could be so fiery. The answer is chilli powder, which I hadn't seen used in Thai cooking before.

Very simple and tasty. I took the laab into work for lunch a couple of days as well as eating it at home one evening.

Ingredients:

• 350 grams minced pork
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 2 Tbsp mint leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp coriander, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup shallots, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp grounded roasted rice
• 1 Tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp sugar

Method:
1. Bring the stock to a boil in a pan. Add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and simmer until it is cooked.

2. When the pork is cooked drain it, and place in a mixing bowl. Combine with all of the other ingredients and mix well.

With the laab I attempted to cook some morning glory from this recipe.

Restaurant Review: Spice I Am, Surry Hills

When I want Thai food in Sydney I find it hard to look past Chat Thai. However, having only visited Chat last Sunday I thought I should try somewhere different and visited Spice I Am in Surry Hills this weekend instead.

I'll cut straight to the chase and say that I won't be walking past Chat Thai again, at least not to visit Spice I Am at any rate. Ever since yesterday lunchtime I've had an unpleasant taste in my stomach / back of my throat. It's the taste that you get when your food has been cooked in rancid oil. Those of you that have had the misfortune to experience the same taste will know what I mean.

Perhaps it's a little harsh to slate a restaurant on one bad experience, but there were two further nails in the coffin for me. The first was value for money. The two dishes below cost $30, while last week at Chat Thai $30 bought three dishes and two drinks. Our food also arrived within 30 seconds of ordering meaning there was no chance it had been freshly cooked.

Anyway the photos look nice.......

Yum Pla Tod was a crispy fish salad. It wasn't a bad dish, but a bit salty and the flavour was quite one dimensional.

Moo Pa was effectively a dry pork curry. My goodness it was spicy! Our waitress warned us that it was medium for Thai people and they we might find it hot, but I wasn't prepared for the chilli assault that followed. The chilli prevented too many flavours from coming through, although there were some nice hints of lemongrass.

Coogee to Maroubra

I'm determined to see more of Sydney this summer after being a bit lazy in getting out and about last year. On Saturday afternoon I didn't have any plans so I jumped on my bike and cycled over to Coogee to walk the coastal path to Maroubra and back.

I could have confused Coogee with being back in the UK I heard so many English accents as I was walking along the sea front! The walk itself isn't as interesting as the Bondi to Coogee section of the coastal path, but it has it's own charms. There were some lovely rock pools just south of Coogee (see picture above) and about half way the path completely disappears and you need to walk across a rocky beach. Being less popular you don't have to fight the crowds, even on a sunny spring day.

There isn't a lot to Maroubra when you arrive. Apart from an enormous RSL which completely dominates that town. I also spotted this giant Rubik's cube on the beach.

When I got back to Coogee there was time for an ice cream on the beach before I cycled home.

Project Hunter: Week 1

I've decided to embark on a frivolous lunchtime project. Having been in the marathon diet straight jacket for the past six weeks - of pasta every day - I've decided to visit every food stall in the Hunter Connection Food Court. The rules are quite simple; I'm going to visit every food stand in order, working my way clockwise from the north eastern corner. Asking the vendors what is their most popular dish, or simply picking something I fancy.

There are some places, based on previous experiences, that I already know that I don't want to visit. But I'm hoping, overall, that it will help me to find some gems and help me break out of visiting the same four or five places that I usually go for lunch. There are around twenty five food stalls in Hunter Connection for me to get through.

First up was Hokkien Fried Rice ($7.50) from Hunter Asian Gourmet. The most expensive and most bland dish of the week. Carrots, celery, pepper and chicken stir fried on rice. The chicken was very tender, I think it might have been poached first and then quickly added to the wok to finish. The texture and flavour coming from the celery was the highlight. Not something I can see myself ordering again.

Next was the chicken plate ($7) from the Lotus Kebab House. I think it would have been virtually impossible to take an attractive photo of this dish, but it's actually something I enjoy and have ordered a few times before. Grilled chicken is served on a bed of rice, with lettuce, tomato and onion served on the side. The garlic and chilli sauce complete the kebab look. A filling lunch if you are hungry served up by friendly staff.

Thursday saw my first visit to Delicious Asian Food 6th Avenue. (Where did that name come from?) After asking what their most popular dish was, I was recommended the beef Pho ($6.50). The soup had a generous amount of tender beef. There was a fresh taste coming from all of the herbs and the broth was very tasty. The only downside was a plastic spoon with sharp edges that cut my lip. If they can sort out their spoon supplier, I'll be ordering this again.

Friday was another first for me, Pumpkin. When I was regularly visiting Hunter two months ago I noticed that Pumpkin was one of the stalls with virtually no customers. This made me fearful of what I was about to eat. However, I'd noticed this week that they've now started to build up a steady flow of customers. I selected three choices of chilli chicken, eggplant and teriyaki tofu all for an unbelievable $6. I enjoyed the chicken and tofu, but the eggplant was bland and mushy. I wouldn't be put off going here again.

Three hits and one miss this week. However, I was conscious how heavy and oily takeaway food can be after my home cooked lunches. I definitely think I'll start making my own lunch more going forward, which pre-marathon, isn't something I done since school.

I didn't have time to visit Hunter Connection on Wednesday so had something quick at my desk. I hope to visit as regularly as I can, but I don't anticipate fives dishes a week.