Momofuku Seiobo

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At $185 for a fixed price 10 course menu with no a la carte option, Momofuku Seiobo is special occasion dining.

The food is described as inspired by the flavours of the Caribbean and celebrating the best Australian produce. They don’t include even a sample menu on the website so you are taking the food somewhat on trust, although they do ask you to specify any dietary requirements and are happy to make menu modifications to suit.

On the night we dined the restaurant was fairly full even though it was a Monday, the dead zone of Sydney dining and even more surprising given there is no signage at the front of the restaurant, making it very difficult to find. The majority of the diners appeared to be tourists where either staying at the Star or had been visiting the casino.

The website indicates you need to allow 2 1/2 hours for the meal, although on the night we were there the courses arrived with little or no break in between and so it was much closer to 1 1/2 hours.

The menu leans very heavily to vegetarian and seafood, with only one of the courses out of the 10 containing meat. A lot of the dishes incorporated quite strong seafood flavours such as mullet roe, xo sauce and caviar so you really need to be a big seafood fan to enjoy it.

The food is best described as experimental. And as is the case with experiments, some work and some don’t. The first course was plantain with garlic and chicharrones (fried pork rinds) which was served in a mortar and pestle with instructions that we needed to crush the ingredients ourselves. A bit too gimmicky for me for a fine dining restaurant and even my friend who is a huge fan of garlic found the garlic overwhelming.

In some cases the flavour of the sauces completely overwhelmed the main ingredient. This was particularly the case with the scallop with coconut and allspice. If the waitress hadn’t told us there was scallop in the dish we would never have guessed as it was finely chopped and completely overwhelmed by the coconut. Both my friend and I felt the dish would have actually been better if it was a plain grilled scallop without the sauce.

The star of the night was the one beef dish so it was a shame there weren’t more meat based dishes. The marron and coconut bakes was a close second, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the chef bringing the live marron to our table to ïntroduce” us to what we’d be eating later. I’m happy to accept the seafood is fresh, you don’t need to prove it to me.

Because there wasn’t a menu when each dish was served we received a very detailed explanation of all the ingredients in the dish. Ten points for the enthusiasm with which the explanations were given, but the process felt a little too contrived, especially as almost every dish was served by a different person.

They seemed so focused on describing the food they forgot the basics of service which meant we were regularly left with empty wine or water glasses.

The menu concludes with 3 decadent dessert courses so make sure you save some room. Credit goes to the chef making pumpkin seem at home in a dessert.

Overall it’s the kind of restaurant that you visit once for the experience, but there other restaurants in Sydney such as Nel restaurant ( https://nelrestaurant.com.au/ ) which do a better degustation menu.

Seiōbo

The Star
80 Pyrmont Street Sydney

Felix Restaurant

⭐⭐⭐

Felix is a French restaurant which is part of the Merivale stable, situated in the laneway at the back of Ivy.

This was my first visit to Felix for a couple of years and I made the rookie mistake of not checking their website in advance.

My prior experience was that it was decent food but certainly not one of Sydney’s best restaurants so I was pretty shocked when I opened the menu to find that the mains were hovering around the $50 mark.

The website describes it as “honest, simple food”, a description which I’d say is accurate. But at these prices I expect something much more than that.

For the entree I ordered balmain bugs with marie rose sauce. The one bug arrived on a bed of ice with some cocktail sauce. The fact the plate was covered in ice meant there was nowhere to cut the bug meat which made it quite difficult to eat.

The bug itself was bordering on frozen. The cynic in me wondered whether they hadn’t actually properly thawed what was obviously frozen seafood properly and hoped diners would assume it was so cold from sitting on ice. Overall very bland and disappointing.

My friend rated his pea and crab salad much higher. Not the most obvious combination but it seemed to work.

My friend gave his duck cassoulet main the thumbs up but the serving size was pretty small and hard to see how it justified the $46 price.

My go to dish at French restaurants is steak frites, but at $67 it was way more than I wanted to pay for a mid week dinner so I went for the spatchcock which at $38 was the cheapest non vegetarian main on the menu. The spatchcock was a whole grilled bird with a cabbage and walnut salad. I’d describe it as inoffensive, cooked well but not a lot of flavour.

At these prices I’d expect the food to blow me away and that was definitely not the case.

Similarly the wine was OK but at $60 for a 400 ml carafe (which was one of the cheapest wines on the menu) I would have expected better.

As a lot of reviewers on Trip Advisor have noted the restaurant is very noisy which makes conversation difficult. I would also agree with a lot of reviewers that the bathrooms which are situated in a corridor outside the restaurant are something like what you’d expect to find in a (not well maintained) shopping centre rather than a fine dining restaurant.

Overall a pretty disappointing experience, I expected much better from an outfit as experienced as Merivale. There are plenty of restaurants in Sydney serving this quality of food at much better prices, so I won’t be back.

Weekend Guide to Mudgee

Mudgee is famous for it’s wines and it’s the reason we, like most tourists, travelled there.

It’s around a 3.5- 4 hour drive from Sydney and while most of it is on a highway, definitely allow for some extra time if you are heading there on Friday afternoon / evening.

Mudgee has the wide tree lined streets and slower pace that everyone associates with Australian country towns.

Because it’s not really possible to do it a day trip from Sydney, it tends to be much quieter than the Hunter Valley or even Orange. A lot of the wineries are small, family owned producers who only distribute through their cellar door or local suppliers and so their wines tend to be less well known than some of the other wine regions in Australia.

Mudgee produces cold climate wines for a reason so remember to pack warm clothes. During the day can warm and sunny but at night temperatures drop considerably. We were there in August and it got below zero each night.

Cellar Doors

There are more forty cellar doors, and it’s impossible to see them all (although we gave it a very good try) so it’s worthwhile doing some research before you go to decide which ones you want to visit.

If you don’t have a volunteer for designated driver, there are a number of local companies which do wine tours by mini-bus. There is also a scheduled service which does a pick up and drop off at various wineries on Saturdays and offers a 3 or 6 hour pass:

https://www.mudgeehopper.com.au/

Lowe Wines

The point of distinction for Lowe Wines is that they sell organic wines. They are one of the most popular cellar doors, and on the Saturday we visited it was very busy. This meant a bit of a wait to try wines but savoring the wines slowly is all part of the experience. Despite the staff being run off their feet they were happy to explain each of the wines in a fair amount of detail and were very passionate about the wines.

Their cellar door includes an outdoor area with tables and views over the surrounding country side. They sell sell grazing plates if you feel like lingering.

The Cellar by Gilbert

The Cellar by Gilbert is a store front / tasting room close to town. It feels more like a restaurant that has wine tastings rather than a cellar door. They sell a large selection of whites and reds, mostly around the $30 mark. They also have some limited release wines which are not available for tasting.

If you want to learn a bit more about the wine they do masterclasses on Saturdays at 11 am for $20.

Unlike most of the other wineries in the region, they also charge a tasting fee of $10 per person although this is redeemable on purchases

The cellar door shares premises with the High Valley Cheese Co, which offers free tastings. It’s a shame they only sell large, single cheeses as a platter with a smaller few selections would have been great to take back to our hotel and have with one of the wines we’d bought.

https://www.gilbertfamilywines.com.au/

Craigmoor Wines

Robert Oatley wines has recently been rebranded as Craigmoor Wines which was the original name of the winery when it was purchased by Robert in 2006.

The winery is Mudgee’s oldest. It was established in 1858 and the cellar door has some equipment on display from the original winery.

The cellar door is run by a husband and wife team who are very friendly and knowledgeable about the wines. The cellar door prices are some of the cheapest you’ll find in the region (around $21 a bottle) but still good quality, easy drinking wines. Their One & Sixpence Rose was a stand out for us.

https://craigmoor.com.au/mudgee.html

Robert Stein Winery

As well as good wines and one of the best restaurants in Mudgee (Pipeclay Lane), Robert Stein Winery has the distinction of being the only winery which has a motorcyle museum. It’s free to go in and while it’s only relatively small there are quite a few bikes as well as number plates from all around the world and an old style gas pump, so worth a visit for anyone who likes motorcyles.

Closer to town

If you don’t want to drive (or get a tour bus) there are a couple of options in town to sample the wines. Roths Wine Bar stocks a good selection of local wines. They also serve charcuterie plates, as well as some small tapas style dishes and pizzas:

https://www.rothswinebar.com.au/

Goree Park also has a wine tasting room near the centre of town. As well as the wine it showcases local produce:

https://www.gooreepark.com/our-cellar-doors/

Where to eat

Restaurants in Mudgee tend more toward the cafe than fine dining end of the spectrum. Expect good solid food.

Most of the restaurants in town are centred along Market Street. Elton’s Eating and Drinking is housed in what used to be a Pharmacy Building built at the end of last century. The menu consists of tapas style share plates. Our waitress suggested 3-4 for two people, but we found 2 plates were plenty for us for lunch. Service was so good it would put quite a few expensive Sydney restaurants to shame.

A good place for breakfast or coffee is the Market Street Cafe, especially if you want a big breakfast to start the day. They do country classics with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, bacon and grilled tomatoes as well as some more interesting choices such as scrambled eggs and chilli.

Servings are huge and prices reasonable. When it gets really busy there can be long wait times for food, but we had no problems early on a Sunday morning.

A few of the wineries have restaurants which tend to be at the higher quality end. Keep in mind these are open only for lunch and if you are looking to eat in one of the winery restaurants on a Sunday definitely book in advance as this is the day locals heads out for lunch and most places are fully booked.

Other Places in the Area

If you enjoy Australian history, Gulgong, which is around 30 minutes north of Mudgee is well worth a drive. It’s full of historic buildings from gold rush days.

https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/mudgee-area/gulgong

Rylstone and Kandos are situated about 45 minutes drive south east of Mudgee. Whilst they are also historic towns, they don’t have nearly as many preserved buildings as Gulgong and Kandos in particular seems to be suffering the fate of a lot of smaller country towns with a dwindling population and many local businesses closed or operating on very reduced hours.

If you have some extra time in Mudgee, and would like to include some nature in your trip, Ganguddy (formerly Dunn’s Swamp) is a great place to visit. It takes a little effort to get to, but the scenery is definitely worth the effort.

It’s about 1 hour’s drive from Mudgee (20 minutes from Rysltone). Be aware that there is a long section of road which is gravel or dirt, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you aren’t used to driving on these surfaces.

There are various walks you can do in the park ranging from 20 minutes to 3-4 hours. Whilst there is a campground in the park there aren’t any amenities (other than a very rustic toilet) so bring water and some food if you plan on doing one of the longer walks.

https://www.weekendnotes.com/exploring-dunns-swamp-wollemi-national-park/

Silvester’s Restaurant Sydney

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I normally stay away from hotel restaurants as I think they are strictly for people staying there who don’t have the time or inclination to venture outside. So how did I end up at Silverster’s? By accident.

I received an email from Good Living about an upcoming wine dinner which included a great sounding menu and so I signed up for it without really focusing on where the restaurant was. Although in my defence, they only showed a street address for the restaurant and studiously avoided mentioning it was in the Marriott. I suspect this means I’m not the only person who avoids hotel restaurants.

After eating at Silvester’s I may have to rethink my attitude to hotel food as the food was wonderful. So much effort was put into the presentation of the food and it was so colourful you couldn’t help but want to eat it.

The first dish was the Yellow Fin Tuna you see at the start of this post. The Yuzu Kosho dressing gave the tuna a great chilli citrus kick and the rice paper crisp added some nice crunch.

Next course was Spanner Crab. Cudos to the chef who had the skill and patience to cut enough wafer thin slices of avocado to make more than 100 serves off this dish. The avocado and the grapefruit perfectly paired with the Spanner crab filling.

Following the seafood theme, our next course was Glacier 51 Toothfish. I will admit not only had I never tried this fish before but I had to google it to work out where it came from (if you’re also curious it’s the sub-Antartic, about 4,000 kms from mainland Australia).

When I read this fish lives 2,000 kms below sea level I was expecting flesh somewhat like swordfish or tuna (perhaps not logical since these don’t live in the depths but my thinking was surely it would have to have hardy flesh to survive that low). Again, I was very pleasantly surprised.

The company who farms the fish has done a better job than I ever could of describing it so I’m going to borrow their words: “projecting waygu-like characteristics with a complex yet delicate mouth feel that coats the palate appealingly, making it a pleasure to eat. Its snow-white flesh and broad scalloping flakes display a clean and sweet flavour and the elegant balance of flavour and texture in Glacier 51 Toothfish provides a culinary versatility rarely found in fish fillets.”

Just when I thought I couldn’t fit in any more food they brought out the Pinnacle Beef Short Rib with smoked miso glaze. While the beef was melting in your mouth tender it was also very rich and after all the food that we’d already eaten, even my partner who wasn’t met a protein yet he doesn’t love was struggling. We were too full to really do this course justice.

Our last course was a refreshingly light Blood Orange Sorbet. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of it, because somehow despite being so hideously full we both found the room to eat all of it before I remembered to take one.

Overall a great experience. Loads of very good food, probably more than we needed and at $129 each including matching wines incredibly good value.

This may well be the hotel restaurant that changes your mind about hotel restaurants.

https://silvesters.com.au/
Bulletin Place, Sydney

Lane Cove National Park Riverside Circuit Walk

Lane Cove National Park is situated around 20 minutes drive from the city. It’s a great place to go for a picnic or a short walk but I’d recommend walking one of the longer trails.

The park is accessible via car (with onsite parking $8 for a day) or public transport via either North Ryde (walking distance) or Chatswood train stations (via a bus from the station).

The Riverside Circuit Walk is around 11 kms and takes about 3 hours so is doable in a morning or afternoon trip.

The walk consists of 2 different walks – the Riverside Walking Track and the Lane Cove Valley Walk which forms a circuit around the river. The Valley Walk forms part of the 250km (one way) Great Northern Walk that links Sydney and Newcastle.

You can start either side of the circuit just near the Lane Cover park entrance on Riverside Drive. The Riverside Walking Track along the western bank of the river is a relatively easy walk. The Valley Walk along the east side of the river is more challenging. Whichever is best to start with depends on if you want to ease yourself into the walk or if you’d rather start off harder and finish easy.

Even on the Valley Walk you can get away without hiking boots, but make sure you where trainers or some other sturdy shoes.

The scenery along the way is quite varied, with lots of different trees and plants. You’re also likely to be serenaded by kookaburras and cockatoos during the walk. There are some bathroom facilities along the way but it’s advisable to bring enough water for the walk or buy some at the cafe near the entrance to the Park.

Information about the walk, facilities and how to get to the park is included no the National Parks website:

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/riverside-walking-track/visitor-info#Getting-there-and-parking

Babylon Rooftop Garden & Bar

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Babylon Rooftop Garden & Bar has opened on the 7th level of Westfield Sydney, as space which has been vacant since 2011 when the centre opened.

It’s a sprawling space which seats more than 200, but because there are a number of different sections to the area (including outdoor seating) it feels more intimate than the size would suggest.

The space includes a restaurant and a separate bar. The bar has its own extensive menu (around 30 dishes) which the chef says is “more like street food that’s simple, fast and easy to eat” whereas the restaurant is more fine dining.

At the restaurant, the menu is split into flora, fauna and ocean. The kitchen includes a 3 metre long grill and the smell of charcoal and smokey meat is intoxicating as you walk in.

The chef is ex Efendy and has a track record of producing great Middle Eastern food so we were expecting a lot. We weren’t disappointed.

  • Bread with Za’atar butter and Spiced Fried Cauliflower

To start we ordered house made bread with smoked Za’atar butter. Who would have thought butter could taste this good? I’d find myself wishing I could buy some to take home.

The next three dishes – Cauliflower with ras el hanout, lemon, tahini and almond, Spinach and duck egg yolk with persian feta and black rice and Lamb and pistachio kebab with smoked eggplant, yoghurt and sumac onions were all equally good.

  • Spinach and duck egg yolk with black rice

This is modern Middle Eastern food at it’s best every dish packing plenty of flavour without being too heavy. The portion sizes are generous (2 smaller dishes and one main was just the right amount of food for two of us). There is a good selection of wines at reasonable prices and the service attentive without being intrusive and they take bookings (something which seems to be becoming all too rare in Sydney restaurants). Plenty of reasons to go back. I know I will be.

Babylon Rooftop Garden & Bar
Level 7 Rooftop,
Westfield Pitt Street Mall,
188 Pitt Street Sydney

https://www.babylonrooftop.com.au/

This week in Sydney

The best of what’s happening in and around Sydney the week of 15 June 2019

Vivid

Tonight is your last chance to see Vivid. They’ve continued the trend of the last few years of trying to get the crowds to spread out (600,000 people went on the long weekend) by increasing the number of areas across the city which have installations. It does mean there may be less people, but there are also less installations in each area so to get the most out of it you need to be prepared to do a lot of walking.

If you’ve only got limited time, stick to the area around the Quay. As always the opera house and the MCA are highlights. For details of all the locations see here:

https://www.vividsydney.com/

World Press Photography Exhibition

For an amazing if at times confronting exhibition visit the World Press Photography Exhibition at the State Library in Macquarie Street. Entry is free. It’s on 10-5pm every day until 23 June:

https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/world-press-photo-exhibition-2019

Makers Nest Designer Market

On Sunday 16 June the Makers Nest Designer Market is on at Tramsheds. It showcases Australian designers and artists. Entry is $2 and it’s open 10-4pm:

http://www.themakersnest.com.au/

24 hours in Milan

If you’ve only got one day in Milan, it’s still possible to see most of the sites, although it will be a pretty busy day.  This guide will help you make the most of your time. 

Getting around

Milan is well serviced by public transport.  A single ticket will cost you €1.50 and is valid for 90 minutes of one way travel on the metro, buses and trams.  A better option is a €4.50 card which gives you unlimited travel for 24 hours from when you first use it.  

You can buy the tickets at any metro station or some hotels also have them.  Most metro and train stations now have electronic turn-styles which will register your ticket but if you are using the bus (or a metro station without electronic gates) make sure you validate your ticket in the machine when you enter.  

When researching public transport options, the official Milan transport website will recommend you purchase a 24 hour ticket for €8. This is a waste of money as the only difference between this and the €4.50 ticket is that it includes small discounts to some museums you more than likely won’t visit.  Also be aware that if you buy it online you will have to go to their offices near the Duomo to pick up a physical ticket in order to be  able to use it on public transport and the office doesn’t open until 12pm.

Insider tip: neither google or apple maps seem to be accurate for planning trips on public transport in Milan.  For example they both advised I needed to get 2 buses and a metro, plus do a significant amount of walking to get from my hotel to the cemetery when in reality I only needed to get one train and on walk a few minutes.  So it always pays to ask at your hotel instead.  

What to See and Do

Cimitero Monumentala

After an early morning continental breakfast, kick start your sightseeing with day with a trip to the Cimitero Monumentale  (Monumental Cemetery).  It is full of the most incredible statues and family crypts which just have to be seen to be believed.  It’s easy to fill in an hour wandering around there.  

Metro stop Garibaldi FS on the M2 (green) line or M5 (lilac) line is just a few minutes walk from the entrance.  

The Duomo

From here head to the Duomo. The easiest way to get there is via the metro.  There is a dedicated stop on the Red M1 and Yellow M3 lines.  

Whilst it’s an amazing church inside, the real highlight is the view of the structure and the surrounding area from the terraces.  In order to get to the terraces you have two options – a €17 combined ticket which allows you entry to the cathedral and the lift to the terraces or a €13 combined ticket which allows you entry to the cathedral and to climb to the terraces via the stairs.  

It’s probably not worth buying the tickets in advance.  On the day I went the queue to pick up pre-purchased tickets was at least 3 times as long as the queue to buy tickets from the ticket office.  In order to buy a ticket from the office you need to queue to get a number from a machine at the entrance to the ticket office which shows your place in the line to be served but oddly once you have this you can then enter the building and use the automatic machines to purchase tickets without waiting to be served at the counter.  

The tickets are valid for a selected 2 hour slot.  Assuming the queues aren’t too long 1 – 1 1/2 hours should be plenty of time to walk the terraces and see the inside of the cathedral.

Guide books will indicate that it’s better to use the stairs as the queues will be longer for the lifts.  On the day I visited the line for the lifts was actually much shorter and it’s a pretty long climb so I’d recommend checking out the size of both the queues and unless the lift one is significantly longer (or you’re after a bit of exercise) purchase a ticket for the lift.  If you do take the stairs up, you are still able to get the lift back down if you don’t feel like doing the stairs again, irrespective of what ticket you have purchased.  

Stop for lunch at one of the many cafes in the blocks surrounding the Duomo.

Window Shopping

After lunch head to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, next to the Duomo. You probably won’t want to shop there, but it is worth a visit, just to admire the architecture.  

A few blocks away is the golden quadrangle of streets bordered by Via Montenapoleone (known locally as Monteapo) and its parallel street Via della Spiga. Here you’ll find all of the Italian and French designers. It’s full of well heeled local shoppers and tourists window shopping.  

If you are after something more affordable, there are outlet centres but these are around an hour out of Milan so really only viable if you have a few days in Milan.  

Apertivo Hour

By now your feet are probably tired so it’s time to do what the locals do and find a cafe to sit down and have a glass of wine or a coffee and watch the world go by.  One of the best places to do it is Navigli, the canal district. Do what the locals do and take advantage of the many apertivo specials offering free food with your drinks.  

Busshari Japanese Potts Point

The fact that Busshari has been around for more than 12 years is a testament to the quality of the food and service. This was my 4th visit in the past 6 months after rediscovering how good it is. It’s a highlight in a section of Potts Point that doesn’t have a lot of good choices.

The menu is extensive, offering lots of sashimi and sushi dishes as well as plenty of hot options.

This time we had the small mixed sashimi plate, the spicy tuna dynamite roll and the sizzling waygu beef. All were very good – the sashimi very fresh and included a mix of 5 different seafoods, the dynamite roll carrying a bit of a kick without being overwhelmingly hot and the beef melt in your mouth tender with the added bonus of being able to take it off the grill when it was cooked to our exact liking.

The drinks list is also extensive, with a page devoted to sakes and 15 white and 10 red wines either by the glass or bottle with options from Italy, France, New Zealand and Australia.

Service is professional and efficient, with only a small wait between dishes.

119 Macleay St, Potts Point, NSW 2011
02 9357 4555
https://busshari.com.au/

Zushi Japanese Surry Hills

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Zushi has been around for almost 9 years and I used to go fairly frequently but hadn’t been for a few years before my recent visit. Not because there was anything I didn’t like, it’s just that living in Surry Hills there is always the next new thing to try. 

Going back was a little like catching up with a friend you haven’t seen for ages and getting along so well you wonder why on earth you haven’t seen them for so long.

On a busy Friday night they managed to fit us in at the sushi bar despite not having a booking. I actually prefer sitting at the bar, particularly in a Japanese restaurant because it’s great for watching all of the action. No matter how many times I see it, I’m still amazed by the knife skills of Japanese chefs and the precision with which they arrange the food.

We ordered the $55 chef’s menu which I’d recommend doing. The food we got was very good value for this price – tuna tartare, sashimi, pork bao, scallops and beef. All of the food was great, very tasty and light and fresh.

Wine prices are reasonable, with plenty of good quality wines $50-$60. 

Service was professional. Our water and wine glasses were regularly refilled and the food came with just the right amount of time between courses. 

Overall a great experience. I definitely won’t wait so long to go back.

http://zushi.com.au/

2A/285A Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010

Cuckoo Callay Surry Hills

The fact that the name of Cuckoo Callay is inspired by a poem from Alice Through the Looking Glass is illustrative of the playful nature of the place. The decor is reflective of the theme, with a pink flamingo on the menu and a phrase from the book spelled out in neon on the staircase.

On a Saturday early afternoon it’s full of hipsters, but where in the eastern suburbs isn’t?

The staff were very cheerful and friendly. I was given water along with the menu as soon as I sat down. There was only a short wait for my food and as soon as I’d finished I was asked whether there was anything else they could bring me.

Although it’s an all day menu, most of the meals are more breakfast orientated. The Gorgeous Jorge – sourdough toast topped with avocado, tomato, goat’s fetta, dukkah and a poached egg sounded great, but a little too much like the breakfast I’d had earlier in the day, so instead went for the Sideways Shuffle – Blue swimmer crab cake with corn & avocado salsa, watermelon, cucumber & lemon jelly and poached egg.

When it arrived the presentation was so amazing, I was almost hesitant to ruin it by eating it. But glad I did as I really enjoyed the dish. There was plenty of crab in the cake and the watermelon added a fresh light touch to balance out the dish. I wasn’t quite sure how well watermelon and egg would go together, but it just seemed to work. The egg could probably have been cooked a little bit more as the white was a little runny in places but this was a minor point.

The takeaway coffee I had was also great and served with a big smile and a joke.

I’ll definitely be back earlier in the day to try the Gorgeous Jorge.

Cuckoo Callay
413-415 Crown Street Surry Hills
Mon-Fri: 7am – 4pm  Sat: 8am – 4pm  Sun: 8am – 3pm

https://www.cuckoo-callay.com.au/

Madame Shanghai Darlinghurst

Madame Shanghai is part of the Lotus Dining Group which runs Chinese restaurants under the Lotus banner at Galeries Victoria, Barangaroo and the Chinese Gardens. It’s situated on College Street and the terrace has great views over the park.

The food is described as contemporary Chinese with more of a street food focus than their other restaurants.

The decor is intended to evoke 1930s Shanghai. Think opulent and glamorous, with lots of velvet and plush carpet in shades of jade and gold.

Drinks

Wai Tan cocktail

There are some innovative cocktails as well as takes on some old classics. My friend orders the Wai Tan which is made with rum, green apple, orgeat and cinnamon. He declares it a winner. I’d say it’s worth ordering just for the smoking cinnamon stick.

The wine list is incredibly extensive. There are 16 wines by the glass, 14 half bottles and more than150 wines by the bottle.

I tried a French Semillion / Sav Blanc and a Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. At $16 and $17 for a glass not exactly cheap but pretty similar to what you pay at most higher end restaurants in Sydney and both very drinkable.

Food

There are so many things on the menu which look good that we’re struggling to make up our minds and so we order the 10 course chef’s selection.

At $69 per person we are expecting each course to be pretty tiny, but this definitely wasn’t the case. If you’re planning on ordering this menu, wear loose clothing.

First course was vegetarian San Choi Bao made with asparagus, pickled turnip and spiced pumpkin seed. I’m not normally a fan of vegetarian food but this was full of flavour and a good bit of crunch and I really enjoyed it.

San Choi Bao

Next up was vegetable and pork dumplings. I’d put these in the OK but not great category. The filling on the vegetable dumplings in particular was pretty dry. Definitely not the quality you’d get at Din Tai Fung. Which is kind of strange given that the Lotus Group runs a dumpling bar.

The dumplings were followed by Hot and Numbing Chicken Ribs with dry jerk sauce. These were much better, the jerk sauce packing a good punch.

  • Hot and Numbing Chicken Ribs

This was followed by Tempura Jasmine Smoked Fish with 5 Spice. I was definitely not a fan of this one. The batter wasn’t light like tempura and because the fish was smoked it had a very strong fishy flavour. I wouldn’t order this one unless you a very big seafood fan.

  • Lamb Cutlets with Miso Butter

The next course is Grilled Lamb Cutlets wih miso butter, cumin and crispy salt bush. Luckily there is only one cutlet each as we’re already full and there are still 5 courses to go. The lamb cutlets are a hit with both of us although given the absence of cutlery the only way to eat them is with our fingers which does feel a bit strange.

The verdict on the salt bush is not so positive, it’s very hard to batter and deep fry something so small without it being overwhelmed. We both try a few pieces then leave the rest.

  • Steamed Chinese Broccoli

The next 3 savoury courses come out together. Steamed Barramundi Fillet with chilli, garlic and pickled mustard greens, Steamed Chinese Broccoli with soy and red wine sauce and Steamed Rice. The barramundi is probably my dish of the night. It’s perfectly steamed and a very pleasant balance to the fried dishes that have preceded it.

The last savoury course is Sticky Pork Hock with lemon aspen and tamarind. It seems like the pork has been deep fried so again his one’s a bit heavy for me.

Mystery Dessert

Dessert is a dish that doesn’t appear on the menu. I won’t ruin the surprise, but it’s definitely not a peach.

Overall I have mixed feelings about the experience. I loved the opulent decor. The service was great and the banquet amazing value for the amount of food we got. I really enjoyed some of the dishes but not all.

I tend to eat at Asian restaurants a lot because I enjoy fresh, light, healthy food. The dishes that didn’t appeal so much to me were the ones which were deep fried, which is probably more reflective of my taste than a fault of the restaurant. The dishes that I enjoyed and the other positives are enough to make me want to go back, this time ordering from the a la carte menu.

https://www.lotusdining.com.au/restaurant/madame-shanghai/

Address
18 College Street,
Darlinghurst 2010

Gogyo Surry Hills

⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

Gogyo is owned by the same Japanese company which owns Ippudo ramen and it’s ramen which is also the star attraction here.

The restaurant’s previous incarnation was as Salaryman (another Japanese restaurant) and they’ve retained much of the same fit out, including the long share tables and seats at the bar and overlooking the kitchen. Exposed brick gives it an industrial feel.

It’s the kind of place you come to for a quick mid week meal rather than somewhere to linger over a bottle of wine (or three) with friends.

Grab a seat overlooking the kitchen if you can as this is where the action is.

My go to dish is always the Chilli Shoyu pictured at the beginning of the post which is made with spicy chicken broth and has habanero pork mince as well as pork belly chasu. It’s packed full of flavour and heat. It comes with a wedge of lemon to lessen the kick. They recommend not adding it until you’re half way through the dish as the effect of the chilli is cumulative and you’ll notice the heat more the more of it you eat.

On a recent visit I tried the more traditional Tonkotsu ramen pictured above. It was pretty good, but let’s face it you can get good Tonkotsu at a myriad of places in Sydney (and some cheaper than here) so I’m going to stick with the chilli from now on. If you want to try something really different go for the Kogashi Miso which is made with charred miso.

The ramen is pretty filling so unless you are feeling exceptionally hungry you probably don’t need anything else. The waiter convinced me to order some gyoza as well as the ramen on my most recent visit and while they were really good, it was simply too much food.

52-54 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Monday – Friday: 12:00-15:00, 17:30-22:00
Saturday: 11:30-15:00, 17:30-22:00
Sunday: 11:30-15:00, 17:00-20:30

http://ippudo.com.au/gogyo

Goryon-San Surry Hills

⭐⭐

It’s my 5th attempt to get into the new Goryon-San in Surry Hills and we’ve finally secured a table so I’m pretty excited. The problem is that excitement also brings with it increased expectation and sadly in this case the expectation wasn’t met.

If you want to get in you’ll have to be patient. I tried walking in without a booking at 6pm on a Sunday night and a couple of times during the week and even when there was an empty single seat in the window I was told I couldn’t have it because it was deemed too uncomfortable (not quite sure why then the chair was there).

I was advised to book online but when I tried that the booking engine indicated they don’t take bookings for single diners. I then tried booking for 2 but the next available table was more than a week away. So I finally tried phoning and on about the 4th attempt got someone to answer the phone who advised there was a table available that night.

First up we ordered Zuke Salmon which according to the menu was marinated avocado and salmon sashimi. So we were a little surprised when what turned up was essentially 2 corn chips which 2 small pieces of salmon and a slice of avocado on each. It was lacking in flavour (definitely couldn’t taste any marinade on the avocado) and at $12 not exactly great value. The garnish of wilted watercress certainly didn’t add to the dish.

Perhaps we’ll fair better with some of the signature Kushiyaki we thought. But again this unfortunately wasn’t the case. The whole concept is meant to be modeled on restaurants in Tokyo where meat is grilled over hot coals. But surprisingly they use an electric grill rather than coals and so you get none of the smokey flavour.

The best way to describe the food is bland.

The chicken skewers were a small pieces of chicken thigh without any seasoning or accompanying sauce. Both my partner and I decided after the first bite the only way to eat it was to smother it in Togarashi seasoning (which they helpfully have on every table).

The signature dish of fresh lettuce and pork belly skewers which gets its own write-up on the menu is about 95% lettuce with a wafer thin layer of pork belly (see the image above) and again totally lacking in seasoning. Out comes the Togarashi again. At $7 a stick I’m starting to feel a little gouged.

The last of our order was billed as premium wagyu beef. At $25 I was expecting a reasonable sized piece of meat but the serve was tiny. It was accompanied by some more of the wilted watercress and a thin slice of lemon and wasabi. Consistent with the other dishes it was lacking in any form of seasoning.

At this stage we realise we’ve probably under ordered as we are both still hungry but decide that we’d rather go home and cook something ourselves.

At $100 for 2 for a very light meal, 1 beer and 1 glass of wine we definitely didn’t get good enough value to make up for the food. We leave wondering what all the fuss is about and just how busy it’s likely to be in a few weeks once the diner reviews start to appear online and the next newest thing arrives in Surry Hills. We won’t be back.

Nomad Surry Hills

Nomad seats 180 people and on a recent Thursday night at the first dinner sitting every table in Nomad is full.  The fact that it’s so busy 5 years after it opened in the very fickle dining hood of Surry Hills is testament to how good it is.  

The venue

It’s an old warehouse and it retains that industrial feel with exposed beams and distressed timber.  When you walk in the first things you notice are the two giant wine barrels and the mouth watering smell of smoking meats. 

At the centrepiece of the space is a large open kitchen surrounded by a counter which gives a front row seat to watch the food preparation.  Equally as entertaining is a seat at the window where you can watch the passing parade of people.  

The food

I’ve been quite a few times and have tried both the a la carte menu and the Feast menu.  Both options are good but now I usually stick to the $69 Feast menu.  It’s such good value it sways me every time.  Even better is the Saturday lunch option where you can get the Feast and bottomless (good) rose for 2 hours.  

There is also a $95 Bigger Feast menu which includes all of the food on the $69 menu plus a few other dishes.  Unless you have a pretty big appetite you’ll probably struggle, so I’d recommend trying the regular Feast menu the first time. 

The first course on the Feast menu is the cannelinni bean hommus with house made sourdough and pickles.  I’m not usually a huge fan of hommus but this stuff is to die for, beautiful and smokey.  Even if you go a la carte I’d definitely recommend ordering it. 

Next up is a charcuterie plate which is again made in house in the glass maturing cabinet and comes with more of the very moorish sourdough.  It’s followed by zucchini flowers with pecorino truffle honey.  

When I first saw the zucchini I thought it was going to be overwhelmed by the cheese as it seemed like there was so much, but it so light and airy and the sweetness of the honey adds another dimension.

Just in case you think you’ve narrowed down the menu to at least Europe, kingfish ceviche arrives.  The fish is very fresh and lightly marinated with finger lime.  The coriander cracker adds some crunch to a dish that often doesn’t have a lot of texture.  

By the time the spatchcock arrives both my partner and I are feeling full but it and the accompanying BBQ cauliflower are so good a little while later there is nothing left on the plate.  The meat is tender with a great smokey flavour (there is a theme here) and the harissa adds a nice punch without being overpowering. 

When we’ve convinced ourselves we can’t possibly eat any more, out comes the dessert, an ice cream sandwich with olive oil partfait, halva, pistachio and honey and a few minutes later we somehow find ourselves discussing whose going to have the last spoonful.  

The service

Another drawcard for Nomad is the service.  Our waiter is very friendly but professional, always there to refill water and wine glasses, provide an explanation of each of the dishes and regularly check in to make sure everything is OK.  

Great food and wine, good service and really good value. What more could you want in a restaurant. 

https://nomadwine.com.au/

16 Foster Street Surry Hills
LUNCH
Monday- Saturday
Noon – 2:30pm (kitchen closes)
DINNER
Monday – Wednesday
6.00pm til late  
Thursday – Saturday
5.30pm til late     
 

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