Monday, October 3, 2011 - 11:02 pm English | 日本語
Any occasion is a good occasion to gather up and share the moment with good food. To celebrate a birthday occasion for our good food-loving friends
Gianna,
Phuoc and
Rita,
we gathered up tonight with our hungry stomaches for newly opened Greek restaurant
Xanthi.
As many of you might already know, the well-respected Greek restaurant Perama has closed its door in August and now reopened as Xanthi at Westfield Sydney. They offer a banquet set menu (mandatory for a group over 10+), and we went for the $55 banquet menu.
(Some of dishes shown below are not included in the set menu. Please refer to their set menu on the website.)
お祝いごとには、友達と集まってうまいもん囲んでわいわいやるっつーのはいいもんだよねぇ。今回は、友達のGianna, PhoucそしてRitaの3人の誕生日のお祝いもかねて、新しくオープンしたグリークレストラン、Xanthiにやって来ました。
グリーク料理で有名なPeramaが、今年8月をもって閉店しちゃったんだけど、こちらのXanthiは、同じシェフ・経営者が新しくシドニーのWestfieldに移転して再オープンしたお店であります。ここでは、グループ用バンケットメニューがあって、今回はそちらのコースを堪能してきましたよ。（$55、10人以上のグループはバンケットメニューのみ。なお、以下の写真の中には、バンケットメニューに含まれていないディッシュもあるので、詳細はウェブサイトで確認してください。）
Shortly after everyone seated, a few bottles of Tsipouro – a Greek spirit contains 44% alcohol. This is often accompanied with ice cubes and/or water, and diluting with water causes it to turn white colour. This is just like the turkish Raki – a.k.a. Lion’s tear. We were told that Tsipouro helps stimulatie and induce appetite, but my stomach was already ready and finishing the glass of Tsipouro would have rather pushed me toward a night of embarrassment.
席について間もなく、Tsipouroっていうお酒のサービス。グリークの蒸留酒で、44%もあるとかいう強烈な。あれですな、トルコのRakiってやつのギリシャ版。ライオンの涙、とも言われてるこのお酒、通常氷や水を入れて飲むんだけど、水分加わると、白濁するんすよ。薄めても全然強烈な度数なんだけど。シェフのDavidさんが言うには、食前酒として飲むことで、食欲を増進するらしいんだけど、すでに空腹なので、空きっ腹にこんなの飲んだらヤバス。
Pickled Octopus
Greek Salad
Tarama dip
Hot smoked eggplant dip
BBQ haloumi
Starter dishes arrived one after another. And oh how I love haloumi cheese.
そうしてる間、どんどんスターターディッシュが到着。ハルミチーズがうますぎ!
Herbed Skordalia Croquettes
Sheftalies BBQ pork meatballs
Fried veal sweetbreads
More savoury dishes continued to follow. Herbed skordalia croquettes, Sheftalies BBQ pork meatballs, fried veal
sweetbreads – these were the dishes I didn’t see at Perama the last time. I loved the chunky pork meatballs!
続いてセイボリーディッシュもやってきやした。グリークコロッケ、シェフタリスBBQポークミートボール、フライドヴィールスイートブレッドなどなど、前回Peramaでは食べたことがなかったものが出てきてニンマリ。ゴロッとしたポークミートボール、食べごたえもあってやばいです。うまいです。ちなみに、スイートブレッドって、甘いパンっつーわけではなく、日本語では「
シビレ」っていわれる部位の名称。
Prawn and scallop bougatsa
Spinach & feta bougatsa
Pork belly baklava
There’s one bougatsa included in the set menu, but thanks to David the owner/chef at Xanthi, we’ve got two – Prawn & Scallop bougastsa and oh yes, the signature pork belly baklava. We also got two more bougastsas as nut-free alternatives – Spinach & feta, and lamb fricasse bougatsas. Crispy pastry and tasty fillings are hard to resist, I of course had to have taste of all four. The pork belly baklava was definitely one of my favourites dishes of the night, but hmm I think I like the old one better. (read a little more insight regarding the pork belly baklava at Helen’s post.)
セットメニューには、１つしか含まれてないんですが、シェフのご好意で２つ出してくれました。エビとホタテ、そしてシグニチャーディッシュでもあるポークベリーのバクラヴァ。これに加えて、ナッツの入っていないスピナッチとフェタチーズ、ラムのBougastsaもアレルギーのある人用に登場。サクサクのペーストリーに包まれたフィリング、たまんないお。アレルギーないけど、がっつり図々しくナッツフリーのやつも味見させてもらた。ウマスー。このポークベリーバクラヴァ、今夜のディッシュのなかでも特に美味しかったやつなんだけど、どうだろ、Perama時代の、バクラヴァそのものな感じの方が好きかも。（今回は、巻かれた状態ででてきて、春巻きみたいな感じ。）
Meat from the spit (extra $15)
Instead of lamb skaras, we were given meat from the spit, thanks to David again! Accompanied with potatoes and lemon wedges, the lamb and pork were just luring me into stuffing myself to the max. I usually like pork better than lamb, but tender and succulent lamb won me over this time.
通常セットメニューではLamb Skarasが出てくるんだけど、またまたシェフのご好意で、ローストミートを出してもらいました。ホクホクのラムとポークのロースト、お腹いっぱいになりつつあるのに、更にがっつりくっちまうTHEY。普段はラムよりポークの方が好きなんだけど、このジューシーで柔らかいラムにやられました。うまい。これはおすすめ。
Garden of Aphrodite (Not included in the banquet menu)
Sokolata Castania (Not included in the banquet menu)
Caramel Baklava Ice Cream
Salted caramel peanut & banana sweet bougatsa
Good old favourite dessert dishes – Caramel baklava ice cream and salted caramel peanut & banana sweet bougatsa. But we were also given extra dessert dishes: Garden of Aphrodite and Sokolata Castania. Both were beautifully presented, but I especially loved the Sokolata Castania the chocolate mousse. Very nice.
Those who loved Perama, you’d definitely love the new and improved dishes at Xanthi. And those who missed the opportunity to dine at Perama before closing, I highly recommend to visit and enjoy the great Greek feast!
最後はデザートで締め。Perama時代から人気のキャラメルバクラヴァアイスクリーム、ソルトキャラメルピーナッツとバナナのスイートボーガッツア。それに加えて、さらにご好意で新しくメニューに加わった、Garden of AphroditeとSokolata Castaniaまで登場ー。どちらもプレゼンテーションが綺麗で美味しいんだけど、このチョコレートムースのSokolata Castaniaが特に美味しかったす。
Peramaの料理が好きな人は、新しいXanthiも絶対大好きなはず。行ったことない人は、是非足を運んでグリークフィーストを堪能してみてくだせー！おすすめ！
γεια μας!
Xanthi
Level 6, Westfield Sydney
Corner Pitt street mall and Market street
Sydney
02 9232 8535
http://www.xanthi.com.au
(After hour entrance is located further down the street)
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Friday, September 23, 2011 - 1:29 am English | 日本語
Hai. Do you still remember me?
Just like the last time, “I can’t believe it’s been awhile since the last post.” And I have to say that again, but this time, a year later! Sometimes life takes different turns on its own, and you just simply need to go with it, right? That’s pretty much what it was.
But you know what, I’ve got something else to confess. The Japanese double post that is. It’s very flattering to have gotten many requests from Japanese readers to add Japanese translation, which in fact I have started. But it’s just damn hard for me to keep it up simply because I myself can’t even feel the same *vibe* from written Japanese… So that’s the huge reason for the long overdue neglect. Oh well.
ども。ヤバイくらいサボってましたが、覚えててくれてまするか。
毎回毎回、「いやー、久しぶり！！」とか言ってますが、今回もそんな感じ。さすがに1年も放置はなかろうが、って。まぁ、色々毎日仕事やらなんやらあって、そういう時には流れに身を任せてやってくしか無いじゃないですか。そんなこんなで完全放置ですよ。えぇ。
いや、それも理由なんですが、日本語でも書いてくださいよー、という嬉しいリクエストがしばしばあったので、英語に訳つける感じでスタートしたものの、えらいめんどくさいんですな、これが！！なんかねぇ、、微妙にニュアンス違って、本人が違和感覚えてるっつー感じで。すんまそん。ま、そんなわけで長らく放置に至ったっつーのが本音ですｗ すんまそん。
Anyways. Now that I’m back blogging again, I’ll just wait and see if Betty
the hungry girl would keep her promise – “I’ll get back on blogging if you did” ;p
まぁそれはいいとして。ブログ再開したにあたって、友達の
The hungry girlこと、ベティーも、約束通りブログの再開するんだろうよ、と。「あんたが再開したら私もそうする」って言ってたからねぇ。ほんとかよ。
So the first post after a year of absence is Sepia. I have quite alot of back logs from the past eating occasions, but this is relatively recent. And just as I was thinking of posting this, a good news came in. Sepia won Restaurant of the year. Woohoooooo, congratulations!
さて、再開第一弾のお店はSepia。過去に行ったレストラン、まだまだ書いていないので溢れかえってるんだけど、こちらは最近。そしてそして、Sepiaのこと書こうかな、と思ってた矢先に、Restaurant of the yearに選ばれましたなー！オメデトウー！
You must have read other posts on Sepia like I have. I have to say they definitely live up to their good reputations – the fantastic dishes with eye-opening creativity and attentive, friendly and knowledgeable staff. And that’s why I chose Sepia for this special celebratory dinner with Tomo.
シドニーフードブログを読んでる人なら、多分見たことあるであろうSepia。クリエイティビティあふれる素晴らしいディッシュと、親しみがあって知識豊富なスタッフ、やっぱりいい噂通りのとこでして。だからこそ、お祝い事ディナーのレストランとしてSepiaを選んだわけであります。
Tomo changes into his fine-dinning cloth. Looking sharp’n'slick? Yeah, until this was revealed.
スーツ姿に変身するTomo。シャープでスリックな感じ？ 、、、とか思うのは今のみ。
I’m just saying I wasn’t the only fat one here. And this is even before the dinner, just so you know. ;p
はちきれそうじゃん。つか、食う前からじゃん。自分だけがメタボってるわけじゃない、ってことをここでアピール。
Arrived and greeted by the staff, we seated at our table and went through the menu quickly. As I Looked around other tables, I already spotted some interesting dishes on other tables. I assumed those were from a la carte menu, but we went for degustation menu ($150/pp) this time.
到着してスタッフにお出迎えされ、テーブルについたらさっくりとメニューに目をとおして、と。周りをみてると、アラカルテメニューからのディッシュか？という良さげな料理がいくつか目についたんだけど、今回はデガステーションのコースにしましたよ。（$150/一人)
(デガステーション：レストランのシグニチャーディッシュや、おすすめする食材・テクニックで作られたディッシュのコース）
Optional starter dish – oyster
I cannot eat oysters after a bad food poisoning experience, so only Tomo gets this. *sucking finger*
スターターは、追加オプションのオイスター。食中毒にあってから食べられなくなったので、Tomoだけ。ええのぉ。
Amuse bouche – Hiramasa king fish
Beautifully seasoned Hiramasa King Fish – I don’t know what it is about the fish, but you can’t fail me with Hiramasa king fish. We both enjoyed the Japanese influence of the dish.
ヒラマサのお刺身・カルパッチョ、とでも言う感じ。ソースがヒラマサの身の締りと合ってとってもウマー。なんかしらんけど、ヒラマサってすごく好きなんだよねぇ。ペロリと頂きました。
“Scallop Sushi” – Nori rolled scallop, pickled ginger, puffed sushi rice, avocado cream
Looking at the menu, I was wondering about the quotation marks and here’s why. The dish visually resembles essential elements of sushi – The pink (Gari: Pickled ginger that’s always comes on the side), White (Sushi rice & scallop), Black (seaweed paper) and Green (Wasabi) I guess this is something you would need to actually taste the dish to get it, but the combination of these flavour and visual elements literally conjures up a real sushi. It’s like eating actual sushi with your eyes and mouth at the same time. Very interesting.
メニュー見た時に、何でクオテーションマークついてるんだろ、とか思ってたんだけど、見たらわかった。これ、いわゆるデコンストラクション（分解）の寿司ってやつですな。この、黒いやつ、細かい海苔がロールオンされたホタテで、切ると中は真っ白。まず、視覚的にピンク（ガリ）、白（酢飯）、黒（のり）、緑（わさび）という感じに、寿司の色要素が取り込まれてるっていう。これ、実際に食べないと説明しにくいんだけど、味付けと視覚の要素が合わさることで、ほんとに寿司を彷彿させる感じなんだよねぇ。目と口で同時に寿司くってます、みたいな。これはおもろかった。
Tartare of yellow fin tuna
warm leek cream, poached egg yolk, soy and wasabi, sprouting caviar lentils, amaranth grain
I should’ve taken this picture differently so the yummy looking poached egg yolk in the middle! This was soooo flavoursome and I loved the texture of it as well. Soft smooth texture of tuna, leek cream and egg yolk against crunchy sprouts and amaranth grains. I wanted another plate of this.
あー、これ、真ん中に置かれたポーチドエッグヨーク写真に取ればよかった、って今更残念感で悶々。味もさることながら、食感が良かった。ツナ、リーククリーム、黄身のスムースな食感と、対照的なボリボリ感のあるスプラウトとアマランスグレインが良い感じに交わって美味しいー。オカワリ！みたいな。
Queensland spanner crab and buckwheat risotto, mustard butter, shellfish essence
Oh how I loved this – it’s just packed with flavour! The form on the top was full of umami from shellfish, and it creates absolutely amazing flavour when mixed with the risotto underneath as recommended.
これが激ウマ！カニの旨みたっぷり、って感じの。この上部のアワアワが貝類のうま味がたっぷり凝縮されたフォームで、ウェイターさんに勧められたように、下にひかれたリゾットと混ぜあわせていただくことで、スパナークラブとの美味しさと混じり合って、すんごい美味しい。
Scampi & Cod fish with fennel and scampi cream
You know, this was also a great dish, but I guess I was loving the risotto so much that it didn’t strike us too impressive, to be honest.
これ、美味しかったんだけど、1つ前のリゾットに惚れすぎて、あんま印象が残って無いんだよねぇ。
Angus beef sirloin with Nameko mushroom and miso sauce
The first meat dish! There’s no explanation needed for the angus beef, right? It was visually screaming that it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I was kind of intrigued by the Nameko mushroom on the side. Sticky & slimy mushroom that is in which I never had thought of putting on the dish along with meat. But it goes really good with all other elements on the dish. And the amazing tenderness of the beef just makes this dish perfect.
ニークッ、ニークッ！つか、これは見た目通りとしか言い様がないす。パーフェクトな焼き加減と味付け。あ、そういや、ディッシュの説明で「ナメェコォ」とか言ってたので、マジ？ってオモタス。普段あんま肉やらなんやらに添えるようなキノコじゃないのでさぁ。でも、その他の要素とよく合ってて、とっても良い感じ。さらに、このアンガスビーフの柔らかさが尋常じゃないくて、もう完璧。
Cocoa and sansho seared Mandagery creek venison, baby beetroots, rhubarb, chocolate, beetroot and boudin noir crumb
Again, this dish was also great but the previous dish was so good that this appeared less impressive compared to the angus beef. But the interesting part was the boudin noir crumb. It sort of added bitterness/smokiness to the venison, I wonder if that’s because the boudin noir had been smoked?? Or the cocoa & sansho that is?
先ほどに続いて、これも美味しかったんだけど、アンガスビーフがはるかに上回ってたので、そこまで印象的ではなかったかな？面白い点はブロッドプディングのクラム。なんていうか、これが苦さ・スモーキーさをヴェニソンに追加した、みたいな感じで。これってブロッドプディングがスモークされてるやつだからなのかな？こう、なんとなく焦がしたレバーみたいな感じの。
Blue and mascarpone cheese with macadamia granita (Optional dish)
This is another optional dish. I always love discovering a new combination to go with blue cheese, and this is something new I’d try. The dish has sort of half savoury half dessert feel to it.
追加オプションメニューのディッシュ。ブルーチーズって、他と合わせると旨さ倍増、とかいうコンビネーションあるから、そういうの発見するの大好きなんだけど、これまた新しい。マカダミアのグラニタと合いますよ。なんか、半分デザートっぽいような感じの一品。
Pre-dessert: Buttermilk, mint jelly and Japanese pumpkin granita
As a palate cleanser. Sourness of buttermilk and chilly granita really cut through the richness of previous dish, and we were so ready for the next dish to come.
口直し用のデザート。バターミルクのサワーな感じと冷たいグラニタが、1つ前のブルーチーズのこってりさからすっきりさせてくれますた。
“Chocolate Forest”
Soft chocolate, chestnut, elderflower cream, blackberry sorbet, blackberry candy, green tea, licorice, chocolate twigs, crystallised lemon thyme
Doesn’t this just look so pretty? It was a virtual forest in my mouth. As every spoonful of this went in my mouth with the sorbet, and chocolate elements made sounds like I was walking on a path in a forest, snapping off twigs with my foot as I walk. Love it!
これかわいくねー？？スプーンで口に入れる度、下にひかれたソフトチョコレートとかチョコレートツィッグやらがザクザクと音たてて、口内森林散歩みたいな。さっぱりしたブラックベリーのソルベと、ジャクジャクとクランチーなチョコの食感がウマス。
As I mentioned earlier, during our degustation course their staff was very attentive and that made our dinner even more enjoyable. Highly recommended, and I definitely would like to revisit soon.
最初の方で書いたけど、コースの間じゅう、スタッフがキビキビと対応してくれて、ディナーもとってもエンジョイできました。絶対オススメのSepia、また近いうちに行きたいな、と思うレストランデッス。
Sepia Restaurant & Wine Bar
201 Sussex street, Sydney NSW 2000
02 9283 1990
http://www.sepiarestaurant.com.au/
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Monday, September 6, 2010 - 10:17 pm English | 日本語
Please someone tell me where I can find insulted butter.
Sunday, August 29, 2010 - 3:39 pm English | 日本語
Incredibly high quality Sushi. That’s all I’d like to say.
ハイクオリティーな寿司 もうこれしかいえませんがな。
We’ve got a variety of Japanese restaurants available in Sydney area, and deciding where to eat can be challenging if you have never been to those. That’s when people throw me a question “Where do you usually go for Japanese?” And I usually give them a list of restaurants – from cheap quick to expensive course eat. I’d say, it’s hard to pick one if you don’t know what you are particularly after, and know where to go.
シドニーには、非常にたくさんの日本食レストランがあって、行ったこと無いところに行くのは、なかなかチャレンジャーだったりするんだよねぇ。そういう時、よく周りから、「日本食、どこがいいと思う？」ってなことを聞かれるんだけど。。日本食って一言でいわれても、色々あるから、とりあえずは、オススメのレストランリストを渡す程度になっちゃう。やっぱ、何料理に関してもだけど、どんなタイプの料理が食べたいかがわからないと、どこに行けばいいのかも難しいチョイスであります。
Today, Mitsu, Mayuri and I are determined to enjoy some quality sushi dinner, and we are here at Koi in Woolwich tonight. This is the place to go for sushi for their skilled chefs, great service, and of course their amazing quality of sushi. What’s my credibility? I’m Japanese and my mum is from sushi restaurant owner family, that’s my two cents.
さて、本日は、みっちゃん、まゆりちゃん、そして自分の３人で、美味しいお寿司を食べるぞ、と意気揚々に、ノース方面のWoolwichというエリアにある「Koi（鯉)」にやってきました。シェフの腕前、サービス、そして忘れてはいけないお寿司のクオリティーに評判が良いレストランであります。
Sano san the sushi chef in the main counter. A few years back, I had met him at Mitsu & Mayuri’s housewarming party where he had served us freshly made sushi. We sit at the counter, and of course went for his omakase sushi.
今日はカウンターにて、Koiの寿司職人である佐野さんに、お任せでお寿司を握っていただきます。数年前に、一度みっちゃん＆マユリちゃんの引越祝いパーティーでお会いしていて、その時もとろけるような美味しいお寿司を握ってくれていたんですよ。
I guess it’s good for a group gathering to order assorted sushi plates along with other food to go with, but if you are after some great sushi, it’s better to sit at the counter and go for a la carte or omakase asking the chef what’s particularly fresh and good on the day. (That also means the higher price tag comes with it.)
Type of sushi they serve at the counter doesn’t need extra soy sauce to dip. It’s already seasoned the best. The sushi rice is a bit smaller than ones that you would see at Japanese restaurants, but this is the preferred size to enjoy and concentrate on the flavour and texture of the fish at its max.
And piece by piece good looking sushi was put on our plates.
カウンターでのお寿司、ネタにすでに味がついているので、お醤油をつける必要なし。シャリの方は、よくある寿司のサイズよりも小さめで、新鮮なネタの味と口当たりなどを堪能するにはぴったりのサイズ。
ひとつひとつ、丁寧に握られていきます。
Starting with Tsukidashi (Small entrée) of Octopus and grilled tuna. My god, look at these translucent slices of flesh! Each of them has its best fresh texture, and seasoned differently to match with its characteristic of the texture.
突き出しのタコとマグロの皮近くの身の焼き物から。つか、この透き通るようなネタみてよ！！新鮮なネタの食感と、それぞれに合った味付けがもーーーーー、最高。
Chutoro (medium fat tuna) that Sano san confidently claimed to be great was exceptionally good indeed that it tasted almost like Ootoro (The fattest) – melting texture and hmm-hmm fatty layers like premium wagyu beef. One of the highlight for me was the Shimesaba (vinegar marinated mackerel) with a paper-thin konbu.
佐野さんオススメの中トロがスゴ旨。大トロ並にとろけるような食感と霜降り和牛か！というような脂身。その他、特に美味しかったのは鯖のにぎりですな。しめ鯖なんて食べたの何年ぶりだろう、、、。（意外に、海外の日本食じゃ出しているとこ少ないんだよねぇ。まぁ、おいしいかもアレなんですが。）
Each mouthful of the sushi, I was only to moan and surrender myself to its flavour.
１つ１つ口にいれるたび、悶えるのみ。
The only designated drinker of the night.
本日唯一酒の飲めるオナゴ。
After the array of these beautiful sushi, Sano san asked us if we were still up for more. We requested a few that we particularly liked. Then, we realised that the blocks of fishes at the counter, which was fully filled upon arriving, was pretty much gone.
D..did..we..eat..that… much…..?
He quickly improvised and made us a bowl of
Chirashi sushi to finish up. Damn, this is NICE! I wish I could come get this for lunch.
これらの寿司を食べ終わったら、佐野さんが「まだいけますか？」と。出てきた中から、美味しかった２−３寛をお願いしたんですが、ふと目をカウンターに向けると、到着した頃には沢山あったネタのブロックがほぼ無くなってることに気づく、、、。こ、こんなにたべたのかねぇ、うちらって？！
What a great dinner full of fantastic sushi! Honestly, I wouldn’t usually even feel like stuffing myself with sushi, especially at sushi-go-round type of places. Three of us were fully stuff with exceptional sushi tonight and reassured to come back for sushi to enjoy again soon.
そんなこんなで。えぇ。タップリ食べましたよ。てか、普通に回転寿司とかで、腹はち切れそうになるまで食べたい、って思わないんだけど、やっぱりおいしくタップリ食べたいなら、それなりのグレードのあるものじゃないと、って思ってしまいましたよ。
近々、また美味しいお寿司食べたい欲がでたら、行ってきマース。
Strongly recommended to sit at the counter and go for omakase!
カウンターにて、おまかせで行くのがオススメですぜ。
Koi
102 Woolwich road, Woolwich
9817 6030
http://www.koi-dining.com.au/
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Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 3:41 pm English | 日本語
Food bloggers LOOOOVE wow factors in food. The evening was certainly one of them –
11kg of slow toasted organic suckling pig curved at the table. *squeals* What’s not to love about that!
Pig & Pinot food blogger dinner was hosted by
Chophouse, and a
group of
hungry food bloggers participated to
enjoy and
shared the
feast time.
フードブロガーって、常にフード関連の驚き要素に目がありませぬ。今夜のディナーは、そんな驚きの１つでありまっせ。なんつったって、11kgのスローローストされたオーガニック仔豚丸焼き。焼きたてがテーブルでカットされるとかいう。ごくり。そんなPig & Pinot フードブロガーディナーが、シドニーCBDのChophouseのご好意により開かれ、我ら腹ペコのシドニーフードブロガー9名が招待されました。
Adam Heathcote, operations manager of Pacific Restaurant Group, gave a speech – and I were to *ding-ding* and wiggle my fingers at every yummy keyword he threw like juicy, tender, etc. (Yes yes, I was listening.)
本日の主催者、Pacific Restaurant グループ、オペレーションマネージャーのアダム・ヒースコートさん。イントロダクションスピーチをしてる最中も、「香ばしい」とか「柔らかな肉汁が」とか言うおいしいキーワードが出る度にド・キ・ド・キ。（話きいてたよ、ちゃんと。ぷぷぷ。）
Our glasses were poured with Ostler Pinot Gris from southeastern New Zealand, and then the first dish was placed at our table.
サウスイースタンニュージーランドのOstler Pinot Grisがワイングラスに注がれ、最初のディッシュがやってきました。
The first dish: Jamon & Italian Buffalo mozzarella with roasted fennel, spring onion and almonds.
Silky mozzarella served on top of shaved jamon along with rosted fennel and spring onion. Creamy cheese, perfect saltiness from jamon, sweetness from roasted fennel and spring onion, and the acidity of Balsamic vinegar were such an amazing combination of flavour. It went really well with the Pinot that my wine glass quickly became empty. (and quickly refilled again. yay)
とってもスムースなバッファローモッツァレラが、薄く削られたハモン、ローストフェンネルとスプリングオニオンの上に乗せられてきました。この、クリーミーなチーズ、フェンネルとオニオンの甘さ、そしてバルサミックの酸味がとってもマッチしてて最高！ピノットとの相性も最高で、あっという間にグラスがカラに。（すぐにリフィルしていただきました。にやり）
The second: Ceviche of Hervey bay sea scallops topped with Mt Lowe truffle, avruga and apple.
These fresh scallops had the freshness in the texture – you know, that bit of crunchiness/firmness in soft silky texture? Adam explains that the truffle was sourced from Oberon and shaved for dishes less than 24 hours. It was actually quite mild truffle – I thought I was the only one thinking like that and didn’t want to appear to be a pretentious foodie, but I wasn’t alone on this. Phew lol
セビチェのホタテの新鮮さ、舌触りにしっかり出てます。あの、なんつーか、シルクのような柔らかさの中にしっかり噛みごたえがある、っていうやつ。この上にガーニッシュされているトリュフ、オーベロン地方から取り寄せてから、料理に使われるまでの時間が24時間以内という新鮮さ。 ただ、ちょっと香りがトリュフにしてはマイルドかな、、、？そう思ってたのは一人だけ？とか思って、知ったかぶった奴になりたくなかったので言わなかったけど、そう思ってたのは自分だけじゃなかったらしい。よかたｗ
AND. Everyone suddenly stopped followed by collective gasps.
そして 皆一斉に動きが停まり、思わずハァァッ！！という驚きの声が上がったのである。
OH. MY. GOD. Executive chef, David Clarke arrived at our table with what looks to me a golden treasure. With a tail.
Some might say “too graphic” or “so sad” but I can only say “YUM” We quickly whipped out our cameras and shoot shoot shoot! And we weren’t the only ones excited, other guests around us sticked their necks to take a peek. Definitely the highlight of the night that deserves to be the name of the dinner.
イヤァァァァァァァァ！！ 料理長のデイビッド・クラークさんが、持ってきましたよ。アレを。黄金色の宝を。しっぽ付きの。
「グロイ」とか「かわいそう」とか言う人もいるだろうが、いえいえ、ウ・マ・ソ！！ 即座にカメラを取り出して、パシャパシャと写真を取るブローガーたちがそこに。つか、驚きで興奮してたのはうちらだけじゃなかったんすよ。周りのお客さんも、首伸ばして何事か、と。
The suckling pig was quickly carved by the skilled hands of knife. Oh the cracklings ♥
丸焼きが、料理長の手で手際よく解体されてきます。んもぉ〜、カリカリ皮ラブ！
Hmmm it just gives me shivering by looking at the shot. Crispy golden crackling and succulent juicy flesh!!
この写真みてるだけで身震いしてくるっつーの。カリッカリのクラックリング（皮）とジューシーな身を見よ！！
And of course we are not afraid of unusual parts of food. All to be eaten.
もちろんフードブロガーなるもの、恐れるもの無し。全部くってやる。
Side: Cauliflower Gratin
Side: Wedge salad. (hmmm the runny yolk!)
Side: Green beans
The gorgeous suckling pig was served along with these side dishes as well as apple sauce, jus and Harrisa. Along with the main, 2006 Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir was poured.
ローストは、アップルソース、この仔豚のグレービー、それとハリッサの3種類のソースと共にいただきます。長テーブルにて、友達ブロガーのリチャードとティナの3人で真ん中に座ってたんだけど、ラッキーな座り位置でしたぜ。他のみんなは4−5人で大皿のローストをシェアしてたけど、基本的にうちらは3人で独占状態ｗｗ ブヒブヒ。そして、マッチングワインとして、2006年物のOstler Caroline’s Pinot Noirが注がれました。
Dessert: Caramelised Banana Cheesecake with buttersotch & peanut brittle
Stuffed myself with the suckling pig, I was sending my prayer – “God, if you have to take me, it’s now.” The lovely cheesecake arrived, and I continue my prayer with “hold that thought.” It looked a bit heavy especially shortly after the pork, but not too heavy at all. In fact, I clean the plate completely.
ローストでお腹も幸せ一杯。思わず、「神様、死ななきゃいけないなら今！」とか思ったっつーの。そして運ばれたこのチーズケーキ。あ、神様、ちょっとまて。前言撤回。豚のローストの後にこれは重いんじゃね？とか頭をよぎったけど、見た目程ヘビーじゃないんすよ。きれーに食べつくしました。＊キラーン＊
Dessert: Swiss Milk Chocolate block
“Do you think the chocolate is coming too?” – whispering to Richard. And they didn’t disappoint me. It’s got toffee hazelnuts inside!
Along with the dessert, two bottles of XO Hennessy Cognac and Berta Grappa Nebbiolo Tre Soli Tre were put on our table. I know from previous bad experience, I decided to be caution and pour into my glass veeeery veeeery little. Confirmation: “Grappa is new Italian for Petrol.”
「あれ、今回もくるかねぇ？」 期待裏切ることなく出てきましたよ。あれが。でっかいブロックのチョコレート！中には、トフィーコートされたヘーゼルナッツが。ウマー。
これらのデザートと共に、ビンテージXO ヘネシーコニャックとBerta Grappa Nebbiolo Tre Soli Treがテーブルに置かれまして。グラッパ、、。ちと、恥ずかしい失態の原因になったアレですｗｗ 50〜60度くらいあるんすよ、これ。だからちょびーーーーーっとだけね。「グラッパはイタリアのガソリン」と再確認ｗ
Absolutely fantastic dinner with full of joy – that’s what I can describe the night. Chophouse is opening up a new upstairs section in a few months, and they’ll be roasting different meat every night, and curved to order. I MUST COME BACK FOR THAT.
歓喜に満ちた最高ディナー、って言うしか無いねぇ。とっても大満足のディナーでした。このChophouse、通常のステーキハウスレストランとしての営業の他、２−３ヶ月中に、新しいセクションを2階にオープンし、毎日違う種類のローストをして、オーダーされてから丸焼きをカットしてくれる、っていうのを始めるそうです。絶対行かねば！
We were also given a bagful of goodies to take home with. Vacuum sealed dry aged Delmonico, Lindt macarons and Chophouse chocolate, along with David’s 8 steps to the perfect steak instructions. Awww thank you very very much!
Huge thanks to Adam, David, and Sarah for the awesome evening!
実はディナーだけじゃなくて、お持ち帰りのプレゼンツまで頂いちゃいました。Chophouseでのシグネチャーミートの一つでもあるドライ熟成されたDelmonicoのステーキ肉、Lindtのマカロン、先程のチョコレートブロック、そして料理長デイビッドさんの「完璧なステーキへの8ステップ」が書かれたインストラクションまで！ど、ど、どうもありがとうございましたーーー！！！
アダムさん、デイビッドさん、そしてマーケティングのサラさん、ご馳走様でしたー！
hungry.digital.elf. dined as a guest of Chophouse.
hungry.digital.elf. Chophouse様のご好意によりごちそうさま。
前回のChophouseイベントは
こちら（英語のみ）
Chophouse
25 Bligh St, Sydney
1300 246 748
http://www.chophouse.com.au/
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Sunday, August 8, 2010 - 12:18 am English | 日本語
Have you guys seen the posts from the fantastic
Christmas in July dinner over at Billy’s? I’m damn bummed that I couldn’t make it – so many hearty dishes & sleepover with favourite food bloggers – Oh… I shouldn’t think about that again, it’ll only make me depressed ;p
よ。友達のBillyが主催した、
７月のクリスマスの記事はぜひ見ていただきたい。南半球に位置するオーストラリアは、季節が反対なので、Christmas in Julyという、要するに「他の国みたいに冬にクリスマスやろうぜ」とかいうアレでして。フードブロガー達が、Billy宅にて行ったディナー、残念なことに、今回は見送ることになってしまった。。。
So in the mean time, what the hell was I doing…? well…
なんでかって？？それはですねぇ、、、
I managed to get a table at
Tetsuya’s for dinner with such a last minute notice!! A friend in need is a friend indeed. AMEN TO THAT! This is my third time having dinner at Tetsuya’s, and it always excites me with what dish would come next.
急だったのにも関わらず、世界に名声を誇る、
Tetuya’sにてディナーの予約が入れられたノォォォっっ！！あぁ、、やっぱり持つものは友達（らぶ） こちらでのディナーは今回で３度目。毎回毎回、どんな料理が出るんだろう！！ってわくわくしちゃうんすよ、ほんと
What really impresses me at Tetsuya’s every time is that the great dinning experience starts with such a superior service as soon as we put our feet into the restaurant. After warm greetings, we were seated by the window looking over the Japanese garden. Complimentary champagne were poured into our glasses, we proposed a toast, and patiently waited for the first dish.
なんと言っても、Tetsuya’sでディナーに行く度ウワァぁぁと思うのが、ダイニングエクスペリエンスがレストランに足を踏み入れた時から始まるってとこ。暖かいグリーティングに迎えられ、敷地内の日本庭園を見渡す窓際の席へ。コンプリメンタリーで頂いたシャンパンで乾杯し、最初のディッシュを待っておりました。
First course was the warm chesnut soup. Silky smooth nutty flavour just exploded! It was really a nice dish to start the whole dinning experience. And. I was seriously moaning in PLEASURE with the second dish – how can Kingfish be this tasteful?! And more surprise continues. Scampi, goat cheese and silken tofu. Scampi and tofu was the combination I have had before somewhere else, but with goat cheese? The creamy soft texture of scampi and other two was simply awesome.
最初のコースは、チェスナッツのスープ。シルクのように滑らかでナティーなフレーバーが最高。コースを始めるのにぴったりのディッシュでしたよ。そして。２品目のディッシュ。。。ナンジャコリャぁぁぁ！！！！ってほど美味しかった！！いや、てか、キングフィッシュって、刺身とか寿司とかで身近にいただいてるんだけど、いままで食べた事の無い味！刺身スタイルなのに、なぜかグリルしたようなフレーバーがあったような、、、。美味しすぎ！そして続くは、スキャンピ、ゴートチーズと絹豆腐。スキャンピと豆腐の組み合わせは、どこかで食べた事があるんだけど（日本でだっけなぁ、、）、ゴートチーズとの組み合わせは初めて。この、クリーミーな食感がマッチして、とっても美味しかった。スキャンピあったら、ちょっと家でやってみたいなぁ。
And now we’re onto mains. “OH THIS IS MY FAVOURITE!” - I had to cut in with my perky voice as our waiter was about to explain the signature dish – Confit ocean trout with ShioKonbu. Another highlight of mains was the ox tail with sea cucumber. The ox tail was tender and flavourful, and sea cucumber, which I have to admit that I’m not too found of, was nicely crunchy as it should be and went really well with refreshing yuzu drizzle. And Angus beef steak – like Tetsuya himself says in the recent TV appearance, it’s meaty and tastes the meat-ness itself.
さて、いよいよメインディッシュでっせ。「イヤぁぁぁぁぁぁぁ（悲鳴）これがスキナノォッッ！！」と、料理の説明をしようとしてるウエイターさんの口を塞いでしまった程。Tetsuya’sでのシグネチャーディッシュである、オーシャントラウトのコンフィ。あぁ、もうだめ。これだけでもディナーに来た甲斐があった、って思っちゃうもん。そしてそちて。OXテールとナマコさん。ほろほろに煮込まれたテール、ぎゅっとうまみが出てて最高。それと反面して、コリコリ感のあるナマコは、添えられたユズのドリズルとマッチして美味しかった。アンガスビーフのステーキは、テツヤ氏ご本人が最近TVでも言ってたんだけど、「本来の肉の味」が味わえるジューシーな一品。油こってりの和牛もいいけど、ザ・肉！っていうアンガスビーフも最高！
Dessert time. REALLY? It was nearing the end of courses.
The first up, pear sorbet with walnuts & bread pudding. (oops, I had “peach” written in the caption…) Pear sorbet was to cleanse our palette – icy refreshment surely has set my mouth for the pudding, which was rich and creamy with fragrant cinnamon flavour. I was a bit surprised to see such a simple dessert, but I’ve got to say this was the best bread pudding I ever had so far. (hmm, but again, I don’t think I ever had enough to compare to begin with, to be honest lol)
そしてデザートタイム。マジすか、もうっすか？
初めの一品は、梨とウォールナッツのソルベ。甘さ控えめのソルベは、口直しの一品で、アイシーにリフレッシュ。隣に添えられたブレッドプディングとMove on!クリーミーでリッチなブレッドプディングは、シナモンの香りが口に広がってとっても美味しい！実は、こういうシンプルなディッシュが出てくるとは思ってなかったので、ちょっぴり不意つかれた感じなんだけど、今まで食べた事のあるブレッドプディングの中でベストでした！（とはいえ、比べられる程食べたことあるわけじゃないけどw）
As you might already know, the whole dinner course at Tetsuya’s lasts at least for 3-4 hours. And besides these great dishes we were served, I always enjoy the exciting anticipation for the next dishes. That’s one of the reasons I MUST go back periodically to find out their new dishes!
ご存知の方も多いと思いますが、Tetsuya’sでのディナーは、最低３−４時間程かかるんですよ。６時のディナーも、終わったのは１０時半くらいだったかな？こちらでのすばらしい料理の数々ももちろんの事なんですけど、いつも「次は何だろう、次は何だろう」っていう楽しみがあるんですよねぇ。だから、定期的にまたお邪魔して、どんな新しいディッシュがでるのか、次も行かなければ。
Who’s coming with me next time?!
次は誰が一緒に行ってくれるー？
Check out the last
two previous dinners at Tetsuya’s too!
Tetsuya’s
529 Kent Street, Sydney NSW
02-9267-2900
Friday, July 30, 2010 - 12:40 am English | 日本語
HI HI HI! Do you remember me?! After more than two months of absence, I’m baaaack, at least for now.
Things were frantically busy that I was barely pulling myself together. Man, I have, like, 3 months worth of back logs… But let’s just put the boring stuff aside, and get to the yummies.
いやー！！忙しかったっす！！ほぼ２ヶ月程ブランクおきましたが、とりあえず再開ですぜ。ほんと狂ったように忙しくて、まいてったっつーの。３ヶ月程溜まってる記事があったりするんですが。ま、そんなことはおいといて、ウマウマな方へ。
You’ve seen it, read it, done it, been there, eaten with them. Dinning with food floggers always surprises you with something impressive, creative, unique, awesome, tasty, rare to find, incredibly huge, incredibly tiny etc. And that’s one of the things I love about spending time with them – some wow factor with food.
もう既に見たり読んだり聞いたりしてると思いますが。フードブロガーとのディナーの醍醐味っつったら、毎回毎回クリエイティブ、ユニーク、美味、珍しい、バカでか、極小、などなど、普通のディナーとは一味ちがうフードに出くわすことにあります。
The food bloggers’ dinner was taken place at
Bistro CBD by
Merivale as one of their winter promotion events, where our
favourite four food bloggers take a challenge to work their ass off in the commercial kitchen and serve 70 hungry guests, to be specific,
70 *paying* guests. All of them have been known for their impressive culinary talents and skills, but I had never seen them in a professional kitchen situation – I was so thrilled to find out what they had been busy preparing their courses!
シドニーのレストランマネージメント会社、Merivaleによるウインタープロモーションの一環として、ビストロCBDにてフードブロガーディナーというものが行われました。４人のフードブロガーが、レストラン厨房にて大奮闘しつつ、７０人のゲストにフルコースを出すという。70人の「金払ってきてるゲスト」ですからねぇ。Billy, Karen, Linda, Fouadの４人とも、オーストラリアフードブログコミュニティにてすでに有名で、その料理の才能と技量もすでに認知されてるんだけど、実際に業務用厨房にてうまくやりこなせるのか、というプレッシャー大のイベントであります。
As soon as I walked into CBD hotel, I found
familiar faces already enjoying their drinks. I had to miss out on so many dinning occasions with them, it was so great catching up with them!
仕事の後CBDホテルに直行。1階のバーに足をいれるやいなや、すでにフードブロガー仲間が一杯やってるのを発見。しばらく会ってなかったので、ちょっとしたリユニオーン。
I know this wasn’t only me who was screaming inside “OHHH MY GWAAAD, WE DONT HAVE MUCH LIGHTING INSIDE!!” – yes yes, nicely dimmed low light can be romantic and it’d set the mood and stuff, but to food bloggers, it simply means extra work with their cameras. I do not have excellent camera skills like others do, and I knew I’d be having hard time taking pictures! (Thanks god, at least I’m a professional photoshopper!)
2階のレストラン部にみんなして移動しつつ、誰もが心のなかで「いやぁァァッッッ！！暗すぎる！！！」とか雄叫びあげてたでしょうよ、えぇ。そりゃね、薄暗くて、キャンドルの灯ってるのがロマンチックでムードあるのはわかるんだけど、我らフードブロガーにとっては、単なるエクストラワークの確定以外のなんでもないんすよ。カメラスキルの無い自分にとっては、ローライトって試練ですぜ。試練。（フォトショ使いで良かった、、、ぷるぷる）
So, please bear with my poor camera skill – these dishes looked more impressive and beautiful than how they look in my pictures. (But it turned out that
iPad was a good source of light. hahaha.)
First course: Sashimi of kingfish, avocado, wasabi, lime and soft herbs – Simun Dragicevich (Bistro CBD chef)
Fresh kingfish with mildness of olive oil was accompanied with tangy lime and wasabi. Sharpness of lime and wasabi and silky kingfish texture was a great combination on my tongue.
新鮮なキングフィッシュとマイルドなオリーブオイルが、シャキッとした酸味のライム、わさびとアボカドのピュレー、ソフトハーブたちに飾られてサーブ。ライムの酸っぱさ、わさびとピリピリさが、スムースなキングフィッシュとしっかりマッチしてました。うまうま。
Second course: Shish Barak, Middle eastern style dumpling – Fouad
Oh loved these crispy dumplings! He explained that he used Gyoza pastry instead of traditional thick pastry to make the dumplings crispier. Juicy lamb minced was well-seasoned and I love how they tastes as is, but sourness from the garlic and yoghurt sauce worked really well and cut through the richness of the dumplings.
このカリカリのダンプリングうまー！本当は、伝統的な生地を使って作るそうなんですが、あえて餃子用の皮を使って、揚げた時のカリカリさをキープしてるとのこと。中身はラムのひき肉で、これだけでもジューシーでおいしいんだけど、ガーリックヨーグルトソースの酸味と見事にマッチしてて、とってもいい感じ。
Third course: “Pork you!” twice cooked pork belly – Billy
Billy is the pork man – he has already proven to many of us that he knows how to work with pork! Amazingly tender and succulent twice cooked pork belly was placed on the beautifully vivid red beetroot sauce along with apple gel, cubed beetroot and crumbled black pudding. I really could go for another slice of the pork belly!
ポークと言えばビリー。過去にも何回かものすごいポークディッシュを披露してるので、もう認知のことなんですが、今回もやってくれましたぜ。蕩けそうな柔らかさの身とカリカリのクラックリング。それがビートルート（赤カブ）のシロップに、アップルジェルと共にサーブされてます。もう１つくれ、もうひとつ！！
Fourth course: Braised Beef in PX sherry – Karen
Oh man, melting tender beef cheeks! I have such a week spot for tender braised meat, and Karen has done such an awesome job on this. What it looks like pureed potato is actually a cauliflower puree, which goes well with the melting goodness. And look look, I’ve got one with fat layers. Me likes!
ンモゥっ！！このとろとろのビーフチークゥッッ！！（悶）こういうとろとろ系の肉料理に弱いんだよなぁ〜。カリフラワーのピュレーと共に、冬場のディナーに最適の一品でしたよ。しかも脂肪のレイヤーが。らぶ。
Fifth course: “This and that” – Linda
So what’s for dessert? The title didn’t give away much clue and some of us were guessing that it would definitely involve macarons – we know she’s a determined macaronian! But we were wrong in a good way. Perfection that it was in fact. The chocolate terrine with salt flakes and lemon olive oil ice cream garnished with a tuile. I wasn’t quite sure what the ice cream was made from until explained by Linda – smooth mild taste and texture with a hint of acidity – it goes fantastic with rhubarb jam! Absolutely fantastic desserts to end the course with. I really loved the different layers of chocolate – ganache, mousse and brownie, works magically with the salt flakes.
さて、デザートはなんぞや。品目からはまったく想像つかなかったんだけど、リンダはマカロンマスターとして知られてるので、みんなで「きっと何かマカロンとどうのこうの、とかじゃないかねぇ」と、団地おばさんの如く憶測してますた。見事裏切られましたが。（あっさり）そして現れた２つのアイテム。3レイヤーのチョコレートケーキと、アイスクリーム。チョコレートケーキは、上からガナッシュ、ムース、そしてブラウニー。このアイスクリームは、最初「食べたことあるけど何かわからない」あれでして。スムースな口当たりのミルクっぽいベースに、後味がすっきりした酸味。。後の解説で、レモンインフューズドオリーブオイルのアイスクリームだと。なるほど！うまー！チョコレートケーキも、上に添えられたソルトフレークが、チョコレートをまろやかにしてて。コースの最後ご飾るのに最高のデザートでした。
Even from their tweets from previous nights, I can obviously tell that they have put so much effort and thoughts into the dinner this evening. All of their wonderful dishes were also accentuated with their personalities- where they came from, passion & love for food, and I enjoyed every bite of it. Kudos for Fouad, Billy, Karen and Linda for successfully satisfying 70 people with amazing dishes!
So who’s the next food bloggers to go through the pressure?
ツイッターでも、しばらく彼らの奮闘さをみてたんだけど、なるほど、今夜のために頑張ってきた成果がでた大成功に終わりましたなー。各ディッシュも、ひとつひとつ、彼らのパーソナリティがでてるんだよね。フードへの愛着とか、小さい時に食べてきた味からの影響とか。すべて美味しくいただきましたよ。
さ、次にチャレンジするフードブロガーはだれぞな？
****
There was an announcement at the end that Bistro CBD will close its door on the evening, and will be reopening as BiStrode CBD in mid August.
最後にレストランからのお知らせがあり、Bistro CBDは今夜で閉店となるそうです。が。来月中旬より、BiStrode CBDとしてリオープンだそうです。
Bistro CBD
52 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 2:01 pm English | 日本語
Would you like some fritters? Yes? Cool, I’ll make some, let’s eat!
Despite it’s 1am.
Oh corn fritters. They are so simple yet can be such a satisfying dish, especially for some lazy weekend brunch. I love ones at Bill’s, and I always have a huge debate in my head – “Corn fritters or Ricotta pancake.” What makes me realise every single time is that using fresh ingredients definitely impacts on how the dish would turn out. Nothing wrong with using canned food for cooing, but when it comes to corn fritters, I must use fresh corns.
So tonight (yes, tonight), my brain protested its mental hunger and proposed “Corn fritters or no sleep.” The only rational thing to do is to accept its demand and get some sleep in return. You know, I’m a rational civilised adult after all. ;p As I was quite hungry, I also added a tin of tuna to my usual corn fritter ingredients.
Recipe adapted from Bill Granger‘s corn fritter on LifeStyle Food. I’ve also added some tuna flakes – which by the way made the fritters look more like an Okonomiyaki.
So why not finish them with oh-so-yummy Japanese Mayo like an okonomiyaki.
For the side, sliced granny smith apple (left over from previous apple hamburg steak) tossed with sea salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
And don’t forget a dessert.
When I was in college back in Japan (btw, I’ve spent my freshman year in Japan.), I was totally addicted to 森永牛乳プリン (Morinaga Milk Pudding) that was sold in the college cafeteria. My friends used to spot me there secretly buying out all of the puddings before they’d sell out. What’s so good about it is that it’s got such a simple and silky smooth sweetness that almost brings back some childhood memories, like some homemade dessert.
Soy milk, double cream and condensed milk mixed in 4:1:1 ratio, Gelatine + Agar, Vanilla extract, that’s it! Again, I don’t measure ingredients, go with the flow and adjust as you like. It tastes great as is, but adding some Japaneseness to it with Azuki (Sweet red bean) sauce is definitely a plus. And some whipped cream.
You can simply use gelatine or agar only, but the combination will create smooth, soft and wobbly yet firm enough texture. If you want to make it much richer, just use whole milk instead of soy milk. I chose soy milk simply because I like it.
My brain and stomach satisfied, and that’s when my bed time is.
Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 1:03 am English | 日本語
There’s absolutely no doubt that smell is a very essential factor in food experience, and I often find surprising that there exists a lot of food in which their smell can be almost too intense to be food. For instance, blue cheese – some of my friends say they could never enjoy eating it because of its smell. And I’m no exception when it comes down to a few unique food from different culture, such as Taiwanese stinky tofu. (I can’t help thinking that must be what BO tastes like…) I guess we generally process fermented or smelly food as alarming stuff to eat, of course unless it’s publicly recognised and known to be edible, like cheese or fruits like a durian.
In Japanese food, we do have a range of stinky food as well. (btw, these days it’s popularly accepted, but I remember that Miso (Fermented soybean paste) used to be treated as ‘exotic smelly food from Japan’) But the most popular stinky food from Japan must be Natto (Fermented soybean) Not only its smell (which is often referred as dirty socks..), how you eat is rather interesting. It’s so sticky and gooey that it produces sticky spider-web like strings as you mix – The more you mix, the stickier it gets. Natto is usually mixed with soy sauce and chopped spring onion, and pour over steamed rice.
So today, I bought a few pack of Natto from Japanese grocery shop and make something with it. I assume many of you would not like Natto, but there’re some recipes that reduce the smell of Natto yet bring out other flavour. To be honest, I’m not particularly a big fan of Natto – though I can eat. But I find myself enjoying it in this dish. Natto fried rice!
Ingredients:
1 Natto pack
Chopped spring onion
Soy sauce
Steamed rice (Preferably not freshly cooked one. Leftover rice is better in fact.)
With a little bit of olive oil in the pan, place natto and stir fry until slightly brown. Natto shouldn’t be pre-mix nor seasoned with soy sauce. Add chopped spring onion and rice, and continue to stir fry. When the rice grains are no longer sticking each other, add soy sauce right before you take the pan off the stove and evenly distribute.
How simple is that?
I’m not going to lie, it still got the Natto smell but much less intense. stirfrying Natto actually cuts down alot of stickiness and makes the flavour more mellow & milder. I know Natto is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are “i’ve tried it before, not my favourite but I can eat.” type of person, you might enjoy this little easy & simple dish.
I just need to remember to open my window when I cook Natto though. ;p
Sunday, May 9, 2010 - 11:18 pm English | 日本語
Backlog backlog backlog. The last 3 months before tax year end is always the busiest time for me every year. On top of my current full time contract work, a few other projects are coming in and out and I’ve got to put my fun stuff aside during this time of the year!
One of the big food blogger events that I have missed is Battle Royale cook-off organised by Billy (A Table for Two), Ellie (Almost Bourdain) and Linda (Eat, Show & Tell) where 11 Sydney food bloggers participated to come up with idea for either a dessert using vegetable or a savoury using fruits. And I was invited to do a savoury dish, but unfortunately I was unable to attend due to high volume of work to do over the weekend. But I have tried and come up with this idea for the event, and I’ll share with you.
So what I was going to cook for the battle? Well, I was in a savoury team along with other fantastic cooks – Ellie, Helen, Minh, Richard and Simon. I knew from the beginning that I would have no way of winning against these guys. And coming up with some ordinary recipe with ordinary ingredients would be just too boring and predictable, right? I had to cook something that everyone goes “No you didn’t make that out of this fruit!” – regardless of what that would taste like ;p
What I have chosen is Granny Smith Apple. I know, I know, it sounds still too ordinary, but here’s my reason for it.
1) It’s got texture that can be easily controlled. Granny smith apple as is (uncooked) can have fibre dense texture, but once cooked it’ll turn into smooth soft texture.
2) It can be sweet & sour or even bland tasted so it’s rather easier to add flavour with other ingredients.
And here’s my Granny Smith Apple hamburg Steak with no meat. I’d say mostly all apple!
What do you think?
Ingredients
3 coarsely grated Granny Smith Apples
1 cup of grated tofu
1/2 cup of oatmeal
a bit of soy milk – just to combine oatmeal with other ingredients.
2 tea spoons baking powder
2 eggs
chopped and browned onions & mushrooms
2 cloves garlic grated
salt & pepper to season
1 table spoon of sugar
sprinkles of sesame oil
soy sauce and Worcester sauce
Sauce
Soy sauce
Sugar
Squeezed apple juice
Sweet balsamic reduction
Tomato sauce
Mirin
Konbu (Kelp) Dashi soup stock
Finely grated apple
Chopped butter sauteed chopped onions
Rough recipe (Sorry, I don’t cook with detailed measurement!)
Grate apples and squeeze out its juice. Keep the juice for sauce later on.
Combine all other ingredients with the grated apple and mix well.
Shape and panfry until brown.
Sauce
In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Depending on the sourness of the apple, add Mirin or sugar. Reduce the sauce until it gets desired thickness.
You know what, I was quite surprised how it actually turned out – in a good way. Because the apples I got was pretty bland tasted that I would usually call “Bad apples”, it pretty much contributed to help creating rather interesting texture to it. And in fact, apple/apple juice works pretty well with soy sauce when it’s combined and reduced.
I took it even further this time. Slice up the apple, slowly cook in a sauce pan with a bit of Dashi, sugar, salt and light. Once it became softer and translucent, place on a kitchen paper and pad dry. Then sand the slices in each hamburg steak mixture.
Doesn’t it look like it’s got a melting cheese in it? It’s lightly salty apple slices!
I was really keen to present this at the event and see how others think. I’m looking forward to the next one to happen soon!
Make sure to check out these posts and find out awesome dishes these food bloggers have come up with!
A Table for Two: http://www.atablefortwo.com.au/2010/04/28/the-food-bloggers-battle-royale-cook-off/
Almost Bourdain: http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post.html
Chocolate Suze: http://www.chocolatesuze.com/2010/04/28/battle-royale-food-blogger-style
Citrus and Candy: http://www.citrusandcandy.com/2010/04/sydney-food-bloggers-battle-royale.html
Raspberri Cupcakes: http://raspberricupcakes.blogspot.com/2010/04/beetroot-desserts.html
Eat, Show & Tell: http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2010/04/26/the-food-bloggers-battle-royale-cook-off/
Grab Your Fork: http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/2010/05/recipe-lychee-pork-ribs-and-food.html
Here comes the food: http://www.herecomesthefood.com.au/home-cooking/foodblogger-battle-royale-cook-off-2010.html
