Katsu Yachiyo

Katsu Yachiyo is one of the newbies on the scene. From the owners of Sushi Yachiyo in Darlinghurst (near the coke sign), Katsu Yachiyo is as the name suggests i.e. a katsu specialist!

It is tucked away on Devonshire St, Surry Hills and if you walk any faster you will miss it as they dont have a big flashy sign outfront. Instead they humbly wrote the restaurant name on the glass panel:



They only opened in December 2011 and its a shame its not packed on a friday night. They do not waste effort on the decor but ajourn the walls with blackboards that lists the specials and the array of imported sake on offer.



My sister being the japanese foodie that she is, ordered the Umeshu Shouchu without hesitation and of course i happily followed suit =) They only had 2 remaining so we shared it amongst 3 people. It is a very sweet plum shochu (japanese distilled spirit) which does not kill you on impact like sake does. Also ordered a fuji sparkling apple juice for my dearest.


Umeshu $9.50, apple sparking

There were some interesting dishes on the menu which i really wanted to try out. One of them was the prawn avocado with walnut and miso reduction. The walnut pieces were piled in the middle of the dish surrounded by sushi pieces so i had to scoop some every time I ate a sushi. As the avocado and prawn are quite textureless by themselves, the walnut brought the dish alive. Similarly with the miso reduction and mayo, omg i love the miso reduction! It was rich and sweet and oh so yummy. If only there was more sauce!



Prawn miso walnut roll $14.60

On a side note, they somehow have this amazing dipping soy sauce. I cannot describe it, but the soy sauce is thick and very tasty. So tasty i dipped everything that night in soy =)

I have a loving relationship with eggplant. The spongy eggplant soaked up the generous amounts of red and white miso reduction sauce and was divine, but definitely not enough to share around if you are an eggplant lover like me.


Nasudengaku $13.30

We also ordered two tuna shiso cigars where creamy tuna is wrapped in shiso herb served with miso and chipotle sauce. One bite wonders, the herb was crisp and the tuna chunky.


Tuna shiso cigars $3.50 each

The wagyu beef cheek which had been soy braised for 24hrs before being deep fried in fresh bread crumbs came out in balls that resembled deep fried takoyaki balls. A light super crunchy outershell encassed the delicate beef cheeks which melted in the mouth.


Wagyu cheek $16.50

Another interesting find was the edamame risotto croquette which also looked like deep friend takoyaki! haha. These were fried risotto rice balls with edamame beans and corn pieces. To compensate for the blandness it was unfortunately over peppered.


Edamame risotto croquette $14.50



Grilled salmon with soy caramelised vegetables with yuzu sauce was quite a refreshing dish. After all that katsu it was good to eat some chunky vegetables and also little cubed pieces of carrots and potatoes soaked in yuzu sauce. The salmon was lovely and the yuzu sauce simply irresistable. Can't go wrong with yuzu!


Salmon yuzu gomoku $20.50

What was funny was the table next to us. The guy ordered a plate of karaage chicken to eat by himself and when it arrived, there was a shocked expression on his face...what the? the dish is HUMUNGOUS!! Hence we ordered one ourselves hahhaha

The batter was light and the pieces were not oil at all. AND they used only chicken thigh fillet!! yummmm, no rough breast meat =) There were 8 very big pieces of chicken marinated in homemade soy miso sauce, so if you love your chicken karaage this is the ultimate indulgence.



Yachiyo chicken karaage $17.80

This place seriously knows their Katsu!


Katsu Yachiyo
208 Devonshire St
Surry Hills
Tel- 02 9690 2424
http://www.yachiyo.com.au/katsu/

Cafe Mint

Walking from Town Hall to Cafe Mint on Crown Street Surry Hills sounded like a great idea as i needed to burn off a few calories before some indulgence! But i forgot about the weird humid weather and arrived after 30 (very sweaty) minutes. It is a very cosy cafe with wooden fitouts that could easily have been missed if i walked too fast but i think it was well worth my sweatiness.

Cafe Mint serves modern middle eastern cuisine and in my mind similar to Kazbah if you want to compare. This cafe is a fantastic sunday brunch hangout but only if you have a small group as it is tiny!

The breakfast menu is refreshing and not overloaded with a list of egg dishes made twenty ways. They have sweet breakfast couscous, a turkish style breakfast plate, breakfast hummus wiht spiced chickpeas just to name a few.

I read somewhere that the sweet mint tea is superb so i ordered one in anticipation.


Sweet moroccan fresh mint tea $4.50


The mint tea is definitely sweet as the name suggests! It is quite minty but the sweetness is overpowering, like drinking concentrated honey. I didn't mind it as much as i have a sweet tooth, but you have been warned! =)


Spicy merguez lamb sausages and lamb kefta, baked in chackchouka with peas & mint served with za'tar bread $21.50


Cous cous salad with fresh and roasted vegetables and grilled haloumi $15.50


Turkish breakfast, with spice roast tomato, spinach, boiled egg, olives, haloumi and za’tar toast $16.90

I ordered the turkish breakfast which came with big pieces of haloumi which i had a craving for =) It came with 4 triangle slices of za'tar toast, which is basically toast that is smothered with za'tar spice mixture, sesame seeds, salt and then toasted. It is a much healthier option compared to the normal butter oozing toast! The soft boiled egg was goey and wobbly which tells me they know exactly how to make their eggs! The spice roasted tomatoes were sweet and the mix of different olives complimented the dish well.

Cafe Mint
579 Crown St
Surry Hills
Tel - 02 9319 0848
www.cafemint.com.au

Cafe Ish - Crave Sydney 2011 Let's Do Brunch

As part of Crave Sydney (SIFF) 2011, numerous cafes and bistros are offering Brunch for $25. We arrived at Cafe Ish for a normal breakfast but then realised they are offering the Crave Sydney Brunch as well, awesome!

On the website it says:

"Bush Brekkie
A bush-inspired choice of the famous crab omelet or scrambled eggs with emu prosciutto, breakfast trifle and a signature wattle macca-cino"

Their menu is Japanese and native Australian inspired, reflecting the cultures of the chef and his wife. It is only a small establishment but don't be fooled - they serve up some hearty meals with a creative menu.



Their signature wattle maccacino was scrumptious. It was a richer kind of coffee than i prefer but I could definitely taste the sweetness of the wattleseed and macadamia. It also comes with a small biscuit on the side which was a nice touch.



The breakfast trifle was a 'lush' yogurt with native berry compote and home made muesli. It only filled up a third of the glass which made you crave for more. The berry is concentrated and sharp in taste which was paired well with light muesli and creamy yogurt.



My companions ordered the soft shell crab omelette which was so humongous neither of them could finish the plate.


Crispy crab, avocado, shallot, garlic, chilli, soy, ginger dressing and lime
native berry compote and toasted house made muesli.


I opted for the emu eggs which consists of 2 emu eggs scrambled with proscuitto which was piled on top of a thick piece of sourdough toast served with tomato relish.

The emu eggs must have been huge as the generous scrambled egg portions covered the whole toast and even had some height. It was very eggy but not overly creamy. Unfortunately my piece of toast was so thick and tough that it was near impossible to cut through and so i had to resort to ripping the soggy toast it with my hands.


Emu eggs, which consisted of 2 scrambled eggs, emu prosciutto, tomato relish and toast


Cafe Ish
82 Campbell Street
Surry Hills
Tel - 02 9281 1688
http://www.cafeish.com.au/

Bills - Surry Hills

Everyone knows of Bill Granger - he is renowned for his scrambled eggs which Nicole Kidman flocks to whenever she is in Sydney. New York Times once said Bill is "the egg master of Sydney" and i guess you can only have that acclamation for one reason.

I walk past bills all the time when i visit surry hills and each time i tell whoever would listen, that i need to try it one day. That day came when my sister's friend watched a Japanese show featuring Bill Granger. Bill is well known in Japan as he has several restaurants in and around Tokyo and as such he was showing how his eggs were made on the tv show. She suggested a trip to nearby surry hills for breakfast at bills to try out the real thing and off we went on a busy saturday morning.



You would've thought that because bills in surry hills has been opened since 1996 that people would be sick of it already but no, we were squashed amongst an eager crowd of anxious breakfast goers waiting for a table. These eggs must be good!



My sister ordered the sunrise drink which was a concoction of orange juice, banana, yoghurt and berries. Nothing beats a refreshing kick start to the morning.


sunrise drink $5

I opted for the hot chocolate which did not disappoint! It was served with melted callebaut choc chips adhered to the side of the cup. It was fun having to scrape off the chocolates and making sure i got every little bit off the side. As it was extremely rich i probably shouldn't have ordered it to accompany my very full-bodied eggs.


bills hot chocolate made with callebaut $4.50


scrambled eggs with sourdough toast $13.50, extra: cured ocean trout $5.70

The eggs arrived at the table. My initial thoughts were that the eggs seemed very whipped and paler in appearance, not the usual scrambled eggs. Per Bill Granger's recipe it says the secret is not to over stir and treating it as folded eggs rather than scrambled.

The fluffy light and luscious eggs seem to glide in your mouth. It was definitely not overdone as it was still a little runny. A few arteries must've been blocked as the overpowering taste of butter and cream becomes too much after half a plate but happiness swept over me as i devoured the dish.

Sometimes its the simple things which are deceivingly good.


full aussie breakfast, scrambled eggs, sourdough toast, bacon, roast tomato, chipolatas and mushrooms $24.50

Bills
359 Crown Street
Surry Hills
Tel - 02 9360 4762
www.bills.com.au

Alio Restaurant - Pasta Making Masterclass

Pasta making is something that i've never attempted mainly because i dont own a pasta machine and partly because of the time involved. We purchased the Scoopon voucher to attend a pasta masterclass at Alio Restaurant Surry Hills, where hopefully i will be assured that pasta making isnt that labour intensive and daunting after all.

After signing the registration form, we were offered coffee before being ushered to the kitchen tucked behind.



Ashley has a great personality who cracked jokes and made everyone felt at ease. It was kept quite intimate and informal which was fabulous. It was also evident that Ashley and Tracey his sister had a fantastic relationship from the constant bantering and laughing.

Compared to my impression of a commercial kitchen where there's constant yelling and frantic running, Alio's kitchen was surprisingly harmonious. Ashley spoke so softly to his staff that i wonder what it would take to tick him off.

We were shown how to make a versatile bread dough for focaccia and pizza base.








I learnt that there are 600 odd types of pastas. A slightly different width/length of pasta were given a different name, and even then there may be name variations for the same type. Ashley demonstrated step by step how to make pasta dough and passed on some tips and tricks. We were shown how to make a selection of pastas from the simple linguine, fettucine and farfalle (bow ties) to ravioli and other stuffed pasta.




Key take home pointers:
- use strong flour in the pasta dough
- when rolling out the pasta with the machine, keep folding in half after each time and turn it so you get straight edges
- when making pasta with stuffing, ensure any air is squeezed out




Rotolo with spinach and fetta was on the menu for lunch and hence Ashley walked us through how to make the filling, rolling it and eventually serving it.








We all gathered outside in the restaurant for a glass of red, the rotolo and focaccia.


Rotolo with spinach, porcini and fetta


Rosemary and thyme focaccia


Dessert tiramisu


Alio Restaurant
5 Baptist Street
Redfern NSW
Tel- 02 8394 9368
www.alio.com.au

Longrain Sydney

Ever since masterchef series 1, ive been meaning to pay Longrain a visit. Going to a high end Thai restaurant isnt really part of my DNA as you can get quality thai food for cheap, but being a one hatted restaurant must have its reasons.

We were greeted by a long row of communal tables which reminded me of the dining hall scenes from Harry Potter. As it was a weeknight, only a third of the seats were taken, much to our relief as this restaurant does not take bookings (except for groups of 6 or more). Dim lighting reflected off the brown wooden tables. Its simplicity and spaciousness is quite welcoming, especially where there is a friendly buzz from the happily socialising patrons.

Service was impeccable (except when we had to ask for the dessert menu three times) and very attentive. My companion has food allergies and our waitstaff put in more than the usual effort to ask the chef and cater to our needs.



We ordered two cocktails - Virgin Ping Pong and Virgin Chew. I'd order these purely based on their names! haha. Virgin Ping Pong was a lovely concoction of lychees juice, passionfruit and lime with lychee chunks swimming at the base. Virgin Chew which appeared bright red was a blend of lychees, raspberries, rose syrup and pink grapefruit.


Virgin ping pong $9.50


Virgin chew $9.50

Having been told the betal leaf entrees were miniscule, we ordered one each. It was indeed finger food size where you wrapped the ingredients with the betal leaf and ate the whole thing.

One word of warning - beware of the oozing sauce! Texturely these betal leaves were sensational - great thai flavours with fresh herbs and the right amount of chilli.


Betal leaf topped with prawn, peanuts, roasted coconut and ginger $6


Betal leaf topped with trout, chilli, garlic, galangal and trout roe $6

Of course, I had to order the infamous eggnet. It sent a shockwave of 'wows' across the communal table when the dish arrived. There was a very very generous serving of the stuffing which comprised of pork, prawns, peanuts and bean sprouts. It could easily have fed two people with rice!! The coconut caramel sauce was a tad too sweet, but all the flavours were unmistakably good. Crunchy peanuts and bean sprout with tiny pork minced pieces and prawns wrapped in a delicate lacey eggnet was tossed in corriander, mint and kaffir lime leaves.


Eggnet with pork, prawn, peanuts, bean sprouts and sweet vinegar with cucumber relish $31

Our grilled octopus, pork belly with watermelon would have been a fabulous dish if only the chef wasn't so generous with the copious amounts of coriander. A thin slice of pork belly with a crunchy rimmed edge, tender octopus with sweet juicy watermelon were a match from heaven.


Grilled octopus and crisp pork belly with watermelon, roasted chilli and black vinegar $36.50

The dessert menu had the typical coconut, tapioca and sticky rice combinations. Seeing durian on the menu, i was quietly nodding in approval, but We ended up trying the taro and coconut pudding with roasted peanut ice cream. A bit disappointing in many aspects. I did not expect the pudding to be room temperature for one. The ice cream also did not have the intense roasted peanut flavour we expected but was rather bland. What was great was the roasted coconut slithers sitting on top of the ice cream - thin and crispy and lovingly toasted.


Taro and coconut pudding with roasted peanut ice cream $16

Longrain
85 Commonwealth Street
Surry Hills
tel - 02 92802888
http://www.longrain.com.au/