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/

Hard Rock Cafe Sydney - Darling Harbour

Hell yea!! Hard Rock cafe!! Hard Rock cafe has finally reopened its Sydney doors after closing down in 2007. Now the hardcore Hard Rock fans can finally add Sydney collectibles to their collection once again =)

We came here for a very late night dessert feast. As expected it was loud and crazy with the music pumping so hard you can barely hear yourself talk.




The ceiling was adjourned with pictures of rock n roll stars with a scattering of memorabilias displayed in the cafe.



We found the dessert section and my friend told me the chocolate brownie is a must try. It did not let me down - it was amazzinngg!!

Two massive scoops of vanilla ice cream doused with fudge with a mountain of whipped cream piled in the middle. You ask, where is the brownie? Lo and behold it was buried beneath all that cream and fudge =)

This was a heart attack waiting to happen but truly irresistable! The brownie was so scrumptiously gooey with the outside still crunchy. It was super rich and made me make 'mmhmm' noises as I ate.

A massive serving and for only $13.50? High fives all round =)



Hard Rock Cafe Sydney
Level 2, Harbourside Centre
Darling Harbour
Sydney
Tel - 02 9280 0077
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=548&MIBEnumID=3

Baia Restaurant - Darling Harbour

Baia is situated on the famously busy strip of Cockle Bay Wharf amongst numerous other restaurants and bars. It was chosen by my friend who came to visit from Malaysia as it was close to Lindt Cafe and easy for everyone to meet up.

As it was a friday night Baia was extremely packed to the brim. It draws in the after work crowd and convenient for that quick bite before heading to drinks. There were not many tourists, to my surprise. It has a great vibe and allows you to admire the wharf and observe passer bys.

We had a group of 10 and had to wait for everyone's arrival. The waiter was extremely attentive and promptly offered water to each of the late comers that staggered in one by one. The menu offered an range of pizza, pasta and main options with an extensive wine and drinks list.



I ordered the guava squeeze mocktail which came in a large glass decorated with sliced strawberries and lime peel. It was deliciously sweet and clean with hints of lime.


Guava Squeeze $12


Apple Martini $19

We ordered garlic and cheese pizza bread and the classic bruschetta for the table to share and also an antipasto for me and my mate.

The garlic pizza was as it should be - exploding garlic flavours on a thin pizza base with stringy cheesy bits.


Garlic and cheese pizza $13


Classic bruscetta $13

The antipasto arrived on a stone slab with a myriad of little mounds including pork belly, duck proscuitto, chicken liver pate and Qld seared scallops. There were heaps of thin crisp lavoche for us to share albeit overly salty. The salt didn't go down well with the other equally salty elements from the duck proscuitto and pork belly. However the scallop was fresh and nicely seared.


Antipasto Baia $29

Our mains were all beautifully presented on big white dishes. What was unfortunate was the service. Maybe because it was a busy friday night, all nine of our mains arrived at the same time except for mine. None of the waiters realised the blunder until 5-10mins afterwards when she came back, apologised and rushed in to get my dish. It may have been a mistake from the kitchen but to have all our mains sitting out cold for that time whilst we waited for mine to arrive is a terrible mistake.


Artic crab risotto $26


Traditional Lasagne $26


Squid Ink Linguine $27


Gnocchi with pesto $23

My ravioloni was made with a prawn and scallop filling served with shellfish cream. The cream was magnificent as it wasn't too sickening nor did it drown the ravioloni. There were however only four ravioloni in total. Four? I was so hungry i could have eaten three of those plates. I was quite disappointed at the small portion size especially when the ravioloni was so scrumptious but could not satisfy my hunger.


Ravioloni $28

On the contrary, the table next to us had big pizza servings which they delved into like there was no tomorrow. If i was to come again, i would definitely love to try their pizzas and test out their desserts.


Baia Restaurant
Shop 114
Cockle Bay Wharf
Sydney
Tel - 02 9283 3434
www.baiatheitalian.com.au

Aria Restaurant

Ever since Matt Moran featured on Masterchef and gave contestants generous servings of harsh comments, ive been reluctant to go to Aria. Knowing it is 2 hatted didn't sway me either - yes i can be quite stubborn! =P. But my friend chose Aria for her farewell dinner and i could not refuse. We came on a saturday night for pre-theatre session.

When we stepped inside the restaurant it was a lot grander than i expected. There were plush chairs, dim lighting, soft music and heaps of waitstaff greeting you as you made your way to the table. Quite impressive and made me feel somewhat special, and when you have the harbour bridge as your background you really can't complain too much.

Pre Theatre Prices:
One Course - $44
Two Course - $72
3 Course - $89



Yes, photo of the bread haha. The crust was super tough which was such a shame. I love bread and butter but when the crust is so tough and chewy, it made me look very unlady like as i wrestled it with my teeth and hand.



Amuse bouche was tomato gazpacho with a spoonful of pineapple cream. Gazpacho is a liquid vegetable soup with a prominent tomato flavour. It was very light and appetising, not too intense as it prepares you for the upcoming meal.



Out of all the entrees we ordered, the tuna definitely deserved the best-looking-entree award! The thin, bright red tuna was so beautifully and identically sliced. Such a colourful, well presented dish.


SALMON - cured New Zealand salmon with kombu and Earl Grey tea, yuzu tapioca and avocado purée


SCALLOPS - spiced and roasted with glazed witlof, pistachios and dried apricots

As i adore duck no matter what form it comes in , i ordered the duck consomme which comprised of duck dumpling, abalone slices and shitake mushroom. Funnily enough i've never ordered consomme before. It is a clear thin soup based dish where the soup is supposed to be quite rich.

It was a big bowl of consomme!! The soup base was extremely dark in colour with floating shitake slices blanketing the whole surface. It was too intense in flavour for my liking and too liquidy in consistency, i suppose what a consomme should be. Abalone pieces were soft and delicious but the amount of abalone was regretfully scarce.


CONSOMME - Peking duck consommé with duck dumplings, shaved abalone and mushrooms

Our mains arrived in a heartbeat. We were getting closer and closer to 8pm which was when they needed the table back and we could tell from the anxious waitstaff.

It was a decent chunk of barramundi, pan seared to a golden nutty brown colour. Despite the generous serving it was slightly dry.


BARRAMUNDI -crisp skinned fillet with grilled cuttlefish, apple, green olives and a horseradish sauce

The lamb was served medium as requested. It was gorgeously juicy with the right balance of fat vs meat. I particularly liked the cheesy ricotta gnocchi coupled with the sweetness of pumpkin puree. The crispness came from the asparagus and overall a marvelous dish.


LAMB - roasted rump with ricotta gnocchi, pumpkin and mustard fruit purée and a sage and balsamic sauce

As we drew closer to the finishing line we had to start planning ahead and ordered the souffle which required 20mins to make. The souffle was a passionfruit souffle and frankly, i've had a lot better ones elsewhere. The passionfruit was immensely sour even when you have a mouthful of the utterly sweet white chocolate ice cream with it. It is the first time i've surrendered midway through a dessert as my palate couldn't cope.


SOUFFLE - passionfruit soufflé with white chocolate ripple ice cream

The apple dessert was a fairy tale story on a plate. It was decorated with beautiful berries with Prince Macaron positioned next to Princess Sorbet at the centre of the plate with a castle in the background =)

The sorbet hit the right spot - it was like drinking ginger beer itself. A definite winner.



APPLE - caramel poached apple with a ginger bread and cherry macaron and ginger beer sorbet




Petit Fours - berry jelly cube, chocolate truffle, coconut biscuit

There were some missteps during my Aria experience, some stand outs and some duds. Being awarded two hats consistently throughout the years, i would expect a higher calibre of food and incorporating some creativity here and there to remind patrons why Aria deserved to be two hatted. But Aria has instead preferred to play somewhat safe.

Aria Restaurant
1 Macquarie Street
Sydney
Tel - 02 9252 2555
http://www.ariarestaurant.com/

Etch Restaurant

I haven't been to Justin North's Etch for a few years now and what striked me last time was their amazing caramel date tart with earl grey tea syrup. Knowing that i was going to Etch again after we bought the TravelZoo voucher, i had to make sure they still had their signature dessert on their menu, which it was =)

The travelzoo voucher was $85 for 2 people - 3 course dinner with coffee/tea and petit four. What a bargain!!

There were only two mocktails (both $12 each) on their drinks list so we ordered them both. My mint, kiwi and apple juice was refreshing with copious amounts of mint and kiwi chunks at the bottom for me to scoop out.



The ginger beer, apple and lime was nice but the ginger beer overpowered the others so i could only taste the ginger beer. After the mocktail was drunk, i was happy eating the ginger beer flavoured apples left over.



For entree we ordered the ocean trout and pork belly. When my friend's ocean trout arrived, i had entree envy. It was extraordinarily pretty with the delicate microherbs and flowers on top of the beautifully arranged fish.



Confit petuna ocean trout, smoked scallop,radios, wasabi



My pork belly was delish! Although my pork crackling fell off the pork (oopsy) it was so crunchy. Unlike the pork belly at other places it was definitely freshly made and no chewy crackling. The pork was succulent and marbled with fat. The crispy prawns were textural and flavour balanced with apple and cider vinaigrette.


Caramelised pork belly, crispy prawn, pickled granny smith, cider vinaigrette

My baked snapper main was served with foam. Been a while since i've had foam but it worked well as it added some airy creaminess. The fish was fresh and worked well with the cauliflower bhaji (i.e. fritter), battered squid and scallops.


Baked snapper, scallop and squid, cauliflower bhaji, curry emulsion

The veal rump was made to perfection, tender and juicy. It came with my favourite side - potato! The sauce was quite strong and robust which goes well with the meat but the dish is a bit heavy if you're not hungry.



Chargrilled veal rump, sarladaise potato,malt vinegar jus



Finally the moment i've been waiting for - the caramel date tart!! It was super light and creamy, evident as soon as my spoon sliced the tart. The tart is not overly sweet with the date and caramel. The hero of the dessert is undoubtedly the earl grey tea syrup! It tastes exactly like rich earl grey tea but in syrup form. I would lick the plate clean if i was allowed to!



Caramel date tart, earl grey tea syrup, burnt butter ice cream



The cheesecake was a deconstruction with thick biscuit crumbs, oblong pieces of brillat savarin cheese (a soft cow's milk cheese), champagne jelly cubes, mandarin jelly and mandarin sorbet. The cheese disappates in your mouth and is not overly rich. Presented beautifully it was a great combination of textures and a fabulous dessert to finish off the meal.



Brillat savarin cheesecake, champagne jelly, mandarin sorbet



We were served coffee/tea and petit fours. The petit fours were nut brittles and chocolate aero bars. I was so full by this stage that i could not stuff an extra mouthful into me and could only tear a corner of each to try. The aero bar melts instantly in my mouth and the brittle, in comparison is rock hard.



It is a shame Etch lost its one hat because it is such a wonderful restaurant with attentive service. Hope they make an appearance on the list next year as they truly deserve it!

Etch Restaurant
62 Bridge Street
Sydney
Tel - 02 9247 4777
http://www.etchdining.com/