Christmas in July - Maha

Jess' Choice

Special Guest's - Jane, Brooke, Susie, Josh, Will, Katie, and Jacky

It's a crime that Christmas only comes once a year. Presents, food, wine, friends, family (for those that enjoy there company), holidays. The dinner club decided to share the Christmas spirit and hold a dinner for all past guests, presence and presents compulsory. So off to Maha we went. What a warm and welcoming restaurant. I knew it was a good choice after making the booking, Naomi the bookings girl was prompt and thoroughly assisted me to make sure we were all "set menued" to go. I didn't take a picture of the layout because you have to go there to experience it first hand, even the photos on the website don't do it justice.

We chose the four course soufras, with matched wines. One guest opting out of the seafood options, with no hassle. The kitchen easily catered for her needs. The wait staff were fantastic, friendly and patient with our big group, even offering us the shisha room for after dinner (shame we'd already made plans).

Overall I cannot fault anything about our experience, the food was a delicious twist on the Middle East and the venue was a cosy underground hideaway.

Turkish Delight martini, a little something something to start the night. 

First Course Soufra - Tasting Plate. Beetroot and labne dip, zucchini salad with candied feta, mussel shot, puffed ancient grain salad with an almond vinaigrette, olives.

The puffed ancient grain was the highlight, a perfect side dish. 

Second Course Soufra - Walnut crumbed bangalow pork belly, celeriac & semolina, fried cauliflower, tahini. I'm a sucker for pork belly, I'll order it whenever its on the menu. This by far was one of the tastiest I've  had, the walnut crust added even more crunch. Cause who are we kidding the only reason people order pork belly is for the crunch, so its a massive let down when there isn't any! Double win for this dish, cauliflower anything is another thing always ordered when on the menu. Hands down my favourite (savoury) dish of the night.

Second Course Soufra - Pork and fennel sausages with Tasmanian clams. Salty and soft sausage with a yummy bisque. The clams were fresh and worked well with the fennel and fresh fresh fresh herbs.

Second Course Soufra (for the non seafood eater) - mini beef dumplings. So soft and tender with a yummy yogurt sauce.

 

 Third Course Soufra - Pan fried kingfish with argon butter and hazelnuts. My piece of fish was perfect, moist with crispy skin.  The people I was sharing the dish were not as impressed. I was shocked, mine was delightful. I had to try, they were right, the fish was in edible it had a grainy glue like texture. Weird. What a shame, I had already finished mine so they couldn't even try how good it was supposed to be.

Third Course Soufra - Salad with fatoush bread. Just looks like a plain old salad...wrong. The dressing and the crispy fatoush bread made it. Picking the bread out was like scavenging for the crispy chips left at the bottom of the fish and chips box. Fatoush bread seagulls!!

Third Course Soufra - Slow cooked lamb shoulder with pistachio and green olive tabbouleh. Hell yeah, crispy skin and sweet meat. I don't tend to like slow cooked things, blame my Mum's attempts to create things in the crock pot back in the day (god it used to stink). But this was knock ya socks off good. Mum take note!

 Third Course Soufra - madjool date, roasted almond pilaf. Could have eaten the whole bowl.

 Forth Course Soufra - Turkish Delight Doughnuts. The reason why I chose Maha, however in comparison to the Golden Gaytime (below) these were a slight let down, I guess I was expecting a bit more of a Turkish delight filling not a disappointment though.

Forth Course Soufra - Honey cone!! Crunchy and creamy. Can't remember what it was filled with, nice though.

Forth Course Soufra - Maha' take on the Golden Gaytime. Um delish is an understatement. This was hands down my favourite (sweet) dish of the night.

To yum things up: come here, come here in a big group it accommodates it perfectly, do a tasting menu, come at night, come in the later seating so you can stay, wear stretchy pants, demand the pork belly and golden gaytime. Celebrate Christmas in July!

21 Bond St

Melbourne, 3000

03) 9629 5900



May & June 2011 - Bluecorn

Paisley's Choice

Special Guest - Brooke

What fixes a rainy Wednesday night? Answer - Margaritas, nachos and burritos!!! Can you believe that only 1 out of 5 had been to Bluecorn, and we all pretty much live around the corner. I'm not usually one for Mexican, like Indian I've had one too many bad experiences after eating it, I also don't like beans - they're like big peas!!!

Mexican/Mexico seem to be the latest trends in Melbourne. Mamasita's is to blame I believe, it could also be that flocks of friends have visited the colourful destination this year. So I was ready to dabble in a burrito and bury the past. Also why let everyone else have all the fun!!!

Bluecorn...thank you for making me forget about that bad experience at Taco Bills in March 2007. Your food is yummy, your drinks are big and the extra chilli on the table...well I wanted to drink it!

Mango Margarita - not frozen, if you want it frozen just ask.

 Mexican punch, enough for everyone or plenty for two!

 A mexican antipasto platter - homemade guacamole, olives, capsicum/chilli dip, homemade bread and a selection of dips (olive and tomato I think)

 TWICE BAKED BURRITO - its in capitals for a reason. WOW, YUM. What I found at bluecorn is although all the food looks similar it all tastes so different. This was no exception. Good cheese, and the beans in it have curved my hatred for them (just slightly).

 I can't remember what this one was??? But it was yummy, think it was the chilli beef and blackbean. I recall one of them not being as nice as the others....think this was it!  
 Peanut chicken fajitas with tomato rice - I love food that you make at the table, feels like you've helped cook it! Although it says peanut chicken, it was hard to find the peanut flavour. The tortillas were light and fluffy, would come back here again for this and a mango margarita anyday!

Fish Taco - THIS WAS HANDS DOWN MY FAVOURITE DISH OF THE NIGHT! Everything about it was super doopa delish. The fresh sweet corn made it, but the light non fishy fish held the dish together. Even though we shared everything, I tried to keep this down my end so I didn't have to share!

To yum things up: book a table this place gets busy, ask for your margaritas to be forzen (if thats what you prefer), don't fill up on entrees, if there is a group of you share everything - means you can have a try of everything.

205 Barkly St

St Kilda, 3182

(03) 9534 5996

side dishes...in sydney

Wine Odyssey - The Rocks

Afternoon tea and wine. Unlike Melbourne it is really hard to find somewhere to go for a drink and a nibble in Sydney, unless you know the area. The Rocks is no exception, really lack lustre on the choices other than the Wine Odyssey. I've had my fair share of afternoon drinks and nibbles in my time and while the Wine Odyssey ticks the food and drink boxes it feels as though your in one of those Australian souvenir shops that sells opals...hmmm a bit harsh. Dear The Rocks, time to get with the times in the drinking stakes. You have amazing restaurants why be stingy on the other stuff?

I actually can't complain about our visit, the waitress was lovely very attentive but not over the top. We had to wait a little bit for our table but it was worth it. The mezze platter was fresh and yummy. However our lovely waitress did get a bit confused when my brother and I ordered a glass of pinot, she bought out pinot gris. For a wine bar you would assume that when someone orders a pinot its of the red kind. Maybe its different in Sydney they do call potato cakes scallops!!! Weird.

After looking at other peoples reviews, mine really doesn't do the place must justice as I have never been inside (shame on me). I have since found out that you can out money into a machine and try all the wines...check out Chocolate Suze's review for more info on the place http://www.chocolatesuze.com/2009/09/02/wine-odyssey-the-rocks-sydney

Wine Odyssey Mezze Platter, enough for three if its a nibble. Has all the trimmings and is quite tasty. Changes all the time, I've been there before.

• beetroot, hummus and spinach dips
• veggie samosa
• smoked salmon
• Turkish bread
• olive oil and dukkah spices
• arancini balls

To yum things up: they have a Saturday market so there's lots to see if you go then, the wine list is good and the wine is good, plenty of seats inside and in the courtyard.

39 Argyle St

The Rocks, 2000

(02) 8114 0256

side dishes...in sydney

L'etoile Restaurant and Bar - Paddington

THE 21ST BIRTHDAY DINNER:

Any excuse to go out for dinner is a good one, but having a special occasion dinner is even better. A few weeks before we travelled to Sydney I was given the task to find a restaurant that 1: something my brother would like and 2: something personal. A friend had just done the Pantry cooking show with Manu so he was fresh on my mind. So L'etoile it was.....

The whole experience was lovely, although I was slightly underwhelmed when we entered the restaurant nothing fancy and the bar area looks like it had been around for a while. It was a Sunday night so the restaurant wasn't busy and we were directed to tables in the middle of the restaurant with no one sitting on the couch seats on the wall I asked if we could move. Being a special occasion and there was only three of us I thought my request was justified. We were happily moved, the couch seats making the experience and restaurant more inviting.

I was to caught up in the evening to write down everything we ate, so bare with me on my descriptions. (The menu has changed since).

Entree: The famous "Boudin de St Jaques Bisque de Crustaces" - silky sausage of scallops with a crustacean bisque. So light and fluffy and the rich bisque bought a beautiful bite to the delicate sausage. Very rich and would recommend to share it. Very glad we ordered this, and I know why it always stays on the menu. A must eat!

Entree: "Caille Rotie au cumin lentilles braises et puree de potiron" - Cumin scented quail, braised lentils and butternut squash puree. I shotgun the crispy leg, this was DELISH perfectly cooked quail, a rich and smooth braise. I'm not one for lentils, I tend to steer clear so thank god someone on the table ordered this. The puree complemented the quail perfectly. Match made in heaven.

Main: Roast lamb with sweet bread, onion rings and a celeriac puree. You can see by the picture that the lamb was cooked amazingly. Could have been a bit hotter, not sure if the jus cooled it down. I ate it so quickly that it really didn't matter, I nearly forgot to give the others a taste. And yes, there were ONION RINGS....who doesn't love an onion ring?

Main: Roast chicken with baby onions, jus and homemade chicken sausage. Another perfectly cooked meat, juicy and tasty. Crispy skinned and accompanied with more chicken YUM. The veggies were cleaned and trimmed just right. I find chicken boring to order sometimes, but the roasty toastyness of it was delightful.

Main: Butchers house steak with jus and a mashed potato rosti. Charred just right, cooked even better. Nom nom nom. The mashed potato rosti was fluffy and light, and there was this AWFUL pouch of oil in batter on top of it. It was horrible, not sure what it was but one bite of it and your mouth filled with oil that was hard to get rid of....a couple of gulps of wine and it was gone. Oh well...maybe its a french delicacy that we don't know about.

Dessert: "Macaron au chocolat marron" - Chocolate and chesnut macaron with orange sorbet. A giant macaron, who could complain. I can....it tasted old and was really chewy and hard to cut into. The flavours were all there but the actual macaron was a let down, unless it was a frozen one? The orange sorbet was also a bit icy.

Dessert: "Parfait glace an Mure, sorbet and chocolat" - Blackberry parfait with chocolate sorbet. Even though the macaron was flat the parfait was BEAUTIFUL we were all fighting over the last bite and it looks great. The brownie, sorbet and parfait worked so well together.

To yum things up: request a table on the wall, order the scallop sausage, be wary about the oil puff on the steak, order a side of greens, try as much as you can.

211 Glenmore Rd

Paddington, 2021

(02) 9332 1577

side dishes...in sydney

China Doll - Woolloomooloo

Whenever visiting Sydney we stay at Blue in Woolloomooloo, the rooms are great and below the hotel are some of Sydney's best restaurants Otto's and China Doll to name a few. Having booked a later flight we had 4 hours to spare..."why not eat?" we said.

Even though last nights dinner was decedent tea and sandwiches wasn't an option. Off to China Doll we go. It was such a lovely way to finish my brothers 21st Birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday little bro xo.

Being a Monday lunch it was quiet....like really quiet...like four other tables quiet. This meant the service was attentive, not in your face though. The specials were addressed early on, with a few being fancied. The place is beautiful, the feature wall is a blown up picture of the Blue Willow print (see last picture), your dinner plates the same. I don't often comment on toilets...unless they are gross. China Doll have pretty toilets, shiny dark multicoloured tiles. The food was impeccable, I came to China Doll when it first opened, I was a bit younger and found some of the food frightening, but today's lunch was scrumptious with nothing left on the plates.

Entree (special): Chicken salad with chilli, mint, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber. The dressing was a sweet red sesame sauce with hints of lime and fish sauce. Don't be fooled by the picture this was AMAZING. I never order salad (boring) so thanks to the other lunch guests for ordering this.

Entree (special): Crab, prawn and green pea dumplings. Wish we got two each :(

Main: Chilli salt squid. Looks like little chippies, tastes delicious. Needs a dipping sauce of some sort. The calamari was so soft it was cooked perfectly, the seasoning and outside was tasty tasty.

Main: Eye fillet with black bean and capsicum. Three different capsicums to be exact. Eye fillet was delish, charred to perfection and the sauce and veggies crisped it up just right!

Dessert: Small dessert platter - Sago, rice pudding and assorted sorbets. Hmmm all were nice the sorbets my favourite, the texture of the other two desserts didn't do much for me. Saying that they had nice flavours. It was good to try something new.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY x

To yum things up: everything was perfect, get them to read the specials they are the two best meals of the day, don't expect lemon chicken or spring rolls (not that I was)!

Shop 46 Woolloomooloo Wharf, Cowper Wharf Rd

Sydney, 2000

(02) 9380 6744

side dishes...in sydney

Fratelli Paradiso - Potts Point, Sydney

For those of you that are tired of the same old breakfast haunts Fratelli Paradiso is for you. There is no menu just daily specials read out by the handsome Italian waiters, usually 2/3 hot dishes, fruit dish and a porridge or muesli surprise. The coffee is hot and good, you will most defiantly have to wait for a table on weekends but if your impatient there's a bakery attached where you can pick up a freshly baked pastry and coffee and be on your merry way.

We were in Sydney to celebrate my little bro's 21st, and what a weekend we had wining and dining at some of the best restaurants whilst celebrating a special milestone in my brothers life.

 Kicking off the weekend with a laugh, my beautiful Mum and brother xo

 "Strappazate" Scrambled eggs on a roast pumpkin, spinach and ricotta tart with a balsamic reduction and tomato puree.

 Nom nom nom

We tried to be adventurous and order something different each but it was early and we felt like eggs. Oh and we came back the next day, and I may have ordered the same thing it was that yummy.

To yum things up: a must visit breakfast haunt (don't know what it's like for lunch), be adventurous, have a coffee.

16 Challis Ave

Sydney, 2011

02) 9357 1744