The Rabbit Hole Take 2

Walking past and decided to share a snack with BW. Also they are using the Rewards app, so because I checked in, ended up getting a free tea without intending to. Free things are so good when you're least expecting it.

afternoon tea

Tumeric chai latter-$5.50 (got for free)

love the cuteness of this cup

Good hit of tumeric and milk was frothed well, wish the chai was a bit stronger, since there was mainly just the cinnamon on the side.

Apricot tart-~$6

Can't really remember the price, but I liked how this tart wasn't too sweet even though it used dried fruits. The filling sort of had a cake texture. Pastry was nice and thin and not too crumbly.

Baking 2017

Better late than never, most of the stuff I baked last year. I was hoping to bake at least twice the amount of this since I supposedly had more free time, but that time disappeared pretty quickly.

Spinach and ricotta quiche

I understand why people 'blind bake,' so the pastry doesn't split and fill with with air whilst it's baking. It ended up being a bit soggy since there was a tear in the base whilst I was pouring the filling, so had to place a baking tray under the tin, then use extra pastry to 'glue' the tin to the tray so the filling won't spill all over the tray....It tasted quite nice, but the pastry wasn't light enough and tasted on the buttery side. There is probably a way to get the same amount of butter but then get a diff texture, but I just don't know how to do that, or even make a sort of flaky pastry without so much butter...

   Zumbo Baking-Raspberry and white choc muffins

Jap matcha chiffon cake

I don't have an angel pan since I only make this stuff literally once a year, but I still managed to get some height in a normal pan. Quite like the lightness in this cake.

Zumbo brownies

So rich and sweet, really need a cup of tea with this. Overbaked it so it didn't have the 'gooey' texture, but you can also have cake textured brownies anyway.

Those Zumbo stuff were from the freebies I got from being one of the first to line up on Zumbaron Day to buy a packet of Zumbarons (macarons).

Coconut flour, almond flour, flour, mixed berries, banana, cinnamon, whatever else I have in my pantry

Texture was more dense and bready. Why did I even buy a packet of coconut flour? It's so hard to use. Need like half a dozen of eggs which I didn't want to use to make a coconut flour cake, so went with this random thing instead. 

 Vanilla soufflé

Accidentally turned the heat too high and cooked the flour a bit too much so the consistency was a bit gluey when I poured it into the ramekins...It did rise though, so at least this time I didn't over beat my egg whites, and it didn't have an eggy flavour like my last attempt since I actually put sugar in it this time.

I have a feeling my packets of almond flour has expired after a year. Goodbye $5ish...I thought a year expiry date would help force me to make macarons from scratch (this has been on my 'to do' list end of 2012 and just keeps on being there...).

Three Blue Ducks-Take 1 and 2

I was planning to go to this cafe and made a booking online (slowly accumulating those Dimmi points), and coincidentally a day later, this place was awarded 1 hat in the Good Food Guide. I think what really differs this cafe from others is the whole sustainability idea of food, and organic food whilst minimising waste. The whole farm to table thing would be amazing in an ideal world, but realistically, food does travel quite a bit before you even buy it in shops. I loved how they also try to plant stuff in their little garden out the back, even in an eastern suburbs area where land/property is expensive, and not many people even have yards (unless you live in those multi million dollar houses with beach front views). Sort of ironic how they don't serve any duck here though.

food spread

 

Dark chocolate, coconut & berry shake (diary free)-$8 

Sticky chai pot-$4.50

The shake tasted really healthy, especially because it was diary free so not creamy or heavy. So it was a bit watery when you drink it but the texture of it wasn't too thin. I liked how it wasn't sweet soyou could taste the subtle blend of the dark choc and berries. Probably the most opposite drink to a milkshake. 

Roast lamb rump: charred herb salsa, kasundi pumpkin, Dutch carrot & coriander-$32

This dish is small considering the price, but then it's really quality over quantity when you're eating 'healthy' food. Lamb was cooked medium rare, and you could really taste the lamb flavour. Even the pumpkin was small, but all the veggies went well with the rest. The flavour mainly came from the salsa, but in comparison to other dishes I've had, this one has flavours coming more from the ingredients rather than adding salt/butter.

Corn fritters: guacamole, fermented cabbage, jalapeno, herb salad, labneh & poached eggs-$22

#yolkporn

Even the yolk looks more organic. I don't know if it's a psychological thing but it also tasted more organic as well. The corn fritter were cooked very well without an oily residue, and tasted really healthy despite being fried. I could actually appreciate the little bit of a spicy kick from the jalapeño, and the labneh was a nice, healthier alternative as a sauce for the fritters. The avo helped bring some creaminess to the dish, and the salad and acidity from the cabbage helped keep this dish light. 

garden-they even have a few fat chickens

reminds me of those 'hipster' melbourne alleyways with a brick wall and graffiti

Came back here for dinner after our research presentations. Only one taking photos, but #noshame.

Bronte Beach

Tumeric and ginger kombucha-$8

I feel like Kombucha is one of those 'clean eats' type of drinks, and super healthy but only if you're more well off can you actually afford this sort of stuff. Decided to get this instead of any alcohol. It had a nice kick of both numeric and ginger without being overly too strong. It's definitely not sweet at all. I don't mind tumeric/ginger flavour drinks, but I think this is definitely an acquired taste.

Sweet potato hummus, charred onions, black sesame & sourdough-$14  

This hummus was so delicious, with a bit of sweetness from the sweet potato, and topped with onions and black sesame. Wish there was more bread to eat the hummus with, although I did end up finishing the plate without any bread.

Burrata, heirloom tomato, grilled veg & preserved lemon-$19 

Burrata is a funny cheese with a bit of a skin, so had to break it first to scoop and eat the cheese. Loved the variety of veggies in this entree and it went well with the fresh cheese.

Roast barramundi, pumpkin, kale & chickpea salad, harissa-$31 

I hardly order fish when I eat out, because there's always a nicer meat option available. Since I tried the lamb for lunch before, had steak for dinner the night before, and the chicken had a Thai sauce with some chilli, decided to go for the fish. The skin had a decent crisp but could be crispier. The seasoning was all on the skin, so best to eat the skin with some fish. The barra was relatively fresh, and paired well with the sauce, and I could actually appreciate the slight chilli kick to it. My pumpkin was the smallest piece compared to the other dishes though, I guess when they use locally sourced produce, stuff won't be the same size...At least it was plated on a white plate so made taking photos a bit easier compared to on a dark plate.

Lemon tart w/ coconut ice cream-$12

The coconut ice cream was really fragrant and went well with the lemon tart. The acidity balance well with the sweetness, and it wasn't overly sweet. The pastry was quite light and not very buttery, definitely healthier than your average pastry. Still haven't figured out how to make tart pastries/short crust bases without using tons of butter or even tasting the butter at all like this one. Something to figure out in my holidays, but I feel like my holidays are already ending with uni starting soon ish...guess baking adventures will have to wait, and in the meantime I'll keep going on more food adventures (even though they probably take the same amount of time...)

Taste of Sydney 2017

First time at Taste of Sydney! My friend had a spare ticket, so of course I put my hand up for it. It's an entry fee of $30 plus additional for food, so that's why I haven't been in previous years since as a uni student, I didn't want to pay for entry. The food there isn't cheap as well since it's a 'festival/market' where they have to transport the stuff to a park, hire fees etc, which ends up being pricey dishes for the serving size, but the quality of all the dishes we tried were good, and the restaurants there are more on the higher end compared to other markets like the Night Noodle Markets (which aren't cheap either for one dish compared to having it at the actual restaurant).

Taste credit

You load an initial amount either $30 or $50 then you can top up if you see some staff or at a money station. It's pretty convenient rather than dealing with so much change or your credit cards flying around when you are holding multiple dishes plus trying to get that photo of your food lel. At the end you give the card back and they refund back any amount remaining.

Bouche on Bridge

Wallaby skewers, spiced cashew nuts: wild Tasmanian wallaby tenderloins marinated and cooked over charcoal, served with a spiced cashew sauce

This dish won the number one spot at Taste of Sydney. First time trying wallaby and I wish more places would source wallaby for a 'gourmet skewer.' Wallaby isn't as gamey or chewy compared to kangaroo. The flavour of the meat is milder, and I liked how it wasn't too heavily marinated since you can still taste the flavour of the meat and the char. The spiced cashew sauce was so creamy and a good amount of spice to it, wished there was more meat to finish up the sauce. I also saw the head chef do a demo of this dish. At the restaurant, they serve it on a rosemary skewer, using the branch of a rosemary stalk. Looked so pretty and smelt so good. I wouldn't mind going to Bouche on Bridge just to have these wallaby skewers again. We wanted to have their Icon dish-suckling pig, but by the time we did the rounds and came back, we were too full. I guess that means more reason to go and visit the actual restaurant.

Black Swan Beta-Dips

What a fun concept! They have a sushi train conveyor belt but with dips and suggested items by the staff to dip into the dip.

- Salted caramel banana with mascarpone and walnut + waffle

- Bacon and egg with cracked pepper + mini toast

- Espresso maple bacon + waffle

- Pineapple, coconut and rum + crackers

- Black sesame seed hommus + carrots 

Yummm, loved all their dips! Favourite was probably the bacon and egg and black sesame. The salted caramel was interesting but more on the sweet side. Espresso was initially my favourite but after a few times it got quite sweet since not enough saltiness. The pineapple had a nice hint of rum. I would've bought a tub if I didn't go to Adele later that evening...I don't normally buy dips since I find them generally unhealthy, but these were delicious, and I'll make an exception and buy a tub if I see them in the supermarkets.

Lurpak Cookery School

Skirt steak tacos with chipotle butter

Passionfruit curd tart

For $6, you and your partner makes one savoury and sweet dish each to share. I love these sort of cooking classes, because everything is prepped and portioned out for you, and you don't have to wash up afterwards. Value for money haha. I did the savoury, and yay for pink beef. I don't normally cook with slabs of butter though, so might not make this at home. Passionfruit tart was nice and tangy.

Hayden from MasterChef!

Got there too late and didn't get a seat on the 'real seats', so couldn't try the ribs.

Wine tasting at The Wine Society

I love my wines. In short, the whites were average, rose had a stronger flavour, the reds weren't bold enough apart from Landhaus which was probs my fav out of them all, but still would've done with a bit more ageing. 

Nel.

Truffle hunt: chicken, truffle, porcini mushroom croquette with edible truffle soil-$10

Anyone who knows me know that I lovee my truffles, so when I saw truffle, I knew I had to get this dish. It's a fun concept where you dig through the soil to find a piece of 'truffle' i.e. chicken. The dish smells like authentic truffle (rather than truffle oil). Chicken croquette was moist inside, but there were only 2 tiny pieces. There was too much truffle soil to eat and it was very, very dry unlike your chocolate soil which has some butter to make it moist. Ended up chucking out a lot of the soil since it was so dry like when people eat a spoonful of cinnamon. Breaks my heart to chuck out truffle related food stuff, but I couldn't swallow more of that soil cause too dry...

Also tasted truffle sausages and truffle cheese in the little stands by independent producers. Again, would have actually bought some goods if I didn't have a concert at night. (Truffle honey from Portobello Markets in London was also the bomb but haven't found any in Sydney yet. Too bad a glass jar of honey was too impractical to bring back to Aus...)

Little Nel.

Summer Efflorescence: strawberry sorbet, lychee, champagne mousse, crystallised rose petals-$12

This was our favourite dessert-super refreshing sorbet and perfect for a warm Autumn day. Although it was small, the flavours were really strong without being overly sweet. Everything just came together in one mouthful. The crystallised flowers were a tad bit on the sweet side, but apart from that, everything worked in this one small dish!

Wagon Wheel: raspberry, yuzu and milk chocolate-$6

The least worth item we got. All I could taste was a sweet milk choc and marshmallow. I have a sweet tooth, but not much when it comes to just milk choc. Couldn't really taste the yuzu or raspberry bits cause the sweetness in the marshmallow was too overpowering.

Gastro Park

Liquid pumpkin and parmesan gnocchi, forest mushroom tea-$12

You know something is good when they have only 2 items to choose from. So glad I discovered this liquid gnocchi! It was quite mind blowing. At first look, it looks like an Asian dessert of sweet potato balls in a sweet soup, but this was nothing like that nor like a normal gnocchi. The skin is super thin and once you bite into it, all this liquid goodness of pumpkin and fragrant parmesan burst into your mouth=liquid gnocchi. The tea was quite salty but still had a nice mushroom flavour. If there was more gnocchi or something to help cut through the saltiness of the sauce, would've drank it all. So, so good.

Seared scallop, pork crumble, crab sauce-$12

There were 4 tiny scallops (well more like 2 and they halved it) hidden under the pork crumble. Scallops cooked perfectly, and went well with that rich crab sauce. Loved having a bit of crunch from the pork crumble. Why have I not been to the actual restaurant yet? Putting it onto my list to go (too many places now on my list...)

Banksii

Lavender and rose soft serve w/ red vermouth caramel and pistachio praline-$6

So many firsts at this festival, but first time having lavender soft serve! Really strong and fragrant lavender flavour with a sweet rose powder sprinkled on top. Rose flavoured things can be quite artificial, but this one had the right amount of rose/sweetness. Loved the vermouth caramel which had a slight bitterness in it to cut through the floral flavours. Good crunch from the pistachio praline as well. I didn't manage to visit Provence in France (nor was it the season), but I can imagine how amazing lavender soft serve would be after having this one. I wished this was on Banksia's menu. No idea where I can find decent lavender ice cream in Sydney.

cute chocolate with Sydney suburbs

At the end you could also take a pack go Castello blue cheese for free. So many things I wish I could buy/take, but Adele was the priority of the day lol.

Centennial Parklands

It was really fun discovering relatively new places to eat in Sydney all in one place and trying new things. Thanks for the ticket Bec!