Tina’s Foodie Blog

At The Spot in Randwick, opposite Arthurs’ Pizza is a small Turkish restaurant serving delicious fresh food at very reasonable prices. It was one of the few places in the area open on Christmas eve so we booked and hoped for the best. Warm and relaxed service is perfect for this cosy restaurant and is a nice change from the proliferation of Thai food in Randwick (as good as it is!).

Chunks of Turkish bread, drizzled lightly with olive oil and baked until hot and crisp on the outside but still tender and moist in the middle. Perfect for mopping up the four dips that we have ordered, there are seven to choose from, but why choose?

Hummous, Beetroot dip, Jajik, Babbaganoush

Zucchini fritters drizzled with yoghurt

Dolmades, these little rice filled vine leaves are yummy

The Lamb Pide (pea-deh) is my favourite, the flavours are clean and moreish. We have it without cheese, and add mushroom to it.

This one is called the Spot Special and came with the recommendation that ‘everyone orders it’, but although tasty I found there to be too much going on and I didn’t like it as much as the Lamb.

The lone piece of rose and almond Turkish delight didn’t last long enough to be photographed.

The 2008 Young Chefs’ Dinner hosted by the Sydney Morning Herald as part of Good Food Month was held in October at Coast Restaurant at Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour.

A few old uni friends decided to check it out…

Below are a few photos of the event, which are not brilliant but at least they’ll give you an idea of what was served.

Coast Restaurant Sommelier Brendon February recommended a few wines, and I tried the 2007 Farnese ‘Casale Vecchio’ Pecorino ‘Terre di Chieti’ IGT, Abruzzo, which was light, grassy and perfect with the tomato and yabby appetiser below.

Yabbies and tomato on toast. Josh Davidson, Coast Restaurant

The flesh of the yabbie tasted fresh and sweet which worked well with the sweet/savoury combination of the tomato jelly which was cleansing on the palate and then the textural crumbliness of the pastry underneath gave a robustness to this light appetiser.

Macadamia, wattleseed, lemon myrtle, red rice. James Parry, Oscillate Wildly (Winner of the Young Chef Award 2008)

This dish played with texture and the diner’s expectation. The creamy macadamia ‘mousse’ was savoury as were the ‘toffee shards’ and the red rice jelly.

Breast of Burrawong Farm quail, ham hock and quail leg terrine, beetroot syrup, lemon-scented celeriac puree. Michael Urquhart, No2 Oak Street Bellingen

The terrine was delicious, the puree was tasty, but the quail was a little too simple. I can see that the chef was wanting the true flavour of the bird to shine through and didn’t want to play with it too much. Great theory, but in that case the bird needs to be perfectly seasoned and perhaps with a crisp skin, or one feature that makes is interesting. It let the dish down which is a shame as the chef is obviously passionate about Australian produce.

Neck fillet of lamb, artichoke, olive paint, white bean puree, mint jelly, peas. Marc Williams, Foveaux Restaurant+Bar

Tender, succulent lamb brushed with the mint jelly so you couldn’t see it, only taste it, lovely. This was the least mentally challenging dish, and also the most enjoyable to my taste, as I could just relax and enjoy.

Osso Iraty, dates, gingerbread. Josh Davidson, Coast

A well rounded rectangle of sheeps milk cheese wrapped in a thin sticky layer of fresh dates is a wonderful parcel of sweet and savoury. Tiny beetroot leaves and slivers of crisp apple with a very light appley dressing on a not too sweet gingerbread base. This was my favourite for aesthetic appeal, flavour balance and more-ishness! Well done!

Nougat parfait, mustard citrus fruits. Luke Powell, Tetsuya’s

Intense, challenging, interesting. I enjoyed the mental challenge of this dish, trying to uncover all of its secrets. It was not my favourite flavour-wise as it was not balanced or cleansing, rather it is a richer dish, however it was certainly one of the most daring and for that Luke shold be commended. The serving size may have added to the richness, half the amount would have been sufficient for such a dessert.

Caramels, house made petit fours by Josh Davidson.

This was a disappointment as I love caramel in all formats, but these were oily and under-sweet. A thin sliver of dark chocolate would have been a better end to such a feast.

For those who live near Marrickville you may already be familiar with the large number of Vietnamese restaurants on Illawarra Road. For those days when I just want something tasty and light that will fill me up but not leave me searching for a place to have a siesta afterwards, then Pho is what I crave. Pho is beef noodle soup that can come with different types of beef, thinly sliced raw beef that cooks in the hot broth or tender chunks of brisket, or any number of combinations but the one I order is the thinly sliced as there is something theatrical watching your lunch cook before your eyes.

The place I stumble across today is Hai Duong, at 304 Illawarra Rd. It is the busiest one in a strip of restaurants so I give it a go and grab a table. I order my soup which arrives a few minutes later with crisp bean sprouts, wedges of lemon, sprigs of thai basil, chilli paste and kecap manis on the side to adjust the soup to your own taste. The broth is aromatic, smelling of cloves, star anise and boiled meat.

The soup is satisfying and memeorable, I find myself back here a few days later. The broth is slightly different, but just as good. For $7.50 this meal is a bargain and at a dollar or two more than a sandwich is a tastier alternative.

N.B. If you live near Epping try Pho Sam on Oxford St, they are always busy but you can order ahead and get take away. They pack everything separately so the soup stays hot until you get back to the office or a nearby park.

Khao Soy- a thick curry soup with fresh egg noodles, bite size pieces of chicken thigh and tender massamun-style beef, topped with deep fried crispy noodles and sliced shallots. It is unbelievable how tasty this is.

You can get this dish all over Chiang Mai, but I had it several times at Aroon Rai and it was consistently good. The Tuk Tuk drivers all know this place so you should be able to get there for 40-60 Thai Baht from most locations in town.

This is a place to go for the food. If you don’t want to be disappointed, book a table. The walls could use a paint and the seating plan is sometimes questionable. Why would you place two separate couples two inches from each other in an otherwise empty restaurant? If it is really busy and at peak time, say 7pm on a Saturday night, you might be eating outside on metal tables. All this really doesn’t matter once you try the Laksa, Nasi Goreng or the Char Kway Teow. These spicy numbers are all washed down best with a coconut juice, in my opinion. Just a word of caution, they will ask if you want chilli- if you don’t like to suffer too much, ask for mild chilli, or just a little. Though some would consider it worth the pain.

Gado Gado Salad

Chicken and Prawn Laksa

Nasi Goreng (fried rice)

Nasi Lemak (coconut rice)

Hainanese Chicken Rice

If by some miracle you still have room, try one of the many coloured desserts on the table as you pay at the counter. The cassava one is mild, not too sweet and has a lovely texture.

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While staying with my friends Ricky and Debbie in London recently, Ricky took me to one of his favourite places to have lunch in town after a morning of museum trekking, called Inn Noodle. Or Noodle Inn as he likes to call it.

It is on Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road station which is strangely convenient while hopping on and off the tube and generally seeing the city by foot. I managed to get here at least five times during my two and a half week stay in London. Maybe it was the wontons or the dumplings which you have to wait to cool a little and then eat whole so the soup squirts in your mouth and not at your friend across the table.

But let’s be honest and admit it was probably the Peking Duck, with the tastiest sauce that made up for the wrappers that stuck together. I did have this twice, and yes I ate the skin, it’s the best part. Make sure you get the duck on the bone, I was disappointed when they took the meat off the bone after I asked them to leave it on, you get a choice, there was just a miscommunication…it is all part of it to get so greasy you need to wash your hands after.

By the way, they make their own noodles and wonton wrappers in the front window, so try it, you won’t regret it.

Peking Duck

Roast Duck with skin removed

Did you ever hear about that restaurant where you eat in the dark? No candles, no faint glow of shapes, this is to experience total blindness first hand. Blind Cow or ‘blindekuh’ is in the Seefeld area of Zurich and is a fantastic experience for anyone wanting to take their culinary experience a step further.

My friend Viv has booked us a table for two, as trying to have a conversation with more people can be disorienting, especially when you don’t speak Swiss German. The waiters here are all blind. They are also friendly, confident, in control and speak a range of languages so if you only speak English you will still have the full experience. In a strange role reversal, here sight is not an advantage but a hindrance and those who are already accustomed to using their other senses are now our guides.

When we enter there is a foyer where a host explains the proceedings and asks us to look at the menu so we have an idea of what we’d like when we enter the pitch black of the restaurant where we will place our order. Our bags are left in a locker and coats hung up as they would only be in the way once inside. The menu, of which they helpfully have an English version as well is projected onto a large wall. We are reassured that if we want to use the bathroom or leave the restaurant at any time it is just a matter of calling out our waitress’ name.

Once I have attempted to memorise the German (I am trying to use as much German as possible, but everyone in Zurich speaks English) for I’ll have the veal please with a glass of red wine our waitress Lisa arrives smiling and asks us to put our hands on her shoulders and form a congo line as she takes us into the inner chamber before we enter the restaurant. We move through a heavy black curtain and are then explained the proceedings. All these steps may seem overkill, but are actually very reassuring for a first timer. The thrill of not knowing what to expect and the vague memory of a childhood fear of nightime darkness combine to produce a small case of butterflies.

We then move through two more dark curtains and are inside the restaurant. I don’t remember ever being in such pitch black. The first thing I notice is the aroma of savoury dinner time. On the menu is Monkfish with pesto, sugar snaps, carrots and wild rice; veal steak with balsamic jus, pepperonata and new potatoes; there is also a vegetarian option of polenta slices with a morel cream sauce with French beans and artichoke stew.

A small menu makes the kitchen efficient and soon after we place our order an amuse bouche arrives. A palm-size crisp pastry with a savoury mousse with hint of mustard. I’m not sure exactly what is in it, but it is delicious and easy to eat.

Our meals arrive in five or ten minutes, it is hard to know how much time is passing with no visual reference and so the time passes like in a dream. We have managed to find each others’ wine glasses to toast without shattering any glass and then we begin to explore our food. Clean hands are essential, as one must also test the shape of things on the plate. The new potatoes are the easiest to find and spear as they are halved and bite size already. The pepperonata is a smooth and slippery combination of capsicum that is easy to find but not so easy to stay on the fork. The aroma of them is enticing. The veal is tender and at a guess I would say medium as it is so juicy. It is still hot when it arrives which is just as well as this type of eating takes longer than usual. It forces you to slow down and concentrate on what you are putting in your mouth, if indeed you get there. I am convinced by now that I have chin dotted with balsamic jus.

We decide to try and share a morsel or two and a speared artichoke heart makes it’s way across the middle of the table until I can find the fork and taste the tender vegetable in it’s creamy sauce. Delicious. Fork returned, I try to pass a potato which is quite easy, but then cutting a small piece of veal is not so simple. With no idea if the plate is clean yet I poke around on the plate trying to discover a last piece of meltingly soft potato and finally determine that I am done.

With the Spanish Nevarra polished off I move on to sipping the last of my sparkling water as my friend tries to catch up on her wine. Another thing one takes for granted, how to judge if your friend has nearly finished their wine and might like another, or indeed if one is being a thirsty little soak and needs to slow down.

The most interesting part of the experience is the effect the darkness has on the mind and the eyes. It is a new type of relaxation and alertness. The body becomes relaxed, with no concerns over how you or anyone else looks- all attention is focused on your thoughts and your invisible friend across the table which you lean on as a focal point. The place that joins you together. The mind feels light and awake and the tiring day is forgotten. What a wonderful therapy this would be for the overworked.

The insulation in the room must be deep as there is a softness of sound, with no echo of voices. Voices surround you and with no faces to focus on a direction must be chosen to try and pick out the distance of the nearest tables.

At the end of the meal we call out Lisa’s name who magically knows exactly where we are and she leads us back out into the in-between room to say goodbye and to break the dreamlike state and gently bring us back to reality. It is still harsh moving into the light of the foyer, and I cover my eyes against the light. Luckily it is dark outside so as we make our way home our eyes slowly adjust and seem to take in our surroundings afresh.

I got a call on my mobile about a week ago asking about the food and service we had at The Meat & Wine Co. on the Friday night before I flew out to Thailand the next morning. Unknown to the caller was the fact that it was 3 am in the morning in a little town called Longcrendon near Oxford in the UK. It may have been expensive feedback for them but I think I was coherent at least, being still somewhat jet lagged.

We wanted to have a nice meal in the Parramatta area and though not cheap we have had consistently good food and professional service and were not disappointed this time either. What is lacking in cosiness is made up for in the quality of the meat, which is flavoursome and decently cooked. I like the crunchy fat cut chips and the basting they use on the meat. It is not too much, just a bit of sweetness that hits the spot.

We haven’t managed to stay for dessert yet as the servings are generous and are unusual in that you get quality and quantity. I had the New York Sirloin 300g medium with mushroom sauce and chips and my partner had the Prime cut also 300g but medium rare with mushrooms, wilted spinach and chat potatoes. We were both happy. The side dish of vegetables (bok choy, cauliflower and squash) was possibly too much for 2 people as the steak also come with chips and a small homemade coleslaw that bears no relation to the KFC version. It was fresh, perfectly dressed and moreish. A wonderful complement to the steak and better than a few wilted lettuce leaves and an unripe wedge of tomato.

Booking is a good idea, as the strip of restaurants on this street that houses the Riverside Theatre next door and crosses the Parramatta River is always a popular location. Parking can be a bit hard so parking a few streets away might be the closest you get. We booked for an early dinner and got lucky with a parking spot just across the road that was metered parking, but sometimes you just don’t mind.

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