Universal, Darlinghurst

5:32 PM | Labels: , ,


Short post today. At least this form of procrastination hopefully gets my literacy skills up. I'll need it because my spelling is gradually becoming worse. Seriously. I think I'm just too used to marking incorrect writing that I've accepted it as the norm. My kids have just finished their Hsc and what better way to celebrate then with something that gets them away from their usual appalling diet of Mcdonald's happy meals. Universal is located right across Lucio's Pizzeria on the courtyard and is a convienient walk away for a quick drink or to satisfy the occasional sweet tooth.
But the looks of things, they're used to accepting walk-ins for dessert as we were placed in a rather spacious area in the bar. A dark neon orange glow shines out from the restaurant and from there it draws you in with it's sophisticated allure. This restaurant evidently draws in the middle-aged wealthy but you do spot some others amongst the crowd and even my kids had a fun time perusing through the unusual names of the drinks.

Little Miss Sunshine 19
Little Miss Sunshine is an undeniably pretty looking dish. The flavour combinations were outstanding highlighted by the especially strong hit of passionfruit.

Lady Marmalade 19
A remarkably smooth mousse is topped with a shiny piece of tempered chocolate but it was  the textural contrast the tuile in between the mousse and cake gave that I really enjoyed. The piquant acidity of the blood oranges provides a very welcome counterpoint to all the heavy richness and overall a very well executed dish. 

Gaytime Goes Nuts
It's strength lies in the way it remolds an Australian classic into an even richer form of decadence. Flawlessly churned caramel ice cream is wrapped around in a crispy chocolate- toffee collar topped with roasted hazelnuts in a salted caramel sauce all on a bed of honeycomb crumbs. Oddly it doesn't feel sickening at all and each spoonful becomes increasingly addictive. 

Christine Manfield is being widely known for eccentric and diverse cooking as much as she is known for her desserts. She's been all over the world and the startling flavour combinations are astounding. With that said, I can't not be a little curious about what the savoury menu has to offer and with the very pleasing promise of the desserts at the end, I'll be back soon enough.



View Larger Map

Universal on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown

Lucio's Pizzeria, Darlinghurst

2:33 AM | Labels: , ,


Lucio's pizzeria is one of the many alfresco restaurants located on a courtyard down the strip of Liverpool street. I've been here numerous times but never got to blogging it and I thought it was about due for a posting. Lucio's Pizzeria is a family favourite. A friend favourite too because it's one of the places I love to bring my friends to.

It's a cosy and tight knit setting; the vibe is very casual and relaxed and the tables are grouped quite close but in no way does it feel that restricting. The waiters come thick with Italian accents but would you expect any otherwise? These days so many Italian eateries employ Italians that it now seems a little odd to see a waiter without an accent work in a pizzeria. It may be just me.


Antipasto Misto for Two 26
Kudos to the restaurant's generosity. They gave us what appeared to be a serving for 3 with no markup in the bill and we were very thankful for it. You can't go wrong with the antipasti plate here. It's a little oily but there's just so much going on that you forget. Mini pizzas, bread sticks, different kinds of olives, croquettes, grilled pumpkin, capsicums and zucchini, super garlicky eggplants, arancini balls, creamy dip and parma wrapped rockmelon all get the taste buds going.


Insalatina di Granchio 21.5 
The king crab had simple yet well developed flavours; the cherry tomatoes and mint really enhanced the sweetness of the crab and was a wonderful little bite.


Buffalina 22
You go here for the pizza of course. Ditch the knife and fork combo, go caveman and just use your hands. That's how it's meant to be done. The ingredients were a bit wet and that resulted in a slightly soggy base but the ingredients. Oh the ingredients. The beautiful mozzarella which they import from Italy and a slight charring of the oh-so-thin blistered crust was just wonderful.



Service was very helpful although it can be a bit stiff. Controversially believed to be the best pizzeria in Sydney, it does an amazing job of holding the title. Finding out whether it really is calls for more exploration around Sydney. Until then.


View Larger Map

Lucio Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown

New Shanghai, Ashfield

3:23 PM | Labels: , , ,



Always keen for a good xiao long bao, we went down Ashfield one lazy Sunday afternoon hopeful to find a shop who offers it. Haha please. When walking into Ashfield, you'll encounter a multitude of dumpling options to choose from down the strip of Hume Highway and be hard pressed not to find a shop which offers xiao long bao. Which is a good thing. 



The interior looks fancy and it was promising to see the kitchen so efficient and high tech with the stainless steel and black smooth brickwork interior.


New Shanghai steamed mini pork bun 6.8
Xiao Long Bao arrive perfectly formed, plump and juicy. It is well seasoned already so taste it first before adjusting the saltage with soy sauce.


New Shanghai pan fried pork bun 8.8
The shen jian bao here are bloody brilliant. It's missing more of that much desired soup and the dough's a bit much but the bottom... Oh crispy bottom exterior. There's nothing quite like it. It's just brilliant how insanely crispy ours were. 


Sliced fresh fish congee 7.8
A very unadorned congee is a very unappreciated thing; it comes missing the usual garnishes but the simplicity is pleasantly remarkable on our end. The chunks of fish were incredibly fresh with none of that fishy taste which was nice and only perfumed with thin hits of light ginger.


Beef in five special sauce noodle soup 8.8
Beef noodle arrives but it comes not quite the way we expect it. I think I'm too used to the large moreish chunks of slow cooked beef, deep, heady broth and thick ramen but this pleasantly surprises. The lighter, almost medicinal broth can be very much credited to the 5 spice along with the thin slices of beef which results in a pleasant finish to the evening.



As seems to be sadly accepted within most Chinese restaurants, service seems to be a bit irregular but I'm hardly there for the service. Still it does leave sort of a sour note. Chairs are placed within doorways and often you'll sit forgotten waiting to grab a waiters attention but on the bright side they are incredibly efficient. It's undeniably delicious food and the locals would certainly agree with me.


View Larger Map

New Shanghai on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown

n2 Extreme Gelato, Chinatown

1:37 AM | Labels: , , ,


Liquid nitrogen seems to be the current craze of 2012. It's been out for a while; chefs have been using it in nearly everything (exaggeration) but n2 extreme gelato can quite be credited with making it popular to the public. Nothing quite like seeing some smoke billowing from your gelato right?


There's a bit of theatre involved in the preparation of your frozen gelato; staff in lab coats and safety glasses pour one conical flask of liquid nitrogen and the other of the ingredients together and a serving of gelato becomes rapidly chilled in front of you. It's quite a spectacle and I bet that's half the the reason why people love the gelato so much.


Banana Peanut Crumble gelato 6
I went conservative that day. Peanut butter and banana gelato for me. All the while I kept thinking, am I stupid? Holy crap, is my stomach going to explode from all this gelato? You hear all the stories. You know it won't happen to you but it still gets to you. At least to me. When I got over it, it actually tastes really damn good. It's stickier and definitely creamier than normal gelato and the banana and peanut flavour really shone.


Sour Puss Lemon Sorbet 6
Eye poppingly sour, my brother seemed to really enjoy this. The sorbet was refreshingly light, perfect for a hot spring day.


Past Flavours








The gelato flavours are true to their name. What you buy is what you get. Mango sorbet? Nothing but mango, sugar and a gelatine stabiliser. And liquid nitrogen to freeze the gelato of course. In retrospect I should have probably asked what was in the fish gelato one that day but my forgetfulness got the better of me that day. Maybe an 'extreme' adventure for the brave some other time?


View Larger Map

N2 Extreme Gelato on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown

Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet, Chinatown

1:06 PM | Labels: , , , ,

This is hardly the first time I've been to Mother Chu's. Always packed with keen eaters, you'll be hard pressed to find Mother Chu's empty at any given time of the day. As a family favourite, we already know what to pick and what to avoid.

Hot Soy Bean Milk 2.4
The soy milk's smooth creaminess and familiar slight nutty flavour warms up the soul. I'll usually pile on loads of sugar but that's just me. 

Pork Dumpling 12 pieces 9
Dumplings come next with fried bottoms. The innards are wonderfully moist while the exterior has that pleasant licking of the pan. This picture's clearly missing a couple of dumplings because my mum just swoops in before I even have anytime to do anything.

Flaky Pastry and YouTiao 5.5
Glorious deep fried you tiao comes pressed and packed into flaky pancakes. It's just beautiful biting into the almost hollow inards that have resulted due to the dough expansion in the frying process.

Crispy Chicken 11.50
The chicken's good. Very good. In fact, so good we already know to order 2 plates before anything else begins. Whilst not particularly crispy, say compared to the you tiao, it comes littered with charred shallots, garlic and chilli which makes it seriously addictive.

Taiwanese Style Seafood Potage Soup 10.50
Our soup provides welcome relief from the overload of deep-fried goodness. The gingery vegetable broth is wonderfully cleansing filled to the brim with udon noodles, assorted seafood and vegetables.




Mother Chu's suffers, like many other Chinese eateries, from the mentality of getting everyone in and out as soon as possible. Where there's hardly any warmth to be found from the service, you'll have better luck with the food. It's bloody delicious and ridiculously cheap. We're regulars there so we know what to avoid. Xiao Long Baos there are very inconsistent and can occasionally come exploded already. Their beef noodle soup can be quite overly salty. You really need to be careful but what they do right is absolutely brilliant. 


Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown

Duke Bistro - The Duke's Regale, Surry Hills

5:15 AM | Labels: , , , , , , ,


Duke's Bistro, often described as the hipsters hideout, is known as much for it's edgy fit out as it is for its eclectic and experimental creativity. Browsing through 2012's list of Crave Sydney dinners reveals a fair few promising dinners. Unfortunately, my meager budget leaves me very careful about the places I choose. If you're really interested in a dinner, here's my advice: the day the calender for October comes out, seize that opportunity to find the events you like and book them quick. A lot of the events get booked out in a couple of days and most after a fortnight if i'm not mistaken so the early bird really gets the worm.


I'll admit, I'm not exactly the most social person (I loathe the idea of any huge crowd setting) so being presented with the idea of communal tables was quite offsetting. However as the night went on and even initially, with unlimited free flowing booze and such interesting stories to be discovered, it's hard not to get into the mood. 


Yes I'm one of those wankers that attempts to drink for taste. That's not working out so well for me because I find all can taste is alcohol. Guess I'm not at that stage yet. Forgive me for the non-existent descriptors of the the matching wines for the night. The photos are terrible because I only started to discover my camera had a flash function. Yeah... Not going to deny it, i'm a big rookie.



Whilst the menu isn't very complicated, before every dish comes out, it is announced at the front and given astute detail.




Potato, Bone Marrow, Horseradish
We start off with canapes. The crisps are more chewy than crisp but bone marrow of course makes everything better. Note to self: those little brown things on the bottom are not edible.


Duck Liver, Pain D'epice
Duck parfait is next which come in the form of little balls of rich deliciousness and are incredibly yielding.

Deers Pudding, Pickled Onions, Malt
Layers of beer soaked onion provide an edible bowl full of rich pudding, liberally dusted with malt, and get the taste buds rolling.


Snails, Parsley, Pine
First time I've had snail before and they were cooked marvelously. Just as well because I hear if you're a couple of seconds over, they become rubbery bullets and no one likes that.




Potted Swine, Pickles, Bread
Our first main course is a pot full of pork shreds. It isn't so overwhelmingly rich that it merits the use of gherkins but as A exclaimed numerously: "gherkins make everything taste better". I'm not going to disagree. Finely pulsed crackle provides a nice textural counterpoint and makes it an overall a very nice dish.


Spring Vegetables, Quail Egg, Rye
I quite loath radishes in every form. I find their harshness quite overpowering and even these light ones didn't quite do it for me. Served cold, the rest of the well cooked vegetables created a very simple, fresh and elegant pathway into the slightly heavier dishes.




Broth of Artichoke and Preserved Truffle, Leaves and Cream
The light truffle flavour of the cream was definitely there and was literally quite finger licklingly scrumptious. The consomme that accompanied it was incredibly jam packed full of heady earthiness and went down very well after every bite of artichoke crisp. Admittedly it did have a smell reminiscent of some of the asian broths my mum would used to simmer up but the taste is so very different.


Grilled Bug Tail, Leek, Garlic, Riesling
I recall it originally being a marron tail, it became a grilled bug tail and was a worthy substitute. Wonderfully cooked, it came with beautifully light accompaniments of smoky and soft leeks and a heady garlic sauce. I quite disagree with the others, I found the individual elements satisfactory but together they were just gorgeous.



Squab aged in Bay Leaves and Hay, Broad Beans, Gamekeepers Tea
Perfectly cooked squab comes accompanied by a deep broth that had resulted from hours of simmering pigeon bones. It's a combination that works even better by taking a bite and washing it down with a sip of the shot glass.


Grapes in Ashes, Cheese and Lees
Our cheese course came with the unusual pairing of ash. A loathes anything ash but I found the flavour was only quite light and went well with the similarly mild cheese. The bizarre looking gel was had a very distilled boozy kick and I'm guessing that was the lees part.


 

Chocolate, Chicory, Smoked Prune
Dessert was a surprisingly light affair. Not too sweet with bags of flavour.







The Duke's Regale was based off what a duke would eat. It's a fascinating concept that I hoped wouldn't compromise on flavor and it didn't. The dishes were unusual to say the least and it seems like booze was very much a secondary theme of the night. Glasses were repeatedly refilled in a blink of an eye and every sort of protein seemed to be dressed, soaked, infused or mixed in some sort of alcohol. Going through many other blogs, it appears tonight's dinner was slightly more conservative then what they usually dish out with no form of molecular whizz-bangery in sight. Just very good clean flavours that work well.


Admittedly, looking around the internet, Duke's Bistro leaves many mixed. It does have it's legions of  local followers but at the same time it can be quite polarizing. Service, portion sizes, controversial combinations and pricing are amongst the few problems that I read a lot about. I, however, remain optimistic about it. Those aforementioned issues weren't in the slightest sense present that day and if the duke's regale is any indicator of what Duke Bistro is like on a normal day, I'll be surely back.


View Larger Map

Duke Bistro on Urbanspoon

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Read User's Comments0
Posted by Unknown
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)