Mexico - Food & Liquor

5:03 AM | Labels: , , , , ,




Pier, Ad Lib, Assiette, District Dining, Becasse franchise, Balzac, Bilson's, Berowa Waters Inn... What do these restaurants all have in common? They're all heavy hitters in the hospitality industry that have recently closed down. They also happen to be French. Does Sydney not have room for the luxury, the refinement, the richness that is French cuisine? It's only speculation up to this point. 


Of these restaurants, one of my favourites; District Dining by Chef Warren Turnbull, sadly closed it's doors a few months ago, a restaurant Randle St would have surely missed. A fortnight ago, however, a new Mexican restaurant simply called Mexico has risen from the ashes and given the premises new life. 



It's what you'd imagined a Mexican bar to be like. It can get dark and moody yet at the same time vibrant and animated. 



They've really gone all out with the ambience here, not a inch square isn't filled out with some sort of skull, pot plant, booze bottle, bull, candle, flowers, paintings or mural memorabilia. 



There's evidently much to look at if the food hasn't already caught your attention. Of particular interest is the specials menu that get changed daily and represent the exciting possibilities for this restaurant.


DIY guacamole with fresh coriander and jalapeno and lime with house cut corn chips 8
We begin with a special on the day: a do-it-yourself guacamole that arrives with a generous portion of well seasoned house made chips  a fun dish that invites you to burn off as much calories are you're about to take in. Some good old fashion elbow grease is need as you shake, mix and smash your way to creamy goodness. Its simplicity is delicious but something needs to be done to make it easier to break apart the coriander. It can be a bit difficult for those who don't like it as much in huge chunks.


Mexico's Fried Chicken 12
It's not insanely juicy and tender or even sadly crunchy for that matter, but the spice rub on the chicken is seriously something to go on about. A dip in either the mayo or guacamole mayo will send you into a foodie coma. It is seriously finger-licking good.


Beef Brisket Taco 6
J's eyes immediately lit up on first bite. "It's the coconut!" she exclaimed. It really was. It just lifts the whole taco with its nutty exotic aroma and it may be her favourite taco to this day (she hasn't eaten many).


Pibil rubbed pork 6
Our next dish is a taco that features a pulled pork marinated in pibil accompanied but a sweet and tart cabbage salad.


Grilled Squid w mole amarillo de oaxaca, pink fir potato, yellow carrot 
I didn't quite like this dish because they took the squid a little too far; it just tasted burnt and bitter although I suppose a redeeming point was the use of the oddly yellow sweet mole amarillo (a specialty sauce of the region Oaxaca) which gave it a much more pleasant taste.


Prawn, smoked paprika, chilli & orange with corn salsa 12
The smoked paprika almost overwhelms the dish, almost save for the fact that the prawns were just beautiful and springy and laced with a tad less cheese then I would have liked but with a good kick of chilli for good measure and look at it! It's a huge portion.



Service was incredibly helpful, particularly our waitress, thick with a South American accent. It can get borderline intrusive but it's hard not to be enamored with their amiable nature. I am absolutely smitten over the braised beef rib on Chocolatesuze's post. It's a shame it wasn't there on the day I went but you come to realise; you don't really get what you expect.


It has big shoes to fill but it packs those shoes to the brim. It packs it with life and with exciting possibilities. Maybe this restaurant might just last.


View Larger Map

Mexico - Food & Liquor on Urbanspoon

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

Sixpenny, Stanmore

12:09 PM | Labels: , , , , ,


Sixpenny has opened earlier this year to critical acclaim. The unusual suburban location hasn't stopped die hard foodies from visiting this humble restaurant with the small restaurant seemingly unable to keep up with the attention. 



There's an elegant simplicity about the dining room, little personal flourishes here and there and a private dining room out in the middle with a view of the kitchen. It's a small area but is in no way claustrophobia inducing. Music is uncontroversial and likeable, turned to a mild comfortable volume. It's dark timber all the way with soft round edges easy on the eyes. 


Bread, Marscapone Butter, Vinegar Potato Crisps
It's degustation only, $135 for 9 courses or 115 for  7 but we opt for the 9 courser. Tis the season to be jolly right? We begin with bread; a bloody generously loaf might I add, a crunchy and soft, warm delight that melts the butter easily. The transparent crisps were eye-puckeringly sour (I'm not sure whether it was intentional) but it did jump start the taste-buds for more.


Cheese & Onion
Rye Toast
Potato Scallop
We begin with a gathering of canapes. We feared the cheese oil would be sickening but it's oddly light and refreshing due the the light tartness of the verjuice poached baby onion petals. Rye toast with whipped butter was hard but deeply satisfying. The star of the trio has to be undoubtedly the potato scallop; lifted to elegant status through the addition of a crisp thin chicken skin wrapping that givens it a welcome meaty dimension.


Duck Tongue
Knuckle Sandwich
The next set of canapes happen to be their signatures; the well talked about duck tongue and knuckle sandwich. The tongue is wondrously tender but it's the knuckle sandwich that takes it to another level. I had mine with bean and dandelion jelly that's sandwiched between two slices of buttery brioche in the shape of a toast (clever, clever).


Pickled Pear, Peach, Ricotta, Green Almonds and Rose Geranium
Floral. That's what I kept thinking. It tasted like I was eating a garden in a garden. Despite it being one of the prettiest courses I've eaten this year, I'm sadly not a fan but it was certainly interesting, maybe a little too much.


Crab, Silky Macadamia and Camomile
Lo and behold, their signature dish in all its majestic... simplicity? It arrives in a flatish dome of curled camomile ribbons that hides a bed of roasted macadamias and their cream along with sweet hand-picked crab. There's an astounding deliciousness and clarity to this dish that is evidently product driven. It works, it really does work and it's amazing.


Roast Sweet Potato, Nettles, Fish Roe and Whey Sauce
White sweet potato is confidently contrasted with the meaty John Dory roe that is matched equally well with a whey foam that it rounds it together.


Snapper, Brown Butter, Walnuts
Panfried on one side until crisp, the fish (a snapper if I'm not mistaken) is lifted simply with a tart and balanced brown butter and walnuts.


Snapper, Pumpkin Seed Cream, Soft Leeks
Delicate snapper is perfectly cooked to an almost milky consistency which is matched with the sweetest leeks in clarified butter and the cream of pumpkin seeds that works wonders.


Coorong Hanger, Smoky Cabbage and Mustard Leaves
The steak is perfectly cooked to a blushing rare that packs on bags of deep meaty flavour. 



It's a delight to finish it off but in slowly savouring the parts I couldn't help but also notice how incredibly tiny one of the radishes were and it's utterly fascinating.



Chewy Rhubarb
Yoghurt Whey Meringue, Camomile Ice Cream and Honey
The chewy rhubarb reminds me of my childhood roll ups but with more flavour. It's a fun struggle to eat but I eventually relent and just stuff the whole piece in my mouth. The little meringues were puffs of lightness with a pleasant earthy sweetness contributed by the honey and camommile.


Native Ginger, Poached Green Strawberries, Rosella
The single deeply pungent strawberry is intensified with the fruity hits of rosella that is tempered out with a light and refreshing native ginger sorbet.


Beetroots, Mead, Steamed Brioche and Honey Ice Cream
It's a masterful contrast of textures and the flavours work especially the outstanding mead poached beetroot but the steamed brioche pales in comparison the the buttery one we had earlier.


Malted Rye
It tastes like milo and ice cream more than anything else which proves to be an underwhelming yet remarkably light finish to the afternoon.


Cookie Pot
Not quite the finale yet when we're presented with a little pot full of petit fours. They're home made cookies that include an impressive airy lamington, ginger root biscuits among a few others.


Hibiscus Tea
Our tea arrives in a clear pot that allows you to appreciate the lucid green herbs recently picked from the back garden.


And yes, it's all true. The humility you hear so much about from Sixpenny, it's all there. The chefs are all soft spoken and humble, a surprise given their remarkable achievements with both head chefs being heavy hitters in the restaurant industry; receiving a number of accolades including both being the recipients of Josephone Pignolet Young Chef of the Year awards . It's quite nice when they quietly bring out your dishes but they quickly jump at the opportunity to launch into a full scale explanation when given the chance. 


Take head chef James Parry for example, their resident horticulturalist who also happens to be a chef there. He passionately went into great detail to us about every single vegetable grown in their backyard plot as well as their farm in Bowral such as the lettuce which he grows being placed in harshers conditions and apparently tasting better; survival of the fittest analogy as he put it. Hey, food as good as this, I'll take his word for it. 



There's a lot of painstaking love that goes into this like something as simple as their multiple mint leaves going into our tea, the native ginger in our sorbet or the flowers for our garnishes; every process is considered, from the cultivation to when it makes its way to the plate. I found it enlightening to say the least and you appreciate it so much more; thank you. It's a rare side to the back house you never see at the front and those willing to probe deeper will find greater enjoyment out of Sixpenny.



Simple, down-to-earth (intentional pun) and nature driven. That's how I'd describe the food and it's very much a reflection of the mentality behind Sixpenny. The flavours aren't punchy but rather very restraint and well thought out. The combinations are unique yet aren't coma inducingly complex and I'm all the more for it. You'll hear many comparisons between the acclaimed Noma and Sixpenny, the main one being head chef of Sixpenny Daniel Puskas a former chef of Noma. Even so, there's a lot of confidence and quiet pride here that it seems like they're doing their own thing. Very well I might add.


View Larger Map

Sixpenny on Urbanspoon

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

MakMak, Newtown

12:53 PM | Labels: ,


If there's one thing that gets everyone's attention, it's the recent article on the best macaron by Time Out magazine that judged MakMak to be the best place for the little bitefulls. It certainly got mine. Having only recently opened a new pop up store in Newtown down King St, I was keen to try what they had on offer.

Sand... That's the first thing you notice. They've got a beach thing going on that's meant to emulate the Australian summer. 



They've got a running kitchen at the back in open sight but it's surprisingly quite laid back an relaxed contrary to what I envisioned most kitchens to be like.



The consistency of the macarons, that's the next thing you notice. By golly they're all so perfect, not a cracked shell in sight and all the same consistent size. They're 3 dollars each of 2.50 each when you buy a box of 12.





I like the way how they all hide little surprises inside. Purists might disagree but I found the whole hazelnut inside the gianduja and the little jubes in peach and raspberry to be quite interesting. They've got the texture right, the shells are intact, the feet existing, the colours are glossy and attractive (peach and raspberry, I'm told, has the colours of life savers, the strawberry, vincotto and pink peppercorn has interesting little dashes) the flavours are true and interesting without being over the top and the synonymous sweetness is there that comes with the macaron name. Overall we had a delicious batch of macarons.


Little nice touches make Makmak special. The perfect glossy shell, perfect consistency, little surprises inside. They even include circle a list of macarons you bought and include it within your box so you know what you've eaten. Nothing quite as embarrassing as having your 7th macaron in a row and thinking... 'Ohhhh I think I taste a little strawberry, oh wait turns out it was passion fruit' (by that stage in gluttony, any sort of sugar tastes like sugar). They're open until 15th of January so it's in your best interests to pop down to give it a look while it's still there. 

MakMak on Urbanspoon


View Larger Map

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

Bodega, Surry Hills

1:33 PM | Labels: , , , ,


Bodega. What can I say that I haven't said already. It's bloody brilliant food. Such commendation would be reserved for the ending of this post but it's undeniable the fact that there is genius that lies behind this ever popular restaurant so why postpone it? Elvis Abrahanowicz, formerly of Porteno, has since returned to Bodega to grace it with his culinary presence. His return has brought with him an entirely new menu, energy charged and full of life.


I admit, it's been a while since I've been here and it does look a tad different due the the refurbishment a while back. Gone is the iconic green cow sign, replaced by a much more darker sleek colour palate. The bar's still there along with the open kitchen, the rattle shaker and the fluorescent eye popping mural towards the side and the very lively handlebar mustached sommelier who's as much synonymous with the Bodega name as the fish fingers are to it. Nevertheless it does feel a touch more sophisticated without ever feeling intimidating.


Fish Fingers, Hiramasa, Charred Toast, Cuttlefish, Mojama 22
The fish fingers here are iconic and I'm glad they've stayed. Same old, same old, but why mess with a brilliant recipe? Just the right amount of onions and coriander infused chewy cuttlefish, wonderfully fresh slices of king fish all on top of liberally acidic oil doused garlic toast. Happy days. It might be me but the mojama did taste a little fishier.


Steamed Milk Bun, BBQ Tongue, Crab, Salsa Golf 12 each 
Reminds me a lot like a fillet of fish because of the dill and tartare, but gutsier and delicate at the same time. Smoky tongue and crab make a shockingly addictive combo but it goes quite quickly. Admittedly 12 dollars did seem very overpriced for the serving but it is delicious nevertheless.


Buttermilk Pancake, Salt Cod,  62 ° Egg, Smoked Maple Butter 16 
The oddly sweet and clearly savoury notes are quite unfamiliar and offsetting but if it seems to work with bacon, hey, maple syrup can pretty much work with anything else. The lightest pancake is doused in maple butter with a salty crisp cod ball and a slow cooked gooey egg just waiting to be popped.


Slow Cooked Beef Brisket, BBQ sauce, Onion Rings & Fried Egg 28
Crunchy onion rings, tender beef and intense beef juices on steroids, smoky barbeque sauce and mayo and 2 wonderfully runny fried eggs; bravo Bodega, you have created the ultimate in dude food eating.







This is serious dude food, for lack of better word to use, with refinement. Bodega is a master at making odd combinations work and existing combinations even better. There aren't any foams to be found here, no gels, no spherification, no liquid nitrogen. No, there's no mucking about, just really good food. And really fun might I add. Supposedly the last day of the world, there's no where else I'd rather be.


View Larger Map

Bodega on Urbanspoon

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