Lux Bite, South Yarra, Melbourne

Lux Bite... now where have I heard of that? The Zumbo rivalling, insanely difficult, eclectic and nostalgia inducing 7 layered lollybag cake of course. 

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Burch and Purchese Sweet Studio, South Yarra, Melbourne

Burch and Purchese is the other Melbourne-based Masterchef-famous pattiserie on South Yarra. It's a must visit for any sweet tooth in Melbourne, let alone the area.

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Sydney Festival 2014, CBD

Soooooooo late I know. Parks are beautiful this time of the year. Trees are alive, the wind is blowing gently and warm weather is kicking up a notch.  

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Garagistes, Hobart, Tasmania

Whilst Tasmania is undoubtedly the jewel of Australia's produce driven identity, it doesn't have much going for it in terms of 'avant garde' haute cuisine. Having opened up for quite a while, Garagistes has welcomed a large amount of accolades. The exigency of its closure in July this year really made it a must visit in Tasmania. 

Wholemeal Sourdough and Smoked Butter

And on we start. Smoked butter here is ridiculously addictive. I could easily pass on the bread and just go with the butter. All. To. Myself.

A little nibble of a carrot stick presents an interesting contrast between the rawness of carrot with the toasty nuttiness of the seeds.

violet artichokes, beetroot, broadbeans, anise hyssop, fennel pollen, cream

Our first course was brilliant. A mish-mash of tender artichoke, sweet golden beetroots and creamy broad beans are gelled together with a buttery cream finished with a sprinkle of liquorishy hyssop. It seemed to just 'work'.

southern calamari, espelette pepper, anigelica seeds + lemon basil

Second course is a choice between two dishes so I figured we might get one each. Noodles of calamari were really soft and giving but espelette peppers along with tart lemon basil make it akin to a sort of sour 'laksa' which probably is a little too prosaic for what you want at a cutting edge diner. 

venerupis clams, kipflwer potatoes, fresh peas, fermented lettuce + lovage

Clam and shellfish juices fit well with a lovage 'soup' but it just didn't excite. You also can't help but be a little disappointed with the size and lack of clams particularly when you're trying to showcase the produce.  

smoked eel, white peach, samphire + brown butter

Ridiculously soft and marbelled eel? Yum yum yum. Garagistes triumphs sophisticatedly pairing it with sweet and soft peaches, twisting it up with a sea-salty hit of crunchy samphire.

raw dry-aged cow, morello cherry, shaved laver + salt bush

The beef was tender, matched well with super sour cherries to offset it but that's where it ends. Quite ambitious doing a cold main but it hasn't really paid off. It didn't feel gutsy enough and have that 'heaviness' you would expect. 

flinders island lamb sweetbreads, green almonds, celtuce + salad cream

Sweetbreads where the same, lacking that usual creamy unctuous mouth-feel you'd expect and it seemed like the execution lacked excitement.

roasted cherry plums + kernel custard, raspberries, buttermilk + frozen shortbread

Dinner finishes on a high note with two spectacular desserts. Mine was pretty much a deconstructed summer pie of sorts; sweet and astringent hits of roasted cherry are balanced well with a foamed up buttermilk cream and crumbly short bread and it's just utterly delectable. 

fig leaf cream, suncrest peach juice, caramelised rye bread, dried blackberry

The sweet and sour theme continues with a brilliant creation of a hardened white chocolate dome encasing a lightly perfumed fig cream which then receives a dusting of dried blackberry. It's light as a feather, considerate of textures but most importantly delicious.

Garagistes is viewed by many to be the star of the Tasmanian culinary scene. Its cooking is eclectic to say the least but sadly the restaurant lacks spirit and generosity. Dishes didn't feel substantial enough and where there were great dishes were soon followed by not so good ones. We left the restaurant having had a very through provoking dinner but sadly our appetite craved more.


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Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Glebe

Uni days and tutoring are long and arduous. Some people cry, others shop, I eat. Boathouse is semi on the way to my uni but some how I managed to get us lost. Only me. 

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Lorraine's Patisserie, CBD

Bravo, Justin Hemmes. He has yet again snatched another culinary big name in cake and pastry queen; Lorraine Godsmark, particularly famous for her date tart that is still on the Rockpool menu up to this date since 1984. She's now the headline in Paling's Kitchen and Bar although she seems to spend most of her time at her eponymous Lorraine's Patisserie.

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Adriano Zumbo Pâtissier, Pyrmont

The very famous Zumbo. There's not much I can say that will add to the ridiculously inflated hype and it's very much well deserved for the man behind the dessert empire. I've been keeping a close eye on his creations since his humble little store in Balmain in 2007 and his desserts have impressed Australia nationally for their inventive whimsicality. 

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Universal, Darlinghurst

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.

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Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Surry Hills

Who knows what kind of Blumenthal wizz bangery lies behind the kitchens of Bentley? At least that's what I'm thinking when I walked into one of the rare restaurants in Sydney known for molecular gastronomy. I'm often fearful of this sub-strand of food. Sub-strand... sounds like it belongs more in a science book than a restaurant. Food should be food and there shouldn't be too much messing around with quality ingredients. But there is that element of whimsicality that just seems so exciting to pass up and hey, I'm willing to try anything.

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Adriano Zumbos Patisserie, Manly (and very briefly, Sushi Manly)

Note: this has been in my drafts since before Christmas. True apologies!

The smallest business sign out? Leading to cavity inducing sweetness!

Wooh first post! Long overdue, but better late than never (that seems to capture my philosophy of time rather accurately!) Anyways, moving on. So, a weekend away (I lie, what I mean is 2 weekdays, but same thing when you're on uni break) means I ventured out of my nest a little (truly minimal). So, where else to head to but Zumbos patisserie (read: take cute desserts to eat at HOME, yay!) and then cravings for sushi struck. So me and J left our little acquisitions with the lovely store assistant, went to eat, then came back to collect our desserts. Anyways, onto pictures and so forth.

Oh right. Let me just say, to combine someone who isn't good with directions, who has a tendency to want to shop whenever shops are around, and a small tucked away patisserie meant that my head was literally spinning in every direction trying to locate this place. There was a bit of added stress having to assure my friend that "I swear, there is a patisserie here... somewhere..." without really believing it myself. But thanks to lovely locals, we spotted the place (cue "Oh my gosh that's so hidden!" here). By the way, it's kind of opposite the Manly wharf, on a 'vertical' road.. opposite this businessy and private office building. Disclaimer: my directions are only to be used as a last resort, as I truly have the worst sense of direction. No joke.


Yes, the entrance is also very understated. It can hardly be considered a door!

Entering the store, I was like rather surprised. Compared to the website (geek I am), the interiors were much duller, much smaller, rather empty. However, I was intrigued by the wall art, as it perfectly encapsulates Adriano's reputation as the Willy Wonka of pastries and the like.


Quirky, vibrant, abstract.

By the time we arrived (thanks to a hell lot of procrastinating, movie watching and video game playing) at 6, a lot of goodies were gone (the v8!). That's not to say we didn't overindulge as it was already. More about that to come. We stood in awe for a bit, wanting a bit of everything, then discussing what to buy for the boys and then working out what my friend could devour (she's allergic to nuts). Here are some of Zumbo's delectable desserts:

The tarte aux fruits de la passion & grandma's soap... Zumbo has a thing for unique names.

The logs: lemon meringue and pecanne.

What I nicknamed the Deadly Duo: one is hot (as in spicy) chocolate and the other has green chilli in it! We daren't take that risk!

Eventually, these were our picks:


Grandma's soap, Snowmanorr, NYC

Colourful "Zumbarons": Sweet corn with a hint of mango, Plum pudding,

Watermelon & orange, Cola, Lychee & Lime & mint mojito



Pain au chocolat (far left)

Chocolate snowmen (it had a much awesomer name, which I forgot)

Needless to say, they're all very neatly presented. The only ones I managed to taste though were:




Grandma's soap - $9
This was rather ... interesting? It was just sweet enough, and very light. However, faithful to its name, it did have a soapy taste (perhaps due to the lavendar, my guess). The layer of almond creme was perfect though - creamy, not overly sweet and not too smooth either. Can't say much about the blueberry, except that it made me crave blueberries, a whole punnet please.




Pain au chocolat - $3.50

A very standard pastry, yet undeniably delicious. Pastry was crunchy on the outside, and chewy enough on the inside, with bits of chocolate. I can't fault it because I love my pain au chocolat because it combines pastry with tidbits (not too much) of chocolateeeee!



Macarons - $2.50 each

Actually, we bought these for the boys and I (there are almond bits in all macarons and J is allergic, the poor girl). Luckily, by the time we had desserts the boys were too immersed in a life and death game of Monopoly (their words, not mine) and were uninterested in desserts. Their loss I tell you. So yes, I had all these to myself as a matter of fact.

Cola:

My sister didn't really fancy this when she had a bite but I thought it was alright. Admittedly there was barely any 'distinct flavour' in this, which was what I was looking forward to (the idea of capturing the awesome flavour of cola which is so heavily reliant on its 'texture' in a macaron). So there was a bit of disappointment on my part.

Lime & mint mojito:

Me and my friend literally squealed when we saw this. And no it's not because we're alcoholics - not even close (neither of us really drink). But because it was such a pretty green and sounds quirky enough, but also safe enough. It was really good. Perfect to take a big bite from, or to nibble from too. Suits me perfectly (I alternate from the two when I'm snacking).

Sweet corn with a hint of mango:

Didn't taste the 'hint of mango' to be honest. But the sweet corn was an interesting taste actually. I'm not a fan of sweet corn flavours in general (I like the real thing too much). But I found this quite pleasant anyhow. I think it's really hard for me to fault 'Zumbarons' because they're so texturally and experimentally intricate that even if the thought of the flavours are seemingly weird, but when blended together in a macaron, the textures balance out the oddity of the flavours. Just a thought/rambling.


Plum pudding:

This was described to us as a Christmas special, so I couldn't pass that up. It was nice between my lips, but in hindsight, definitely not a memorable combination to be frank. My guess is that amongst all Zumbo's seemingly crazy, erratic and experimental flavours, this one paled in comparison. However, that might be a blessing in disguise for those who want to steer clear of the 'weirder' flavours (don't worry, I didn't want to have a Hot Chocolate Zumbaron myself).


Watermelon & orange:

This was yummy. Crunchy and sweet. I liked it.


Lychee:

I left the best till last. My favourite Zumbaron. Light, fruity, sweet and perfectly crunchy. So so yum, I kind of want more just thinking about it.


Chocolate snowmen:

Oh my god. The chocolate was so deliciously rich and I just wanted to keep eating it but it eventually ran out. But damn, that was some fine chocolate. It was darker than I usually enjoy but that kind of thing is secondary to it's overall texture and taste. And the crunch of the shell.

Sushi Manly:

Contrary to the title, our stay there wasn't brief. But this post will be, because I only snapped one photo haha. The rest I forgot (even though the camera was in my lap) because I dug in immediately. However, I enjoyed the food.


As an avid fan of my salmon, me and my friend pay careful attention to the quality and freshness of the salmon. Luckily for us, our salmon was fresh and tasted flawless.

Sushi train - raw salmon roll? (I honestly forget the name of this, I just gobble it all up)


Apart from that, I also had my staple california roll (delightful), tried cuttlefish - which was interesting... reminded me of squid but much chewier and less flavoursome. As I've never tried cuttlefish before, I don't have a standard to set it against, except I personally enjoyed it a lot. Funnily, when I picked it up, I mistakenly thought it was scallop. I also had salmon and avocado which was also very yum, avocado was soft and creamy and salmon was wonderful. The main flaw about the place is the soy sauce. As a lover of sushi, I cannot iterate how important soy sauce is. It can't be too salty because that takes so much away from the freshness and natural flavour of the seafood and overpowers the slight sweetness of the rice vinegar in the rice. Also, soy sauce shouldn't be too heavy because of the natural textures of the fish (saying this with raw salmon in mind). Thus, I love my soy sauce slightly sweet. Sorry about the rambling, but I love my sushi and the art of sushi (too much free time spent researching and watching documentaries on this). Just a side note, if you want to determine whether ingredients are fresh, be mindful of what drinks you have. Some places will recommend teas to go with it, others might suggest sakes. Water is good too. This is truly if you want to determine whether the place actually serves wonderful sushi. That being said, if you're out for a good time, drink what you please! My friend had the miso soup, which she wasn't very impressed with.



Shop 1a/40 The East Esplanade
Manly, NSW 2095


Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday
7:00am till 7:00pm

Saturday & Sunday
8:00am till 5:30pm

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