food porn VIII

So you might have noticed, I do enjoy a spot of yum cha. Here’s a glimpse of a yum cha adventure @ Jin Yan in Castle Hill~

Rice rolls– delicious fillings and not stingy with the soy sauce, just the way I like it

Sticky rice with chicken- a MUST when I eat yum cha

Congee- pork and century egg: the only flavour to get in my opinion, although I never eat the egg if I can help it

White bait– this plate was finished quickly even though I’m not a fan

Rice rolls with a yau ja gwai– made to order, and yes Dan you would love this

Xiao-long bao– retained it’s ‘soup’ and was freshly steamed

Time for sweets!

Runny egg custard buns– I don’t usually see these and if you enjoy them they make them really well.

Mango pancakes– mango, cream wrapped in a pancake, enough said!

Warm egg tarts– oh so much better when it’s warm!

Warm custard buns– burns your fingers a little as you’re trying to take off the paper but so worth it!

If you can’t find the things you want, just order it through a waiter and that way it’ll be especially made and come hot and fresh.  Worth going to if you’re in the area!

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Hunter Valley Series- the Vintage cafe

——-28/12/2011——-

We were headed to the Vintage cafe to celebrate a joyous occasion and although I had lived in the area for over two decades, I had never been down this road where this tranquil picturesque golf course/hotel is tucked away. While were were all in a happy mood- the beautiful views, natural light and delicious food all just added to the delightful day. 

The website reads:

“Spoil yourself with a relaxing meal in our Vintage Café. Positioned on the terrace overlooking the 18th green, this casual relaxed dining experience is the perfect way to start the day or recharge your appetite over a light lunch. The Vintage Golf Club features an 18-hole Greg Norman designed golf course which has been ranked among the best in Australia. The 18-hole course measures 6,310 metres with a par of 71 and is the only Greg Norman designed public access golf course in the Hunter Valley and NSW.”

Bar snacks~

Grilled haloumi with lemon, oregano and diced tomato ($8.50)

Warm marinated local olives with ciabatta ($6)

Salt and pepper calamari with chilli salt ($9.50)

Grilled chorizo with chipotle sauce avocado ($8.50)

Chips with aioli ($7)

Grilled pita bread with smoked eggplant dip and feta and pistachio dip ($10.50)

Garlic and cheese ciabatta ($8.50)

Buffalo wings with chilli sauce ($10.50)

 

They also have an extensive wine and cocktail list.

Light meals~

Caesar salad– cos lettuce, bacon, shaved parmesan, poached egg and sour dough croutons ($16.00) add chicken ($3.50)

Club sandwich- Roast turkey, ice burg lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, bacon and fried egg on toast and chips ($17.50)

Vietnamese beef salad– beef grilled to medium rare with tomato, cucumber, watercress, red onion, chilli, garlic and vinegar dressing ($18.00)

Main~

Chorizo and garlic prawn fettuccine with olives, fresh tomato, chilli and olive oil ($22.00)

Eggplant and pecorino ravioli with asparagus, zucchini and basil pesto ($22.00)

Wine merchants steak– minute steak of the day with wine merchants sauce and chips ($24.00)

Cheeseburger with a side of chips

Red duck curry with chutney, rice and tomato cucumber salad ($24.00)

Dessert~

Chocolate terrine with raspberry sorbet ($12.00) The terrine was very very chocolate-y and rich. Even with the three of us we still couldn’t finish it, the raspberry sorbet was delicious and refreshing though.

Panna cotta with biscotti and fresh mango ($12.00) The panna cotta was very smooth and creamy and was complimented with the mango. It wasn’t as sweet as the terrine and was easier to eat.

Although we were a large (loud) table, the food came out promptly and everything from the bar snacks all the way through to dessert was tasty and enjoyable. If you enjoy golf, a day spa or a delicious meal with a view, this is definitely the place to go.

Hunter Valley Series- Chocolate bar

——- later that night ——-

Well we weren’t going to stay around and have dessert at Brasserie88 especially while knowing that Chocolate bar was just around the corner. With quiet seating away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the club, Chocolate bar has chocolate themed decor and lounges to match the huge chocolate fountain at the front of the counter.

Cookies and cream ice-cream cheesecake with melted chocolate drizzled on top (because it really needed it   ).

Iced chocolate with whipped cream ($4.00) 

Belgian waffles

The waffles were nice and not overly sweet themselves. I wouldn’t recommend a drink AND a dessert unless you have a very big sweet tooth.

The ultimate chocolate Belgian waffle– toasted Belgian waffle topped with sliced banana, marshmallows, strawberries, crushed nuts, whipped cream and chocolate fountain sauce ($12.50)

Strawberry and chocolate Belgian waffle– toasted Belgian waffle topped with cream, chocolate ice-cream and chocolate fountain sauce ($8.50)

 

Venue: Chocolate bar

Address: also inside the Wests club in New Lambton, 88 Hobart Road, NSW 2305

Hunter Valley Series- Brasserie88

——-27/12/2011——-

While I went home over the Christmas break, I did indulge in a few social eating occasions. Join me on my long over due ‘Hunter Valley’* series.

Located inside the Wests Club in New Lambton, Brasserie88 boasts delicious steaks and in a spacious casual dining setting.

*NB: the Hunter Valley and the surrounding areas.

Garlic bread (4 slices)- freshly grilled garlic bread ($6.50) For some reason, they can’t get this right, I’ve been here multiple times and the bread is never crispy and always cold to luke warm.

The Rattle Steak– slow roasted 300g blackened primer rib dipped in our special blend of spices, chilli and breadcrumbs, fried til golden brown ($33.00)- it apparently had lots of gristle and my friend ended up scraping most of the ‘special blend of spices’ off anyway.

300g ‘Riverine’ Sirloin– 120+ day grain fed, South West NSW ($35.00)- Unfortunately my sirloin was hard to cut through (seriously my hands were getting sore) and the meat itself was rather chewy and had too much of a charcoal taste, I had to smother it in the hollandaise sauce to hide the taste. They are lucky that I really liked the hollandaise sauce!

Blackened Slow Cooked Prime Rib– our prime rib is slow roasted for 18hours in our own special spices and blackened smoke marinade then seared on the char grill for an extra taste sensation (recommend medium). Because of the cooking nature of this steak, rare is not available. Due to popularity, this steak may not be available. This steak was much more tender than my sirloin, maybe I’ll get this next time. 

Nutmeat Wellington– nutmeat, roast pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, basil, Persian feta and Swiss brown mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry and baked til crisp and golden, served with garlic mash, green beans and hollandaise ($24.00)- It was served luke warm and the pastry might not have been fully cooked all over but at least the mash potato was nice. I don’t know why you would want to order this in the first place when there is steak on the menu. 

Pork Riblets– fall off the bone pork riblets smothered in 88’s BBQ sauce with rustic chips and side salad with balsamic dressing ($27.00)- the ribs itself had no taste what so ever so you really had to smother it in sauce, which is a shame really because I really like ribs.

Complimentary sauces: salsa, hollandaise and smokey BBQ.

——- a few weeks later ——-

Why did I come back? Well if someone else is choosing the place and paying for it, you can’t exactly say no. 

Mornay and Kilpatrick oysters ($35.00)- The bacon bits were too big and the mornay should have been cooked longer to get that brown golden top.

Blackened Slow Cooked Prime Rib- Yes, it is not dark lighting, that’s how black my steak came out, it wasn’t all burnt, it was just black in colour for some reason. I had to cut and discard the charcoaled ‘border’ around the steak, which is weird because the middle was cooked medium. I think they were a bit heavy handed with the spices that they used and the mash potato wasn’t as nice as when my sister ordered the nutmeat Wellington the previous time. 

My sister’s steak looked better, it’s just a shame she didn’t finish hers.

Although the wait staff was polite and attentive, I wish the kitchen staff would pay more attention to the food that they are serving. I don’t know how many more times I can give this place a chance, hopefully I can convince my family to go to the Chinese restaurant next door instead next time. 

Venue: Brasserie88

Address: Wests New Lambton, 88 Hobart Road, New Lambton, NSW 2305

Phone: (02) 4935 1200

Opening hours: open every night from 4pm – 11pm

Members receive a 10% discount

Happy Shrove Tuesday!

I slept in this morning so I didn’t get to make any pancakes. I hope you get the chance today! I know Adriano Zumbo did- I  his caption… Hehehehe Hotcake 

Adriano Zumbo:

Me and penny pancake at pancake day Melbourne,@uc_pancakeday shes a hotcake…:)

The burgers are better at Brodburger

——- One Wednesday late last year——-

I thought I would have eaten here again by now, but with the wait of the relocation of the famous red caravan a few hundred metres down the Kingston foreshore to the cafe at Canberra Glassworks, my tummy is still craving seconds and all I have for now are just memories…

The plan was set- meet at the red caravan and eat delicious burgers but I some how got caught up in some shopping and was running late. “Order for me” I pleaded and even though I was 30 minutes late I still beat the burgers. Thanks for ordering for me guys! 

The lines are long, bring a chair/picnic blankets and stay awhile.

To pass away the time, my friends were drinking a funny named beers.

Yes it was getting pretty dark outside by the time we got our burgers.

Brodchicken– marinated chicken breast, bacon, avocado, chilli aioli with brie ($9.00) 

Brodburger- Flame grilled A grade gourmet beef patty„ fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and Spanish onions, homemade aioli and tomato relish and swiss cheese ($9.00). 

Despite being a Wednesday, it still took little over an hour from order to receiving out highly anticipated burgers but while we were all happily scoffing our burgers, I realised it was all worth the wait, just bring some cool friends to wait with.

I cannot wait for the re-launch of Brodburger @ the Glassworks cafe hopefully by mid March.

Monday mornings don’t seem that bad when delicious smelling muffins are left at your desk. Yum!

Never trust a skinny ice cream man.

Ben Cohen

Was munching on…

Yum Cha at the Dumpling Inn with some lovely friends.

Let them eat cake!

Despite the drama at work, I do realise that they are first world problems and other people are going through some more serious stuff. So to bring a little smile to their face,   I made them a cute-sy mini cake using my new Wilton cake pans that have a little cavity in the middle so you can fill it with fruits, mousse, cream etc.

Vanilla sponge cake with strawberry jam, cream and strawberries~

Gold medal for early Valentine’s day dinner

——-06/02/2012——-

I don’t know who is doing their PR but everyone I have talked to has never heard of the International Culinary Olympics, which is a damn shame because I think most people would love to know about it.

The Culinary Olympics, Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung or IKA, are held in Erfurt, Germany and are considered one of the most prestigious international cooking contests. Just like the sporting Olympics they are held every four years, they have an opening ceremony, the lighting of the torch and have over 7,500 competing chefs (and that’s not counting their support staff) from over 45 nations.

As fundraising to get the elite chosen Australian team over there, they hold dinners in major cities, with Canberra being the first run of the menu they plan to take to Germany. It was so hard to get information about this dinner, I looked up the Australian Culinary Federation, National Press Club and just about the dinner in general and couldn’t find anything (really what’s up with their PR?). Lucky for me, Mr. Frugii was nice enough tweet me the order form for tickets.

 

The menu planned for the night!

Held at the National Press club, the dinner looked almost like a wedding reception. Everyone who is anyone in the hotel and culinary field in the ACT was there and then there was me and Timmy. 

The table is prepared for a three course dinner with matching wines and a tea or coffee to finish the night.

Entree~

Lemon sole souffle, kipfler potato and fennel pollen crisp, apple cured and smoked Tasmanian salmon, cucumber, fennel, microcelery, baby leek and asparagus terrine, yuzu butter sauce, salmon roe.

The crisp was very salty which I didn’t mind because I ate it with the light sole souffle. I especially enjoyed the Tasmanian salmon which tasted so fresh and not too salty (I’m going to put it out there and say it’s the best salmon I’ve ever eaten). The yuzu butter sauce reminded me of a delicious light hollandaise with ‘bursts’ of roe. The most unique part for me was the terrine, there were so many fresh flavours hidden inside this quirky prism.

Main~

Pancetta wrapped Dorper lamb loin, milk poached kidney, sage mousse, compression of braised shoulder, tomato chutney, mint gremolata crusted sweet bread, wild mushroom polenta, beetroot glazed shallot, baby carrot, garden peas, broadbean, lamb jus

This was such a disappointment after following such a wonderful entree. The loin tasted like the smell of a butcher shop, which usually does make me hungry, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Although I’m not a fan of offal and I would avoid it if I could, I still tried the milk poached kidney, it sat on my tongue for two minutes before I politely hid it in my napkin. 

My sweet bread was under-cooked and therefore it was hard to ‘saw’ through so I just left it on the side of my plate. The rest of the dish was fine, I particularly liked the braised shoulder which was really tender, but it wasn’t anything special that you would expect at a world standard.

 

A stalker shot of the President of the Australian Culinary Federation (ACT) Mike Scheumann and the treasurer (WA) Peter Tischhauser. They came by later to talk to our table and had dessert with us. They explained that it takes approximately $350-$400,000 to send the Australian team over to Germany which includes flights for the chefs and the support staff, accommodation, sending the equipment and produce over. Timmy asked who has to deal with all the quarantine issues with sending produce overseas and Mike said someone else deals with all that stuff.

One of the major highlights for me that night was that I won an auction! *does a little happy dance* I have the privilege of having Neil Abrahams (head chef of the Royal Canberra Golf Club) and Paul Butler (head chef of the National Press Club) cooking  dinner for me at my house with the chef’s choice of menu accompanied by 6 red wines and 6 white wines from Serafino one of the sponsors.

I’ll definitely post about this during late Winter which is when it’ll be happening!

Dessert~

All the chefs were talking about a really talented new ‘up and coming’ pastry chef, she is apparently amazing to watch and makes everything look effortless. We weren’t able to see her in action, but what she made for dessert was just a-maz-ing!

Chocolate and raspberry bar, raspberry mousse, raspberry jelly, orange brulee, chocolate crispies, chocolate sponge, chocolate glacage, chocolate sable, rich chocolate pudding, strawberry macaron, strawberry gelato, berry salad.

The chocolate and raspberry bar was a delight for the senses, not only was it delicious, but it also had so many different textures- the mousse, jelly, sponge, crunchy base and the surprise of crispies throughout it. I love how the rich chocolate pudding was served warm which was a great contrast to the delectable strawberry macarons sandwiching the strawberry gelato (frozen using Frugii‘s state of the art equipment). The macarons were so popular with the table that a woman asked a chef if there were any more out the back. He came back out with a small container full and we were able to enjoy one more each.  It always pays to ask!

 

The hosts encouraged everyone to write what they thought of each course on the back of the menu, regardless whether they thought it was good or bad as all the comments help them refine their menu for Germany. One ingredient or architecture on the plate could mean the difference between gold and silver.

It’s no holiday for these chefs, after landing in Canberra late afternoon on the previous day, the Olympic team didn’t go to bed til past 1am and then were up and at em again by 6:30am cooking and cleaning for the rest of the day until we finished dinner (approximately 11pm). Hopefully all their hard work will pay off and their talents are acknowledged when they head to Germany later this year.

GO TEAM AUSTRALIA!

Multicultural festival mania 2012

——-11/02/2012——-

Across the body bag so it doesn’t get in the way of eating- check

Camera for photos- check

A bright moo moo so people can spot me and it won’t matter how much I eat- check

I think I’m ready for the Multicultural festival!

The Multicultural festival runs over three days with cultural displays, food and dancing from around the world but the day where most things are open for display/eating is Saturday!

So after 8.5 hours of participating in one of the highly anticipated events of the year, what did I eat? Well I usually meet up with different friends throughout the day so no one really knows how much I really eat but I’ll share my secret with you guys. 

I started off my day at Lithuanian dumplings stand- pork and veal dumplings topped with sour cream and bacon. Oh so good! Too bad they had sold out of dumplings during my third time around the world. This definitely filled a void for me as I usually love Russian dumplings, where they have tiny pork dumplings topped with sour cream and soy sauce but the Russians didn’t sell dumplings this year! *sad face*

 

Next up- Macedonian Community ACT with kebabs! Nice hot meat on a stick! Timmy nicknames the festival ‘meat on a stick day’, he isn’t wrong.

My friend kindly gave me half of her fish ball from the Sri Lankan stand, it was rather spicy but in a good way- yum!

A fruit salad drink from the Vietnamese stand– by the time we got there the taro drink and rainbow drink had sold out. Fruit salad, jellies and shaved ice topped with syrup and coconut cream was really refreshing.

Tibetan Momos- the ratio of dumpling wrapper to meat was a bit off so I left most of the wrapper uneaten, this girl had more things to eat!

All this food was making me thirsty so I washed it all down with something from the Australian Native cuisine stand- Wild Rosella with pineapple punch. It tasted like a diluted punch with too much ice.

The country with the most numerous stalls this year was the Turkish selling gozleme but apparently there still wasn’t enough because each stall had a really long line.

Chips on a stick! Their first appearance at the Multicultural food festival and it proved to be VERY popular by the looks of their very long line up but I think it was worth the wait (especially if your friends were lining up for you- Thanks Anita and Lis!). They have a variety of salt mixtures that you could choose from, their ‘special salt mix‘ and ‘chilli‘ were really good.

 

Sicilian desserts– it’s hard to believe with so many stalls that I came back here four times! The cream cheese cannolis were soooooo good! The chocolate cannoli fillings looked really glossy and I thought it would be very chocolatey but it was more chocolate flavoured custard. I didn’t dare try the doughnut looking one or rum babas as they looked really filling but when there cream cheese cannolis sold out, we tried a rum baba and wow! They were really really good, the doughy outside was really soft as it was soaked in rum, typing about it now makes me want to have another one.     

We paused our eating for the cultural parade! All the costumes and dancing were beautiful.

Peruvian pancakes- I asked the guy, what makes it Peruvian? He said that the guy making them is Peruvian  and he added that the sauce that has orange and spices is a traditional Peruvian sauce and they coupled it with pancakes this year and it went really well together. It wasn’t particularly ‘orangey’ and the pancake batter seemed heavier than a normal pancake like it was made from buckwheat or something but it was still very nice.

It was starting to get hot, which is great considering it was supposed to rain, so we cooled down with a grape and raspberry slushie but even the slushies were melting fast.

ACT Chinese Australian Association Inc– Chinese pan fried pork dumplings! It doesn’t matter how many dumplings I eat throughout the year, I still come and eat these at the Multicultural festival! There were a lot less Chinese stalls this year, so there weren’t too many choices, but this stand had good dumplings but their zucchini pancake wasn’t too special. My friend bought pineapple tarts but he found them very powdery and slightly dry.

 

For me, this festival is like eating dumplings from around the world. The Taiwanese dumplings (left) were more fried wrapper than anything but the Thai dumplings (right) were nicer with their pork and cabbage filling.

Washing everything down with a mango lassi.

Hungarian stand– oh how I need to meet Hungarian people who can cook! The longest line I had to wait at (yes even including Greek donuts and Dutch pancakes) was the ‘langos’ line- Hungarian deep fried puffy bread brushed with minced garlic topped with sour cream and shredded cheese… *starts to drool* So worth the wait!

One of my ‘to do’s of the day was to eat at least one sausage (the only exception to my rule of ‘no bread’ during the festival) and although the German sausages were very popular, I’m not the biggest fan of sauerkraut but I do love cheese! The Hungarians win! It was soooooo good!

German sausages are a big highlight for some and my friend was nice enough to let me take a photo of her Bratwurst from the Harmonie German club tent.

The ACT government were handing out free drink bottles where you could fill them up at these funky tap water stations so everyone stayed well dehydrated during the event.

Dutch Pancakes, a Multicultural Festival long time favourite! The lines were long as usual but they were going through the crowd very fast. Maple syrup and ice-cream and lemon juice and icing sugar.

Italian gingerbread men! He is so cute!

The Spanish tent– The churros were a bit disappointing because of the supposed dipping sauce which was more like a hot chocolate, but I did like the prawn skewers! YUM!

Australia-Nepal friendship society Canberra– they had a variety of food but I had to try their Momo (with a home-made sesame and tomato chutney) and their ‘sel roti’ traditional Nepalese doughnut. The sauce was really nice and made it one of the nicest dumplings I had eaten that day. The doughnuts weren’t really sweet but were really dense and I don’t recommend eating it towards the end of the day when you’re getting full.

The line was long but it went through fast, these Greek women knew what they were doing! Loukoumades– light fluffy doughnuts drizzled with honey, they tasted like honey prawns without the prawn.

 

While we were at the Greek stalls, you can go past their lamb skewers! If any can cook lamb well, it’s the Greeks!

Fried banana pie– I had to come back three times before they actually had any and I was slowly getting full but I was happy to come back as they were really friendly at the ‘Learning Filopino Together’ stand. 

While I was waiting at the Filipino stand, my friends wandered over to the Indonesian tent for some ‘meat on a stick’, they said that they satay sauce was really good.

Some people eat their way around the world and then there are those who drink their way around the world. The Multicultural festival brings in imported beers that you don’t usually get and I love all their interesting cans and and impressed with their bigger can sizes.

 

Something that I really wanted to try was the African village curries and Sri Lankan hoppers but I couldn’t dedicated so much of my stomach to one thing, but there’s always next year!

I’m going to have Hungarian sausage and bread/Sicilian dessert/Greek donuts withdrawals for a full year but I can’t wait to do it all over again in 2013!

Eat around the world in 9 hours

Multicultural Festival– who’s ready for some eating!

The Pancake Parlour Restaurant

——-11/12/2011——-

I have been to the Pancake Parlour for dessert, afternoon tea and late Saturday nights to get away from all the clubbers but never for dinner and after seeing the ‘Spicks and Speck-tacular’ tour, it seemed like a good time to have something hot and filling away from the rain and cold.

When you walk down the stairs, you’re surrounded by quirky and interesting decor and you would never think that the hustle and bustle of civic was just above you.

 

Yes, like I said, we came here for dinner, apparently that means a ‘short stack’ for some. 

Short stack (two pancakes) with ice-cream and maple flavoured syrup ($9.70) Two pancakes were just enough! They were fluffy and hot but I wish we ordered the organic maple syrup.

I on the other hand, went for a savoury potato pancake which I’ve been wanting to try for a while!

Cheese and potato pancake– our highly acclaimed potato pancake with a crust of golden melting cheese and topped with whipped butter. Served with salad ($19.50) with added bacon bits ($3.00 and so totally worth it!!). This smelt sooo good, I kept lifting up the plate and sniffing it. Mmmmmm, it smelt like a delicious ham and cheese melt and was very filling.

What did I think of it? Lovely!

People do say this is over priced, but I don’t think it’s too bad when everything is pretty filling. I would love to come back and try the the ‘early bird special’ or the ‘sample night’, it sounds like an interesting experience.

Venue: The Pancake Parlour

Address: Corner of East Row and Alinga St, Civic, ACT

Phone: (02) 6247 2982

Sage- fast becoming my favourite herb and restaurant

——-02/12/2011——-

Sorry for the rewind, but it was too delicious to skip past posting this. Definitely the place to be this Summer at the trendy bar and romantic restaurant that is Sage and the Mint bar.

 

I don’t know who just left their sliders just sitting there unattended but they looked awesome and made me very hungry .

With so many delicious looking things on the menu, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try 4 courses each ($80) (although I was keen to do 10 courses- maybe next time  ) 

With a cute selection of house baked bread it was hard to choose but we settled for sour dough with sesame seeds and brioche with local herbs ($3.00), it of course was served with sage butter . The brioche was sweet and fluffy but I think I preferred the sour dough.

 

Course 1~

King fish checkerboard- beets, iced fennel, sorrel: I felt that this dish was overpowered by the beetroot as that was basically all I could taste, although it was an interesting contrast between the warm and cold.

 

Truffled duck egg custard- crispy bacon, parmagianno regiano soldiers: A fancy take on the good ol’ egg and toy soldiers but oh man this was delicious as the custard was salty and flavoursome.

 

Course 2~

Yellow-fin tuna ravioli- mojama, avocado cream, garlic croutons, px dressing: It was a lovely mixture of textures as the garlic croutons were hidden under the soft thinly sliced tuna.

 

Slow cooked pork belly- compressed nashi, cucumber, crackling, cider jelly: the pork was cooked under vacuum “sous-vide” and left the meat very moist. The cider jelly went really well with the pork and who doesn’t love crackling- mmmmmm.

 

Course 3~

Roasted lamb rump- smoked eggplant, baby capsicum, preserved lemon, rosemary jus: also cooked under vacuum and was absolutely divine but I personally found the black olive crumb too strong and the capsicum had a weird charcoal burnt taste that I didn’t enjoy.

Duck a l’orange- crisp skin breast, duck leg terrine, pickled red cabbage, licorice: The purple potato crisp was a beautiful piece of artwork, the waiter said it was the chef’s take on the potato chip.See the beautiful black drops on the plate? It was liquid licorice sauce and it was so nice! And because my friend doesn’t like licorice, guess who was a lucky girl?  The whole dish was simply beautiful.

 

We couldn’t not order the paris truffle mash! Salty and addictive. Taste wise not worth sharing but calorie wise, it’s probably best to share. 

 

I ordered a green tea to wash everything down.

Course 4~

Butterscotch creme brulee- elderflower ice-cream, brandy snap, salted caramel: I have never seen a creme brulee outside of a ramekin but it had everything, a thick creamy custard-y centre with a hard toffee hat. The elderflower ice-cream was almost like a marshmallow fluff which went very well with the salted caramel powder that they make on-site.

 

Warm chocolate & lapsang souchong fondant- kiwifruit foam, passionfruit sorbet: The passionfruit sorbet was spot on and was very refreshing. The tangy kiwifruit foam went really well with the molten ‘chocolate-ty’ centre which had a hint of of smokey tea flavour.

 

Top marks for Sage. Not only were the waiters gorgeous people but their knowledge about the food went above and beyond just repeating the menu (I could barely remember what was said about half the dishes, there was just so much detail). The food was beautifully presented and the flavours were all very fresh and complimentary to each other.

I had to take so many photos from different angles to try and capture all the beauty on the plate. It would be the perfect place to meet up with friends at a nice trendy bar to have drinks before a lovely dinner or sit under all the fairy lights for a romantic affair.

I cannot wait to go again and maybe even try the 10 course option? 😉

Venue: Sage dining rooms

Address: Gorman House Arts Centre, Batman St, Braddon – Canberra 2612

Phone: (02) 6249 6050

Entertainment card: Yes! And makes a big difference!

Website: http://sagerestaurant.net.au/