Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Losing myself in the suspended black pineapple behind the counter whilst waiting to be greeted at the front. I couldn't believe it. After yonks of watching his extremely talented cooking in bewilderment, here we are standing minutes away from tasting his ingenious creations.

 Yes, we were at the Mandarin Oriental, the very accessible Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

I waited for my table at the bar, sipping at my elegant Pink Folder, a cocktail that had pomegranate seeds, gin and champagne. All the makings of a fine pre-dinner cocktail by my books. And plenty soothing after a difficult day of denying myself some awesome bargains from the Harvey Nichols sale just across the road.

We'd eventually migrated from the bar to my table and was delighted to take in the elegant dark wood and leather chairs surroundings whilst waiting for Mr.HEA to arrive. The waiters were very attentive and kept light chatter going to keep me company.

Bread and butter

 Delightful crusty bread with churned butter that was so soft to spread and everything yellow butter should taste like, kick started our meal.

I stopped chewing on the bread because I knew we had this starter coming. The meat fruit was a dish from a time when dinner hosts enjoyed playing tricks on their party guests. As you might be familiar with, the Mandarin wasn't actually fruit. This Meat fruit was a deliciously encased (Mandarin infused jelly peel) buttery and light chicken liver & foie gras parfait that would spread richly across the grilled bread that you eat with it. Such richness in flavour and the sinful oily bread made this dish both delightful and 'unbearable' to devour. I am glad that I refrained from ordering two starters as no way would I have been able to finish this entirely on its own.

Inside the Meat Fruit

Cod in Cider was my main of choice. I thought it aptly paired with the Vouvray I picked. Think flakes of smooth firm cod swimming in a buttery sauce with elegant mussels to punctuate the delicate flavours of the fish dish.

Mr. HEA selected the spiced pigeon, to which the waiter exclaimed was an excellent choice, warning that it will come deliciously pink. And melt in your mouth goodness might not have been promised, but this fowl was cooked to such tenderness that Mr.HEA did not leave a single morsel on the plate. Mind you though, they provided an extra beaker of sauce (Manu Fiedel would have been proud) and that wasn't touched, as it wasn't necessary to add anymore moisture or flavour to the bird.

 We chickened out of two desserts because the dishes do seem rather rich, but we both couldn't go far beyond the first dessert labelled - Tipsy cake. A fluffy brioche drenched in brandy and sweet syrupy liquids, served up with a slice of spiced and glazed spit roasted pineapple (Check the spit roasts visuals below!). Mr.HEA and I fought civilly for the fifth portion of this dish to the amusement of our waiter. It doesn't divide up well between two people and yes it is sickly sweet but so enticing that one can't help oneself when this is placed in front of them.

We were about to leave. Deliriously satisfied with the not overly expensive yet extremely indulgent meal when they brought out an after dinner chaser of Earl grey infused chocolate pots with a caraway biscuit soldier.

Perhaps to make up for the fact that we passed on the amazing liquid nitrogen ice cream for the night? (Mr. HEA exclaims he has seen the theatrics before and wasn't too fussed about missing out) Ah well... I'd reserve it for our next visit.

Because of course there will be a next time. Mr. HEA just doesn't know it yet.

Brasserie Zedel in Soho London

This place is absolutely unbelievable and ticks all boxes for a fun night out. Good food, affordable. Excellent atmosphere and great service.

But let me back up a bit and start all over again with the introductions.

A bunch of friends booked a booth to catch up in on a Monday night. After all, this resident tourist was in town and what better excuse to eat French food in Soho London?

We were taken aback when we walked in the tiny space and taken to the entrance:

And it opens up to this gorgeous chandelier

And further into the Brasserie!

We were ravenous by this point, despite the deceiving evening bright skies of London's summer, it was already past eight p.m. and so we skipped right to the mains. Thankfully the food arrives quickly. And trust me, even if you know the food isn't made to order because they arrived so soon, they tasted delish to the very last morsel and everything was perfectly cooked.

Confit de Canard aux Lentilles du Puy
confit of duck with braised puy lentils 

 Falling off the bone but full of flavour this duck is definitely the best duck confit one could ever wish for.

Bœuf Bourguignon

 Comforting beef goodness, this dish makes you remember every nanna's meal you've ever had at the old kitchen table doted upon lovingly by your cheerful grandma.

Onglet Grillé, Confit d’Échalote 
grilled hanger steak with shallots and a red wine sauce 

You take the Boef Bourginon and you think, oh yeah they do beef well here, but my you haven't tasted their steak yet. Whilst the previous dish is hearty and comforting and this one comes looking bloody like a roo steak, the medium rare hanger steak is perfect in its texture and absolutely divine to eat. This was my dish for the night.

A Glass of merlot with a side of Pommes Frite

We were told to save room for desserts and so we each ordered one. You won't regret it. They are worth every pound spent and nothing was left on the plates after.

Bavarois à la Vanille et Fraise 

Millefeuille à la Vanille 

Crème Brûlée 

GâteauOpéra

Delicious Strawberry and Cream, delicate wafer layers of Millefeuille, bitter sweet Opera cake layers and a rich creamy creme brûlée sends us all into a happy place and I had to beg to leave before I slip into the depths of a jet-lagged food coma and embarrass myself in the booth. 

 You know the food wasn't even terribly expensive. We spent GBP30 each and that was for wine and two courses. Definitely a favourite haunt potential if I lived in London.

Nobu Melbourne

This is a scheduled post for whilst I am still on a plane and battling jetlag and until I catch up from all the great travel and haul posts.

The first time I was here, I was having a lonesome lunch at the bar and ordered the Bento box. I must say that experience was a lot better than this time. We got a large table but because we were work colleagues with various dietary requirements, sharing food, especially something as unique as Japanese where raw food was an acquired delicacy, not everyone came to the party. And that may have foiled the experience somewhat.

I can only share with you what I ate:

Sashimi Dinner

 This dish is very generous in portion and variety but the quality of the fish could be a tad better. I'd have better in less expensive restaurant chains in Sydney - Musashi/ Miso. And this was a little less fresh leaving the fish texture to be a tad harder to chew and less firm to the bite. I couldn't find a soy sauce dish to mix my condiments in either so eating this platter was awkward for me, not being able to get the ratios of sauce and wasabi done right, the way I like it.

Mushroom Tobanyaki

I do like my mushrooms, so this dish was heaven for me, The flavours and textures were delightfully balanced and the dish served with rice was really comforting to have in winter. I did think there was a bit too much to have just this one dish for dinner though and I'd suggest this is one the ones that's better shared amongst the table.

I had other guests on the table that got sick from the food that night so I was lucky in a way we didn't share food. But that isn't acceptable standards in a fancy restaurant like Nobu and I'd say, if I had to pay for premium Japanese, I wouldn't be considering Nobu Melbourne for the time being.

Bistro Guillaume

I have been here before for work and I swear the service was a lot better then. Granted they were really accommodating in us bringing in a pram so that I could meet my 7 month old nephew and very thoughtfully placed us in a corner against the wall so that the pram wouldn't be in the way. However, they weren't as attentive beyond that and given that I had to try to get their attention each time to order, to get dessert and the bill, I wasn't overly pleased with the service this time.

That's where the fault ends however, the dining here is divine for the price. It's not exorbitant and yet everything is cooked with a certain care and finesse befitting of the Guillaume name and French bistro dining.

2009 La Bastide Dauzac Margaux Bordeaux FR

 Starting off with the most easy drinking Bordeaux, mellow yet full bodied, whilst waiting for my company to arrive. They were stuck in traffic.

Chargrilled King Salmon iwth braised Jerusalem artichokes,
broad beans and balsamic vinaigrette

 The Salmon was cooked to perfection and elegantly presented.

Sides: Spinach wtih extra virgin olive oil and garlic and French Fries

 Getting our three veg quota in. I love the copper dinnerware presentation. Adds a touch of french to french fries.

Barramundi with celeriac purée, field mushrooms and sage butter

 Perhaps the Barramundi is the dish that has the most flair, but the portion of barramundi looked measly underneath all that. Can't fault the fish though. Again cooked perfectly and just moist and lovely to eat.

John Dory with beurre noisette, capers and lemon

I liked the simplicity of this dish. Browned butter, capers and lemon, just as I would do at home. It's not fancy but it was comforting for me who had been away from home all week and had been eating out all the time.

Valrhona chocolate and salted caramel tart with rum and raisin ice cream

A rich dessert that was just the right edge to finish off our light dinners.

Overall, I still think this place is good value for its spend, especially if you get discounts with the Entertainment card, you'd love the Crown atmosphere, sitting along the bank in its invigorated apple green diner enjoying great food.

Luke Nguyen's Fat Noodle at Treasury Casino

When I was in Brisbane earlier this month, I caught up with my lovely foodie Brisbane friends who introduced me to Luke Nguyen's cooking. I have seen the man on Masterchef, but have never ventured into one of his restaurants. This was nice.

 Using Woks as Chandeliers, the man has fitted out the place to look modern with eccentric Asian inspirations. And as you can see, it was a bustling place to be at on a Friday evening.

 This was a deliciously al dente Roast duck egg noodle dish, served with a Superior broth that was stewed to bring out the essence of chicken and it was sweet.

The signature 20 hour broth, Fat Pho Noodles. Everything was elegantly sliced and delicately fresh. But we were more accustomed to the strong spices we would expect to find in Pho broth and for a signature dish, we felt it tasted nothing like the authentic pho we know. However, we recognise that there are different styles of Pho depending on which coast you are at in Vietnam, much like the Laksa has different varieties in each Malaysian state, so I shouldn't pass this off as non-authentic just yet, in case my shallow travel adventures is the only reason to fault an otherwise perfectly delicious bowl of noodles.

Lap Cheong Fried Rice served up again with that Superior stock and the fried rice was chock full with premium fried rice ingredients so it was well worth money spent.

Overall, this wouldn't become my regular haunt if I lived in Brisbane as I would normally pay far less for these styles of food and get a higher satisfaction value, but it was nice to have something familiar whilst I was working away from home and I did enjoy the excellent service.

The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room

Six girls after work on a Wednesday troop from all parts of the city to the Brooklyn Hotel. This place is no longer the seedy place that attracts backpackers and poorly paid grads. It cleaned up real nice.

 It might have been odd for us to choose an Oyster bar when half the girls didn't like oysters. That's why we didn't crack open the champers and go to town, but I do admit the Oyster list is extensive and impressive.

SEAN’S CHICKEN LOLLIPOPS 

southern fried chicken, chilli & molasses dip

Yummy fried chicken made chic on the bone. Dainty enough to tempt us to forget our diets and dig right in molasses and all.

CHILLI CRAB LINGUINE  

snow crab, parsley, mint, chilli, lemon

Who doesn't like seafood pasta? This crowd pleaser got all our votes.

Duck Fat Chips

Like having an affair. Guilty sex. Just so sinful but delightful to indulge in.

Slow cooked roast pork on a bed of lentils

Succulent roasts always go down a treat don't they? Get carving!

WHOLE ROASTED JOHN DORYsmoked paprika & chilli butter

Maybe I should get pans like these and just roast fish for dinner. It's so healthy, so delish, so impressive. Yeah I reckon I could do this.

Did we love it? Yeah! It took a while to fill up but once it got going, the late dinner crowd was noisy and bustling. Loved the Diner style they were going for. You'd have gotten sneak peeks at the beautiful blue ceramic plates and the gorgeous glass candle votives. Get there before 7p.m. for $10 cocktail hour just to get you in the mood. Excellent service, honest food, I'd say let's visit again sometime.

Porteño in Surry Hills

Going to Porteño was quite a feat. We had to gather five foodies that were willing to dine fancy without a reason other than the name and fame of the restaurant. And in my circle of friends nowadays, it was rather hard to find. The most foodie of my friends have all gone overseas to live. Anyhow, we ended up pooling our connections and got a booking so that we didn't have to wait till 9p.m. for and excitedly, we all turned up for the Argentinian fare one Friday evening.

I think the last time I was here, it was for a 21st for a pair of twins, and we were smashing plates, but no one in my party remembers if this used to be a Greek restaurant all those years ago. *Shrugs*. I didn't mind, it's just that the place still retained a very mediterannean feel for me with its marble tables and floor tiles and that made the whole experience feel like we were invited to a Argentinian home eating food from some fantastic home cooks. The crockery felt like what you would expect to find in any Argentinian's home. But I have never been to Argentina and only have been to one Chilean home in my lifetime so I am not an expert.

CHORIZO PORTENO  

Housemade Pork Sausage

 But I know Chorizos and this was the first dish we got, glad that it was a familiar one and that the flavour was good.

MORCILLA  

Blood Sausage with Red Peppers in Garlic

 Then the adventure really begin. We weren't squeamish about blood sausages as we have grown up eating blood products in our culture. But the black sausage took us with surprise with its moreish flavour. It was earthy, well seasoned and really creamy in texture (almost like a Pâté).

ENSALADA DE QUINOA Quinoa Salad, Harissa Eggplant, Preserved Lemon & Mint Yoghurt

MORRONE Y BRENJENAS ASADA BBQ Eggplant & Bullhorn Peppers with Garlic, Chilli and Sherry Dressing

 That wasn't the only creamy dish for the night. The eggplant was almost like it had been pureed. Some parts of it was a lot more charred than others and didn't have as pleasant a flavor and some others got more oil than I seemed to get on my spoonful. I loved my bite, they didn't. Ah well. The Quinoa salad was Yum! Everything I can't seem to get in my quinoa salads. But I could just eat a bowlful of this one on its own for lunch.

CHANCHITO & CORDERO A LA CRUZ  

8 hour Woodfired Pig

& Lamb

 Porteño is famous for its wood fired pit, so $46 for each of these dishes didn't seem overpriced. The meat falls of the bones and melts in your mouth. What more can one expect? Awesome pork crackling? Yep they got that one down pat too.

VERDURAS DE OTONO Marinated BBQ Wild Mushrooms, Young Potatoes, Braised
Cavolo Nero, Red Quinoa & Creamed Cauliflower

 The perfect dish to wash the oily meats dishes down. This simple combination of power foods was light and refreshing and creamed cauliflower so smooth it was as though nature made cauliflowers that way.

PULPO AL MALBEC  

Malbec Braised Octopus, Chicken Fregola Risotto & Witlof Chopped Salad

 A nice dish to finish the night's oily dishes with. Porteño is also known for its seafood dishes and this was a good one to try. The sweet seafood taste balanced with the bitterness of witlof salad, it was a yumm dish and  again very refreshing after the oily meat dishes.

Btw, I don't seem to have a picture of the fried brussel sprouts. I must say they do live up to its hype, never thought brussel sprouts could be made to taste yummy. But, to get it tasting that good, it takes a lot of oil and ermm, I don't think I could feed my children this no matter how desperate I am to get them to like brussel sprouts. But they'd definitely convert with this dish for sure.

 A traditional chocolate torte with apricot and cream. Rich and rustic but I wouldn't necessarily be ordering this to finish of the meal we just had. I might like something more tart, lemony and light I suppose, but this did feel like something an Argentinian grandmother is likely to dish up.

 A burnt leche custard that is delicious, well balanced with the fennel ice-cream, the rhubarb and the popcorn introduces the right level of surprise in texture to its otherwise creamy counterparts.

POSTRE CHAJÁ South American Style Pavlova with Peanuts

Something that was again rustic and hearty. We were really stuffed by this point though and unfortunately didn't have much more room for this dessert. If only we didn't have to leave our table for the next sitting, I would have loved to just sip at my Pedro Ximenez and soak in the happy noise and digest away some of that deliciousness. But sadly, we need to share and someone else was about to begin their own Argentinian adventure.

So there you have it. Something that was on my bucket list that I ticked off. That was easy.