Chocolatesuze - Sydney Food Blogger

Sake Restaurant, The Rocks

13 May 2013, 03:22

To all the mothers out there, hope you had a great mother’s day! The Wong/Thye clan took the Mothership to Sake Restaurant (12 Argyle St, The Rocks) and we managed to nab the last reservation for the first dinner session. It is incredibly dark in Sake and I only managed to take this photo on my iphone hence the not so great photo above (sorry Mum!)


We start off with the famed Kingfish Jalapeño ($22), fat slices of fresh kingfish bathed in the tangy deliciousness that is yuzu soy and topped with jalapeno and coriander.


The Mothership is the biggest fan of grilled miso eggplant so a serve of Nasu Dengaku ($18) is a requisite order, a drizzle of light and dark miso paste on eggplant that is unctuously soft and creamy.


The Brother Unit requested the Crispy Chicken ($16) which satisfied our need for deep fried with juicy chicken and golden crispy batter. We couldn’t get enough of the accompanying sauces either, alternating bites with schmears of the spicy jalapeno sauce and refreshing tomato salsa. I’m happy to say I’m slowly moving my way up the chilli tolerance scale! The trick is to ignore the burning..


The Sashimi Tacos ($17) were bloody amazing BUT $17 for 2 tacos and 2 shots of sake hurts when you’re a table of 6 = $51. I mean, the tacos are freaking awesome, crisp shells filled with diced salmon or tuna sashimi with a dollop of chilled tomato salsa. But yeah. Ouch.


Salt & Pepper Tofu ($12) were pillow soft cubes of comfort. Like a hug! For your insides! That sounds a tad wrong so let’s move along now shall we?


The Steamed Prawn Dumplings ($17) are adorable and ridiculously delicious with the spicy ponzu dipping sauce. Like, I would’ve loved some alone time with that steamer basket. The dumplings are Chinese-inspired shumai but instead of wrapping the prawn innards with a single wrapper they are tossed in finely sliced gyoza wrappers before being steamed.


We were worried the Sashimi Combo ($47) would be too massive for us so I chose the Aburi Sushi Selection ($27) instead. I heart aburi anything mainly because I love seared smoky flavours. Tastes like a good kind of burning! We didn’t think cutting up everything would work so it was each man for themselves. I managed to score the salmon which has the perfect ratio of fatty belly to sweet rice.


The Brother Unit chose the Spider Maki ($18) because he loves soft shell crab and who am I to argue when it was pretty damn tasty especially covered in all that tobiko!


Who doesn’t love tempura?? The Scampi Tempura ($36) had a light and crisp batter and was piping hot from duh being baptised in oil. The scampi portions were surprisingly large and we eyed each other off for the last piece.


Big Dada is a fan of of pork belly in all forms and I am a sucker for anything with gooey eggs which meant we absolutely had to order the Buta no Kakun ($28). Huge chunks of the 12 hour braised pork belly are nestled around the onsen 64C hens egg which Noods took great delight in stabbing. When the dish first arrived we could smell truffle oil which felt a bit out of place but luckily couldn’t discern much in the dish. Next time I’ll order this with a bowl of rice to soak up all the meaty juices.

Bill worked out to be $400/6 people which was a bit pricey but well, we are in the touristy area and everything was delicious and I guess in hindsight we should’ve gone with the degustation menu as the prices would’ve worked out the same. I’m always wary of special menus on those celebratory days but the service at Sake was spot on and it was nice that they gave each mother a bouquet of flowers. So in the words of Rove, say hi to your mum for me!

 

 

Chocolate Cake Box

5 May 2013, 23:19

Mmm candy… I’ve been wanting to make this for ages! How can you not look at this epic sugar bomb and not chortle with glee? I totally made this for a grown up too because hey everyone loves candy :P


A wall of Kit Kats, about a kilo of chocolate bars and candy.. And there is a cake under all that candy I promise!


So we start off with a cake. I used this recipe for a vanilla pound cake and swirled in about half a container of Nutella.


Whip up some chocolate buttercream and slather it on all sides of your cake.


And then the fun part! Candy time!


Start with the Kit Kat borders. Rage as you realise you’re one short a Kit Kat and have to run out and buy some more.


Chop up some candy bars. One for you, one for me.


Aaaand fill your box up and tadah! Happiness in a box!

 

 

Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills

26 April 2013, 01:20

Ahhh my precious… Just look at that beauty! Doesn’t it make you want to lick the screen? It is the one and only Ginger Brulee Tart ($5) from where else?


Bourke Street Bakery (633 Bourke St, Surry Hills) of course! Land of delicious baked goods! It’s dangerously close to work and with everything under $12 but averaging around the $5 mark makes this bakery a hot spot with the office workers and ahem hipsters :P Beware the queues if you come too late though!


Lunchies! Every now and then some humans will join me in the partaking of sausage roll awesomeness. There’s a couple of tables outside or head across the street to the park and enjoy the last of the sunshine my friends!


The Pork and Fennel Sausage Roll ($4.50) gets the trophy for BEST SAUSAGE ROLL EVERRRR!!! A log of minced pork with a scattering of fennel seeds is lovingly cocooned inside incredibly flaky pastry which WILL shower you with pastry flakes everywhere no matter how carefully you try to eat it!


The Beef Brisket Pie ($5.30) is also pretty awesome, more of that glorious pastry holding chunks of tender and damn tasty beef bathed in a rich gravy.


The Vego in the group orders the Baba Ganoush, Cucumber, Parsley, Lemon and Fetta Sandwich ($9) and smashes it in record time.


And then there’s the Mushroom, Spinach and Fetta Quiche ($4.50) which is a bit on the small side but packs a punch of tastiness.


But wait, how can you visit BSB without scoring some desserts!?


LOOK AT HOW IT GLISTENS. Seriously guys, the brulee tarts are out of this world! I’ve had the strawberry tarts previously but the ginger tarts are by far the most delicious with creamy custardy innards, caramelised sweet ginger layer and a crisp buttery tart shell. Bloody awesome.


The Lemon tarts ($4.50) are also top notch with a ridiculously addictive sour lemon curd filling.


Definitely want to try more of BSB’s menu but I just can’t ever go past that sausage roll…

 

 

Weekend at the PARKROYAL Hotel, Darling Harbour

21 April 2013, 23:32

So like, it was Noods and I wedding anniversary a while ago and the very awesome people at PARKROYAL Darling Harbour offered us a weekend stay to celebrate where we could eat, drink and be merry without worrying on getting home. While we both work in the city we tend to not stay out very late due to the lack of public transport past the bewitching hour to our area out west. We had a fabulous time and it was good to unwind and explore the area nearby but hang on, PARKROYAL Darling Harbour are also running the competition Trade for a Trip on their Facebook page so keep on reading to find out how to enter!


After checking in, we start the weekend off with breakfast in the newly refurbished Barkers restaurant.


Baked good galore! This station always makes me pause as my stomach struggles with the concept of taking ‘just one piece’..


Noods heads straight for the omelet station, pushing to see how many eggs he can eat before the chef starts recognizing him.


Staying right smack in the middle of Sydney means we don’t worry about transport and take a walk over to the Sydney Fish Markets to ogle at the fresh produce. Even though we’d had a massive breakfast we can’t resist a tray of Sydney Rock oysters and some salmon sashimi.


After a walk back to Chinatown and a couple of hours shopping at Paddy’s Markets and Market City it’s time for lunch. Gumshara’s Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen in Eating World Plaza is always a winner for us especially with the cold weather creeping up on us. The thick, rich broth and fatty slices of melt in the mouth pork will make anyone instant converts.


We were staying in the PARKROYAL Club Room which has the sweetest perks like free wifi aaaaand meant we got access to the Club Lounge on the 10th floor. Helloooo free drinks and canapés!


Chillaxing with a glass of champers while watching the sunset = BEST


Speaking of canapés, while I dug into the platter of cheeses Noods chortled with glee at the mussels in white wine sauce. His last meal on earth would be those mussels.


Best seat in the house to watch the fireworks show every Saturday night!


The night was still young so a Roti Tissue from Mamak was ordered. With a side of condensed milk and kaya of course :P


The Grasshopper Bar was a bit of a walk but because we weren’t in a hurry we didn’t mind and made sure to drink many delicious beverages from bear jam jars so we wouldn’t mind the walk back!


Buuuut then we got the munchies. Naruone has the best Korean fried chicken in Sydney bar none and best of all? They’re open to 3am on Sat!


Nighty night.


The next morning was hard to roll out of bed so we decided to try the Club Lounge breakfast to avoid the humans. While there was no chef to make omelettes we preferred the selection of food here and especially the low noise level!


I’m very easily amused and absolutely had to get the pancakes. I totally want this for my kitchen and get pancakes at the push of a button!


I freaking love honeycomb!


We ended up heading back to our room for a nap after breakfast to sleep off the night’s beverages lol but our grumbling stomachs woke us up mid afternoon so off to Fuku Restaurant in World Square for seafood hotpot! Filled with noodles, vegetables and seafood, the hotpot warmed our souls and all was right with the world.


Knowing our weekend was almost over I may have strongly suggested we stop by Emperor’s Garden for a quick round of desserts at yum cha. Flaky egg tarts and custardy buns, I heart you.

And that my friends, was our weekend! Want to win a delicious weekend at PARKROYAL Hotel? Hit the jump here to enter the Trade for a Trip comp! All you gotta do is trade your city’s best kept secrets for the chance to win a stay at a PARKROYAL Hotel of your choice!

ChocolateSuze received a complimentary weekend stay at PARKROYAL Hotel

 

 

How I Made a Giant Wagon Wheel

14 April 2013, 23:37

So like… I made a giant Wagon Wheel. From scratch. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Wagon Wheels but I’ve always felt like the marshmallow and jam to biscuit ratio was never right! So it took me a weekend of pottering around my kitchen and questioning my sanity on whether or not it was worth all the hassle. It totally was haha but this is totes not classified as an easy recipe and there was stacks of washing up!


Tee hee forgot to weigh it but I reckon it was more than 5kg?


INNARDS SHOT!!! Now THERE’S my ideal ratio!!!


Allllrighty then! Steps in the event you people out there want to make this behemoth! You will need 2 springform tins, 1 larger than the other- I used a 21cm and a 25cm tin. For the biscuit layer I used this recipe. Make sure to divide your dough into 2 amounts and when rolled out cut out 2 circles the size of your small tin.


For the marshmallow layer I used this recipe but without the coconut and the colouring. Spread the marshmallow into your baking paper lined small tin, there’ll be enough mixture for 2 layers so if you want you can make normal marshmallows with the excess. Make sure the marshmallow has several hours to set, I left my marshmallow in the fridge overnight.


For the jam layer I used this recipe but halved the amount and cooked the jam a bit longer so it wouldn’t be super runny inside the Wagon Wheel.


Ready to assemble layers? Grab your larger tin and melt some chocolate! I used about 500g of chocolate for the bottom layer, make sure the layer is a solid 1-2cm thick and make sure to spread the chocolate up to the edges of the tin. Leave to set for a bit before adding the shortbread layer otherwise the shortbread with sink to the bottom of the chocolate layer. Spread on the jam layer. I shoved 2 biscuit bits into the jam as a semi attempt for stability.


Unwrap the marshmallow layer and plonk him on top of the jam. Chuck on the 2nd shortbread layer. Melt some more chocolate and begin drizzling over the top and down the sides. I ended up using about 1 kilo of chocolate to cover the top and fill up around the sides mmm now leave your baby to set. If you’re in a hurry you can put him in the fridge but warning it may discolour the chocolate because of the sudden change in temperature.


Carefully undo the springform tin and tadah!


Only drawback with massive Wagon Wheel is there’s no way you can just take a bite out of it lol so ended up having to stab at it and hack off a piece to see the insides.


There we go! Insides and a comparison shot!


I have plans for more giant candy but let me know what you’d like me to make :P

 

 

Uluru Ayers Rock

8 April 2013, 00:12

So I was debating posting about my trip to Uluru/Ayers Rock. It’s not exactly the place for spectacular food and usually all my holidays with Noods involves eating as a primary and sight-seeing as a secondary need. But well, it was an awesome experience and I want to share it with you guys esp for the rellies that drop by here occasionally (HI UNCLE KEN AND MOON YEE!)


It was a pretty spur of the moment trip, we knew we wanted to get out of Sydney for a bit but wanted to stay in Aus… next thing I knew flights were booked from Syd-Uluru (don’t book to Alice Springs unless you like waiting for connecting flights or feel the urge to take a long drive there). We landed late afternoon and checked in at Sails in the Desert and made it just in time to grab the last tickets to Sounds of Silence dinner ($169 each).


The Sounds of Silence dinner is held on a sand dune a short bus trip away with a perfect view of Uluru. It’s pretty damn awesome sitting out in the middle of nowhere with only candles and the moon lighting everything. The food was buffet style with the usual salads, grilled meats and aussie desserts. Oh and free flow alcohol in case you are stuck on a table with obnoxious tourists :P


PURDY! There was also a ‘Star Talker’ who gave us a little bit of a talk on the southern night sky.


There may have been one too many beverages the night prior and we managed to sleep through breakfast time so ended up grabbing lunch at Walpa Bar. Bbq pork ribs, mini cheeseburger and fries for me.


Kangaroo steak for Noods.

The Resort has a mini shopping centre area with a post office, souvenir store, a couple of bars and cafe but best of all.. an IGA supermarket! Stocked up on bottles of precious water.


I very stupidly agreed to the Uluru Return Tour ($50 each) where a shuttle basically picks you up from the resort and drops you at Uluru where you can wander around the base of Uluru at your own pace.


Which sounds all fine and dandy and I start off all happy as Larry but oh the heat! The dry heat which sucks the moisture from your body! I love warm temperatures but when the thermostat pushes over 40C I shut down which is pretty much what happened about 1hour into our ‘walk’.


Noods doing the ‘thinking man’ pose. Hah! More like the ‘why is she walking so slow’ sulk.


Aaaand this is where I spent the rest of the day- submerged in lukewarm water in an attempt to not overheat.


Buffet dinner was at Ilkari Restaurant with a surprisingly large amount of desserts.


Noods took this photo at sunset. He was very proud of it.


The next day I may have agreed to the Explore Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) tour ($80 each) after a promise from Noods that it was shorter..


I may have attempted to strangle Noods around the halfway mark..


And then almost passed out when we finally made it through the rock domes haha


Back to the pool I went and stayed until my skin went wrinkly. A round of fish and chips was much needed.


Being awake at sunrise is something that required much effort but it was totally worth it on our last day for the Camel to Sunrise Tour ($119 each).


Hellooo camel congo line!


Best tour ever, especially before the crazy heat and the flies come out! The guides walked along side our camels, chatting to us about the random plants and animals.


Farewell Uluru!

 

 

Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst

1 April 2013, 01:35

YOU GUYS!! I THINK IM IN LOVE!! His name? Mr Crackles!!


Mr Crackles (155 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst) is a magical place run by ex Wharf chefs Carlos Justo and Sam Horowitz and it is all kinds of amazing. Think unicorns and rainbows amazing. Their bread rolls are sourced from Laurent Bakery and the caramel apples on the counter are from Dem Apples Pty Ltd but everything else is made in house and it smells incredible.


Look at that pile of crackle!!! Just look at it! Bask in its glory!


AND YOU CAN BUY IT BY THE CUP!!! And all for the heart stoppingly low price of $5! Insert all the superlatives of crunchy, golden and just plain delicious right here because damn just one bite and I was hooked. You will be too. Unless you’re vego then well, maybe skip this..


But we couldn’t just eat crackling now could we? (Well I could but Noods wouldn’t let me..) The Classic Pork Roll with Vietnamese Salad ($10) is a must, the crusty bread houses the Banh Mi style pickled vegetables but instead of the weird processed flat slices of meat it’s stuffed full of tender, juicy nubbins of pork and topped with pieces of that glorious crackling. The rolls come in 2 sizes ($7 for the small) but really, just get the normal size. Orrrr I may try the Manwich ($15) next time which has double the meat and half the salad mmm


We also got the roll of the month, the Philly Cheese Beef ($10), which had slices of tender corned beef, pickles and Philly cream cheese. I loved the corned beef buuuut I must admit that my mind automatically assumed the roll would be more like a Philly Cheese Steak, you know, with melty cheese? It was still tasty though!


We ended up getting the small Wagyu Beef roll ($7) for the road which was filled with braised meaty goodness, beetroot, spinach and relish. Normally I have issues with beetroot but oddly the flavours worked and I regretted getting the small roll not the normal size lol


Mr Crackles opens till the wee early hours on Fri & Sat which means no more dodgy late night maccas runs down Oxford St! I want to try the rest of the menu esp the Hotdogs and the Lamb Rolls but I know it’ll be hard to go past the Classic Pork Roll…

 

 

Super Easy Cheesy Spinach Dip in a Cob Loaf

25 March 2013, 00:01

So like, I love dip. Garlic dip, smoked salmon dip, babaganouj, even hommus. But my favourite is this cheesy spinach dip, a dip I tried back in the 6th grade which came complete in it’s own edible bread basket. Gotta love the 90’s!


I mean, who doesn’t love dip? It’s freaking awesome and seriously the easiest snack to whip up when you have the munchies or unexpected visitors drop by. A lot of dip recipes use packet soup mixes but I tend to find them uber salty so always leave it out. Ready? Here we go!


Ingredients:
Family sized packet of spinach leaves (about 300g)
1 tub of sour cream (250g)
1 Cobb bread roll
2 cups grated cheese
1 Tbsp ground black pepper


Chuck the spinach into a pot and cook until the leaves go stringy and soft.


Like so. Take the pot off the heat.


Add in the 2 cups of cheese and mix until cheese is all melty.


Make sure the pot isn’t super hot before adding in the sour cream and pepper. Warm is ok but not hot otherwise the sour cream goes weird.


Stir stir stir. Transfer dip to container and chuck in the fridge until needed.


Take your Cob loaf and rip out the middle and its innards and arrange all pretty on a platter.


When you’re ready to eat, fill er up and tadaaaaah!

 

 

Short Sweet Bakery, Parramatta

18 March 2013, 01:32

It takes a lot for the boy and I to roll out of bed early enough to make it for breakfast anywhere. Usually by the time we’ve stumbled out of the house it’s nearing noon and our craving for something with eggs is left unsatisfied buuuut Westies rejoice! Short Sweet Bakery (Shop 17, 162-172 Church St, Parramatta) to the rescue for all your baked goods and breakfast needs! They’re closed on Sundays but open from 6am week days for the caffeine deprived souls heading to work.


Follow the lively tunes of the band parked out front every Saturday near the Hungry Jacks and make your way up to the counter and drool with indecision. On Saturdays there’s a breakfast menu and hopefully soon to be during the week too.


Mini tarts just crying out to be held!


Golden, flaky pies at $5 a pop.


Scrambled Eggs, Avo and Toast ($9) is pretty damn incredible, the eggs are freakishly light and fluffy and I just want to bury my head in the cloud like pile.


I can’t resist ordering the Waffle with Honeycomb ($9) and while I love honeycomb and I love waffles I kinda wished they weren’t together? I like my waffle toppings to be either pourable or spreadable and I ended up just stabbing the honeycomb and saving it to the end to eat it separately. But hey it was tasty and sufficiently satisfied waffle craving I’ve been having for the past couple of weeks.


I was drawn to the breads counter and couldn’t stop staring at the piles of freshly baked croissants, carrot cake and banana bread loaves.


Emergency secondary stomach was activated as I couldn’t leave without trying the Vanilla Mille-feuille which tasted every bit as delicious as it looked with its layer upon layer of pastry sandwiching a velvety vanilla cream.


Noods loves a good lamo so one Panncotta Lamington was ordered. And yes I know you guys will ask if it’s better than Flour and Stone but honestly I reckon it’s two completely different lamingtons. Flour and Stone’s lamington is damn tasty but to me it isn’t a true lamington because I like sponge cake to be well, spongey and not so er wet. So I prefer Short Sweet’s lamo over Flour and Stone but I prefer Flour and Stone’s coconut shaving exterior :D


Unfortch all the hot cross buns had sold out before we’d rocked up and Noods had had his heart set on bringing home a bag of hot cross buns but luckily a lonely survivor was found and a light toasting with a pat of butter and all was right with the world.


We roll out the door but not before taking a quick peek at the shelf against the side window for packaged takeaway treats, from giant clouds of meringue to golden anzac biscuits and jars of cocoa powder.

If you spot her, have a chat with Leanne Beck of Sweet Infinity fame, she is an incredibly energetic force of nature and worked hard at getting Church St cleaned up and made beautiful with the addition of beach deck chairs in the mall. I’m glad to have found Short Sweet Bakery and will definitely be back to try out the tarts and pies!

ChocolateSuze + Noods received complimentary meals with thanks to Short Sweet Bakery

 

 

Fish Place, Surry Hills

11 March 2013, 02:35

Office locals in the Surry Hills area are always watchful for new places opening up especially if it’s something different to the standard sandwich or salad shop. So we rejoiced when word finally came that Fish Place (70 Foveaux St, Surry Hills) opened last week. Run by Adam de Launay previously of The Smokehouse fame, the Fish Place building is hard to miss, covered in shiny sardine tin print.


The menu is short and sweet, from fish pies and smoked salmon bagels to the classic fish and chips and the prices are pretty decent for the area.


Every morning salmon and ocean trout are smoked out back, ready for all your bagel needs. Man I wish I lived next door. Fish is pretty high on my favourite food list. With bacon. And fried chicken. And donuts. Oh and cake. But seriously I heart salmon! And cod!


So one sunny day saw some peeps from the hood meet up for lunch. I chose the Hot Smoked Salmon with a side of Potato Salad ($12.50) and it is beeeeautiful. Check it out! Slab of salmon? Check. Perfect in every way? 3/4 check. I minused 1/4 because I could totes eat 2 pieces. What? I get hungry at lunch thanks to my ‘must-not-snack-before-lunch’ self imposed rule. Afternoon snacking is a whole nother story.


Missklicious has chosen the Fish Pie ($8.50) which I forsee will be a winner when winter rolls around. It is super comforting with morsels of fish buried under a blanket of creamy mash. A side of salad was also procured but uh i have nfi how much extra it was nor did I try it doo di doo..


For Vxdollface it is the Smoked Ocean Trout with a side of Potato Bake ($12.50). While I preferred the salmon over the ocean trout the potato bake kicks my potato salad to the kerb.


Ramen Raff only has eyes for the Battered Fish with a side of Green Pea Mash ($12.50). The fish was pretty damn awesome. The batter is golden and surprisingly not greasy, and the pea mash makes me feel like I am a responsible adult eating my greens willingly.


Ah and there was some chips! The fries are fat and crispy and at $3.50 for the Chippy Cup it’s pretty reasonable and er dangerous for the mid arvo munchies.


There’s some window seats at the counter but head around the corner to the back to the super cute courtyard where herbs grow from treasure chests and ironing boards are tables.


Would be awesome if they were licensed but it’s all good cos I’ll definitely be back to try the bagels which I hear are out of this world!