Chocolatesuze - Sydney Food Blogger

Kitchen By Mike, Rosebery

9 December 2013, 01:18

I must be the last person in Sydney to visit this place. That’s right it’s Kitchen By Mike (1/85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery)! We weren’t too familiar with the area which is how we completed missed the entrance and luckily spotted signage for the Cannery and made our way into the warehouse-like space.


Thanks to Baz arriving early, our group of 8 managed to score a table close to the kitchen so we could ogle at the food being prepared. I really wanted to touch the pizza dough! Brekkie finishes at 11.30am and when the lunch menu switches over at 12pm a line of hungry humans starts to form. Start from the far left of the counter where there’s a chalkboard menu of what’s on offer. The menu changes daily depending on what Mike (formerly Executive Chef at Rockpool) gets at the markets. Shuffle along canteen style and pick out what you feel like eating and pay when you reach the end.


Start with a slice of in house baked sourdough bread ($3.50) which comes with a generous schmear of Pepe Saya butter. Or take home a loaf ($12) and grab a fat wheel of Pepe Saya butter ($10) or Lemon Curd, Jams, or Chutneys made on the premises daily.


The 2 meat dishes of the day were Crispy Pork Belly ($14) and the Roast Chicken ($14).


Moving onto salads, Peach, celery, raisin & pine nut; kale, chickpea, freekeh & green tahini; and cucumber, mirin & ginger ($7.50/per serve)


Aaand then the sneaky delicious sides! Wood Roasted Pumpkin, nigella seeds and coconut yoghurt ($5.50)


Scallops & black bean vinaigrette ($3.50/each)


We missed out on the Wood Fired Pizza but freshly baked Thyme & Rosemary Focaccia ($5.50) beckoned instead.


And last but not least the Ham & Cheddar; Ashed Goat’s Cheese & Onion Quiche ($9.50) and the Mustard, Cheese & Bacon Scroll ($8).


I opted for the roast chicken which was pretty darn tasty and super tender and absolutely loved the golden Dutch carrots and the dab of aioli it came with! I fell in love with the wood roasted pumpkin which tasted like caramelised deliciousness but $5 for a single slice had me wincing. And yes I chose the peach salad mainly for the fat, juicy peaches mmm gotta love summer fruits!


Noods’ plate! He went a lil nuts and may have ordered more than he should have which resulted in him freaking out when we paid (my plate + his plate + longneck of beer = $77) haha everything was so tasty though! Gloriously crispy crackle and juicy pork belly was a winner though the accompanying roast apricot was crazy sour and had us all puckering. He gave the scallop a thumbs up but of course wanted one 3 times the size haha and that pile of greenery is about 3 portions of different salads because he couldn’t decide which one to get!


Taking a break from the foods we wandered the Koskela design showroom where I promptly discovered and immediately coveted a teepee. I’m totally regretting not taking a pic of it now but I want it, I need it.


Noods happened to walk past the furniture section and found a cushion made of reindeer. For $680. Ouch. Yep some of the stuff in there is super cute but the crazy prices for some items made me not want to touch anything in case I broke it..


Couldn’t resist the Rhubarb and Berry Rock Cake ($8/slice) which was great and tasted like a cross between a pavlova and a nutty cake? Not sure if my taste buds were out of whack but I couldn’t really taste the rhubarb and instead tasted pistachio? Eh, anywhos it was delicious especially with the fresh cream and the plate was just about licked clean.


Overall I do think I’d return to Kitchen By Mike, the fresh produce really shone and while it is a tad on the exxy side if you don’t watch what you order it’s still a great place to come. I hear breakfasts are a lot more affordable buuuut waking up early enough will be hard :P

 

 

Mercato e Cucina, Gladesville

2 December 2013, 00:34

Whenever we make the trek from the burbs into the city we normally take Victoria Rd and I’d always been curious about the massive space in Gladesville that had been under construction since Feb. Turns out it’s Mercato e Cucina (297 Victoria Rd, Gladesville), your one stop shop for all your Italian food needs. Run by brother and sister team Vanessa and Robert Martin (previously from Il Piave in Rozelle), this place is seriously a feast for the senses. They’ve only been open for about 5 weeks now but it has been packed every time I have visited!


There’s free undercover parking so take the lift up and be greeted by the sexiest display of fruit and veg.


There’s a butcher that breaks down all the meats onsite.


And a deli section filled with meaty goodness and all the olives of the rainbow. (So bright, so vivid!)


On my first visit the restaurant had closed their kitchen between the breakfast and lunch period (11am-12pm) though drinks and pastries could be ordered and consumed at the tables. Instead we browse the take-home fridge filled with containers of soups, vacuum sealed packets of smoked fish, marinated cuts of meat and even packets of truffle mash. We bypass the rabbit lasagne and instead choose the truffle, prosciutto and mixed mushroom lasagne. It is rich, almost ridiculously so with all the mushrooms in the universe, ribbons of prosciutto and handfuls of grated cheese all blanketed in a creamy sauce with a dose of truffle oil. Not for the faint hearted!


On my second visit with Richard we rocked up on a weekday, deliberately later in the day to avoid the lunch rush and immediately zero in on the wood fired pizza selection. Out of the 19 pizzas listed, 3 are pizza biancas (ie a ‘white base’ of olive oil, herbs and salt). I have a deep love for pizza bianca as generally I find tomato sauce based pizzas overwhelm the flavour of the toppings and so the La Campagnia ($23) pizza bianca with sauteed mixed mushroom, truffle and prosciutto crudo was immediately ordered.


Upskirt shot! This pizza may be my new favourite pizza in Sydney. The pizza had a blistered, puffy edged crust and a soft but satisfyingly chewy interior. A jumble of juicy mushrooms, shavings of salty prosciutto crudo, a dash of truffle oil and just the right amount of cheese? Pizza perfection.


The Pate ($17.50) is pretty as a picture, a giant quenelle of duck, chicken & mascarpone pate with honey & chilli soaked apricots, a pickled onion salad, baby cornichons and a pile of bread sticks and flatbread. The pate is a touch on the gamey side and with a slightly grainy mouthfeel but Richard demolishes it with ease.


We couldn’t resist also ordering the White mushroom risotto with burnt butter & truffled pecorino ($28.50) which was pretty damn tasty. Plump grains with just enough bite, a whole field of mushrooms and shavings of seriously aromatic truffle pecorino.


A third visit with the boy for breakfast who of course picks the one menu item that he has no idea what it is- Grilled Cotechino ($14) which turns out to be an Italian charcuterie product, similar to salami and is so freaking awesome with the tangy tomato relish. The poached egg is a little on the solid non-gooey side but the buttery polenta potato hash more than makes up for it.


I had opted for the Homemade crumpets ($16.50) which comes with whipped ricotta, a drizzle of honey and caramelised banana. Unfortunately the crumpets were dense and stodgy and no amount of ricotta slathered on top could save them. Sadness. Service can be a bit hit and miss, some waiters were obviously new (though trying very hard!) and food seemed to take longer at breakfast than my visit at lunch but I think it’s all in the timing and hey they’re still new.


I’m not sure what’s on the dessert menu at the restaurant because both times I’ve detoured via the bakery which bakes all the bread and pastries in house and bought something purdy to take home.


The Lychee, Rose and Raspberry Macaron ($8) caught my eye because well, it’s pink. Normally I stay away from any Ispahan creations but I’ve been craving raspberries and was so relieved that I did because it was deeeelicious! The macaron shells were crisp enough to be picked up but soft enough to meld with the filling. Thumbs up.


I wasn’t as keen on the Black Forest ($7.50), while I loved the chocolate macaron, the cherry garnish and the majority of the dark chocolate layers, the last 2 layer kinda had a gelatiney bounce in the cream?


The Hazelnut Cake ($7) was a massive winner though, tasting just like a Ferrero Rocher with a crunchy daquiose layer and smooth hazelnut cream! Hands down a winner for me and I would totally love a massive cake of this!


Aaaaand grabbed a wedge or two of some Stilton, Truffle Pecorino, and Prosciutto for a late night snack. Loved the guys behind the deli, they were super patient and had heaps of suggestions for what to add to our cheese platter we were creating and snuck us some slivers to try before we committed to buying.

I’m glad Mercato e Cucina isn’t too far from where we live as it means easy access to great pizzas and cheeses!

 

 

Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic 2013

24 November 2013, 22:41

It started with crackles. Well really it started with 2 months of preparation with Helen, reading all the food blogs that Sydney had to offer and then attempting to contact them all for our now 5th annual Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic. We tallied a whopping 300+ food blogs in Sydney and received over 100 RSVP’s. And then the terrible weather rolled in. Weather apps were continuously refreshed, rants over the changes to Eventbrite and debates over backup venues vs rescheduling were had.


Driving from the burbs into the city and all of a sudden the previously cheery sunny weather turned ominous and it began bucketing down with rain. We hoped the weather was a temporary sun storm but then came the booms of thunder. We detoured to Bunnings to buy a whole bunch of tents only to be greeted with lightning as we left the car park and I wondered if we would accidentally electrocute anyone.


Stopped by Mr Crackles who had generously offered to provide the food bloggers of Sydney the world’s biggest cup of crackling. TWENTY FIVE KILOS OF CRACKLING ZOMG!!! I could barely get my arms around this massive cup!! Arrived at Centennial Park and first thing’s first, set up a tent for the cup of crackling! Massive thanks to ex girl scout Rosa, uber optimist Raff and of course Noods for help setting up the tents in Amazing Race lightning speed time!


As soon as the tents were up it was as if Mother Nature knew we were so determined to have this meetup no mater what and the skies brightened and bloggers miraculously started arriving and placing their wares under the food shelter.


Crackle is everyones friend!


As usual there was a looooot of food! Fluffy pandan chiffon cake, white chocolate raspberry muffins, pineapple and coconut cupcakes, salted caramel macarons, chocolate tarts with popping candy, milo marshmallows with chocolate crackles, peach pie, honeycomb, brownie, donuts, popcorn, seeded bread, rice paper rolls, pesto and tomato puffs, deep fried cheese balls, cheesy scrolls, antipasto skewers, fruit skewers, sushi, quiche, chicken wraps, massive cheese platter and oh man SO MUCH MORE!!!


And Simon set up his super popular pop up bar with his famous gin and tonics. Deeeelicious.


YARM CRACKLE. We just couldn’t stop eating the crackles!


Of course what’s a Christmas party without Secret Santa!


EVIL Secret Santa though because it’s so much fun stealing haha


Managed to semi photobomb with my crackle hehe


Thanks for the group photo Simon! It was so lovely to meet everyone, thank you everyone who braved the weather! Keep on blogging guys!

Attendees:
A Fashionable Emulsion | A Foodie’s Joy | A Little Bit of Tang | A Swoonful of Sugar | A Table for Two | Absolutely Ayana | Alana Bread | Angelica’s Blog | Angie Lives to Eat | Bad Table Manners | Char Post | Chocolatesuze | Christine Thai | Citrus and Candy | Cook Suck | Corridor Kitchen | Crunchy Tiger | Crystal Noir | Ellie’s Belly Adventures | Fit for a Pig | Food and Other Delectable Things | Food Booze Shoes | Food is Our Religion | Foodlee | From Australia to America | Girl in a Food Frenzy | Grab Your Fork | Hangry Riley | Irene’s Getting Fat | Jeroxie | Jugernauts | Just One More Spoon | Lateral Eating | Local Sprouts | Love Swah | MAB vs Food | Mademoiselle in Sydney | Milkteaxx | Muppys | My Hunger Will Go On | My Purlieu | My See Food Diet | Nessy Eater | Next Stop Food | One Bite More | One Small Pot | Panda & Cakes | Penguin Says Feed Me | PlanMB | Ramen Raff | RDYN! | Ripe Journal | Simon Food Favourites | Soft & Stiff Peaks | Spoonfuls of Goodness | Steven’s Lil Corner | The Adventures of Miss Piggy | The Chronicles of Hilda | The Heart of Food | The Lamstock | The Littlest Anchovy | The Man Craves | The Random Foodie | The Sticky and Sweet | The Suz Chef | Twee-Eats | What Em Did | When the World Stops Spinning | 84th & 3rd

 

 

Brunch at Pinbone, Woollahra

18 November 2013, 02:12

It takes a lot for me to get out of bed on a weekend, or any day really cos sleep is awesome. And this gloomy rainy weather we’ve been having all week just made me want to burrow under the covers and never leave. But after stalking Mike Eggert and seeing some pics on Pinbone’s Instagram I knew I had to get to Pinbone (3 Jersey Rd, Woollahra) as fast as humanly possible for their once a week Sunday brunch.


The Bacon, maple, pumpkin tart ($8) was totally worth the drive from the burbs! Bacon + maple syrup = DELICIOUSNESS! I loved the the sweet pumpkin pieces and the incredibly flaky pastry which of course shattered all over me thanks to my ability to drop food no matter what. There was a refreshing side salad of mint, rocket, dill and chives but um after a forkful or two I turned my attention to:


The queen of all sandwiches, the Croque Madame ($14, side of fries $4)! Slices of ham are smothered in melty Gruyere cheese, sandwiched in crusty bread and topped with a fried egg. It was deceptively filling and I struggled to make it halfway before Noods happily took over.


There’s the usual bacon & egg rolls, museli and toast but Noods likes ordering things off the menu that he has no idea what the ingredients are and chose the Fregola, creamed corn, poached egg ($18). Turns out, fregola is a type of tiny, round pasta with a slightly nutty taste. We loved the bite of each grain and the pop of juicy corn kernels and gooey egg yolk innards makes everything right with the world. It’s just like a hug in a bowl- warm and comforting and so fricken amazing.

I don’t usually blawg a place that’s just opened but that fregola smashed it out of the stadium with its tastiness and there’s deeeelicious wines (the Pyramid Valley sparkling riesling tastes like sunshine!) so I want everyone to go there stat! Pinbone is open for brunch only on Sun 8am-4pm but I definitely plan on returning for dinner (Wed-Sat 6pm-late) as I hear the ribs and desserts are outta this world.

 

 

House of Crabs, Redfern

11 November 2013, 02:35

Seafood lovers we salute you! The parental units had been stalking me on Instagram and when it was announced that House of Crabs (Level 1 of Norfolk Hotel, 305 Cleveland St, Redfern) would be opening for a Friday lunch we made a booking and convinced Helen that she needed some crabs in her life heh


Crab time yo!


The dealio is you order your shellfish by the 500g bag and decide what sauce you want. There’s also snacks and mains should you not wish to partake in the glory of the boil. Bibs and gloves are provided and the staff encourage you to empty the contents straight on the table and get messy and dig on in. We opted to leave the seafood in their respective bags as we had different sauces and didn’t want them mingling and meant dunking the free slices of bread all the more easier!


The father unit totally wanted to order all the crabs on the menu (blue swimmer, king and snow) but we opted for the meat packed Alaskan King Crab ($45) with Cajun sauce which was ridiculously addictive with a kick of spice. The crab is a little creepy and reminds me of Aliens haha but hot damn it was tasty crab! The legs are cracked in the middle which makes it much easier for those who are weak and unable to break things with their bare hands.. Crab crackers and uber sharp scissors are also provided so you can break into the hard to reach areas and suck out the sweet sweet flesh..


The QLD Prawns ($25/500g) in the lemon & pepper sauce are fat, juicy specimens and lol because they are the easiest to eat out of everything we’d ordered they are the first to disappear.


We were curious about the Little Neck Clams ($20/500g) and tried the Oriental sauce but it was more spicy than the Cajun sauce so I had to give up after a single clam which meant more for the others much to their delight.


There was a blackboard special of Yabbies ($34/500g) which I knew I NEEDED in my life if only to squeal IT’S PINCHYYYYY! Generally yabbies have a slight muddy taste so we chose the Cajun sauce but we needn’t have worried and we fought each other for the last one using the power of our eyeballs.


Oh and we ordered a side of Lobster Fries ($12) because well, who doesn’t love carbs fries? A blanket of molten cheese drapes oh so lovingly over crispy golden fries and is topped with a smattering of bacon bits, chives and juicy corn kernels. And while wishful thinking had us hoping for lobster chunks we are happily satisfied with the amped up flavour of the lobster gravy.


I get my sweet tooth from the mothership and so we shared the Neapolitan Ice Cream Waffle which was freaking massive! Toasted waffles hug a fat cross section of the tri coloured childhood fave (and automatically bringing to mind the the scene of Homer Simpson opening all the tubs of neapolitan ice cream and realising the chocolate section had been eaten).


House of Crabs is my new fave place in Sydney and I loved the awesome fit out with fishing nets and buoys suspended on the ceiling, the bar in the shape of a boat, lovely service (no hipster ‘tude hurrah!) and of course awesome finger lickin food! The music at first was old skool uncensored rnb which is tops at night but luckily the staff clued in and switched to 80’s rock when a couple of groups of the older generation came in for lunch. Pitchers of beer are good value but I totally want to drink the Hurricane Fishbowl next time!

 

 

The Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay

4 November 2013, 01:49

MEEEEEEAT!!! So a certain someone was a lil miffed that he didn’t get to partake in the consumption of bone marrow last week so when I spotted them over on Does My Bomb Look Big In This we made the trek over the bridge to The Oaks Hotel (118 Military Rd, Neutral Bay).

Walk through the pub and into the newly renovated Bar and Grill, check out the menu then order and pay at the meat window. While the menu has the usual burger and pizza suspects I find it fascinating that in the meats section (with meats sourced from Vic’s Meats and butchered in house) you have the option of having it cooked by the kitchen or grilling it yourself on the bbq outside in the courtyard. I decide on the former because well, I’d already consumed a cider and me + alcohol + fire = ouchies.


I couldn’t resist the blackboard special of the Dry Aged Ribeye on the bone with bone marrow, roasted potatoes and spinach ($42) which was one hunk of a sexy beast. A slice of Cafe de Paris butter melts languidly on the ribeye and while it was closer to a medium than my requested medium rare it was pretty damn tasty. Well rested and juicy to the max, I managed to eat about 3/4 of of the ribeye before throwing my hands up in defeat. Oh but what’s that in the background?


Marrow! The marrow came with the Ribeye and yes I did ask for extra marrow ($5) and zomg. Gloriously wobbly and fatty, the bone marrow is roll your eyes to the heavens amazing, golden and scorched on the edges with molten centres. Later I find out that it’s so popular they hope to have the marrow on the menu permanently as a side woot it’s definitely something I would cross the Bridge for!


Noods is a sucker for mussels so chose the Au Congo Mussels ($29). The mussels were bathed in a coconut cream, lemongrass and chilli sauce and while it could’ve used a tad more oomph in flavour the serving size was pretty generous especially with the never ending cone of fries and sides of fluffy bread.


Aaaand I had to get the Banoffee pie with caramel gelato ($14) because who doesn’t love slices of banana over a layer of caramel and biscuit base and topped with cream?


Loved the outdoor area with seating around a massive oak tree, it’d be tops for chillaxing on a summer’s arvo!

 

 

Ester, Chippendale

28 October 2013, 01:22

It was love at first sight when I first spotted a pic on Instagram of the Bone Marrow with XO sauce ($15) at Ester (52 Meagher St, Chippendale). Marrow is one of those things that makes my life worth living. That and bacon. And chocolate.

ANYWAYS I’d been feeling healthy lately and my arteries were beside themselves at the prospect of gloriously fatty bone marrow so a dinner was booked with an equally marrow crazed human. We fall silent as we dig out the molten, gelatinous, fatty nubbins from the beef bones. The amount of XO sauce was a bit overpowering and I ended up scraping it off and eating it later and kinda wishing I had a bowl of rice to eat it with haha the bone marrow did come with a bowl of house baked bread but we chose to savour each quivering mass by the forkful. I’m still having dreams about it…


And of course we just had to get the Chicken Liver Pate ($15), which was a pleasingly shade of pale pink and ridiculously smooth. Best slathered thick enough to see teeth marks onto the warm crisps, it didn’t even need the mandarin chutney accompaniment.


Our waitress was very enthusiastic about the Pig tail ($22), “it’s triple flattened!” Each piece had uber crispy edges but unfortch it was a tad chewy in the middle and my ineffectual hacking meant I ended up picking it up and gnawing away. The pickled cucumber packed one helluva mouth-puckering punch but was balanced with the smoky oysters and slippery black fungus.


I used to be firmly in the anchovy hate camp and it was only recently I found I just couldn’t get enough of it! So the Steak, bagna cauda, radish ($30) was ordered mainly because I wanted the bagna cauda- a creamy sauce made with anchovy and olive oil and while it did not disappoint I must admit I was hoping the steak to be a bit more tender. It was still tasty though, just not as mind blowing as the previous dishes.


A meal is not complete without dessert! We order the Three Milks ($11) and had automatically assumed it was a tres leches cake but instead what arrived was a mighty fine wobbly ricotta pannacotta (teehee try saying that 5 times, fast), sheeps milk foam, buttery biscuit crumbs and best of all- a schmear of sweet dulce de leche. I steered clear of the rosemary because I have issues with herbs in my desserts but the dulce de leche was scraped clean long before the other components because hell, who doesn’t love the caramelised deliciousness of dulce de leche?


Aaaand a scoop of the Salted Caramel Semi-Freddo ($4) with a sprinkle of black sesame crumbs is the perfect balance of salty and sweet and is just plain awesome. Service was fantastic, there was always someone around to answer any questions or to automatically fill our glasses of water, none of the ridiculous hipster ‘tude that seems to be infiltrating restaurants nowadays! We’ll be back for more marrow!

 

 

Catalina, Rose Bay

21 October 2013, 02:43

Spot my parents in the corner? That’s as close to a star jump that I was able to get them to do heh. We were at Catalina (Lyne Park, Rose Bay) and the parents loved it so much we came back the following week so don’t be alarmed at the amount of dishes in this post :P


We start with Natural Oysters ($4.50 each). Freshly shucked oysters are always a drawcard and these bivalves didn’t disappoint with the refreshing lime and chilli vinaigrette and topped with a generous amount of tobiko.


The Poached Marron Tail ($36) is too pretty for words. No really. Fine ok, the marron flesh is delicately tender and sets the tastebuds a-tingle when eaten with the blood orange segments, seasonal vegetables and dots of aioli.


The special entree of the day was Foie Gras Parfait ($27) which had my name all over it. Smooth, creamy and rich, it was perfect slathering inch thick onto the slices of sourdough.


Pan Fried King Prawns ($32). You know what I love? Prawns. Do you have any idea what it’s like to live with someone who’s seriously allergic to prawns? Yep thanks a lot Noods! Nah it’s all good because he puts up with me making him eat the crusts of pizzas. ANYWAYS. The prawns were pretty darn spectacular, drenched in an addictive garlic and herb butter that had us enquiring for more bread to mop up the sauce remnants.


On our second visit we tried the Let’s Do Lunch special of Pan Fried Mulloway ($38) with braised baby fennel, jerusalem artichoke puree, kiss pepper and tomato salsa. I’m not the biggest fan of fennel, artichoke or um mulloway so I pretty much steered clear of this dish but I got the thumbs up and a cleared plate from the father unit.


The mothership has chosen the Crispy Skin Pork Belly with apple roumalade, baby vegetables, smoked celeriac puree and port wine jus ($31) and we all can’t help but coo at the garden that is presented. The pork belly is perfect with the magical balance of creamy fat and soft meaty layer and crowned by glorious crackling.


‘Glacier 51’ Toothfish sous vide with fennel purée, tomato relish, artichoke crisp and ocean trout roe ($49). The father unit was enamoured by the toothfish and upon first bite instantly declared that we should return to Catalina just for this dish alone.


Roasted Suckling Pig ($99). If there’s one thing my family is obsessed with it’s suckling pig. There’s just something that turns us into insatiable freaks that will track every single piece of mind blowing crackle to ensure we get our rightful portion. Luckily there was more than enough for all of us and the table falls silent as we demolish the pile with ease. I particularly like the side of apple purée and the parents cleaned up the braised red cabbage and raisins hiding underneath.


We can’t resist the desserts and order the Vanilla Creme Brulee ($20) which is delightfully light and with the fresh passionfruit coulis and coconut sorbet it tastes just like summer.


Of course I had to get the Banana and Salted Peanut Butter Parfait ($20) which was amazing especially with the torched bananas.


The Let’s Do Lunch special means you will need to book if you plan on visiting at lunch during Good Food Month but I reckon it’s totally worth it. Fabulous food, an amazing view of Rose Bay and special mention to the attentive service we received!

 

 

Super Easy No Bake Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake

14 October 2013, 00:24

So ok, I’m still loving how ridiculously bright pink my Kenwood Kmix is and I just couldn’t help making another pink dessert! I give you: an easy recipe for a cheesecake that DOESN’T use gelatin and doesn’t need baking! The filling is light and mousse-like thanks to the addition of whipped cream and with summer berries slowly lowering in price (I hear Aldi is selling punnets of raspberries for $4.99!) this raspberry mousse cheesecake will be a smash hit at your next gathering/dinner/party/shindig! Oh also sidenote, all our plants in our backyard died thanks to the combination of my green thumb being non existent and the soaring temperatures so Noods dug everything up and we now have a rock garden haha


Prep time takes about 15mins max but you do have to chill it overnight (or shove in the freezer for a couple of hours if you’re in a hurry) and yes because this cheesecake isn’t baked or use gelatine means it will melt if it’s heaps hot. I’ve tweaked a recipe from Very Best Baking and used my usual biscuit base.


Ingredients:
500g cream cheese, softened (in above pic there’s only 1 block lol my bad)
1½ cups icing sugar
2 cups frozen raspberries, plus extra fresh raspberries for decoration
2/3 cup thickened cream
250g digestives biscuits (my usual brand is Nice)
100g butter, melted


1. Blitz the biscuits until nice and crumbly. 2. In your mixing bowl, dump in the crumbs, add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. 3. Tip the biscuit mix into a springform cake tin and press down firmly to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge while preparing the cheesecake mixture. 4. Blitz frozen raspberries.


1. Beat the 500g cream cheese with 1½ cups icing sugar until creamy (about 5mins on medium). 2. Add in the blitzed raspberries and mix until just combined. 3. Add in the 2/3 cup thickened cream and beat mixture until still peaks form.


Dollop mixture over chilled base and smooth in tin making sure there are no air bubbles. Chill overnight or if you’re in a hurry freeze for at least an hour.


When you’re ready to serve, carefully run a knife around the edge of pan before releasing the latch. Top with fresh raspberries. Aaand a dusting of icing sugar always makes everything right with the world :D


Have a delicious week guys!

 

 

HUX Bistro, Canly Vale

7 October 2013, 00:50

I’ve been dying to drag the boy along to HUX Bistro at Richard’s On the Park (41 Canley Vale Road, Canley Vale) ever since drooling all over a pic Baby Mooksy posted on the wonderful world that is Instagram. Oh and if that dude looks familiar it’s super nice guy 2011 Masterchef contestant Jay Huxley :P


CHECK IT OUT!!! That beauty is a 1.3kg Tomahawk Ribeye on the bone ($88)! This special comes with 4 sides (with FREE refills!) and 3 sauces and it’s recommended to share between 2-3 people but lol Noods thought we could handle it. Famous last words…


Yeahhh baby! The Tomahawk does take a while to cook so be sure to call up (9755 5234) in advance if you have patience issues.


Jay came out to slice up the Tomahawk for us and we were let in on a lil secret that suckling pig may appear on the menu soon woot


This steak was amazing. Quite possibly the best steak I’ve had all year! The blood cells in my anaemic body were crying in happiness at the overload of delicious protein entering my system. Man it was glorious! It had the perfect ratio of juicy tender meat to pockets of creamy fat! I don’t want to say it melts in the mouth because apparently only M&M’s melt in your mouth (and not in your hand) but damn it was mind blowingly awesome.


Aaaand of course I had to pick up the bone and gnaw at it caveman style. BEST FEELING EVER. Helloooo caramelised fatty edges!


Here’s 3/4 of the sides- fat golden fries which we dived right in before we eventually and reluctantly reached for the salad and steamed veggies when we started developing meat sweats. The three sauces were mushroom, pepper and uh nfi on the last one but I prefer eating steak sans sauce anyways.


And the 4th side! Even though they’re not made in house the onion rings get a pic by themselves because they were ridiculously addictive, golden and crisp they disappeared within seconds into our onion ring deprived souls.

And then…we ordered dessert, because I like reminding my stomach who exactly is boss. I couldn’t resist the Deep fried brownie ($10) because well, DEEP. FRIED. BROWNIE! Crisp edges gives way to a gooey and almost molten lava chocolatey centre. The scoop of caramel macadamia ice cream and puddle of raspberry coulis helped cut through the richness of the brownie but in the end we only managed to make it halfway before admitting defeat.


It was pretty quiet at lunch but apparently it gets packed out at dinner. Not sure what’s the go at dinner but we ordered our food at the counter and drinks at the bar. Oh and it’s cash only but there’s an ATM near the pokies out back. Anywhos I’ll be back soon to get my steak fix!