I’m the first to admit I’m super susceptible to advertising. An ad for a new chip product will flash by and I’ll instantly want to seek it out and try so it goes without saying that Instagram is basically one continuous advertisement for all the restaurants I now have to eat at and then I saw a post from new Japanese yakiniku joint Matsusaka Backstreet with a pic of juicy wagyu and a caption reading “sketchy entrance go up the seedy staircase” hahahaha

I love buffets and the asian in me of course tries to get my moneys worth. Matsusaka have 3 menus to choose from- the Standard Buffet ($49.80) has 65 offerings, the Matsusaka Buffet ($59.80) is the same as the Standard with the addition of sashimi and ramen, but it’s the Premium Buffet ($69.80) we’re after which has 95 dishes including 4 kinds of wagyu cuts, premium ox tongue and thick cut beef rib.

Dipping sauces and a taster plate arrive first with an array of their choice cuts, complete with labels so you know what you’re eating and can reorder on the touchpad.

They have a lot of deals on their Instagram with discounts or specials cuts and we managed to get this super thick ox tongue one week!

Thicccc

And then it’s up to you to cook your meat to your preferred doneness!

Look at all that marbling <3

Moar meat

The smell of meat sizzling is so incredible

I highly recommend scrolling to the bbq vegetable tab and ordering a lil foil tray with corn and butter, and also the grated cheese and then combine for cheesy goodness!

Matsusaka Backstreet
Level 1/90 Hay St,
Haymarket

Trading Hours:
Sun – Weds: 11:30am–2:30pm, 5–9:30pm
Thurs – Sat: 11:30am–2:30pm, 5–10pm

So blame the rona but I’ve been on Tiktok a lot and the obsession with the Lotus Biscoff biscuits had me frantically scouring the shelves of all the supermarkets in the area to get my hands on the crazily addictive biscuits to make the cheesecake of my dreams. And it was so worth it! Look at this beauty! Buttery Biscoff biscuit base, creamy Biscoff cheesecake layer and pure Biscoff spread glaze on top! I tweaked this recipe a bit and it’s definitely a winner.

Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUST:
1 packet of Lotus Biscoff cookies (235g), save 2 for decorating. Obvs I used heaps more for decorating so you might want to buy 2 packets
85g salted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup (237ml) thickened cream
350g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4cup (195g) Lotus Biscoff spread
2/3 cups (75g) icing sugar

FOR THE TOPPING:
The remaining 205g of the Lotus Biscoff spread jar (dear Future Suze, you like lots of glaze use more)

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
1. Line the bottom of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with a parchment paper round. Using a food processor, pulse the Lotus Biscoff cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Stir in the melted butter until evenly combined. Measure out 1/4 cup (50g) of the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use for garnish.
3. Evenly spread the remaining crumb mixture to the pan and press down with a flat-bottomed drinking glass or spoon.
4. If you want a hard, crispy base, bake for 8mins at 325F/160C and then cool in freezer while making the filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
1. Beat the thickened cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and keep chilled in the fridge.
2. In the same mixer bowl (no need to wash), beat together the cream cheese, Lotus Biscoff spread and icing sugar until well combined and very smooth with no lumps.
3. Using a rubber spatula, dollop a spoonful of the whipped cream and stir into mixture to loosen it up. Then fold in the rest of the cream, until uniform in color and no white streaks remain.
4. Scrape the filling to the cooled cookie crust and spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

TO SERVE:
1. Place the remaining Lotus Biscoff spread in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave until very fluid and melted, about 30 seconds. Don’t microwave in the jar!! Also sidenote for future Suze: add more!
2. Pour the spread all over the surface, quickly spreading it out into a smooth, even layer before the mixture cools.
3. Sprinkle the sides of the cake with the reserved cookie crumb mixture.
4. Remove from springform pan, decorate with whole biscuits and serve!

It’s so beautiful

For neat slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry, then slice. Repeat, wiping the knife clean between each slice.

I love lemon curd, I just can’t get enough of the zingy, buttery spread! Normally I’m much too lazy to make my own and will happily buy jars of the stuff from the local markets. But thanks to iso boredom and a surplus of lemons, my lemon curd dreams have been appeased. I used this recipe.

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 Tb lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
6 Tablespoons (86g) salted butter, cubed

First zest 2 lemons and juice 2 lemons.

Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1-2 inches of water. I don’t have a proper double boiler but I do have a small saucepan that sits about mid way in a larger saucepan and filled the larger saucepan with enough water that just touches the bottom of the smaller saucepan and set on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat and keep the water at a simmer.

Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into the top pot of your double boiler. Using a silicone whisk, whisk until completely combined, then continue to whisk until the mixture becomes thick, about 10 minutes.

Remove pot from heat. Add the chopped butter and whisk until melted and combined. Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed. Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.

Aaaaand enjoy!

So I’m not normally a fan of mussels because they’re usually overcooked and super chewy but after getting this recipe from Karen, it has been my trusty secret weapon over the years with perfectly plump and juicy mussels every time. Also I tend to double the amount of the ingredients so I get extra sauce leftover perfect for chowder or pasta!

Ingredients:
1kg mussels
2 large leeks
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 2 Tb garlic paste which I forgot to add in the photo oops)
2-3 large anchovies
200ml dry cooking sherry
250ml thickened cream (iso grocery shopping meant only the low fat cream was available lols)
Chives/shallots/leeks/coriander for garnish

Step 1. Clean, scrub and pull the beards off the mussels and leave to strain. I normally buy the prepackaged mussels because they’re usually a bit less barnacle-y than the loose mussels.

Step 2. Wash the leek then chop into 1cm slices, using the end half of the leek right up to where it gets dark green and leafy. Heat up large pan with the 2 Tb olive oil and 2 Tb butter over medium heat. Saute leeks until butter melts.

Step 3. Add the garlic and anchovies and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until leeks have softened and anchovies have dissolved and broken down into the oil.

Add the 200ml sherry and let the alcohol cook out for 2 minutes.

Then add the 250ml cream, stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes for sauce to reduce.

Add in the mussels (along with any of the brine) and give everything a toss. Stick the lid on and cook the mussels for about 5mins, shaking the pan occasionally until the shells have opened (discard any that haven’t opened).

Garnish with fresh herbs

And tadah! Serve with crusty bread and slurp away!