About Chocolatesuze
i am susan thye. aka chocolatesuze. lives in sydney, australia. born 30.5.83. hitched to noods. started The Biscuit Tree. this is a food and lifestyle blog. i like cheeseburgers, ice cream, macarons and Reuben sandwiches :D
email: susan@chocolatesuze.com
twitter: @chocolatesuze
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PERSONAL DISCLAIMER. this is a foodblog; a personal journal where all opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions. Although it may claim otherwise, this blog does not offer legal, medical, psychiatric, veterinary, logical or any other kind of professional advice. all text+photos by me - S. Thye, unless otherwise noted. i will hunt you down if you steal or hotlink any of my images and/or text. have a nice day!
Win a Masterclass with Tetsuya + 10 course degustation dinner!
11 March 2010, 04:22
It’s not every day you can enter a competition to win a Masterclass and a 10 course degustation dinner from Tetsuya! Electrolux is giving Chocolatesuze readers the chance to win a ticket to this exclusive event. All you have to do is click on this link and answer a simple question: “What is your favourite feature in Tetsuya’s new Masterkitchen?” in no more than 25 words and then copy and paste your answer in the comments so i can see too!
I started blogging as something to pass the time. A couple of years ago food blogging was unheard of in Australia but hey look at where we are now! I was one of ten lucky food bloggers to be invited to attend an Electrolux Masterclass with world renowned chef, Tetsuya Wakuda in his new Masterkitchen and also a fantastic 10 course degustation dinner! I was picked up by the lovely Tom in a shiny car with dark tinted windows and driven to the restaurant, through the black gate and up the driveway past the perfectly manicured gardens to meet Barbara, Billy, Christie, Cynthia, Helen, Jules, Lorraine, Peter, and Reem.
We are led upstairs to Tetsuya’s shiny new Electrolux kitchen and see white marble workbenches with two gleaming black touch-control induction cooktops on each side. The kitchen does not look like a kitchen. It is super clean and pleasantly calming. I knew I should’ve taken a photo of the room but apparently I am fail. The room is devoid of any protruding knobs- there are no dials or gas burners and water gushes out like a waterfall in the giant sink that could fit several babies.
Note: It’s 4am and my eyes are already starting to feel like this: 0_0 so hopefully you’ll just look at the pics right? Cos the words well, things will start to sound loopy right around this hour. Whee! Also, I’m sure you guys have seen everyone else’s posts which are all fantastic so hey feel free to skip to the bottom to enter the competition!
Scampi cooked confit-style. Ok I won’t be covering everything from the class in depth because um my memory ain’t that great but also so it will be a surprise for when you guys go! It was pretty informal with everyone gathered around the workbench and Tetsuya would explain the ingredients and the method in the dish he was about to cook followed by plating of the dish which the waiters would then divide and serve to us to taste.
Tetsuya’s shyness melts away when the group starts peppering him with questions and he exclaims “I love to cook for people who love their food!”
Alaskan crab legs.
Fastest and tastiest tagine evah
I like his knives.
After our photos with Tetsuya we make our way to the room next door for the second part of our evening: a 10 course degustation dinner with matching wines oh baby yeah! Though halfway through dinner the wines were making me slightly tipsy and I ended up drinking coke. Um. It’s how I roll.
Freshly baked bread rolls appear along with the famed magical tubs of truffle butter. As we all whip out our cameras our waiter smiles and says ‘It’s just bread and butter!” What do you mean it’s JUST bread and butter?! It’s bread and butter made by ANGELS! But he knowingly brings us another tub of the truffle butter as soon as ours is swiped clean. The butter is unsalted and mixed with flecks of truffles and parmesan cheese. I think I would be happy to just eat bread and the truffle butter for dinner.
Chilled Japanese pumpkin soup with white miso cream. The refreshing cold soup awoke my tastebuds and sent them all tingling with anticipation at what was to come and I loved how instead of the usual dollop of sour cream there was miso cream which lent a richer flavour to the pumpkin soup.
Sashimi of kingfish with blackbean and orange. I tend to have issues with citrus in my savoury foods but the orange lifted the heaviness of the blackbean and gave the kingfish a zing. Zing!
Soft roast scampi with herbs and citrus oil. The flavours of the lemon, lime and tarragon infused oil combined with a just cooked through scampi was a winning combination and had me eyeing my neighbours to see if they had any unwanted scampi they wanted to part with. They did not.
Salad of confit ocean trout with zucchini and non-pasteurised roe. Tetsuya’s signature dish arrives and the whole table falls silent save for the sounds of chewing. The trout has been cooked at a very low temperature and has a wobbly jelly-like texture. It is amazing and I much prefer this version with the lesser amount of konbu (dried seaweed) topping compared to a previous visit
Raviolo of octopus with oregano and black olives. Whenever I eat anything with olives my mouth tends to react with an immediate ‘Er wtf I really don’t like olives why are you trying them again?’ I keep trying to make myself like olives in the hopes I will one day grow to tolerate and maybe eventually accept and love. But sadly that moment has not arrived yet in my life and the taste of olives was too overpowering for me in this dish though I did enjoy the slivers of oregano and the fragrant basil with the tender octopus innards.
Breast of chicken with corn and foie gras. The baby chicken is so freaking tender and juicy (I refuse to use the word moist) and sits atop a bed of smooth creamy corn with nubbins of sweet juicy kernels. I like the word nubbin. And nub. I also really like corn. Sweet sweet corn filled with the happiness of a thousand suns. The square of foie gras hiding under the chicken added a creaminess to the dish and had me wishing for more
Sirloin of wagyu with braised leeks, sansho and soy. A thin scroll of wagyu cooked ‘shabu shabu’ style is our last course before dessert. Oddly my appetite returned in full force and I happily scraped the plate clean.
Pione grape sorbet with sauternes jelly. The sorbet arrives in all its bright purple pink glory and tastes like the souls of 100 juicy sweet grapes. It is a refreshing palate cleanser and hidden in the depths of the martini glass are 3 peeled grapes
Cannellini beans with mascarpone and soy caramel. Familiar with eating beans in some Asian desserts, I quite like the combination of the sweet soy caramel sauce with the slightly salty blue cheese anglaise and the beans however I do find the blue cheese to be a bit overpowering towards the end of the dessert.
Floating island with double anglaise of vanilla bean and praline. I love you praline. So much love. So much tastyness. The smiley waiter tells us that rosemary is actually incorporated into the mixture to remove the eggy smell!
And an innards shot! Mmm it’s bleeding chocolate and raspberry deliciousness.
Tea. Love the heavy feeling of the cups!
Petit fours: green tea marshmallow, coffee and date friands and chocolate macarons with lemon curd and pink peppercorns. The marshmallows were a tad too bitter for me with their overload on matcha powder because yes I like all things super sweet. The friands are light and moreish though by this stage we are all too full and clutching at our stomachs. Super loved the lemon curd filling in the macarons but not so much the peppercorn in the middle. Spicy!
This was definitely a night to remember! Getting to meet Tetsuya and learning some trade secrets was priceless. I particularly loved how the dinner was a more casual affair and yet the service and the food were freaking amazing. It was great to share the experience with fellow food bloggers and not being the only person on the table to be taking photos of their food!
And now what you’ve all been waiting for!
Electrolux is giving Chocolatesuze readers the chance to win a ticket to this exclusive event. All you have to do is click on this link and answer a simple question: “What is your favourite feature in Tetsuya’s new Masterkitchen?” in no more than 25 words and then copy and paste your answer in the comments so i can see too!
This competition is open to Australian residents aged 18 and over. The 12 best entries received will win:
* A single invitation to an exclusive Tetsuya Masterclass at Tetsuya’s restaurant, 529 Kent Street Sydney NSW – on the evening of Tuesday 24th August 2010 from 6pm
* Return economy airfares from the major prize winner’s nearest Australian capital city
* One nights’ accommodation on the night of the Masterclass Tuesday 24th August 2010.
* A private car that will transport the winner from their accommodation within the Sydney Metro area (50km radius from Sydney city centre – GPO) to Tetsuya’s restaurant for the Masterclass and then back to their accommodation within the Sydney Metro area stipulated above
* Terms and Conditions can be found here
All entries must be received by 12 midnight AEST Tuesday 4th May 2010.
ENTER NOW!
Chocolatesuze attended the Tetsuya Masterclass and dinner as a guest of Electrolux and Wakuda Tetsuya.
Back to home
Hehe I like the word ‘nubbin’ too (and nub). nubbin. nubbin nubbin. nubbin nubbin nubbin.
:P
— Karen Mar 11, 04:56 AM #A thousand suns! A hundred grapes! Yes it really did feel like a super intense experience. Your photos turned out awesome and one day I believe you too will embrace the joys of olives :)
— Helen (grabyourfork) Mar 11, 08:36 AM #yum yum. although holding that knife next to tetsuya is a little worrying.
— Simon Food Favourites Mar 11, 09:05 AM #Great post dude! Had so many lol moments whilst reading it. Especially love the knife shot with Tetsuya :)
The food looks so fantastic. So envious!
— Simon @ the heart of food Mar 11, 10:14 AM #Ah, Suze you’re priceless! I would have eaten your octopus raviolo!
— Reemski Mar 11, 11:38 AM #Such a great night. Can we do it again?
Def a great night! Lovely to see you again Suze and enjoy this dinner and masterclass with you!
— Peter G @ Souvlaki For The Soul Mar 11, 11:39 AM #hahaha this post made me laugh I think you should write more posts at 4am! I do that olive thing as well but I still don’t like olives. or licorice.
— Jacq Mar 11, 04:57 PM #This is the awesomest of awesome prizes.
— Fiona Mar 11, 05:39 PM #I have heard this Masterclass in other place.Now,i can think that the days in that Masterclass is very exciting for every people.
— web design Mar 11, 07:16 PM #“I like his knives”. LOL
— joey@FoodiePop Mar 11, 09:17 PM #Looks like an amazing experience Suze. I like the look of… well all of it. I am definitely entering this competition. I’m going to make every one of the 25 words count.
— Mark @ Cafe Campana Mar 11, 09:52 PM #Oh Tets. Good Ol Tets. I wish I was there with you all. I would love love to win the MasterClass. Now I’ll go and enter.
— Katherine Mar 11, 09:54 PM #I like Tetsuya’s knives too! The mac knives are amazing – and they are named after him too! Fantastic experience Suze! Thanks for sharing.
— Trissa Mar 11, 11:16 PM #Oohh mmann reading about all this awesome food over and over is all too much XD Shall have to visit Tets this year rarrrrrr
— FFichiban Mar 12, 01:43 AM #Great to relive the night through your post.Love the photo of you and Tetsuya.
— barbara Mar 12, 09:53 AM #I like his knives too! What an experience :)
— Ellie (Almost Bourdain) Mar 12, 08:26 PM #Love the photo of you with Tets. And his knives too :)
— foodwink Mar 12, 09:39 PM #This is so awesome, I’m going on Thursday!!
— Shirley Mar 13, 01:39 PM #i love pumpkin soup!
— Nomnomnibblies Mar 14, 11:22 PM #Congratulations. Sounds like all had a great time.
Was the chicken breast done sous-vide?
The green tea marshmallow is a favourite, I’m not big on sweet things and like the palate cleansing tang.
— Thermomixer Mar 15, 04:54 PM #I come to visit this blog for the sevond time because i want to see the delicious on the pictures.
— web design Mar 15, 07:53 PM #I love that he has combined my two great loves – cooking and art! what a genius combination. i have been dreaming of eating at tetsuyas since before i was born, i’m sure! x
— Veronica King Mar 24, 01:46 PM #omggg how do you manage to stay in tip-top shape after eating all that good food! Ive read this entry twice everything looks and sounds soo good!
— leona Mar 25, 10:20 AM #I’m probably the only one still hasnt been to tets :(
What a gorgeous kitchen! And how lucky you are! I’ve always wanted to dine at Tetsuya’s and his creations look simply amazing.
Here’s what I like most about Tetsuya’s new Masterkitchen:
The gorgeous, sleek, sophisticated and very zen appliances. It’s a blend of style and simplicity, to create something that’s state-of-the-art, futuristic and yet very elegant.
Would love this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Congratulations on your wedding as well! I loved the quirky and unique theme! And I loved your sneaker/wedding dress match!
— Caryn Apr 4, 12:02 AM #Hey Susan,
— La Toya Tabaiwalu Apr 6, 10:03 AM #I forgot to copy+paste what I wrote (Sorry!) but I basically said I liked the artwork best because it’s fresh and vibrant, it contrasts well with the design of the kitchen and adds a little bit of personality.
Oh! And how good is the truffle butter!! I can STILL taste it and it has been maybe.. two years since I went to Tetsuya’s. I remember feeling exactly the same way – I could have happily eaten just the bread and butter for dinner.
Cheers!
Hi Suze, here’s what I wrote on the electrolux website to enter the competition –
The very convenient tap that allows you to wash hands without dirtying anything while not getting in the way of things is my favourite feature.
And I must say, your wedding looked like fun! I always thought weddings were overrated until I saw yours. I want a chocolate themed wedding when I get married! mmm chocolate…
— Thiri Apr 14, 01:23 AM #Sleek, clutter-free, induction cooktop, sizeable kitchen sinks. Imagine no grubby hands to turn on equipment. So.. futuristic and perfect fit in an apartment unit.
— Ah-Cheng Gan Apr 15, 02:55 PM #