Tender Value Meats, Hornsby

It's the start of summer, and that means barbecue season.

Easiest thing to throw on the barbie? The humble sausage. It comes in edible packaging, already portioned and its generous fat content means guaranteed juiciness.

Of course there's a big difference between good and bad sausages. And at Hornsby Tender Value Meats, butcher Adam Stratton knows his snags.



It's a small and cosy butchery in Hornsby, its window display of meats lined with the obligatory borders of dark green plastic hedging. Stratton sells all kinds of beef, lamb and chicken but it's the sausages we're always after, like so many others. Though modest in size, this suburban business sells more than a tonne of sausages every week. Yes, that is a lot of sausages!





Consistent winners at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, the sausages here are well-renowned for both their flavour and variety of flavours. At last count they had 35 different varieties including butter chicken & yoghurt, Danish frikadellar, South African boerwors, crocodile, emu and camel.

Proudly gluten-free, Stratton also claims to put less fat into his sausages, a modest 12% compared to the usual 27%.



I've had the good fortune to eat my way through a lot of his sausages. The Old English Pork is a bite of ol' Blighty; the Beef and Mushroom is hearty with big chunks of mushroom. We're surprised but delighted by the lingering chilli hit in the Thai Chicken Basil and Coconut Cream sausages. These have as much flavour as the fiery Vietnamese sausages you sometimes find at Asian butchers.

The Sweet Chilli Chicken and Mango sausages are made for sweet tooths. They're a little on the sweet side for me, but I'm impressed by the distinct taste of mango that accompanies each bite. Beef Spinach and Pine Nut give you your meat, greens and a generous trail of pinenuts in the one parcel.


Adam Stratton with Gordon Ramsay
proudly displayed on the butcher shop window and inside as well

My favourite is the Chicken and Sweet Corn though, a preference shared by the majority of customers, this particular snag far outselling all other flavours. "Third best snag in Australia!" the placard trumpets, a reference to its success in a recent national sausage competition.

I love the little nuggets of super sweet corn kernels you find as you chomp your way through the sausage. Apparently these also contain iron bark honey, lending a complex but subtle sweetness.

I also heart the Moroccon Lamb and Raisin, a fantastic combination of sweet lamb studded with fat swollen juicy raisins.


L-R: Beef and mushroom, chicken and sweet corn,
Moroccan lamb and raisin ($14.99/kg to $16.99/kg)

The best thing about the shop though is the service. In this day and age of faceless service, it's a rare treat to be greeted by genuine warm smiles, sparkling eyes and friendly caring conversation.

Service and quality like the good ol' days. With tasty flavours of the future.




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Hornsby Tender Value Meats
12 Florence Street, Hornsby, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9987 4028

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 7.00am-5.30pm (Thursdays til 6.00pm)
Saturday 6.00am-1.30pm

Full list of sausages

Chez Pascal, Ramsgate

We're halfway through dinner when it happens again.

"IS EVERYBODY HAVING A GOOD TIME???"

Chef Philipe Lebreux is standing at the entrance to the dining room, eyes alight, chest puffed, smile from ear to ear. His voice booms across the tiny restaurant. Our table is the closest to the kitchen and hence closest to Lebreux, and not only do we jump out of our chairs with fright, but our ears are still ringing.

We're at Chez Pascal in Ramsgate, known not only for its traditional French cuisine, but perhaps more endearingly, its larger-than-life owner and chef.

Named after Lebreux's son, Chez Pascal has recently moved down the road from its former premises. It's still proudly old school though with a quaint bistro feel. Table menus in plastic sleeved folders are supplemented by a comprehensive selection of blackboard offerings, written in French. Waitstaff patiently recite the eight extra entrees and nine extra mains, a flurry of French accents followed by translations in English. Our French is minimal so it feels like a test as we try to remember each translation. Whilst our waiter recites the French dishes with aplomb, we're amused to hear him lapse into a broad twangy Aussie accent when he defaults to English.


Soupe a l'aignon gratinee $8.50
Traditional French onion soup

There are 14 entrees to choose from, including temption French classics Coquilles St Jacques a ma facon (scallops cooked in olive and leeks $18.50), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails cooked in garlic butter $16.50), asperges au buerre blanc (asparagus in a white butter sauce $19.50) and the fancy sounding foie gras with truffle ($26.00).

We make our selections then start with french damper ($4.00 per half-cob), a warm fluffy bread served with ramekins of plain butter, garlic butter and olive tapenade.

Veruca Salt has the French onion soup, a hearty salty beef and onion broth that is topped with a slice of toasted baguette and Gruyere cheese.


Pate de Foie Masion $14.50
Homemade chicken liver pate with spices, cornichons and toast

Speedy's homemade chicken liver pate is smooth and generously portioned, with toasted rounds of baguette, sweet pickled cornichons and a side of salad leaves.


Champignon aux crevettes $23.50
Salad of field mushroom with garlic prawns
(Blackboard special)

Bellboy wishes there were more garlic prawns in his entree but the field mushroom is giant and delicious.


Cervelle a l'ail $14.50
Brains lightly pan-fried in garlic butter

Meanwhile I've gone for the brains, not a dish I normally eat but one I'm constantly intrigued by. These brains are large and barely disguised. Dusted only with the lightest coating of flour, it's easy to dissect them and identify the white corpus collosum, the tightly compacted folds of the cerebrum and the bountiful pockets of protective fat. Yes, that's when I started to feel a little ill too.

But as a dedicated carnivore, I'm a strong believer in eating and appreciating all parts of the animals we slaughter. The brains are soft and buttery rich, requiring minimal chewing and almost melting on the tongue. The garlic butter helps cut some of the strong flavour. Perhaps the texture and flavour can somewhat awkwardly be described as a cross between bone marrow and steamed tofu.


Lemon sorbet palate cleanser

After our complimentary scoops of lemon sorbet palate cleanser, we continue on with mains. In addition to the six mains on the menu, nine more dishes were offered on the blackboard. I'm almost tempted by the Porc au Roquefort (pork with Roquefort blue cheese $22.50), the Filet de Porc au Cassis (pork fillet cooked in a blackcurrant liquer sauce $19.50) and the Lapin a la Moutarde (rabbit with mustard sauce $22.50).


Joue de boeuf $18.50
Beef cheek with mashed potato
(Blackboard special)

I choose the beef cheek instead - it's a rich dinner for me tonight! Slowly simmered for five hours, the beef falls apart at the mere caress of my fork. The tendons are soft and sticky, the tender braised meat resting on a bed of creamy mashed potato awash with rich (slightly too-salty) gravy.


Faux-filet de Boeuf a la Bourguignonne $21.50
Scotch fillet cooked in red wine, mushrooms, onion and bacon

Veruca's beef bourguignonne is a whole fillet cooked to order (she had medium rare) dressed wth bacon and mushroom in a puddle of red wine jus.


Filet mignon $26.00
(Blackboard special)

Speedy and Bellboy both have the filet mignon, the prized cut of meat from the tenderloin. The meat is cooked to medium rare as standard, the bacon wrapping around the fillet imparting a smoky saltiness to the meat.

We only just receive our mains when there's a booming HAPPY BIRTHDAY from Lebreux. This time he's holding a cake aloft, blazing with candles and heading toward a table in the corner. The entire restaurant is forced to sing along and we're even chided for not hooraying loud enough. "Say it like you mean it!" he scolds. HOORAY, we cheer in amplified response.



No visit to Chez Pascal is complete without ordering the Crepe Normande, a dish so close to Lebreux's heart it comes with strict warnings on the menu. "It will not be served with cream or ice cream! FORGET IT!" it reads. Rumour has it he won't serve the crepes to the table until all other desserts with cream or ice cream have been eaten, lest a spoonful of ice cream is eaten on the sly.

We watch Lebreux whisking our crepes furiously in the kitchen. There's a twenty minute wait and Lebreux refuses to start preparing them until all mains have been finished.


Crepe Normande $14.50
Caramelised apple pancake with Calvados apple brandy

The wait is more than worth it. The crepe Normande is a golden disc of pancake set with glistening rings of fresh apple. Happily doused with Calvados, there's a heady scent of brandy and caramelised toffee that wafts towards us. As luck would have it, I score the extra caramelised crepe whilst Veruca and Speedy shared a more evenly tanned version. It's the highlight of a memorable evening.



Chez Pascal
250 Rocky Point Road, Ramsgate, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9529 5444

Opening hours:
Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm

Bookings essential
(Friday and Saturday nights often book out 2-3 weeks in advance)

Unlicensed
BYO $1.50 per person
There's a Liquorland bottleshop next door if you arrive reasonably early

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Nippon Club, Sydney (CLOSED)

EDIT: Nippon Club has closed

I feel like I'm in Japan. All around me, the dining room is filled with Japanese businessmen, murmuring softly. Cheesey muzak is being piped through the speakers and behind me the sushi bar is a chaotic assault of souvenir trinkets, Hanshin Tigers baseball flags and towers of lacquered bowls and sushi platters.

Except I'm not in hustle-bustle Tokyo or foodaholic Osaka, but in the basement of Macquarie Street, Sydney in the International Nippon Australia and New Zealand Club.



I'd once spotted two Japanese businessmen emerging onto the street from the staircase down below. Curiously I did peer down the stairs, but presumed it was a club for Japanese ex-pats only. It's not. A registered club, it offers the usual bar and pokies but more importantly, it has an inhouse bistro.



We sign in as temporary members and are waved through the noren curtain to the dining room. The Cheeseman had already done a reconnaissance mission and now we're a hungry group of nine keen to sample the wares, a menu that proudly offers Japanese and Australia cuisine.




Sapporo beer (on tap)

Sapporo beer on tap is a rare thing in Sydney. We order a round, enjoying this crisp light-tasting beer that is clean on the palate.

The menu is long and comprehensive. We order a mix of entrees and mains that arrive in no apparent order around the table. The kitchen seems to be staffed by a sole Japanese chef and we're happy to chat so don't mind the staggered arrival.


Nasu dengaku $11.00
Deep-fried eggplant topped with sweet miso paste

Nasu dengaku is a thick slice of eggplant deep-fried to glorious perfection. I love the way Japanese cook their eggplant, the smoky crisp skin contrasting with the sweet mush of flesh, its surface seared to a salty caramelised sweetness from the basting of miso paste.


Tender pork $12.50
Oven-roasted tender pork with black pepper, soy and ginger sauce

Tender pork is true to its word. It literally falls apart with the prod of a chopstick. It's generous with fat too, thick strips of it languishing alongside the melt-in-the-mouth pork.


Beef tataki $14.00
Seared tenderloin beef slices with Japanese yuzu pepper sauce

Next time I'm going, I'm ordering this. The beef tataki is deliriously good. Thin strips of barely seared beef tenderloin have such magnificent marbling they barely require chewing. The yuzu pepper sauce is fresh and zingy too.


Eel tempura $10.50
Lightly fried eel fillet with sansho pepper and salt

I've ordered the eel tempura, a rich combination that really does work. The crisp shell of batter hides the luscious decadence of fatty eel within. It's the usual unagi, eel fillets cooked in a sweet soy sauce til it turns a dark toffee colour.


Natto $6.00
Fermented soy beans

There's an order of the infamous natto, the fermented soy beans that Japanese hold so close to their heart. Much like Vegemite, it's a love-it-or-hate-it kinda thing. I've tried hard to love it, but I still can't get past the mealy texture, musty smell and those crazy strands of goo that appear when you mix it with chopsticks.


Salmon and avocado small sushi roll $6.00

Sushi rolls are fresh and made to order.


Tuna and avocado small sushi roll $6.00


Mentaiko spaghetti $16.00
Chef's style mentaiko (cod fish roe)
and cream sauce spaghetti, soy flavoured

For mains I have the mentaiko spaghetti, allured by the promise of cod fish roe. The roe is mixed through a light cream sauce. It's not as rich as I'd expected, more like a pasta with an evaporated milk-style sauce that's occasionally fishy.


Rice set $4.00
Rice, miso soup, pickles and side dish

I also have the rice set, figuring that an outlay of four dollars is more than worthwhile for a sample of tofu and their inhouse pickles.


Tuna salad $8.50
Cooked tuna meat and fresh vegetable

The rest of our mains receive thumbs up for the most part. The food is fairly reasonably priced but it's the atmosphere I love best. It's a cheap trip to "Japan" - even the dated wedding reception-style chairs only add to the ambience!


Curry omelet rice $15.00
Chicken flavoured rice wrapped with fried egg and Chef's special sauce


Pork katsu curry and rice $15.50


Unadon $22.00 whole fillet/ $12 half fillet
Grilled eel fillet on rice bowl with special sauce


Teriyaki chicken (250g) $19.50
Grilled chicken with special teriyaki sauce


Basil lamb $24.50
Grilled rack lamb with black citrus sauce, basil flavoured




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International Nippon Australia and New Zealand Club CLOSED
229-231 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9232 2688

Opening hours
Lunch Monday to Friday 12.00pm-2.30pm
Dinner Monday to Friday 6.00pm-9.00pm
Club open Monday to Friday 11.00am-11.00pm

Normal club rules apply. Temporary guests must live more than 5km away or be signed in by a member. Otherwise annual membership costs $10.

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32cm soft serve ice cream cones at Smile Korea Mart, Sydney

Smile Korea Mart has now closed

Now that's what I call an ice cream.

As anyone who's ever read Chocolatesuze knows, Suze never eats anything by halves. Which is why, even as we're sitting down to a chocolate degustation plate at Guylian Cafe, only hours before we're due to down cocktails and canapes at the Vibe Entertains cookbook launch, she's pulling out a printed blog post from her handbag saying "We have to eat this! Look at it! It's huuuuge!"

It is huge. It's a 32-centimetre high softserve ice cream cone first posted by G and then K on their blog Two-KG. Thirty-two centimetres?! It's a mission we must accept!



The Korean convenience store is en-route to the launch. Very convenient, in fact! We giggle like schoolgirls as we enter, staring at the handmade sign and then marvelling at the photos of prior customers. 32cm equals a little over one foot. It's a colossal softserve benchmark that's evidently popular throughout Korea as these photos show.

In the end, I pike out (did I mention I'd already had ice cream after lunch and before Guylian?) and Chocolatesuze makes her order. Chocolate, of course.



There's a lot of concentration needed when making a soft serve of skyscraper proportions. But the result... instant happiness.







... until you're faced with the prospect of how to eat it!

The soft serve lady and the man at the convenience store counter are extremely amused with our impromptu soft serve photo shoot. The giant soft serve has only been available for three weeks, we're told.

On the street, I notice almost every passerby notices the extreme soft serve and cannot suppress a raised eyebrow and half-smile. Suze, meanwhile, is all too aware of the difficulties involved with navigating an extra large soft serve with appropriate ladylike decorum. It's also melting. Fast.


Chocolatesuze vs chocolate softserve

Full stomach? Messy fingers? Public scrutiny?

Suze elects to say goodbye.





The 32cm high soft serve costs $2.70 and is available in chocolate, strawberry or vanilla depending on the day. Two flavours can also be intertwined.


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Smile Korea Mart (Closed)
630 George Street, Sydney
(next to Hungry Jack's on the corner of George and Liverpool Streets)

Open 24 hours

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Ice cream - Passionflower, Sydney