Pasteur, Bankstown

It's a hot Sydney Sunday in Bankstown. Pho An is just around the corner, but as fast, furious and flavoursome as its pho is, sometimes a steaming bowl of noodle soup is the last thing on your mind when mopping the sweat from your brow.

Enter the Vietnamese cold noodle salad - a cavernous bowl of cool vermicelli noodles topped with lemongrass-marinated pork or beef, pickled carrot and radish, crunchy lettuce, cucumber, shredded mint, crushed peanuts and doused with a sweet chilli vinegary sauce known as nuoc cham.

We had lunch at Pasteur in Bankstown, a relatively successful franchise of restaurants with outlets in Parramatta and on George Street in Haymarket/Chinatown. Inside it's the usual grab-your-own-chopsticks from the jar on the table, and help yourself to the sauces, condiments and tissues.

I had the vermicelli salad with grilled pork and spring rolls. The pork was tasty and sweet as it should be, but the standout was the spring rolls which were fresh from the fryer, wonderfully golden and reassuringly crispy. The crunch as I bit into each mouthful was earth-shattering!

I've often had this dish with spring rolls around Sydney, and the filling is normally cabbage, salt and not much else. So I was shocked and gratified to discover not only pork mince inside, but vermicelli, mushroom and shallots. Just as there should be!

Light, refreshing and tasty. A huge serving for a mere $8!

Tip: Use the scissors which arrive at your table to cut your spring roll into manageable bite-sized slices.


Bun Thit Heo Nuong $8.00
Grilled pork and spring roll with vermicelli





Pasteur
295 Chapel Rd, Bankstown
Tel: 02 9790 2900

La Cucina @ The Aurora Hotel, Surry Hills

The Aurora Hotel is one of those stalwart local pubs where blokes while away the afternoon watching the cricket whilst knocking back a beer or two (or three or four).

So we didn't expect dazzling gourmet cuisine although the self-described "Italian Trattoria" known as La Cucina inside the hotel was read with wryness (they also have a restaurant in the Madison Hotel on Devonshire Street).

I wouldn't come here specifically for the food but then, I don't think the drinkers in here did either.

For punters only.


Grilled fish of the day (dory fillets) with salad $14.00


Seafood risotto $13.50

La Cucina Surry Hills
Aurora Hotel
324 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills
Tel: 02 9212 2400

Dinner with Stephanie Alexander

We attended the Gleebooks Dinner with Stephanie Alexander at the Hickson Road Bistro.

Launching her revised The Cooks Companion, we heard Stephanie speak about the latest revisions, and enjoyed a 5-course dinner using recipes from TCC.

Stephanie spoke about the initial pessimism surrounding the launch of the original Cooks Companion, which belied the critics and has now sold over 300,000 copies in Australia, the highest of any recipe book.

A librarian in a former life, Stephanie has now revised the index section to include all recipes and cross-referenced most ingredients. In complete contrast to the original 'homemaker'-style cover, the new edition is modern, colourful and even the page edges are coated with funky silver glitter.

Stephanie has added a Measurements chapter for uncertain chefs new to the kitchen who she believes 'need as much help and support as they can get'. The 'fear of failure' syndrome was also the reason why she has deliberately not included any photos of the recipes. Instead there are glossy prints of livestock, fruits, farmers and various typically Aussie iconic imagery.

The revised edition boasts twelve more chapters, 328 more recipes and 543 more marginal recipes (the tidbit recipe ideas on the side panel of each page). The resultant 300 extra pages has pushed the book up to 1100 pages, and increased its weight from its original hefty 2kg to a sumo-sized 2.7kg!


Sorrel soup in demi tasse - page 890
A thin soup with tart undertones and garlicky croutons. This was nice but didn't really excite me--maybe because I don't know much about sorrel.


Asparagus custard with spring vegetable garnish in a light butter sauce - page 105
The custard was light and creamy but personally I prefer my asparagus crunchy. This reminded me too much of nursing home food but maybe I just don't appreciate pulverised food whilst I still have all my teeth intact! The greens (peas, finely sliced French beans and aparagus tips) were nice and the butter sauce was very rich.


Roast rack of milk-fed veal with silverbeet gratin and fennel braised with balsamic and honey - pages 1026, 920 and 440 respectively
Divine. The veal was rare, plump, juicy and oh-so-moreish. A huge serving of meat which seemed to go on forever--one had to resist the urge to pick up the bone and gnaw on it! The silverbeet gratin was an interesting twist and a good way to dress up spinach for dinner parties. The fennel was also nice although a little chewy.


Strawberry and almond tartlets on brik pastry with zabaglione folded with mascarpone - page 177
Delectable. Three delicate layers of crisp sweet pastry layered with fresh strawberries and piped mascapone cream. The crispy sugar pastry contrasted well with the fresh strawberries and comforting cream. Hints of almond could be tasted with each mouthful. Very sweet but oh-so-good.


Mrs Atkins' marvellous fruit slice - page 390
These fruity squares had a chewy caramelly crust and one could image they would have been perfect with a cup of tea at Mrs Atkins'. Definitely a recipe to try.


Stephanie Alexander signing a copy of our book


The Cooks Companion
RRP $125
Available for $89 at various bookstores
Have heard it is available at Big W for $79

Chocolate counter at David Jones Food Hall

We followed-up our yum cha banquet with a visit to the Art and About Sydney Life Exhibition on the central walkway of Hyde Park north. My favourite photo follows--wedding + food + imminent disaster. What more could you want?


MICHAEL AMENDOLIA Rites of Passage - Cutting the Cake
Felicity Anderson in Vietnamese traditional dress and Dat Lieu cut their croquembouche wedding cake. Dat playfully attacks the cake with Felicity's grandfather's WWI sword.

We then checked out the Shoot the Chef! exhibition at the Art Galley. It's amazing how many pictures featured Tetsuya! Some were particularly creative, atmospheric or intriguing, and we had to concur that the winning picture featuring (who else) but Tetsuya, was a worthy winner.

With flagging blood sugar levels, where else does one turn to but the chocolate counter in the David Jones Food Hall?



We couldn't resist a slice of this Italian baked ricotta cheesecake in addition to a luxurious handful of handmade chocolates.




Godiva milk chocolate hazelnut praline (heaven!) and a Belle Fleur lime and Cointreau white chocolate


Colefax strawberry champagne in pink strawberry chocolate, Belle Fleur Melba Peach cream with raspberry in milk chocolate and a Belle Fleur lime and Cointreau white chocolate


Belle Fleur lime and Cointreau white chocolate, $80/kg


Colefax strawberry champagne in pink strawberry chocolate, $80/kg


Belle Fleur Melba Peach cream with raspberry in milk chocolate, $80/kg


Godiva milk chocolate hazelnut praline, $190/kg



David Jones Food Hall
65-77 Market Street, Sydney
Tel: 02 9266 5544

East Ocean, Chinatown

We've visited East Ocean a number of times over the years and always found the food consistent and of high-quality. With a recent refurbishment, East Ocean is probably one of the only Chinese restaurants in Chinatown with booth seating, respectable toilets and a colour scheme devoid of red and gold.

For those familiar with yum cha, or dim sum as its known in the UK and US, yum cha simply means to drink tea, or have tea. Trolleys laden with bamboo steamers offer bited-sized delights fresh from the kitchen--all you have to do is point at what you want and it will be placed on your table and your docket stamped according to its price. Popular with families and groups of friends, one can easily spend several hours eating, drinking and chatting. To pass as a yum cha expert, always tap the table when someone pours you tea. To find out how this custom came about, click here.

We found a wide variety of yum dishes available with plenty of trolley action circulating regularly. Some of the dishes we found a little oversweet and the chicken feet and pork ribs could have done with more chilli and salt, but overall this is good value, good quality yum cha.

Yum cha on a Sunday in Sydney is always best attempted before 11.00am with the crowds peaking at about 12pm. And always grab as many har gao prawn dumplings as you can!


Fung jao, meaning phoenix claws or chicken feet to you and me.


Beef balls.


Pai gwut or pork ribs steamed with black bean and chilli.


Chicken buns.


Lor mai gai or sticky rice.


Har gao or prawn dumplings -- everyone's must-have and the benchmark I tend to use to determine a restaurant's quality of yum cha!


Gow choi gao - garlic chive dumplings.


Har cheung fun or long fresh rice noodles with prawn.


Chilli calamari.


The glassed prep area where you can watch dumplings being made and roast ducks being chopped in a frenzy of cleaver swipes.


I have yet to see a male pushing a yumcha trolley.


Our gluttonous dessert smorgasboard.


Sago pudding -- a sweet caramelised coconut-y baked bowl of starchy goodness.


Coconut jelly -- light fluffy clouds of coconut.


Mango pudding with evaporated milk topping.


Dow fu fah or soy bean jelly. A delicate subtle and fragile dessert of fresh tofu in a sweet gingery syrup.


Daan tart or egg custard tart -- rich, eggy custard in a flaky pastry made with yes, life-giving lard. We're sure this was the original pasteis de nata or Portugese custard tart.


The damage for 7 ravenous people = $133 or about $19 each.





East Ocean
Entry either from
421-429 Sussex St or
86-88 Dixon St, Haymarket, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9212 4198

Related GrabYourFork posts:
East Ocean dinner, Feburary 2005
East Ocean dinner, April 2006
East Ocean yum cha, August 2005

Good Food Month Twilight Trail

We created our own Twilight Trail in order to take advantage of some of the fabulous $15 Cocktail of the Month and Sugar Hits as part of the SMH Good Food Month.

7.00pm - HEMMESPHERE
The Trail commenced at Hemmesphere where the plush comfy lounges, soft lighting and attentive service definitely kicked off our evening to a great start.

Cocktail: Salsa Verde
White Eagle lemon vodka, limoncello, fresh coriander, ginger, pineapple and apple juice.

Canape: Tuna ceviche
Tuna slices marinated with a lemon and lime dressing finished with baby coriander, jalapeno chilli and yellow tear drop tomatoes.




8.30pm - BRIDGE BAR
Next stop, the Bridge Bar. Unfortunately our experience of the rather delicous canape platter was marred by brazen inattentiveness (err.. they gave us four cocktails but only two platters... the other two never appeared) and further damaged by an aggressive barman. Which was a pity as the Bridge Bar offers spectacular views, particularly from its Cadmus restaurant, and we probably would have considered coming back.

Cocktail: Vanilla and date caprioska
Muddled lime and sugar, vanilla vodka and date syrup, shaken and served over ice in an old fashioned glass.

Canape: Assorted platter
Sweet corn cappuccino; watermelon and mint palate cleanser; lamb pattie with hummus; and fresh fig.



10.00pm - SIR STAMFORD
Every night in October from 9-11pm, participating five-star hotels have been offering a dessert plate and a glass of dessert wine for $15. We chose to visit the Sir Stamford and were not disappointed. The downstairs bar resonated with old world opulence and our eyes boggled at the enormous dessert platter which was presented before us. We licked it clean.

Dessert platter: Five-spiced pannacotta, lemongrass and raspberry brulee and chocolate fondant.

Dessert wine: Hardys Padthaway Noble Riesling




11.00pm - OPERA BAR

We concluded our evening at Opera Bar, although even the spectacular view of the harbour by night could not save the overpowering chilli in our cocktail or the cold, refrigerated flavourless rice paper rolls. Nevertheless a good night and one which must be repeated in 2005!

Cocktail: Chilli Martini
Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka, Lychee Liqueur, Massenez lime and ginger liqueur muddled and double strained with fresh lychees, chillies and Thai herbs and spices.

Canape: Duck, green mango and ginger fresh rice paper rolls.






Hemmesphere
Level 4, 252 George St, Sydney
Tel: 02 9240 3040

Bridge Bar
Level 10, 2 East Circular Quay, Sydney
Tel: 02 9252 6800

Sir Stamford at Circular Quay
93 Macquarie St, Sydney
Tel: 02 9252 4600

Opera Bar
Lower concourse level, Sydney Opera House
2 Bennelong Point, Sydney
Tel: 02 9247 1666

Related GrabYourFork posts:
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #2 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2007: Sugar Hit #1 at the InterContinental Sydney

GFM 2006: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2006: Hats Off dinner at Becasse
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 3
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 2
GFM 2006: Night Noodle Markets Week 1
GFM 2006: Spring Picnic
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #4 at the Sofitel Wentworth
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #3 at the Intercontinental Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #2 at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
GFM 2006: Sugar Hit #1 at the Park Hyatt Sydney
GFM 2006: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2005: Good Living Growers' Markets
GFM 2005: Night Noodle Markets
GFM 2005: Spring Picnic
GFM 2005: Sydney Farmers' Market
GFM 2005: Sydney Food & Wine Fair

GFM 2004: Twilight Trail: Cocktails and Sugar Hits