Pier 26, Darling Harbour

Love is dangerous. The more attached you become to something, the greater the risk that one day it will let you down. It may be a petty mistake. A slight transgression. But it causes you to rethink your relationship. Question everything you held true. You ponder. You stress. You fret. You over-analyse.

But then you step back and think over the good times. Put things in perspective. Lighten up a little.

Ahhh Pier 26. We still love you.


BBQ Prawn Skewers $19.50
with mango and green chilli coconut salad and flat bread

There was no major disaster, but as I publish my fifth post on Pier 26, I feel compelled to be more critical of every aspect of our meal. We had made two trips to Pier 26 within 8 days recently (I know, it was a crazy record) when suddenly I noticed that the meals weren’t very big, that the lamb, spinach and mushroom moussaka was disconcertingly greasy, and that the serving of prawn and mango skewers would have barely sustained Kate Moss in her Calvin Klein waif period.

But then we rationalised that the moussaka was a blackboard special, that the prawn skewers were of tasty quality if modest quantity, and that compared to its Cockle Bay neighbours and Harbourside competitors, Pier 26 is still fairly good value for money.


Pan-fried barramundi $22.00
with saffron and parsley risotto, rocket and
semi-dried tomato salad (blackboard special)


Lamb, spinach and mushroom moussaka $16.50
with salad and fries (blackboard special)

The blackboard specials can be a bit hit-and-miss (the barramundi was a hit; its eater just wished there had been more of it) but there are consistent performers in the Pier 26 regular menu: the ocean trout and fish and chips are amongst them.


Ocean trout $20.50
with grilled zucchini, figs, semi-dried romas,
cider and goats cheese dressing

The ocean trout is always cooked to perfection, its seared golden skin as thin and crisp as a delicate wafer. It sits on ribbons of charred zucchini, alongside a grilled halved fig and a sexy pout of goats cheese dressing.


Beer battered flat head $17.00
with chips, tartare sauce and lemon

Fish and chips are similarly swoonworthy. The beer batter is light, airy and almost cloud-like in appearance. The fried is fried to a pale golden brown, in fresh oil which leaves no sticky residue. Chips are crunchy batons, the tartare sauce has the right among of zing.

And sitting on the deck which is perpetually drenched in sunshine, chilled music in the background, and a water view straight ahead, you almost forget you have to get back to work in half an hour, a fleeting moment of bliss that is ultimately priceless.

Pier 26 Bar
Aquarium Wharf, Darling Harbour
Tel: +61 (02) 8270 5126

Open 12pm till late, 7 days

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Pier 26, March 2006
Pier 26, June 2005
Pier 26, April 2005
Pier 26, August 2004

Avocado Shake: the green iced mother

It's Sugar High Friday, the theme is ice and thanks to Sarah, I've had a certain song spinning around in my head for the past fortnight.

Inspired by my first ever venture into the land of sweet avocado, I got out the blender to recreate the rich creamy green concoction known as the Avocado Shake at home.

Avocado with condensed milk sounds bizarre to the uninitiated, but if you like avocado, trust me. It's good. Avocado can be sweet. Have you ever tried it spread on toast with a trickle of honey? It's fantastic.

An avocado shake should be thick like a frappe. Sure your brain may be overloading, but hey, it's a fruit. Why should strawberries and bananas get to have all the frappe fun?



Avocado Shake
Vary ratios to taste and preference

One medium avocado
8 large ice cubes
3 tablespoons condensed milk
1/3 cup milk

Place all ingredients into a blender and whizz until the ice cubes are crushed and the drink is thick and frothy. Pour into a tall glass with a straw, or savour and share it in a series of shots. It's rich stuff. Share the fortune.

Technoratic tags: Food and Drink + Sugar High Friday + SHF

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Avocado shake at Hung Vuong, Cabramatta

Superbowl on Goulburn, Haymarket, Chinatown

EDIT: Superbowl has now been replaced by Super Meal.

Sometimes there are days when you've had enough of rich heavy oily foods and you just want fat-free plain plain plain. That's when congee comes to the rescue.

Non-Asian colleagues don't seem to understand the allure of rice porridge. "Watery rice?", they ask with a nervous tremor. An eyebrow is raised and the question mark hanging in the air says it all. It's a bit like Vegemite though. Once you get the taste, you have it for life. And Vegemite in congee (try it!) is a flavour sensation that combines two favourites in one.


Preserved egg and lean pork congee

We headed to Superbowl Goulburn one day, sister restaurant to Superbowl on Dixon which I blogged about only a week ago. It was funny that there was a recommendation to have the preserved egg and lean pork congee, as that was exactly what I'd ordered before I'd even published that post.

This was in part because I'd been lured by the value-driven offer of the $8.80 set lunch menu, a carb-oholic's dream of cheap rice-based noshing.

In addition to my congee dish, I also received steamed rice noodles with shallots. Who needs to skimp on carbs?


Steamed rice noodle with shallot (scallion)

My lunch companion for the day had the har gow prawn dumplings which were poor imposters for the gems these should be. Oversteamed with excess water, these were swollen, gluggy, sticky beasts that made me weep with grief.


Har gow prawn dumplings

Much better was the hot and sour soup which was filled with mushroom, prawns and fluffy tendrils of beaten egg.


Hot and sour soup

Meanwhile I was busy alternating between mouthfuls of rice noodle (a little soggy but much helped by the sweet salty peanut sauce) and spoonfuls of heartwarming homestyle rice porridge congee.

Within the depths of my congee lake, ribboned with delicate trails of soy, lays treasure: preserved egg, also known as century egg or thousand-year-old egg. This Chinese delicacy traditionally arrives from eggs which are placed in a mixture of clay, ash, lime, straw and salt, and, contrary to their name, this process usually only takes a couple of weeks or months.

A good quality century egg has a white which is a transparent deep caramel colour, the yolk should be grey-green with an intense creamy flavour. The century egg in my congee was so-so, but it was tasty nevertheless.


Century egg

$8.80 Set Lunch from 11am - 5pm

Choose from:

1. Sampan congee with steamed rice noodle with shallot or mixed vegetables
2. Preserved egg and lean pork congee with steamed rice noodle with shallot or mixed vegetables
3. Chicken fillet with Chinese mushroom congee
4. Shredded lettuce and homemade fishball congee
5. Fried handmade noodles Shanghainese-style in XO chilli sauce with steamed vegetables and oyster sauce
6. Fried handmade noodles with shredded pork and pickled cabbage with steamed vegetables and oyster sauce
7. Duo meat ball with rice noodle in soup
8. Wonton with egg noodles in soup

Superbowl on Goulburn Chinese Restaurant
EDIT: Superbowl has now been replaced by Super Meal.
39 Goulburn Street, Haymarket, Chinatown , Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 1568

Open 7 days 11am-2am
Licensed, BYO Bottled Wine Only, Corkage $2 Person

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Superbowl Dixon Street, July 2006
Superbowl Dixon Street, November 2004
Superbowl Dixon Street, October 2004

Hung Vuong, Cabramatta

I had a friend in high school who used to mortify me with her favourite indulgence. Avocado shakes. Yes. That's one sentence.

Avocado.
And sugar.
Condensed milk.
Cow's milk.
And lots of ice.

I was horrified.

But I'm older now. More mature. And I'm a foodblogger. It could only mean one thing…



We headed out to Cabramatta for some snacking action at sentimental dessert house favourite Hung Vuong.



There's an entire catalogue of fruit drinks for the thirsty sweet tooth. Iced brewed teas and iced milk teas are only $3 with flavours ranging from lychee, kumquat lemon and paw paw, to taro, red bean and kiwifruit.

If you like your drinks a bit thicker, fruit shakes, smoothies and frappes are $3.50 and include the usual flavours plus exotic jack fruit, custard apple, durian, carrot, green tea and pennywort.



And then there are the layered tropical icy drinks, a pick-n-mix of Asian sweet stuffs topped with shaved ice, a ladle of evaporated milk (sometimes coconut milk) and a squirt of bright red strawberry syrup. In Malaysia it is known as ice kacang, the Filipinos call it halo halo, the Vietnamese know it as che [number] mau, the number indicating how many varieties of sweets are contained within.


Che 7 Mau $3.00
7 choices drink


Sinh To Bo $3.50
Avocado shake

I only had eyes for the avocado shake, and surprisingly, it was quite good. The avocado flavour is intense, like a thick liquid avocado ice cream. It's incredibly rich though, and about halfway I start to feel a little queasy. It's tasty though, and I plough on, sucking desperately towards the bottom searching for more.


Pandan waffle with sticky rice $2.50

There's a huge selection of boxed meals and desserts out the front, so we snack on sticky coconut rice as well as pandan waffle stuffed with rice as well. Glutinous rice is steamed with coconut milk and coconut shreds then tinted with food colouring in intense shades of orange and green.


Sticky rice $2.50

There's an order for a pork chop with fried rice


Com Duong Chau Suon $8.50
Combination fried rice with pork chop

and a plate of cha gio for Snacking: Round Two.


Cha gio spring rolls $6.00

The spring rolls take an eon to emerge from the kitchen (about twenty long painful minutes when the pork chop only took ten) but they are golden in colour and fresh from the fryer.

They arrived accompanied by traditional Vietnamese partners of lettuce, mint, grated carrot and nuoc cham.


Lettuce and mint


Nuoc cham dipping sauce
Fish sauce, water, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and chilli

Take spring roll, wrap in lettuce and mint, dip in nuoc cham and eat.

Delicious!




View Larger Map

Hung Vuong
65 John Street, Cabramatta, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9723 7270

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Cabramatta Food Tour in photos
Cabramatta Moon Festival 2006
Cabramatta Chinese New Year Festival 2007

Cabramatta - Duc Thanh
Cabramatta - Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
Cabramatta - Phu Quoc
Cabramatta - Thanh Binh
Recipe - Avocado shake

Top 10 Sydney Eats for Tourists and Other Rewarding Food Adventures

Food News

No Soup For You
Soup Plus has closed its doors. For thirty years, Soup Plus was the place to go to for live music and a cheap feed. An anonymous commenter tipped me off to its closure, a passing which does not seem to have received much coverage otherwise. Sad news indeed for a Sydney icon that will be sorely missed.

24-Hour Blogathon to Feed the Hungry
Melbourne foodblogger Lisa, from Lady Lunchalot, is calling on blog readers to support her in her efforts to raise $1,000 for World Vision in Blogathon 2006. From 11pm this Saturday, Lisa will be cooking a marathon of treats for 24 hours, blogging every 30 minutes until 11pm Sunday with updates on her efforts. Her pledges currently stand at $624.40 and you can help her reach her goal by sponsoring her here.

Food Porn Paparazzi
There was a fascinating article published in the Chicago Tribune last week about the increase in restaurant diners who take photos of their food. Hey... they sounds kinda familiar! An interview with Grant Achatz, chef from Alinea provides heartening news for every camera-happy food blogger:

"It's nice people are so excited that they feel the need to take photos of their meals," Achatz said, adding that on any given night, multiple tables are photographing--and even occasionally videotaping--what he sends out to them. "That's a great level of passion and excitement. Those are the people you want at your restaurant."

A full transcript of the article can be read here. It is highly recommended reading. I certainly smiled with gleeful recognition several times! The article has some handy tips on food photography and concludes with a selection of noted food blogs.

Food Blogging Stratosphere
Finally, if there's one foodblogger who I am insanely jealous of, it's Adam from The Amateur Gourmet. Not only does he have a fabulous book publishing deal, but he recently met Pim and lunched with Ruth Reichl as well. Can you say green with envy?

DMBLGiT: Meet the Judges

Entries for the July edition of Does My Blog Look Good in This have now closed.

A record number of 66 entries were received, all of which will now be assessed by a panel of personally hand-picked judges. These are all fantastically talented foodbloggers whom I have long admired. They take awe-inspiring photos, write well-crafted posts and, most importantly, have a love of all things food.

Now meet the judges...

Matt is a Director of Advertising and Creative Services and the genius behind Matt Bites. His photos are clean, balanced and annoyingly brilliant; his posts are honest, thought-provoking and pretty darn funny too. And if you think being a professional food photographer is all fun and glamour, you can read all about A Day In (His) Life here…

J, of Kuidaore, is one of the hardest working foodbloggers I know. Every post she does is meticulously researched and well-written with tantalisingly evocative descriptions. And then there are her photographs. Not only is she insanely talented in the kitchen (including mastering the art of the macaron), but she consistently captures beautifully styled photos of her exquisite creations that truly take your breath away...

Julia writes Aroma Cookery, one of the first food blogs I visited when I started my own two years ago. Julia eats out a lot, she photographs everything, and she loves a bargain--we have so much in common! It takes self-control to photograph everything before you eat it, but I'm so glad she does...

Melissa from The Traveler's Lunchbox has that enviable ability to tell a story that leaves you hanging on her every word. Interweaving food history with personal musings and entertaining anecdotes, Melissa peppers her writings with beautifully captured photographs, ones so vivid and sharp that you would think you were reading a glossy lifestyle magazine...

~~~
So as judging takes place, I encourage you to take a look at their blogs as well as those of all this month's participants'. The final gallery of entries can be viewed here.

The waiting game is always nerve-racking, so I am hoping that winners should be announced by August 1, 2006. Please check back here for the final winners in the categories of eatability, aesthetics and originality plus a few extra awards to be announced on the day.

Thank you everyone for entering. The final pool is diverse and impressive and we have a hard task ahead!

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Does My Blog Look Good In This: Call for Entries
Does My Blog Look Good In This: Final Gallery
Does My Blog Look Good In This: And the Winners are...

Italian Forum Market

Portobello mushrooms

We visited the Italian Forum Markets last Sunday, its much anticipated return appearance after a prolonged hiatus.



The Italian Forum is an ambitious attempt to create an Italian piazza atmosphere within inner-city Leichhardt, Sydney's own celebrated Little Italy. There's a huge square, a fountain, restaurants and cafes in the courtyard, and balconied apartments in lemon-yellow overhead.

The markets were a mix of foods, flowers, arts and crafts. There wasn't as much food as say, the Good Living Growers Markets, but it was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning, following the snaking alleys with apartments looming above, easily imagining crowded washing lines overhead and an Italian grandmother sweeping the courtyard.


Infinity Sourdough
(based in Darlinghurst--I do have a soft spot for their
buttery crumbly hazelnut-packed shortbread!)


Infinity Sourdough breads


Homemade jams and pickles


Organic free-range eggs


Smoked trout pate from Cowra Smokehouse


Wood ear mushrooms


Nameko mushrooms

Nameko apparently means "slimy cap" in Japanese, and with their distinctive wet texture and a taste reminiscent of cashews, these are the second-most popular cultivated mushroom in Japan (after shiitake).


Chestnut mushrooms


Enoki mushrooms

Italian Forum Market
10am-2pm every Sunday
Forum Galleria, Fashion and Lifestyle shopping level
(above the restaurants and piazza)
23 Norton Street, Leichhardt, Sydney

Lowenbrau Keller at The Rocks, Sydney

You are either a lover of crackling, or you are... a complete party pooper. For what is there not to love about the earthquake tremor of that first bite, the slight adhesion it creates as dry crisp meets your moist lips, the footsteps on gravel crunch as you disintegrate each mouthful, and the trail of crumbs that inevitably scatter down the front of your shirt.

So when I heard that the pork knuckles at Lowenbrau Keller came roasted and encased in golden pork crackling, I was there faster than a tourist could say "say, could you tell me in which direction is the Sydney Opera House?"



Lowenbrau is, of course, down at The Rocks, an area more commonly frequented by American tourists and busloads of Chinese businessmen. I'd been past the Lowenbrau plenty of times, but the idea of lederhosen, busty wenches and Oktoberfest-merriness always seemed to have the words Tourist Trap plastered all over it.



The place is deceptively roomy. From the outside one cannot begin the fathom the length and breadth of the bier hall within, a dark cavernous corridor filled with wooden tables and benches, decorated with alpine-themed flowers and unfortunate mounted dead deer, and lit above by huge glowing Lowenbrau-logoed light fittings.



Even though it was 7.30pm on a Thursday, the place was fully booked, we heard as we entered. I'd made a booking for nine, and we were tucked away in a corner, behind the main bier hall area with a brick wall separating us from the stage (something I was immensely grateful for once the singing started).



There were plenty of Bavarian-themed options on the menu: schnitzel, spatzle, sausages, goulash, Bavarian pretzels and more pork than you could ever fit on your fork with pork loin, pork belly, pork schnitzel, pork knuckle.

And there were some distinctly non-Bavarian offerings for those who can't do German --you know, the finicky eaters on any tour group--with pedestrian offerings of chilli calamari with passionfruit sauce, scotch fillet steak and "Lowenbrau's Famous Fish and Chips" (really?)

The heavy meatiness of its menu hasn't been lost on its owners, with the "light" options helpfully highlighted for easy bloat-free reference.



Beers are rather pricy, starting at $6.00 for 300ml but I rather enjoyed my Franziskaner dark wheat beer which had a pleasant robustness imbued with caramel. I wasn’t much taken with the Franziskaner pale wheat bier nor the idea of lemon weizen (wheat bier with limonatta) or mango weizen (wheat bier with mango juice). They also offer Diesel, a eyebrow-raising concoction made from Lowenbrau Dunkel dark lager mixed with Coca Cola!


Franziskaner Dark Wheat Beer $6.50 for 0.3 Litres
$9.50 for 0.5 litres, $18 for 1 litre


Nurnberger $22.00
Traditional Nurnberger sausages
served with sauerkraut, mashed potato and mustard


Kalbsschnitzel veal Wiener Art $26.00
Milk-fed veal schnitzel with cranberry compote and salad


Lowenschnitzel $27.00
Lowenbrau's giant pork schnitzel
served with French fries and herb mayonnaise


Schweinshaxn $29.50
Oven-roasted pork knuckle with sauerkraut,
Lowenbrau bier sauce and mashed potato

I had the schweinshaxn pork knuckle. Three of us did, and none of us regretted it one bit. I dreaded carving into a pork knuckle which was dry and stringy, but cooking on the bone is a wonderful thing. The meat was dark, almost gamey and compact with moisture. The crackling... oh the crackling, it was a skirt to be lifted with utmost reverence.

The crackling was thick, salty and satisfyingly crunchy. There was masses of it too and I'm ashamed to say the generous portion size defeated me. Tender pork, noisy crackling, smooth mashed potato, dark rich gravy, tangy sauerkraut and not nearly enough life-giving salad.


Schlachtplatte for two $64.00
Lowenbrau’s selection of Bavarian specialities –
sausages, chicken schnitzel, roast pork belly and pork knuckle
served with mashed potato and sauerkraut

The two who opted for the schlachtplatte (and I'm sure it was ordered just so we could practise saying it all night in our best German accents) did a commendable job demolishing most of it. There were three types of sausages and for research purposes only, I tried the pinkest fattiest one (shudder) and the chicken schnitzel.



By the time we’d finished our meals, the main bier hall next door was breaking out into rowdy renditions of all your Sound of Music favourites. The place was packed with men, not tourists as we had mistakenly suspected, but bucks' nights and birthdays. There were nail hammering races and beer skolling competitions, all accompanied by footstamping, grunting and testosterone-fuelled backslapping.



There were desserts on offer: Ofenfrischer Apfelstrudel traditional warm apple strudel; Warmer Dattelkuchen warm sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce; Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte black forest cake and Weisse Schokoladencreme white chocolate and Baileys creme, each $9.50 but we give them a miss this time around. Instead a series of shots of saurer apfel sour apple schnapps tide some over to bedtime, where I suspect there were sentimental dreams of crackling and pork knuckle too.


Saurer Apfel sour apple schnapps $7.00







View Larger Map

Lowenbrau Keller
Corner of Playfair and Argyle Streets
The Rocks, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9247 7785

Open 7 days 9am til late
Live entertainment every night from 7pm
Late night menu available every Friday and Saturday 11pm til 2am

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Löwenbräu Keller (Jul10), (Jun09), (Feb09) and (Jul06)

Austrian - Una's, Darlinghurst

Czech - Doma Bohemian Beer Cafe, Potts Point

Czech - Prague Czech Beer Restaurant

German - Bavarian Bier Cafe, Sydney - O'Connell Street

German - Bavarian Bier Cafe, Sydney - York Street

German - German Concordia Club, Tempe

German - La Boheme, Balmain