2015: My stomach says thank you

2015. Let's call it the year of the soft serve. It definitely started that way, with a group challenge to eat as many unusual soft serves in Japan as we could (Personal highlights? The gold leaf, the sea urchin - yes really - and the 8 layer behemoth that needed two hands to hold upright).

And really 2015 was a pretty epic year. I published 83 posts (four more than last year!), visited Wellington and Japan (my fourth time for both), and realised one of my food writing career goals - I was a part of the SMH Good Food Guide reviewing team. Crazy, I know.



In fact, my cover story for Good Food on Sydney's Top 20 Cheap Eats 2015 was part of the work I undertook for the Good Food Guide, something I couldn't reveal when it was first published. Curating the list itself was tough - there were so many more that I wished I could have included - but I'm glad that even in the comments section to the article online, readers appreciated there was a good mix of suburbs outside of the usual Surry Hills radar.



In late September, the Good Food Guide 2016 was launched to a room full of nervous industry heavyweights. The entire process up to that point had been intense and undertaken with extreme seriousness. Working as a part of the restaurant reviewing team was one of the hardest things I've done but definitely one of the most rewarding.


Arashiyama bamboo forest just outside of Kyoto

And maybe this is why my trip to Japan was so incredibly busy, as though the momentum of juggling full-time work with writing gigs spurned me onto to continue a frenetic pace of observing, capturing and reporting.


Snow monkey at the outdoor onsen pool in Nagano

Our three week jaunt saw discover firefly squid in Toyama, eat gold leaf soft serves in Kanazawa, see the snow monkeys in Nagano, visit the bamboo forest in Kyoto, feed the deer in Nara, eat our way across Osaka, luxuriate in wagyu beef in Kobe, make a pilgrimage to the home of Kurobuta pork, Kagoshima, eat at the the birthplace of Ichiran Ramen in Hakata, swing through Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, feast on Hokkaido king crab in Sapporo and discover the joy of sea urchin and squid ink ice cream in Otaru.


Wagyu degustation at Wakkoqu in Kobe

And I still haven't finished blogging about our final stops in Hakodate and Tokyo. I'll get to them soon, I promise!


West Coast whitebait fritter sandwich, a Kiwi classic

I also made my forth trip to Wellington, a city I adore for its left-of-centre energy, compact geography and seriously good coffee scene. It's the love child of Surry Hills and Newtown, but windier!


Seal lazing at Red Rocks

Positively Wellington Tourism flew me over as a guest. My itinerary highlight was the four-wheel drive seal safari to Red Rocks - don't we all want to lounge about like a seal sometimes!


Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms tunnel tour

But one of the coolest things I did this year was the Li Sun Exotic Mushroom tour in Mittagong, about a 90-minute drive from Sydney.


Chestnut mushrooms

They've been growing mushrooms commercially in this disused 650m long Mittagong railway tunnel since 1987.

Wholewheat bread and whipped butter with chicken jus at Automata

And then there was Sydney's burgeoning restaurant scene. Automata was one of the city's most anticipated openings, and it came through with the goods. That chicken jus whipped butter is dairy crack.

Baller Bucket from Belle's Hot Chicken

And to say I was excited about Melbourne legend Belle's Hot Chicken finally opening in Sydney was an understatement. There was no other option but to order the Baller Bucket - a dozen wings fried to a blissful crisp.

Crab and prawn cake noodle salad and Thai sandwiches at Boon Cafe

The new Jarern Chai grocery with its attached Boon Cafe heralded a new direction for contemporary Thai food in Sydney. I love wandering its grocery aisles too.



Spicy red ant egg salad at Boon Cafe

And I applaud Boon Cafe for serving up red ant eggs, a traditional Thai dish that is nothing about novelty value and all about a fiery balance of flavour.
 

Hawker dining hall

Hawker, the sister restaurant to Mamak, opened and - rejoice - finally gave Sydneysiders proper char kway teow with cockles, hokkien mee with deep fried pork fat cubes and grilled stingray.


Ikan bakar grilled stingray at Hawker


Banh cuon nhan thit meat steamed rice rolls from Banh Cuon Kim Thanh

One of my favourite suburban finds was Banh Cuon Kim Thanh in Bankstown where they make silky steamed rice rolls to order. They're also masters with the deep-fryer. You have to get both the sweet potato fritter and the shrimp and mung bean fish cakes - the latter will change your mind about mung bean forever.


Jiang bing pancake at Mr Bing

They also cook your jiang bing pancakes to order at Mr Bing in Chippendale, in one of the smallest kitchens you'll ever see. I love how you can watch every step of the action through the open window.


Owner and head chef, Alex Wong, outside Yang's Malaysian food truck

And I was excited to see my friend, Alex Wong, bring his dream of a Malaysian food truck to fruition with Yang's. The soft shell crab with chilli sauce and the Mamee fried chicken are sedap! Brilliantly good.


Turkish coffee, Black Sea hazelnut and 100% cacao bean dondurma Turkish ice cream from Hakiki

On the dessert scene, I've fallen in love with Hakiki Turkish ice cream in Enmore. The inclusion of salep, a special orchid root, makes this ice cream stretchy, chewy and slower to melt. The flavours don't taste synthetic either.


Creme brulee gelato and buttermilk & passionfruit gelato from Ciccone & Sons 

And I'm also obsessed with Ciccone & Sons Gelateria in Redfern. Anyone who uses jersey milk and Pepe Saya buttermilk is a friend of mine. The coffee gelato is wicked too.


Gold leaf soft serve in Kanazawa, Japan

But the most spectacular dairy-based dessert of 2015 had to be this gold-leafed beauty. And this soft serve didn't just look good, it was lusciously creamy and oh so silky smooth.

Thank you all for coming along with me for the ride in 2015. I appreciate all your comments on the blog as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Here's to a fantastic New Year for everyone, and an even bigger and brighter 2016 ahead!

Beef tendon puffs, cuttlefish gnocchi and scarlet prawns: Stomachs Eleven Christmas dinner 2015

Friends. They're the people who make you laugh, are always ready to lend a hand, and - in my case in particular - never complain when you take a photo of their meal. In 2008, a motley group of my friends gathered for a home-cooked dinner. We had such fun we decided we'd take turns hosting dinners, calling ourselves Stomachs Eleven. The first dinner was at the home of Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin, and truth be told, over time we have consistently ended up eating there the most. Not only are they incredible homecooks, but they are always so welcoming and hospitable. They always volunteer to cook Christmas dinner, an event we all secretly look forward to every year.


Baby radishes with homemade bagna cauda

We start with baby radishes and bagna cauda, the juicy crunch of vegetables acting as the perfect carriage for the salty anchovy hit, combined with lashings of butter.

Much of my attention is on the platter of beef tendon puffs and beef tripe puffs. I first had beef tendon puffs at Animal in LA and have been obsessed with them ever since. Making these is no easy effort, a convoluted process that involves slow cooking, slicing, dehydrating and then deep frying. The beef tripe puffs have no offal taste at all. The beef tendon puffs are like the beef version of pork scratchings.


Homemade sourdough by J-boy 

J-boy has brought along his amazing homemade sourdough which Pig Flyin serves with his homemade kefir butter, virgin butter and chicken jus butter - inspired by Automata of course.


Cherry tomatoes from the Pigflyin garden

This year's table centrepiece is both decorative and functional - hanging cherry tomato vines that we plunder throughout the evening as we please.


Homemade kingfish pastrami and apple slaw

Homemade kingfish pastrami was made using a Mark Best recipe I passed on after attending his class at the Sydney Seafood School. It's amazing how the kingfish transforms after curing, and Pig Flyin's combination with apple slaw works so well.


Hakurei turnip "sandwich" with homemade mullet roe and homegrown shiso leaves

These Hakurei turnip sandwiches looked just like the ubiquitous bao at first glance. Instead we are rewarded with crunchy turnip slices paired with salty batons of homemade mullet roe against aromatic shiso leaves.


Monaka wafer shells 


Filling the monaka shells with foie gras, cucumber narazuke and Amarena cherries

Monaka wafers are usually used to hold sweet red bean fillings in Japan. Instead Pig Flyin directed sous chef silvrlily to sandwich these with foie gras, cucumber narazuke and Amarena cherries.


Foie gras wafers

Those luscious chunks of foie gras were incredible, enhanced by the sweetness of those Amarena cherries.


Veal heart tartare on homemade linseed crackers

Veal heart tartare (sourced from Feather and Bone) is surprisingly spicy, dressed with fermented chilli sauce, pickled fennel and fried capers. The homemade linseed crackers added a delicate crunch, and chive and parsley flowers were ever so pretty.

And in among all this, we had options of juice pairings which I neglected to photograph. This year's juices all included tea infusions which Pig Flyin says helps pare back the sweetness and "brings a subtle but complex profile with tannins". The snacks are paired with a bright green juice made from snow peas, cucumber, cos lettuce and bergamot. They used a cold press juicer - you could really taste the snow peas!


Fresh soft curd

In our first savoury course, Pig Flyin made his own fresh soft curd using milk and vegetarian rennet. It looks just like tofu fah, the sweet tofu dessert you get at yum cha.


Homemade soft curd with oca and tarragon oil

I love this dish much more than I thought I would, the curds reminding me of junket. It tastes like an unsweetened soft milk pudding, made savoury here with tarragon oil and oxalis, pleasantly sour leaves that taste similar to sorrel.


Homegrown cherry tomatoes in the kitchen


Pancetta slices

All the action happens in the kitchen of course. It's no surprise that I usually nab the seat nearest to the kitchen for behind-the-scene photos.


Blowtorching the pancetta


Char grilled fresh peas, homemade buttermilk and pancetta

All too often, dishes are more complex than they seem. When we comment on the smokiness of the peas, we found out they were chargrilled in their pods over charcoal before podding. The fresh peas are smoky and juicy, draped with a blowtorched blanket of fatty pancetta. There's a comforting coolness from the puddle of homemade buttermilk and then accents of zing from the tarragon oil.

Pig Flyin bought his peas from farmer Phil Lavers who runs the organically certified Moonacre Farm in Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands.


Steamed cuttlefish bundles


Adding fresh squid ink to each plate


Cuttlefish gnocchi with squid ink and prawn oil

Cuttlefish gnocchi hold little bundles of sweet prawn, surrounded by prawn oil and fresh squid ink. Everyone ends up getting black stained lips and tongues after eating this dish but it's worth it. The squid is so tender, steamed at 65C.

The three courses of fresh soft curd, sweet peas with pancetta and cuttlefish gnocchi are paired with a jasmine tea and pink lady juice. The Mariage Freres jasmine white tea tea was cold infused in a concentrated form and then combined with cold pressed pink lady juice. This is such a refreshing drink, the gentle tartness of pink lady perfumed with heady scent of jasmine.


Grilling scarlet prawns over charcoal


Charcoal grilled scarlet prawns with seaweed flakes

We can smell the scarlet prawns as soon as they hit the, er, charcoal barbie. Scarlet prawns are a rare treat, especially the prawn heads which are packed with meaty brains. Of course we eat them clean! The addition of seaweed flakes enhances their briney sweetness.


Finishing the slow-roasted muscovy duck over charcoal



Chargrilled gem lettuce hearts


Roasted Muscovy duck with chargrilled gem lettuce hearts and grilled blackberries

Our final savoury course is roast duck, a late winter Muscovy from Burrawong Gaian. The duck legs were removed, deboned, rolled and cooked separately. Grilled blackberries add just the right amount of tart sweetness, and I relish the gem lettuce hearts, chargrilled and then braised in duck jus.

The final savoury courses are paired with a Mariage Freres Grand Cru darjeeling and rhubarb juice, almost reminiscent of wine with its savoury notes.


Chocolate crepe cake with chestnut mousse and a chocolate mirror glaze

Dessert is a show stopper. All conversation halts once we spy the chocolate crepe cake emerging from the kitchen. Mrs Pig Flyin had dutifully made 21 chocolate crepes which Pig Flyin then assembled with layers of chestnut mousse spiked with dark rum. The mirror glaze has such an incredible sheen, and it's not overly sweet either.


21 layers of crepe

And now it's Christmas Eve and the year has almost come to an end! I hope you all have a terrific break, wherever you are, and whoever you're with. On Christmas Day, I'll be having a much less fancy lunch with family that will involve oysters, prawns and the classic Aussie pav. What will you be eating?

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Stomachs Eleven Christmas - 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

Ciccone & Sons Gelateria, Redfern

These hot summer days are made for gelato. Gone are the days when you'd cool down with a Zooper Dooper or a Sunny Boy. Today's kids - both big and small - are more likely to be clamouring for the cold satisfaction of freshly churned gelato. Unless you've been completely off Instagram, Ciccone & Sons must have registered on your radar. After opening up shop in the depths of winter, they've become Sydney's most popular kid on the block as we hit heatwave season.


Whimsical decor inside Ciccone & Sons

The small and unassuming shopfront sits among a neighbourhood of 2nd-hand shops and neighbourhood fruit shops and bakeries on Redfern's Regent Street. Floor-to-ceiling glass folding doors offer a peek inside for passing drivers. The decor is a charming mix of memorabilia, including vintage posters, an old-fashioned cash register, bunting and an intriguing pair of boys lederhosen. Two long benches provide a communal rest stop for gelato customers, but the majority of people seem happy to takeaway with cones and cups in hand.


The handwritten gelato and sorbetto menu changes daily

The menu changes daily, always handwritten on the clipboard outside - and on a giant scroll of brown butchers paper by the register - and always includes at least one sorbetto.


Mark Megahey, co-owner of Ciccone & Sons

Chances are you'll find co-owner, Mark Megahey, inside the shop, a veteran gelato maker who racked up 15 years at Bar Italia in Leichhardt before opening his own business with business partner Sean O’Brien.


Croccantino gelato with toffee and almonds

What sets apart Ciccone & Sons from so many other gelato makers is their use of jersey milk for a creamier texture. They also make all of their flavourings inhouse, avoiding the use of any pre-made bases or pastes. The small batch gelato run - made using two old-fashioned Carpigiani churners - means flavours are often exhausted before the day is out.


Creme brulee gelato

That means the chest freezer of gelato changes daily with occasional wackier flavour combos including pear and riesling; lavender and white chocolate; cucumber and rosemary; and lemon and maple. Seasonal specials so far have included whisky brulee for Fathers Day, pumpkin and burnt butter for Halloween; and burnt butter and gingerbread for Christmas. If you can't decide, they'll happily provide tastings to help you choose - although most of the time, this tends to only complicate, rather than simplify matters!


Mascarpone & strawberry and buttermilk & passionfruit gelato $6.50 for 2 scoops

Pepe Saya products are the secret behind the rich and buttery flavour of the mascarpone and strawberry gelato, as well as the buttermilk and passionfruit gelato. The buttermilk is one of my current favourites, its slightly yoghurty tang providing supreme refreshment on a hot summer's day.


Mascarpone & strawberry gelato

And you can taste the milky richness from the Pepe Say mascarpone too. The strawberry puree folded through it has a clean berry taste that isn't too sweet or too sour.


Coffee and croccantino $6.50 for two scoops

The coffee gelato is an instant flashback for anyone who ordered the coffee gelato at Bar Italia. It's intensely caffeinated, with a gusty bitterness. Add this to an iced coffee and you are set.

The croccantino is ideal for toffee and nut fans, a rubble of hazelnut and almond praline adding textural crunch.


Mascarpone & strawberry gelato $4 for one scoop

Have we talked about price yet? $4 feels like a steal for a single scoop of jersey milk gelato, especially when the single cup is ridiculously piled up high. Two scoops will cost you $6.50. They also offer take home tubs for at-home dining pleasure.


Coffee gelato and salted cashew gelato $6.50 for two scoops

Salted cashew gelato is an addictive combination of salty and sweet, against a buttery background of cashew nuts.


Creme brulee gelato and buttermilk & passionfruit gelato $6.50 for two scoops

And the creme brulee gelato is pretty spectacular, glistening shards of golden toffee interspersed among the dulce de leche base.


Buttermilk & passionfruit gelato and gianduja gelato $6.50 for two scoops

And Nutella fans will dig the gianduja gelato, a smooth mix of chocolate and hazelnut.


Mango sorbet $4 for one scoop cone

For a fruitier or dairy-free hit, the mango sorbet screams a classic Aussie summer.


Watermelon and lime sorbet $4 for one scoop cone

And on one of several visits, I found satisfying refreshment in the watermelon and lime sorbet, spiked with a chilli hit that let the tongue with a confused tingling of both spice and coldness.


Fridge with Pepe Saya buttermilk, mascarpone, creme fraiche and butter and Sungold jersey milk

The fridge doubles as a handy pit-stop for stocking up on Sungold jersey milk or a comprehensive range of Pepe Saya products, especially his butter and proper buttermilk.


Friends who eat gelato together, stay together

And as the mercury climbs higher in the coming weeks, I expect to find myself stopping by with increasing frequency. I couldn't be happier at the thought.






Ciccone & Sons Gelateria
195 Regent Street, Redfern, Sydney

Opening hours:
Wednesday to Saturday 11am-9pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Gelato - Cow & Moon, Enmore
Turkish Ice Cream - Hakiki, Newtown