Rise - 3 year anniversary special Omakase degustation
Oh, the food was fabulous, I'll definitely be back.
How often have you said those words after having a satisfying meal? Well, I've committed that crime too many times. Sometimes I'd go back for that one specific thing they left me craving, other times it'd be to see a cute waiter (ha!). There's something unique about all my favourite restaurants, and the reason I love Rise, is because of their genuineness, quirky service and innovation. Plus, for their 3 year anniversary, there's even a special Omakase degustation running between 17th - 22nd June for almost half price.
So naturally, I went on the first available day, booking the 8pm session in advance... knowing that it'd be another long evening in the office. No one likes timed seatings, but hey, from a restaurant owner's point of view, it's basically doubling the revenue prospects of each table! And at $36 per person, I'm not complaining.
I've been down with the flu for a couple of days, so it was sparkling water for me, and this luscious lychee cocktail for Zen.
The first dish was produced and brought out in masses. Behind the sushi bar, I admired the quick production line. There were boxes of washed and perfectly trimmed witlof leaves and more. The tuna tartare is a staple item on the Rise menu, regularly making an appearance in the seasonal plate. It was nice to see it used as the main entree ingredient. I also couldn't get enough of the wasabi flavoured guacamole.
I think Rise had discovered the secret to making the best clear soup stock and I'm so glad they've kept using it. The soup was warm, cleansing and delicious. Somewhere amongst the dumpling-looking calamari tortellini, rocket and cherry tomatoes were bits of kaffir lime leaves -so fragrant they are!
When the assorted sashimi platter was served, I understood why we weren't forking out the usual $60. To my shock, they had reduced the 4 servings of fresh sashimi to 2. See my previous posts here and here as proof. Nonetheless, the salmon and kingfish was fantastic. Its texture was so delicate and the flavours... mmmm.... the flavours enhanced every morsel in the shot glass.
The seasonal plate was good but not great. I didn't like how the wonton cup had been fried so early that it lost its crunchiness.
The main dish was chicken. That's right, plain joe... But wait, there was a twist... the lemongrass scented coconut cream worked wonders for this otherwise boring dish.
And lastly... the pannacotta, tapioca rice pudding looked like a 3 year old's wacky Hulk experiment but tasted of something familiar to fine dining. It was the combination you wish you had thought of. Yum!
I don't know what it is, but there's something good they're doing right. It seemed like the general consensus around the dining floor was that most had dined at Rise several times before.
Happy 3 year anniversary, Rise!
March 25, 2008
Valentines Day at Yoshii Restaurant
I celebrated Valentines Day a day early this year because the man had a work thing on the next night. That makes this post exactly 41 days late. Nonetheless, the 'Yoshii Course' degustation was truly memorable and simply marvelous. Even just reading through the menu, I can recall the taste of the black cod marinated with blue cheese flavoured miso. Ah, and the milk fed sashimi served with forest mushroom dressing was divine also... as was the blue swimmer crab and goats curd avocado roll.
I heart Yoshii... and you too, Zen ;-)
On arrival, I was pleased to find that the restaurant was just as intimate as my first visit. Candles were lit in tiny Moet & Chandon glasses against the wall. As we cleansed our hands with the warm towels, a young Japanese woman highlighted the different degustation sets. She took our drink orders and then bowed as she went to prepare them... leaving us in to adore the tantalising menu.
The sea urchin egg cup was a fabulous starter. The stock and egg white was light like custard and the egg yolk and sea urchin was rich and savoury. The snow pea and radish balanced and enhanced this dish.
The quintuple of entree was a tasteful artwork. It consisted of ocean trout with wrapped nashi pear served with kimizu, blue swimmer crab and goats curd avocado roll, grilled pacific oyster Matsumae style, deep fried kanpyou marinated with ginger juice and soy; and camquat with foie gras mousse pie.
This blue swimmer crab and goats curd avocado roll was my favourite of the five. The avocado's creaminess was matched perfectly with the delicate crab flavours. From memory, the leaves below were tiny trimmed shiso leaves... full of freshness!
The other entrees were interesting but not outstanding... and the cumquat with foie gras mousse pie was a disappointment as I tasted nothing but pastry. On the other hand, the next course was by far my absolute favourite! Who would have thought blue cheese would go so well with miso? Served with lotus root, celery and sesame toast, I tried desperately to extend the the buttery flavours in my mouth. I'd love to be served nothing but this as a main course.
The milk fed veal sashimi served with forest mushroom dressing was gorgeous to look at. The accompanying vegetables were cut into pretty flowers and some were shaved into tiny dainty shreds. The veal could have better been classified as rare than sashimi since the sides were grilled and not completely raw. But hey, I'm not complaining! The centre was a tender pink and the soy-based dressing was earthy and scrumptious.
After having the rose gum smoked wagyu beef with horse-raddish and turnip puree in tamari reduction, I promised myself I'd never consider becoming a vegetarian. It was tasty... very tasty... & the presentation was adorable too.
Ooo... this sushi platter had so many varieties of fish I instantly forgot them all! It was uber yummy :-)
For dessert, we had a few options to choose from. Zen opted for the mousse of mascarpone with soy powder and black sesame and I had the red bean spring roll with green apple and wasabi sorbet. Considering the fact that I've just had over 9 courses... this 1 dessert course didn't feel enough.
That night ended with a regular scoop of cookies and cream ice-cream in a waffle cone. It didn't look or taste as good as the green apple and wasabi sorbet, but at least it satisfied my sweet tooth.
Yoshii Restaurant
115 Harrington Street Sydney
Phone: 9247 2566
Web: www.yoshii.com.au
You can also read about my previous visit to Yoshii here.
September 26, 2007
Nagoya Yakiniku
This post was due a few weeks back when I was craving Yakiniku. Nagoya doesn't compete against Iwa in terms of class, style and presentation... but hey! It's a buffet. That's right -all you can eat for 1.5 hours.
There are various buffet options with respective prices. I went for the Wagyu and sashimi option which includes the following and much, much more:
We munched down 2 huge plates of Wagyu. Sliced paper thin, the well-marbled and endless supply of wagyu was a dream come true. The custard was steamy hot and silky as it should be. It was fragrant with the shitake mushrooms... well worth the 15 minute wait.
This was my first taste of yukke... and I think it was also my last. The raw beef looked slimey and unedible. It was rich with sesame oil and creamy with the egg yolk... but my taste buds didn't enjoy it.
The takoyaki balls were yummy! No where as good as in Osaka but still delicious.
... And we finally finished the 1.5 hour of gorging with a last order of ice-cream and oranges.
Another popular buffet yakiniku is Suminoya... which i will visit soon.
Nagoya Takiniku
Tel: (02) 9212-0007
Shop 3, 78-86 Harbour St, Sydney
September 16, 2007
Iwa, Japanese Yakiniku Dining Room
I've heard many positive rants about Iwa. So, during last week's APEC chaos in the city, I decided to head north with my family to celebrate some new opportunities. Oh... and let me just say, I absolutely love Wagyu.
Iwa sits along Victoria Avenue in a sleek black building. The entrance is narrow but the interior is chic. Shiny copper exhaust fans hung above each table and looked striking against the dark wooden panels.
For starters, we were presented with tiny pots of pumpkin soup. It was creamy and rich with petite cubes of the vegetable.
And then I ordered the wagyu beef tataki salad. The serving size was small; however each slice of wagyu was identically perfect. The outside was grilled to a charcoal brown and the inside was succulently rare. Ooo, the tangy sauce complimented it so well.
Spider rolls have always been another favourite of mine. The tempura fried soft-shell crab was warm and was held closely together with avocado and nori. This was totally delicious when eaten alongside a large piping-hot plate of tempura. There was pumpkin, eggplant, carrot, zucchini and ofcourse prawns. So light, fluffy and crisp!
Unlike the spider roll, the California roll was slightly disappointing. Although it was generous with fish roe, the crab stick was overly moist with mayonnaise...
Iwa is unquestionably a modern piece of art. The exhaust fan when unused hung classily retracted and when the Yakiniku grill was taken out, it was conveniently pulled down to about 20cm above the mesh so that we didn't leave smelling like a BBQ.
When ordering mains, I was assured the wagyu tasting plate would be enough for at least 3; as you can see above, the portion size is somewhat doubtable. Luckily I had also called for king prawns (1 serve includes 2 large prawns, sliced and sprinkled with black pepper), a vegetable platter (a gorgeous monument of freshly sliced pumpkin, eggplant, onion, potatoes, sweet potato, carrot and mushrooms), scallops and logically, more wagyu.
Christina opted out of the yakiniku in favour of minimising the pain caused by her new braces... I snuck a small taste of her crusted sea bass and this too was tasty!
The dessert menu was limited to about 3 options. Ice-creams and another... but what stood out to me was the chocolate volcano. The chocolate cake was served with warm chocolate sauce exploding out of the tip... it was rich and satisfying, and was balanced well with the circular mould of cognac infused oranges and walnuts.
While Iwa is a classy and no a doubt lip-smacking Yakiniku restaurant, it's rather pricey for a hungry family of six.
Iwa, Japanese Yakiniku Dining Room
380 Victoria Ave Chatswood
Tel: 9419 7009
Open 7 days 11am - 3pm & 5pm - 10pm
July 28, 2007
Tetsuya's
I've been waiting for the perfect excuse to spend $185 a head (plus drinks) on Tetsuya's 10 course degustation. And here it was... the first birthday of jenius.com.au, which also coincided with my very own birthday!
As the countdown begun, I eagerly read up and drooled over every review online. The week before, I started fantasizing about Tetsuya's signature dish. How it intrigued me... the texture and taste of what lay beneath the crusty konbu (kelp).
The service at Tetsuya's really impressed me. From the moment we drove in via the sensored gates, it seems like everyone was notified of our arrival. The valet parking attendent briskly drove Zen's car away as we were ushered indoors. I suppose it made sense that the seating arrangements and table numbers were set already, seeing that most people would have made bookings at least a few months in advance.
Soon after being seated, a wait staff brought out a basket of freshly baked and still warm sourdough and white Italian bread rolls. The black truffle and parmesan salsa butter was nothing like I had imagined. Its aroma was magnificent. I lathered each mouthful of bread up with a thick spread of the butter. Just for the record, I managed to finish off 2/3 of the pot, along with 2 sourdough rolls. I am in desperate need of a jar of this at home!
Starters was the pea soup with bitter chocolate sorbet. The pea soup was served in a fancy glass... it was robust and full bodied, but the bitter chocolate sorbet didn't really do it for me.
The next was an extra course (add $18)... four plump oysters were served with Tetsuya's famous oyster dressing -grapeseed oil, rice vinegar, soy and ginger. They were absolutely divine!
There are specific ways to ensure you make the most of each dish. Take for example, the second course; we were instructed to break open the scallop mousse so that each fork full contained a bit of everything. This dish was so elegant... creamy and scrumptious!
The leek and crab custard was such a delicacy. The custard was silky soft... the savoury essence of the leek and egg simply complimented the flakes of crab.
The third part of the 2nd course consisted of raw scallops [all-time favourite :-) of mine]... which leads me to say that this dish was the highlight of the night! All the contrasting textures and flavours were married together so well. There were these tiny citrus things which exploded with flavour... the cubed and what appeared to be buttered and toasted coutons deliciously highlighted the light and creamy textures of the scallop. I want more!
It must have been at least 2 hours into the night already because I had started to feel the effects of consuming the 2 bread rolls. Nonetheless, the ocean trout was lovely... as I had fantasized. The salty crusted konbu enhanced every tender bit of ocean trout.
Another favourite course was the next. Truely simple ingredients of basil, tomato and balsamic, served in the most delectable manner.
Abalone? This dish took me by surprise, as there hadn't been any mention of it before. It was such a delightful surprise... the abalone was carefully crafted into artful pieces. The braised ox tail and orange flavours were so flavoursome. It was mouth-watering goodness.
[Edit 1/08/07: Some of you have queried why I didn't write anything about the spatchcock... it was pure laziness! So if you were wondering, the spatchcock was moist & tender. The olives and capers were a flavoursome blend which didn't overpower the natural juices at all. Overall, very rich & succulent... although more greens would have also been nice! ]
The last of the savoury courses was fantastic. Imagine thinly sliced wagyu beef rolled up with a leaf of shiso and cooked medium rare. The earthy quality of the mushroom and the oomph of the lemon, sea salt flakes and wasabi brought me to total amazement. Each of the individual flavours brought out the best in each other... ah, that's what I call team work!
We were advised to eat this in one go. And so we did... it was sweet... and that's about all I can recall :-P
The palate cleansers were so, so, so good! The beetroot and blood orange sorbet was vibrant and uber refreshing. Tetsuya's strawberry shortcake was great too... we were instructed to mix the layers together. I cheekily tried them apart. The bottom was nutty and fragrant... inbetween the cream and strawberry syrup were bits of berries... nothing too special when eaten apart, but absolutely spectacular when consumed together!
What can I say? The next one up was another favourite! I love dates and white beans. The chewy texture and the sweet caramel flavours worked wonders with the shot of espresso.
I asked a wait staff to take this photo of us... and somewhere in the conversation, she asked what we were celebrating... hooray, birthday cake!
I didn't like the cocoa dusted sweet potato balls. It was floury and bitter! But the dates and cookie centred coconut balls were yummy! They looked so simple to make... I might just give them a go in the kitchen!
Overall, I loved Tetsuya's to bits! And yes, the 4 hour dining experience was totally worth every dollar! Thanks for finally making this happen, Zen!
Next on the list... El Bulli!!
Tetsuya's
www.tetsuyas.com
July 24, 2007
Let's Rise again!
It's been a while since I've last food blogged. To be precise, it's been over 3 weeks of the flu, fever, cold, cough and aching joints. But seeing that my taste buds had started to come back to life, Zen and I decided to Rise again! Hooray to yummy sashimi!
The downside to dining out so soon was my excessive coughing. Not only did I feel like a nuisance for constanltly coughing, but I accidentally (and rather embarrasingly) blew out the tealight candle numerous times! Thank goodness the staff were always so friendly in offering to re-light it.
Starters were rice paper rolls with cured salmon omelette. The smoked ocean trout accompaniment and hummus was so good.
Next was the clear soup, which was a lovely variation to my first visit. It was just as refreshing and left me lingering for more... mMmMmM...
The sashimi was what we had really come here for. The sauces bring out the delicate textures of the fish so well. Each were beautiful in it's own way... some of them had a soy base, others with hints of miso and sesame and another with something vaguely reminiscent of ponzu.
The main dish was also simple in execution. The Tonkatsu sauce was rich and tangy... I mopped it all up with the potato croquette!
I'll probably be back to Rise soon. They have birthday specials for members!
Rise Restaurant
23 Craigend Street, Darlinghurst
April 11, 2007
everybody loves ramen
(I refuse to write lengthy descriptions tonight. My eyes are sore... I'm tired... and I miss the long weekend!)
The waiting lines are ridiculous... but everybody loves ramen.
February 26, 2007
Omakase (degustation) @ Rise Restaurant
Zen was back on Friday night after his first working week in Wollongong; so we caught up over an initimate dinner at Rise. Heading straight to Darlinghurst after work, we were rather early... though this meant we were able to grab the cosy window seat :-)
The menu was really impressive and forced a battle in my mind between the degustation or the a la carte. There's actually 30% off the Omakase menu on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, but we decided go for the whole experience anyway. The degustation it was.
First of the 7 dishes was the chicken and tofu salad. The tofu was chilled and silky soft. Its flavour was so refreshing with the crisp spanish onion and shallots, and the chicken was tossed in a flavoursome sesame and miso sauce. Mmmm, give me more.
Next was the soup, which was cleansing and fragrant with kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass. The fried tofu and calamari mince had such a nice complimenting texture.
Aww, sashimi. Check out this piece of artwork! It was so beautiful... each shot glass was filled with such tender flavours.
And then we had the seasonal plate which consisted of:
The pasta dish featured lightly blanched rice noodles with shredded green papaya and a large scallop which was seared to perfection. Topped with dill, coriander and chilli, this dish was uber tantalising.
I heart Rise.
Rise Restaurant
23 Craigend Street, Darlinghurst
Phone (02) 9357-1755
Web http://www.riserestaurant.com.au
January 03, 2007
Ishiya Japanese StoneGrill
The first time I heard about stone-grilling, I was rather turned off... I had pictured a succulent piece of steak on an ordinary slab of rock. How primitive and unhygienic! Stone-grilling is actually an ancient method of cooking, adopted from the Egyptians and Vikings. The stone is heated at 400 degrees celsius, and allows you to quickly seal in all flavours. It provides a standard cooking time of up to 1 hour...
Being such a simple and healthy method of cooking, Ishiya provides pages of variations.
My verdict? I loved stone-grilling! Its great being able to eat and cook at my own pace... You can have it as rare or as well-done as you like! My favourties of the sauces would probably have been the ponzu which is made of soy sauce, lemon juice and rice wine vinegar... and the creamy sesame and tofu sauce. MmM! The staff at Ishiya were also very friendly and informative :-)
Ishiya Japanese Stone Grill
152 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 9650 9510
November 15, 2006
Kobe Jones
It's been almost a year since I've last seen Tracey. We were 'bum chums' a couple years back... and then we grew apart. So, graduated and working - we decided it was finally time for a girly catch up. Who could believe -she's entered the working life as a primary school teacher!
Anyways, craving some infused Japanese food; we headed towards King Street Wharf's Kobe Jones, and were led outdoors to a romantic candle-lit table for two. We sat facing the wharf and soaked in the glorious sunshine (I love daylight saving!).
The Scallop Carpaccio was amazing! Every bite was so smooth and flavoursome... the texture was soft and buttery... mmmmm...
Our second starter was the shallow-fried panko soft shell crab -which was the disappointment of the night. At least now i know i'm not a fan of breadcrumb-coated anything. Nor did I like the stale tasting potatoes...
I ordered the succulent premium dry aged Scotch fillet which was served with a miso, sansho pepper sauce. It was a giant serving... tender & pink...
And what better way to end the night than with dessert! Tracey ordered the dessert sushi with Kobe Jones' famous chocolate chopsticks, and I, without a second thought, had the green tea brulee... which hid a treasure of red bean beneath its mildly crystallised crust.
Kobe Jones probably isn't a place you go to often. The menu appeared somewhat limited... but on the other hand, it could have been pure coincidence that both the soft shell crab and salmon were served in a similar manner.
Kobe Jones
29 Lime Street
King Street Wharf, Sydney
NSW 2000, Australia
Tel: (02) 9299 5290
Web: www.kobejones.com.au
October 25, 2006
Hats Off @ Yoshii Restaurant
Yay! I've been counting down since last week to dine at the sensational Yoshii Restaurant. This was literally a life changing experience... I learnt anger management; and then I did some self-exploring... and ofcourse I tasted some fine food, which has set new standards.
They say pictures speak louder than words. So I was slightly pedantic with my photography. As you do, I snapped up an astonishing 55 shots. Later in the evening, I overheard a diner ask her partner why people take photos of food... Ahh, I was too involved with my meal to even bother with an answer...
The Hats Off dinner at Yoshii was a twice-off, 10-course degustation.
