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.
August 26, 2007
Coconut Thai, Wollongong
According to eatability, Coconut Thai is THE restaurant to visit... fabulous service, authentic, tasty and affordable food. So when the restaurant across the street asked us to wait 15mins to be seated, we naturally declined and gave Coconut Thai a go.
The service here proved to be a standout... attentive, knowledgable and just really sincere. As I sat there flipping through the menu, munching on the complimentary spicy prawn crackers, I was eavesdropping (as you do). The young waitress was explaining to the group beside us, that they should looking for an oyster sauce based stir fry because they didn't want anything hot. What's better than helpful waitstaff who know what they're talking about.
A favourite Thai dish of mine has always been the duck curry. I adore the unique addition of tropical fruits... the cherry tomatoes, grapes and pineapple balanced out the richness of the duck and coconut milk so well.
The menu provided plentiful to choose from. So we ended up selecting the next two dishes from the specials. One of Coconut Thai's house speciality are mussels stir fried with chilli and basil. Although I had expected the mussels to be served with the shells intact, it was simply a pleasure to eat them whole. Eat bite was full of flavour... simply delicious with the fresh capsicum, onion, bamboo shoots, string beans, shallots and ofcourse chilli.
Another house specialty which I couldn't resist ordering was the Poh Tak Seafood. And you can surely tell why it's on the specials list. The soup was cleansing and fragrant with stalks of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Amongst the fish, scallops, prawns and squid were mushrooms, tomatoes, dried and fresh cut chillis.
Upon leaving, we were also presented with a tiny frangipani candle and mint chocolates. These weren't the ordinary types either... the centre was moist... fudge-like... mmmmm...
Plus with all the waitstaff wishing us a good night, I almost felt like a local :-)
Need another reason to visit? Coconut Thai boasts an impressive vegetarian menu, which includes over 30 different dishes!
Coconut Thai
187 Keira Street Wollongong
Check out their MySpace & menu
October 30, 2006
Arun Thai Restaurant
Arun Thai is nothing like your corner Thai takeaway. The interior is sophisticated, the menu is classy and the service is thoughtful. The staff were dressed in matching uniforms, and each dish on the menu was carefully marked with its degree of hotness.
Zen and I were starving, and cautious about over-eating... so we skipped the starters, and went straight for the mains. I can never pass on Thai soup. I love the unique texture and the spices... ooh yes, the spices! We ordered the Tom Kha Gai to share, which was a pricey $11. The waiter then warned us of the small serving size, and true, it wasn't enough to share... but the flavours were eccentric.
At this stage, the restaurant was full to capacity... Still, it's not an excuse for the mildly disappointing beef stir-fry. The beef was dry and chewy and sat scattered over the plate... soaking in its own juices. It was nothing like the harmony of chilli and basil I had salivated over.
Massive pan-fried scallops hid beneath a mountain of lettuce, mint leaves, shallots, ginger, onion, carrot and coriander. The scallops were big, tender and so meaty! It balanced well with the dynamic dressing...
The soft shell crab also lacked imagination. The entire crusty crab was served as 1 large piece... and was encased in a heavy batter.
Unsatisfied with our meals, we decided to treat ourselves to dessert. I really wanted the black sticky rice pudding which was served with custard... but unfortunately, they'd run out of custard... so I opted for the fresh mango with sticky rice and coconut cream instead. The mango was everything summer could be... sweet and exotic... the sticky rice and coconut cream was a little bland, but the mint leaves provided a refreshing touch. During the 15 minutes we waited for our desserts, we were asked three... or maybe four times by different waiters if we'd like to order dessert. Call it attentive if you like, but I thought it was a little disorganised.
Overpriced? Maybe. Would I dine here again? Probably not. Arun Thai has a great ambience, and the dishes are no doubt authentic... though lacking a bit in the quality aspect, but I'd rather dine at any Newtown Thai outlet for half the price.
Arun Thai Restaurant
28 Macleay St Potts Point
Phone: (02) 9326 9135
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.
My first taste of Foie-Gras... it was so delicate and rich, it just took my breath away! The eggplant worked really well in this dish in allowing me to soak up all the goodness.
The restaurant was tiny and the service was nothing special ... but since I sat at the sushi bar, I was able to witness the talented Ryuichi Yoshii execute his dishes in style. The food was absolutely amazing.
Yoshii Restaurant
115 Harrington Street Sydney
Phone: 9247 2566
Web: www.yoshii.com.au
Check out the other events covered by Sydney food bloggers.
Tagged with: gfm06
September 30, 2006
Eat In @ Piccadilly
Eat In @ Piccadilly is my new lunch destination. It is much smaller than the food courts in Mid City, Imperial Arcade, or Sydney Central Plaza... but there are plentiful seats, so there's no longer a war to fight for tables, and whilst we were limited to about 7 outlets, the quality and freshness of this place was a great change from the usual chaos.
I will definately be returning to Eat In @ Piccadilly. I couldn't help but notice how plastic take-away containers weren't being used... it felt so peaceful tucking into food which was stacked neatly on a white ceramic squared plate.
Eat In @ Piccadilly
Piccadilly Centre, Pitt Street, Sydney
Web: http://www.piccadillycentre.com.au/eatinpiccadilly.amx