Gluttonous Sins: June 2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

Boost Juice

Taste

Seeing it's winter, I thought I will try a "Hotties". I chose the blueberry beauty - an uplifting antioxidant-packed mix of blueberries and Springleaf black tea, plus the goodness of real fruit juice. You can also get a chai delight, bananaberry hot choc and honey lemon. I've always liked Boost smoothies, and this one was also very yummy. It's like a berry tea except you can actually taste the berry! It's not very thick at all, with only 236 kj for each 100mL, so it's not exactly a filling unlike their smoothies.

Rating - 8

Look

One thing the Boost store does very well is their marketing and image. The cups reflect this fun image. The hottie comes with a handy sip lid so you can drink from it easily.

Rating - 2

C-factor

For a small (350mL), it's $2.95, for a regular (450mL) it's $3.75. I think Boost is usually a rip-off, and I only ever go there if I have a discount voucher or there's a special on. I think they are quite yummy though, and a good substitute for a coffee or hot chocolate, and they cost about the same in that regard.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 11

Ingredients

Springleaf black tea, apple juice, blueberries, sorbet, ice

Available At

Boost Juice
Website

Kefalograviera

Taste

Well, now that I'm on the path to try anything and everything, this is my latest cheese find. I had no idea what to expect, but this is like a fetta, only much much saltier. The texture is quite crumbly, but the cheese is harder than a fetta. I think you're not supposed to eat it plain, but I have no idea what to do with it. Def not a cheese to be eaten by itself.

Rating - 5

Look

It's snowy white in colour, without any visible air holes. Well, I don't know what the whole wheel of this stuff looks like as I only bought a cut piece.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

It's $19.99/kg, I will probably buy fetta instead, it's cheaper and tastier.

Rating - 0

Swiss Points - 6.5

Available At

Harris Farm Markets
Website

Uncle Tobys Museli Bar

Taste

I haven't had one of these Uncle Tobys bars for ages, but from what I recall of them, they were too sweet and too hard. My piano student gave me a few to try recently, and I can say that they have improved. Museli bars are still not my favourite thing, these were still too sweet for my taste. I'm happy to report that they are softer, but a don't really enjoy the chewy texture. The apricot bar flaired better than the forest fruit, possibly because, well, besides it being a great onomatopoeia, what on earth are forest fruits?? Each bar combined chunks of coconut with oats and honey, and other goodies. There's quite a bit of fruit which is nice to see.

Rating - 5.5

Look

Well, they've updated the packaging, now it's in a shiny and new white foil wrapper. The old one did bring back some nostalgic value but the new one is much more visually appealing, especially to adults... lots like they're trying to capture the mums.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

Well, I got all 31.3 g of them for free and they bring back childhood memories, it's nice to see them still churning them out, even if I've moved on.

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 7.5

Ingredients

rolled oats (32%), glucose, sugar, vegetable oil, antioxidants, whole wheat(6%), maize starch, red cherry fruit pieces (4.5%), fruit (cherry puree(2%), apple paste, pear paste), invert sugar, sugar, vegetable fat, blueberry puree(2%),almond, coconut, oat flour, rice flour, skim milk powder, honey, emulsifier, flavour, food acid, preservatives.

Available At

Supermarkets everywhere.

Nabisco Chicken in a Biskit

Taste

Another one of those snacks I haven't had for awhile. Everyone will be familiar with the In a Biskit range. This one was brought over by a friend for a party, and what better way to enjoy them than watching the socceroos vs Italy on the huge screen at Haberfield at 1am! I wonder if this has affected by tastebuds in any way because at that hour, these were about the best biscuits I've had for ages! Crunchy, with chicken salt tasting seasoning that is not too salty. Each bite made you want to go back for more!

Rating - 8

Look

Well, you distinguish the flavours by its colour. These were green, and each one is rectangular with wavy edges, baked to a (I think since I couldn't really see in the dark) golden colour. The box is a handy size, nice to past around between friends.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

The atmosphere was great, too bad Australia lost.

Rating - 1.5

Swiss Points - 11

Available At

Supermarkets everywhere.

Lindt Intense Orange Chocolate Bar

Taste

Not one of the best Lindt bars I've had, but I have to try all the Lindt flavours! I actually quite like the combination of dark chocolate and orange, but the chocolate was not dark enough and the orange flavour tasted a bit artificial. The thing I don't like about the Excellence bars are their thinness, I like a bit more "meat" and a melt in the mouth chocolate. Innovative? They've had Terry's Chocolate Orange for years, so there's nothing new there.

Rating - 6

Look

I always think their packaging is daggy - I mean, what's with the drawings on the front? And they can use better colour co-ordination. But they are easy to open, and the cardboard backing means the bars don't break as easily. I never have to keep one bar opened for very long, but if I do, the box is a better place for storing it then some of the paper-wrapped choc bars on the market.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

R.R.P is $ for 100 g, but do I ever buy at that price? No. When it's on special, it's one of the best chocolate you can get from the supermarket. You really have to look elsewhere other than the supermarket if you want good chocolate though.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 8.5

Available At

Anywhere and everywhere!

Marilan Wafer Biscuits

Taste

I was never a big fan of wafers, but Slokky is, so we got some of these to try. I am still on my Italian food pilgrimage so I was quite looking forward to them. Marilan makes biscuits in: strawberry,coco,chocolate,doce de latte (caramel),baunilla (vanilla). The first one I tried was strawberry, as soon as you open them you can smell that sickly sweet fake strawberry smell. Each wafer is pretty small and thin, with a few layers of strawberry cream sandwiched in between. I didn't expect good things with strawberry cream (has anyone had a real strawberry tasting one yet?), and this one was at about the same level as what I expected. After the strawberry, I didn't have high expectations for the chocolate, but I was pleasantly surprised. The chocolate cream was quite hazelnutty, as most Italian chocolate tend to be, and the wafer was crunchy! I haven't been converted into a wafer lover yet, but one or two once every once in a while is ok.

Rating - Strawberry - 5.5, Chocolate - 7

Look

It's Italian, so there's automatic points :) The packaging itself looks pretty fun, very colourful and kiddy like. The biscuits are wrapped around foil. Once you open them though, you can really put it back in the pack, so you either have to eat them all, or store them somewhere else. The wafers are quite pale in colour, and the strawberry is very pink! The chocolate was a very light brown, prob because of the milk content.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

They were dirt cheap at Harris Farm, only 80 cents for 140g. I'm not sure how much they usually sell for though.

Rating - 1.5

Swiss Points - Strawberry - 8.5, Chocolate - 10

Ingredients

sugar, wheat flour, vegetable shortening, cocoa powder/strawberry flavouring, soybean flour, vegetable oil, salt, stabilizer, soybean leciten, leavening agens, sodium bicarbonate, caramel natural colour and flavour

Available At

Harris Farm Markets
Website

Krispy Kreme Donuts

Taste

It's been awhile, but you never forget the taste of a fresh out of the oven KK donut. Unfortunately these were not fresh, but a few seconds in the microwave, and they're just about as good. The only flavour I go for though is original glaze, I don't think any of their other flavours compare. I don't know what it is, the yeasty taste, the just right texture. You can't pinpoint it, but all other donuts just don't compare.

Rating - 7.5

Look

The box is funky and very distinctive. Most importantly it is functional and ensures the donuts are not squashed or stuck anywhere. The donuts have a fresh and glossy sheen to it, or is that just me at 5am?

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

You have to like KK, they sure know how to do business. These dozens came free when I joined the KK club. Normally they cost $12 for a dozen I think?

Rating - 1.5

Swiss Points - 10.5

Available At

Krispy Kreme nationally
Website

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Dairy Farmer Dairy Selection - Summer Delight Pudding

Taste

Dairy Farmers has come up with a whole lot of new products lately. This one is part of their Dairy Selection which includes puddings and cheesecakes.

The pudding is more like a cake than a pudding, like a cake drowned in berry jam actually. Well, cake and berry jam actually tastes nice, but I think I was expecting a bit more. I mean, I could combine the new myself, and save some money for my trouble. The taste? The cake and the jam were both a bit sweet, so eaten together, it was really sweet. Again though, they have balanced the ratio between cake and jam quite nicely.

Rating - 5.5

Look

Well, the packaging design is 2nd rate, but this came in a handy 100g cup,which is just the right amount for one. All you have to do is peel the foil covering, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and dig in. This time I heated it for 25 seconds and it was just right. The best thing is though, you don't even need to wash an extra plate.

Rating - 2

C-factor

I got this one on special at Coles, but the R.R.P is normally $3.99. I probably will not pay that much normally as you only get 2 x 100g for your money, but when it's on special I will def look out for it.

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 8

Ingredients

sugar, wheat flour, butter, diced apple, calcium chloride, invert sugar syrup, water, apple juice concentrate, whole egg, berries (8.5%) (boysenberries, strawberries, blackcurrants), thickener, egg white powder, sweetened condensed milk, humectant, emulsifier, mineral salt, vegetable gums, flavour, salt

Available At

Coles
Website

Dairy Farmer Dairy Selection - Wicked Chocolate Pudding

Taste

Dairy Farmers has come up with a whole lot of new products lately. This one is part of their Dairy Selection which includes puddings and cheesecakes.

The pudding is very chocolatey, with a very generous chocolate sauce oozing out the middle. The only complain I have is that it's a tad sweet.

Rating - 7

Look

Well, the packaging design is 2nd rate, but this came in a handy 90g cup,which is just the right amount for one. All you have to do is peel the foil covering, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and dig in. I think I might've heated it a touch too long as it was a bit dried when it came out. The best thing is though, you don't even need to wash an extra plate.

Rating - 2

C-factor

I got this one on special at Coles, but the R.R.P is normally $3.99. I probably will not pay that much normally as you only get 2 x 90g for your money, but when it's on special I will def look out for it.

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 9.5

Ingredients

water, sugar, invert sugar syrup, wheat flour, butter, sweetened condensed milk, humectant, cocoa powder (3.7%), cream, egg powder, emulsifiers, mineral salts, thickener, flavours, vegetable gums, salt, colour, anti-caking agent

Available At

Coles
Website

Dairy Farmer Dairy Selection - Passionfruit Cheesecake

Taste

Dairy Farmer has come up with a whole lot of new products lately. This one is part of their Dairy Selection which includes puddings and cheesecakes.

The passionfruit tasted a bit artificial, but the cheesecake and the biscuit base were both great. Just the right sweetness, and a texture that's firm enough to hold its shape. I was pleasantly surprised by how great this tasted, apart from the passionfruit that is. Cheesecakes in individual cups? I like it. The ratio between passionfruit, cheesecake and biscuit base was just right, thank goodness.

Rating - 7.5

Look

Well, the packaging design is 2nd rate, but this came in a handy 110g cup, which is just the right amount for one. All you have to do is peel the foil covering and dig in, you don't even need to wash an extra plate.

Rating - 2

C-factor

I got this one on special at Coles, but the R.R.P is normally $3.99. I probably will not pay that much normally as you only get 2 x 110g for your money, but when it's on special I will def look out for it.

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 10

Ingredients

cheesecake filling (73%) - skim milk curd (28%), sugar, cream, concentrated skim milk, thickeners, gelatine, salt, mineral salts, vegetable gums, culture, preservative.fruit syrup (17%) - water, fruit (passionfruit, 5%), sugar, thickener, flavour, food acid, vegetable gum, preservative, colour. biscuit base (10%) - biscuit crumb, milk solids non fat, salt, mineral salts, butter.

Available At

Coles
Website

Pariya raahat Turkish Delight

Taste

I've tried a few other products from Pariya before, and I was very impressed, so I jumped at the chance of trying the sour cherry. They are very innovative, coming up with cool flavours like this. The delight is chewy, with a strong but not overpowering rosewater taste, and bits of sour cherry dispersed throughout. Like all turisk delights, this one is sweet, so it's best with coffee or tea.

I've also picked up the citron flavour, which I have to report is not as nice as the sour cherry, maybe because the orange peel aroma didn't go as well, tasting more like sweet jam.

Rating - Sour Cherry - 7.5, Citron - 6

Look

The packaging is top notch, with a smart silver and white design. The delights themselves look divine, with a vivid red colour, and a dusting of white icing sugar. The pieces are just the right size and you can reuse the container, which closes very tightly.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

$9.95 for 250g at DJs, but I'm SURE you can find it cheaper elsewhere. You do have to pay for quality I guess. This is high class, you can buy it at DJs afterall!

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - Sour Cherry - 11, Citron - 9.5

Ingredients

water, sugar, corn flour, sour cherries, food acid

Available At

David Jones
Website

Be Natural Sesame Nut Split

Taste

I'm a fan of Be Natural, especially their cereals, but I'm also quite fond of their bars. This one has a mix of sesame seeds and peanuts, as well as puffed rice, with a generous layer of chocolate coating the bottom. Each bite meant a mouthful of these ingredients. I am usually not a fan of these bars 'cos they are really sweet, but this one wasn't too bad at all, crunchy and chewy, and the sesame seed added that extra kick. The ingredients were of a good quality.

Rating - 7.5

Look

Their packaging is quite snazzy with an emphasis on colour. Some part of the wrapping is clear so you can see what it looks like. The nuts and seeds were good quality.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

50 g for around $1.60, not as cheap as some, but I will always pay for quality.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 10

Ingredients

peanuts 29%,choc compound 25%, natural flavour, sesame seeds 19%, invert sugar, glucose, puffed rice, honey, humeclant, emulsifier, malt extract.

Available At

Coles
Website

Health food stores

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Abhi's Indian Restaurant

I haven't been to Abhi's since I discovered Janani, the best ever Indian/Sri Lankan place around. When it was suggested that we should go to Abhi's on our girly night, I agreed, I was interested in comparing Abhi's now that I have experienced the joy of Janani. Last time I went to Abhi's was 2 years ago, and I remembered I quite like the place, with the exception of the cockroach that was in our water. I have to say, either Abhi's got worst in the two years, or my perception back then was way off, because this place was terrible!

Food

For those who aren't familiar, Abhi's class itself as a high-class Indian restaurant, delivering authentic Indian cuisine in a mature restaurant environment.

We started off with Palak Patta Chat (9.8) - Spinach leaves in a crispy lentil batter, topped with yoghurt, date and tamarind and chilli and mint sauces. I've had this dish previously and I remembered I really liked it. This time was the same. The tangy sauce complements the crispy batter. We also had the

Bhaji Rolls (9.8) - Light pastry pockets filled with mixed vegetables, onion, potatoes, mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves; served with onion and tomato chutney. This was more like a curry puff. It wasn't very spicy, and what they called "chutney" had no solids in it, it was more like the tomato sauce you get out of a bottle.

For mains, we decided on the Mixed tandoori platter (28) - a selection of tandoori specialties: Chicken Tikka, Gulabi Kebab and Angaari Chops. I was disappointed with this. The only thing that was nice was the Chicken Tikka, in a slightly spicy sauce, with tender succulent chicken. The Gulabi kebab (minced lambs) were too salty and dry, even the accompaning yoghurt sauce couldn't rescue it. The Angaari chops (lamb) were spiced nicely, but the flavour wasn't complex enough, and the lamb chops were really fatty! At these prices I expect quality ingredients not some cheap cuts. On the menu this was listed at 18.8, but when we got the bill, we were told that because the platter was for 3, not 2, that was the price listed on the menu. What a rip off! So much money for a few pieces of meat. They were equally stingy in the Lamb Shanks Chetinad (18.8) - Diced lamb shanks with milled chillies, tomato, pounded whole garam masala and fresh curry leaves. The sauce was quite dice, but there were only a few pieces of shanks. The fact that 3 Asian girls were hungry after eating that curry, well, you can see for yourself how little substance there was.

We ordered Plain Naan (3.5), Garlic Naan (3.5) and Basmati Rice (2.7 pp). The naans were very thin, like paper thin, and no way as good as Janani, in fact, it was one of the worst Naans I've had, and I've tried a LOT! The Basmati rice, well, we only wanted it for 1 person, but they delivered a big bowl, which we all had to pay for at the end. For the sake of comparison, we also had a Plain and Sweet lassi (3.8 each). The verdict, the lassis are thicker than Janani, with a much stronger cardamom taste. This could be good or bad depending on how thick you like your drink and how strong you want the flavour. For me, I like it thick, but not the strong flavour.

The little chocolate they had at the checkout was nice though, I dunno if that's supposed to be a consolation price, but I'm sure I won't be going back again.

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

Abhi's is situated along a stretch of shops on Concord Rd in North Strathfield, which is good for me as it's a 5 minutes drive away from my place. Abhi's certainly doesn't look like the stereotypical Indian restaurant. Instead, it looks like the stereotypical Mod Oz eatery - with nice cutlery, tablecloth, a large wine list, a purple feature wall, and a huge bar area. We were seated upstairs, away from the hustle and bustle of the open kitchen. The seating was quite comfortable, although the tables are a bit close.

Rating - 2

Service

One thing I have to commend Abhi's for is their informative website. Unfortunately that's the only thing I have to command it for. The waiters were friendly, but they were always busy. We tried for a long time, and I'm talking more than 10 minutes to get their attention. We had to stand up and wave them down. I asked for a fork as they took away mine after entree, but after waiting 5 minutes, while the food was getting cold and the other girls were waiting for me, still no fork. I had to ask again before I was finally given a fork. What made it worst was the table next to us was obviously regulars, because during the course of our dinner, we saw 2 chefs, a waiter, and I think the owner (he looks like the pic on the website!) go over to talk to them like old friends. We only managed to get our bill because one of those chefs standing there saw us desperately trying to wave a waiter down that he sorted the bill for us.

We waited for a long time for our meal, and we had to ask for water to be refilled. And they call this service?

Rating - 1

C-factor

What was supposed to be a good night was ruined by the experience. And to make things worst, the bill came to $71.40 even after we've used the e-card. When I think about what a feast I could've had at any other Indian restaurant, it makes me fume.

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 8.5

Info

163 Concord Road
North Strathfield
NSW 2137
Phone (02) 9743 3061
Website

Friday, June 23, 2006

David's Kitchen Laksa

Taste

This place has one of the best foodcourt laksa around, much better than the Malay Chinese Takeaway and much much better than BaBa Laksa and the Malaysian Laksa House at QVB. This time I had the seafood laksa. There was heaps of seafood, including a prawn, fish balls, squid and fish, as well as fine vermicelli noodles. Of course, everyone knows that a soup can make or break a laksa, and I have to report that David's is very coconuty (I know that's not authentic but I love coconut!) and hot enough. I'm not a fan of those sissy laksa with hardly any spice, and I absolutely can't stand the ones that are swimming in chilli oil, so David's is doing quite well to please me.

Rating - 6.5

Look

A laksa is not meant to look pretty. The soup looked coconuty but everything else just looked orange. A laksa is hard to takeaway, but I got it to the office and home and into the microwave without the container breaking, that's all you can ask really.

Rating - 1

C-factor

$5 for 2 containers after 3pm, a Bargain! Go earlier for more variety.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 8.5

Available At

Colonial Centre
Martin Place

Dairy Farmer Deli Yoghurt

Taste

Because of the claims of "deli yoghurt" I was expecting something quite akin to the ones I usually get from Harris Farm. To my surprise, this mixed berry one from Dairy Farmer is actually better. The yoghurt was creamy, but not as heavy and thick as the Harris Farm ones, which I much prefer. I don't get such a heavy feeling in my mouth after eating it. The quantity of mixed berry was a little bit less than I expected, but enough so that every mouthful of vanilla yoghurt is accompanied by berry sauce. The actual berries themselves taste pretty good, but I would have preferred more fruit and less juice and syrup. Still this compares quite favourably with the mixed berry from Harris Farm.

I recently tried the mango, which tasted like the mango paste you get from Harris Farm yoghurts, so it compares favourably.

Rating - 7.5

Look

Ok, they can really work on their packaging to distinguish themselves from all the other yoghurts out there. By putting the berry layer at the bottom of the clear container, it was good to be able to see what you're getting, but otherwise, the yoghurt doesn't look appealing at all. The container is quite practical, with a clear lid so you can reseal and a foil covering.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

It was on special at Coles, but I think the normal retail price is around $4? for 350g. Not as expensive as Harris Farm ones, but more expensive then their Ski range and their traditional range. In my opinion, buy on special, otherwise, try Attiki!

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 10

Ingredients (for Mixed Berry)

concentrated skim milk, milk, fruit (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, cranberry juice, lemon juice) 12%, cream, sugar, milk protein, halal gelatine, cultures, pectin, natural flavour and colour.

Available At

Coles
Website

Masuya Japanese Seafood Restaurant

Since Canada, I haven't had a Japanese food fix, so when time came for a girly catchup (i.e. gossip/bitching session), we went to revisit a favourite to see how this place measures up to Japan.

Food

It's my 3rd time at Masuya, I've been once before for dinner and once for lunch. Dinner was great, there are lots of specialties you can try, all based around seafood of course.

For lunch though, they have special "bento" boxes which are relatively good value. Last time I tried the Masuya Set -Teriyaki chicken, tempura, sashimi, rice and miso soup ($22.50) which was great. This time I had the Tempura & Sushi Set - Deep-fried king prawns, seafood and vegetables served with tempura dipping sauce, assorted sushi and miso soup ($19.50). I also inherited Ashley's sashimi (she ordered Shogun Set - Wagyu yakiniku beef, teriyaki chicken, tempura, sashimi, nigiri sushi, California roll, miso soup and rice $27.50) since she doesn't eat raw fish. This place is known for the quality of their seafood, and the sashimi (salmon and red tuna) and sushi (Tokyo style + California rolls) had great quality fish, although not as fresh or as nice tasting as the ones in Japan. The sushi rice was fresh, but not very vinegary, which is a good thing. The tempura was a standout. It was crunchy and not cloggy, even better than the tempuras in Japan.

Rating - 8.5

Atmosphere

Being situated in a basement somehow adds to the Japanese feel of the place. Unlike Japan though, the tables are quite huge, but like Japan, are quite close to each other. For some reason, this place is frequented by a lot of men...who like to drink Sapporo beer, so if anyone is hunting for a guy, this is not a bad place to look. The decor is sparse but neat and tidy. There are usually lots of Japanese dining here, although lots more non-Japs have now discovered the place. All the waiters are Jap, so I could here the familiar " Irrashaimases" echoing all around. This place is always crowded, so either book or go early!

Rating - 2

Service

Well, the service is not as good as in Japan, but the waiters are Japanese afterall, so the service is better than almost anywhere in Sydney :) Because they were so busy, we didn't get served as soon as we liked. However, they are extremely efficient and meals get delivered in good time.

Rating - 3

C-factor

Masuya is not cheap, but I guess for the quality and quantity you're given, it's worth it. And as they say, to feel like you're in Japan again? Priceless.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 15

Info

Basement Level,
12-14 O'Connell Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9235 2717
Website

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Societe Roquefort

Taste

I've heard so much rave about roquefort that when I found out that it is finally available in Australia after customs lifted the ban, I had to go and try some. I have to say, I was disappointed with the hype. The brand of roquefort I tried had a very sharp taste, but this wasn't balanced by other taste sensations. Well, I don't think there's anything innovative about roquefort, it's supposed to be some age old tradition right? Well, since the quality wasn't some impressive I think there was a bit too much quantity!

Rating - 5

Look

The green packaging looks mighty ugly if you ask me! But what's cheese? The swirl of blue is always cool but there seems to be nothing distinguishing it for the other blues. I don't think the packaging was very cleaver or practical either.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

I can't remember how much it was, but it was on special and I remember it still being expensive!!!

Rating - 0

Swiss Points - 6.5

Available At

Harris Farm Markets
Website

Pitango Organic Soup

I thought Pitango is only a company name, but it means a small, wild, and yet elegant cherry-like fruit that grows in Israel and other warm countries. The company was founded in NZ in 1998. There's some interesting history on their website.

Taste

I've tried 5 different flavours of these new organic soups, Indian Vegetable & Pea, Tomato, Green pea & Mint with leek and cream, New Orleans Cajun Seafood Gumbo and Corn Chicken Chowder with smoked paprika & thyme and all were YUM! I don't know if the organic factor adds anything, but the fact that the soups are fresh, have good quality ingredients as well as no artificial flavours added to them might have contributed to their taste. There are just the right amount of real food pieces in the soup, and not only was the consistency excellent, it was real easy to prepare. Just pop in a microwave container, ding, stir, ding and serve! Packaged soup isn't something new, but this is the first organic ones I've seen in the big supermarkets.

Rating - 9

Look

The packaging is funky. You can't really rip the soup open with the opening tear they provided. But with scissors at hand, here's no spillage when transferring from the packaging to bowl. The colour and consistency look great.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

R.P.P is $5.99 for 600g, but prices vary. More expensive than cooking it yourself of course, and probably more expensive than going to a takeaway to buy it, but if you are short on time, and want the convenience of having soup whenever you want (within the expiry date of course), then it's a small price to pay.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 12.5

Ingredients

Indian Vegetable & Pea

Potato, Carrots, Pumpkin, Purified Water, Split Green Pea, Brown lentils, Sea Salt, Garlic, Onion, Olive Oil, Ginger, Cumin seeds, Masala, Fresh Coriander, Chilli

Tomato

Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato paste, Potato, Carrots, Purified Water, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Olive Oil, Sugar, Fresh Thyme

Green pea & Mint with leek and cream

Green Pea, Potato, Onion, Leek, Cream, Sea Salt, Sugar, Garlic, Non-org. spice, Purified Water

New Orleans Cajun Seafood Gumbo

Purified Water, Chopped Tomatoes, Potato, Carrots, Seafood (John Dory & Mussels), rice, onion, tomato paste, sea salt, sugar, garlic, sunflower oil, flour, non-org spices, org. cornmeal (thickener)

Corn Chicken Chowder with smoked paprika & thyme

Chicken Stock, Potato, Carrots, Green Peas, Shredded Chicken, Corn, Onion, White Wine, Sea Salt, Org. Cornmeal (thickener), Sunflower Oil, Garlic, Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Thyme, Chilli

Available At

Coles
Website,
Harris Farm Markets
Website,
Organic Shops

Parmalat Pure Organic milk

Taste

Ever since tasting the freshest, creamiest milk on our trip to Tassie in 2003 (henceforth known as the Holy Grail of Milk, or HGM for short), I've been on the hunt for great tasting milk. I've tried supermarket brands, boutique brands, buying milk in Tassie, buying milk in Europe, yet I cannot find anything remotely closed to the HGM. (In actual fact, most milk taste the same everywhere!). I'm afraid even this organic, unhomogenised milk from Pauls/Parmalat tastes no different to the other full cream milk.

Rating - 5

Look

The packaging is quite snazzy, the milk itself though, was thick (but not as thick as the HGM) but very white. I was expecting it to be more yellowy in colour. Could it possibly be that the milk has been whitened to appeal to the general market?

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

Well let's put it this way. It costs around $2.40 for 1 Litre of milk. I could buy 2L of normal full cream milk at Harris Farm. I would say the extra cost doesn't justify the taste. The organic and unhomogenised factors didn't play a part in the final product. If they didn't tell me there's no way I can tell.

Rating - 0

Swiss Points - 6.5

Available At

Most major supermarkets and some convenience and specialty health food outlets in Queensland (South East region only), New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia.

King Island Bass Strait Blue

King Island Dairy is of course the famous Tasmanian cheese and dairy company. I'll say it's the most well-known of the "boutique" or probably more correctly, "specialty" dairy companies in Australia, I think mainly due to their wide availability. I think there is nothing wrong with that as long as they produce great products.

Taste

Instead of me making it up, here's the description from their website: A natural rinded blue cheese with a rich creamy texture and even dispersions of blue mould throughout. A subtle blue cheese with a developed blue character and clean aftertaste. I'll say I pretty much agree with that. King Island blues are one of their best products (yup, I've just about tried them all!). This cheese is great because it's a softer blue, great to pair with dried apricot or to eat plain.

To add to my claim, here's the list of awards it has won:

2003 - Gold Medal, The Royal Melbourne Dairy Show
2002 - Champion Blue Mould Australian Grand Dairy Awards; Champion Fancy Cheese Royal Agricultural Society New South Wales Show; Australian Cheeseboard selection Royal Agricultural Society New South Wales
2001- Gold Medal, Royal Agricultural Society New South Wales; Gold Medal, Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Show

Rating - 8

Look

One thing is for sure though, blue cheeses are ugly. The company is not known for their packaging, but I do like the wooden boxes that some of their cheeses come in (yes I was guilty of buying some of the cheeses just for the box). Sadly this one only comes in the foil wrapping. But like they say, don't judge a book by its cover!

Rating - 0.5

C-factor

I got mine for $27.99/kg. Ok price to pay for a blue. I'm sure this price varies depending on where you buy it. It's not really cool to buy something that's so widespread now is it?

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 9

Ingredients

pasteurised milk, salt, mineral salt, enzyme (renet), cultures.

Available At

Harris Farm Markets
Website

Ice + Slice Gelato

We headed here after our dinner at Peasants Feast.

Taste

I had a 3 cone gelato with walnut, coconut and tiramisu ($5.80), Slokky had a 3 cone gelato with turkish delight, cinnamon and pistachio ($5.80). The good thing was we got to taste test the flavours before we ordered, so we didn't pick any dud ones. There were some not so impressive ones (like hazelnut), but remember we are gelato connoisseurs after our Italy trip. All the flavours we ordered were top notch! The most impressive was the turkish delight, not only for being innovative but also that it wasn't that sweet and captured the turkish delight taste, not to mention the really appealing baby pink colour!. I was quite impressed because they also had other cool flavours like green apple + ginger and strawberry + balsalmic, which you don't get in typical gelato store, and the quality of the ingredients were great. How much ice-cream you get though, depends on which waiter you get. Tsa got an ok 3 scoop, but Slokky and I were lucky and got huge scoops!

Rating - 7.5

Look

The seating was comfy, the gelato displayed seductively, the decor modern. How can gelato look bad?

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

The place was cosy, cool and quite popular. We got 25% off with our e-card voucher, and Luke & Tsa got their desserts for free due to the inadequacy of the staff, so all in all, we got a good deal.

Rating - 1.5

Swiss Points - 11.5

Available at

Ice + Slice Gelateria
135 King Street
Newtown
NSW 2042
Phone (02) 9516 4595

The Peasants Feast

Food

The Peasants Feast is an organic restaurant, with a focus on vegetarian food. The eight of us decided against the Banquet menu (Bread, tapas, choice of main, tea/coffee for $40) so we can save room for dessert. As well as the afore-mentioned vegetarian, the menu was filled with wintery dishes.

All the guys opted for the Cassoulet - From the farmhouses of Gascony in South West France, this famed dish of duck, pork, lamb shank, Toulouse sausage & haricot beans, immersed in a dark, robust broth (24.50) (their description not mine!) - this was the classic with loads of beans, shanks, veges. I didn't taste much sausages. It was big because of the amount of beans, but it wasn't as hearty as I thought. I had the Bendele Farm Organic duck with Organic duck sausage, orange, pistachio, spicy Morrocan cabbage and apple (26.50) - This was a better dish than the cassoulet. The duck was one of the most tender, moist and tasty duck I've had, maybe organic is really better? And the cabbage reminded me of sauerkraut, but it was sweet with the added apple, and very yum!

Rating - 7

Atmosphere

Friday night and Newtown was absolutely pumping. Well, that's not true, restaurants were either really full or really empty. We certainly felt special 'cos The Peasants Feast was so popular they needed a door nazi to keep people out. It felt like we were entering some exclusive party because my name was on the door list and we were let through. Decor wise, this place is like someone's house, albeit an eccentrically decorated one. We were seated upstairs on banquet seatings that was quite comfortable. You also shouldn't be surprised to find yourself seated next to some punks, this is Newtown afterall.

It was suitably dim, and the music? What music. It was so loud in there I could hardly hear myself speak!

Rating - 1.5

Service

This aspect was definitely the most disappointing part of the whole experience. First off, our waiter was very nice, but a total airhead. We asked him questions about the banquet menu and the entertainment card, and he had no idea! The worst thing though, was waiting for over an hour for our meal. We made an inquiry after about an hour, and the waiter (a smart one this time) assured us that our meal was next to come out. I didn't really believe him, but about 5 minutes later our meals appear, so we dug in. Mind you, it was around 9.30 pm when we finally got to eat, and we arrived at 7.30.

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

The occasion was planned so we could meet Chris, Shan's new bf. We certainly achieved that. Being an organic restaurant and being in Newtown certainly adds an extra something to it. As mentioned before, we used the e-card so ended up paying around $16 pp. If it wasn't for the e-card, I don't think it would be worth the money

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 11

Info

121A King St
Newtown
NSW 2042
Phone (02) 9516 5998
Website

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Great Cocktails, Disappointing Football

After our excellent dinner at Shanghai Night, we headed off to the Bayview Tavern in Gladesville to watch England vs. Paraguay live. I was looking forward to my first pub World Cup match, but I was very disappointed with the venue. The pub itself is nice, lots of cool seatings and lots of screens, however, the people there weren't there to watch footy, they were there to be seen and to dance. There was absolutely no atmosphere, even though Slokky and Thomas dressed up in their England jersey.

The game itself was a bore, I can't believe I stayed up for this. I was better off going home to sleep. The one consolation? I had a pretty fab cocktail, Sex on the Beach ($8.00) - vodka, Peach Schnapps, cranberry juice and pineapple juice.

Info

166 Victoria Rd
Gladesville
NSW 2111
Phone (02) 9817 2632
Website

Shanghai Night Chinese Restaurant

Cold and rainy Saturday night, what better way to catchup with friends than some hot and spicy Chinese (more correctly Shanghainese) food. I've wanted to go to this place for ages, and finally I got my chance.

Food

Shanghai Night is famous for their dumplings, and when we saw a couple of people busy rolling dough, filling and shaping dumplings right before our eyes in the restaurant, as well as the steaming pots and plates of dumplings that kept appearing from the kitchen, we knew we had to order up.

About 5 minutes after we ordered, our dishes started appearing in quick succession, delivered with a plonk on the table and in the totally random order below:

XO sauce fried new-year cake - This should be a familiar dish to Chinese restaurant frequenters. The cakes had a good texture, the sauce similar to others we've tasted.
bamboo shoots in sauce - I love bamboo shoots, especially fresh ones, like the ones here. Another plus point is that they were young and fat, just the way I like them!
cold chicken dipped in chilli soy - A famous Chinese dish. The chicken was soft with real chicken taste, the sauce was so so.
shallot pancakes - We ordered two lots, but only the first lot arrived... They were more-ish and not too oily, best eaten while still very hot. We waited in anticipation for the 2nd lot, while devouring...
chinese mushrooms and vegetables in oyster sauce - The mushrooms were fresh and tasty, the sauce acceptable. I was surprised at the quality of ingredients at this price.
Beijing style soup noodles with beef briskets - great noodles, ok broth. I didn't eat this one straight away though because I was occupied with devouring all the other food, so by the time I tasted this, it was slightly cold.
pan fried crab and pork shallot dumplings - I had been really looking forward to these, and I wasn't disappointed. Lovely soft dough, fried just right, wrapped around tasty filling with a squirt of soup. I was so anxious to eat them that I burnt my lip from the steam enclosed inside!! And I also dropped the meat filling :( Luckily, there was enough to go around for me to have another.
Sweet and sour fried tofu - These were recommended by the waiter, and they were divine! Softly fried tofu itself is wonderful, with the contrasting crisp and soft texture, add a sauce with peanut crunch, the perfect match!!
White rice - Yes, that's right, at this stage of our dinner, we finally got our rice. Can't attest to the taste, but according to Kaven, it looked a bit yellow.
Steamed Shanghaiese pork dumplings with soup - By the time these arrived, I was starting to fill quite full, but alas, I have to try it out. They tasted fresher than normal, with lovely soup swimming inside, just the way it should be, also superb.
Fried NZ Flounder - I don't think many people enjoyed the fish, but I thought it was great, although only when hot. Not the greatest tasting fish species, but a good pairing for deep-frying.

The conclusion, excellent dumplings, average Chinese dishes with great ingredients.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Shanghai Nights is located in the cosmopolitan suburb of Ashfield. Ashfield is known for its cheap Asian food. Shanghai Night is just one of several Asian eating joints on this strip along Liverpool St, and looks just like the others. I must come and explore this area again during the day.

This place fits the bill of cheap and simple Chinese restaurant. Laminated tables, Chinese menus written on colourful cardboard on the walls, a couple of plastic looking pot plants, quick turnovers and bustling with Asian friends and families. The 8 of us originally had a "private room" with a round table, out the back past the kitchen. However, about 10 minutes after we've arrived, we were told we needed to move back inside the main restaurant because the heavy rain meant the back might get flooded. The main room table (rectangular) was much harder to share food, but we were able to watch the dumpling makers at work.

Rating - 1.5

Service

I actually got better service than I expected, i.e., I expected very rude waiters who can't speak English, instead, the waiters were friendly and explained and recommended some very good stuff on the menu for us, and advised us if the amount of food we ordered was appropriate. In terms of service, it's basically everything plonked on the table and helping ourselves. However, I value efficiency and competency over silver service, so Shanghai Nights delivered in this area.

Rating - 3

C-factor

Did I mention this place was cheap?? For 8 people and all those dishes, the total came to $100.20, and I was stuffed! We didn't get much time to talk though as all the dishes came at once and we had to eat it HOT!

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 13

Info

275 Liverpool Road
Ashfield
NSW 2131
Phone (02) 9798 8437

Monday, June 12, 2006

Italy Nostalgia Trip

Only been a month since our Italy trip and already I'm trying to recreate my holiday experience. So on Sat, we dove-tailed down to Sydney's "Little Italy" or Five Dock as it's more commonly known.

The stretch along Great North Road contain quite a few Italian shops, including:

a bakery, Pan D'Or, where we bought some crunchy Italian bread and foccacia. Verdict - foccacia tastes pretty good, soft and oily, about middle of the pack compared to all the foccacias we tried in Italy. The bread roll was a bit hard, but for 25 cents, much cheaper than anything we could get in Italy.

several delis, we stopped at P.R. Raineri since it seemed the most crowded. We can get just about everything we could get from Italy here, with a few exceptions of things that can't be imported, like Parma ham. We got some buffalo mozzarella (excellent, creamy and smooth). We wanted to get some cold cuts as well, and, just like Italy, we were able to taste before we buy. The guy serving us was very friendly and recommended a few things for us to try. I think the cold cuts here are just as good as over there.

a lot of pasticceria/cafe, we stopped off at La Deliziosa for coffee and cake. We tried a chocolate liquor cake, heavenly, and just the right amount of alcohol, as well as a cream-filled donut, which was a bit sweet for my taste. The coffee was good, but not as good as Italy. Coffee and cake costs $4, so I can't complain about that. In the interest of research, we also went to get takeaway cakes at Tomborrino Pasticceria, we got a niccoletta (that's hazelnut) puff pastry, which was heavenly, creamy and nutty cream filling and great pastry, as well as a cream filled croissant, which also had great pastry and great custard. I will definitely be back to try all their other varieties of cakes and biscuits.

The Swiss

I will now explain the CC Swiss Cheese Point System of Product Rating, aka The Swiss . Each product will be rated on these factors:

Taste - flavour, innovation, quality and quantity ratio(10 pts max)
Look - packaging, colour, practicality (3)
C-factor - value for money, cool factor (2)

Swiss Points will be calculated by adding the total from the 3 categories above.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Restaurant Reviews by Cuisine

American

Asian

Bangladeshi

Bengal Cuisine

British

Buffet

Cafe

Chinese

Coffee Lounge

Sun Ming Coffee Lounge

European

The Peasants Feast

French

German

Greek

Scorpios Taverna

High Tea

Indonesian

Indian

Italian

Japanese

Kashmiri

Al Faisals

Korean

Malaysian

Morocco

Kenza

Modern Australian

Modern British

Modern Irish

Deane’s Restaurant

Pakistani

Pub

Seafood

South African

Vivat Bacchus

Spanish

Sri-Lankan

Steakhouse

Taiwanese

Kee Lung

Thai

Turkish

Vegetarian

Terre a Terre

Vietnamese

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Janani

After 2 months away from Oz, the food that I miss most? Indian. So as soon as we touched down on home soil, we headed off to our local Indian, or more correctly, Sri-Lankan, for a feast. Luckily for us, our local is actually one of the best restaurants around, as people who have come far and wide have attested to.

Food

We've been here so many times, and I try something different every time that I have tried just about everything on the menu. I can safely say that I haven't had anything bad yet, and I have tried a LOT.

On this particular visit, we decided to try an entree. I asked the waiter about their Puri, which are only available on Fri, Sat and Sun. After explaining the difference between the 4 different types on the menu, we chose the Dahi Puri ($5.50) - little crispy skinned dumpling filled with tamarind, yoghurt, nuts and other unidentified goodies. For mains, Slokky ordered his usual Goat Package ($9.50) - which is rice, goat curry, 3 vegetable curries, rasam and pappadam. This delivered as expected, the curries had a complex flavour of different spices. We didn't get our favourite eggplant curry on this occasion, but the standout was the cheese and okra curry. As usual, he orders an accompaning Plain Naan ($2.00). I love the naans here because they are fluffy and soft, but not oily or dry like at other Indian joints. This one is not as charred around the edges as usual, but still good! I chose the Chana Bhatura ($6.50) - which is puffed and fried bread with chickpea curry and sambol. Out of all the variations of bread with curry that I've tried (Puri Package, Chappathi Pack, Rotti Pack), the chana is the best! The bread is like a naan, except thinner and fried. You can tear it up in little bits to dip in the curry, or tear a hole in it and fill it with curry. The curry on this occasion wasn't my favourite, but it beats anything else I've tried at other Indian places. As usual, we had to order lassis (sweet ($3.00) and mango ($3.50))here with our meal, because they are cheap and don't have that cheap flavouring taste you get elsewhere.

Rating - 8

Atmosphere

We first started coming here right after we moved to Homebush, close to one and a half years ago. A few things have changed since then, like the furniture has been replaced, the wall repainted, and menu scrubbed up and prices gone up. Even with the changes though, the basics that makes Janani so charming still remains. Let's hope it stays that way even with the fame it keeps gaining every day.

The tables are set with a cup of silver cutlery, silver cups and silver water jug. A sink is situated in the corner for you to wash your hands before you pick up your food. The fridges are still filled with all manners of soft drinks and lassis.

Being a beautiful day, all the outside seats were taken, so we made ourselves comfortable inside with the green wall and the TV showing Indian movies.

Rating - 1.5

Service

One thing I have noticed, more and more non Indians and non locals are now frequenting the joint. This has really given the serving staff a bit of a test, because the menu items are not listed with English explanations of what it consists of. Fortunately, most new comers seem to be adventurous and willing to try new things.

Each time I've come, I've received warm, if not too professional service. For the type of place Janani is, and the prices, it is very fitting.

Rating - 3

C-factor

I have a soft spot for Janani, and even though the prices have gone up, they are still good. (It's cheaper for takeaway). They are renovating right now, so I really really hope they don't change too much.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

32 Burlington Rd
Homebush
NSW 2140
Phone (02) 9763 2306
Website

Friday, June 02, 2006

Arena Bar and Bistro

Food

It's been a long time since my last meal at Arena, 2001 or 2 I think... I didn't enjoy the food at all then and had no incentive to go back. A lot has changed since then, and since work was going to pay for my meal, I wasn't going to pass this opportunity up.

We started with some warm bread with oil and dukka - not the best bread I've ever had, but it was soft and warm, and the dukka had a tangy zang to it.

The entrees (all $15 except for the oysters) were all appealing. My choice was a toss-up between the bloody mary oysters, kingfish and salmon caparccio, and Warm quail tart salad. I chose the quail since I don't like paying money to eat oysters at restaurants and I was getting seafood for main. And I am glad I did! All the entrees were very nicely presented. My quail arrived in small braised pieces, sitting on top of a pile of green vegetables, which had a seaweed texture and a sesame taste. All of that resting on a disk of great pastry with a jus reduction. And of course, it was topped by a quail egg, the york still slightly runny. This was one of the best entrees I've had for awhile. I tried a bit of Fan's Squid Ink risotto with calamari, which had overcooked risotto.

The mains (all $25 except for the steak) were more conventional. I chose the Hiramasa Kingfish, chorizo, tomato as I wanted to know what kingfish tasted like. The answer, very similar to swordfish. This was a good thing since I am a fan of swordfish's firm flesh. A huge hunk of fish arrived swimming in a tomato based broth. I wasn't a fan of the paring of chorizo and kingfish though. They both tasted quite good on their own but I didn't see any benefits in bringing them together. We ordered a lot of accompaniment too, worthy of notes are the mash, tomato with boccochini and olives, broccolini, rocket and pear salad are
very sinful!

At this stage I was getting full, especially after all the sides I had, but the dessert men, all $12, sounded too good to miss. The solution, get a plate to share of course! The girls shared a Banana and Honey Souffle butterscotch sauce which was very very sweet, even for me. I couldn't even bring myself to have more than a few bites. I also made Fazel share his Warm Fig Tart with muscat ice-cream which was executed better. I'm glad I filled up on the sides and didn't leave much room for dessert.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

Being situated at the "Entertainment Quarter" ensured that Arena, on a Wednesday night, was just about empty. We were just about the only one there, or the only ones making noise anyway. Arena has that Mod Oz restaurant look - you know, mood lighting, lots of dark woods and silver, a bar with ottomans and cushions, banquette seats, hanging lamps (which a few guys hit their heads on).

In summary, very nice but you can get the same anywhere else in Sydney.

Rating - 2

Service

For a restaurant with no people, the staff could be more attentive. I guess they were efficient enough, but nobody went the extra mile. For the most part, we didn't mind pouring our own water and wine. At least the food arrived promptly.

Rating - 3

C-factor

Hummm, I'm not sure if this is going to be a fair judgement, but having a free meal with plenty of alcohol, the management making a fool of themselves, and only a few days until my holidays, I really enjoyed myself. I would come back again even with my own money. Plus, I think they are in the entertainment book.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 14

Info

212 Bent St,
Entertainment Quarter
Moore Park
NSW 2021
Phone (02) 9361 3833
Website

Cafe Mix

Food

We went to Cafe Mix especially for the Sydney Italian Festival event. They are having an Umbrian guest chef, Federico Santini from Domus Pacis in Assisi, cooking a special Italian selection. Because we came especially for that, based on that alone, the food was very disappointing.

Cafe Mix has the usual hotel buffet spread, plus or minus a few things. I will describe each one in turn.

Cold bar:

oyster
prawn
crab
smoked salmon
marinated vegetables
Caesar salad
bread
cheeses
dips

This was the best out of all the sections. The prawns were fresh, the oysters big, antipasto tasty. The only gripe was the bread. They had whole loaves there, but no knife, so how were you supposed to eat this?

Italian selection:

risotto
chocolate mousse cake
prawn and bread crumb salad
veal
fish in garlic and lemon sauce
chick pea soup
baked potatoes

It was very oily, not particularly balanced in flavour, only warm, and not very creative!

Japanese selection:

assorted sushi
assorted sashimi
miso soup and noodles
vegetable broth
fried whitebait

I was disappointed with the sushi. The rice was dried. I didn't get to try the sashimi as the selection had run out and they weren't refilled. The fried whitebait was good, crunchy and bitey. I didn't get a chance to try the miso or the noodles.

Chinese/Malaysian/Indonesian selection:

nasi goreng
braised beef in tomato sauce
sweet and sour chicken
mixed boiled vegetables
dim sums
vegetable soup

The dim sums were quite good, but of course not as good as a yum cha place. They really fill you up though, and Slokky got heaps of it so I had to eat it too. The braised beef was divine, soft and melt in the mouth. I also tried the chicken which was like other sweet and sour chicken. I didn't try the other stuff, but Slokky said the soup is just like the one he makes himself.

Indian selection:

peas and cheese curry
dahl
chicken curry
samosa
naan
pappadum
chuctley
pickle
yoghurt

I think I'm too spoiled for good Indian, but I wasn't a big fan. Again, I didn't try all, but of the ones I tried, the only things worthy of note are the samosas and the pea and cheese curry, both had depth of flavour and were not too oily.

Dessert selection:

mini gelatoes in cone:
- mango
- vanilla
- hazelnut
- chocolate
- choc mint
- raspberry
various gelatoes with coin, toppings
creme brulee
cannoli
almond biscotti
various cakes
various pastries
chocolate fountain with strawberries and marshmallows
assorted fruit

By the time I got to dessert, I couldn't fit anything else in, so I tried a very small selection. Again, hit and miss. I loved the mango and hazelnut gelatos, the creme brulee, and the strawberries with choc of course, but I couldn't try anything else, even though it looks very enticing. All in all, disappointed with the Italian stuff, and too full to be able to enjoy the dessert!!

Rating - 5.5

Atmosphere

Being situated in a quality hotel already guarantees Cafe Mix of a tasteful and expensive layout, and it didn't disappoint. Cafe Mix is absolutely beautiful. The circular entrance is decorated by coloured jugs of food. The lighting is suitably dim and atmosphere lively without being overly loud. The display of all the food are innovative, if not too functional, like the "bread basket" at our table. We were seated near a window, with views of the Cahill Expressway and the Wednesday night traffic jam, quite amusing actually.

Rating - 3

Service

Eating there is a breeze. We decided at the last minute to eat there, so I just called that afternoon to book a table. We were seated and away quickly. The staff were polite and mostly efficient, bringing us water and oil for our bread, and folding our napkins when we leave. Our plates were mostly cleared very quickly. The only gripe I have is that the food was not replenished quickly enough, and there were lots of empty slots.

Rating - 4.5

C-factor

For me, the food always rule. Because the food wasn't up to my expectation for the price I paid $58p.p for dinner Sun - Thu, I was disappointed. The only "special" moment was when Slokky chatted with the Italian chef who can't really cook, but he was a boring conversationist compared to others we met in Italy.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 13.5

Info

Level 1, Shangri-La Hotel
176 Cumberland St,
The Rocks
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9250 6206