Leona Edmiston for Jessica Walker Handmade Chocolates

Taste

There are 2 kinds of truffles in this Limited Edition box from Jessica walker:

• Milk chocolate truffle - yummy, with a caramel flavour centre
• Milk chocolate orange truffle - a bit sweeter and mellower, but the same chocolate outing

Rating - 6.5

Look

This is a special edition set where the box looks like a stack of 2 minature hat boxes. They were designed especially by Leona Edmiston and are totally couvertible!!

You can also get chocolate in the shaped of handbags or heels, how cool is that?

Rating - 3

C-factor

2 x 120g for $16.95, so very exy, but they are from London and they are extremely cute…for the people who buy designer clothing

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 10.5

Ingredients

sugar, vegetable fat, cocoa butter, full cream milk powder, cocoa powder, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier, flavourings

Available At

Myer
Website

The Chefs Table Hayman Island Resort

Heavily advertised by Hayman Island Resort as THE event to attend, I was a bit apprehensive, as this costs more money than Tetsuya’s, and Slokky had to pay the same price even though he wasn’t drinking the wine. But, my motto being, you won’t know until you try it out, so we booked our spot nice and early. And we certainly weren’t disappointed.

Food

We were greeted warmly and seated at the Club Lounge. Before too long, they delivered a class of Don Perignon champagne. Now, I think it might be just me, but I seriously couldn’t tell the difference between this and another decent champagne that costs half the price. We were offered an oeuvres d’oeuf of kingfish tartare, to be our only starter of the night actually. It was a bit plain and didn’t really do it for me, so just as well.

Well, the real thing was about to start. We were led into an area of the kitchen that has been especially set up. Executive chef Glenn Bacon (hehe!) introduced himself and his team, and told us a little about each dish and the matching wine. And so it begins…

• steamed Brunny island oysters with sake - I slurped up every last drop of the oyster juice, then downed the room temperature sake. The oyster was gently steamed and retained its natural flavour. I great start to the evening.
• fresh rolls - because I had down so much alcohol by this stage, I was lapping up the freshly baked rolls.
• mud crab and green papaya salad with plantains - this was an interesting dish. Plantains is like seaweed, and imparted a “sea” flavour to the crab. It was nice, the salad had great texture, and really memorable.
• 2006 Henschke “Coralinga” Sauvignon Blanc from Barossa Valley SA - a pleasant enough wine, I thought it was a bit strong to be paired with the salad.
• Guinea hen, savoy cabbage, black pudding and pork hock compression - was presented as an interesting terrain. Being a fan of black pudding, this one really hit the spot, especially with that really generous piece of truffle that was served on top.
• 2006 Haan “Prestige” Viognier from Barossa Valley SA - this was my favourite wine for the night.
• Hiramisa kingfish with baby abalone, enoki and pearl barley “risotto” - this was another highlight for me. The flavours were individual, but married very well together. Yup, it’s not really a risotto, but chewy barley.
• 2005 Dog Point Chardonnay from Marlborough NZ - I won’t comment except to say I like it!
• Pave of wagyu nine score with snail tart and Montpellier butter - oh my god, this was heaven. It was the BEST steak I have ever had, even better than those wagyu steak from Kingsley Steak House and Prime. The meat was really meat in your mouth, it had that slightly charred taste, it really didn’t need anything else. The snail tart has the real snail flavour, and the pastry, like those from breakfast, was again first rate.
• 2001 D’Arenberg "Coppermine Road" Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale SA - ok
• Purple carrot gelle and sherbet - looked absolutely spectacular. Glenn explained to us how you get purple carrot and the flavour difference. Well, I couldn’t really taste any "carrot" as such, but the flavour was wonderful nevertheless.
• Variations of orange – chocolate tart, blood orange sauce, flourless orange and almond cake with mascarpone, crème on sale biscuit - yum, yum and yum. My favourite was the actually the mascarpone cream. Smooth and luscious, with a hint of bitterness.
• 2004 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon from Riverina NSW - I had recovered from my tipsy stage and was able to savour the flavour of this one, but I was so full I couldn’t finish it.

All in all, a wonderful experience, the courses nicely paced and the right size – it was just the wine that was extra indulgent!

Rating - 8.5

Atmosphere

We certainly felt special and exclusive. We were seated in the Club Lounge, where we were given champagne and canapés, before we were called in pairs to sit in the special kitchen area.

They had set up a special long table there, with only 12 guests. Flickering candles provided the only light so the atmosphere was surreal. Extravagant floral display ran along the table, and there were wine glass galore!

Our table mates were entertaining too. We were as usual, the youngest people there by about 20 years, but as they all shared a love of food, we had no problems with discussions. We bumped into some the these people for the remainder of our stay too.

I love looking at the spacious kitchen, and we got a special tour visiting all the areas, including the chocolate room! We talked to a few of the chefs and visited the special wine cellar.

Rating - 3

Service

We were personally introduced to every course and their accompanying wine for Glenn Bacon, Executive Chef and the chief Sommelier. Service was, of course, the best we’d experienced on the island. Everything was paced just right. They were able to make special accommodation, including a lady who hwas allergic to seafood, who had her own special menu, and Slokky who didn’t drink the wine, got a special mocktail.

Rating - 4.5

C-factor

They only charged Slokky $100 for the meal because he didn’t drink the wine, but he did have juice and a mocktail, so I thought that was very nice of them. The wines cost $145. They were very generous with their portions, and kept topping up the wine. I didn’t get full value out of that of course but I saw a couple of people really lapping that up. All the ladies also got 6 pieces of chocolate as a gift. This was absolutely fabulous. It was expensive, but it was an experience I won’t forget.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 17.5

Info

Hayman Island Resort
Hayman Island
Great Barrier Reef
QLD 4801
Phone (07) 4940 1234
Website

Viking Platter Swedish Style Cod Roe

Taste

I was looking forward to tasting these, but wow, I guess it’s an acquired taste. The cod roe was SO salty, and I only had a little bit. I had an overwhelming feeling of fishiness. The suggestions for use were for sandwiches, salads and garnish, but I wouldn’t use this on any of those…

Rating - 2

Look

It’s in a tub that you squeeze out. You can get some very nice pattern with the design they’ve got, so I guess at least there’s some novelty there!

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

150g for $5. I know it’s imported, but I wouldn’t pay for this.

Rating - 0

Swiss Points - 4.5

Ingredients

mildly smoked selected fish roe (50%), vegetable oil, sugar, potato flakes, water, tomato puree, salt ,preservative (0.2%), sodium benzoate), antioxidant

Available At

Harris Farm Market
Website

Yummy House Almond Cakes

Taste

These scrummy "cakes" are more like biscuits, but with a very crumbly texture. I love almonds, so these were right up my alley. Try them with some Asian drinks. Check out all the goodies from Yummy House.

Rating - 8.5

Look

They are individually wrapped, easy to eat, and comes in a cool brushed metal tin.

Rating - 3

C-factor

454g

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 12.5

Ingredients

mung bean powder, sugar, almond, vegetable oil, peanut butter, water

Available At

Asian grocers

Weis' Bar

Taste

I tried both the Macadamia Mango and Cream and the original Mango and Cream from Weis. I thought they would be pretty similar, but I was surprised at how much more the macadamias actually add. The macadamia bar seems creamier, the flavour more robust with the macadamia. The mango was its usual sweet self and the creamy was sweet and soft. My only gripe was that the macadamia seems to be towards the end of their shelf live.

Rating - 7.5

Look

I tried both the 4 bars and the 8 mini bars. I definitely prefer the mini bars as it’s just right for one sitting, unless you were feeling pretty hungry of course. I really like the look and their packaging. You can really pick it up and eat without much mess.

Rating - 2

C-factor

280ml of 4 bars for $5.99. Not too bad, but not the cheapest thing you can buy

Rating - 0.5

Swiss Points - 10

Ingredients

ice confection: mango (40%), water, sugar, milk solids, coconut milk solids, glucose syrup, vegetable gums, natural colour, food acid, anatural vanilla flavour. ice cream with macadamia nuts: cream (40%), water, sugar, macadamia nuts (12%), glucose syrup, milk solids

Available At

Supermarkets everywhere

Italian Parmesan

Taste

This one is a staple. It’s not as good as the good Parmigiano, but it’s certainly up there with the average ones. Quite crumbly, a little salty.

Rating - 6

Look

Ummm, like cheddar!

Rating - 1.5

C-factor

$18.99/kg. Not bad considering a Parmigiano will be twice the price!

Rating - 1.5

Swiss Points - 9

Ingredients

pasteurised milk, enzymes, cultures, salt, rennet

Available At

Harris Farm Market
Website

Sara Lee Deep Dish Blueberry Apple Crumble

Taste

Surprisingly, this crumble from staple Sara Lee was really good! Not as good as home made of course, but for a supermarket fridge everyday category, it stands out. The crumble was very crunchy, if a little tasteless, but the filling was beautiful. Not too sweet, just wet enough, and with satisfying bits of melted apple.

Rating - 7

Look

You pop the whole thing in the oven and heat until golden brown. How successful you are in getting that golden colour is really up to you. The purple filling inside looks really good though.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

800g for $3.50, bargain!

Rating - 2

Swiss Points - 11.5

Ingredients

wheat flour, blueberries (17%), apple (17%), sugar, vegetable fats and oils, water, thickeners, dextrose, whey powder, salt, lemon juice, baking soda, dough conditioner, vegetable gum, mineral salt

Available At

Supermarkets everywhere

Sakata Rice Crackers

Taste

I think I have now tried all the flavours of rice crackers from Sakata.

• wasabi & soy - very little wasabi taste and only a faint hint of soy
• black sesame & soy - beautiful, salty and with that unmistakble aroma of black sesame, almost as good as the rice crackers from Japan!
• greek feta - tastes like ordinary plain crackers. Can't taste any feta.
• Italian roast tomato & balsamic - artificial tomato taste and a bit one-dimensional, the balsamic being more sour than anything
• Mexican salsa and cheese - tastes like salsa dip mixed with BBQ sauce. You can actually taste the cheese, although it tastes more like off cheese than real cheese
• sour cream & chives - it tastes salty and pleasant, but I can't taste any sour cream or any chives
• Moroccan spice - quite pleasant, but kinda tastes like bbq flavour>
• Portuguese chicken - really good, a bit bbq like and a little spicy

Rating - 6.5

Look

They are one of the better known brands of the ubiquitous rice crackers filling our supermarket aisle, with their catchy jingle. I think they try to relate these back to Japan but I don't think they have succeeded at all! The packaging is not up to scratch for one! They come in a tray dividing the crackers into 4. I wish they individually seal the 4 roles though, as once it's opened, you are better off finishing all the biscuits to keep them fresh. It'll also be easier to carry around in smaller packaging.

Rating - 1

C-factor

I got these on special for 100g for 99 cents. Usually they are about $1.69 I think. It's a fair price to pay.

Rating - 1

Swiss Points - 8.5

Ingredients

Wasabi & Soy

rice (93%), vegetable oil, sugar, soy sauce powder (tamari), flavour enhancer, flavour, fructose, garlic powder, salt onion, powder, yeast extract, anti-caking agent

Tomato

rice (57%), potato (29%),vegetable oil, sugar, salt, flavour enhancer, onion powder, dextrose, tomato powder (0.6%), acidity regulator, spices, garlic powder, parsley flakes, anti-caking agent

Available At

Supermarkets everywhere

Gluten Free Gourmet Expo 2007

After the excitement of last year’s event, we were really keen to come back again. Learning from last year’s experience, we decided to go on a Friday night instead of the Saturday. It was a wise decision, but the place was still really crowded. As usual, there were loads and loads of free tastings, but this year they have also included talks and cooking demonstrations.

Among the standouts this year were:

• fish sausage from Penrith Seafoods
• Tender Value Meats’ excellent sausages, of which we stocked up on last year
• Syndian dips and patties
• pomegranate juice from Basco
• Ajitas vege chips

I was really sad that I couldn’t buy some of the cheap specials, but I did manage to pick up a Teflon coated silicon mat from Mackies Bakery Equipment.

Info

The Coeliac Society
Website

Fisho Spice Mix Seasoned and Roasted Fish

Taste

I got these goodies from Fisho in Thailand. There are w categories of flavour: Thai Delight

• Spicy Shrimp Paste - the hottest of them all, with a pungent shrimp taste that was not unpleasant
• Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Pepper - tastes very similar to the shrimp, a bit less hot and without the shrimp taste

Japanese Delight

• Unagi Teriyaki - also spicy, but with a bit of sweetness as well. It’s also less fishy than the Thai stuff, but still very satisfying
• Soy Sauce Wasabi - I was actually surprised that this was not hot, but quite sweet. It’s quite satisfying really

Rating - 8

Look

They are individually packaged, so each one is a bite sized snack. The picture on the front depicts the flavour and is quite cool.

Rating - 3

C-factor

60g worth of 4g individual packages for measly dollars, but only if you bought it in Thailand!

Rating - 2

Swiss Points - 13

Ingredients

Spicy Shrimp Paste

surimi, wheat flour, seasoning, chilli powder, dried shrimp

Stir-Fried Crab Meat with Pepper

surimi, wheat flour, seasoning, chilli powder, black pepper

Unagi Teriyaki

surimi, wheat flour, seasoning, soy sauce, chilli powder

Soy Sauce Wasabi

surimi, wheat flour, seasoning, soy sauce, chilli powder, seaweed, wasabi

Available At

Asian grocers

The Random Harvest Cook Rich Chocolate Sauce

Taste

This sauce from sauce company Random Harvest is too sweet and there’s not enough chocolate taste, which can be explained by the ingredient list. I prefer my chocolate sauce to be made with at least real chocolate. It’s messy but definitely worth it, especially licking the bowl afterwards.

Rating - 4

Look

The bottle is pretty sexy, and I guess it’s a convenient way of having chocolate sauce.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

I got this 140ml jar as a gift, so no idea now much it retails for.

Rating - 0

Swiss Points - 6.5

Ingredients

glucose, syrup, water, sugar, cocoa (6%), flavour, preservative

Available At

Myer
Website

David Jones
Website

Azure Seafood Grill

Besides breakfast, Azure specialises in seafood. And twice a week, they hold a special seafood buffet. We took the opportunity to try it out…afterall, who can say no to all you can eat oysters?

Food

So here’s the list of what we ate, out of all the things available

cold bar:

• oysters - freshly shucked, paired with just a squeeze of lemon. I only managed to fit in 18 :)
• prawn - large and juicy
• crab - some were a bit mushy but generally retained most of the crab essence.
• squid salad - the squid was cooked just right so it wasn’t chewy, and paired nicely with the simple salad.
• pumpkin and sausage salad - another good piece of work. The pumpkin roasted just right
• salmon and potato salad - I only had a bit of this, but again, really good.
• bean and egg salad - I didn’t have the egg (which were placed whole on top of the salad), but the beans were a bit bland.
• roast beef salad - rather unremarkable.
• couscous and fish salad - the fish was very fishy tasting, but I couldn’t identify what it was.
• sushi - the worst food of the night. The rice was dry from being exposed for so long and it tasted horrible. The food not much better either.

Hot bar:

• salt and pepper squid - the squid was beautiful and tender. This was let down by the lacklustre bite to the spicing. The accompanying sauce was ok but not spectacular.
• chilli prawns - probably the standout of the hot bar, the chilli packing a punch and paired very nicely with the fresh, juicy prawns
• chicken and sweet corn soup - hey, a non-seafood item, but it was very delicious, the corn sweet and the chicken flavouring the soup very nicely.
• lobster and clams paella - there was so much lobster in this dish, the sauce has been infused with saffron and tastes wonderful. The only letdown was the rice which was a bit undercooked.
• Thai fishcakes - made with fresh ingredient and tasted so different to the frozen variety I was so used to I almost didn’t realise that this was fish cakes!
• vegetable tempura - I don’t think tempura is a dish you should serve at a buffet. The batter was limp and soggy by the time you tried it.
• steamed whole fish - great quality fish with firm flesh, gently steamed.
• deep fried yabbie - I prefer mine just steamed, but this was good too.
• fried salmon - boring.
• fried kingfish - worst dish of the night. The fish was really dry.
• fish skewer with lemon - firm fish, I think it was swordfish, with a citric sauce.
• curry octopus - I don’t see the point of this one, the pairing didn’t really go.
• roast beef - one of the other non seafood dishes that I tried. This was one of the best I’ve eaten. I passed on the accompaniment of corn and potatoes though, I just couldn’t fit it in.

Dessert:

• chocolate mousse - too sweet for my taste.
• passionfruit cheesecake - yum, with a great biscuit base.
• tiramisu - this wasn’t totally soaked in alcohol or coffee, but the cream was first rate, and the presentation was so spectacular.
• flourless chocolate cake - beautiful, intense, dark chocolate.
• coffee slice - much better than those you get at the Chinese cake shops.
• chocolate raspberry slice - the raspberry a little too sweet, but paired well with the chocolate.
• crème caramel - not one of my favourite desserts. This one was nevertheless done well, with a sweet vanilla tone.
• orange poppyseed cake - now this one is one of my all time favourites. This one was quite dense with bitter citrus notes. I think I prefer the sweeter version.
• carrot cake - the cream cheese was too sweet, and was over the top with the sweet cake. The little marzipan carrot on top was cute though, and tasty too!
• fruit tart - the custard was to die for, and as usual, the pastry was first rate.
• fresh fruit - hehe, ate this to cleanse my palate.
• cheese - pretty much the same offering as breakfast, so I only tried a little of the blue.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

At night, they changed the setting to contain some lovely ice sculptures. We were seated right on the edge, where it was opened to the elements. It was like dining on the beach, and with the heater on, it was magical. That magic did fade a little when our heater went out, but watching the waves and sand, and the green and red light of the marina blink on and off, was certainly magical.

Rating - 2.5

Service

Our waiter, Fiona, was helpful but was run off her feet trying to keep emptying our bowl and refilling water, folding people’s napkins. She took away our bowl and didn’t replace it for a full 10 minutes, so we had to use another plate instead. Plenty of times our water was left empty too. She was still better than most you get in Sydney, but she was our worst waiter on Hayman.

Our gas heater ran out but they couldn’t actually replace the as in time so I had to sit in the cold, which meant we didn’t really linger for as long as we would like.

Rating - 3

C-factor

$85 per person. The seafood is top rate, but it’s just a tad too expensive, but it wasn’t a rip off or anything.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12.5

Info

Hayman Island Resort
Hayman Island
Great Barrier Reef
QLD 4801
Phone (07) 4940 1234
Website

La Trattoria

This is the most casual, and cheapest, restaurant available for guests on Hayman Island, but it was also one with the best user reviews, so I was looking forward to it. And by cheap I am talking about mains in the low $30s instead of something in the 40s for the other restaurants.

Food

We were not that hungry, and mostly tired, after our delayed flight, but we couldn’t resist ordering an entrée and a main, as everything on the menu sound really delicious. If I had more time on the island I would definitely come back.

Anyway, back to the food. We started with some foccacia with balsamic oil and tomato salsa. The foccacia was quite soft, the oil was average but the tomato salsa was sweet and had a real zing. It was a tasty dish all around but instead of whetting my appetite I think it really filled me up, so when our entrée of zuppa minestrone ($17) – traditional minestrone soup with clear grilled ciabatta arrived, I was already feeling quite satisfied. The minestrone was excellent, with a heady tomato note, paired with a bit of heat. The little pasta in the soup was really al dente, and I used the grilled ciabatta to mob up all the last drops.

For the main, we decided to forgo the meaty option and went for a pasta and pizza. The pappardelle allo scoglio ($34) – market fresh seafood, scorched tomato, garlic, basil and wide ribbon pasta was generous with the seafood. There were crab, squid, scallots, prawns, mussels, which, we were to learn later, were all shipped fresh daily from Sydney. There was a bit too much sauce, but that’s typical Aussie style, but the pasta was beautiful. The tuscan pizza ($27) – prosciutto, porcini mushroom, kipfler potato, boccocini and herbs was not as good as the pasta. The crust was a bit too doughy for my liking, and I think the potatoes didn’t quite match the topping. That being said, it was a pretty nice pizza. We were just so full and so tired we actually couldn’t finish our meals!

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

We had the best spot in the restaurant, right next to the central atrium where the antipasto are displayed and right in front of the Great band. There are the traditional Italian touch, like the red and white chequered tablecloth, the mural on the wall against yellow walls, wooden furnishing and the daily specials displayed.

The guests were obviously enjoying themselves, a few were regulars and some were even dancing along with the band.

All the bowls were the lopsided uneven variety that I always feel like the food is going to spill out.

Rating - 3

Service

Since this was our first night, I didn’t know what to expect. Amy, our waiter, turned out to be the best we had on all occasions on the island. She was friendly and actually genuine and understanding, that’s more, she really anticipated our needs. We ordered the entrée to share and the kitchen actually split it into two servings for us, and even gave us an extra piece of bread.

Rating - 5

C-factor

Not too bad for Hayman Island, expensive for anywhere else.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 16.5

Info

Hayman Island Resort
Hayman Island
Great Barrier Reef
QLD 4801
Phone (07) 4940 1234
Website

Azure Breakfast

Azure is a seaside restaurant, and the setting of our daily buffet breakfast.

Food

Before I describe all the food, let me just say that I did try all of this over the course of 5 days and I didn’t eat it all in one go!

Cold Selection:

• smoked salmon - the best smoked salmon I have eaten at a buffet breakfast. You can actually taste the freshness. According to the staff, the seafood is shipped fresh from Sydney every day.
• smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel - even better than just smoked salmon!
• assorted cold cuts - again, great quality
• Bircher muesli with berry compote and strawberry yoghurt - really yummy, especially the really well made berry compote
• Bircher muesli with stewed prunes, cherries and berry compote - tried it again just for the stewed fruits, and they didn’t disappoint, especially the cherry.
• mango and natural yoghurt with dried fruit and nuts - yum, the mango yoghurt had pieces of mango and was so sweet, plus they had the freshest macadamia nuts
• cheese with dried fruit - the brie was soft, the smoked cheese smoky, the cheddar and the Eden were ok, the blue was excellent, especially paired with a dried fig, but they didn’t serve it every day, and a great selection of dried fruit to go with them.
• assorted fruit - the grapefruit was quite sour, the other fruit were not that fresh or sweet, but I blame that more on the season.

Continental Selection:

• apple Danish - quite sweet, but the pastry was great. The waiter told us everything was made fresh on the premises
• blueberry Danish - beautiful custard cream
• raspberry Danish - same beautiful cream, different fruit
• strawberry Danish - same same
• peach Danish - not very sweet and with not much peach taste
• almond Danish - actually tastes different, with an almond cream paste and flaky croissant on top.
• apricot Danish - same as the others
• croissant with strawberry jam - very buttery and flaky
• chocolate croissant - the chocolate is soft and leaves a mess, but it’s satisfactory
• rye bread - yum of course!
• raisin bun - soft and with the juiciest raisins
• raisin scroll - buttery and sweet, not very flaky at all
• cheese scroll - great pastry and great quality cheese
• miso soup - too salty, but that’s maybe because we put too much dried bonito flakes in!

Hot Selection:

• blueberry muffin - in the hot selection, so was served warm, with a very crunchy top
• chocolate muffin - so yum with melted chocolate chips
• zucchini and onion - nicely dressed with oil and herbs
• smoked salmon and spinach egg pot - the pepper really lifted this dish
• hash brown - Slokky’s favourite, very crunchy
• chicken sausage - beautiful, a bit spicy to bring out the flavour
• chipolata sausage - spicy, with a good splattering of fat
spicy beef sausage - really strange and dry.Sicilian lyonnaise (pork) sausage - juicier than the beef but not that exciting
• duck sausage - the best of all the sausages, gamey, slightly sweet, plus I detected a hint of alcohol.
• omelette with mushrooms, cheese and tomato - made to order, but I found it a bit too salty and cheesy.
• omelette with everything except cheese - even without the cheese, it was too salty. In fact I had a whole mouth full of salt crystal at one stage!
• scrambled eggs - creamy enough, but because it’s not made to order, it wasn’t the best I’ve tasted.
• baked beans on poppyseed bun - certainly better than the canned variety, but it’s still baked beans
• eggplant Parmigiana - juicy eggplant let down y the sauce
• eggplant with Napolitana sauce and cheese - tastes pretty much like the Parmegiana, except with more tomatoes
• bacon and leek frittata - lovely firm eggs
• bacon - lovely and crisp
• poached egg - made just right, the yolk still slightly runny
• poached egg with hollandaise - the hollandaise is excellent
• roast tomato - with cheese on top. Sweet but not too sweet
• beef steak - never a good idea to eat well done beef that’s been sitting in a bain marine, even those made with good quality beef.
• French toast - made with thick, good quality bread, just the way it should be. This one is not that eggy, which I enjoyed but Slokky didn’t.
• pancake - very thick and fluffy, not too sweet, and with fresh honey as an accompaniment.
• fried potato - much better than the hash browns in my opinion

Drinks Selection:

• skim cappuccino - from Segafredo and beautifully made
• latte - made by a different barista, pulled too long but still ok
• mocha - very nicely made again, I am glad they are back on their game
• hot chocolate - nicely made, not too sweet
• peppermint tea - refreshing, but I can never taste the difference between teabag and real tea
• grapefruit juice - a bit sour but cleansing
• champagne cocktail - very nice, but make sure you have nothing strenuous planned for the morning
• apple juice - sweet and fresh
• pineapple juice - beautiful, not too sweet unlike other juice
• orange juice - the real stuff

Rating - 7

Atmosphere

Azure is absolutely beautiful. You can choose to sit outside, overlooking the beach, inside, overlooking the beach through the floor to ceiling windows, or inside, overlooking the buffet. The buffet is laid out around some beautiful flower arrangements. You can watch the chefs at work, frying the eggs and pancakes, in the open kitchen. The décor is seaside chic.

Rating - 3

Service

On our first day, we were given a tour of the place and explained how things worked. Each day we were served by a different waiter, with various levels of service, but generally, they were thoughtful, friendly and courteous. When it got busy though, there was quite a wait to get breakfast. Dishes were generally cleared quickly, but some were definitely more thoughtful than others.

Rating - 4

C-factor

Our package included buffet breakfast.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 15

Info

Hayman Island Resort
Hayman Island
Great Barrier Reef
QLD 4801
Phone (07) 4940 1234
Website

David Jones Food Hall Noodle Bar

Off to the famous DJs Food Hall to try to use up my gift voucher.

Food

The noodle bar does a mixture of Asian dishes, not just noodles. There were various entrees, salads and curries, but considering the name, I decided to get noodles. I asked for my Pad Thai Chicken ($13.95) to be hot, but they mixed up my order with the girl next to me, as my plate had no chilli and I watched her pick out all the chillis from hers. When I pointed it out to the waiter, she did offer to say the chefs will make me another one, or I could get chillis on the side. I chose the chilli on the side option, as, even though the chilli won’t be totally infused, I didn’t want to keep my friend waiting.

The noodles definitely had the wok-breath, and a crunchy sprinkling of peanuts on top. There was not much chicken or egg pieces but it was cooked nicely. My only complaint is that the sauce is a bit too sweet, and they provided lemon instead of lime, so there wasn’t enough sourness to it. The pad thai at Chat Thai at the TGV is still the best in the city.

Rating - 6.5

Atmosphere

The Noodle Bar is one of many concept "store within a store" at the revamped DJs food hall. Besides the Noodle Bar, there are also the Oyster Bar, the Coffee Bar, the Juice Bar, the Cheese Bar and the Pasta Bar. We went at 12pm on a Wednesday lunch, and grabbed one of the last seats. By 12:30 there was a long line that had formed.

The best thing is probably watching the chefs at work, although the view to their workstations is obstructed from where I was sitting. The worst is probably that you are sitting in a row, so it’s pretty hard to have conversations besides with one person. You can’t really talk and eat at the same time.

Rating - 2

Service

I really felt like I was being rushed, and I guess the huge queue really explains it. Before we had even sat down, we were asked what we wanted to order. They gave us the bill pretty much as soon as we had finished eating too. That being said, the staff was still quite polite and willing to attend to your needs.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

It’s definitely more expensive than your Asian restaurant, but this is like upper class food right?

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12.5

Info

65-77 Market Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9266 5544
Website

Overseas Visitor’s Tour of Foodie Sydney

My good friend V came to visit from HK, so it was my job to show her around Sydney. And by that I mean Foodie Sydney of course, since she’s already done all the touristy stuff. Our first stop was to Rozelle, where we had lunch at the lovely Barn Café.

We didn’t stop by the Rozelle shops and instead, hopped straight over to Balmain, where the obligatory stops at Balmain Markets was in order. I have to say, some of those stallholders were extremely professional and well set up, but there are a few gems, but it’s a lot more upmarket than people make it out to be. We stopped by a few other Balmain boutiques, but the only food stop we made was at Victoire, where we oohed and aahed at the cakes, before I got myself a nice loaf to take home.

Next on the agenda, Haberfield, home to the excellent Chocolate and the famous Pasticceria Papa. It seemed we had caught the afternoon rush, but we did manage to grab ourselves the cappuccino ($3.50) and a Cannoli before we headed off to Lamonica’s IGA to stock up on antipasto for breakfast the next day.

Info

Balmain Markets
St. Andrews Church
Cnr Curtis Rd and Darling St
Balmain
NSW 2041
Phone (02) 9569 8552
Website

Victoire
285 Darling Street
Balmain
NSW 2041
Phone (02) 9818 5529

Pasticceria Papa
145 Ramsay St
Haberfield
NSW 2045
Phone (02) 9798 6894
Website

Lamonica’s IGA
155 Ramsay St
Haberfield
NSW 2045
Phone (02) 9798 5646

Pontoon Bar

The site of one of several work Christmas parties. Pontoon bar is right by the boardwalk on Cockle Bay Wharf, and on any typical weekend, you will find young things partying and drinking ‘til the wee hours.

However, on this occasion, we had the whole bar to ourselves. A work party is usually pretty boring, and this party had no atmosphere as such. Well, I don’t think it’s Pontoon’s fault, as their BBQ is normally quite happening. On this occasion, we had an assortment of finger food, but not that much of it so we had to fight hard to get our hands on the:

• Tortilla Wrap with Smoked Chicken & Avocado, Roast Beef &
  Rocket or Roast Vegetable and Pesto - bad, fell apart easily
• Spring Rolls- fresh and hot
• Curry Puffs- pastry a bit too thick
• Spinach and Fetta Triangles - yummy
• Mixed Nori Rolls - anything not made by a Japanese restaurant is not a real nori roll
• Honey Mustard, Honey Soy or Spicy Chicken Drummettes - a bit dry but passable
• Sausage Rolls - was disgusting as the sauce had been polluted and it was kinda cold

Unfortunately, the free drinks were only limited to James Squire ale, which I found was at least quite nice.

They have blocked the entrances with a few chairs, but people still kept wondering into the private party. The bar itself looks like all the other bars along the harbour, and by that I mean silver and wood. The bar itself is extra long, so you won’t have much trouble getting a drinks. Not many seats though, mostly standing room with tables. I prefer something a bit more intimate and classy myself.

Info

Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Park
The Promenade North
201 Sussex St
Sydney
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9267 7099
Website

Sydney Food & Wine Fair 2006

Another year, another Food & Wine Fair. The change this year though, was I decided to become a volunteer, so instead of just enjoying the food and helping to raise money, I would actually contribute to its success.

The day started early, with volunteers required for a 8am start. We quickly got fitted out in some black and sexy t-shirts with huge advertising for 42 below vodka. A breakfast of sausage, tomato and mushroom, all sandwiched between excellent Brassarie Bread Cantina Roll made a great start to the day. As usual, the organisation could be questioned, with all the volunteers standing around until 8:30 before our briefing. I was part of the group assigned to direct cars/trucks filled into Hyde Park. Of course, no one would want to arrive early, they all want to arrive at the last minute and do the mad rush, so the 6 volunteers stood around chatting while we waited. My team leader proceeded to tell us offensive jokes for over an hour. Finally I got frustrated and left to help out on something else. I ended up cleaning tables and chairs, then help put out tablecloths, and finally filling Vogue Entertainment and Travel showbags. The ladies at Vogue were really nice and ended up giving me a free bag that they had leftover when the items to fill. We missed out on the makeup, but got a copy of the latest Vogue Entertainment and Travel, some Carmen's muesli bars, Ferrero Raffaello and tasty Katjes fruit jellies.

The hard work over, we were given $20 worth of coupons each, so we decided to check out what was on offer before the crowd descends. Working as a volunteer really lets you see the inner workings of the event. For example, the people from Spice I am were very nice. They were the first to arrive, set up, and when we visited their stalls, gave us some free banana fritters, which were so more-ish, especially since I was missing bananas... The other people to show their appreciations was my favourite bread store, Brasserie Bread, who actually gave us a free chorizo sandwich with Schiacciata that they were selling for $7.50. Needless to say, the bread was wonderful and the sausage and sauce top rate!

The same couldn't be said for the people at Tabou, who were extremely rude and didn't acknowledge our help in any way. Even though I'd always wanted to try out that place, I think now I'll give it a miss.

We met up with some friends (surprisingly we didn't bump into anyone we didn't plan to meet up with this year) and quickly decided on the first stall, some BBQ quail with lemon ($7.50) from Lucios. They were juicy, tender and absolutely delicious. I was lusting after the little tarts from Bourke St Bakery, so I went to pick up a rhubarb & almond tart ($2.50). It was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful pastry, superb almond filling and tender rhubarb. I went back later to get some more, only to discover they had sold out. I didn't learn my lessons from previous years afterall, which is, if you see something you like, grab it even though it might be dessert, 'cos it won't be there later.

Last year, Bathers Pavilion's almond tart with double cream & berry coulis ($7.50) ran out, (but we got one before that happened and it was delicious!), so this year, when we found out it was on again, we made a beeline for the stand. Once again, it didn't disappoint.

By this time, we weren't hungry and desperate, so we took some strolls to discover what else was on offer. I didn't like the look of the delicious bag ($5) as much this year, but I still picked one up. I also picked up a AGT ratatouille with roast lamb ($10), which was actually not that great, but it was for the magazine only.

Eating over, I was free to wonder around enjoying the sights and sound, and marvel at how many people can actually fit into the park, as well as trying to see how many people I know I would bump into. But I had to make my way back to my usual haunt, the Brasserie Bread stand to pick up a loave ($2.50 for small, and $5 for large) and it was as wonderful, as always. Until next year…

In a way I was disappointed that a lot of the players weren't there this year. Claude's has been missing ever since Chui Lee Luk took over the reins, but the other players, like Lindt, didn't show up this year either.