Yo! Sushi St Pauls

Surprisingly, I haven't had sushi train for years, well, I haven't exactly had great experiences in the past, so I was never in any rush to go and try it. But, London is another matter. Yo! Sushi is another one of those food chains that I said I would eventually get around to trying, so when they were having a special offer, this was as good a time as any to catch up with some old friends.

Food

Because filtered water is actually £1, we opted to have green tea (£1.25 unlimited) and miso soup (£1.75 unlimited). The green tea tasted like water and the miso soup was really salty, but I still refuse to pay for water. Anyway, onto the main event. We tried:

green:
• Crispy Salmon Skin Hand Roll - grilled crispy salmon skin with spring onion - I love the really crunchy texture and the fresh hand roll. A winner.
• Vegetable ISO (inside out) - tamago, cucumber, avocado, mizuna leaf, and mayonnaise ISO with chives - ok, but not spectacular.

blue:
• California Hand Roll - crabstick, avocado, mayonnaise and sesame seed - surprisingly tasty, with a smudge of mayo and retaining the great texture of the nori.
• Salmon Nigiri - fresh sliced salmon with wasabi - the salmon was very thin, so that the ratio of rice to fish was not right, but at least the salmon was fresh enough.

purple:
• Spicy Chicken Katsu ISO - shredded crispy chicken, in a spicy dressing, and misuna ISO. Drizzled with fruity katsu sauce - wow, this was actually spciy. The sauce was delightful. Great combo.
• Squid Nigiri - fine slices of squid with yuzu tobiko - yum! the squid was so tender and fresh, wonderful

orange:
• Crunchy Tuna Salad - slices of tuna, crunchy mixed salad dressed in light tangy dressing - a big success. The tuna was pepper seared on the outside, but still raw and tender on the inside. This one reminds me of the wagamama salad. The leaves have that bitter kick and the sauce is superb.
• YO! Roll - Salmon, avocado and mayonnaise ISO with tobiko (flying fish roe) - basic but yummy combination

pink:
• Crispy Duck and Moromi Miso Hand Roll- shredded crispy duck, brown rice miso, sliced cucumber and spring onion - not very successful at all. Pretending to be a duck pancake but not even close. The duck was not very flavoursome or melt in the mouth, and the flavours don't jar.
• Crunchy Prawn and Avocado ISO - crispy battered prawn and avocado ISO with wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe) - looked great with the green outside, but tastes pretty bland.

platinum:
• soft shell crab - soft shell blue crab - not that soft and not that crunchy. I've had better

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

The place was packed when we arrived just before 7:30. I guess people in London don't work late. The place is bright an airy, with a corner that's dedicated to take-away. The majority of the space is of course taken up by the "kitchen", with the sushi train surrounding it. You mostly sit around the train, on special benches that have filtered tap water and holes built in to hold all your bowls, wasabi, soy sauce...etc, except there are a few actual tables at the back, and that's where we were placed, which was great as it was quieter and away from the wind. It's not really a place to come in a big group, as you can never really sit together, and it's not a place for a date. But for a quick, relatively healthy meal, it's not bad at all.

Rating - 2

Service

It's not surprising that none of the wait staff here comes from an English speaking background. This being London, the staff do stuff very slowly, and were all run off their feet. It took ages to get any service and they weren't very good at remembering orders, having mixed up ours a few times. But at least these people try...unlike some other places I have been to.

Their waiting system left a bit to be desired though. There's no system at all, and whether you go in a queue or push in front of someone else, it's all up to the staff. Luckily the staff at that particular time were great and remembered the order.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

Like all sushi trains, the price is calculated from the number of coloured dishes you have. At Yo!, these are their prices. Green - £1.50, Blue - £2, Purple - £2.50, Orange - £3, Pink - £3.50, Platinum -£4. Usually if you have "the rainbow" (i.e. one of each colour plate), it'll cost you £17.50, but because we had our vouchers, our bill came to £10 each. Which is not too bad for sushi in London.

Rating - 1.5

Brownie Points - 12

Info

Condor House
5-14 St Pauls Church Yard
London
EC4M 8AY
Phone +44 (0) 20 7248 8726
Website

Bib Gourmand 2007 - Netherlands

Aalden
Adema

Almere
Bakboord

Alphen
Bunga Melati

Amersfoort
Blok's Restaurant

Amstelveen
De Jonge Dikkert

Amsterdam
Van Baerle
Envy
Spring
Le zinc ... et les autres
De Belhamel
Le Camelia
ElkaarEntresol
Gorgeous
Le Relais

Apeldoorn
Navet beoordelingen

Arnhem
Memories Of Asia

Breda
De Stadstuin

Delft
l' Escalier

Deventer
Arsenaal

Haren
Villa Sasso

Harlingen
De Gastronoom

Hoorn
Hendrickje Stoffels

Middelharnis
't Vingerling

Molenrij
't Korensant

Ruurlo
De Tuinkamer

Vught
Ons Kabinet
Gildehuys Beverwijk
Terra Cotta Bloemendaal
Het Spijshuys Boornbergum
Chocolat Breda
Akkers Broek op Langedijk
Artisan Den Bosch
Promessa Eersel
Binnenhof Goes
Bij de Watermölle Haaksbergen
Sir Sèbastian Heerenveen
Het Kookhuys Hilvarenbeek
No.33 beoordelingen Hilversum
De Gasterie Hindeloopen
De Holterberg Holten
Coco Pazzo Houten
Bij Mette Linschoten
Het Lisser Spijshuis Lisse
Het Heerenhuis Middenbeemster
De Posthoorn Monnickendam
Kesselshof Nederweert
Liberty Nijmegen
Het Savarijn Nijmegen
Vesters Nijmegen
Onder de Linde Noordwijk
Bloemers Oeffelt
La Fleurie Oirschot
De Oude Raadskelder Oldenzaal
Des Moules Philippine
Frouckje State Rijperkerk
De Herberg van Smallingerland Rottevalle
Hosman Freres Schiedam
Aan Sjuuteeanjd Schinnen
De Seghesteen beoordelingen Slochteren
De Molenmeester Staphorst
De Limonadefabriek menukaart Streefkerk
Droste's Tubbergen
Mes Amis Urk
La Mangerie Venlo
De Bourgondiër Vlissingen
Papermoon Voorburg
Bibelot Waddinxveen
d' Oude Weeghbrug Wamel
De Vijf Sinnen Weidum
Nolet's Vistro Yerseke
Het Seminar Zenderen
Corneille Rijsoord

Goodman’s Field

This is literally our local pub. It's situated right downstairs of our building. It's one of the chain of JD Weatherspoon pubs around, and since they were having their "Fullers Festival" for 10 days only, I decided it was now or never to visit.

Food

Well, it's pub grub, no gastro pubs here. Slokky had the Fish and chips - Battered fillet of cod, with chips, peas and tartare sauce. We got a pretty generous piece of fish, but the batter was kinda limp and the dish tasteless. The chips tastes really healthy but at least they were nice and fat. And peas are peas, even in London. I tried the Cottage pie, chips and peas. This was more successful, but don't expect anything spectacular. Some salty, but at least not dried beef paired with some fake mash. The best thing though, was the vast arrange of sauces they provide for you. Besides your normal tomato and mayonnaise, you also get all different kinds of mustards, salad cream, mint sauce and malt vinegar. Just pour a vast amount of these all over your food, and you'll be set.

I think I am going to develop a beer drinking habit soon, but the Fullers London Pride I tried was not as good as the John Smith's. Better than anything Australia produces, but I don't think this one does London proud.

Rating - 4.5

Atmosphere

Well, the place was really crowded on a Wednesday night. The crowd though, is more of your family hangout than anything else. In face, it's extremely children friendly.

Rating - 1.5

Service

Well, at least the barman knows how to pour a beer. Besides that, it's a pub, so leave or take as you will.

Rating - 2.5

C-factor

We had the two meals for 7.49 deal. On Wednesdays, all pints are 1.89. It used to be cheaper too, but prices here have gone up. I guess for London it's not too bad.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 9

Info

87–91 Mansell Street
Aldgate
London
E1 8AN
Phone 020 7680 2850

Website

Isis Bar and Lounge

We went looking for pub that was showing the Premier League instead of the rugby on a Sunday afternoon. We expected it to be and easy task, this was London afterall. Little did we know that the CBD is basically dead on a weekend. We walked past several closed pubs, a few showing the rugby, even one showing BBC news (!), and was getting a bit desperate before we stumbled on this quiet little bar situated in a hotel. They had the Premier League on, and that was good enough for us.

It's a bit more pricey than some, but they have made it more like a bar than a pub. I actually don't mind the pubs here, but this "bar" has banquet seating, so I guess that's why they can charge more. Still, there are enough beers on tap to please. I chose something that I'd never tried before, and something that I thought was a bit "English sounding", so that's how I ended up with a glass of John Smith's Extra Smooth, which was actually very smooth, not unlike German beers.

The bar girl was so slow, even though we were the only customers, and took over 10 minutes before our drinks were ready. And the game? Chelsea won 2-1 over Man United. Not that I care. I had my beer and my bar snack (free nuts) to keep me happy.

Info

14 Coopers Row,
Tower Hill,
London,
EC3N 2BQ
Phone 20 7863 3700
Website

Bib Gourmand 2007 - UK

London
Beckenham, Mello
Bloomsbury, The Salt Yard
Blackheath, Chapter Two
Hammersmith, Agni
Shepherd’s Bush, Havelock Tavern
Archway, The Parsee
Clerkenwell, Comptoir Gascon
Islington, Metrogusto
Chelsea, Racine
Kensington, Malabar
Kew, Ma Cuisine
Twickenham, Brula Bistrot
Twickenham, Tangawizi
Twickenham, Ma Cuisine
Southwark, Anchor and Hope
Whitechapel, Cafe Spice Namaste
Battersea, The Butcher & Grill
Southfields, Sarkhel’s
Bayswater & Maida Vale, L’Accento
Mayfair, Via Condotti
St James’s, Al Duca
St James’s, Brasserie Roux

England
Aldeburgh, The Lighthouse.
Alderley Edge, The Wizard
Blackpool, Twelve
Boroughbridge, thediningroom
Bray-on-Thames, Hinds Head
Brighton, The Real Eating Company
Brighton, Terre à Terre
Bromsgrove, Epic
Budleigh Salterton, Gardiners
Burnham Market, The Restaurant
Bury, The Waggon
Cambridge, 22 Chesterton
Canterbury, The Granville
Castle Cary, The Camelot
Guernsey, The Pavilion
Jersey, Village Bistro
Jersey, Green Island
Chipping Campden, Churchill Arms
Cranbrook, Apicius
Danehill, Coach & Horses
Durham, Bistro 21
Exeter, Jack in the Green Inn
Faversham, The Dove
Haddenham, Green Dragon
Hurley, Black Boys Inn
Husthwaite, The Roasted Pepper
Hutton Magna, Oak Tree Inn
Itteringham, Walpole Arms
Kenilworth, Simply Simpsons
Knaresborough, The General Tarleton Inn
Leeds, Anthony’s at Flannels
Leeds, Brasserie Forty Four
Little Wilbraham, The Hole in the Wall
Liverpool, Simply Heathcotes
Loughborough, Lang’s
Lowick, Snooty Fox
Manchester, Café Jem&I
Manchester, Palmiro
Masham, Vennell’s
Melton Mowbray, Red Lion Inn
Mistley, The Mistley Thorn
Newcastle upon Tyne, Amer’s
Norwich, 1Up at the Mad Moose Arms
Norwich, Wildebeest Arms
Oldham, The White Hart Inn
Orford, The Trinity
Oxford, Mole Inn
Padstow, Rick Stein’s Café
Preston, Inside Out
Preston, Winkleigh Square Chop House
Ross-on-Wye, The Lough Pool Inn
Rushlake Green, Stone House
St Albans, Sukiyaki
Saxmundham, The Bell
Sheffield, Artisan
Skipton, Angel Inn
Southport, Warehouse Brasserie
Sowerby Bridge, The Millbank
Speldhurst, George & Dragon
Stamford, Jim’s Yard
Stamford, The Jackson Stops Inn
Stow-on-the Wold, The Old Butchers
Summercourt, Viners
Sutton-on-the-Forest, Rose & Crown
Tetbury, The Gumstool Inn
Tynemout, Sidney’s
Ullingswick, Three Crowns
Wells, The Old Spot
Westfield,The Wild Mushroom
West Malling, The Swan
Whitstable, The Sportsman
Witney, The Navy Oak
Woodbridge, The Captain’s Table
York, J. Bakers

Scotland
Crieff, The Bank
Edinburgh, Atrium
Kilberry (Kintyre), Kilberry Inn
Perth, 63 Tay Street
Sorn, Sorn Inn
Strathyre, Creagan House

Wales
Abergavenny, The Hardwick
Newport, The Chandlery

Northern Ireland
Belfast, Cayenne
Belfast, Deanes Brasserie
Holywood, Fontana

Republic of Ireland
Baltimore, Customs House
Cashel, Café Hans
Dingle, The Chart House
Dublin, Bang Café
Dublin, La Maison des Gourmets
Duncannon, Aldridge Lodge
Durrus, Good Things Café
Kenmare, The Lime Tree
Kilbrittain, Casino House
Kinsale, Fishy Fishy Café

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