Healthy Food: City View

Saturday, April 23, 2011

China Doll: Modern Asian, Woolloomooloo (23 Apr 2011)

4/6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011
Phone: (02) 9380 6744
http://www.chinadoll.com.au

A fulfilling banquet

A celebratory birthday lunch brings me to China Doll for the $69 banquet menu consisting of 8 dishes plus rice and a dessert platter which included 3 choices. To start cocktails were ordered including a refreshing non-alcoholic Younglings ($8) made with young coconut juice and raspberries. My Tanqueray Gin & Tonic ($8) is served in a tall glass but my preference is usually short. The Pomegranate Marguerita ($17) looked good and from all reports hit the spot. A nice bottle of Greystone Sand Dollar Pinot Gris 2010 ($55) slowly turned into 5 by the end of the meal.

The banquet started with White cut chicken salad which packed quite a chilli kick reminding me of the overly spicy salads I’ve had at House on Wentworth Avenue. The Steamed half shell scallops are nice although their bite sized pieces don’t last long and I wished they were a bit larger in size. I really enjoyed the Corn & zucchini cakes with a crisp outer shell and tasty filling. The Chilli salt squid resembling chips are tender and spiced to tantalise the palate although I’m not sure if I’m supposed to taste grains of sugar in the mix. One of the crowd favourites was the Pork belly with chilli caramel & nam pla phrik. Just the right about of rendered crunch combined with juicy meat and a tasty coating. I suspect it’s one of their signature dishes that most diners order time after time. Chinese greens retained their crunch and were well flavoured. The Crispy chicken with yellow bean sauce was OK but some of the breast pieces were perhaps too large for my liking and I was craving more crispy skin. I still prefer the Shan Tung Chicken at Kingsford Chinese Restaurant.

I was impressed with how tender the Penang curry of wagyu beef shin was which fell apart effortlessly and its robust flavoured sauce which went well with the steamed rice. A vegetarian substitute dish of Wok Fried Asian Eggplant & Tofu looked good and apparently was well received. The dessert platter to share included some very nice gelato and vanilla bean ice cream. Sago was quite good with fresh passionfruit and the warm sticky rice was well liked with notes of ginger I believe. My Cappuccino ($5) was not the most robust in flavour but thankfully not bitter too. With a final bill of $1042.50 for nine it's definitely not cheap especially when you start adding drinks. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and depth of flavour in the dishes and noticed most of the diners were non-Asian. Thankfully the dish sizes were decently portioned so everyone was feeling comfortably full by the end of the banquet.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Efficient and professional service which was attentive, Water views, Quality ingredients, Banquet menu left most people comfortably full, Vegetarians are catered for

CONS: Can end up being quite expensive especially with drinks, Toilets are upstairs with a highly mirrored entrance which can be disorientating

MUST TRY: Corn & zucchini cakes with coriander sambal, Pork belly with chilli caramel & nam pla phrik, Penang curry of wagyu beef shin

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Younglings: Young coconut juice and raspberries shaken with lime juice and coconut flesh ($8)

Tanqueray Gin & Tonic ($8)

Pomegranate Marguerita ($17)

Greystone Sand Dollar Pinot Gris 2010, Waipara Valley NZ ($55 bottle)

White cut chicken salad with Asian herbs & rice vinegar dressing

Steamed half shell scallops with ginger and shallot

Corn & zucchini cakes with coriander sambal

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chilli salt squid

The polite last piece

Steamed jasmine rice

Pork belly with chilli caramel & nam pla phrik

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

The polite last piece

Chinese greens

Crispy chicken with yellow bean sauce

Penang curry of wagyu beef shin

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Wok Fried Asian Eggplant & Tofu w Sichuan Chilli Bean Paste (vegetarian substitute dish)

Dessert platter to share

Cappuccino ($5)

Bill $1042.50 for 9 people including drinks

$69 banquet per person

Table setting

Water views

Feature wall decor

Upstairs and downstairs seating

Open kitchen

Toilet vanity — plenty of paper hand towels

Mirrored entrance to toilet — a little scary and disorientating

Covered outside seating

City view

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Mezzaluna Ristorante Italiano: Jarno Trulli Welcome Dinner, Potts Point (21 Mar 2011)

123 Victoria Street, Potts Point NSW 2011
http://www.mezzaluna.com.au

Jarno Trulli wines it up

Thanks to Georgia McKay from Horizon Communication for inviting me along to this special dinner event with guest of honor Jarno Trulli, Formula One Driver for Lotus. I hope his jet lag clears up in time for the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix happening this week in Melbourne. His passion also extends to a variety of wines which were served throughout the night. I mostly liked the fruity overtones of the Jarno Bianco and the nice bodied Podere Montepulciano with only subtle tannins. Arriving to a glass of Paparazzi Prosecco and canapés of prosciutto stuffed with ricotta, taggiasche olives and leek certainly helped warm the heart from the torrential rain outside flooding the streets.

The restaurant is a lot larger than you’d expect from the comparatively smallish street entrance. Set on two levels with an upstairs bar and a downstairs main dining area. Those lucky enough to sit on the covered terrace were fortunate to take full advantage of the panoramic views of the city skyline once the rain had subsided and the plastic curtains raised. At the kitchen helm Head Chef Fabio Pappagallo was in charge of the six course degustation ($165) with his trusty team of Italian chefs that worked fairly quietly with dedication. The accommodating and hard working service swiftly brought out the Canapé tasting plates as a starter. It was an eclectic mix of nicely presented savoury and sweet items which I think would have been better served by simplifying to one of the savouries as an amuse-bouche and keeping perhaps the sweeter Baby pears [fig?] poached in cognac and blackcurrant with zabaglione cream as a palate cleanser after the main. For me there just seemed to be too much happening on one plate to take in and fully appreciate.

The cold served Entrée con Trebbiano of Pearl meat tartare marinated in cumquat juice was served with pomegranate seed aspic and a pink grapefruit and green chilli sorbet. Quite light and refreshing on the palate although I found the pomegranate seeds the dominant taste which overpowered the very subtle flavour of the pearl meat tartare. It was a more sweet than savoury dish which bordered on dessert for me. I’m actually not even sure what pearl meat is but it had a similar texture to chopped prawn meat. Next was another cold Entrée con Rose of Poached turkey with ginger mayonnaise and limoncello sauce. This was certainly the most challenging dish of the night for me to appreciate. Apart from simply looking like deli cut sliced turkey arranged on a plate I struggled to find a balance in flavours, especially with the limoncello sauce often overpowering the taste buds. I didn’t mind the ginger mayonnaise but perhaps it would have better suited seafood like grilled scallops, fresh salmon or prawns, or even crumbed calamari minus the limoncello or just used very subtly. At this point I felt I was still looking for the Italian cuisine I was expecting to find.

Thankfully a warm dish was served last of Grilled venison noisettes with layered sweet potatoes, leeks and chestnuts. A quality cut of tender meat cooked about medium rare which surprisingly didn’t taste too gamey. The side of sweet potatoes had nice flavours and my only real gripe was the bowl it was served in making it a little awkward to cut — and some extra jus would have been nice. To finish a plate of three flavoursome cheeses were served with accompanying chestnut honey, pâté and nuts, and a yellow peach jam. I liked the creamy smoothness of the taleggio cheese the best. For those staying late a plentiful supply of petit fours arrived including a chocolate mousse which I think probably would have been better presented through the piping bag with a star nozzle. With so many enticing Italian dishes on the normal a la carte menu I unfortunately left the night feeling like I hadn’t really had a chance to fully appreciate the real ‘Italian’ Mezzaluna but as a function and wedding reception space it would be an ideal venue if the food matches its prime location and spectacular outlook.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: City skyline view, Nice décor and lighting, Accommodating and hard working service which seem to enjoy working as a team, Available for functions

CONS: Some of the dishes were a bit of a hit and miss for me, Toilets located upstairs from dining room, Didn’t get to try more traditional Italian dishes including pasta

MUST TRY: Maybe revisiting to try the a la carte menu

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The food