Caritas Australia: Peter Doyle @ The Quay serving at Fish Friday, Martin Place (24 Feb 2012)

http://www.caritas.org.au

Something fishy for charity

I came across this charity event in Martin Place and thought it was a great concept for raising money. Most people like me who buy their lunch each day would spend about $8-$10 a day so if that money went towards a good cause it works out to be a win win situation I think. I didn't get to try the fish dish being offered as I had already bought my salad from Pasta Pantry for lunch in MLC food court. It would be great if more restaurants were involved to promote charities in this way. Besides Peter Doyle @ The Quay I'm not sure if any other restaurants have done a similar thing? Arriving at 1.45 pm before it finished up around 2 pm I noticed it was getting a bit quiet for lunchers. I think if they had some sort of cooking demonstration happening for the entire time it would attract the interest from passer-bys and perhaps be more enticed to donate for a dish. The amount of staging and space allocated to the kitchen was quite generous but I think it also lost some intimacy and thought perhaps a more enclosed and welcoming setting with chairs and tables would have made it more attractive for lunchers to stop and take note. I believe the event was catering for about 1000 meals and the restaurant was donating the staff and food to support the charity.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: You get your lunch and help charity at the same time, Friendly and helpful staff on hand

CONS: Peter Doyle wasn't in the kitchen the whole time, No tables or chairs provided, Cooked fish probably best if cooked to order or at least kept in some sort of bain-marie if pre cooked, Wondering if you still get a receipt for the donation as a tax deduction?

MUST TRY: Checking out the event next year if it happens

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Grilled barramundi dish ($10 donation suggested)

Friendly volunteers serving up a fishy treat

Pepter Doyle @ The Quay serving at Fish Friday

Donation stand

Spruiking for lunchers

Martin Place

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Gotham: Cocktail Bar and Dining, Darlinghurst (15 July 2011)

35 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9283 1891
http://www.gotham.net.au

CLOSED - Noticed January 2012

Music for drinking not eating

Thanks to Natalie Triglone from Folke for inviting me to dine with a party of four at Gotham to sample some of the cocktails and dishes. I’d recently visited on 19 May for some pre drinks before The Falconer close next door and thought the menu looked pretty tempting to come back one day to try. Overall I really enjoyed the food but would have loved the place more if the music wasn’t so damn loud. It’s totally fine if you’re there for some drinks and bar snacks but when you’re trying to dine and have a nice conversation the noise factor can become a bit too intrusive for a relaxed dining experience. Gold star goes to the men’s toilet though for having privacy screens — you don’t see that very often these days, and it’s very much appreciated.

Starting the night with a Hemingway Daiquiri ($16) is not for the faint-hearted. It had a liberal amount of alcohol just like the one at La Bodeguita Del Medio — Mr Hemingway was on a good thing. On the other side of the scale the Mocktail ($7) was done really well and had plenty of nice flavours for the designated driver. Complimentary bar snacks (pictured above) on a Friday between 5 and 7 pm were a nice bonus for anyone drinking at the time. The Lychee & Ginger Martini ($16) had the right combination of flavours and the Mai Tai ($18) was a bit stronger on the alcohol. Large sized Stuffed Green Olives ($12.50) were crumbed & deep fried and flavourome — how could you go wrong. The Grilled Sourdough with Crushed Cherry Tomato Olives Basil & Goats Cheese ($9.50) had lovely fresh flavours and ingredients but not the easiest thing to eat with grace. I thought it might have been presented a bit more orderly for easy picking up and eating. The Crisp Chicken Wings with Lime Mayonnaise ($12.50) were good and I’d happily order again. A generous serve of Fried Zucchini Flowers with Parmesan & Lemon ($10.50) were good value and tasty. Batter was thin but perhaps a touch more crispiness would have been even better.

Crisp Skin Chicken ($24) was nicely done and had a decent crisp skin as hoped. The Linguine with Tomato Garlic Basil Olives & Extra Virgin ($18) had lots of flavour although I thought the pasta could have been a little more al dente for my liking and there was a noticeable amount of oil in the dish. The smashed olives and freshly shaved parmesan added extra depth of flavour. The Grilled Angus Sirloin with Fries & Beurre Marchand ($26) was cooked to medium rare as ordered. Had a little bit of gristle but was acceptable. The fries were good although I have a pet hate about them getting soggy with the juices on the plate. I tend to prefer if served in a side dish like at Mad Cow to keep them crispy at all times. The Panfried Fillet of Ocean Trout ($25) was well liked with crispy skin as hoped and the Salad of Torn Iceberg with Mint Parsley & Mustard Vinaigrette ($8) had plenty of flavour and crispness although I wondered if it could have been presented a bit nicer like Kingsleys iceberg salad. For dessert the Warm Madeleine with Sauternes ($11) was a table pleaser and I really liked the use of toffeed pecan scattered around the Warm Chocolate Brownie with Double Cream ($11) making it extra decadent.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor and lighting, Flavoursome dishes, Nice presentation, Fresh ingredients, Daily specials available, Upstairs function space available, Reasonably priced ‘To Share’ menu, Privacy screen in men’s toilet

CONS: Music too loud for relaxed dining, Once you’re seated in a booth you’ll need people to move out if you need to get out again

WORTH TRYING: Anything on the menu that tickles your fancy. The Stuffed Green Olives, Crisp Chicken Wings and Fried Zucchini Flowers go well as bar snacks to share

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Hemingway Daiquiri - White rum shaken with maraschino liqueur & grapefruit ($16), Mocktail ($7)

Lychee & Ginger Martini - Muddled lychees & fresh ginger shaken with vodka & crème de gingembre ($16), Mai Tai - Havana Anejo shaken with two rums, lime & orgeat ($18)

2009 Norfolk Rise Pinot Grigio, Mt Benson, SA ($9), 2009 Baby Doll Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ ($9)

Complimentary bar snack between 5-7 pm on Friday

Stuffed Green Olives - Crumbed & Deep Fried ($12.50)

Grilled Sourdough with Crushed Cherry Tomato Olives Basil & Goats Cheese ($9.50)

Crisp Chicken Wings with Lime Mayonnaise ($12.50)

Fried Zucchini Flowers with Parmesan & Lemon ($10.50)

Crisp Skin Chicken with Roast Potatoes Watercress & Anchoide ($24)

Linguine with Tomato Garlic Basil Olives & Extra Virgin ($18)

Grilled Angus Sirloin (150 day Grain Fed) with Fries & Beurre Marchand ($26) ordered medium rare

Fries get a little soggy with all the juice

There was a little bit of grizzle but not too much. It's better when you don't get any at all though

Panfried Fillet of Ocean Trout with Lentil Vinaigrette ($25)

Salad of Torn Iceberg with Mint Parsley & Mustard Vinaigrette ($8)

Warm Madeleine with Sauternes ($11)

Warm Chocolate Brownie with Double Cream ($11) — the toffeed pecans were a nice touch

Specials each day

Bar area

Intimate booth seating

Seating options

Front bar section near entrance

Back lounge area with comfy couches

Mens toilet has privacy screens — tick of approval

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Fu Manchu: Chinese, Darlinghurst (3 Dec 2009)

249 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
http://www.fumanchu.com.au

Dumplings til late

You'll always know when I've visited a place by the date I put in the title and it's been over a year for this one since my visit — that's what happens when you currently have over 300 restaurants that have been photographed and yet to be blogged. But this doesn't matter too much for a clean and simple place like Fu Manchu which apparently has been operating for over 15 years, established in 1994 according to the menu, and will possibly be around for just as long again.

If you’re not afraid of a communal table, cylindrical seating and the colour red then you might be ready to enter this smallish restaurant for some early or late night dinner snacking. The Beijing dumplings lamb ($9 for 6) were reasonably priced although wondered why they weren’t available with pork. The Steamed gow gee seafood ($10 for 4) had thankfully visible prawn and scallop inside. The menu special of Blackbean fish ($15) is lightly flavoured and the Roast duck plate ($15) comes with Chinese greens and ready to share or as a dinner for one. The menu special of King prawns and snowpea wok ($20) is a tasty morsel but at a price and peeling is required meaning messy fingers. For a healthier option Brown rice ($3 small) is available for a dollar extra over plain steamed.

It’s BYO and a limited selection is also available and reasonably priced like the Mountain Goat Organic Steam Ale ($7) and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($6) but you’ll have to be content with having it served in a tumbler glass as wine glasses are not available. I can't remember what the service was like but it couldn't have been too bad and I think it's a place where you don't necessarily stay for a long time chatting about philosophy all night but more for a simple and fairly quick meal.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Reasonably priced drinks and dishes, Casual atmosphere, Open late til 10.30 pm, Brown rice available, No MSG

CONS: Might have to share communal table but there is seating for couples, Limited table space, Smallish dishes, Seating might not be the most comfortable, No wine glasses

MUST TRY: Steamed gow gee seafood

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Beijing dumplings lamb ($9 for 6)

Steamed gow gee seafood ($10 for 4)

Blackbean fish ($15)

Brown rice ($3 small)

Roast duck plate ($15)

King prawns and snowpea wok ($20)

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($6), Mountain Goat Organic Steam Ale ($7)

Menu

Red chopsticks

Bill $91 for 3 people — they even work out how much that would be each for you

Communal table seating inside

Some seating for couples

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