City Tattersalls Club Showcase Event, CBD Sydney (12 July 2011)

194 - 204 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.citytatts.com.au

A world within to discover

Thanks to Tania Purdy from City Tattersalls Club for sending me an invite to this Showcase Event held in the Omega Lounge. I fondly remember visiting their Taste of Sydney stall in 2010 and 2011 so it was a perfect opportunity to actually check out the establishment for the first time. The energy of the service team was just as impressive in their natural habitat as they provided a tasty selection of canapés in the comfy lounge area. The event was quite intimate and there was plenty of opportunity to chat with the friendly guys from De Bortoli Wines or chap from the Balmain Brewing Company serving up three styles of beer from his kegs. The Freshly Shucked Oyster with Cab Sav Vinaigrette was a clear favourite for me but I do love oysters followed closely by the Soft Shell Crab with Pickled Ginger and Lime Mayonnaise which they also served up at the Taste of Sydney.

The bite sized Mini Waygu Burgers with Spicy Tomato Relish was also good and I'm sure the freshly cooked Mini Lamb Kofta with Indian Mint Yoghurt would be a crowd pleaser for any function had. Their Pineapple doughnuts with White Choc Sauce is an interesting dessert worth trying and the Frozen white chocolate and Raspberry Truffle was a nice little treat that didn't leave you feeling too guilty. I had a quick tour around the City Tatts and discovered the Lime Bar, Zest Restaurant, Cocktail Bar, Esperanto Restaurant, Cafe 2, Lower Bar and the decent sized swimming pool in the Men's fitness gym. I never would have thought all this existed inside from just looking at the front of the building. I wasn't too keen on the tiled floor in the Zest Restaurant which I thought made it look a bit cold but the Cocktail Bar and Esperanto Restaurant was like a step back in time complete with pianist playing and the Lower Bar could very well be an easy place to relax after work in the deep set leather chairs.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Cosy lounge area, Function spaces available, Lots of different bars and restaurants to choose from, Pretty cheap happy hour every Friday in the Omega Lounge, Centrally located in the city

CONS: I assume you need to be a member to enter the club if you live within the 5 km radius

MUST TRY: Revisiting for cheap happy hour drinks

—

Bellini cocktail

Balmain Brewing Company

De Bortoli Wines, Lemon, Lime & Bitters

De Bortoli Wines dessert wine

Freshly Shucked Oyster (Narooma South Coast NSW) with Cab Sav Vinaigrette

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut dipping Sauce

Peking Duck Salad with Crisp Won Ton

Soft Shell Crab with Pickled Ginger and Lime Mayonnaise

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Mini Waygu Burgers with Spicy Tomato Relish

WORTH TRYING :-)

Pumpkin ravioli

Scallops with Leek and Brioche Pudding Crisp Jamon

Mini Lamb Kofta with Indian Mint Yoghurt

WORTH TRYING :-)

Pumpkin, Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with Pumpkin and Sage Butter

Vegetarian curry puffs

Pineapple doughnuts with White Choc Sauce

WORTH TRYING :-)

Frozen white chocolate and Raspberry Truffles

WORTH TRYING :-)

Mitch Rose (left) and Andrew Campbell (right) from De Bortoli Wines with the City Tattersalls Club team

Fitness club stand

Omega Lounge

Dining setup examples

Singles in the city promo, Gym available

Flowers with Essence arrangement

Lime Bar

Zest Restaurant

Function room

Cocktail Bar

Esperanto Restaurant

Cafe 2

Lower Bar

Men's fitness gym

Men's swimming pool

View Larger Map

Jazushi: Japanese and Jazz, Surry Hills (11 Feb 2011)

145 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://www.jazushi.com.au



Japanese with a side of jazz

If you’re going to book a table I suggest requesting the front dining area as this seems to have the best atmosphere and lighting — although not for taking photos of food if you’re in to that crazy thing because the nice ambient lighting will play havoc on your white balance. I generally find Japanese service very good but the service here was exceptionally polite and friendly — gold star. As you sit down complimentary edamame are provided so no need to order these. Glasses of NV Jazushi Classic Dry White Wine ($7) and 2010 Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc ($9) are quaffable and fairly well-priced not to break the bank. My Natural oyster with ponzu sauce ($3.50) is beautifully presented and I’m told from Tasmania — I would have preferred more specifics. I’m not sure if it’s freshly shucked because it’s lacking natural brine but it’s decent and passable.

The Sashimi set chef's selection with tuna, kingfish, scallop, salmon ($23 regular) is nicely presented and fresh — I tend to usually prefer the salmon. The Grilled scallop ($8 for 2 pieces) is nicely flavoured although a touch oily due to the garlic butter and I'm thinking topped with perhaps a few too many ingredients which compete with the scallop. Prawn tempura ($12 for 4 pieces) has a great crispy batter as hoped and comes with an interesting green salt and curry salt for dipping. Continuing with deep fried dishes the generous sized JFC Jazushi Fried Chicken ($21) has tiny bits of plate garnishing that don’t really add anything to the dish reminding me of Jacques Reymond. I’m not sure if I was just overloaded with fatty food or if this dish was just a bit heavy and rich. The Crispy Soft Shell Crab ($23) had a crispy batter and cut up for your easy dining pleasure although I wished it came with some sort of salad.

For dessert the Green tea crème brûlée ($10) was an interesting combination to challenge the taste buds which seemed to work OK but I still prefer the classic vanilla bean. A side of vanilla ice cream sat on a bed of caramelised corn flakes. The jazz band was pretty good when they didn't play too loud and the table setting could be considered quite cosy and bordering on maybe a bit too close together.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Exceptionally polite and friendly service, Interesting dishes, Good quality sashimi, Free live entertainment, Nice décor at the front

CONS: Upstairs courtyard doesn’t have air conditioning, Tables are quite close together which affects intimacy, Some strange dish garnishing with tiny pieces of tomato makes me think why? Could be considered slightly pricey

WORTH TRYING: Prawn tempura

—

Table setting complimentary edamame

NV Jazushi Classic Dry Margaret River ($7), 2010 Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough NZ ($9)

Natural oyster with ponzu sauce ($3.50)

Sashimi set chef's selection with tuna, kingfish, scallop, salmon ($23 regular)

Grilled scallop with garlic butter and saikyo miso sauce ($8 for 2 pieces)

Prawn tempura with green salt, curry salt, tartar sauce and bonito sauce ($12 for 4 pieces)

JFC Jazushi Fried Chicken with yuzu citrus sauce on a bed of home-made tartar sauce ($21)

Crispy Soft Shell Crab with miso tomato sauce ($23)

Green tea Crème brule [brûlée] with vanilla ice cream ($10)

Jazz band

Downstairs seating

Back room seating

Upstairs courtyard seating

View Larger Map