T-QUAL Tick Tour Launch by Matt Moran, Aria Restaurant, Sydney (22 Mar 2012)

1 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.tourism.australia.com/t-qual

Ticking all the quality boxes

“Matt will kick off his T-QUAL Tick Tour tomorrow with an overnight adventure to Taronga Zoo’s Roar and Snore, where he will experience rare insights into the zoo’s nocturnal inhabitants and spend a night sleeping in an architecturally designed tent overlooking Sydney’s iconic harbour. Matt will then embark upon his journey around the country, visiting some quality tourism experiences in destinations such as Hobart, Darwin, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Broome.”

Thanks to Charlotte Ferrand from Burson-Marsteller for inviting me to the T-QUAL Tick Tour Launch held at Aria Restaurant — and no it's not a new species of dinosaur from the T-REX family which I thought they'd discovered. Now I'm not sure how its happened but Chef Matt Moran seems to have scored my job of heading off into the sunset for a few weeks to check out some of the best tourism experiences Australia has to offer — lucky bastard. And to make things worse he'll be updating everyone on his journey through his blog posts and video logs, tweets and Facebook so you get a real experience of what you're missing out on — brilliant! Obviously having a successful 2 hatted restaurant and opening his new popular Chiswick restaurant wasn't enough for the MasterChef guest judge. Well I guess all was not lost as I got to try his function canapés on a balcony that overlooked Sydney Harbour Bridge so that's not too shabby. Now how does one get an invite for New Years Eve to this spot? Some interesting and nicely presented canapés were served including prawn toast which were actually one of my favourite of the evening. I look forward to seeing what Matt will be discovering in Broome that's worth visiting. I can't think of the top of my head what it would be but you can rest-assure it have a T-QUAL Tick of approval.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Aria has a great function space I never knew existed. Prawn toast and fish fingers are making a comeback since Aria served it up, If it's got a T-QUAL accreditation it might take the guess work out of knowing if it's going to be good

CONS: Matt's going instead of me but I'll give him this one since he feed me tonight

MUST TRY: Seeing if they need an extra photographer/blogger on board to taste test all the food for Matt

—

Tuna sashimi canape

Goats cheese canape

Prawn toast

Crab meat canape

Lamb and harissa sausage roll — even Matt loves it so it must be good

Fish fingers

Potato crisps and fish — yes, they do look like Thins packet chips but I believe they were homemade

Lamb and pea pie — but where's the tomato sauce?

Duck wontons

Bartlett's Brut, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir

Speech time — sorry about the Harbour Bridge coming out of your head though

Winners are grinners — taking time out to talk to guests

I love my official photographer in action shots — it's the only time they'll see themselves you know

Bad arse musicians doing their Blues Brothers impersonation

Katrina Holden (Sip Your Style) and Sireshan (Chic Traveller)

A few crowd shots

Flower setting - noice!

Goodie bag: USB with media release and images — And Then? No and Then! Some discount vouchers for some of the approved tourist experiences would have been nice perhaps.

So can I comeback for New Years Eve? Pretty please!




View Larger Map

Laksa Laksa: Malaysian, CBD Sydney (31 Jan 2012)

262 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Laksa House expands to Pitt St

It seems the owner of Laksa House in the QVB has expanded his laksa offerings to Pitt Street which I think is a pretty bold move considering the plentiful supply of Asian eateries across the road under Pittsway Arcade including Sayong. I like the abundance of available clean seating which you won’t really find in a food court setting and there’s plenty of choices on the menu although I’m not sure if they do them all well. Their Penang Fried Kuey Teow ($12.50) is a bit on the pricey side but has a fair amount of wok hei although could perhaps have a bit more for my liking. It was unfortunately a bit on the oily side making it heavy to eat but it included lots of different ingredients with a token prawn. The Chicken laksa ($8.90) was the better choice with decent depth of flavour with a noticeable chilli kick. I guess when a place is called Laksa Laksa you have to try their laksa. There’s a small unisex toilet but watch your back when washing your hands in the sink area as the door behind you can’t be locked and if someone enters you might get hit. Service was efficient and pretty friendly but the simple and functional décor won’t win any interior design awards.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Plenty of clean seating, Friendly staff, Efficient service, Lots of choices on the menu

CONS: Laksa might be their speciality but I’m not sure how well they do all their other dishes, Confined space in the toilet — watch out for door opening

MUST TRY: Laksa

—

Chicken laksa ($8.90)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Penang Fried Kuey Teow ($12.50)

Chilli sambal for extra flavour

Menu

Bain-marie and service counter

Plenty of seating

Kitchen pass area — not sure about the white ropes as decor

Poster — perhaps it should be an image of laksa instead of chicken rice (which looks like a croissant)

Small unisex toilet — watch your back when washing your hands in case someone comes in as door should probably have a lock on it

View Larger Map

JANUS Launch: Cured Meats, Cocktails and Canapés, CBD Sydney (21 Mar 2012)

1 Bligh Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.janus-sydney.com.au

A new Italian passion begins

Thanks to Kim Veverka from Magnet PR for inviting me to the launch of JANUS which has three locations around the CBD, two of which are located at 1 Bligh St. I've been to the Bligh Street location previously for a coffee but after sampling the thinly sliced melt-in-your-mouth cured meats, flavoursome cheeses and well-balanced cocktails I'm now really interested to try more of their menu including the breakfast, antipasti, pizzas, pastas and desserts. It was a great space to hold the event with a backdrop of green foliage and I've never seen so many high heels since the Bondi Pizza First Birthday event — I guess it must be an Italian thing? From an event perspective there was the right amount of people to feel the buzz and excitement while spacious enough to easily get a drink or try the food which was in plentiful supply. Event service was efficient and friendly so I'm hoping all these ticks translate to the reality of what JANUS is striving to achieve. Urbanspoon reviews seem to be favourable so far anyway.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Canapes and cocktails served were very good, Band was great, Red carpet made everyone feel special when they arrived

CONS: I don't have enough money for a Ferrari

MUST TRY: Visiting to try more of their menu when I get a chance

—

Cocktails in the making

Americano cocktail: Campari and red vermouth stirred with soda water

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vanilla Pash cocktail: A fusion of passionfruit, vanilla and lychees

Beers and wines on offer from the bar

Cured meats and cheeses on offer

Slicing up the meat with a Berkel

Cured meats

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Cheeses

Oysters

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Goats cheese and tomato canape

Every event needs a red carpet to make it more special

Crowd spotting

Great band got the party atmosphere going

Official photographer going in for a cheesy shot

Goodie bag of a lemon meringue — was very nice and reminded me a bit of the one from Bacco Pasticceria

View Larger Map