Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Sokyo - Sushi Omakase

It's not often you go to a restaurant and at the end of the meal, you're booking your next visit.

This is what happened when we finally had the omakase meal at Sokyo.

You'll see from our blog that we're big fans of Japanese food, especially sushi. Whilst Sokyo's omakase menu does not surpass the quality in Japan (e.g. our experience at Sushiko Honten), this is definitely a league above the other offerings in Sydney and we are looking forward to revisiting for K's birthday!

As with sushi omakase experiences in Japan, you sit at the sushi bar and are served by a single sushi chef. The sushi bar where Sokyo's sushi omakase takes place only sits a maximum of five guests and has a single seating each night. This makes for an intimate atmosphere (despite the busyness of the wider restaurant) and great interactions with the chef, Takashi Sano!

Sano-san was very friendly and happily explained each piece of sushi to us (what it was, where it was from and how it was cooked). There are few places in Australia where you can watch such a performance, learn about food and enjoy a great meal at the same time.

The highlights of the night included:

  • 4 different types of tuna, including kama toro!
  • Cured scampi with uni and caviar
  • Blue cheese donuts with black truffle ice-cream

I'd love to give a description of each of the sushi we had but unfortunately in between changing jobs and phones, my record of what we ate was lost! So I will let C's photos do the talking and we will post a more detailed post after our next visit in November.  For now, enjoy the eye candy below. :)


Snapper sashimi with sea grapes

Steamed abalone
Crab with egg yolk sauce and black truffle
Tuna

O-toro - Western Australia

O-toro - Japan
Chu toro
Salmon belly
Kama (neck) toro - Japan (definitely a highlight. Even more melt-in-your-mouth than o-toro)
Oysters
Seared scampi
Grilled scallops (with the most crispy piece of nori I've ever had)
Grilled salmon belly
Cured scampi, uni and caviar (one of the highlights)
Tuna riblets (unfortunately my least favourite dish for the night)
Squid with black pepper


Toro handroll
Tamago
(very different to what we've tried in Japan which has a more savoury flavour.  This one was much sweeter.)
Ikura
Blue cheese donuts and black truffle ice-cream (Aaaaammmaaazzzinggggg)
(came back to Sokyo a few months later and it was no longer on their menu)
Matcha molten cake and white chocolate ice-cream

Monday, October 3, 2016

Choux Love, Sydney



We originally wrote this post early in the year but never got around to publishing it. Some parts may be out of date.


How does 20 layers of thin crepes interspersed between layers of cream sound?  If like us, you're already hungry, read on about the mille crepes at Choux Love!

"Mille" means 1000 in French and whilst there isn't actually 1000 layers of crepe, this classic French cake has been given a bit of an Asian spin by Choux Love and is worth checking out.

Choux Love is hidden in Sydney's Chinatown, in a little arcade nestled between Dixon and Sussex Street. The interior is simple and quite dainty and the kitchen occupies more than half of the actual shop space.  The owners may not be French, but they're certainly onto something, giving this traditional French recipe a bit of an Asian spin.


C went back quite a few times to buy these cakes so we could try a few more flavours and not stuff ourselves silly with sugar all in one dose.  After many tries, our verdict remains the same - the durian mille crepe is by far the favourite.  The durian flavours offsets the sweetness of the cake and we only wish that the durian flavours are even more intense!

If you're looking for dessert in Chinatown, definitely give this a try!

Durian mille crepe
Strawberry and rosewater mille crepe

Mango mille crepe
Green team mille crepe
The arcade


Choux Love
Address: Shop 12/363 Sussex Street 


Monday, July 18, 2016

Nel Restaurant











Trout, beetroot


'Roast dinner'


Game, blackcurrent


Onion and rosemary scone


Sweetcorn, fennel, popcorn, balsamic


Chicken, asparagus, chive, garlic


Kingfish tandoori, smoked yoghurt, lobster dust



Pork, apple, leek, potato






Guava, rhubarb, yoghurt, ginger


Quince, pain d'epices, honey, bay leaf


Orange and miso marshmallow on rosemary twig


Coconut ball with liquid passionfruit