Hot Star Large Fried Chicken - 豪大大雞排, Melbourne CBD

Nothing beats Large Fried Chicken from Hot Star.  It is one of my favourites from the famous Taiwanese night market in Shih-Lin 士林 and I am super excited that it has finally made it over to Australian, and in MELBOURNE! 

What is so special about this Fried Chicken you ask? It is pretty much a large piece of chicken breast (with some rib bones still attached) flattened out to about 30cm in length & 10cm in width (I know it's HUGE) coated with delicious 5 spices and what I believe corn flour.  It is then deep fried to perfection, crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, gosh it is so delicious! If people have tried and enjoyed Taiwanese style Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken pieces "鹽酥雞" before you would love this since it pretty much similar coating but you get a MASSIVE piece of chicken.

A piece of this chicken and bubble tea from Gong Cha next door I could picture myself back in one of those night markets in Taiwan, and you could too!

Hammer and Tong, Fitzory, Melbourne

What an experience!  Delicious food, great coffee, friendly staff, and buzzing atmosphere, I think I have just found a new favourite place for Sunday brunch!  I have been searching high and low from East to West for that perfect brioche for a long time and here at Hammer and Tong I think I have finally found it.  The brioche was buttery, light and fluffy, not too dense or crumbly, oh it was heavenly.  Overall the duck with asparagus, truffle butter and Parmesan briont was fantastic and the flavours were very well balanced.  The richness of the duck egg yolk with the creamy truffle butter served on top of the thick sliced brioche was perfection on a plate.  My belly was definitely satisfied with all the richness goodies but if you have a bigger appetite, this dish may not be filling enough for you.  My friend had the French toast, peanut butter, raspberry yoghurt ice cream, banana caramel, although I didn't sample it personally but she say it was very good.  The menu selection might be small but every dish sounds very appetising, I will definitely have to return to try out their egg's Benedict's and soft shell crab burger!

OVERALL

FOOD: YUM! That's all I need to say.

PRICE: Reasonable cafe food price.

SERVICE: The service was top notch here, tentative and very friendly.
ATMOSPHERE: A lively little place with great vibes. 

Summary:  One of the most memorable cafe I have been to for a while, will definitely come back to try out other things, very soon!

Chez Dre, South Melbourne

Chocolate tart: chocolate ganache, peanut-cocoa nib tuile, 
chocolate mousse. Make sure you do not leave here without 
one of these babies!

I first came to this hidden gem while browsing for a new cafe for delicious cake and coffee.  After reading some online reviews I was hooked.  It is conveniently located near the South Melbourne Market and easily accessible by trams.  I love the decor, sort of revamp of an old industrial building with an open kitchen located in the heart of the restaurant.  There is a small outdoor area which is heated in the cold Melbourne winter - bonus!

One you passed through by the busy diners and hectic kitchen you will arrive at the cake display - oh wow what a selection!  There is a vast range of delightful cakes, petite macaroons and to die-for croissants available.  The first time I came here we shared cakes and quiche and later returned for brunch the second time.  To be honest that the cakes and the quiche were FANTASTIC, BUT...I was disappointed with the brunch food and their specialty hot chocolate (Ganache Chocolate is still the best in my personal opinion).  I suppose I was expecting more from their food with such good cakes available, this is why it is always dangerous to have high expectations...  If you're a fussy brunch eater like me this probably isn't the place for you.  However, I will definitely return for more cake and coffee once in a blue moon. The cakes are delicious but expensive, $8.50 per cake according to their menu online which I believe is an older version and think it was $9.00 when I went last week.  I will just have to add this place to the collection of my "treat list" for special occasions, since it is always so hard to resist delicious Gateaux!

Hazelnut-Praline Crunch: hazelnut dacquoise, gianduja mousse, hazelnut and chocolate crumble.  10/10 for desert.  Crunchy base, smooth creamy 
mouse and was definitely nutty from the hazelnut.
 YUMMY!

Quiche of the day: ham and cheese with salad. 

The pastry was so amazing my mouth waters just 

thinking about it.

Braised Mushroom Ragu: Swiss field and button mushrooms, soft polenta, poached egg & truffle oil.
This dish was delicious but lacked seasoning. I wish there was slightly more acidity to balance out the dish.  Towards the end of the meal it I found it was too rich to finish.

Brioche French Toast: caramelized pecan, vanilla mascarpone & berry compote.  The brioche was excellent and pecan nut were very delicious.  Individually they are fantastic but when you combined them it was sugar overload.  Maybe slightly more salt in the brioche, more acidic berry or more sauce could have helped.

OVERALL

FOOD: Coffee and cakes are delicious, not so convinced by their breakfast menu items.

PRICE: Cakes are expensive and brunch food price is on the high end or pricey.

SERVICE: Services have always been good with tentative and friendly staff members.
ATMOSPHERE: This is definitely a hip brunch place and it is also family friendly and a great place to catch up with friends on a lazy Sunday morning.

Summary:  Coffee and cake is all I need to say!

Chef Lagenda, Flemington, Melbourne

This place was highly recommended by a friend of mine and I knew I had to come here when she told me their chef used to work at Laksa King couple of doors down.  Another authentic Malaysian restaurant that is fully-packed during rush hours and I could definitely see why after being satisfied everything I come here.  So first let's look at their laska - here at Chef Lagenda they don't do duck curry laksa :( so I had to try their chicken curry laksa which I did find slightly different - the curry itself is much thicker compared to Laksa Kings' but other than that it's pretty much the same and equally as good.  I do enjoy the thicker curry myself however I am bias every time when it comes to duck so I shall forever return to Laksa King for their Duck Curry Laksa.

Now let's look at another iconic Malaysian dish - the Hainanese Chicken Rice.  The chicken is very tender and flavoured with sauces.  The idea is to put the whole chicken into a boiling stock then turn the heat off.  With a heavy lid on top of the pot, leave the chicken in the stock for an hour and allow it to slowly cook and what you get is the most incredibly tender and juicy chicken, one of my all time favourite!  They do it very well here in Chef Lagenda and once again equally well in Laksa King.

Lastly the Beef Rendang with Roti Canai - YUM! Absolutely love their Roti, top class.  I could sit there and eat their roti canai all afternoon!  Their beef rendang is really delicious, packed with spices and full of flavour.  The only thing I have to say is in the past coupe of time their beef has been either over cooked or reheated badly so it's very dry and tough, an unpleasant texture...

An iconic dish here at Chef Lagenda that I have not provide a picture of here is their Roti Chicken Roll which is a must try when you come here.  No photo of this delicious roll but you just have to take my word for it and go try it for yourself!

OVERALL

FOOD: Delicious!

PRICE: This would be one of the cheap eats in Melbourne.

SERVICE: Average.  Nothing spectacularly good or bad, just a typical eatery service.
ATMOSPHERE: If you are looking for a romatic dinner then this wouldn't be the place.  The space is tight inside and usually crowded and full of people. You come, you eat and you leave!

Summary:  Great place to venture out for lunch every now and then and try their variety of delicious Malaysian cuisines on offer.

Cumulus - Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD

Cumulus is pretty high up there with the clouds and is by far the best find since I moved over to Melbourne, and brunch has gone from great to beyond amazing with Cumulus on a lazy Sat/Sun morning.  Just thinking about this place while writing makes me salivate and cannot wait for another visit!

This place has been jammed packed every time I visited but never had to wait long for a table. I love their decor and open plan-kitchen, there is just something sexy about open-plan kitchen that I cannot put into words. If you come here in small numbers, definitely sit on the bar stool facing the kitchen - so intriguing watching the chefs working away and if you are there when they changeover from breakfast to lunch service, you would be amazed how they transform the kitchen!  

Now about their food, the picture says a thousand words! But I will still talk a little about it. I have to-date sampled many of their delightful creations and I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with their "Grilled Lyonnaise sausage, parsley & shallot salad 65/65 egg". This scrumptious egg and haricot beans dish will hit the spot every time. If you enjoy grapefruit, they do freshly squeezed grapefruit juice here and is a fantastic combo with the grilled Lyonnaise sausage.

The thing that I look forward to the most is their delectable Madeleine with lemon curd. It is made-to-order so always freshly baked from the oven and filled with cooled rich lemony curd, the Madeleine is soft and fluffy and absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee and a fantastic way to finish the brunch.  Make sure you don't leave without sampling one of these babies!

OVERALL

FOOD: Fantastic!

PRICE: The cafe is on the pricey side, but their food is really worth it.

SERVICE: Friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: The open kitchen is fantastic.

Summary:  Great food and service, this place is lazy weekend brunch at its best.

House made crumpets, whipped ricotta & rooftop honey

Selection of fresh fruits and minty yoghurt.

Shakshouka-baked eggs with roasted peppers and shanklish

Toasted honey granola & poached rhubarb with vanilla yoghurt

Laurent Boulangerie Patisserie - Little Collins St

Having cravings all day for that delicious pastry?  Give into temptation and come to Laurent Boulangerie Patisserie.  This place has a wide range selection of delightful pastries to satisfy any taste-buds (sweet and savoury) - though it does come with a price...  This is a place I come for a treat (once in a blue moon) and I just love their Tarts - golden-brown buttery shortbread pastry filled with citrusy passionfruit/lemon curd - oh perfection with a cup of coffee!  I only dined-in once and will probably do it again as I really enjoyed the ambience which reminds me of cafes back in Europe.  One negative note apart from the price tag is I did find their coffee rather average and my friend found their hot chocolate not the best either.  

What I usually do is I grab a take-away of whichever I desired the most on the day, go and get my coffee elsewhere and then find myself a spot on the bench along the Yarra river nearby and soak up some sun.  This is when I take a moment to treat myself and do absolutely nothing other than savouring every last bite of my tart and sip of my coffee, and I hope you can do the same as well :)

Hardware Society Cafe - Hardware Street, Melbourne CBD

There is nothing better than a good brunch in my book.  The Hardware Society Cafe came highly recommended by several of my Melbourne friends.  This place is fully packed during the weekend so be prepared to wait for about 30 min for a table!  On a weekday morning this place was absolutely buzzing so naturally I was very excited when I arrived. The decor of this place is really amazing, it is warm and rustic and just full of character.  You will feel relaxed and comfortable while you read a newspaper and drinking your coffee.  The staffs here were really friendly and it was great to see them kindly addressing the family sitting next to us that they were in fact putting salt instead of sugar into their, and a new pot of tea (minus the salt) was immediately brought over!

We ordered the baked eggs with chorizo and scrambled eggs with chorizo.  The food arrived quickly and I really like how they served the food - baked eggs came in a small cast iron casserole and the scrambled eggs was served in a mini iron skillet, both placed on top of a block of wood lined with baking paper.  Rustic and yet classic, just love it!  The scrambled eggs were just under-cooked, the way I like it with delicious and not too spicy chorizos, though could do without the cold sandwich that came with it, for me I would much prefer the sandwich to had been toasted or at least warmed-up.  The baked eggs was awesome and hits just the right spot in my belly - if you like egg and chorizo, this is definitely the dish for you.

A cup of coffee from a cafe means a lot, and here is just me being fussy.  I did like their coffee, it was good but wasn't great - this is just something personal as I find the coffee from Cafe Andiamo on Degraves Street suiting more my taste.  Their hot chocolate - WOW! It was served in a cup filled with melted milk chocolate accompanied with a pot of warmed chocolate milk - absolutely loved it!  To eat or to drink the chocolate, that is the dilemma I will leave for you to solve.  Both the coffee and hot chocolate came with a mini deep fried doughnut coated with cinnamon sugar - YUM!

Next time if you have a lazy morning to spare, definitely head to Hardware Society Cafe, give them your name and go for a 30 min stroll (while you wait for a table) then come back and enjoy a fabulous brunch ^_^

Hot Chocolate

Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo

OVERALL

FOOD: Delicious cafe food and love their hot chocolate.

PRICE: Moderate pricing for cafe food.

SERVICE: Friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: Warm and relaxing, and can be quite busy.

Summary:  A great place for a lazy morning brunch and you will walk away with not only a satisfied belly but also an unique experience.

Laksa King - Flemington, Melbourne

The laksa is absolutely DIVINE at the Laksa King. The restaurant is situated literally right next to the Newmarket Train Station which is a short 15 min train ride from Flinders Train Station  - the location can't get any better than that. My friend and I came by about 8 o'clock on a weeknight and this place was jammed packed with a huge waiting line inside and outside the restaurant. Luckily with just two people we got a table straightaway, so if you're in a larger groups you may need to wait around a bit, but it is definitely worth it!

There are times that I just want something to eat quickly without having to wait around for the "formality" and the "top-notch" service, I suppose it is partly how I was brought up in Taiwan - been surrounded by quick, cheap and tasty street foods. Laksa King does takes me back to Asian with their fast service and delicious food - within 10 mins of ordering our laksa they arrived! The restaurant is air-conditioned (which is needed by some with spicy food ^.^), clean & tidy, and is super busy. You do find it a bit hectic and the seats are placed close to each other, so if you're looking for a romantic dinner this is not the place for it, but if you want to have something quick on your way home you can hop off and have a delicious meal and hop back on the train.

The surprise I found in my roasted duck laksa was the deep-fried egg plant, it was not love at first sight.  However once I tasted it, I was brought to heaven and back. The flavour of the deep-fried egg plant matched exquisitely with the laksa curry, coconut milk and chilly oil.  The generous serving of roast duck with egg noodle and vermicelli smothered over with the laksa curry left me absolutely satisfied and very full (only because I drank all the laksa soup - I just had to...it was too tasty...don't judge me...)

I know I will have to venture back here soon to try other things, as they have my little brother's favourite Hainanes boneless chicken rice (海南雞飯), or I could just take him there with me and I can have more laksa.  It is hard for me to try other things on the menu I just can't go pass the laksa, oh my archillies heel. From a credible foodie source, I have been told their Five-spice fresh calamari is AMAZING as well.  So next time you're around Flemington or on your way home passing through, why not hop-off and be amazed by Laksa King's scrumptious Laksa.

Lunch: Mon-Sun 11:30am-3:30pm
Dinner: Sun-Thu 5:00pm-10:00pm; Fri-Sat 5:00pm-10:30pm

Address: 6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington VIC 3031
Phone 03 9372 6383
Email: eat@laksaking.com.au

OVERALL

FOOD: Delicious Malaysian food.

PRICE: Very good price - cheap!

SERVICE: Tentative.

ATMOSPHERE: Busy and hectic with air-conditioning.

Summary:  Quick and tasty authentic Malaysian food.

Chinese Dumplings - Pork Cabbage

Dumpling is traditionally eaten during Chinese New Years Eve celebration in the Northern parts of China, why you may ask? The shape of the dumpling resembles the shape of a Golden Sycee which was the highest currency back in days. The idea of eating Sycee-shape-liked dumpling during Chinese New Year Eve goes way back in tradition, the more you eat the more "Golden Sycee" you have in your belly and therefore the more gold/fortune you will have for the New Year.

It is very hard to provide this recipe as it has been handed down by word-of-mouth from generation to generation. The version I will provide here is more of a Northern Chinese styled dumplings.  You will find the dough, fillings, size and style of cooking differ from region to region. So I have tried to come up with more precise measurements as a recipe here.

I love dumplings as you can use a variety of combination as fillings. Traditionally dumplings or buns are "commoner" or "servants" food, as the fillings are made up of whatever they could find.  It is still a cheaper optioned Chinese food; with 12 of these babies I always have a satisfied belly.  Pork cabbage is the easiest choice - readily available ingredients, but if you can find yellow chives, OMG Pork with yellow chives as fillings are the bomb! Beef is usually with spring onions or garlic chives. As for vegetarian it becomes a little bit more complicated - in order to get that rich intense flavour and texture, it usually include Asian style scramble eggs (we called it egg flower - it is an ball shaped, approx. 5 mm in diameter), vermicelli, and loads of finely diced vegetables such as chives, cabbage and many other varieties. Seafood version is simple, add diced up prawns and mix it with the vegetarian fillings and voila!

The secret to the dumpling is adding water/stock to the filling - it is harder to do this step if you're making a vegetarian version, since the cellulose wall of the vegetable doesn't absorb water well. Hence when you make a vegetarian filling you add vermicelli, tofu and/or scrambled eggs.  Have fun making dumplings, it is a great group activities with friends and family, enjoy!

Pork and Cabbage Dumpling

Dough 4 cups flour 2 cups of water (2:1 ratio of Flour to water) Or you can just buy pre-made dough from your local Asian supermarket. Filling 500g pork ¼ cabbaged, finely diced 250 mL water (or chicken stock) Sauce (for 2 person) 2 tbsp of Soy sauce  1 tbsp of Vinegar Dash of sesame oil 1 finely diced garlic (optional coriander and/or chilly to give it more intense flavour)

1.      Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre of the flour, add all the water (2 cups) into the well.  Mix it with a chopstick/fork, once combined turn the dough onto a clean surface. 2.      Knead the dough (about 15 min) until smooth and shiny.  Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a dampen tea-towel and rest for 30 min in room temperature.  While the dough is resting, make the filling. 3.      Place the pork into a medium sized bowl and loosen the meat with a chopstick/fork by stirring it.  In small quantities, add a little bit of the water at a time and stir well.  Continue this step until all the water has been added.  Add the diced cabbage and mix well.  Cover and place in the fridge if not using it straightaway.  If you find the water has escaped from the meat after a little well, give it another mix and it should be fine. (This is the optional ginger step, I usually don’t add any, but if you do find the meat has quite a strong porky taste, add about 1 teaspoon of finely diced ginger and mix well) 4.      Flour a clean surface and turn the dough out and roll it out and then divide into quarters.  Return ¾ of the dough back to the bowl and cover with the tea towel.  Make sure the board and rolling pin is well floured.  Roll the dough out into a long rod approx. 2 cm diameter, cut the dough into smaller sections of 2 cm width. 5.      With your hands shape each small section of dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk with the palm of your hand.  Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin into a circular disk about 1-2 mm thickness (this is the step you would find easiest with an Asian style rolling pin but should be fine using the western styled pasty rolling pin). 6.      Add a generous teaspoon of filling and place in the centre of the circular disk dough, wet one semi-circle edge with water, fold the dough in half and make sure the edge is tightly sealed.  Repeat until all the dough or fillings are used up. 7.     You can either boil or pan-fried the dumplings or even steam them, the choice is yours.  If boiling, you know the dumpling is cooked once it floats on the surface.  Pan-fried – in a large cold pan, add about 1 tbsp of oil, arrange the dumplings so they not touching each other.  On a medium to high heat, wait until the pan has heated up, add about ½ cup of water and cover.  Once most of the water has evaporated, lift the lid away and cook until the bottom of the dumping is golden brown. 8.       Sauce – combine all the ingredients.  Enjoy!

Tip: for the dough, I usually add all but a little bit of the flour, as it is easier to add more flour to the dough then water when you adjust the dough during the kneading step. The dough should be a little bit moist and should not stick to your hand once you have kneaded it well.  When you first roll the dough out with the rolling pin, you should find the dough retract a little bit because of the gluten and this is a sign of good dough.  If yours do not do this, fear not, you still end up with delicious dumplings.

The sauce recipe provided here is only a guideline. Personally I like it with a lot of garlic and more vinegar, while other people would like some coriander or chilli in their sauce.  So mix it up and adjust it as you like.

Got a pasta machine at home?  You can put the dough through the pasta machine and then cut it out with a ~8 cm cookie cutter.  I usually put the dough through until quite thin, Setting 7 if people have that option on your pasta machine as well.

What to do with extra filling?  Make it into meat/vege patties. A little bit of oil in a frying pan and place it on medium heat. Roll the filling out into desire ball size and place it into the pan, flatten the ball out with a fork.  Pan-fry both sides until golden brown.

What to do with extra dough?  Roll it out into a big circular disk like 20cm in diameter, pan fry it in a non-stick pan in medium heat until golden brown.  You can then use it as a wrap as it is, or you can further steam the dough so it becomes a softer wrap like the pancake they use in Peking Duck.

Takapuna Beach Cafe

Needing to go somewhere hip and with good coffee while the summer lasts in Auckland, New Zealand?  Why not venture to the Takapuna Beach Cafe located at the end of the Promenade Parade, literally right next to the Takapuna beach - perfect location on a sunny day.  They have a great selection of breakfast/brunch food (including many gluten free options), fantastic coffee and what is more important is their big selection of Gelato including the classics as well as the exotic flavours like coconut, which is amazing by the way!

Coffee lovers, you cannot leave this place without a proper ice coffee - two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream, a shot of espresso and a small pint of milk to go with it (otherwise you just have an affogato which is also fine by me).  It comes in 3 separate vessels so you can choose to eat your ice cream first or have it as an affogato and then wash it down with milk or you can combine them all! - the choice if yours, you have the power :)

For many years now, one dish has drawn me to Takapuna Cafe - their pan fried sole with garlic butter served with grilled sourdough.  Unfortunately 2 years ago it seems to have disappeared from the menu which is a HUGH disappointment to me as it was delicious, reasonably priced and you get a whole sole to your self!  Since the disappointment I had to find replacement, so here it is below, Crispy Agria rosti with baby spinach, feta, free range poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, served with crispy organic bacon and greens - delicious! The bacon is cripy, the rosti is crunchy and you have the egg yolk slowly oozing out that get mixed up with the hollandaise sauce, this is my kind of heaven :) 

This place could be overwhelming for those not used to the crowds. They do try to squeeze as many people in as possible, so you will be very cosy to your friends and families as well as your new found neighbours.  They had approximately 15 waiters on deck on a busy sunny Sunday afternoon, and it took all 15 waiters approximately 20 mins of walking pass a group of us to realise that we existed and needing service.  But after the first encounter, their service was great, tentative and the food came out fast.  So if you find it hard to get their first attention, don't feel it's personal.  What I love is on a sunny day, the waiter goes around and offer people hats to wear - though from a hygiene point of view I wouldn't accept the hat, but it is good to know that the option is there.  Lastly, if you do want a more personalised service, avoid rush hours and you would be fine, or just come for the coffee and gelato and enjoy what Takapuna Beach has to offer.

So why not try something different and try the Takapuna Beach Cafe, and what is great is you get to walk along the white sandy beach and enjoy the gorgeous view of Rangitoto Island and maybe some sailing to aid your digestion :)

OVERALL

FOOD: Great cafe food.

PRICE: Moderate to high  for cafe food price.

SERVICE: On a busy days (sunny Sat and Sun afternoon) you can be ignored but other days they are very good with their service.

ATMOSPHERE: Noisy but lively inside and great outdoor area.

Summary: Sunny day spent in Takapuna Beach Cafe is just great over a cup of delicious coffee and finishing it with even more delicious gelato.

Cute Find - Nor'Wester Cafe Amberley, New Zealand

Nor'Wester Cafe is a little gem in Amberley that is not to be missed if you are in Christchurch and do not mind a relaxing, flat 30min drive north.  On a sunny day this cafe offers large outdoor sitting area, and what is more exciting here is their food!  Year after year, I have returned here several times since 2008.  I found this gorgeous cafe by accident while wine tasting in Wairapa, and it is very exciting to see that this cafe sells many of the local wine (sometimes at a cheaper price than at the cellar).  I have been here for lunch and dinner previously and have never been disappointed.  Their menu is short and concise, and offers many gluten free options.  Wonderful friendly staff here and it is very child friendly.  Without babbling on too much further, here I like to share with you the three dishes we had for alight lunch for two, enjoy!

Natural Clevedon Coast Oysters - with balsamic vinaigrette

Caesar Salad - cos lettuce, bacon, egg, anchovy, croutons & Parmesan

Salt & Pepper Soft Shell Crab (Malaysian) - cucumber & pickled ginger salad, sweet chilli, aioli

The oysters was super fresh and very tasty and I wished I had got some more, yum!  Unfortunately the Caesar salad took me by surprise by their interpretation of "crouton", for me it wasn't crouton but large slices of toasted bread - hope they will change that as texture wise it wasn't quite there.  The soft shell crab was done beautifully, kudos to the chef!  Soft crunchy crab with the zingy cucumber & pickled ginger salad, this was a winner for me!  Wish I was back there right now, but if you're down at the South Island of New Zealand and new Christchurch, go there this weekend!

OVERALL

FOOD: Great cafe food.

PRICE: Reasonable.

SERVICE: Friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: Great outdoor dining area and it is also cosy indoor.

Summary: Summer here in Amberely for me means food at Nor'Wester Cafe, I enjoy nothing more than enjoying good food on a sunny afternoon :)

Spectacular View - Pegasus Bay Restaurant, Wairapa

On a fine sunny day in summer, if you happen to be in Wairapa, South Island, New Zealand (40min drive north of Christchurch), you have to come here to Pegasus Bay Restaurant/Winery, either for some wine tasting or a sensational lunch.  Booking is essential here especially in summer.  I have always arrived early to sample the latest harvests follow by one of those 3 hour lunch.  The service here is wonderful, staffs are lovely and the food is just amazing!

The complimentary appetiser is always different.  The most memorable ones that I have sampled throughout the years were the lightly smoked fish ball and the amazing creamy asparagus soup.  This time the chef prepared a light and refreshing berry soup with a hint of mint, absolutely delicious and a great way to welcome summer.  Entree was the smoked hapuka (a white meat fish) carpaccio with shallots, sorrel, grapefruit, truffle dwarf peaches and house made fennel pollen accompanied with grissini. this was a flavourful and well balanced dish.  The light smoky flavour on the tender hapuka contrasting the sour grapefruit finished off with the salty crunchy grissini, yum!

Now for the famous main, duck for two!  Muscovy duck, braised & crisp fried, kirsch cherry jus accompanied with rocket, butter crunch, mint, pomegranate, ricotta, pistachios, aged balsamic with new season potato, aioli, olives.  Year after year I have returned for this dish, it is a good thing that it is made for two so I always had an excuse to invited good company to share this amazing duck with :) crispy duck skin with enriched flavours of pinot noir and cherry, absolutely amazing!  A great wine to accompany this is the Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir, since the chef from memory used the same wine to marinate and braise the duck for two days. 

Lastly desert, my favourite part! Cassis and pinot sorbet with polenta shortbread.  Passion fruit soufflé with anglaise. To me there's nothing more exciting than a fluffy soufflé accompanied with fresh creme anglaise and this one is definitely a winner, so delicious! The Cassis came in an ice vessel, took us a while to decipher how it was made - I'm thinking two balloons, one filled with water with the other air-filled balloon inside it? How do you think it could be made?  I had the 2007 Pegasus Bay "Aria" Late-Harvest Riesling.  Aria is a very fragrant wine that tastes fruity and not too overly sweet like other Late-Harvest Riesling on the market which goes well with sweet desert like my passion fruit soufflé, absolutely heavenly together! 

OVERALL

FOOD: Fantastic food and delicious wine.

PRICE: A bit on the pricey side, but it is worth your every penny.

WINE SELECTION: Very good selection.

SERVICE: Super friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: Great outdoor dining area with a spectacular view.

Summary:  Dining here is definitely a treat, you will enjoy every minute of it, so be sure to make this your next destination while you're in the South Island, New Zealand while the summer is still smiling at us :)

Meredith - 9 Course Degustation

If I ever leave Auckland, I believe Meredith will be the restaurant I will miss the most.  They only serve degustations at Meredith, with the option of 6-, 8-, or 9-courses and as always, there is the option of matching wines.  For several occasions now, I have fallen in love with every single dish except for the desert...and since desert is the last dish of the evening, sometimes makes me feeling a little bit empty feeling. However, if you forget the desert part, you would almost think you have just woken up from the most unbelievable dream having sampled all the mouth-watering creations from chef Michael Meredith.

Factors which I have found vitally important in dining are the atmosphere and service.  Inside the restaurant is very dimmed, while some people find it overdone, I have found it just the right amount to let you forget that you are in fact surrounded by other diners.  There are limited seating in the restaurant with a handful of staff onsite, so at any given time you are very well looked after by their staff members and yet they don't over do it.  Danny, who has been our waiters on several occasions has mastered his skill to perfection.  You will never hear him clinking the cutlery on the plates, and he will ninja away empty glasses and dishes without you even noticing and most and above all, makes you feel very relaxed making it the most enjoyable experience.

Without going on too much, I will let your eyes do all the talking with the 9 course degustation and matching wine, enjoy!

	Crispy Rice Cracker This from the chef has always been different, and this time it was a very flavourful thin rice cracker, something to nimble on while you wait for your first course :)
	Side Bread This is their homemade bread, I love a dense warm bread, and I like to eat it with olive oil and even more with butter!
	First Course: Beetroot & duck meringue The meringue is beautifully done, it is soft and fluffy and goes very well with the duck pate. Matching Wine: 8 Ranges Pinot Rose 2011, light and crisp, matched the slightly sweet beetroot meringue and rich pate well.
	Second Course: Golden Bay crab, Akaroa salmon, asparagus & daikon A gentle light dish that was well balanced. Matching Wine: Fairbourne Sauv Blanc 2011, dry and fresh, and took off the edge of the fatty salmon without taking over the dish.
	Third Course: Yellowfin tuna, mirin & bonito This was all our favourite, harmony in your mouth with the fresh tuna, and the light mirin & bonito stock. Matching Wine: Ellero Gewurztraminer 2011, fragrant with a bit of spice, delicious combo with the tuna.
	Fourth Course: Scallops, smoked eel & cauliflower The smokey eel was beautifully done and together with tender scallops, yummy! Matching Wine: Seifried Gruner 2011, complimented the smokey eel very well.
	Fifth Course: Pork belly, calamari, pomegranate & peanuts Tender pork belly contrasting the nutty peanut and fresh pomganate, amazingly good. Matching Wine: Willm Reserve Pinot Gris 2010, gorgeous light crisp pinot gris, matched heavenly with the pork.
	Sixth Course: Hapuka, paua, shitake & pumpkin Nice and crispy fish skin, fresh and crunchy greens served with the delicate fish, delicious. Matching Wine: Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay 2010, this is a great Chardonnay, not too oaky, a great choice to go with the fish.
	Seventh Course: Poussin, cauliflower & onion Oh I love Poussin, tender and delicately soft chicken meat and it was well flavoured. Matching Wine: Urlar Pinot Noir 2010, was surprised by the Pinot Noir, but it complemented the heavy flavouring on the Poussin very well.
	Eigth Course: Rhubarb, raspberry, mint oil & yoghurt A great refresher, beautifully done. A hint of mint with the sweet and sour raspberry, t'was a great combo as the palette cleanser.
	Ninth Course: Bread & butter pudding Sadly this is not what bread and butter pudding should be, this was a light and fluffy sponge and the obvious lack of a creamy egg/milk/cream based sauce, I was very disappointed :( Matching Wine: Osawa Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2011, this was a delicious wine on its own, not overly sweet and very fruity.
	Have you tried this ginger beer? Highly recommend to all those ginger beer fans out there, not sure where you could get it from, but it was made from the Hawkes Bay Indepedent Brewery Limited

OVERALL

FOOD: Fantastic!

PRICE: Reasonable ($150 for the 9 courses).

WINE SELECTION: Very good selection, and the matching wine were great.

SERVICE: First Class!

ATMOSPHERE: Dimmed room, cosy and relaxing.

Summary:  Fabulous food and absolutely awesome service. This is a great place to treat yourselves :)