winosandfoodies

A Few Of My Favourite Things

Snapper fillets with bone marrow on pencil leeks with red wine sauce at Belle Epoque

It's time I shared a couple of my favourite local eating places. Restaurant reviews are not my thing. I spend too much time talking and once I've had my first glass of wine I lose all concentration. So these are just my impressions of a couple of places I enjoy enough to return to more than once.

I love Belle Epoque  from the decor, to the staff, to the food. Well the mussels and frites anyway. Three times I've been and three times I've ordered mussels and frites. It is seriously Parisien (Some one please tell me should that be Parisienne or Parisien or Parisian). Last time we visited Paris we stayed in Montparnesse.  Belle Epoque would not look out of place there.

On our first visit we decided to eat at the bar.  Although there were tables available it's fun to dine at the bar when it's offered. We were served by a very chatty bar tender who helped us decide on our wine for lunch by giving us small tastings of the wines available by the glass.

As fabulous as Belle Epoque can be other friends were disappointed with their last visit on Easter Saturday. They arrived for a late lunch before a movie and were not well looked after by the staff . A letter of complaint to the restaurant has resulted in the promise of a dining voucher for a further visit. 

We dined earlier on Easter Saturday and were happy with our service but disappointed in the 15% surcharge. The fact the restaurant was almost empty on what should be a busy day makes me think this public holiday surcharge is having an affect. The surcharge would not have been so bad if they had offered the total experience. With the seafood display cabinet empty they didn't.

Belle Epoque
Emporium 1000 Ann Street , Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
T: 07 3852 1500
F: 07 3852 1522
E: info@labelleepoque.com.au


Platter which is the main part of the High Tea

My other favourite dining spot is on the road out to Springbrook,  Tokonoma Green Tea Cafe and Gallery  at Mudgeeraba. Tables are on the deck outside overlooking the trees and stream. Margaret, one of the owners, spent many years in Japan and the food is served on the pieces she collected while there. Every little dish, plate, cup, teapot and vase is exquisite and adds to the pleasure. We prebooked the High Tea which two of our group enjoyed and the other two would have preferred the green curry from the regular menu.

Matcha cake with kiwifrui, rice cake sweets, coffee jelly with cream.

Tokonoma Green Tea Cafe and Gallery

Tokonoma 442  Gallery & Café Open Thur-Sun. 9:30-3:30 (closed Mon, Tue, Wed)  venue hire available 7 days

Address: 442 Springbrook Road, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, 4213, Australia. (Located 20 minutes from Broadbeach

info@gallerytokonoma.com.au Tel: 07-5530-2378  From overseas: +617-5530-2378

We take all our overseas and out of town friends to both places when they are visiting.

World's Best Tarte Tatin

I would go back to Port Douglas just for this Tarte Tatin.  After three days of non stop rain we needed sugar badly. Under the cover of big umbrellas  we headed to Harrison's on Macrossan street for a mid afternoon sugar rush.

This really is the best tarte tatin I have ever eaten. Not too sweet, perfectly crisp edges and a slight burn to the caramel decoration.  Served at the perfect temperature so the ice cream lasted all the way to the end of the tart.

I loved the simplicity of the decor and the individual little touches.

Read more about Harrison's at this recent  review .

HARRISON'S
Address: 41 Macrossan St, Port Douglas
Ph: 4099 6364

 

The Lakehouse- Daylesford

After a busy week in Melbourne we felt like taking it easy for a couple of days. Daylesford  was on our route north and  the perfect spot for some quiet time.  An added bonus, it was the home of the award winning Lake House hotel and restaurant.

Despite the fabulous a lá carte menu and even better wine list we decided to have the well priced menu special of a main and entrée with a glass of wine and finish with something from the dessert menu.  The staff were excellent . It wasn't a busy lunch service so we enjoyed chatting with them and gleaning some local knowledge.

We shared the entree platter for two. 

You can only eat  trout in New Zealand if you catch it yourself or you happen to know someone who fishes for trout and they are happy to give you their catch. Here was my chance to eat trout. The last time I ate it was in France in 2004. At the Lake House it was served pan fired with a crisp skin and meltingly soft inside.

Bryan said his chicken was sensational.

We were to full to face dessert so set off for a walk around the lake in the hope we would be hungry on our return.

Sadly we still couldn't face dessert. We did get to see the private dining room which had been prepared for a photo shoot on the day we were there.

The table is in the cellar and opens out onto a private balcony over looking the lake  where you can enjoy pre dinner drinks before moving inside for dinner at the beautifully set tables using native bush flowers. This would be the perfect venue to celebrate a special birthday.

On our walk around the lake we spotted this lone little duckling paddling furiously towards his mother and siblings.

Next post: Some Melbourne food experiences.

 

Fleurs Place

I'm almost reluctant to tell you about this restaurant. The last thing we want is for this little fishing village to be spoilt with camper vans full of tourists.  At least not until I've celebrated my next significant birthday ending in a zero there.  There aren't a lot of options when it comes to accommodation.  The village has one motel, one camper van park, one tavern, one gallery and  when you can't go any further before ending up in the water there you will find Fleurs Place.  The no apostrophe is deliberate. As Fleur says the name just happened and it happened without an apostrophe.

New Zealand has this rule  that says you can't buy fish fresh off a boat.   All commercial fisheries must land their catch through a licensed fish receiver.   So even if your restaurant is opposite the wharf where the fish is landed it will by pass your door and go to the nearest big city to the fish receiver, from which you can buy it and then it travels all the way back to the restaurant opposite the wharf where the fish was first landed.  How silly is that?

However the very clever  Fleur has obtained her own license and the fish comes off the boat and into her restaurant kitchen  and onto your plate while still as fresh as it can possibly be.  And it shows.  This  is how fish should taste.  It is served simply on a bed of vegetables with a sauce served alongside in a paua shell.  I followed it up with the best Bread and Butter pudding I've ever tasted..... and I make a pretty mean one myself.

So this is the front door and this is on the back of the front door.

For the best table upstairs  with an ocean view ask for Gwen's table as in Gwyneth . It's where she sat when she dined there when filming Sylvia. I didn't ask where Rick  sat but there is a choice of downstairs or upstairs dining. The  small bar downstairs is a great place to sit after dinner and meet the locals. In summer I could see myself drinking at the outdoor tables until the staff go home.

I was up early the next morning.... and from our motor home window I could see the lights were on in Fleurs Place as the staff prepared for breakfast.  I showered, dressed and took an early morning walk to get a few sunrise photos of the area.

And a few photos of the rustic charm of Fleurs Place.

The evening photos of our dinner didn't turn out as well as I hoped but here are a couple from breakfast.

Fleurs Place
Moeraki
80 miles north of Dunedin

www.fleursplace.com

Senbloodysensational Dinner at Aria

We started with Champagne and Canapes in the bar before moving to the special chef's table.  I won't describe it as I would hate to spoil it for anyone who might decide to go there.  The champagne was NV Egly-Ourient 'Brut Tradition'.  I can't find a website for them  but Cam has written about them   here ,  Dave here and  also Ed here .

Here are the pics of the food with the name and wine served underneath.   Click on the picture to enlarge.

SYDNEY ROCK OYSTER
with ponzu dressing and cucumber.
Delgado Zuleta 'La Goya' Manzilla, Sanlucar Spain

CONFIT OF PETUNA OCEAN TROUT
with beetroot mousse and horseradish creme fraiche.
2006 Scorpo Rosé, Mornington Peninsula

PEKING DUCK CONSOMME
with dumplings, shaved abalone and mushrooms.
2002 Metier 'Tarraford Vineyard' Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SCAMPI
wrapped in Tunisian brick pastry and served with gremolata.
2004 Hirsch 'Zobing" Riesling, Kamptal Austria

TWICE COOKED KUROBUTA SWEET PORK BELLY
with pear salad and cider dressing.
2004 Denis Pommier Chablis, Burgundy France

ROAST BEEF FILLET
with braised oxtail, hand rolled macaroni and cepe mushrooms.
2005 First Drop 'Mincha' Montepulciano, Adelaide Hills

A PALATE CLEANSER SORBET

COCONUT SORBET AND CHILLED PAW PAW SOUP
with poached vanilla pineapple and roasted coconut.
2005 Eric Bordelet 'Poire Granit' Cider, Normandy France

COFFEE AND PETIT FOURS

And still more

MINI PISTACHIO MADELAINES WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

........and we can't celebrate two birthdays without a little birthday cake can we.

Matt  had a couple of other little surprises in store for us to make the night extra special.

My all time  favourite Jamon Ibérico  .....

..and Black Truffle on Wagyu Beef .

So what were the favourites you ask. Well for me the Wagyu beef with Truffle and the Montepulciano from Adelaide Hills.  The majority of the group also chose the Montepulciano for their favourite wine and most chose the Peking Duck Consomme as their favourite taste sensation, although the Pork Belly came a close second.

And now I'm sure you'd like a peek in the kitchen.

And although it wasn't my birthday the Birthday Boy and wife kindly surprised me with an autographed copy of Matt's book  to take home. I've already chosen the first recipe to make.

 

Tokyo Dining El Bulli Style

Gareth at  On The Farm  alerted me to an article in the  Sunday Times on dining El Bulli  style in Japan.

World's Top Restaurants

Restaurant Magazine  have released the list of  what they consider to be the the world's top restaurants.  Read the Sydney Morning Herald article here.  I'm happy to say my beloved Tetsuya's  came in fifth.

The Packing Shed

This rustic little eating place The Packing Shed   is about an hours drive up into the hills behind Perth  in Western Australia.  On my trip to Perth last year we spent a leisurely Sunday  relaxing and enjoying wines produced on the estate,  to accompany our lunch  under a shady tree in the sun.  Various tables of differing shapes and sizes , complete with mismatching chairs, are dotted under trees outside what was once the packing shed of an orchard.
Sadly the food was nothing special, however the ambience more than made up for the lack of originality. Desserts were an improvement on the mains.

Surprisingly the flies were not as prolific as I expected for a bushside setting. Staff keep a can of Aerogard under the counter just in case.

Labour Day Weekend Woes

Looks pretty doesn't it? This is the meal I enjoyed at Mecca café, a casual eating space within the Esplanade Hotel  in Devonport.  Devonport is a 10 minute boat ride across the harbour from Downtown Auckland.  A tourist venue with the dirtiest ferry terminal I've seen in a long time.

These are the Greek Dolma from the lunch  menu .  Dolma  can be stuffed with either rice or meat. The menu said rice but mine was stuffed with couscous and they were quite nice.  Nice but not fantastic, and I would order the dish again.

My complaint though is with the service.  We were about to be seated at a table under the speaker when I suggested we would prefer something a little quieter.   We were shown to another area in the restaurant and the waitress's  outstretched arm indicated we could choose our own table. I'm happy 'cos I love to choose where I sit!

Not a good sign when you need to signal the waitress you are ready to order.  Our meal was delivered quickly enough but our empty plates were  left on the table, as were other tables.  We had other plans elsewhere for dessert and coffee so called the waitress over and asked for our check. At this point she asked how the meal was so we made our small comment about the oil in the  dressing on Bryan's salad  tasting rancid. Despite the staff insisting it was the sumac in the dressing I know it was rancid.  I have cooked with sumac so I know the taste of sumac.

It was Labour weekend and the staff may have been annoyed at having to work on a holiday weekend. If you take a job as a restaurant worker that is the life.  You don't choose the music you want to hear  and turn up the volume without considering the age of the diners in the restaurant. You don't stand around morosely, looking like you'd rather be elsewhere.  You don't act like you are doing me a favour by serving me.  Because I won't be back.

Korean Pancakes

Ryoko discovered this hole in the wall Korean Pancake shop in Lorne Street Auckland, opposite Pathfinders Bookshop.  Sweet pancakes are a $1, and even at $1.50  the savoury pancakes are great value.   It is no frills with pancakes served in a brown paper bag.  The seating consists of 1 table and two stools. The customers tend to be Asian students from the nearby language schools and are happy to stand around chatting amongst themselves.  The funniest moment was when we were  asked by the Korean pancake maker's helper "where are you from?"

 

Lunch at Tetsuya's

Montrachet inTetsuya's Cellar

Click to enlarge

There are somethings in life that really do exceed your expectations.  Our lunch at Tetsuya's  restaurant in  Sydney was one of those occasions.   Fortunately I  made the reservation before it was listed as one of the top restaurants in the world.   I had planned on taking notes   and reporting  every little detail.  Then I decided the note taking was distracting and I would prefer to just eat and savour the sight, smell and taste of the food.  Sometimes I even forgot to take a photograph until part way through the course.   

Spread over three hours,  lunch was a set degustation menu of 10 courses, costing A$175 a person.    I wanted to keep a clear head and concentrate on the food so I decided against drinking wine .  Before coffee was served I ordered a glass of champagne.

Flavours, textures and  combinations were perfect.  Tetsuya's signature dish, the Confit of Salmon was my favourite  with the oeufs à la neige(with the chocolate and raspberry surprise in the centre) coming in second. 

While Bryan was paying the bill the Maitre'd gave me a personal tour of the restaurant, explaining Tetsuya's art collection and finishing with a visit to the  wine cellar.   And to complete the day we discovered it was Tetsuya's birthday that day.  How lucky were we to have Tetsuya cook for us on his birthday?

I expect every trip to Sydney will include a visit to Tetsuya's now.

click to enlarge

Simon Gault at Euro

Gnocchi at Euro

R & S are in town for a week and yesterday we had a long lunch at Euro. This has got to be the best food in Auckland.  Meals on our table included the Rotisserie Chicken, Seafood Gnocchi, Grilled Veal followed by desserts of Butterscotch Pudding, Honey Junket and the Sweet Tapas Plate.  Some hours and several bottles of Triplebank Pinot Gris later we moved to chairs by the  open fire  and finished the day with Tia Maria Coffees.

We have to go back so I can have the Gnocchi this time. Euro is one of Aucklands best if not "the best" restaurant in town. 

Go here  to read the menu and see some foodie pictures.

Sunday Brunch at Soul

Kris, first born son,  snuck into NZ 24 hours earlier and hid out at a friends so he could surprise me  this morning.   Michael, second born son  organised brunch at Soul Bar and Bistro , one of my favourite places in Auckland.   It is the best people watching spot in Auckland, the food is usually good and you may see the  occasional celebrity to gossip about.

At times the service seems a little slow and just when you are thinking I wish they would hurry up, the waitress appears, pencil in hand, to take your order....and right behind the waitress was Kris - surprise, surprise.  My day was complete.

That's my meal in the photo - Bubble and squeak with grilled bacon, poached egg and black pudding. ...and very nice it was . We can also recommend the gnocchi, eggs Benedict and blue cod.


To go with our coffee we shared the Soul cookies and chocolate plate.

O'Connell Street Bistro

O'Connell Street Bistro   in O'Connell Street, Auckland is a restaurant I have no hesitation recommending to overseas guests - especially well travelled overseas guests.   

Last month we had friends from Chile visiting New Zealand. When a meal out was suggested we chose O'Connell Street Bistro knowing they would enjoy the experience and we could feel proud of what Auckland was capable of offering when it comes to  dining out.    

This  tiny restaurant has of about a dozen tables with an  excellent wine  list and  an  interesting menu.  We can recommend the Fish (the Special that night), the Beef sirloin and the Veal escalopes.   Their Tahitian Vanilla Panna Cotta is famous around Auckland and and I can confirm it deserves the  recognition, while the Summer Pudding is also recommended.

The staff were attentive and unobtrusive and we were all extremely happy with our night out.

Congratulations Tetsuya

I've long been a fan of Tetsuya.  One of my first posts when I started my blog was about Tetsuya (read it in the January archives ).   

A month ago I made a booking  at his restaurant  for an upcoming visit to Sydney in June.   Which was a smart move.  Because  Restaurant Magazine  have listed his restaurant  as one of the world's top restaurants for 2005.   Check out the full list  over at Vinography .

Aubergine Restaurant Takapuna

I was a little sad when Catalonia closed at 129 Hurstmere Road in Takapuna as I loved the food Franc cooked.  Obviously not many agreed with my tastes as it was never as well patronised as it deserved to be.

Aubergine moved in and it always seems to be busy.  Described in various publications as European or Mediterranean the menus is small and   basic. Steak, lamb, chicken, seafood and nothing too challenging.   I have found many Auckland restaurants inconsisitent  so dining out has become a bit of a hit and miss affair. 

Michael had eaten at Aubergine in December 2004 and reported a very disappointing meal.  We were pleasantly surprised when we ate there on Sunday evening.   No complaints about the service either as  we were well looked after.

Outstanding meals of the night were the  Salmon and Avocado Salad,  Scotch Fillet in Brandy and green peppercorn sauce and the Creme Brulee.  The only disappointing meal of the night was the chicken in filo pastry - funny - that was the same meal Michael didn't enjoy back in December.