Archive for January, 2007
V Rating: VVVV I really love Sammy’s Kitchen. It used to be a Canberra staple for me, back when I had a casual job in Civic. But it is somewhere I have not been going to so much recently. Partly because that part of Civic has been a bit of a no-go-zone with all the construction going on for the new Canberra Centre extension, and the consequent lack of carparking. Sammy’s and other traders in the area must surely have suffered during this period. But now, with the construction just about finished and the new Canberra Centre and carparks open, maybe things are getting back to normal for them. I found myself at Sammy’s a few weeks ago for the first time in over a year, to have a quick lunch with my Mum. We shared the vegetarian spring rolls ($3.80) and curry puffs ($4.50), and I had the stir fried snow peas with chinese mushrooms ($11.50). We also shared a vegetarian nasi goreng ($9.00). All were delicious. I was reminded of how much I love the food, and made a mental note to go back there soon for a proper meal with a few people so I could have a chance to sample more of their dishes. And go back there I did, only a few days later. Unfortunately, though, of the five people I went with, four ordered meat dishes (evil, unsharing carnivores!) and the fifth ordered a vegetarian dish (sizzling fried bean curd with chinese broccoli and needle mushrooms, $11.50) that I couldn’t eat, but which he assured me was excellent. I had the snow peas and mushrooms again: I really can’t go past this dish. The crunchy snow peas go so well together with the thick, fully flavoured chinese mushrooms, which have a sort of gelatinous texture. The blend of textures and flavours is so simple but works so well. I’ve recently been back to Sammy’s a third time, and this time I thought that, as much as I love that dish, for the purpose of this review, I should venture out and try something else. So I tried the vegetable laksa ($11.00). Laksas can be hit and miss, in my opinion, and as a vegetarian who does not eat tofu, I find that asking for a vegetarian laksa sans tofu too often means I just get a noodle soup with one green vegetable. But not at Sammy’s. The laksa was a real treat, with a range of vegies, and a tasty, spicy broth. Other vegetarian options include mixed chinese vegetables with fried bean curd ($9.50), english spinach with garlic or belacan sauce ($11.00), and stir fried green pepper and dry bean curd with chilli bean sauce ($9.00). Sammy’s Kitchen scores a VVVV. There is a good range of great-tasting, very reasonably-priced, vegetarian options, including a couple from the specials board. I think I’m definitely going to revert to being a regular. AC Observant readers may hae noticed that Veggie Friendly has been a little quiet of late. This is not just because I’m still coming to grips with post-Christmas life. Actually, I had lots of really interesting posts and photos that I wanted to share with you, but unfortunately a small accident involving my laptop has put paid to these dreams. Ahhh, yes, many slapstick artists must dream of my ability to destroy so many pieces of expensive computing equipment with one mis-timed stumble over the battery cord. I, however, have to live with the tradgedy of my lack of coordination. So, until I replace my computer or work out how to
V Rating: V-ware A little while ago I wrote about how much time you can waste trying to find a nice Sydney restaurant for a vegetarian friendly work Christmas lunch. The answer, by the way, is a lot. After much agonising, we settled on the The Wharf restaurant at the Sydney Theatre Company. There were a few reasons for this choice. One was the menu on the Internet, which looked veggie friendly. Another was the recommendation from a fellow vegetarian. The third reason was the view. On this last count, the restaurant exceeded my expectations. It’s at the end of the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) on pier 4 at Walsh Bay in a converted warehouse. To reach the restaurant, you walk over creaking railway sleeper floorboards, and posters reminiscing about the stellar stars and shows that have graced the STC boards. The restaurant is in three parts - a main indoor area with two outdoor verandahs on the wings. The large, glass windows that surround the open plan restaurant let the light come flooding in. They also happen to look out on a beautiful harbour vista taking in Luna Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The venue was a great choice for lunch, even on the stormy, overcast Friday that we visited. Unfortunately, the menu didn’t quite live up to our heightened expectations. Perhaps we misread the menu that fateful day when we booked. It turned out that there was only one vegetarian main on the menu. Out of ten options. It did not fill me with confidence that the option was a salad. We ended up asking the restaurant to modify the seafood pasta dish. Much like last year. The entrees were more promising. Two were vegetarian, and one was figs with goats cheese. It is hard to go wrong with this dish. The figs were fresh. The goats cheese was tart, and the sprigs of baby mizzuna added a touch of pepper. However, it wasn’t quite as special as the fig and goats cheese entree at Ravesi’s, maybe because the fig wasn’t caremelised. I loved the atmosphere at the Wharf restaurant but am a bit over having issues ordering a decent vegetarian dish for Christmas lunch. This year I’m not leaving anything to chance - I’m booking something in July! |
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