Archive for the ‘VVV’ Category
V Rating: VVV BBQ King is not a obvious choice for vegetarians. First, there’s the name. Second, there’s the string of burnished red roast ducks hanging in the takeaway section of the restaurant. Third, there’s the automated 3D wall decoration where chefs with giant cleavers rhythmically pound the necks of poultry. But vegetarians shouldn’t be put off by this carnivorous exterior. Secure a seat in the meandering, two-storey restaurant, and you’ll see a healthy 13 vegetarian options on the menu (excluding vegetarian dishes with oyster sauce). The salt and pepper tofu rates amongst some of the best in Sydney - the salt and pepper coating is not too heavy, but still well-seasoned, and the tofu is soft enough to melt soon as it hits your mouth. The garlic baby spinach is not for the faint-hearted, but who’d have it any other way. When I went last week I tried the round, brown Chinese mushrooms and braised green vegetables for the first time, which I enjoyed Is BBQ King over-priced? Sure. Is the service bad? Laughably so. Is the decor old and faded? Of course. But this doesn’t mean you won’t have a good time. BBQ King is a Sydney institution. The food comes out fast, it’s open late at night, the location is ultra convenient and the meals taste good. The last two times I’ve been there I’ve seen this guy and then these guys looking right at home as they chowed down on a meal. It’s just that kind of place.
V Rating: VVV (for degustation) A couple of weeks ago I slipped out of my youthful twenties and into the sophisticated thirties. After waking up on my 21st birthday in the 12 bed basement of a grimy London youth hostel, I decided that I wanted to augur in the dawn of a new age in style. But there presents a problem for vegetarians. You have money to spend, an anniversary to celebrate, and a lot of fancy, meat ridden Modern Australian restaurants to choose from. After much umming and ahhing (I’m a food blogger. Turning thirty. On a Friday. The pressure is intense) I settled on the degustation meal at Assiette . Assiette is a modern French restaurant tucked away in the alleys of Surry Hills. As a matter of course, when I made the reservation I specified that Andy and I were vegetarians who ate no meat or seafood, my Dad is a vegetarian who does not eat meat, and my Mum has no special dietary needs. Anticipating it would be too hard to make individual degustation (tasting menu) meals, I offered to each have the vegetarian version. To my surprise and delight, they assured me that we would each get degustation meal matched to our dietary needs. This was an impressive effort, because it meant three different ten course menus and preparations (although some dishes did overlap). What follows is a photo essay on the strict vegetarian degustation. I didn’t ask if they would do a vegan version (which would stretch French cooking to its limits) but may be worth a try. First up was an espresso sized creamy sweetcorn soup with basil oil. Next was pickled beetroot with goats cheese and pine nut vinaigrette. Tart goats cheese and beetroot are a classic combination, and didn’t disappoint us in this incarnation.
Assiette hit its straps by third course, a ratatouille with Bearnaise sauce.
The freshly steamed asparagus spears made a nice contrast to the runny crumbed poached egg, although this was one of the less exciting dishes of the night.
The saffron and carrot risotto with carrot chips was a highlight. The saffron gave a beautiful yellow hue to the dish, and the fried carrot chips complemented the creamy risotto base.
Again showing an Italian influence, the next dish was cardamon puree with roasted pumpkin and gnocchi.
The open ravioli with field mushrooms, parsley foam and avocado mousse was my favourite dish of the night. The large field mushrooms were perfectly sauteed and full of flavour, while the parsley foam added lightness and colour to the meal.
We’d reached the end of the main dishes, and moved on to crisp lavosh bread with blue cheese and sweet honey and walnut. This was a great combination and something I’d like to try at home.
Our palates were cleansed with grapes, pretty cabernet sorbet and basil leaf.
The meal ended on a high note with a spiced pear brulee with lime and pear coulis. Assiette is a very small restaurant with white walls and dark furnishings. The look is austere compared to the bling of most Sydney restaurants, but the small open kitchen where you can watch chef Warren Turbull work his magic adds warmth and familiarity. The service was reasonable. The different degustation meals were stressful for the waiting staff so there was a slightly strained air to our interactions. But on the other hand, the sommelier was knowledgeable and wisely talked us out of a matched wine degustation in favour of ordering off the wine menu. I thought Assiette was good value and did an admirable job of catering for our different dietary needs so I’ve given them a VVV. Their standard menu is less veggie friendly - so perhaps save this for special occasions where you will call and book in advance.
V Rating:VVV Last Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting up with the food-loving bloggers behind Grab Your Fork, Pickles Perks, Cucina Rebecca, Limes and Lycopenes, and Morsels and Musings, the last two for the first time. We’d heard tell that the breakfast banquet at Kazbah on Darling was worth blogging about, so made the trek to Balmain. Obviously we weren’t the only ones in the know - there were people waiting outside by 11am and inside the tables were full. Perhaps the reason for Kazbah’s popularity is its unique offering amongst the crowded Sydney brunch scene. Rather that the standard eggs on toast or big breakfast, Kazbah has a large spread of dishes hailing from Northern Africa, Morocco and the Middle East. There is a good selection of savoury and sweet dishes, which we dutifully explored.
I was excited to try the fuul medammas, because I’ve heard vegetarians live on this dish in Egypt. I’ll be there for three weeks in September so wanted to know what I was in for. I really liked the mix of chickpeas and fava beans, which are roughly blended to create a thick paste that has a smooth, subtle flavour. You eat it on bread with feta and shallots. Yum!
Kazbah bills itself as the “home of the tagine” and true to form offers vegetarian and meat versions for breakfast. The vegetarian tagine consisted of pumpkin, baby spinach, capsicum, carmelised onion and tomato with two poached eggs on top. I was expecting the tagine to be stew-like, but actually it was a baked dish that somehow preserved the freshness of the vegetables, particularly the spinach. The warm rice pudding with saffron poached pears and hazelnuts was my pick of the sweet dishes. The rice was firm and large, and was lovely in the creamy sauce. Also, it was topped with saffron poached pear.
I was in two minds about the sweet cous cous. On the one hand, it was topped with a generous serving of stewed magenta rhubarb. On the other hand, the cous cous looked and tasted like it had been soaked in a super sweet golden syrup which was a bit much for my system at that time of the morning. A pretty glass of cardamon milk came with it, and was meant to be tipped over the cous cous. It helpfully softened the taste and texture.
Last but not least was the strawberry pancake. Emily from Pickles Perks had warned us not to choose the chocolate version because it was too rich. This was a wise call. The strawberry pancake was huge, and had a thick fluffy texture that bore more resemblance to a cake than than a pancake. The strawberries were baked into the top, and the whole dish was smothered in double cream and syrup. Somehow I managed to have two slices, for which I deserve a place in the brunch hall of fame. Naturally food, restaurants and food and restaurant scandals were hot topics of conversation amongst the assembled bloggers. But it was also nice to discover that we had other things in common, like a love of travel, weddings, and the Meaning of Life. There’s already talk of another meet up later in the year, and I can’t wait to see everyone again when we’re back from overseas.
When you’re about to leave a city, you need to savour its simple pleasures. At least, that’s my excuse for a Saturday afternoon pitstop at the Turkish Gozleme stall at Bondi Junction’s markets.
I first discovered the wonder of gozleme during weekend trawls of the Glebe markets. Gozleme are thin savoury dough crepes with a filling. Traditionally they are cooked in a pan, but at the stall they are grilled on a hot BBQ.
My favourite variety is feta and baby spinach. The quick cooking time allows the feta to melt and the baby spinach to heat without losing its freshness or body. To serve, you add a squeeze of fresh lemon to bring out the flavour of the spinach and the saltiness of the feta. For vegetarians, the stall also offers dessert gozleme, with organic banana and raw honey or organic banana and chocolate. Apparently in Turkey vegetarian gozleme fillings can include mashed potato or mushrooms - definitely something to try on the big trip.
V Rating: VVV You know how sometimes there’s a serendipity effect with a restaurant, where you go from never having heard of it, to wanting to visit it, to bumping into it at every turn. Well, I had that recently Fifi’s Lebanese on Enmore Road. Just before deciding to embark on a six month round the world trip, I thought that buying the Sydney Entertainment Book would be a good investment (I guess this is why other people reach important life decision via planning rather than impulse, huh). Each of the main featured restaurants gets a page where they can display their sample menu, but I was disappointed to see that lots of places had el zippo vegetarian options. One notable exception was Fifi’s. After turning up one Saturday night without a booking and being turned away, I was thrilled when my good friend J suggested we go there to celebrate her 30th birthday (and I immediately made a reservation). J being a seasoned Fifi’s patron, she told us that the banquets were the business. Because I am a
We started with hommus, baba ghanoush, and bread. The baba ghanoush had a deep, smoky flavour, perfect for sweeping on to pita bread. I am a huge potato fan, so was very excited by the arrival oregano potato salad. It wasn’t quite what I expected though. The spices gave the potato a dry, relatively bitter coating. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I prefer my potatoes to be saltier or sweet. Tabbouleh, a tasty pickle plate and fried eggplant with a tahini dipping sauce rounded off our first course.
Next up was cabbage rolls and stuffed vine leafs.
And, of course, falafel. This was a lot of food and we couldn’t eat it all. But did that stop us from ordering dessert? Of course not! We had the deliciously sweet and icing sugar covered Turkish Delight and soft Vanilla Almond Nougat. Fifi’s definitely gets a highly commended award for offering a choice of two vegetarian banquets. The white table cloths and elegant decor added a touch of class, making it a lovely place to celebrate a special occasion.
V Rating: VVV No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always had an ol’ faithful local restaurant. It’s the place I suggest when we’re going out with newbie friends, or I’m in a group and want a fun, cheap dinner without politely pointless deliberation about which restaurant to try. Well, Thai Terrific in Bondi is that restaurant for me (even though it’s not quite my local). When I first moved to Bondi, Thai Terrific’s Curlewis Street setting was a little more humble. A couple of redecorations later, it’s bright swankier restaurant with a large courtyard out the back. The one constant is that whenever I go there it’s always packed. So why is that? Truthfully, I don’t think it’s the quality of the food. Don’t get me wrong - it’s not bad food, but it’s not exceptional Thai (and if anything has become a little blander over the years). I think it’s more likely because the Bondi Beach food scene has a gaping hole where some great Asian restaurants should be. There are some good small places (better suited to takeaway) and some ritzier, expensive restaurants but not so much of the variety or experience that you find in other parts of Sydney. So while inner westies might puzzle at Thai Terrific’s success, if you live in Bondi, it’s one of the best no-fuss, great fun restaurants and one of the few ways to get a Thai fix. Like most Thai restaurants, there are ostensibly loads of vegetarian choices because you can order different curries and stir-frys with your choice of sauce and vegetable and tofu. I didn’t do the ordering so I’m not sure if there was fish sauces in any of the eight veggie entrees, or around 30 mains - I recommend you ask.
We tried the entree deep fried tofu with sweet chili and peanut satay sauce, green curry with vegetables and tofu, Pad Thai, and the pumpkin and snow pea stir fry. These last two dishes were my favourites. In particular, the sweetness of the pumpkin and snow peas worked nicely with the soy based stir fry sauce and soft and oily egg. Like every visit to Thai Terrific, the food was just one part of the experience. Combined with the fun, lively atmosphere and flowing wine, we had a typically great night.
V Rating: VVV Last year, a Veggie Friendly reader tipped me off to the Nepalese Kitchen on Crown Street. I’ve been looking for an excuse to go there ever since. Compared to your average ultra hip Crown Street restaurant, Nepalese Kitchen feels time-honoured and intellectual, the kind of place where conversation could turn to the politics of Nepal’s neighbours China and Tibet, as easily as complaints about the state of the Sydney.
We tried it on a Friday night, where our reserved table was the only free one amongst the busy, noisy crowd. The excitement was palpable as we checked out the yummy steamed momo dumplings (two out of the three types were vegetarian), but we also ordered the eggplant stuffed with onion and served with a yoghurt sauce. As much as I love momos, the eggplant entree was a highlight. The eggplant was soft but kept its shape, while the onion stuffing was light, and sweetly flavoured with cumin. There were five different vegetarian mains so our group of six tried them all. At my end of the table the favourite was the Bhanta, an eggplant and potato curry with cherry tomatoes, sauteed with cumin, garlic , ginger and chili. The eggplant was melt-in-your-mouth good.
I also liked the mushroom curry with potatoes, sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce with cinnamon and black cardamom. There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a whole button mushroom slathered in curry sauce.
The tama was a hot and sour curry with potato, pickled bamboo shoots and black-eyed beans.
The kwali, a nine bean curry cooked with chili, parsley seeds and traditional spices had me at hello.
We also ordered the bandakopi, a vibrant green dish of peas and snowpeas stir fried with shallots, coconut, coriander, green chilies and spices. A sweeter dish, it made a nice contrast to the heavier potato-based curries. To balance out the meal we also shared a light, watery dal.
At the end of the meal we were greeted with a very reasonable bill and a shiny plate of candied fennel seeds to freshen our breath.
A quick poll of the table voted the food as pleasant but not special. I felt more kindly towards Nepalese Kitchen. I enjoyed all the dishes, liked the vegetarian variety, and loved the atmosphere. A fun VVV experience. |
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