A whale of a time!

25 degrees saw a perfect Sunday in Sydney. A good mate of ours Dean Cropp who during the week spends his time filming lifestyle and news for channel Seven, shares a passion for all things on, in and under the water. I received a text with a " how would you like to join us for whale watching on Sunday?". My reply was instant " hell yeah!". Our motley crew of 5 included a couple of Croppy's close mates and auntie Jack who commented, " its is a very Aquarian thing to watch whales". Moments after arriving just outside the north point of the heads we spotted a mother and calf. A magical day on the harbour with at least seven different sightings of groups of males, females and babies. The sunset which was a mix of a crimson and bronze colours provided a majestic backdrop which not even Pixar could match. Check out our clip of some of the highlights of the whales in action. Beauty like this reminds us that despite all the hectic happenings of modern society there are still amazing experiences to found right in your own backyard or pond. I can understand now the passion behind  the protest of  hunting  such beautiful animals. It is our duty to maintain this so that future generations can experience this also....

We certainly had a whale of a time!

With a bit of Monkey Magic there will be fireworks tonight!

After reading all the amazing recent reviews on Eatability, I really couldn’t justify waiting any longer to check out Monkey Magic in Surry Hills. Located conveniently on Crown St. (a mere 2 minute walk from my apartment) I finally made my way over to the restaurant on Friday night and I couldn’t have chosen a better start to my weekend.

Kicking the meal off with a nice glass of sparkling and some edamame, my guest and I decided to try a range of appetizers and small dishes. First up was the crab leaves, a deliciously fresh bite of crab meat with distinct highlights of lime and amazu ponzu on a bedded betel leaf. Next came the caramelised pork lettuce cup, with a touch of thai nam jim salsa spicing up the dish, the prawn noodle salad and the grilled chinese cabbage roll. The real standout for me however was the kingfish carpaccio with sesame dressing – I’ve never had kingfish so fresh and tasty. 

Of course, I couldn’t resist trying out some of the Monkey Magic cocktails. The Ageha Tokyo Punch was sweet, but fresh with a distinct citrus flavour and the classic Singapore Sling stayed true to its famous reputation, a cracka! I am glad it’s made fresh – my boss who is a regular in Singers tells me that the bar staff at Raffles are being lazy and using pre-mix. Definitely not the case here.

After the cocktails came dessert, and with the chocolate pudding (filled with pure liquid gold!) and delicious banana white chocolate spring rolls, the night finished off on a high note. That was enough for me to ride my magic cloud home with belt unbuckled.

Check out some Monkey Magic pictures at http://gallery.me.com/wasamedia#100313

P.S. For all you 80’s die-hard fans, check this out:

 

Summer Truffles Best at Show!

The smell of summer truffles fills the air of Milan. One of the great pleasures we discovered at the Milan food expo are all the different truffle growers, pushing their summer gear onto show attendees. I was lucky to experience with the smell of white and black truffles and learnt about all the truffle products in Italy from growers who had been in the biz for generations. It must be said that summer counterparts are not as pungent as their winter big brothers. Both Italy and France come alive in October in anticipation of truffle fever.

Giorgio Loccotelli - Locanda London 09

Danny Russo and I after the Food expo in Milan, hightailed it to London for a couple of days of British sunshine and innovative eating.

We landed at long-time favourite of my wife, Giorgio Locatelli’s, Locanda restaurant in London’s . After a long lunch with Danny we had the pleasure of meeting Giorgio himself. He was generous with his time and it was great to watch him and Danny talk about their passion for Italian food at this level.

Thank you Giorgio for making us welcome and lastly my wife is most happy with her gift!

Nutty about Nougat!

As a die-hard sugar addict, at Jones the Grocer I have found my small slab of nirvana. Aptly entitled cranberry and pistachio nougat, even mention of this gourmet goodie is enough to send anticipatory shivers of saccharine induced pleasure down my spine. While the consistency of nougat varies depending on its composition, the paradoxically tender yet chewy nature of my latest find defies logic in the most delicious of ways. Featuring pistachios wrapped in rich layers of creamy French nougat, perfectly complemented by the addition of tart cranberries, words simply cannot do this devilishly good indulgence justice!

The Merging of Families: Omerta

Unlike religion and sports teams, loyalty to restaurants these days seems to be incredibly ephemeral. But something tells me this may not be the case with Omerta. The first night it opened its doors, I was lucky enough to see, sample and savour what Omerta had to offer. 

What initially makes Omerta stand out from the rest is the atmosphere. Simply a buzz with lively chatter and bathed in soft lighting, it exudes a welcoming warmth. Then of course, there is the food itself – a selection of tasting plates promising the type of humble, delicious food one would expect when eating an authentic meal at home in the Abruzzo district of Italy. 

Starting out with fat, sumptuous Sicilian olives, these proved the ultimate accompaniment to a glass of wine -18 of which Omerta offer by the glass. The wine which I sampled was in fact made by one of the owners, award winning Sommelier Glen Davis, in conjunction with Nick Farr. Nick's name may ring a bell - his father is internationally renowned wine maker Gary Farr. So its safe to say the Omerta folk certainly know their wines, although they are not the type to go boasting about it. Moving on to the house made pork and fennel sausages, these were simply bursting with the kind of flavour that emphatically set them apart from any sausages I have eaten before. Juicy meatballs, crusty bread and lavish portions of cheese completed a veritable feast of wholesome fare.  But for me, the piece de resistance was the bombolini's – feather light puffs of pastry heaven teamed with a silken Italian hot chocolate dipping sauce. 

With the food as hearty and genuine as the company at Omerta, the only unanswered question I had at the end of the night was - when are we coming back?

Rocket Restaurant

Restaurant Balzac