The Great Australian dinner with Rene Redzepi

As part of October's Good Food Month celebration, the Great Australian dinner with Rene Redzepi is one of the most exciting culinary events of the year. A fascinating feast of Australian flavours from David Chang, Mark Best, Kylie Kwong, Ben Greeno, Brent Savage, Neil Perry, James Viles, Martin Benn, Peter Gilmore, Dan Hunter, and of course the extraordinary Rene Redzepi from Noma, three times Number 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and currently Number 2.

Each of the 10 most inspiring chefs in Australia prepared canapes served with drinks on arrival. The canapes showcased some of Australia's best native produce, such as kangaroo, wallaby, lobster sashimi, oysters, to something more exotic, like edible insects from Kylie Kwong. This lady is completely obsessed with adding bugs to every dish and I believe she spiked Rene's dish with ants while he went for his interview (just joking). Being bold and brave, Mr M tried all the bugs and commented that they are crunchy like chips. Kylie heard his comment and told him that "they are healthier than chips!" :P

After trying out all the amazing canapes and mingling with some of the most remarkable chefs in Australia (in the likes of Peter Gilmore, Mark Best and Neil Perry), we are invited into the dining room inside the Star Event Centre. Rene Redzepi prepared the first course: Alliums lighted cooked. Allium refers to the onion and garlic family, and this dish is completed with Australian ingredients such as green ants, rosella buds, salt bush, riberries and samphire. Rene said with the exception to onions, he has never worked with any of the ingredients in the dish before! It is a dish with interesting texture and flavour - erring on the sour side of things, quite an acquired taste I would say. 

The mains are cooked by the remaining 10 participating chefs (9 Aussie chefs and 1 grumpy American as Rene called David Chang :P). Each chef created their own personal expression of Australian cuisine and each table is served the same main. The main dish you get depends on the table you are at. Browsing through the menu, there are several mains I had my eyes on - Marrion in the shell with seaweed butter, roasted cauliflower, fermented mushrooms, confit potatoes and parson's nose (David Chang), Wagyu short rib with lettuce, eggplant and seaweed (Ben Greeno) and Kurobuta pork belly with macadamia sauce and wattle crumb (Brent Savage). Being a picky eater, there are also a few that I'd rather stay away from: smoked native oysters, bar cod and wallaby tail with roasted mealworm cake (you've probably guessed who's behind this dish). 

When the waiting staff came and told us they are from Sepia and our table would be getting the charcoal-smoked marron from Martin Benn, our entire table looked pleased. After the first bite, I am in heaven. The West Australian marron is so fresh and perfectly cooked over Japanese charcoal. The marriage of flavour is simply amazing with the sweet and citrus yuzu curd. It has got to be my favourite dish tonight and a dish I will be dreaming about every now and then. At this moment, I thank God for the couple that asked us to swap tables with them so that they could sit with their family from out of town. 

Ben Greeno, who currently works at Momofuku and interestingly enough is the first chef Rene Redzepi recruited at Noma, is responsible for our dessert. He created a dish of blackened pear, sunflower seed puree and chocolate spiked caramel. As Ben explains, it's Australian in a way that it's light and sunny and a dish that hopefully makes people smile. And it certainly made us smile. 

It had been such an extraordinary evening to not only watch amazing chefs work their magic, but also to meet delightful food enthusiasts - 2 at our table have dined at Noma and shared their fascinating experience there with us. Most of us at our table thought one thing they could do differently is to let everyone taste a selection of main dishes, rather than just one. But I still believe Martin Benn's marron dish would be pretty hard to beat. 

Enjoy the photos :)

Outside on the beautiful balcony at the Star

Native oyster crème, sea lettuce, lemon aspen - James Viles

Bread by the Bread & Butter Project.
Extra virgin olive oil: premium hojiblanca from Cobram Estate. 

Neil Perry

Peter Gilmore

Our favourite Masterchef Adam Liaw

Kylie Kwong promoting edible insects!

Live green tree ants - yes, live and running around!!

  

Roasted baby crickets 

Dehydrated earthworms

   

Some interesting native Australian ingredients for tasting

Rosella marshmallow with pepperberry - Mark Best

Momofuku sous chefs dishing up their canape

Smoked eel and apple - Ben Greeno & David Chang

M's fav... Sashimi of local lobster, grapefruit,
green almonds, bergamot jam - Peter Gilmore

Brent Savage from Bentley Restaurant & Bar promoting Kangaroo meat

Kangaroo tartare with horseradish - Brent Savage

L Loves... Bonito, flavours of roasted chicken,
salted plum, green tea, nori - Martin Benn

Steamed biodynamic siu mai of marron, goji berry,
dehydrated Australian black ants, organic Korean fish sauce.
You've guessed it, this one is by Kylie Kwong

Wallaby, flax and wattle seed - Dan Hunter

We caught Rene Redzepi doing an interview during intermission

Rene Redzepi during his photoshoot

Rene Redzepi during his interview

The sit down dinner begins

Rene being interviewed in the busy kitchen

First Course by Rene Redzepi: Alliums lighted cooked 

  

David Chang giving his thoughts on Australian cuisine

Martin Benn explaining the concept behind his utterly delicious marron dish

L Loves... Main course by Martin Benn:
Charcoal-smoked Western Australian marron, yuzu curd,
sea samphire, lemon aspen, ginger, shiso and shell powder

L Loves... Main course by Martin Benn: Charcoal-smoked Western Australian marron, 
yuzu curd, sea samphire, lemon aspen, ginger, shiso and shell powder

  

10 of the most inspiring chefs in Australia, along with Rene Redzepi &
"that grumpy American" (aka David Chang) as referred to by Rene

Terry Durack, chief restaurant critic for SMH 

  

Festival Director Joanna Savill and Rene Redzepi

Ben Greeno explaining the inspirations behind his dessert

Plating up the beautiful dessert

L Loves... Dessert by Ben Greeno: Pear, sunflower and caramel 

Splendid Dinner @ Cafe Sydney

Having something to look forward to definitely helps reducing the grief of coming back to work after the Easter long weekend. Miss C is my angel taking me to dinner at one of Sydney’s most popular restaurant, and now I know it’s admired for a good reason. The view is stunning by day or night. Sitting on top of the Customs House at Circular Quay, Cafe Sydney has a modern look, including the use of dark timber and floor to ceiling glass walls to bring out the best of the impeccable view of the Harbour Bridge and the ferries on the sparkling blue water.

We ordered some non-alcoholic drinks to start the night off. The Kiwi Crush Mocktail is particularly refreshing, with a hint of lime and delicious passionfruit syrup. Cafe Sydney prides itself with a menu based around seasonal produce, with an emphasis on seafood. The scallops are perfectly grilled. The flavours are well balanced and the addition of the thin crisps of smoky pancetta is genius. My only complaint is that there are only three scallops on the plate! The grilled prawns are fresh and delicious, and lucky for me as someone who can’t appreciate spicy food, the citrus chilli butter is not spicy at all.

The duck leg is cooked twice to capture all the aromas, taste and tenderness of the delicate meat. It is served with a rich foie gras sausage, beetroot, puy lentil and a sweetly caramelised grilled fig. This is the ultimate dish of overindulgence! Having naan as well as the usual sourdough bread on the menu shows the great range of international cuisine Sydney as a city has to offer. There are a variety to choose from, including goat cheese and spinach, spiced caramelised onion and garlic naan. We had the goat cheese and spinach, they are lusciously gooey and a bargain at around $3 a serving.

 The kitchen @ Cafe Sydney 

View from inside - the harbour backdrop 

Kiwi Crush and Antipodes Sparkling Water

Appetiser

Goat cheese and spinach naan

L Loves... Seared scallops, butternut pumpkin, 
quinoa, cavolo nero, crisp pancetta, lemon 

Grilled half shell Queensland prawns, 
kohlrabi remoulade, citrus chilli butter, baby basil 

L Loves... Twice cooked duck leg, foie gras sausage, 
beetroot, fig, puy lentil, vino cotto, jus

View from the balcony - I could look at this all night long :)

All in all, we had a remarkable evening. Service is impeccable. We did not have a moment where our glasses are empty. Without prompt the staff swiftly topped up our glasses. Our entree arrived quicker than we expected but the timing of our mains are just right. They do get busier and busier as the evening progresses. By the time we are leaving, the sun has set and the dining area is dim with subdued lighting. I would definitely recommend Cafe Sydney, especially if you want to impress friends and guests from overseas.

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8/10

•    Ambience: 4.5/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 3.5/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5

Overall rating: 23/30

Cafe Sydney

5th Floor/31 Alfred St 

Sydney NSW 2000 

Ph: (02) 9251 8683

Monday to Friday 12 noon until late 

Saturday 5pm until late 

Sunday 12 noon for lunch

Visited April 2013

Friendly advice: Book in advance as it is a busy place and ask for balcony seats so you get the full view overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge - you won't regret it!

Wedding Celebration @ Sails on Lavendar Bay

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a wonderfully cheery wedding reception at Sails on Lavender Bay. The first thing we notice when we entered the restaurant is the stunning view of the waterfront, the Harbour Bridge arching across the bright blue sky framing the Opera House underneath it. The dining room is long and narrow, with all tables alongside the floor-to-ceiling windows. There is room for up to 90 guests for a sit down reception and the layout allows for all guests to exult in the spectacular view.

The stunning view from our table

A few staffs circled around with a number of canapés and graciously offered them to seated guests. Sails pride themselves in their seafood and we are swayed by their delicious calamari. The calamari hidden inside the tasty crunchy coating is soft and so morish. We urged the staff to hand over the entire dish to our table as we vowed to demolish them while we chit-chat away.

The Menu for today

Pork, black bean and shallot pastille

L Loves… Salt and pepper calamari, lemon aioli

Dauphine Potatoes

After the entrance of the gorgeous bridal party and the glimmering new couple, we are presented with beautiful entrees of seared scallops and Crystal bay prawns. The scallops are so tender and delicious with the slightly sour yoghurt and the sweet, creamy carrot and ginger puree. The prawns are fresh and plump it almost seemed like they are caught at the waterfront on the day.   

L Loves… Seared scallops, carrot and ginger puree, cumin yoghurt, baby coriander

Crystal bay prawns, crab and lemon agnolotti, celeriac puree, chorizo, celeriac puree

After some interesting dancing, extraordinary singing and a few moving speeches we moved onto mains. The rib eye is slightly on the dry side, but it is meaty and flavoursome. Cooking the perfect steak is always a challenge when catering for a large group so overall I would say Sails did a great job. The portions for main are sizeable and if the steak doesn’t fill you up, the rich and buttery potato gratin is guaranteed to.

Cone bay barramundi, cauliflower puree, pine nut, caper and currant salsa 

Grainge rib eye, potato gratin, chimichurri butter

After our stomach for savouries are well beyond satisfied, it’s time to look after our desserts stomach. We are presented with the silky dark chocolate torte and vanilla and lemon crème brulee. The dark chocolate torte reminds me of Quay’s eight texture Valrhona chocolate cake, which I also had at a wedding reception. I still prefer Quay’s version though – I can still remember how rich and smooth and crunchy and nutty and chocolaty all at the same time! The vanilla and lemon crème brulee is massive. Call me old fashioned but I still prefer the traditional vanilla flavour when it comes to crème brulee. Sandwiched between the crumbly shortbread is the heavenly pistachio cream that is almost the consistency of a panna cotta. For me they are the covert hero of the dish, along with some of that citrusy lemon curd.

Dark chocolate torte, white chocolate mousse, milk chocolate sorbet

Vanilla and lemon crème brulee, lemon curd, shortbread, pistachio cream

L Loves… Lemon curd, shortbread, pistachio cream

All of the three courses we had are available on their current a la carte menu. The bridal party did a fantastic job at picking the dishes, placing emphasis on their exceptional seafood. Big congrats to the new couple for a beautiful wedding with lots of love and lovely food. I would happily go back to Sails and recommend it to anyone who is looking to impress anyone!

L's Verdict:

·      Taste: 8/10 

·      Ambience: 5/5

·      Value: 3/5

·      Service: 4/5

·      Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5  

Overall rating:  24/30

Sails on Lavender Bay

2 Henry Lawson Ave

McMahons Point NSW 2060

(02) 9955 5998

Lunch: Tues to Fri, Sun 12 noon to 3pm

Dinner: Mon to Sat 6pm till late

Visited October 2012

Friendly advice: Sails on Lavender Bay is accessible by ferry, private boat or car – so pick your option and arrive in style.