China Doll for birthday girl

 

Sitting by a glittering Sydney Harbour on a prematurely warm Spring day is always a pleasant and relaxing experience.

Just add a couple of dozen warships to the mix. And quite a few seamen in uniform. Plus several tables of young ladies in cocktail dress who scream and go hysterical whenever a sailor walks past... well, the experience becomes more exciting rather than tranquil.

This occasion was my birthday lunch at China Doll restaurant, located in the Finger Wharf complex at Woolloomooloo.  The warships were also in town for the International Fleet Review, hence the prevalence of sailors. It was the perfect spot for a leisurely, if noisy, lunch.

I chose to celebrate at China Doll because we had our work Christmas party there last year, and I remember the food being fantastic and the service being friendly, even though the place was packed with large groups getting merry. If you look at the other restaurants in the Finger Wharf row, you’ll notice that China Doll is usually the busiest. For good reason, too, because they do it really well.

We had the banquet lunch ($59 per person). The quantities were more than enough and the quality was excellent. Lots of opportunity for people-watching, too, which makes lunch even more fun. Just before the main dishes arrived, there was a massive roaaarrr (like a sonic boom!) as some fighter jets flew by in salute to Navy. Exhilarating!

Cheers! Had a very nice mocktail, Papa don't Peach (cranberry, peach, passionfruit)

There was a special on, of chicken and foie gras wontons, so we ordered them in addition to the banquet. The banquet also included steamed scallops in shell (not pictured).

Corn and zucchini fritters were like muffins, but more light and fluffy. I wondered why my muffins aren't like light like these, then realised that these were deep-fried (duh!).

The tea-smoked salmon salad was gorgeously refreshing.

Jasmine rice and greens come with the mains. This wagyu beef curry was sublime - the meat was literally melting in my mouth, it was so tender.

We had this pork belly at the Christmas party, and it's probably China Doll's signature dish. Crispy, fatty and sweet, its absolutely worth the KJs.

This is black sticky rice and also sago with coconut. Perfect finish to a top lunch.

The service staff were welcoming and responsive, too, which makes for an overall fine day out. 

Momofuku Seiōbo followed by Zonut Cronut

I booked a meal at momofuku seiōbo and survived.

And, no, it wasn’t that difficult – or I was just lucky – to get a spot for the day and time that I wanted. The occasion was the other half’s birthday, part two, with part one being the traditional dinner at Ocean Room (that meal was the 12-course degustation, good value and service).

To make a booking for momofuku seiōbo, you need to first set up an online account, which gives you access to all of the Momofuku restaurants around the world. Then, you go to the reservations site and try your luck at getting a table. Fortunately, the booking window is now 20 days ahead, so I was able to nab a table for lunch on a Saturday. And, really, it is luck of the draw, because when people cancel a booking, it comes back into the reservations system for someone else to get.

momofuku seiōbo is located at the back of The Star (casino), so if you’re feeling doubly lucky, you can try your luck at the casino tables beforehand. And, if you enter through the casino and you wear spectacles, the security staff there may give you a piercing look to check that you don’t have ‘smart glasses’ on.

The staff at momofuku seiōbo are much friendlier. Try and get a seat at the counter of the open kitchen so you can watch them put your meals together. However, it’s more like food arranging rather than food preparation, as not a lot of cooking takes place. This doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the experience, as the dishes are very prettily arranged by the chefs and then they bring it over and tell you what it is.

The food is exceptional: top quality, beautiful, clear flavours. The signature steamed pork buns are ethereally light, miles away from the mass-produced efforts of other local restaurants. Portion sizes are reasonable, though if you are particularly hungry, you may have to stop for a burger and chips on the way home… I took the Cronut route - see further down.

There seems to be a shift away from high-end fine dining in Sydney, what with the imminent closure of restaurants like Claude’s and Guillaume at Bennelong. What’s left if you want a special place for a celebration – Aria, Rockpool, Quay, Tetsuya? All in the CBD, interestingly, unlike the more hip places in Surry Hills, though the hipster joints do not seem to have the staying power of the fine diners.

momofuku seiōbo sits in between ‘hip’ and ‘high-end’, I think. You won’t feel out of place if you don’t wear a jacket and tie here, but it’s definitely not bistro or dude food. The overall vibe is ‘upper middle smart-casual’, despite the high price tag ($110 per person for the 8-course lunch). There is a 5-seat bar area that has a separate small menu (there was a tasty-looking terrine that seemed very popular when we were there), so they may be covering their bases in regard to the mid-to-high end of the dining scale. You don’t need to book for the bar, so maybe you could take a chance there if you don’t succeed in the momofuku seiōbo booking lottery.

 Smoked potato cream in a crisp shell, with apple jelly

 The momofuku Pork Belly Bun

 Striped trumpeter (fish) with celery leaves and mustard oil

Potato balls with mullet roe and parson's nose

Onion, various ways, with burnt leek and egg yolk (that's the round thing with black on top)

Eel dashi jelly with octopus and almond milk (my dish was missing the almond milk)

Striped trumpeter (again!) with fennel and dill

Pork neck, squash and kombu

It's very Intensive Care Unit in the open kitchen

Goat's curd with crushed blackcurrant and mint (two dishes, here. Looks like Eyes!)

Pear with honey cream and muntries (Australian native berries)

Petits Fours: Canelé, and caramel with kombu

Cheers, Angus.

Au revoir, momofuku seiōbo, I'll be back.

----

And because I was not completely full after lunch at momofuku seiōbo, and because Adriano Zumbo's patisserie was just across the way...

I got a Zonut cronut to have a little later.

This flavour was Pina Colada. Tasted just like a finger bun, only greasy.

Le fancie: Smoked Salmon Rillettes

Recently, I had lunch at a French-style pub. Yes, there is such a thing. I mean, it’s called ‘Le Pub’, after all.
PS: One day, I’d love to eat at a restaurant called ‘Le Pantalons Fancie’, like on American Dad.

 

For starters (les hors d'oeuvres), we shared a well-stocked charcuterie plate that featured a luscious duck rillette.

I just love rillettes, it’s such a French dish, so richly textured and usually swimming in delicious graisse (that’s French for fat). So it’s not a dish that you want to have too often if you value your health.

 Duck rillette in a tin, with accompaniments.

But how about these salmon rillettes, with no duck fat to be seen, just tangy crème fraiche to tie all the flavours together? Don’t mind if I do!

Not much to say about this recipe, except that it looks super-swish, is super easy to make, and it’s the perfect dish to impress, well, anyone. It’s bound to be on the menu at Les Pantalons Fancie.

 

Smoked salmon rillettes

serves 8

Ingredients

300g piece of skinless salmon fillet, pin-boned

200g smoked salmon, chopped

2 tblsp finely chopped cornichons

1 eschalot, finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1 tblsp finely chopped dill

¼ cup finely chopped chives

200ml crème fraiche

Toasted baguette slices and cornichons, to serve

Method

1. Place the salmon fillet in a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of boiling water. Cover with a lid and stand for 30 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked.

2. Remove poached salmon from the water and pat dry with paper towels.  Flake the flesh into a large bowl and cool completely.

3. Add smoked salmon to the cooled poached salmon, together with the chopped cornichons, eschalot, lemon zest, dill, chives and crème fraiche. Season with salt and black pepper, then stir until just combined.

4. Serve the rillettes with toasted baguette and cornichons.

Rillettes can be stored in a covered container in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve at room temperature.

recipe adapted from delicious (February 2013) 

Salmon, before and after poaching, with eschalot, chives, lemon and chopped cornichons

Add smoked salmon to the poached salmon, together with lemon zest and crème fraiche

Serve with crusty bread

Très fancie!

And please pardon the imperfect French in this blog post!.