Shhh...it's a sush sush secret...

Dredging through all the email in my inbox the other day I stumbled across one that I thought had sneaked past my usually reliable spam filter. The filter hadn't blocked the picture contained in the email, which it usually does if there's a chance of virus or trojan, but it still looked like spam mail to me. Unlike the usual spam mail I've grown accustomed to, this one didn't try to convince me that I needed a replica rolex, or to last longer in bed. What it did offer was something that most certainly was too good to be real. As much as my common sense said to steer clear, it hit me in my weak spot. It was suggesting cheap, quality food so I had to investigate further.

The picture in the email was a little cartoon sketch of a caterpillar, a dragon, a stick of dynamite, and a spider ordering sushi from a sumo. The location was a reputable place, well known to many in Sydney so I booked a table for lunch with a few work colleagues. I figured if the email wasn't true, I would end up paying a heck of a lot more for lunch, but at least I could cross the restaurant off my 'things to do before I die' list.

We arrived at King Street Wharf 5 minutes before our booking and were promptly shown to a table. On the cab ride to the restaurant, I practiced and practiced the secret handshake which would show the maitre d' I was one of the privileged few that knew of this secret deal. The handshake didn't seem to work, and plan B which was a slight inclination of my head followed by a slow wink was only acknowledge with a quizzical look. Plan C was to sheepishly pull out a copy of the email to show the maitre d' that I wasn't just making this up, but fortunately I didn't have to go that far. When we were seated, there was a nicely bound menu on the table that read wonderfully like the email I had scrunched up in my pocket.

It read: Kobe Jones All you can eat sushi. $25 Lunch Mon-Fri.

It's like Christmas in July, and as we sit back and wait for the feed, we are able to soak in the view, giddy with anticipation. Although a little cluttered, it's still an harbour view and it's a glorious winter day.

We perused the extensive drinks list and hoped that the sun would set unusually early so that we could try some of their tempting cocktails, but alas it was only midday and there was still work to get back to afterwards. Another temptation was the $940 bottle of 1988 Penfolds Grange Hermitage but after much debate it was decided that it didn't go with the theme of the day. (Hopefully next time, save me a bottle Kobe!). In the end it was a round of still water (impressively at no charge) and a couple of sparkling minerals ($8 a bottle).

The food arrives promptly and it's all that we could hope for and more. I swipe savagely at eager hands with my wooden chopsticks, delaying the inevitable demolishing of the plate just long enough to grab a quick photo.
So let's try to break this down:










The salmon, kingfish and tuna Nigiri was soft and velvety, wonderfully fresh and served at a perfect room temperature. Next up was the Dragon roll, a combination of tempura prawn and crab salad, topped with a sliver of avocado. The Caterpillar contains my favourite unagi and is simply delectable.











Dynamite rolls were made up of salmon today and induced with fiery sauce. The Spider Rolls (soft shell crab) seemed to be all crunchy legs and lacking the crab flavour but the winner of the day had to be the Volcano roll. Oven baked scallops in an amazing creamy sauce, this sucker couldn't be simply contained in a roll, it needed a porcelain fortress to contain all the goodness.

For the vegetarian who sacrifices for his beliefs, there was a vegetarian bento box for $30. It comes out as a three course meal, the first course being sake. Yes I consider the sake a entree, look at it. It's was about four shots of hot liquid. Comments on the bento box were not particularly favourable, but there's only so much you can do about flavour without meat. Plus the dessert of pannacotta more than made up for any short comings of the main.





















So this is the end of an epic lunch. The whole event took 2 hours so if you are going, be sure to have a good excuse ready to give the boss when you get back to work.

THE GALLEY - Bobbin Head

Another rainy winter's day..what to do? Go to lunch of course! As it was a week day, local was better. My son and I like the natural beauty of our surrounds, and enjoy often the Kuringai Chase National Park (Turramurra or Mt Colah entrances). There are many activities within the National Park, but more recently there has been another attraction, the GALLEY FOODS cafe overlooking the beautiful river at Bobbin Head's award winning Empire Marina. This space has been given a new lease on life with the new owners revamping the space about 6 months ago. The Marina has been slowly revamped over the last couple of years and this eatery has certainly added another element by providing an open, casual atmosphere with interesting menus based on local seafood making it attractive to all ages. On a sunny day, this is a glorious location. On a rainy day, it is equally attractive. The open eatery provides a temporary haven for maverick ducks wandering past, the staff are welcoming and if it is a little brisk, you are welcome to fling one of the warm "throws" over your shoulders provided by the restaurant. The seating allows for inside and covered outdoor seating. If outdoors, you are directly above the water, and nestled amonst the million dollar boats, moored at the marina. Fish swim around the waters edge, and the ducks also entertain with their antics. That atmosphere is peaceful, surrounded by calm, glassy water, high rocky outcrops covered in native bushland. It is a beautiful atmosphere and certainly conducive to good digestion! Now, the menu....to perfectly compliment the surrounds, there is the usual staples of burgers and fish and chips, with coffees from Toby's Estate. Sounds like good "basics" but believe me, even the basics have a little twist, there is nothing ordinary about the food choices. If you would like something a little more differnt try the scallop cerviche with salsa. A beaufifully prepared dish of fresh ingredients, and tangy flavours. The perfect "in between" meal. Not too small to be unsatisfying, and not to heavy for a lunch. It was a delight. My son had the usual bacon role which was served in the hugest damper role I had seen for a long time. It almost matched the size of his head! Not too big to tackle though. With lashings of bbq sauce, it was demolished quicker than you could say "Bobbin Head". Desserts were another delight. Bread and Butter puddings, creme brulee just to name a few regulars. A milk shake and latte later, and we were on our way to pick up the firstborn from school. However, we have solid plans to return to try the seafood linguini, the Mahi Mahi, and other delights on the menu. Apart from the food and the atmosphere, it really needs to be mentioned that the SERVICE has always been easygoing, helpful and genuinely nice. On many occasions we have pulled up on the scooters, kids in tow, for ice creams, and coffees, only to be met with smiles, nice chat, and welcoming attitudes. Equally, for lunch, my 4 year old was given as much attention and time as I was when choosing his bacon roll. None of the "nice" is put on, it is genuine and welcome. Sometimes kids can be a little rattling (and unwelcome) in restaurants, not here. Thus, we will visit many times over the summer and beyond. While the adults sit gazing at the view, the kids can walk around spotting ducks from the marina. One mention should be made, that as it is located in the national park, there is an entry fee of $11 per car to visit. However, yearly passes to all national parks can be purchased for $65 (great for the return visits!). Also, I believe at the moment they don't have a liquor licence, but BYO is allowed, and hopefully they can provide the service in the future. On googling the Galley, it seems the owners have had many a successful venture in the past. Morgan Forbes and Luci Bell. Keep it on your radar and keep it local!

Feijoada Blog

Okay, so I was in a Brazilian restaurant and my tastebuds exploded over my first taste of the national dish of Brazil - feijoada which is pork and beans as far as I can tell from the recipe but what a combination! Use ham bones and white beans and tomatoes and molasses and you get something quite different - Boston Baked Beans. Use black beans and lots of smoked meats and garlic and bay leaves and you get a national dish! I knew I had to try making this myself and it was the long weekend so I assembled all the ingredients:

Smoked ribs, beef jerky, smoked hock, chorizo sausages and some pork bones.

I had soaked and boiled a kilo of organic black beans the night before and drained them a couple of times so the black colour from the beans wasn't too strong, my dish turned out more brown than the thick purple/black of the restaurant's version.

I stirfried the raw pork bones in oil with garlic and the bay leaves and then added the smoked meats, chopping them up so the flavour would come out really quickly. Once I got the soupy mix rapidly boiling, I added the cooked beans into the mix and turned down the heat, simmering the stuff until the meat started falling off the bones.

I tasted the feijoada and decided it was salty enough so I fished out the bones which still had a lot of meat on them so I put them in a separate saucepan and added more water to make some stock.

The stew I let boil until most of the beans had broken down but still leaving enough for some whole beans to still be in the mix. I then served it up over some plain white rice.

I was happy with the flavour although it wasn't as rich as the version I'd tried, but found it to be too mushy compared to the restaurant's version. I probably didn't need to cook the beans as much beforehand and next time I would leave the beef jerky out, it didn't really add anything to the dish and ended up being chewy and stringy on the plate. And I had a lovely smokey stock to make vegetable soup with the next day!

Hidden Treasure - HANAYA Japanese Restaurant

There aren't many things for which Hornsby is well known. There's the water clock fountain, which has been featured in a sum total of one TV series and one TV commercial; there's the shopping centre which is dominated by the big "W".

More often than not, Hornsby is a stopping point between the city and the Central Coast and most people who travel there insist on taking a packed lunch as though it were out bush somewhere (as it once was)!

Well recently, we found a place to dine which measures up to any City establishment.

Hanaya is located on the ground floor of an apartment complex alongside shops and offices which are set back from the frontage behind a series of pillars, so if you aren't looking for it, I'm pretty sure you'd miss it. I'm guessing that the majority of their customers are the building's tenants and that would be a pity as it offers some of the freshest and tastiest traditional Japanese cuisine this side of the North Shore.

It is located on the Pacific Highway between the turn-off towards Thornleigh and Hornsby Station. Parking is a little awkward as the road outside is a clearway however there are some sidestreets which are walking distance to the restaurant. (You'll appreciate the walk back to the car or station afterwards!)

What struck us immediately upon being seated was how clean and new the place is. The tables are well spaced out and unusually the service counter is the same height as the tables. There was one person serving and we saw only one other person emerge from the kitchen but the food came out quickly and efficiently. (Admittedly we were the only customers - apart from a take-away order - on a Sunday but hopefully this will change.)















Now the exciting bit! As I mentioned earlier, the food is traditional. The menu doesn't try to be "moderne" or cutting edge or anything other than traditional Japanese cuisine as we know it and, if it also happens to be sublime, there's nothing wrong with that! As we were a large party, we ordered two of each entree - Edamame,














Agedashi (deep fried) Nasu (eggplant), Agedashi Tofu ,


































Karaage Chicken...


Nasu Dengaku (fried eggplant with miso) ....













and Beef Tataki (beef carpaccio).


Then it was onto the mains and everyone chose what they wanted - which ended up being a combination of Donburi (rice bowl dishes), Udon (wheat noodles) and Sashimi and Sushi.

Of the latter, we had to try the Soft Shell Crab Roll - it was everything that a good soft shell crab should be, crispy with just enough creamy sauce.



The Tonkatsu Donburi - perfectly crispy deep fried pork fillet with sufficient sauce but not too much and on a bed of perfectly textured rice.
The Eel Donburi - I have to admit, I'm not a big fan but I didn't hear any complaints after the meal so I'm assuming this was fine too!

Salmon Sashimi - the fish was very fresh and delicate (no stringy bits so well prepared) and beautifully presented! My favourite, the Tempura Udon - perfectly crispy batter which softens into a sponge-y goodness, yummy stock and lots of seaweed (most restaurants never have enough) and very al dente (or the Japanese equivalent!) udon - all delivered piping hot to the table.


There weren't enough of us to try everything on the menu but this gives us an excuse to return in the near future!

Oh and our reason for coming to this fine establishment? It was a birthday celebration and a good excuse to try out the icecream cone cupcake recipe! Admittedly not beautifully decorated as there wasn't a lot of time but I just wanted to prove that baking ordinary cake mix in a cone (as seen on the internet!) would work and it does! Look out for some more variations soon!

GOBLIN TEASMADE !

Not for me, the current kitchen fad for the newest, shiniest, brightly coloured and expensive kitchen appliances. I have to admit, I'm a retro girl at heart and it totally goes against the grain! Ok, so I DO have a little coffee machine on the bench, but my pride and joy (and perhaps this is more to do with me being a dedicated tea lover) is my Goblin Teasmade circa 1972. How cool is this contraption? I had heard about these, my grandmother had one in England many years ago, so you can imagine how I squealed with delight when I found one at a local garage sale. $15 was all it took, to assume ownership of my new obsession. The idea behind this invention, which has been described as "a peculiar eccentricity of the British", is to set up the teasmade in the evening before you go to bed. It was traditionally placed on the bedside table before retiring for the evening, but from my experience it could be placed in the house next door as the hullaballoo when it goes off would wake the dead! You fill the jug with water and put it on the element, you put some tea-leaves (or bags) into the crockery jug. In the day, the english used to also leave a jug of milk and sugar out for convenience but with our climate, I wouldn't be game. Make sure the clock is on the correct time, set the alarm to when you would like to be woken, and set it on "auto". Then all you need to do is snuggle up and think of of England! A few minutes before the alarm time, the teasmade begins gurgling (this alone may wake you), the water is boiled, and is transferred automatically from the kettle to the jug through a little pipe. Once full, the cut-off switch trips the alarm. Now, as I mentioned this was QUITE LOUD, and to top it all off, that lightbulb also switches on and would illuminate the opera house at night if required! There is NO WAY you could miss your alarm and keep sleeping. Its hilarious! That's it..your tea is made. All you need to do from here is add milk and sugar, and sit in your bed enjoying a perfectly brewed cuppa. Now, the Goblin Teasmade was first made in 1936, but there was gas powered invention as early as 1891 along a similar vein. By the time mine was made (I have a model 844 made in 1972 check out the website www.teawaker.com for the chronology of the models) one million Teasmades had been sold. The company was taken over in 1973 and another 2 million were made and sold in the next few years. Although eccentric, and really quite a cumbersome appliance, its quaint qualities have been quite popular with many over the years. For me it is really more of a novelty than a day-to-day item, but my culinary life would not be the same without it!