Gastro Park

After being away from my computer for so long, I am finally back for a post from awhile ago. That night was actually my birthday, so we went to Gastro Park! I have always been admiring (and drooling in front of) the pictures of different dishes from this restaurant, so it was really nice to see and taste the real thing!

 

I really liked how the restaurant was presented, it felt like I could turn around at any point and find some artistic objects. I've heard about how creative the dishes were like, so I was really looking forward to the 7-course degustation.



Firstly we started off with a selection of snacks:

Mmmm...talking about crunchy things...yum yum. I found it really fascinating that they were placed on a stone rather than an actual plate.

We got a little cheese stick, and I felt like waving it and let the wind blow on it! Somehow it reminded me of those spirits gathering stick thingy from an ancient temple...lol

Sourdough bread

Ofcourse, how can we not have sourdough bread in a degustation? Except this one came in an extraordinary presentation that almost reminded me of a rock, a wave and bits of glittering diamonds floating in the black sea.

Foie gras, cherry, rhubarb, toasted grain.

Ok, I won't lie, when I first saw this, I thought it was some kind of animal lying on a rock plate. First thing came into my mind was "lobster", then some random bug with long legs. It was visually surprising, and definitely challenges your tastebuds.

Spanner crab, carrot, endive, pork pebbles.

By this time of the meal, I already knew that every dish will turn out to be an artwork. I was very pleased at how well they balanced the colours and textures for each dish. This one was a little mischievous, almost like something we usually see in children books, where the plants grow in all sorts of directions. I loved that combination of spanner crab and pork pebbles, it's that perfect almost of saltiness that stimulates your senses.

Roast scallop, cauliflower tofu, leaves & crisp, lobster reduction.

Comparing to the last few dishes, this was a little bit less outstanding in appearance. Yet the satisfactions from its taste did not disappoint us at all. We especially liked the cauliflower tofu, as it was like the softest food on Earth.

Liquid butternut gnocchi, shimeji, mushroom consommé.

When this came, I was like "nooooo! Egg yolks!!" (Yes egg yolk is not one of my favourite), but then I realised what it was suppose to be. Gnocchi, yep, you got it, it was POTATO. I carefully placed one in my mouth, then closing it, and then...BITE. Oh that sudden juicy feeling down the throat, it was somewhere closer than heaven. I loved it, and it was definitely my favourite of the night.

Crispy scaled jewfish, smoked potato puree, calamari crackling, ink sauce.

We got a choice between two main dishes, so I decided to go with the crispy jewfish. Those scales were so crunchy and they make quite a bit of noises as you chew on them. I liked the idea of calamari crackling, as it was a completely refreshing taste. The only thing I didn't quite enjoy was the ink sauce...I found it a little too heavy in the taste for me.

Salted bush baltarra lamb sirloin, cabbages, blood pudding, aged sherry vinegar.

Bun picked this one...just because it's meat...? It was a simple dish, but the combination of the lamb and vinegar was quite a good one.

Chocolate, honeycomb, vanilla sphere, cardamom, saffron, ginger.

We also got to pick a dessert out of the two, so Bun decided to go with this one as he found it amusing to crack eggs. That initial crack took a little while, and then all you see was an explosion of all the sweet goodies, flowing out eagerly into the bowl. It was a little sweet but still a really nice dessert.

Cooked & raw cherries, red wine pear, bolero snow, hibiscus ice cream, sesame sponge.

I actually regret a little about picking this one after I've seen how entertaining Bun's dessert was. Although it was nice, I wished it had something more to it. I think my favourite part of this dish was actually the sesame sponge, and I found the idea pretty interesting mmm...


Overall I really liked this place, particularly its creative dishes! I would highly recommend this restaurant to people, you can order either a 7-course or 10-course tasting menu...mmm I wonder what's the 10-course is like?


Address:
5-9 Roslyn Street, Kingscross NSW

Phone:
02 8068 1017

Opening time:
Lunch
Thu - Sat  from 12 noon
Dinner
Tue - Sat  from 6pm till late

Harajuku Gyoza

Hope everyone had a fantastic New Year's Eve! It is 2014 now, can you believe it???

On this particular night (still in 2013 ><), me and Bun walked pass this restaurant called "Harajuku Gyoza" at Potts Point. What comes into your mind when you thought of "Harajuku" (a place in Tokyo)? The first thing come up to my mind is fun, a place that's full of creativity and vibrant culture, and somewhere with loads of unique surprises. So when we saw this huge Kawaii ("cute" in Japanese) dumpling character on its exterior wall, we thought it would be cool to check it out!

The restaurant is actually in "Izakaya" style (a casual Japanese place for after-work drinking, usually attended by businessmen), with a bunch of bar chairs surrounding the centre (cooking area) and a few tables scattered around the room. The whole restaurant was mainly decorated in black and red colours, giving that modern and mysterious feeling. The staffs were very friendly and attentive (notice the kitchen staff doing the "peace sign" in the last picture? LOL), and the food actually came pretty quick.

We found those photos printed on the plates :)

Here are the sauces of soy sauce, vinegar and chilli oil. I prefer to use these separately although you should combine all 3 together to get the best flavour.

Pork Belly Kakuni $13.00

This is one of their popular dishes, and it came in 4 chunky pieces on the plate. Our first impression of this dish was...SO JUICY! It was absolutely fulfilling. We loved how the fat took up half or more of the proportion, yet the whole bite didn't feel too oily at all. It was a really good dish to accompany a bottle of beer too!

Pork Gyoza (poached) 5pcs $8.00

Since we were getting the Lobster Tail Gyoza as grilled, we decided to pick a poached set of Gyoza. This little dish of Pork Gyoza certainly allowed us to enjoy and appreciate the ultimate combination of the sauces. Personally, my favourite is still the chilli oil ^^

Lobster Tail Gyoza $12.00

The name attracted our attention, as we were curious of what it would taste like. We found the lobster tail was a little bit light in terms of flavours, although it was nice and chewy. To us, we probably still preferred Gyoza with whole loads of meat + vegetable inside, so we actually liked the pork Gyoza more than this one.


This will be a pretty cool place to hang out after work for drinks, or for those who don't have too much time and just wants to fill the stomach in a rapid speed. I loved how they can incorporate such a cute dumpling character to be the logo of the restaurant and how creative their Gyozas were. For a personal comment: I think the grilled Gyoza always tasted more interesting than the poached version!


PS: For our next post, I will write about my first home-made Gyoza with recipe (Yes, thanks to the inspirations from Harajuku Gyoza!!!) ^^


Address:
9-15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point NSW 2011

Phone number:
02 9356 3834

Opening time:
7 days - midday to late for lunch and dinner


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Jones the grocer (Sydney Westfield) - Food blogger invitation dinner

With a relocation of its flagship store from Woollahra, Jones the Grocer landed in Sydney Westfield with a deluxe look of a dark and sophisticated theme. It continues to serve high quality gourmet food with natural ingredients produced by specialists, and as well as offering a range of products such as coffee & teas. Jones the Grocer also has an in-house bakery and patisserie with lots of delights to provide throughout the day.

Thanks to Jessie from Cav Con and Jones the Grocer, "My Hunger will go on" was invited for a food blogger dinner consisting of a 3 course meal with beverage. It was a wonderful opportunity to see this unique place which already had several world-wide stores including Australia, Qatar, Singapore, UAE and New Zealand.

Parker's organic sparkling drinks:
Pink Lemonade/ Mango & Orange

We picked these as our drinks for the night, and they had an ultra-smooth taste with very gentle sensations. The mango and orange flavour was sweeter than I thought as the mango taste seemed to have dominated the flavour, while the pink lemonade was simply refreshing with tiny tingling feelings on the tongue.

Salt and Pepper squid, yuzu mayonnaise, Thai herb salad dressed with tamarind, chilli and lime sauce.

The salt and pepper squid at Jones the Grocer was very fresh and chewy, along with a powdery sensation when it first made contact with your lips. The tamarind (leguminous tree with pod-like fruit from Africa) dressing and along with the sophisticated sauces has made the squid stood out even more as the contrast of the tastes were strong.

Angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab, chilli, rocket, garlic & grana padano

I couldn't get enough of this entrée when it arrived at our table, as it was so delicious and addictive. The portion was very generous that we actually thought it was a main dish! This pasta at Jones the Grocer was probably one of the thinnest and smoothest one that I have ever tasted, and not to mention how perfect the rest of the ingredients mixed together. You get that that refreshing feeling while those flakes of grana padano (one of the most popular Italian cheese with grainy texture) added the extra bits of playful flavours.

Duck leg confit with French lentils, apple & spinach salad with grape seed dressing

One thing we love about the dishes at Jones the Grocer is the surprisingly fresh salad and dressings, as they have perfectly complimented the main part of the dishes. For example like this one, we were so fascinated by the different textures presented by the salad along with the French lentils, because you get that crunchiness and mushiness all in one go. Of course, the duck leg was just as brilliant. As soon as the knife sank into the meat, they fell off as if they couldn't wait to be eaten.

Roast wild Barramundi with crushed potatoes & sauce antiboise

This was another dish that we adore at Jones the Grocer, simply because of the magnificent outcome of the Barramundi skin. Not only the skin was so crispy, but the Barramundi itself was so juicy. With every bite, it just melts in your mouth with that everlasting tenderness. The potatoes showed a similar texture with crispy skin and a soft and mushy core. We didn't even need to add any extra salt and pepper as the flavours were just as excellent as they were.

Young coconut rice pudding with mango & almond crunch

By the time we got to desserts at Jones the Grocer, we were both very full. Both of our desserts were visually appealing, whether it's colour-wise or form-wise. The one Bun has picked was young coconut rice pudding where the warm coconut flavour has fully soaked in. The mango actually came in slices rather than blocks, and they were presented just like strokes of yellow paints on a white canvas. Then the almond crunch covered the top layer, scattered freely to add in that healthy touch.

Warm sticky date pudding with salted caramel sauce & vanilla bean ice-cream

I loved how cute this dessert from Jones the Grocer looked, as it was like an erupting volcano island in the middle of an ocean. The ice-cream melted slowly from the heat waves of the sticky date pudding, and then they drip down into the pool of salted caramel sauce to form artistic white patterns. I'm not going to lie, it was really sweet, but they combined so well together. That contrast of temperature from the warm pudding and cold ice cream, along with the stickiness of both the sauce and the date, has left a great impression at the end of the night.



With Bun's steady hand, My Hunger will go on managed to shoot a video of Jones the Grocer. Check out their stunning interior, and get a close-up view of their dishes!



Thanks again for inviting "My Hunger will go on" to this memorable dinner, we certainly hope to come back soon in the future to try out more dishes.


Address:
Shop 5018, Level 5 Westfield
Cnr Market & Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 8072 7755

Opening time:
Mon - Sat 8am - late
Sun 8am - 7pm

Website:
http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/



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Buns & Balls - 2013 Online influencers dinner

"My Hunger will go on" was invited by Simon from "SIMON SAYS" and Sian from "The Darlin Group" to attend the "Online Influencers Dinner" at Buns & Balls, this was certainly exciting for us to check out this new hang-out place at Kings Cross. Buns & Balls was a little bit away from the main street, so you do achieve that privacy if you wish to have a party or function here. Buns & Balls is said to be "casual and vibrant". With funky street arts on the walls, trendy lighting, pool table, live music, comfortable couches, happy hours and outdoor dining area, it no doubt will increase the heart beat of any individuals who seeks for a fun night out.


So on this particular night, we were allocated to our table outdoor. With colourful light bulbs hanging above our heads and the sun slowly waving goodbye, our intimate dinner at Buns & Balls kicked off.

Cocktails:
Pineapple, ginger beer, vodka & bitters (left), Watermelon, lime and vodka (right) - freshly squeezed, with or without alcohol

I picked the watermelon while Bun went with pineapple, we were not sure which one was better because they were very different in terms of sensation and flavour. I found the watermelon one was very refreshing, with that mixture of sweetness and tingling sourness, it would be a brilliant summer drink. While the pineapple one was rather a little creamy, with quite a strong taste of ginger beer and hints of sweetness from pineapple.

Gourmet Meatballs:
Beef & Pork

This was like one of those classic meatballs that straight away melts your heart. They were juicy, and full of flavours bursting with every bite. Buns & Balls certainly aced this one!

Crispy Tofu served with warm chilli nap sauce

I thought this idea from Buns and Balls was very creative and interesting, they were so soft that they collapse as soon as I lifted them up with my fork. The meatballs then broke down into little square pieces of Tofu, and they were indeed tasty.

Barrumundi Croquette served with Buns & Balls' tartare sauce

Comparing to the previous 2 meatballs, this one from Buns & Balls seemed a little more ordinary. The skin was very crunchy, with that stream of hot air flowing out after the bite with fresh aroma.

Gourmet burger: (you can order gluten-free buns too!!)
Char-grilled beef (Wagyu beef, cheese, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo & Buns & Balls' burger sauce)

When we eat a good burger, it makes us happy for many days. So when we heard that Buns & Balls was especially passionate about their burgers, our eyes glittered up. The beef burger certainly did not disappoint us from our expectations, it delighted us in so many ways! The ingredients were in perfect proportion, the patty was extra juicy along with the melting cheese and sauce. We loved this!

Sweet potato fries

This was something different, as we had so much experiences eating just potato fries. The sweet potato fries was somewhat more gentle in its taste, and they were less crunchy. I loved the dark brown parts as they provided a little bit of chewiness and sweetness.

Grilled chicken burger (Marinated & char-grilled chicken, cheese, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo and Buns & Balls' chilli sauce)

Bun said this one tasted a little like Portuguese chicken, for me, it reminded me of those Korean chilli chicken. The chicken was even juicier than the previous beef burger, which made me drool for more.

Fresh Salad:
Char-grilled chicken with a side of chilli sauce

Char-grilled steak with a side of steak sauce

We all agreed that the chicken salad was better than the steak one, I felt it was because the beef was a little bit dry comparatively.

Spicy Louisiana Wings with blue cheese sauce

Oh god, those chicken man...No doubt they were everyone's favourite from Buns & Balls, I swear we could just sit there and eat those all day. The spicy flavour totally sank into the chicken, so prepare to get your hands sticky on this one. I would absolutely recommend this to people if they come to Buns & Balls, they were totally delicious!



Now on the menu that was given us, it said dessert will be a sweet surprise, and indeed they were!

We received cookie and ice cream sandwiches and pieces of Krispy Kreme donuts with chocolate sauce. The funny thing about the cookie and ice cream sandwich was...because the cookies were very hard, the ice cream just creeps right out when you bite on them! That difference in their textures was somewhat amusing. Oh and everyone loves Krispy Kreme donuts :D

We bumped into Ando and Brenda from The Lamstock, so it was time for some happy happy photos~~~ smile!!


In addition, "My Hunger will go on" decided to shoot a short video of Buns & Balls for you to check out their fun atmosphere.




Thanks again to Simon and Sian for inviting "My Hunger will go on" to this intimate dinner, we had a great time. This is definitely somewhere we want to return to in the near future, and most likely with a group of friends for a quick drink to catch up!


Address:
33 Bayswater Road, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 9326 9054

Opening time:
Tue - Fri 6pm - late
Sat - Sun 3pm - late

Website:

www.bunsandballs.com.au

 

 

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Jamie's Italian

We saw a huge Chandelier through the glass, shinning up the entire entrance like as if it was a bright welcome sign. Yep, we were finally at Jamie's Italian (about time!?). I think I was a little hooked on Polenta Chips since Bloodwood, so we have decided to visit here to hunt down this famous dish.

The interior was really big, it went all the way inside and also with tables upstairs. We saw a range of wines, rows of breads, and a bookshelf full of Jamie Oliver's cooking books. The excitement started to build up, as we slowly walked up that wide stairs with our friendly waitress.

There were small and intimate tables, tall pub table, and large group tables. The lighting wasn't as dim as we thought, as they had single light bulbs almost at every corner. We loved the setting and the mood that was created, it somewhat evoked a nostalgic feeling.

 

 

The menu came in a single page, presenting lots of choices in which circulated in our heads. We then ended up picking what we thought were the most classic Italian dishes.

I loved this particular shot of the tables behind us, looking out towards the colourful city lights. I liked the combination of dark green, red and brown colours, they matched really well with the background.

Fresh Juice  $4.50

Bun ordered this orange juice to satisfy the thirst, he gulped down half of it in a few minutes and that put a warm smile on his face.

Crispy Squid $12.00

Bun loves squid, and this dish has always been a "MUST" for a dinner like this. The sauce was a little sour so we didn't dip too much of it, I guess the squid itself has already got enough flavour. Another thing I found amusing was the random garlic chips I picked up on the side mmmm...however, the portion was smaller than what we had in mind, and hence we managed to finish the dish at the speed of light.


Famous Polenta Chips $8.50

Bun stared at me as I ate them one by one like a maniac or some kind of vacuum machine, this dish left me speechless, stunned, whatever you call it. I loved how crispy the fried coating was, and how they came in perfect size for the bite. The Parmesan covered them like snowflakes, giving that extra bit of texture. It was my favourite dish for the evening, and I would definitely recommend this for any Polenta Chips lovers!


Tagliatelle Bolognese $12.50 (entree size)

We both love Bolognese, and we certainly won't miss out on this one! The mixture of beef and pork along with the herbs and Parmesan, have hugged tightly onto each other and brought out that nostalgic flavour to our mouths. The good old Bolognese never disappoint us, perhaps we should've ordered the main dish size ($19.00).


Game Meatball $22.00
(Note: "Game" refers to any animal hunted for food, or not normally domesticated)

Ok, I think we picked this dish purely out of curiosity. It turned out a little different to what we thought, but the taste certainly amused us. (HA! I see Polenta again!) The meatball was well-cooked so it pretty much broke off as soon as we dug our forks into it. We loved the combinations of everything on the plate, and it was very fulfilling too.


JI Warm Brownie $9.00

By the time we reached desserts, our stomaches were pretty full already. Despite this fact, we still decided to order separate desserts! Bun loved his Brownie, the combination of cold vanilla ice cream and the warm Brownie satisfied him, completely.


Before I go on with my adventure of the Tiramisu cake, here's a picture of my stomach at the time...

 *Cough* Sorry to kill your eyes with my messy drawing and the unnecessary description...let's move on shall we?!

 

Tiramisu $9.50

This thing was HUGE! I could immediately foresee my failure to finish this beautiful cake. The coffee flavour was very strong, just as what I liked about Tiramisu. I loved the layers and the bits of orange mascarpone, it was one of the best Tiramisu cakes I ever had. Unfortunately, I had to leave it when I was half way due to explosion inside the stomach.


We loved every single bit of Jamie's Italian, whether it was the attentive service, the brilliant dishes, the overall atmosphere...it was a really enjoyable dinner. We can't wait to recommend this place to our friends, and hopefully we can come here as a group next time and try out heaps more dishes :D



Address:
107 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 8240 9000

Opening time:
Mon - Sun  11.30am - late


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