Mino Japanese Restaurant (Mosman)

I have never had the opportunity to try a Kaiseki – a Japanese style banquet that is a showcase of the chef’s skills. Off we went to Mino Japanese Restaurant at Mosman for Sunday lunch when we knew about their Kaiseki menus.

Over 6 courses, we sampled over 15 different style of cooking. All the mini dishes in the entrée platter have great balance of flavours and together formed a wonderful experience, while the Wagyu steak was a standout main course.

At $59, it sure matches many high end degustation menus offered by restaurants in the area.

Details:
Mino Japanese Restaurant
521 Military Road
Mosman NSW 2088
http://www.minomino.com.au/

The Eight Chinese Restaurant (Sydney)

The  Zilver Restaurant group recently took over the restaurant at the top level of the Market City mall in Sydney’s Chinatown. The family decided to pay a visit for the $228 set menu special on a quiet weeknight.

The set menu included 4 dishes along with 4 mini abalones in oyster sauce. There was definitely enough food for 4 people: garlic chicken, steamed whole barramundi, plus 2 dishes of your choice. While the dishes were generous in portion, everything other than the steamed vegetable was over seasoned. We needed frequent sips of tea to endure the meal.

(For the generous use of salt)




Details:
The Eight Modern Chinese Restaurant
Market City Level 3
9-13 Cnr Hay St & Thomas St 
Haymarket NSW 2000
http://www.theeightrestaurant.com.au/

Yellow Bistro (Sydney)

I seldom had the opportunity to enjoy a slow Sunday brunch. The combination of a rare sleep in and a sunny Sydney day warranted a stroll across the Domain for brunch at Yellow Bistro at Potts Point.

The menu covers both breakfast and lunch dishes. Both the croquet monsieur and smoke salmon with scrambled eggs were generous in portion and satisfying. We were hoping to try the flourless chocolate cake but unfortunately it wasn’t available during lunch.

Service was rather slow – but hey, that’s what Sunday brunch is about!

Details:
Yellow Bistro
57-59 Macleay St 
Potts Point NSW 2011

Poplar Restaurant (Crows Nest)

I am not familiar with north-western Chinese cuisine despite my Asian roots. The recently opened Poplar Restaurant offers this unique cuisine which certainly stands out from the typical Japanese and Thai restaurants in the Crows Nest area.

Upon entry I realised the restaurant is run by a family from the particular region in China. The quality of food reflects that. The lamb skewers were appropriately spiced and I can go through ten of them in one sitting. I also recommend dapan ji – a slow cooked chili chicken dish with hand made noodles soaking up all the spicy sauce.

Details:
Poplar Restaurant
Shop 2
300 Pacific Hwy 
Crows Nest
NSW 2065

Churrasco (Sydney)

I often believe organising work team lunches can be troublesome. All you can eat restaurants are often a good solution but quality of food can be compromised. We went to Churrasco last week and it did not disappoint.

Never ending platters of Brazilian bbq arrived at our table – all juicy and tender. There was a good variety of steak, pork, lamb, chorizo sausages and sides. You can see them cooked at the rotating bbq just before they were served.

Controlling the pace is critical to avoid over-eating. And make sure to leave room at the end for the bbq pineapple!

Details:
Churrasco Sydney
60-70 William St
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.churrasco.com.au/