Sails on Lavender Bay (Sydney)

We went to Sails on Lavendar Bay for dinner on our anniversary and it was a perfect night to dine by the harbor with clear sky and the full moon.

We really enjoyed the degustation menu. The scallops, duck and lamb dishes were flawless. Pace was the only issue as it seems our dinner was slowed down so the table of four next to us could catch up.

Details:
Sails on Lavender Bay 
2 Henry Lawson Avenue
McMahons Point
http://www.sailsrestaurant.com.au/

Tanpopo (Neutral Bay Sydney)

As a ramen enthusiast, I am always interested in new local offerings. We discovered Tanpopo at Neutral Bay, under new management (for the third time in five years?), now offers an intriguing scampi ramen.

Tanpopo’s soup base was adequately thick without being overly salty. The texture of noodle was silky but a little undone for my taste (perfect for others though). The flavor of the scampi and volcano sauce really brought the dish to another level. The other ramen dishes were on par with others in the area.

We will return for the $20 dinner box another time.

Details:
Tanpopo
3/81 Military Road
Neutral Bay NSW 2089

Ning Po (Hong Kong)

On a brief visit to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to visit the Ning Po clubhouse and attended a family gathering. Situated in a commercial building, membership is required for a reservation at the clubhouse’s restaurant.

The 8 (I lost count after) course meal were all very tasty and provided the essence of traditional Shanghaiese cooking. My favourite was the smoked egg which was wonderfully soft and creamy on the inside with an intense smoky savory flavour. The sweet and sour fish was very subtle, unlike the westernised Chinese sauce. The crispy rice dessert was also a highlight.

Details:

Ning Po 寧波旅港同鄉會

Room 401- 405, Yip Fung Building, 2-18 D'Aguilar Street

Central , Hong Kong

http://www.ningpo.com.hk/member/index.htm

Cornersmith Cafe (Marrickville Sydney)

On a lazy Saturday, we chose Cornersmith Café at Marrickville for brunch. It is a popular café so do prepare for a 15 minute wait.

I had the ham sandwich on special and the highlight was the pickled vegetables which was a perfect complements to the main fillings. The freekeh salad with hazelnuts, pickles and a soft boiled egg was also delicious and made a great start to the weekend.

Details:
Cornersmith Café
314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
http://www.cornersmith.com.au/

Ristorante Bolognese (Bologna Italy)

During our stay in Bologna, Italy (home of the Bolognese ragu sauce), we dined at Ristorante Bolognese twice due to its central location and menu.

Other than the well-known meat sauce, tortellini is also a featured product of Bologna. I had them in brodo (soup) and it was very comforting. Risotto with porcini mushroom smelled and tasted fantastic. We also had the reputed t-bone steak from the region (not the Bistecca Fiorentina although similar) which was extremely tender yet lean.

Details:
Ristorante Bolognese
via Boldrini 1
Bologna, Italy
http://www.ristorante-bolognese.it/

Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)

We have made Osteria Francescana the main dining event of our honeymoon trip. We chose to stay at Bologna, which is a 45 minute train trip from the restaurant’s town of Modena.

The classic menu offers a twist to all the regional cuisine and ingredients. Every dish was a highlight but my favourites would be the “5 ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different temperatures and textures” (self-explanatory), “all the tongues in the world” (very tender veal tongue with exciting choice of sauces), and “foie gras crunch with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar” (best pre-dessert I have had).

World #3 ranking well deserved.

1. Tempura with carpione
2. An eel swimming up the Po River
3. Caesar salad in Emilia
4. Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different temperatures and textures
5. Cotechino 365 days a year
6. Snails under the earth
7. All the tongues of the world
8. Foie gras crunch with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena
9. A potato waiting to become a truffle


Details:
Osteria Francescana
Via Stella 22
Modena, Italy
http://www.osteriafrancescana.it/

Meierei in Stadtpark (Vienna Austria)

Ahead of our stay in Vienna, I tried to book at the reputed Steirereck Restaurant in Stadtpark. Unfortunately it is under renovation during our stay so we went to the casual Meierei downstairs instead.

White asparagus was in season and featured prominently in the menu. The simple starter with hollandaise sauce was excellent and brought out the sweetness of the asparagus. We also recommended the Viennese wedding soup and beef goulash from the signature menu.

Details:
Meierei in Stadtpark
Am Heumarkt 2A 
Stadtpark
Wien, Austria
http://www.steirereck.at/en/meierei/

Bo Innovation (Hong Kong)

We decided to take a leisurely lunch the day before the Big Panic (aka wedding reception) while in Hong Kong. I booked ahead for a table at Bo Innovation for a Friday lunch.

The HK$388 was good value and the waiting staff recommends a mix of entrees to be shared yum cha style – great suggestion. Dim sum dishes like prawn dumplings and spring rolls were given an interesting twist with the likes of caviar, pistachio and black truffle. The pigeon in the main course was tender and the shitake mushroom cake was the star.

Details:
Bo Innovation
Shop 13, 2/f,J Residence
60 Johnston Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
http://www.boinnovation.com/

Marvel Grill (Auckland)

To wrap up a week of client engagement in Auckland, the project team headed to Marvel Grill at the North Wharf area which is a 5 minute walk to our Viaduct Harbour hotel.

I was expecting some super hero theme dining room but the décor was clean and modern. Before our steaks, we went for a series of fried starters – southern fried chicken with buttermilk sauce was particularly good. All our steaks were consistently good and praised by the table. Try the hash brown skillet for something different than the typical chips or baked potatoes.

Details
Marvel Grill
1 Jellicoe Street
North Wharf, Auckland
http://www.marvelgrill.co.nz/

Tapestry Dining (Auckland New Zealand)

During my numerous stays at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland, I dined at Tapestry Dining at the lobby level often.

Trying the bluff oysters while in season is a must, the wonder crunch of the flesh was extremely enjoyable. I also liked the angus steak main course accompanied by the wagyu sausage roll.

For breakfast, they offered a NZ special white bait fritter in room service – a must try over the usual omelette and scrambled.

Details:
Tapestry Dining at Pullman Auckland
Corner Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant
Auckland
New Zealand
http://www.pullmanauckland.co.nz/online/tapestry_dining.csn

Vue (Auckland)

I dined at the Vue Restaurant for pretty much the entire week during my stay at the Mercure Hotel in Auckland. Situated at the top floor of the hotel building, the restaurant has a fantastic view of the harbor so make sure you get yourself a table next to the window.

The lamb rack was generous in portion and well cooked, but make sure you ask for the fish of the day before making a decision. The vegetarian pasta was a bit strange with fried asparagus on top of the cream sauce. The sundae dessert was satisfying.

Details:
Vue Restaurant
8 Customs Street East 
(Top Floor, Mercure Auckland) 
Auckland Central
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1721-mercure-auckland/restaurant.shtml

Quay (Sydney)

To celebrate my partner’s birthday, we treated ourselves for dinner at the Quay Restaurant. The view from the restaurant was fantastic, as was the attentive service.

We went for the tasting menu and the night went through some highs and lows. The slow cooked pork belly in broth and the Angus beef were excellent, while the XO (sauce) sea dish was a bit too strong. The reputed snow egg dessert would have been an excellent note to finish the meal, but the jersey cream that followed was just too rich.

Details:
Quay Restaurant
Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal
The Rocks, Sydney 2000
http://www.quay.com.au/

Biota Dining (Bowral)

Enroute back to Sydney after a weekend away at the Snowy Mountains, we stopped by at Biota Dining in Bowral for lunch. To ensure we maximised our enjoyment on a warm Sunday afternoon, we went for the 5 course degustation.

The dishes were beautifully presented from start to finish. The smoked trout amuse bouche was quite a treat. (Unfortunately the photos after that were all lost). The sweetness of the raw fresh scampi and the gelatinous of the lamb breast were still afresh in my memory.

Details:
Biota Dining
18 Kangaloon Road
Bowral NSW 2576

Yakiniku Kashiwa (Crows Nest)

Yakiniku grill is one of our favourite Japanese cuisine. And Kashiwa at Crows Nest is definitely our local go-to restaurant for yakiniku. You do need a booking to guarantee a place in the small but busy restaurant – but we usually arrive early for a quick 45 minute meal.

We recommend to start with the wagyu beef then branch out to other cuts of meat to your liking. All the meat dishes were perfectly marinated and no additional seasoning is required after grilling.

Details:
Yakiniku Kashiwa
7A Falcon Street
Crows Nest
http://kashiwa.zashiki.com/

Jamie's Italian (Sydney)

A friends gathering with overseas visitor led us to Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant in Sydney’s CBD. A 45 minute wait was required even on a Monday night and the restaurant was packed with diners.

The anti-pasti on wood panels was a great choice for starters and the cuts of meat were of excellent quality. My partner’s pork and mushroom ravioli was really tasty. If you are up for something extra rich and heavy, I would recommend my turkey Milanese.

Details:
Jamie’s Italian
107 Pitt Street
Sydney
https://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/australia/sydney

Wagyu Angus Grill (Sydney)

For a family dinner gathering, we arrived at the Wagyu Angus Grill, an Asian fusion steakhouse. The restaurant has a small but intimate dining room, operated by a retired couple with aspirations of owning a restaurant.

The set menu offers the best value and a lot of food was offered for my surf and turf menu. The starters (baked scallops, mango salad and pumpkin soup) were above average. My angus steak was very well cooked which was a pleasant surprise for an Asian restaurant. The lobster was not super fresh but that’s expected given the price.

Details:
Wagyu Angus Grill
51 Majors Bay Road
Concord
https://www.facebook.com/WAGrill

Senyai (Sydney)

I happened to be in the city on a Thursday night and decided to dine at Senyai in the bottom of the Regent Place building. We judge a Thai restaurant from the duck red curry and Senyai’s offering was superb – especially the duck skin was not all soggy still when served. The crispy pork belly stir fried was also a delight with its intense savory flavour.

Details:
Senyai Sydney
486 Kent Street
Sydney
http://www.senyai.com.au/

Tokyo Loco Bowl (Crows Nest)

Craving for a quick Japanese meal, I ate at Tokyo Loco Bowl at Crows Nest. The menu concepts centres around having everything on one bowl – rice/noodle, salad, and your choice of meat. My chicken karaage was freshly fried and went wonderfully with the salad and sweet dressing. The extra $1 for more rice is the way to go, especially if you are hungry.

Details:
Tokyo Loco Bowl
82 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tokyo-Loco-Bowl/493001850783551

La Bohème Restaurant (Glebe Sydney)

The family visited La Bohème Restaurant for a Bavarian feast to welcome the new year. The menu consists of a variety of dishes across Eastern Europe.

Portion size of the meat was much bigger than expected. The wife and I had a Bavarian feast platter for 2 and we only managed to finish half. The schnitzel was really enjoyable with the meat not dried out.

While the ambiance of the stonemason building was great, the echoing of sounds made it harder for conversations than usual – so do request a table at the corner.

Details:
La Bohème Restaurant
Stonemason’s Cottage
199 Glebe Point Road
Glebe
http://laboheme.com.au/

Mr Wong (Sydney)

Before going back to full-on mode at work, we had at lunch at Mr Wong with a couple of friends.

There was a large range of dim sum on offer so the meal was an up-scale yum cha at a fascinating venue (do have a tour around the underground level). Quality of food was good but not overwhelming given the price. I had much expectation on the foie gras prawn toast but the foie component seems a bit light. Prawns in the Har Gow was super fresh but maybe over seasoned – probably a way for diners to order more drinks.

Details:
Mr Wong
3 Bridge Lane
Sydney
http://merivale.com.au/mrwong

Bay Tandoori (Waverton Sydney)

For New Year’s Eve, we went to Bay Tandoori at Waverton for an Indian banquet dinner. We worked up an appetite after a long stroll along the vantage points for the Sydney Harbour fireworks.

While we expects a New Year’s Eve banquet to be overpriced (at any places), we certainly feel we have got our money’s worth. There was prompt pappadams on arrival, followed by a freshly fried platter of vegetarian starters. The curries was flavourful with enough naan bread and rice for the 2 of us.

Details:
Bay Tandoori
69-71 Bay Road
Waverton
NSW 2060
http://www.baytandoori.com.au

The Bridge Room (Sydney)

For our pre-Christmas celebrations, the wife and I chose The Bridge Room for some modern Australian cuisine.

We came with very high expectations due to the restaurant’s recent awards and were not disappointed. Our sake cured John Dory and reputed raw wagyu shoulder with robata mushroom had a nice touch of Japanese flavours which we liked. My wagyu sirloin was fantastic (do order the potato puree to match).

The white chocolate with mango dessert had this uncanny similarity to a Thai sticky rice with mango – but much more sophisticated.

Details:
The Bridge Room
44 Bridge Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
http://www.thebridgeroom.com.au/

Aqua Dining (Sydney)

Start of the holiday season brought the family to Aqua Dining, which featured a fantastic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The menu consists of a range of pasta dishes, which we ordered as starters, and an attractive list of fish and meat main courses. My fig and pancetta casarecce pasta has a good balance of sweet and savory. The prawn risotto was also excellent. The perfectly cooked snapper dish with crispy skin was nicely highlighted by the very light sauce.

Details:
Aqua Dining
Corner Paul & Northcliff  Streets 
Milsons Point
NSW 2061
http://www.aquadining.com.au