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

Corniche All Day Dining (Abu Dhabi)

I stayed at the Sofitel in my 2 weeks in Abu Dhabi and many of my meals were eaten inside the hotel. To avoid waiting after a long day in the office, I usually headed straight to the Corniche buffet on the ground floor.

3 things I want from a buffet – roast tray that is not dried, 2 kinds of hot food that is well done, and high quality desserts. The Corniche has all of that. The roast chicken is succulent. And the array of curry dishes was authentic and flavourful. And there was the French patisserie like dessert cart…

Details:
Corniche All Day Dining
Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche
Corniche Road East Capital Plaza, Abu Dhabi
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-7507-sofitel-abu-dhabi-corniche/index.shtml#./restaurant.shtml

Hakkasan (Abu Dhabi UAE)

I need my occasional Chinese food fix during business trip. So while in Abu Dhabi (among the delicious meals of falafel and hummus), I have decided to visit Hakkasan restaurant in the luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel.

Being an international high-end restaurant chain, Hakkasan has a menu that gravitates towards Cantonese cuisine. I ordered the tea-smoked chicken, gai lan (Chinese broccoli) in oyster sauce and a fried rice. The food was well executed with the dried scallops and crab meat adding sophistication in the fried rice. Simple food with a touch of luxury – reflected by an expensive bill.

Details:
Hakkasan Abu Dhabi
Emirates Palace
West Corniche Road
Abu Dhabi
UAE

http://hakkasan.com/abudhabi/

Pei Modern (Melbourne)

On the final night of my business trip in Melbourne, I treated myself to Pei Modern for dinner. I was quite excited given it was a while since I visited its big brother Marque in Sydney.

The steak tartare was well seasoned and I loved the use of ‘potato chips’ instead of the usual toast. The chicken dumplings casarecce pasta was prepared the risotto way. The sauce was creamy in texture and intense with chicken stock flavour. The dish made me a convert in making the pasta this way.

Details:
Pei Modern
Collins Place
45 Collins Street
Melbourne
http://www.peimodern.com.au

NoMad Restaurant (New York)

We dined at Daniel Humm’s (of Eleven Madison Park) new restaurant inside the NoMad Hotel in midtown New York, opting for a more casual setting than his 3 Michelin star establishment.

The highlight of the meal was the roast chicken with foie gras and black truffle to share. When presented in whole, it smelled fantastic. The skin was perfectly crisped up by the foie and the breast meat extremely tender. Other dishes were also excellent. My cauliflower starter was very sophisticated with different textures of cauliflower combining with almonds, cheddar and grapes. It was quite an eye opening meal.

Details:
NoMad Restaurant
Inside The Nomad Hotel
1170 Broadway & 28th Street
New York, NY 10001
http://www.thenomadhotel.com/#/dining

Ginger & Spice (Neutral Bay Sydney)

Pre-booking was essential for a large group when dining at Ginger & Spice Singapore Restaurant in Neutral Bay. 6 of us got in nice and early to avoid disappointment.
The restaurant is reputed for Hainan chicken: tender meat and silk like skin. I was having extra scoops of the chicken flavoured rice just to accompany the thick soy sauce condiment. The authentic water cress dish, stir fried with a good kick from the complex chilli paste, is also our favourite.

Details:
Ginger & Spice Singapore Restaurant
240 Military Road
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Phone: (02) 9908 2552 – no website

Orchid Persian Restaurant (Willoughby Sydney)

We spent a Friday night with a couple of friends at Orchid Persian Restaurant in Willoughby. By ordering the banquet menu in advance, the restaurant will arrange special belly dance performance on Friday and Saturday nights.

The banquet menu was extremely generous. Large amounts of meat kebabs followed the hummus, dips and bread. The chicken kebab was particularly tender and we all loved the Middle Eastern flavours. The belly dancing was performed by a true professional dancer and made the night truly entertaining.

Details:
Orchid Persian Restaurant
325 Penshurst Street
Willoughby NSW 2068
http://www.orchidpersianrestaurant.com.au/

Crave Sydney Luke Mangan Pop Up Restaurant at Thomas Dux

We made it to Luke Mangan’s pop-up restaurant at Thomas Dux Crows Nest as part of the Crave Sydney festival. The deli section of the grocery was bracketed for 40 diners with Chef Mangan and his team working behind the counter.

The meal was served tapas style and all the dishes were accentuated by different spices “from Morocco to Mexico”. My favourites were the curry spiced tempura prawns in steamed buns (served like a taco), and the succulent BBQ rubbed baby chicken.

Confession: we took an extra chocolate doughnut dessert home for later (sorry!)

Details:
Luke Mangan Pop Up Restaurant
Crave Sydney 2012
Thomas Dux Grocer Crows Nest
http://cravesydney.com/event.php?intid=3581

The Heritage Court (Hurstville Sydney)

While there are many Asian restaurants serving a mixture of western and Asian dishes, few can deliver consistency across cuisines. We went to The Heritage Court and it exceeded our expectations. The menu offer meals from Hainan chicken rice to grilled lamb racks.

My mixed grill platter was very generous. While it may not be as enticing as one served in a true American steakhouse, every cut of meat was of decent quality.

I also recommend the chocolate fondant for dessert. If only it was served with a premium scoop of ice-cream…

Details:
The Heritage Court Restaurant
33-35 Dora Street,
Hurstville NSW 2220
http://theheritagecourt.com.au

Tai Ping Koon (Hong Kong)

A half day transit in Hong Kong gave me time for a quick dinner. I went to Tai Ping Koon for a true mix of east and west.

The restaurant requires booking well in advance and is reputed for the chicken wings and roast pigeon served in the famous ‘Swiss’ sauce (apparently a misinterpretation with the ‘sweet’ soya sauce in the 1800s). The sauce was well balanced between sweet and savory – perfect for nice big tender chicken wings. Don’t forget to order the extra large soufflé for dessert – just for the presentation even if you don’t have room.

Details:
Tai Ping Koon
19-21 Mau Lam Street,
Yau Ma Tei,
Kowloon,
Hong Kong
http://taipingkoon.com