Oratnek (Sydney)

We visited Oratnek for Sunday brunch twice in the past month, which probably demonstrated how much we like the place given it is a 20 minute bus ride away from home.

The queues can get pretty long past midday but it is worthwhile to check in early and enjoy a matcha latte or thick shake. The sandwiches are excellent – highly recommended the thick pork katsu or soft shell crab offerings. If that is still not enough then go for the soft and moist matcha lamingtons to finish.
As you can see matcha is a specialty there – and executed perfectly.

Details:
Cafe Oratnek
4 Pitt Street
Redfern 2016
http://www.oratnek.com.au/

est (Sydney)

For our wedding anniversary, we chose to dine at Est. to celebrate the occasion.

We had a couple of mocktails to settle down before the 4-course chefs menu. All the dishes were as pretty as a picture. Spanner crab salad, grilled scallops, venison and passionfruit sorbet were all excellent.

Big thank you for the staff to be very attentive and cater for my wife’s low sodium dietary needs.

Details:

Level 1, Establishment

252 George Street

Sydney

http://merivale.com.au/est

Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant (Hong Kong)

My friends treated me to Ah Yat Harbour View restaurant during my visit in Hong Kong. Attracted by the fame from his treatment of dried abalone, we went for a set menu consisting of the reputed abalone as well as other classic Cantonese delicacies.

The Ah Yat abalone has a unique tenderness on the inside accompanied by intense seafood flavours – unrivaled by other kind of seafood dishes. The shark fin soup (environmental issues notwithstanding) and fish maw were also very enjoyable. Coincide with the hairy crab season, we added a crab roe noodle dish which was a great treat.

Details:
Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant
29th Floor, iSquare
63 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

Flower Drum (Melbourne)

Lunch at Flower Drum was my most anticipated meal on the weekend in Melbourne. As I have heard of its legendary Cantonese cuisine, served fine dining style, for many years.

Baked crab shell was the first dish and captured the essence of an entire crab in the shell with a creamy sauce. Watching the humble rice noodle roll served in a fine dining setting was quite an experience (it tastes the same though). Stir fry noodles with angus beef was of high quality – the noodles did not stick and the dish worked nicely with high quality beef.

Details:
Flower Drum
17 Market Lane
Melbourne
http://www.flower-drum.com

Sailors Thai (Sydney)

With (very important) overseas visitors in the office, it is time for a team dinner in the tourist-filled The Rocks. Sailors Thai was chosen for the occasion.

The team ordered a mix of entrees to share: Sydney’s reputed oysters were accompanied by a stimulating chilli and galangal dressing, sweet spanner crab served on crispy rice, and smoked trout on betal leaves. My favourite main course was the deep fried snapper where the fins turned into wonderful crisps full of seafood flavour and the meat was cooked well and nicely balanced by a sweet sauce.

Details:
Sailors Thai
Downstairs, 106 George Street
The Rocks, Sydney
http://www.sailorsthai.com.au/

NOLA Restaurant (New Orleans)

On our last night in New Orleans we dined at NOLA Restaurant by Emeril Lagasse. We fortunately got a table without a booking as the 3-storey dining room filled up very quickly.

The menu contains all the familiar regional dishes that we have observed in our time in New Orleans. The crab cakes as well as the shrimp and grits had a hint of spiciness from the sauce. And my ‘blackened’ fish fillet was nicely charred and combined beautifully with the bitterness of the baby sprouts.

Details:
NOLA Restaurant
534 St. Louis Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/nola-restaurant

Acme Oyster House (New Orleans)

Our first priority upon arrival in New Orleans was to sample the reputed seafood. The decision to visit the Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter was the right one, as demonstrated by the 20 minute wait.

We ordered a dozen each of the raw oysters and chargrilled oysters. The chargrilled was definitely my favourite with a nice garlic-butter like sauce resembling a nice French escargot dish with added creaminess from the oysters. We also ordered the classic gumbo soup and deep fried soft shell crab – the batter was a bit too salty for us.

Details:
Acme Oyster House
724 Iberville Street
New Orleans
http://www.acmeoyster.com/

Gary Danko (San Francisco)

I took her to Gary Danko on her birthday, as part of our visit to San Francisco. The dining room has a really warm atmosphere which complements the friendly staff.

I loved all my 4 courses. Dungeness crab salad was nice and light with the sweetness of the crab really coming through. Roast Maine lobster was excellent. The best dish was the amazingly tender pork tenderloin. They wouldn’t tell me where to find pork that can be served medium rare – but it was magical.

And what a way to finish with not one, not two, but three macaroon ice-cream sandwiches.

Details:
Restaurant Gary Danko
800 North Point Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://www.garydanko.com

Scoma's (San Francisco)

We stayed at the Fisherman’s Wharf during our visit in San Francisco and on our first night we were taken to Scoma’s for our first dose of fresh seafood. The restaurant sits right by the Wharf with a glimpse of the bay.

Portion size was huge. The starter platter was enough for a family rather than 2, with crabcakes full of the sweetness from the crab meat. Do go for the classic dishes – my sauté scallop main had TWELVE full sized scallops, and the pasta Garibaldi had a generous mix of seafood with as well balanced tomato sauce.

Details:
Scoma's Restaurant
Pier 47 on Al Scoma Way
San Francisco CA 94133
http://www.scomas.com/

Golden Century (Sydney)

The family often resorts to Golden Century at Chinatown for any celebrations or festivities. We arrived on a Saturday night again and it was already packed with a queue waiting outside. Booking is essential at this place.

You can choose from all sorts of seafood still alive at the fish tanks in front of you. We had steamed scallops for entrée, followed by mud crab braised in shallot and ginger. Make sure you order extra noodles to soak up all the goodness from the crab.

Details:
Golden Century
393-399 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.goldencentury.com.au/

Glass Brasserie (Sydney)

We decided to head to the Glass Brasserie at Hilton Sydney for dinner to celebrate a big occasion in the family. We went for the degustation menu and the service was great from start to finish.

My favourite of the night was the blue swimmer crab omelette where the soft omelette complimented with the crunch from the herbs; and sweetness of the crab went well with the miso stock. Overall the meal was nice but should definitely be completed by little things such as a sorbet before desserts as well as some petit fours at the end.

Details:
Glass Brasserie
Hilton Sydney
Level 2, 488 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.glassbrasserie.com.au/

wd~50 (New York City)

Battling jetlag, I visited the Michelin-starred wd~50 for dinner on a rainy New York evening. Specialised in molecular gastronomy, I was delighted by the food served. The crab roll entrée (in a soft hot dog like roll) was amazing when eaten with the little crispy salt ‘n vinegar chips. My main course was a deconstructed Manhattan clam chowder. Served as a piece of snapper on what appeared as stock, the flavours combined beautifully when mixed into a chowder and enhanced by the subtle oyster crackers.

Special thanks to the helpful staff who offered me an umbrella after the meal.

Details:
Wd~50
50 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
http://www.wd-50.com

Cuisine M! (Taipei)

During the Taipei visit, we were recommended by Cuisine M for a Japanese meal. The restaurant, situated at the ground floor of a bank’s office building, had a rather dark dining room which gave diners as sense of privacy – perfect for a business lunch.

For less than TW$3,000, we had a full Japanese banquet with all the fresh seafood: melt in your mouth toro tuna sashimi, juicy grilled crab legs, sweetest geoduck from the hotpot. And for main course there were wagyu steak and foie gras. The variety excited our taste buds and made an excellent lunch.

Details:
Cuisine M!
台北市松智路1號1樓
1F, No.1, Songzhi Road
Xinyi District
Taipei City
www.mitsuitaipei.com.tw