Review: Xi'an Famous Foods, East Village NYC

One surprise that hit us when we moved to  the Bay Area was how Americanised a lot of the Asian food was. After moving to NYC we found a heavenly array of very authentic and reasonably priced Asian foods. Xi'an Famous Foods offers one of the things I missed most about home - reasonably priced hand pulled noodles. 

Xi'an Famous Foods has several restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn but I tend to favour their restaurant in the East Village since it's close to a number of businesses I frequent and around the corner from a delightful Italian cake shop (more on that later).

The food is decidedly cheap and cheerful but delicious spicy Western Chinese food. The noodles are all made on site and if you're lucky you can catch glimpses of the cooks making them. 

Being Manhattan the restaurant is reasonably small and New Yorkers have no patience for those who lose them a New York Minute. Be prepared to order if you step in line, don't take a seat until you get your food, clean up your own station and be prepared to get up as soon as you've finished. Those who do not follow the unwritten rules will get passive aggressive interruptions by people waiting to eat. 

Spicy and Tingly Beef Hand Ripped Noodles $7.50USD

Chewy delicious hand ripped noodles are stir fried in a numbing chili spicy oil that is not for the feint hearted. Try the mild first before attempting hotter! The noodles are served with vegetables and fatty meat.

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand Ripped Noodles $8.25USD

Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger $4

Both the lamb noodles and the lamb burger contain a cumin drenched dry lamb with vegetables. The burger is on a mantou style bun grilled on a flat top until crispy. The noodles are stir fried with more of the cumin, vegetables and chili oil. 

Mount Qi Pork Hand Pulled Noodles $7.00USD

Pork Zha Jiang Hand Ripped Noodles $7.00USD

Spicy and Sour Lamb Dumpings $7.00USD

The Mount Qi pork is cubes of pork belly grilled with noodles and a slightly less spicy sauce. The Zha Jiang noodles feature ground pork fried in an umame soy bean sauce, deeelicious! The spicy and sour lamb dumplings are stuffed with a ground lamb filling and served with vinegar and soy.

Close up of Pork Zha Jiang Hand Ripped Noodles $7.00USD

This is easily my favourite dish on their menu and reminds me of a dry tantanmen without the sesame. 

Go in expecting exactly what it is - a cheap limited menu of food made extraordinarily well. Not pictured are the noodle soup versions of each dish. Everything they make is excellent. Make sure to eat in, the delicate nature of the noodles does not survive delivery or a walk home. Cold drinks are available like Chinese teas and Coke products. 

I really rather wished they offered condiments,, I keep wanting black vinegar to cut through the oil. Also the chopsticks they use leave a lot to be desired and if you're willing to endure the odd looks of your fellow diners I would recommend bringing some of your own from another restaurant or home. Still this is one of my favourite cheap food desinations in NYC, try it out.

Xi’an Famous Foods

http://xianfoods.com/menu/

81 St Marks Pl

New York, NY 10003

Ph: (212) 786-2068

Cheap and cheerful artisan noodles, good for the spicy food lover

Review: Shanghai 456, New York City

Finding regional Chinese cuisine is surprisingly hard in San Francisco so when we walked past this Shanghai (Hu) Cuisine restaurant we had to stop in. It was brunch time which means yum cha, pretty much my favourite meal of all time.

The restaurant was not large but it was packed to the gills. Encouragingly we sat next to an excited group of foodie Chinese women having a ladies lunch. Not only did they look happy as anything with their food but we caught each other curiously checking out what dishes came to the table and had to laugh... one of those happy moments that transcends language.

Green Beans $5.50USD

Green beans cooked with caramelised onion, shallots and garlic. It's usually a good idea to get greens with dimsum to offset the fatty heavy dumplings. The sweet onion was cooked to perfection.

Green Onion Pancake $2.50USD

Soft crisp shallot pancake is fried in crispy layers. These pancakes were huge and I admit we were unable to finish them despite being delicious. For $2.50 these aren't much more expensive than buying them from the bakery cold.

Pork Xiao Long Bao $5.25USD

Once can't eat at a Shanghai restaurant without ordering xiao long bao - a refined soup dumpling that fills with fragrant liquid when steamed. The secret to xiao long bao is making a jellied stock in the dumpling mix that melts when heated. This rendition was excellent, with paper fine pastry perfectly formed using a traditional 18 fold method.

Dumpling in Spicy Sauce $5.50USD

This dish was what made the stop worthwhile and I will be tracking it down again on future trips to New York. I assumed when I ordered it that it would come in a standard chilli oil and vinegar sauce. Instead hearty pork and shallot dumplings are boiled and served in a sticky dan dan mien sauce - a combination of ground sesame paste and chilli. If I could have I would have licked the plate... just sensational. At under $6 this is one of the best bargains in New York.

There's only so much two people can eat so sadly we didn't get to explore the menu as much as I would like but there were plenty of beckoning plates like pan fried breakfast buns, pancakes filled with beef, crab xiao long bao, beef soup, triple delights and sticky Shanghai fried meats. 

Shanghai 456 is one of those hole in the wall eateries that proves that good food in New York doesn't need to be all fancy menus and celebrity chefs... good simple food done very well makes this place worth a walk in Chinatown. 

Shanghai 456

www.456shanghaicuisine.com/ (currently parked)

69 Mott St # A
New York, NY 10013
United States
(212) 964-0003

No nonsense Shanghai cuisine and dim sum

Snapshot: East Village Dumpling Walk, New York City

This had started out as a post work trip to the New York branch of Ippudo Ramen but it was not to be. Their policy of no reservations meant that even leaving work early there was a 3.5 hour wait in the cold by the time we got there. 

Instead we decided to do a little walking tour of the best of the Village's Asian eats, buying small plates at three fantastic eateries in the neighbourhood.

Mimi Cheng's Dumplings

Mimi Cheng's reminds me of hole in the wall eateries in Asia, a small menu done very well with a quiet Chinese grandma folding dumplings in a corner. The decor is what you might politely call "minimal" a few row tables and some stools surrounded by blackboards harking prices. 

The Reinvented Classic 6 for $8USD or 8 for $10USD

A classic guotie (pot sticker) stuffed with pork, boy choy and cabbage. The wrapper is delightfully thin and folded to in a classic style fried or steamed to order. 

The Mimi Cheng  6 for $8USD or 8 for $10USD

A lighter Chicken and Zucchini stuffed dumpling is folded into a dim sum triangle shape using the same dumpling wrapper as the classic. 

Seasonal offerings are made daily and once sold out gone forever; I was very sad to have missed the Autumnal Thanksgiving Turkey dumplings. Still their standard jiaozi and their delicious "secret sauce" take on  Chinese spicy sesame dipping sauce are well worth a stop.

www.mimichengs.com

179 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

Momofuku Ssam

David Chang is one of those celebrity chefs whose popularity I think is over rated; sure he's brought modern Asian Fusion cuisine to the New York scene but as a long time Sydney resident this is hardly ground breaking to me. Still if you're willing to brave the wait there are some delicious dishes on offer.

The hostess is like something from a New York sitcom trope barking orders, turning away even the wealthiest of clients and ruling with an iron fist (and an iPad checklist). They've vastly improved the experience since my first trip to a Momofuku restaurant though. Diners names are taken and a time to seating given. Rather than standing in the cold or jammed into the vestibule, as in the past, we were given the opportunity to wander off and texted when our table was ready. 

Most of the Ssam menu focuses on Asian influenced dishes and barbecue but I'm here for the Bao.

Buffalo pork buns – crispy pork belly, hot sauce, blue cheese

Pure fusion madness that just works. Crispy fried pork belly is paired with one of those ultimate New York flavour profiles - Buffalo hot sauce, crumbled blue cheese and red cabbage coleslaw. Everything is served on a soft folded mantou bao, a sweet wheat dough known to most from char siu bao. 

Steamed buns – pork belly, hoisin, cucumber, scallion

Soft slow baked pork belly matches perfectly with sweet sticky Hoisin sauce, scallion and freshly made pickled Cucumber. 

momofuku.com

207 2nd Ave

New York, NY 10003

(212) 254-3500

BaoHaus

BaoHaus was the absolute star for me on this trip. We took a chance on it while we waited for our seats at Momofuku Ssam and honest... it was so good it made Chang's offering disappointing in comparison. The brainchild of internet darling Eddie Huang BaoHaus offers casual Taiwanese American eats.

The restaurant is totally ghetto - covered in graffiti and staffed by super excited urban warriors. Korean and American hip hop streetstars smile and push fried chicken on you gleefully. The staff are all super invested in the business and took the time to chat not only about the food and the restaurant but about our travels and planned New York dining. I can't remember the last time I visited a business with such excited staff and their excitement was infectious as well as being well founded.

Sometimes the simple things are absolutely the best and if you're more interested in great food than status BaoHaus is the place for you.

Chairman Bao  $8USD

 Berkshire pork belly is braised in a soy and all spice mix served with  relish, crushed peanuts, red sugar, and cilantro. The peanuts and cilantro offer an almost Vietnamese taste to offset the Taiwanese lu rou fan pork. Absolutely amazing, pure genius in taste matching and completely unique to my experience.

Birdhaus Bao $8USD

Soft, moist, brined chicken is breaded in a southern style batter served salted with a mouthwatering citrus aioli and more nuts and cilantro. The fried chicken and mayonnaise is unsurprisingly quite heavy on the stomach (and the waist) but entirely worth it. If I could reverse engineer their aioli recipe I would be one happy cook. 

baohausnyc.com

238 E 14th St

New York, NY 10003

 (646) 669-8889

What I'm watching right now: Films for Foodies

Those hoping for a new food TV will be disappointed; there's no new reality TV reigning in my house. Instead it seems it is the season for food film to take the crown. The unfortunate reality is that good human stories of life, love and the senses are not for Hollywood, but support your local independent cinema and seek out these gems. These are all uplifting and heart warming cinema outings.

The Hundred Foot Journey

Helen Mirren stars as the cranky Michelin starred restaurateur faced with the changing times when an Indian family moves into her classical French village and starts a food revolution. Some good laughs and touching moments as family, friendship and the rules of classical cuisine are explored. 

Chef

Jon Favreau's very personal movie project returns him to his Indie roots but show the loyalty he's gained with a stellar cast including John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Dustin Hoffman and Scarlett Johansson. A touching father and son tale with a sidebar of social media blundering hilarity. Do yourself a favour and take the time to listen to Favreau's interview on The Nerdist where he talks at length about how and why he chose to make this low budget film after box office success with the likes of Iron Man.

Le Chef

Jean Reno stars in this quintessentially French film about a 3 Michelin Star chef lost in a post Molecular Gastronomy world. Michael Youn is positively hilarious as the bumbling but lovable Chef with a heart of gold who just needs to keep a job for more than one day. Foodies will recognise some nose thumbing at the likes of Wylie Dufresne, Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal and Paul Bocuse. In French with Subtitles.

The Search for General Tso

As a foreigner living in the US American Chinese is... confusing at best, mostly fusion dishes created in East or West Coast kitchens. General Tso's Chicken is one such dish that is synonymous with takeout Chinese food in the US but relatively unknown outside America. This documentary explores the American obsession with a dish that confuses the Chinese. In English with some subtitled interviews in Chinese.

A Tale of Samurai Cooking - A true love story (Bushi no kondate)

Japanese themes of family, loyalty, honour and obsession are explored in this mild but delightful story of a woman with an amazing palette who marries into a family of retainer chefs during Edo Japan. Aya Ueto is delightful as the mild mannered Oharu and Toshiyuki Nishida stars as the warm and fatherly head of clan. The Japanese food ideal of deep local knowledge is explored through Kaga specialties. In Japanese with Subtitles.

Review: Koi Palace, San Francisco

Yank Sing was nice but we were really looking for a more authentic yum cha experience in the Bay Area without having to drive an hour South to Sunnyvale. A quick search for decent dim sum turned up Koi Palace in South San Francisco located conveniently near one of our regular Saturday shopping locations.

On arrival it was total chaos - the right kind of chaos - comprised of an army of eager Chinese families waiting for brunch. Very little English seemed to be on display but the queuing system was efficient; take a number and watch the electronic board with hungry eyes. 

Once seated the dining room is as chaotic but in a cheery way. There are tables shoved in every possible corner to maximise the number of diners. Bustling waitresses wander by with carts and trays or for the less adventurous you can order from a convenient paper menu with pictures - similar to those given at Din Tai Fung restaurants. 

Hand roasted suckling pig $18USD

Finding good roasted pork with crackling in the US turns out to be surprisingly difficult. This was excellent - the meat was tender and juicy the crackling crisp and separated from the meat for the unadventurous. 

Green onion pancake $4.80USD

Scallion pancakes are much more common in the US than at home presumably due to the regional foods brought by the local immigrant population. This is the largest pancake I've ever seen, light and chewy and not at all greasy. Delicious!

Crispy Taro Puff $3.95USD

My favourite dumpling of all time. Mashed taro is filled with a combination pork and vegetable filling then deep fried. This is an excellent rendition but leaves my friends a little wanting due to the fry oil; I don't mind since this is more for me.

Spinach and Shrimp Dumpling $3.95USD

The wrapper is light and thin, the filling is made from large chunks of prawn with vegetables and water chestnut. Fried slightly on the side and served straight from the steamer.

Xiao Long Bao $9.80USD for 10

I'm impressed that Koi Palace have Northern dishes as well as Hong Kong classics so I order a large tray of xiao long bao. Again I can't help but feel I have been spoilt by the paper thin Din Tai Fung wrappers that leave me wanting for other dumplings but the perfectly spiced and steamed filling of these dumplings more than makes up for it. The SF habit of placing soup dumplings in metal wrappers helps with the inevitable juice explosion.

Char Siu Bao $2.95USD

Well it's just not a yum cha lunch without BBQ pork buns is it? These are light and fluffy and obviously made from scratch on site which isn't always the case for high volume dim sum. The filling is good with plenty of meat and not too sweet. 

Sizzling Mongolian Lamb Buns in Hotpot $5.80USD

I have fallen in love with these Northern style buns after finding them in bakeries in Inner Richmond in San Francisco. A thicker bread style wrapper is seared and filled with seasoned Mongolian lamb served piping hot with Peanut oil and Sesame seeds. My eating companions declare them absolutely fabulous and manage to rival the Pork Buns as best yum cha dish of the day and possibly of all time. 

Egg Yolk Lava Bun $4.95USD

Now these are not to everyone's taste and my man put his down and handed the whole plate to me, but for me this is a perfect morsel. A creamy lard based pastry is filled with a salted whole egg yolk custard; it's like a hot Moon cake. Moon cakes are one of my all time favourite foods - I would like to eat more of this dish.

Durian Puff  $6.90USD

I had mistaken these for a similar radish puff that I used to buy at bakeries in Sydney, but the waitress didn't speak English and I can hardly resist an Asian pastry on an off diet day. Crisp rolls of pastry are filled with a Durian cream custard and then deep fried like a donut. Delicious and without the horror of dealing with the smell in preparation. 

Dan Tart $2.95USD

Another tea time classic; whole egg custard tarts in flaky pastry. I skip these but they disappear in seconds into my friends' mouths. 

What's the summary of Koi Palace? This is easily the best Asian food I've eaten in the US and this is some of the best yum cha I've eaten in my life. It's twice as good as Yank Sing for 2/3 the price. The food was so good I couldn't stop eating until I waddled out the door - calories well spent though I can't remember the last time I had a meal that satisfying.

Service is kind of what you expect - rushed, busy, chaotic and with varying levels of English. Who cares when the dumplings are this damn good?

Koi Palace

http://www.koipalace.com

Serramonte Plaza
365 Gellert Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015
Tel: (650) 992-9000

Authentic Chinese tea house and restaurant
Expect to battle hungry Chinese grandmas for a table


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Review: Yank Sing, San Francisco

Yum cha is the ultimate meal for me; tiny surprise morsels that fly by, a thousand tastes to share and a new surprise every time. When I heard that there was a James Beard award winning dim sum restaurant in San Francisco I just had to go. 

On a Sunday the place is thrumming with customers, the restaurant is decked out in the atrium of the Rincon Centre an upmarket shopping mall near Divisadero. Despite the many extra tables and our reservation we still have to wait 25 minutes with a motley crew of ravenous looking customers. A healthy number of eager looking Chinese mothers are in attendance - always a good sign at a Sunday dumpling event. 

My approach to yum cha is to get as many dishes as possible so I can try everything; even at the risk of leaving things behind. To be honest this isn't ideal at Yank Sing which is a good 3 times more expensive than any yum cha I've been to outside a casino. Still now I know what is worth separating me from my dollars and next time I'll come in with targeted ideas of what to choose. 

Szechuan green beans

A good rendition of this dish, the garlic is roasted and chewy but nothing extra exciting. 

Peking Duck with wheat buns

I don't understand the use of Vietnamese wheat buns in Chinese food in the US, but the sauce is delicious and the duck is crispy and sweet. 

Xiao Long Bao

These are good, the juices are warm and delicious and the dumpling is turned with spectacular care. Unfortunately spoilt by years of Din Tai Fung in Sydney we are a little disappointed that the skin isn't a little more dainty. 

Green Onion Pancake

Light, delicious, morish. The flakiness of the pastry makes me suspect they use lard, when it's this good it's worth it. I would come back for this dish alone. The cake is accompanied by a sticky satay sauce that sticks to the roof of your mouth in a satisfying fashion. 

Beef ho fun

The texture on this noodle could have been better, it felt like it had been in the steam trays too long. The filling is nice and peppery though. 

Fried pork breakfast bun

This is one of those dishes I look out for but isn't always available at every dim sum place. Instead of the white soft mantou style bread that Hong Kong made famous in the west with the char sui bao these Shanghai style baozi are made with a thick pastry skin more like a dumpling. Fried crisp and steamed to perfection, worth looking out for.

Combination Taro dumpling

This is always my favourite yum cha dish and if I can't find it I'll order it. Soft taro mash is filled with a meat and vegetable filling and then deep fried until the taro puffs up like a crisp cloud. I order these and they come out piping hot and wonderful, another 'must have' order on a return trip.

Dan Tart

I passed on the tarts but the boy managed to finish the plate despite crying full, which is a good sign. 

Mango Pudding

My weakness are the creamy squishy desserts and they have a mango pudding so I'm set. My only wish was that they served it with evaporated milk as you get at home. 

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the menu and my bill was in Chinese; so what do I mean when I say it was expensive? We went for brunch with 3 people and drank mostly tea and soft drink and the bill was over $200. I admit that I ordered a lot (not everything got photographed) but even still the same meal at home would have cost $90 and been of similar quality. When you compare to other dumplings in the Bay Area I can see why it gets such smashing reviews - good quality and authentic Asian cuisine can be very hit and miss. That being said I've enjoyed meals of $12 in tiny bakeries in Inner Richmond must as much.

The service is what you expect at a yum cha restaurant; fast paced, a little rushed and a little pushy. You can see the occasional American diner who is confronted by this but a lifetime of eating in hole in the wall Chinese eateries and I expect nothing less. Yum cha is always best observed with someone who either speaks Chinese or recognises the food; otherwise you can get some interesting surprises. I am happy as larry though, they have all my favourite dishes and at excellent quality. 

Not an every week brunch, but definitely a good spot for visiting guests or celebration meals. 

Yank Sing

http://www.yanksing.com

101 Spear St, San Francisco, CA ‎

Ph: (415) 781-1111

Upmarket yum cha 

Watch what you order and make your dollars count

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Snapshot: Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

"Eat where the locals eat" I said, so off to Mission Chinese it was. This is one of those legendary local eateries where you can expect to battle Hipsters and Dotcom nerds for a table but the food is worth it. Rather like Ichiban boshi in Sydney - no reservations, no parties larger than 8.

Most of the food is served family style, don't let the humble prices fool you the serves are huge.

Mapo tofu $12USD

I'm not kidding when I say this is the best Mapo tofu I've ever eaten. Soft fresh silken tofu is served with lashings of chilli oil and shredded roast pork shoulder. There's just enough collagen from the pork in the sauce to delight an umame fan like myself.

Kung Pao Pastrami $12USD

This is probably the most American Chinese food one can imagine. Pastrami chunks stir fried with chili, celery, shallots and peanuts. It's hardly authentic, but it is delicious. 

Tsingtao $3USD

What better to wash all that chilli down with a beer or 5? At $3 why not!

Like many good Asian restaurants of this ilk the focus is on the food. Hard, fast, furious. If you like your restaurants with class and trimmings try elsewhere.The decor is sticky table shabby and the waitresses are all bored looking tattooed girls who never seem to look your way. Don't go expecting The Ritz, do go expecting hearty American Chinese classics. Don't dilly dally the people waiting will glare at you, but the food is worth the wait.

Mission Chinese Food (Lung Shan)

http://missionchinesefood.com/sf/

Super casual, don't expect high class

Do expect to wait

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Comics for food lovers

It's Comic Con this weekend, so this is a great time to talk about comics for food lovers. First of all let's start with the fact that Anthony Bourdain food writer and television personality extraordinaire has released a graphic novel Get Jiro! G4 did a great interview with him about the book and how the project came into being.

Video Games - E3 2012

Of course Japan has a comic book for just about everything and as a food loving nation there are many options for great food oriented manga. Here are some of my favourites.


Yakitate!! Japan follows Azuma Kazuma a sort of 'bread genius' who's intent on finding a bread suitable for the Japanese palette and making Japan as famous for bread as France or Germany.

Azuma enters competitions looking to gain a job at the main branch of the Pantasia bread chain, a prestigious job with Iron Chef style battles. Along the way he makes some friends, invents amazing recipes and solves family problems for the Pantasia owners. Watch out for the recipe on how to make bread in a rice cooker.

Oishinbo is probably my favourite comic of all time. It follows Tozai Shimbun a food writer for a Japanese newspaper searching for the Ultimate Meal. The comic focusses on different types and regions of food in Japan, each episode talks about how to find the most amazing ingredients for a dish, or how to improve a dish that doesn't hit the mark. It goes into huge depth on how to prepare foods including filetting fish, polishing rice and how best to store live animals prior to cooking.

For the Japanese food lover this goes into extreme detail on regional specialties, seasonal foods and unusual delicacies in Japanese cuisine. My only sadness is that you can currently only buy 6 collected 'best of' books rather than the 120 or so books that were released in Japanese. There's also an anime TV series based on the manga. I cannot recommend this book enough.


If you're thinking that the title of Iron Wok Jan invokes thoughts of Iron Chef you'd be right, though the Japanese title is Tetsunobe no Jan I assume the translaters were trying to carry on the Iron Chef obsession in America.

The comic follows Akiyama Jan an arrogant young chef with an excellent command of the Chinese cuisine. He heads to Gonbanchou a family owned Chinese restaurant in Ginza to show off his skills. Rivalries and cooking competitions follow of course!




Gokudo Meshi is 'gangster food' a story of a group of gangsters and criminals put away in South Naniwa prison who are obsessed with food. Each year they battle it out for the prized parts of the new years meal by telling stories of the best food they ever ate. Like many great food manga sadly there is no English translation for sale in print however one can easily find copies on Scanlation sites, armed with an eBook reader this presents no problems for keeping up with your favourite food manga. Gokudo Meshi was turned into the live action Japanese movie Sukiyaki in 2011.


Hungry for more? Check out Wikipedia's list of Cooking Anime and Manga for more.

Iron Chef Event in Sydney 2010

Big props to Mister Toast for the invitation to dinner, I had a marvellous time at a not great point in my life so it was much appreciated.

The evening didn't start out as well as it otherwise could have, we started with excellent cocktails at the Marble Bar as we are known to do and were a little squiffy when we wandered to the Hilton ballroom which didn't help our cause when we discovered they had lost our order. Thankfully we had the confirmation email and credit card on us but the insistence was that we had not ordered. Seats were found, but only 2 for a party of 3 and if we wanted to all sit it would not be together. Mister Elbourne opted to leave Toast and I too it as Toast had organised the mission and I had not attended before and so it was that we were sat down... only to have the staff find our original order about 5 minutes later. With all this faffing about we missed the canapes and got seated twice.



Cue a very stompy Toast, Elbourne and myself having a glare at the waiters who responded by bringing continuous refills of wine far and above what was sensible. Still the rest of the night would proceed quite nicely apart from the point at which I cried at a former co-worker about the end of my relationship and the point at which Toast insisted that coffee was for suckers and what I really wanted was an espresso Martini leading to me shouting at the Marble Bar staff about my apparent need for Martini olives by the bucket. *cough* Drunk Amaya is not to be trusted.



Soon all is forgiven though, any meal that starts with this amount of tableware has got to be good.



Iron Chef Sakai

Chilled seafood on cauliflower mousse with mango dressing.
Matched with: 2009 Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Gris

The cauliflower mousse in this dish actually put shame to the seafood, smooth soft and delicious it set off the cold seafood perfectly. The top of the dish is set with mango dressing nestling abalone, prawn and fresh vegetables. 




Chef Okazaki (Rise)

Tuna tataki, asparagus and lemongrass tomato salsa
Tuna rice paper roll
Tuna tartare with spicy miso in wanton cup
Matched with: 2009 Knappstein 'Three' Gewurztraminer/Riesling/Pinot Gris

Tuna and particularly raw tuna is amongst my favourite foods in the world and so a trio of tuna morsels is definitely the way to win me over. The tataki is seared perfectly and served with Thai flavours, the tartare is served in a crisp wanton cup with miso that I'm surprised hasn't wilted before being served given the number of people in the room.

I actually feel as though the wine is a little sweet for the dish but then I've never been a great fan of either Riesling or Gewurtztraminer.

While we eat a number of showman like Iron Chef events go on including a wine tasting and plenty of 'in the kitchen' behind the scenes moments. I'm more about the cooking than the showmanship but I was very keen on the 'behind the curtain' footage.



Chef Haru (Blancharu)

Spatchcock en croute de sel a la Haru
Matched with: 2008 Stonier Estate Chardonnay

I rather like en croute dishes as a whole but I think attempting to do so for an entire ballroom full of diners was folly. My dish is rather dry and not particularly appealing.



Iron Chef Chen

Lobster with chili sauce Szechwan style
Matched with: 2006 Argyle 'Reserve' Pinot Noir

This dish makes the whole night worthwhile. First we watch Iron Chef Chen prepare it on the stage and then we see more backstage footage. By the time the meal comes out everyone is fighting to get at it and I have to be quick smart with my photo taking.



The dish is served with a Chinese mantou roll for mopping up the sauce - something I'm glad of as it's filled with fermented soy for that biting umami flavour; the balls of Lobster and the sweet fruit are just fantastic and served with a light Pinot that offsets the whole dish perfectly.



Afterwards Iron Chef Chen does a quick tour of the room and we are able to snap a picture. Toast who is like the world's biggest Iron Chef fan is beaming like an idiot the whole time.



Chef Gary (Hilton)

Braised Wagyu veal cheek on green pea and wasabi mash with cabernet jus
Matched with: 2008 Petaluma 'The Hundred Line' Cabernet Sauvignon

After a very Asian feel to the rest of the cooking this seems like an odd choice however it is amazingly prepared and so I am disinclined to complain too much. Veal cheek is cooked sous vide for several hours until it is falling apart soft, sweet and gelatinous. It is served on a bed of sweet green pea and wasabi mash that is just divine and finished with a jus that brings more moistness to an already luscious dish. The wine is also a good match and I am rather a fan of Petaluma so kudos to the chef.



Chef Saeko (Ten)

Smoked chocolate and 'Delamain X.O. Fale and Dry 25 year old' mousse, with agar agar of milk and chocolate anglaise sauce
Matched with: 2004 Knappstein Vintage Fortified Shiraz

Now I'm not a huge chocolate fan but this dish is an inspired masterpiece that has me rolling my eyes and thumping the table. A member of the table who does not like sweets hands his over seeing my reaction and I grab for it despite the simply ludicrous of dairy I will be consuming. This being said Toast is allergic to seafood so we'd both come armed with a plethora of tablets to ensure we could make it through the meal.

The entire dish is a range of varying chocolate flavours and textures; the darker dots are an amazing chocolate emulsion, a decorated white chocolate disk rings a soft smooth chocolate bombe topped with a dark smokey delicious crisp and whose shadow falls onto a smooth geleed agar agar milk chocolate ring. All set off with a dark delicious wine; a real thundering way to finish the meal.

So what did I walk away from the event with? It was fun, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun without other foodies so I recommend if you are going to pay that you take a crew with you. On the other hand at $350 for a 6 course meal it would want to have been sex on a stick and honestly some of the dishes fell down, particularly as the kitchen seemed unable to make really world class cuisine for that many people at once. I think if the same courses had been done for 30 the affair would have been different than it was at a seating of 300.

Topped off with the fiasco regarding our order and the rudeness we were treated with as if their mistake were our fault it left me with a sour taste in my mouth given the price. On the other hand it was good fun and some of the dishes were incredibly memorable, and after that much wine... most things seem like a good idea.