Recipe: Gochujang jjigae

Regular readers will know that have a huge weakness for Korean food, so I thought it was time to start making it at home. Gochujang is the delicious fermented soy and chilli paste that appears in many Korean stews and BBQ dishes. This is my take on a traditional Korean stew, sweet and spicy it's not for the feint hearted but I personally will be making this a regular rotation in home cooked meals from now on.

Gochujang jjigae

1 onion
1 capsicum
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
1 cup potato or sweet potato
3 tablespoons gochujang
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 packet firm silken tofu
oil for frying

Method

• Prepare your vegetables; Dice the onion, julienne the carrot and capsicum, crush the garlic and cut the potato into cubes. 
• Heat a pan with a small pool of your favourite vegetable oil. 
• Stir fry the onions, then the capsicum. When the peppers are soft add the carrot and the garlic and stir fry until the garlic is soft. 
• Add the gochujang and stir fry to coat the vegetables. Add the water and stir so that the chilli paste forms a sauce. 
• Add the tomato paste and the sugar, stir until well integrated into the sauce. Taste at this point to balance the flavour, add more sugar or chilli to taste. 
• Add the potato and cover the stew, boil until the potato is soft. 
• Dice the tofu and add to the stew, cook for a further two minutes and then take off the heat. 
• Let the stew rest for 2 minutes and serve with rice and your favourite pickles. Serves 4.
• Great for vegans and vegetarians but for a meaty twist add diced fish cake in with the potatoes. 

Snapshot: Sokyo at The Darling, Pyrmont

They recently renovated Star City Casino and turned it into The Star Casino Complex and my gosh but it's a lot nicer. So accordingly I'm slowly eating my way through the new eateries since it is conveniently right next to my office.

It was recently the boy's birthday so we stopped for a spot of Japanese at Sokyo in The Darling, the new Hotel attached to the Casino.



Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice: Crispy nigiri, truffle salt, spicy mayo $15

The food is traditional Japanese and modern Asian Fusion with a twist. The usual high quality Japanese dishes you would expect in Sydney appear on the menu. I would definitely recommend perusing the tempura specials, do not pass up the tsukune and this Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice was worth the trip alone.

Sokyo needs some time to find its own identity. At the moment they've made it a little too slick and it just feels a little fake. It's like trying to make your video 'go viral', this is not a notion you can instill, it needs to be given to you by the public.

The waiters are all eye candy cute young boys with stylish shoes, which is great and all but not so much for service. I hope they rectify this, the waiter we had was French and didn't seem very comfortable with Japanese food, nor could he recognise that we were and wanted to be left alone with the menu.

All in all this place needs to find its feet but will nonetheless become a regular visit for me. The price and range mean that you can eat your way through a whole kaiseki or just have some sushi for a short business lunch. This is the perfect local eatery for client meetings in a flash setting, but needs time before I'll return on a date night.

Sokyo at The Darling

http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/pages/sokyo.aspx
80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont NSW 2009
(02) 9777 9000 ‎


Formal modern Japanese and Asian Fusion
New and finding its feet


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Serious birthday cake at Zumbo Patissier, Pyrmont

I work in Pyrmont close to The Star casino complex and an exciting new addition has come to the neighbourhood; Zumbo Patissier the super luxurious, delightfully decadant cake and pastry maker that makes all foodies in Sydney go to happy little day dream places. The love child of culinary genius Adriano Zumbo this store makes an excellent addition to The Star's recent upgrade.



Sadly being January things are a little more sensible on my diet this month but it's definitely worth noting the Dessert Train!



Set up like a kaiten zushi with small pieces of delight wizzing past on a motorised conveyor belt. Note if you are intending to go that there's a significant wait on popular nights, so don't expect to pop straight in after a meal or a game elsewhere in the building.



Sydney is still on a long running obsession with macarons (cupcakes are sooo 2008) and Zumbo's is definitely one of the best purveyors of these delights. Remember though these little pieces of heaven are delicate and difficult to make, meaning they're definitely a 'treat' food and should be purchased the day you intend to eat them - humidity is the bane of all macarons.


It was recently my birthday and since I have the luck to date a lovely man who shares my taste for all things rich we went on a trip to the patisserie for some serious birthday cake.



Macarons $2.50 each

Shown here is Salted Butter Caramel, Pumpkin, Lemon Verbenna and Coconut Green Chilli & Lavender. All light, perfect and delicious. I think I could eat a meal of those salted caramel delights and be happy.




ssnowmanorr $9 Pâté a choux, bubble tea custard, lychee coconut crème légère, lychee gel, coconut crunch.

Zumbo loves delightful little food tricks and this is genius, it is essentially a bubble tea made into a delightful little cake, complete with milk tea flavoured custard and chunks of Lychee jelly. Despite the heavy creamy interior the outside maintained a light crisp texture that oozed when bit into.






grandma's soap $9 Blueberry compote, fresh blueberries, lavender chantilly & almond cème

This was probably my favourite of the lot, I would love to see the mould that the lavender and creme layer was made with to get it out so smooth and perfect. The bottom was a slightly tart mix of almondine and berry that was offset perfectly by the sweet sweet cream layer.



whizz fizz $9 Raspberry meringue, sherbet, raspberry compote, liquorice crème

This was definitely the boy's favourite. WhizzFizz is a brand of Australian sherbert, the sugary fizzy kind not the cold kind, so expect something a little different from this raspberry meringue pie. The crisp light meringue gives way to rich berry and cream; don't be afraid of the liquorice if you are not a fan it's not strong and compliments the fruit layer perfectly.



√ caramel $9 Passionfruit crème, ginger vanilla bavaroise, tonka bean caramel, ginger sable breton, caramel chantilly, caramel sponge

The texture and construction of this dessert is simply amazing. It's a tiny entremet cake with many finely created layers in a small caramel 'box' with a texture like felted caramel. with the amount of caramel in here you'd think it would be sweet on sweet but there are darker burnt sugar tones and the ginger that set the mouth ablaze. An absolute amazement in construction and to make this many flavours work together in harmony deserves accolades.





Be aware this was simply ridiculous amounts of cake and took us several days to eat, even without me dissecting and photographing every morsel we bought. One and a half of these tiny rich delights was more than enough to fill me up despite no dinner. If you're looking for a fancy gift for an in law or just a small delight for a special occasion one or two of these with a cup of unsweetened coffee would delight even the grumpiest of diners. Much recommended, with quite a bit of willpower wrangling to stop me running over on a regular basis.

Zumbo Patissier at The Star

http://adrianozumbo.com/patisserie-menu/
Shop1, Cafe Court
The Star
80 Pyrmont st
Pyrmont, NSW, 2009
Entry via Edward st


Up market patisserie and eat in dessert train
No cafe seating, take your cake home or sit on the waterfront to enjoy
Walking off with a Zumbo box will cause green envy on all foodies in the vicinity


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Review: The Cut, The Rocks

The first thing I will say about this post is that it seems that the trend has changed in Sydney restaurants. Once you couldn't get a booking for love or money on a Monday night, and now it seems Sunday is the day of rest. The restaurants we had originally picked out for my birthday dinner were not bookable and so it was further afield I looked, The Cut didn't disappoint.



Sadly the ambient lighting while well suited to the environment didn't take the best picture on my camera without a flash, but the heavy wood furniture and throne style chairs were perfectly suited to the type of restaurant. Also note the group tables perfect for a family or work dinner for 8-10.





Sourdough, butter and oil complimentary with dinner


Good simple bread, the oil was fresh and excellent, worth a dip.



Not pictured: 2006 Cloudy Bay Pelorus Marlborough, NZ $18


Stupidly I forgot to take pictures of the wine, this is actually one of my favourite non French sparkling wines if you see it on a menu choose this over another tired Champagne. Crisp lively and fresh it lacks the heavy toasty of some Champagnes but is an excellent drop in the Southern Summer.






Chicken Liver Pate, Pickled Peach Sorbet, Jamon & Mache $20

The liver pate itself was very well done, not strong on alcohol flavouring as I prefer but smooth and heavy.  Despite the pate itself being excellent the accompaniments let it down. Liver parfait is best served with a sticky sweet accompaniment, the cleansing sorbet neither accompanied or cut through the fat it just sort of... melted away leaving too clean a taste behind. The brioche too seemed dry and rather stale, if they make it in house I will be shocked. If you want great pate go to Danks St Depot or Glass, this is good but the sides are not worth it.



Charcuterie Tasting Plate $26

The charcuterie tasting plate was excellent. Serrano Jamon de Jabujanes Gran Reserva,
Prosciutto di San Danielle, Calabrese Salami and Papandrea Fennel Sopressa served with candied mustard fruit and plenty of cornichons. I would have preferred the wait staff to realise that we needed more than 1 slice of bread to get through this pile of meat though.



2008 Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Carménère Conchagua, Chile $98


Usually I like a granache with a steak but the choices we'd made had me hanker for something different. This is a smooth and fruity wine with a freshness familiar to those who like new world wine and the Carménère should be enjoyed by those who like Cabernet.



4-hour Slow Roast Sher F1 Wagyu Standing Rib 400g $56

All prepared to eat his usual dish of grass fed rib eye my partner was distracted by a waiter bearing very shiney things: a side of slow roasted 7 score marbled wagyu. The waiter was kindly enough to give an honest answer on the richness of the food and the serving size that should be ordered. This 400g piece was far too much for my food loving other half, I would suggest instead ordering a 300g ($42) for most. With a similarly excellent salt crust and moist melt in your mouth fatty richness, the rendered fat simply oozing juices from the meat left a very happy boy wishing he could fit more in.



Riverine 150-day, Grain fed Fillet 280g $45

This is probably the best steak I've eaten in Sydney. Grilled to absolute perfection with a crisp caramelised crust, salted just enough, the dark crust hides a perfect medium rare steak. The aged grain fed fillet was tender and the knife slide right through it, this is a steak to savour. I ate it simply with a little lemon and some dijon mustard, the meat is good enough not to require a sauce. Veal jus came with it but was not more exciting than a similar jus at any good steak grill. I will come back for this steak alone, perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, perfectly rested, excellent aged meat treated the way it should be.



Mixed Leaf Salad with Herbs & Lemon Vinaigrette $9

We have learnt not to order rich sides with this kind of meat any more, it goes to waste and leaves us beyond ill. Instead salads, for the boy a mixed leaf salad, nothing special but well done.




Roast Jerusalem Artichokes with Balsamic, Spanish Onion, Radicchio & Goats Cheese $9

Now I like a salad with a bit of difference and this was one fantastic salad. The radicchio had a bitter crispness that really cut through the rich meat, Jerusalem artichokes are quite frankly excellent with everything and pattered with roasted nuts and slices of a mild goats cheese? Just perfect and a great accompaniment in summer.





Affogato $9 Or with your choice of Frangelico, Amaretto or Baileys $14


To be honest the desserts left me a little cold so instead an affogato, Amaretto for preference. A small serve of rich real vanilla bean ice cream with very good quality ristretto makes me suspect their patissier has an Italian bent. Well done and a suitable end to the meal without being cloying.





Lemon Custard on Sugared Puff Pastry, with Elderflower Marshmallow & Rose Geranium Pebbles $15


Take note aspiring chefs this is a supreme lesson in editing your food. What could have been simply a well done de-constructed lemon meringue pie obviously wasn't considered fancy enough for the menu. The Rose Geranium Pebbles were essentially a salted flower caviar gelee that had no purpose on the plate and frankly was a confusing and unnecessary addition that once tried was avoided. The texture alone was off putting let alone the salt, stop over thinking things and just leave a good dessert alone.


I'm not sure if The Cut is still trying to find its feet, there were some absolutely perfect pieces like the salad and meat with some confusing dashes around it like the brioche and the salted mess on dessert. What it does well though is its core business: great quality steak and sides.

Most of the serving staff were good but unfortunately I got the impression that our waiter doesn't like his job. He served out food like a silver service waiter but forgot to tell us about the charcuterie, interrupted our entrée to show me the wine for the next course when we had clearly just been served sparkling, looked miserable the whole time and couldn't make a suggestion about the desserts. Perhaps he wasn't meant to work a Sunday shift, I don't know, but perhaps one less waiter would have been a better experience than a bored one not interested in the food.

Nonetheless I'll be back, but possibly for mains only rather than a 3 course meal.

The Cut Bar and Grill

http://www.cutbarandgrill.com

Up market steak house

Cosy ambience with excellent sound control, good for dates and groups

The Cut Bar & Grill
16 Argyle Street
The Rocks NSW 2000
T +612 9259 5695
reservations@cutbarandgrill.com

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Review: Bel Mondo, The Rocks

December is simply filled to the brim with events and I had the good fortune of heading to Bel Mondo with a group of female engineers for a business lunch. Unfortunately I was too engaged in conversation to remember to take a picture of the dining room, a dark wood affair encased in a traditional Sydney stone building.

The meal we chose was a 5 Course Degustation, though being a work lunch we opted to order minimal wine rather than drink with every course - I had meetings to go back to after all!

They're currently doing a special that makes business lunches very affordable for a much higher class of food than the usual "red wine and steak" affairs one generally eats with clients. 2 courses $55, 3 courses $72, 5 course degustation $95 (with wines $145). I would definitely recommend this as a place to take your valued clients at the end of the year.



Amuse bouche: Basil Veloute



Tomato and basil consomme with Alaskan King crab, sweet corn and asparagus



Carpaccio of beef with saute mushrooms, wild rocket and shaved pecorino



Fillet of Cone Bay Barramundi with vanilla pomme puree, shaved fennel salad and sauce vierge



Slow cooked lamb shoulder with pea and mint risotto, caramelised garlic and honey puree.



Palate cleanser: Ruby grapefruit granita



Coconut and lychee panna cotta with macerated strawberries and freeze dried mandarin 



A nod to the staff for handling dietary requirements very well. Also a nod to my new phone the HTC Evo 3D which I am now using for food photographs as it now comes with dual 5MP high quality lenses and the added bonus of auto upload to Picasa via Google+

Bel Mondo

http://www.belmondo.com.au/

Formal dining, modern Australian
Book ahead

Gloucester Walk
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone +61 2 9241 3700 ‎


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The secret to my success

On a Sunday I love to make goulash when I can take the time to really let it simmer and develop flavour. I have discovered the perfect addition to the recipe which really adds depth and richness to the sauce.



Marco Polo Paprika Relish is almost pure roasted pepper puree - nothing nasty added just oil and salt. I found it in the import aisle of my local supermarket. Try it some time!

Snapshot: Anita Borg Scholarship Cake!

If you're not already aware I work at the Big G, and periodically we get to do some awesome things... like host a women in computer science scholarship!



Today is the finalists retreat and we organised a special cake for the winners.

Review: Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket

Sydney is one of the few cities in the world that is the perfect mix of East meets West. Like Singapore Asian, Western and Fusion food sit side by side in abundance and great quality.

Gumshara is one of the great examples of this, a tiny purveyor of noodles stuck in the side of a busy but not very fancy food court in Chinatown delivers some of the best ramen south of Osaka.



Tonkotsu ramen with roasted pork, chilli bomb and soft boiled egg $14.50


Like a good noodle store in Japan there's only about 5 items on the menu and they're all good. The soup is made in the traditional style with lots of bones for thick natural collagen. Add additional toppings like eggs, different vegetables or as I have a 'bomb' of high seasoning mixed into a small ball of minced meat. This makes the Tonkotsu above into an instant Spicy Tantan style ramen.

I still believe that the noodles at Ichi Ban Boshi are the best ramen noodles I have ever found - even in Japan (though no one does soba right outside that country) but the noodles here are still good quality, I'd just put a firm bet on them being bought in.

Gumshara is located in the Eating World food court on the Dixon St Mall, a real foodies paradise this is a place for those who know that the best Asian food often comes served on sticky tables where ambience is unrequired because the food is that damn good.

I have recently discovered that Eating World is a short walk from the light rail stop making this an easy meal to get to and return from within an hour long lunch time break from the office.

Gumshara

Eating World Harbour Plaza
Shop 209, 25-29 Dixon Street
(enter from Goulburn Street or Factory Street)
Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

Shared table open foodcourt
Super casual - don't expect a real restaurant or table coverings


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Snapshot: Steerson's Steakhouse

I tend to eat at more places than I get a chance to review so I'm going to start  posting "snapshots" of meals I eat between full reviews.



Chicken Terrine with cornichons and grilled leeks $17.50



220g Eye Fillet Steak and Frites $38

Matching wine: Grant Burge Holy Trinity Grenache/Mourvedre blend $78

Steersons Steakhouse

www.steersons.com.au



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Review: Nobu, Los Angeles

There are a number of restaurants on my 'food tourism' list that I slowly tick off as I travel the world and Nobu has been on this list for some time.



Nobu is the Japanese Fusion food mecha known more for its celebrity owners than its cuisine which is a shame since the food is amazing and unlike some other food tourism meals was everything I hoped it would be and more. I can say quite comfortably that this was one of the best and most memorable meals of my life and I shall be seeking out other Nobu locations for comparison.

The Los Angeles location is the home of the proprietor and much celebrated Chef Nobu who conveniently was in the kitchen on the date of our visit.

This was also Restaurant Week in Los Angeles; there was a special set menu and the option for an omakase chef chosen tasting menu but my knowledge of Japanese food and the palettes of my fellow diners meant that I custom chose our menu from amongst the dish types. It is worth noting that the Omakase chef's tasting was $150USD and our personally selected meal came to just short of this per person including a bottle of Piper Hiedsick NV at $75USD. If you have a member of your dining party who is familiar with such a menu you may wish to choose your own meal rather than have the chef do the same. The adventurous may wish to trust the chef, be sure to explain your allergies and tastes!

Nobu like to do their rotation in an unusual fashion and put the sushi/sashimi at the end rather than the beginning but as I like to leave any dish of toro till last this was fine by me.



We arrived early due to the chaos of Los Angeles traffic and so sat in the bar for a drink before dinner.



Lychee Martini $14USD and Yamazaki 12 year old $12USD



The dining room is subdued Asian stylings with heavy emphasis on privacy screens, presumeably to hide well known patrons from each other. Unlike other LA restaurants though Nobu seems to attract actual food fans and so there is a lack of the Size 0 brigade I have seen elsewhere which I am thankful for, the poor girls just make me want to feed them.



Arctic Char in a Yuzu Soy with fresh Jalapeno and Coriander (Cilantro) $22USD


This is Asian fusion done just right, in fact when the waiter explained that they are a fusion restaurant rather than pure Japanese I remarked "Oh well Yuzu and Cilantro were made to be together" and then found this on the menu. I was not let down, it is a food combination which always delights and combined with the delicious sashimi and spicy pepper was entirely memorable in a small bite. A great sign for the rest of the meal.




Shishito Peppers $7USD


My partner is very fond of hot food and had enjoyed the shishito at Inakaya so I ordered this. They were lovely and fresh however inconsistently hot and so we opted not to finish the entire dish of peppers for fear our palette would be ruined for the subtle food in the rest of the menu.





Heart of Palm Salad $12USD


After the spicy peppers this cold dish of shavings of heart of palm with pink peppercorns was a real refresher. Heart of palm is a favourite ingredient of mine often found in my father's pantry and glad to see it appear on an Asian Fusion menu.



Yellowfin Tuna Spicy Taro Chips $14USD

This is one of those dishes that is so good, so perfect, such a delight in one mouthful that you think about it for days to come, that all the diners at the table pause and close their eyes when it is mentioned. A sliver of taro perfectly crisped is topped with a spicy fermented miso sauce and a roll of immaculate quality raw tuna. Amazing, a mouthful worth a visit to the restaurant alone. 4 pieces for 3 diners though? Dangerous




Oshinko $8USD


It may seem funny to order pickles in a fine restaurant but I can't fathom a Japanese meal without them. These were all obviously made fresh on the premises and included a standard daikon, fresh water radish, carrot, cucumber, cabbage and an Asian spinach. Deeeeelicious!



Beef Kushiyaki $12USD

Good quality marbled beef is basted in a sweet mirin and umami filled fermented soy base and grilled to perfection. So good we ordered a second order of this dish.



Wagyu beef and Foie Gras Gyoza $6USD each (minimum 2)


As a woman obsessed with both Japanese food and liver I don't know that you could possibly tailor make a better dish for me. This was without a doubt the best dumpling I have ever eaten and the dish contained everything one could ask for in textures and tastes. Silky light dumpling skin was crisped to perfection, rich meat and smooth liver set off by a tangy Jalapeno dressing or a sweet caramelised garlic and ginger sauce. Unforgettable, and again; we ordered another of the same as soon as these were eaten.



Foie Gras Fennel and Apple Special $18USD


My partner fails to see the light when it comes to foie gras so there were only two bites but I cannot pass up any chance for real foie gras, banned in Australia and with a texture that sadly no humane feeding technique can reproduce. Shavings of fennel and apple are soft and crisp in turn with a sweet sauce, gone in a second but delightful nonetheless.



Tempura: Asparagus $4USD, Sugar Snap Peas $3USD and Sweet Potato $3USD


Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas are my favourites and unsurprisingly this is a fantastic rendition with light batter and not too much oil. There are any number of other seasonable vegetables on offer here and you could easily order a large meal of just tempura to appease the vegetarians.



Sushi and Sashimi: Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Toro fatty tuna belly $28USD, Magoro Bluefin Tuna $9USD, Cucumber Rolls $6USD, Avocado Rolls $6USD, Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Hand Roll $7.50USD each


The quality of the seafood doesn't fail to disappoint in the sushi course; the only let down here is that the hand roll is performed somewhat like hosomaki rather than the conical shape I am used to in Australia and Japan. This means that rather than the seaweed being crisp it is damp and clings to the sushi rice making it difficult to chew when it is multi-layered.

On the other hand the vegetarian rolls and delightful and light after the rest of the meal and the tuna is mouthwateringly delicious. For those who question the cost of two small pieces of fish I urge any foodie to purchase high end toro at least once, the fatty tuna belly is unlike any other sashimi you will eat. Like any good tuna the toro here lingers in the mouth after the fact and I am loathe to give up the taste to another dish... but there's dessert to be had!



Espresso Martini $14USD

Real coffee a rare delight in the US is made into a refreshing after dinner drink, not too bitter not tasting strongly of alcohol.



Ginger and Carrot Cake $13USD

A soft cake is surrounded by a soft cream cheese icing and topped with a ginger ice cream, accompanied with a salted caramel. Amazing.



PB&J Satandagi $12USD

I'm a sucker for peanut butter everything and the Americans really know how to treat their nut products but after a taste I'm glad I didn't order this as it was rich beyond compare and would have sat heavily after the light and floating meal. Light Japanese style fried dough is injected with hot peanut butter and dark chocolate sauce, accompanied by peanut butter ice cream topped with an ume shu jelly. An inspired fusion dessert.




Froyo Nobu Style $11USD

A light vanilla frozen yoghurt served simply with fresh seasonal berries and toasted black sesame.

Well... what do you say about a meal like this? Delightful, inspired, delicious and matched with immaculate service and surroundings. This is a restaurant worth travelling for and with locations in Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific one needn't go too far.

Nobu Los Angeles

http://www.noburestaurants.com/
903 North La Cienega Boulevard
+1.310.657.571

Formal dining Japanese/Californian fusion
Vegetarian and allergen friendly if these are discussed with the server


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