Sokyo

A friend had recommended Sokyo for top tier Japanese in Sydney; unusually, they offer breakfast, so I booked in to try it out. Located at the Star, Sokyo has quite a large space decorated in an elegant minimalist style, with an impressive breakfast buffet designed primarily for hotel guests. Diners have the option of the full buffet or an a la carte dish with tea/coffee and a juice from the buffet. We opted for the latter – I ordered the ‘choushoku’ traditional Japanese breakfast, but was disappointed to hear that it had sold out. I had been excited about having fish for breakfast. Not excited by curry udon as the other authentic Japanese alternative, my second choice was the eggs benedict, served with miso hollandaise and edamame. The plate was beautifully presented, and the brioche bun was buttery soft to cut, making the dish quite light. The eggs were perfectly poached but arrived cold, and I couldn’t taste the miso in the hollandaise. The highlight was the steaky bacon, which was sweet and crispy, in contrast to the texture of the edamame. Sadly the juice from the buffet wasn’t fresh, but the genmaicha (tea) was excellent. Overall a mixed bag – get in early for the good stuff.

Sokyo, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW                           http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/pages/sokyo.aspx

Street ADL

Showing visitors from interstate around your hometown can be surprisingly stressful, especially when you want them to really appreciate how great the city is. Luckily, my friends were happy to try Street ADL on Rundle Street. This part of town is great for al fresco dining, and even though we could only find a seat inside, it was one facing out to the street so we could watch the world go by while listening to the live music. I started out with a glass of the full-bodied Halifax 2010 McLaren Vale Shriaz to match the dry-aged cheeseburger I’d ordered. I’d hoped for the kangaroo salami hot sandwich, but sadly they’d sold out, but really, the burger was so good I can’t actually complain! The patty was incredible – densely packed ground beef oozing with cheese and mayo – and with a generous amount of bacon slapped on, there was zero chance of leaving hungry. The onion was thoughtfully served on the side with the pickles, allowing both to be optional. The accompanying chips were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Really, both my friends and I were very impressed. Street ADL is doing Adelaide proud.

Street ADL, 285 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA                             http://streetadl.com/

Chasing Mr Morris

Donuts are something that I associate with my childhood – my brother was (actually, still is) a donut fiend and as such it was often the treat we would end up getting from the local shops. It has been many years since I’ve had a good iced donut, so when I visited The Hamlet and saw that Chasing Mr Morris (whose Instagram account I adore) had beautiful iced donuts, I was in. I picked the Earl Grey flavour for myself, and picked up a couple of Salted Caramel for my colleagues. On first bite, I was instantly transported back into childhood – that familiar donut flavour is right up front, with just the right hint of cinnamon and buttery richness. Mmm. I found that the Earl Grey flavour was quite subtle – I had expected stronger bergamot overtones – but that this didn’t stop me devouring every crumb. My colleague found the same with the Salted Caramel – the salty flavour only started to come through towards the end – but from all accounts it was equally delicious. Chasing Mr Morris has a fabulous food truck, full of succulents and granny blankets, and is doing an awesome job bringing donuts back!

Chasing Mr Morris, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

The Sangria Bar

It’s probably no surprise that I’m a huge fan of sangria. It combines some of the best things there are – wine, fruit and spices. Mmm. I was pretty excited to discover that Olé has a sangria bar attached to it when we were in Brisbane, and (even better), was within walking distance to our hotel. One thing I particularly liked about the Sangria Bar, which is something not common in Canberra, is that it’s an open shop front, with seats spilling out onto the pavement so you can sit and people watch. We ordered a couple of jugs of the ‘tinto’ – red wine with fresh apple, orange, and pineapple juice. The jug was reasonably sized, and the wine was good quality, matching the sweet fruit perfectly. Whilst we were there quite late on a Saturday night, it wasn’t too busy, and the music was pitched at just the right volume so we could still hear one another easily over the long table. Those who didn’t want sangria could easily get beer and in the end it was a really great night out. Definitely recommended as a chilled out venue for a late one.

The Sangria Bar, Shop B13/14 Grey Street, South Bank QLD  http://www.olerestaurant.com.au/sangria-bar-about-us/

N2 Extreme Gelato

I’m in denial that summer is over, so over the next few weeks I’m going to share icecream reviews every Thursday (#icecreamthurs). Mmm, icecream. I’ve been super excited about Good Food Month’s Night Noodle Market coming to Canberra and so a few foodie friends and I went for opening night. N2 have come from Melbourne to be part of the market and they brought two options to share with us on the menu – the Ferrero Reveal and the Brokeback Moment. I chose the former, with Nutella gelato, crushed hazelnuts, a rice bubble choc top and a warm chocolate ganache syringe. The choc top was quite solid and there was plenty of chocolate – with the rice bubbles it actually tasted like coco pops (yum) and I tried to save it to mix through the gelato underneath. The ganache in the syringe had gone a bit cold, so was tough to extract, but it added a rich decadence that wasn’t over the top. The gelato itself was creamy and had a strong Nutella flavour, which didn’t fade, and there was plenty of it in the small cup. Only a few more nights left to go back and have it again!

N2 Extreme Gelato, Enlighten Night Noodle Market until 8 March, http://n2extremegelato.com.au/

 

Little NNQ

Meeting up with friends for a Gouger St dinner in Adelaide, I picked the new kid on the block – Little NNQ, the outpost of Nghi Ngan Quan. The menu is full of exciting-sounding things: DIY cold rolls, curries, and soups. I ordered the entree sized pho as a starter, which was more like a small main when it came out, full of rare beef, beef balls, onion and noodles. The broth was fabulous and not overly salty, and I was well on my way to full after drinking every last drop. I had the grilled scallops with ginger as my main, along with the orange and kumquat juice, which was served in a mason jar and had a refreshing citrus bitterness to it. The scallops came out with five on the plate drowning in sauce, accompanied by  piles of spring onion. Sadly the scallops were overdone, losing their softness to chewiness, but the sauce was spectacular and I ate a lot of it with rice. I would have been disappointed with the serving compared to my friend’s giant bowl of sour soup if I hadn’t had the entree. Verdict? Tasty dishes worth trying, despite imperfections.

Little NNQ, 125 Gouger Street Adelaide, SA, no website

Mocan & Green Grout

Being a crazy plant lady, Mocan & Green Grout is a happy place for me. I love the hanging baskets and veggie garden out the front, and the wooden interior with the giant share table in the middle. There’s just something cozy about it. On this visit, I was meeting friends for breakfast and had trouble picking what to eat – so many delicious-sounding options! I ended up chosing the ‘smashed eggs’, which came with mushroom, goat’s curd and black garlic. It was hard to imagine what that would look like, but when it came out I was very glad I’d picked it. The presentation was immaculate, with the part-scrambled, part-poached eggs I’d enjoyed so much at Wharf One making the majority of the meal, served with slices of radish, toast and lettuce leaves, as well as a dust that I couldn’t quite pick (it was a bit peppery). The black garlic was like a paste and lifted the flavour of the eggs, although the mushrooms were so tasty they didn’t need much to shine. The toast was a bit too crispy for me, but the sourdough was tasty and overall it was quite an excellent meal. I’ll be back for more soon.

Mocan & Green Grout, 1/19 Marcus Clarke Street, New Acton, ACT http://mocanandgreengrout.com/