Sokyo

Before I start, I just want to apologize for the poor quality of the photos. In my defense, I couldn't bring my DSLR and the lighting was quite dim. Hope it doesn't detract from this post!

I wasn't planning on dining here, neither were the girls who were having dinner with me, but seeing as we were all running late for our booking at Black, we had to resort to our backup plan.

Sokyo at the Star (The Darling) is different to all the other modern Japanese restaurants that I've visited in that their menu is designed in "traditional Kaiseki style" to encourage diners to share. Having just visited another Japanese restaurant the night before, I was impressed by the atmosphere and aesthetics almost immediately upon entering The Darling.

After being seated, a staff member collected and stored our jackets in the cloak room (which I really appreciated because I had a coat on) and immediately after that, we were offered menus by our own waiter. I was somewhat disappointed that the waiter didn't explain the menu to us, but maybe that's just not their style. Flipping through the crisp white pages of the simple but expansive menu, it was obvious (already) that I was in for a huge treat. The courses and cooking styles were familiar: Sashimi, Tempura, Robata (grilled skewers), Sushi Rolls... nothing unusual; until you look at the individual descriptions. Every item sounded like a tempting combination of flavors that others would never dare to explore: "Tai sashimi, onion, capers, yuzu honey, crunchy miso", "Sirloin & Foie Gras in fig, plum wine soy" No wonder it took us so long to order. Finally, with the help of a menu designer, we ordered our long anticipated dinner and waited - with a "tokkuri" of apple and guava scented sake ;).

The service was surprisingly quick considering how full the restaurant was.
First up, the Pork Belly Sashimi...

Kurobuta Black Pork Sashimi. Thinly sliced pork belly, dashi jelly, salty caramel sauce - $16

Being the experimental foodie that I am, I was definitely looking forward to trying what I thought would be raw pork belly. To be honest I felt a little cheated when I realised that it was in fact cooked, despite being on the sashimi list. But the taste and texture of the pork definitely compensated for that. I've never had salted caramel with a savory dish before, but the slight stickiness of the rich sauce matches surprisingly well with the fatty pork and just melts in your mouth. This is definitely something I'd try (and no doubt fail) to make at home.

Lamb Chop Maple Miso, Maple miso, burnt baby eggplant - $31 (for 3)

Next up, lamb chops! Lamb chops are no doubt my favorite cut of meat, but looking at the description on the menu I wasn't completely sold. I've definitely learned a lesson though - never judge a dish by its description. I used to think that I could cook a pretty decent lamb chop but this is on a whole other level. The meant was thick and juicy, perfectly cooked to medium rare (just the way I like it) and well-rested. Mixed with the delicate sweetness of the maple miso and the smoky yet creamy baby eggplant, my mouth was in heaven! Who knew burnt food could taste so amazing. There was only one thing I think could be improved. I couldn't help but notice that the meat itself lacked the strong flavors of the mash under it - perhaps it wasn't marinated for long enough? Or maybe the chef wanted to give diners to opportunity to just taste natural flavor and quality of the meat on its own...

Somewhere between the lamb chops and our next course, our waiter noticed that my friend was struggling with her chopsticks, which made us all laugh because she probably uses them regularly at home (haha - but to be fair, the chopsticks were curved), and offered us each a cute chopstick clip.
The irony was harder to figure out how to use the clip then hold it correctly than it was to use the normal pair of chopsticks.

By the time we got over the chopstick clips (which wasn't very long) our salad had arrived.

Spicy Sashimi Salad, Cherry tomato, cucumber, mixed seafood - $22

We'd originally ordered the Crispy Skin Ocean Trout Salad but they ran out of the crispy skin! *mental note to order that next time* So this is what we substituted it with. On any other day, I would say that this was pretty good. But having just sampled two exemplar dishes, this was, in comparison, only mediocre. It didn't taste bad, but didn't stand out. The flavors weren't very exciting - the sauce actually tasted a bit like gochujang (Korean chilli paste). Moving on...

 Chicken Katsu, Potato foam, plum wine, grilled negi - $27

One of my friends was a bit reluctant about ordering this dish at the beginning because "Chicken Katsu" is usually just fried chicken and didn't sound very special. But it was evident the moment it arrived that this Katsu was anything but ordinary.  To start with, the potato foam! It's always exciting to see a new element on a dish. But presentation aside, the chicken breast was so moist and tender that I could literally slice it in half with the side of my fork. I've never had plum wine before, so I can only imagine that the pleasant eccentric taste was somehow related to that. Must find a bottle of Japanese plum wine one day. The chicken skin wasn't crumbed or fried so I'm not sure if "Katsu" is the right term for this dish (but then again, I'm no expert), maybe that's why it's called "Free Range Chicken Breast" on the online menu. I can understand from a marketing point of view why they changed it.
Again, I thought the center of the chicken was lacking a bit of flavor, but that's not going to stop me from having more haha.

At this point I was already starting to feel full. It's hard to stop eating when the food tastes so good, plus we were no where near the end.

Sokyo Spicy Tuna Roll, Cucumber, truffle chilli aioli - $14

This photo does not do justice to the flavor of the sushi. It might look like a simple, innocent piece of raw fish wrapped in rice and seaweed but the flavor of the truffle aioli really takes you to another world. I mistakenly underestimated the well balanced complexity of this sushi roll and  dipped my first piece in soy sauce before tasting it. I don't think any addition of any ingredient could have improved the enjoyment of this dish.

Tempura Roll, Prawn, cuttlefish tartar, squid ink tempura, shrimp oil - $19

As you can see, the quality of the photos are gradually deteriorating. I blame it on the Sake.
This is a familiar favorite for all Aussies I'm sure. Who doesn't love a good tempura roll? If such a person exists somewhere out there, they would love this one. The prawn was freshly fried and still warm but the rest of the roll was cool. The addition of the cuttlefish tartar and shrimp oil accentuated the beautiful flavor of the prawn and left a lingering sweetness (not literally sweet, I just can't describe it) in my mouth.

Queensland Roll, Spanner crab, spicy avocado, soy paper - $21

This roll was not what I expected. If you wrap up some lightly seasoned shredded spanner crab in a sheet of soy paper and top with mashed avocados and a sprinkle of crunchy beads, you should have the perfect combination of textures and flavors. It sound amazing on paper, but for me, it just didn't quite cut it. Like the salad, I'd gladly eat it for a casual lunch, but it just lacked something, another element. Maybe if there was a slice of crispy pork belly skin rolled in with the crab or a sweet soy glaze to go with the soy paper, it would have been better.

And with that, the meal was complete.
Well, no meal is complete without dessert.
With so many choices on the dessert menu, there was no doubt from the start that we'd order the tasting plates:

Chocolate Trio Fondant, Goma Street, Frangelico Bavarois - $24

Chocolate. Need I say more?
Starting with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Fondant (right of the candle). Cutting into a fondant with a clean spoon has to be one of my favorite 'dessert eating moments' (along with cracking the sugar on a creme brulee). I just love the way chocolate oozes out. The peanut butter really brings me back to America where I swear, there was a chocolate peanut butter item on the menu at every cafe and the peanut brittle and vanilla (really? tasted kind of strange to me) ice-cream served as great accompaniments.  For some reason though (must be this diet I'm on) I felt like it was a bit too heavy for me.

The Goma Street Caramelised white chocolate, sesame ice cream was my favorite on this plate. I love caramel (just in case I didn't make that clear enough above), and caramelised white chocolate tastes just like a creamy caramel with a hint of cocoa. The crunchy sesame candy and crisp sheets of chocolate shattered in my mouth and slowly melted and dissolved with the sesame ice-cream. So delicious! I can only fault this dessert on one thing - perhaps the sesame (tastes very similar to sesame snaps) was a little overpowering? But it was still orgasmic.

The Frangelico Bavarois looks like a simple cake, but it's filled with two thick and rich layers of cream. Frangelico is a hazelnut liquer and I guess it was used to flavor the bavarois with hazelnut cream. At this point I'm really running out of words to describe these items without repeating myself. I think you just have to try it to understand what I'm trying to say. I had maybe one bite of this and decided that I was too full to have any more. There was simply too much chocolate, and I think that's where the chef missed the mark. For me, any good sweet, creamy, rich dessert should come with something acidic to cut through it, a few raspberries or a strawberry, even something lemony?

Chef's Dessert Sampler - $26

 It's a bit too much to take in at one meal. But 3 desserts later, another 4 arrived. The Goma Street (which just occurred to me translates to 'Sesame Street' - how cute) was served in this set as well - not that I'm complaining.

At the top right hand corner, we had the Sokyo “Mochi Ice Cream” Yatsuhashi kyoto mochi, frozen strawberry milk shake. Of all the desserts this one looked the least impressive. But I personally think it tasted the best. Everything else was just too sweet, but this had that acidic component I was talking about. The milkshake was definitely made with fresh strawberries, and after having all that chocolate, the strawberry was what I needed. The stretchy mochi was soft and chewy, and the frozen milkshake just bursts in your mouth. I kind of wish I ordered another one now...

Miso Tapioca Red tea foam, coconut cream, miso caramel

Rotating clockwise, we had the Miso Tapioca Red tea foam, coconut cream, miso caramel. I didn't even realise the caramel was miso flavored, but I guess that's the beauty of fine dining. I don't know how these chefs come up with such beautiful combinations of flavors and manage to tame them to work harmoniously, but I'm so glad that they can do it because it's so inspiring. Normally when I have that much coconut cream (in the ice cream and the sago) I start feeling sick, but this was fine.

Finally, the Yamazaki Caramel Macchiato, Coffee ice cream, coco nibs, whisky foam. Even though I have a huge sweet tooth and usually lean towards sweet, creamy or tart flavors, the bitterness of the coffee, coco and whisky made a perfect end to the meal.

Hope this doesn't put you off

I don't think I've had enough of this place. I feel like I need to try everything before moving on. Yes there were elements that I wasn't quite satisfied with, but there were so many items on the menu that I wish I'd ordered. I totally understand why Chase Crawford dined at Sokyo when he was in Sydney.

Ratings:
Atmosphere: 8
Service: 8
Food: 8
Price/ Value: 8

Overall:8

I intended to give Sokyo a 7 because I'm sure there are plenty of fine dining restaurants that serve better food and provide better service, but looking back at my last review, which probably deserves a 4, I just had to scale it up to an 8.

Sokyo
1800 700 700

Level G, The Darling,
The Star,
80 Pyrmont Street,
Pyrmont NSW

Azuma Kushiyaki Japanese Restaurant

I was really looking forward to the Co-op Scholars Charitable Society dinner at Azuma Kushiyaki tonight, mainly because I wanted to write another post for this blog, but also because I wanted to try the restaurant for myself after finding several positive reviews.

At first glance, it seemed like a welcoming, somewhat classy, Japanese fusion restaurant with ambient lighting, relaxed atmosphere and simple yet sophisticated decor.
But that's about where the positives end.

To begin with, the service was quite poor. I'm accustomed to being greeted the sight and intricate descriptions of a restaurant's signature dishes upon opening up the menu, but instead, I see a page full of policies. One of which stated: minimum $30 spend per person. Under normal circumstances, this isn't a problem to me. Any satisfying meal at a mid-tier restaurant would cost somewhere between $40-$60. (although I am currently on a diet...) But to see the policy printed in black and white on the first page of the menu is somewhat off-putting. That was just the beginning.

After realising that we were expecting two more people than we booked for, a waitress advised that we should "count" the number of diners before making a booking. At any normal restaurant, this would be a simple problem that can be fixed by pulling up two chairs. But at Azuma, there seems to be a strict table-to-chair policy, which if broken, would result in a rude response: "You are not allowed to sit there, please get up" and "No no no, this chair is not for that table" After several minutes of standing awkwardly, the waitress finally brings out a matching chair and explains "this chair is for this table".

Another problem with the service was the timing and serving of the food. Although we all ordered at the same time, the dishes, regardless of whether they were an appetizer or main, came out individually whenever they were completed. This resulted in an awkward situation where some people had already finished eating by the time the last few dishes were served; not to mention it took about 15 minutes to serve one mug of green tea.

The first dish to arrive was my Seared Tuna Salad which was apparently made 'famous' on the SBS series: Food Safari.

Seared Tuna Salad - $16

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I ordered it because I assumed that a salad that was featured on national television must be different or special somehow. So when it arrived, I was somewhat disappointed by the appearance of the dish - and I'm not a fan of a pile of shallots.
I'm not trying to be fussy, but I just want to point out that the onion slices are very uneven...

The dish does taste better than it looks though. The tuna was seared evenly, and just melts in your mouth (although a little stringy). Paired with the crunchiness of the fried garlic slices, the tangy vinaigrette and soggy salty crumbs, with just a hint of heat from the spring onions, it was definitely a pleasant mouthful.
Pleasant, but not outstanding, not amazingly good, not what I expected.

Next up was the 8-Skewer Tasting Plate which seemed to be a new addition to the menu (as it was written in ink in a cramped corner of the menu)

8-Skewer Tasting Plate - $19.95

I think this dish looks quite cute, and by cute, I mean street-food cute. The presentation and plating at this restaurant is definitely inconsistent. Or consistent in terms of not meeting my expectations. Nevertheless, it did look quite appetizing. I feel like it's halfway there, but they haven't figured out how to make it look better.
Working clockwise starting from the Zucchini seasoned with dried Shiso leaf flakes, we have Asparagus dressed with soy & butter, Chicken thigh fillet with Kushiyaki sauce, Chicken breast with pickled plum mayo, Atlantic Salmon fillet with soy, Sea Perch marinated in soy, sake & mirin, Grain fed Ox tongue with Azuma’s curry salt, Wagyu beef tenderloin with Yuzu citrus pepper.

After sampling each of these skewers, I noticed one common factor that tied them all together: They were all very under seasoned, very bland. The Zucchini was a little dry and overpowered by the distinctive flavor of the Shiso leaf, the Asparagus - they weren't even cut to the same length, and tasted like it was boiled then reheated in a fry pan. The chicken skewers were very dry, and overcooked. I didn't even know dark meat could be THAT dry. With the Salmon and the Perch, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they just left out the soy and grilled them with a bit of oil. You can tell just by looking at the colour of the fish that it either wasn't marinated in soy or not marinated for long enough.
The beef and ox tounge skewers were the only two satisfactory pieces on that plate.
I guess that's why they gave us a large salt and pepper grinder.
(Another thing I just want to add - I prefer to add my salt and pepper separately to get a good balance of seasoning to my personal taste, but Azuma Kushiyaki only gives you one shaker that has a pre-mixed combination of salt and peppercorns.)

Perhaps it's my inexperienced palette or lack of appreciation for this style of grilling, but I don't think I would be satisfied if I were to be served this selection of skewers from a food cart for half the price.

My friend ordered a mediocre Seafood Salad.

Seafood Salad - $16

  I didn't really eat this, so I can't comment on the taste. But I remember laughing at the ridiculous amount of lettuce on that plate when it arrived. I think the picture speaks for itself.

There was one good dish on the menu though, the Wagyu Steak with soy garlic sauce - $25. I didn't manage to get a photo of this, but the texture of the marbled beef is perfect and just melts in your mouth. The only flaw with the dish that I could find (other than the presentation) was that it was pre-cut, and I prefer to cut my own steak, but that's just me.

And finally, for dessert, I ordered the Earl Grey Chiffon Cake, served with whipped cream, vanilla bean ice-cream and fruit salad. This cake was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "Feathery, Pillowy, Melt-in-the-mouth...". And better yet, it's low in calories!

Earl Grey Chiffon Cake - $9.80

And again with the awkward plating...
After having my average dinner, I wasn't expecting much from the dessert, just looking at the puddle of split "whipped cream" made me regret my decision. But the cake was surprisingly good. The Earl Grey flavor was prominent and fragrant and the texture of the cake was as pillowy, and fluffy as described. I couldn't find any flaws with the fruit or the ice-cream (although the orange peel does look a little dirty), but I stayed away from the mysterious puddle of watering cream.
If you're not willing to dine at the restaurant just to try this cake, they also offer a selection of desserts at the Azuma Patisserie next door (Chiffon Cake for $5.80).

Overall, I had a great time at Azuma Kushiyaki, catching up with friends and discussing future CSCS plans and the. The food and service were disappointing but only because I expected better quality from a premium restaurant. Personally, I don't understand why there are so many positive reviews for Azuma Kushiyaki, but I would never choose to dine there again because there are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Sydney that offer a better dining experience at a lower price.

Ratings:
Atmosphere: 8.5
Service: 3.5
Food:5
Price/ Value: 8

Overall: 5

Azuma Kushiyaki
T: (02) 9267 7775

Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping
501 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Tomato and Spinach Baked Eggs

One thing I love about Sydney is the weather;
I love the hot sunny days, cool breezy evenings, and even when it rains, I love gazing through the window, huddled in my favorite spot on the couch in the corner of the upstairs lounge.

I don't remember when it changed, but I woke up one day feeling cold, like I was back in Boston. This brought back a chain of amazing memories of my time on exchange. Getting up in the morning, cooking a warm breakfast and sharing it with friends before heading to my classes and taking on whatever the day had in plan for me.

When I woke up this morning, feeling cold, I thought back to these nostalgic moments and started craving hot Parmesan toast, the molten yolk centres of baked eggs and smooth rich cheesy sauce...


Tomato and Spinach Baked Eggs.

This dish is a simple, quick and healthy alternative to cold cereal, or plain toast; suitable for a long breakfast or Sunday brunch.

Ingredients:



For the Baked Eggs you need:

2 Eggs
1/2 sml Tomato, sliced and seeds removed
1/2 sml Red Onion, chopped
1/4 C Baby Spinach
1 lge Clove of Garlic - smashed and roughly chopped
Some salt and pepper
(I like to use smashed whole peppercorns because it adds an extra fragrant and textual component)
Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
Paprika (Optional)
Baby Rocket (Optional)

1. Lightly butter 2 individual ramekins, and preheat the (fan-forced) oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
   
2. Saute the onions and garlic in just enough olive oil to coat the pan.
3. Once the onion has browned, turn the heat to low and add the baby spinach. Turn off the heat when the spinach starts withering.




4. Layer the ramekins with slices of tomatoes, the onion mixture and withered spinach, then gently crack an egg into each ramekin. Tap the base of the ramekins lightly on the counter to remove any air pockets.
5. Season the egg and sprinkle with some Parmesan (Optional). Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes (depending on how you like your yolk).

For the Cheese Sauce:
(I used a variation of Heston's Cheese Sauce after watching his program last night)

1 C White Wine
100mL Chicken Stock
60g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
2 tsp Corn Flour
2 Tbs Soft Cream Cheese
Season to taste

1. In a small pan or saucepan, reduce the wine and chicken stock until only 200mL remains.



(I accidentally flambed the wine,which probably changes the taste slightly, if this happens, simply place a lid over the pan to extinguish the flames)


2. Mix the Parmesan with the corn flour. Remove the pan from heat and add the Parmesan mixture, stirring until the cheese has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. (If the mixture cool down, reheat slowly over a low heat, but do not let it simmer)
   
3. Add the cream cheese and stir until smooth.
4. Season to taste
   

And for the Parmesan Toast:

This is really up to you, I had a bit of left over parsley and cheese, but you can flavor the bread with anything you want or just have it plain.

Your favorite bread
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Flat-leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
Season to taste

1. Drizzle bread with olive oil, top with Parmesan, parsley and season to taste.
2. Place in the oven until just brown.

To finish it off, sprinkle with paprika, or more Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Or whatever you fancy

I added my favorite salad leaf - Rocket

Serves 2.

So this is what I had for breakfast today. Mum was extremely happy to wake up to a hot breakfast. We saved the left over cheese sauce for later. You can use it as a dip, or pour it over steamed vegies or pasta... the possibilities are endless.

In the beginning

I could never figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
One moment I'd be completely sure that I want to be a psychologist,
and a moment later, I wanted to be an engineer.
I've considered becoming a chef, travel host, scientist or fashion designer, even a philosopher?
But I ended up studying business.

Somehow, I came to the realisation that what I want to do with my life isn't a job,
but a hobby, a lifestyle, so it didn't matter which career path I chose,
as long as it gave me the freedom, the time, and the financial support that I need to fulfill that life. (and I don't completely hate it)

This blog is part of that life, it's a collection of my travels, food, creations, inspiration, ideas...
and the beginning of something real.