Well I didn’t have my camera with me today, but if you get there and have a look at the menu, you’ll see there isn’t much to eat. Same goes for the plate unfortunately. They want to get that French touch, but I can swear I have never seen such extravagant furniture back in France. I guess the prices include a premium for the space that is “wasted”. Monsieur had the Duck confit salad (AUD 26) and there wasn’t much to eat, though the confit’s skin was very tasty and good, the whole dish was too salty for both of us (and I’m normally the one topping up salt on my plate). Lentils are normally served with saltier meat and for that reason, shouldn’t be salty to get a good balance. The salad’s dressing was lovely with bits of walnuts in. For AUD 26, they could have added a piece of bread though. I had the ratatouille tartine (AUD 19.50). Most expensive tartine I’ve ever had.

Monsieur was reluctant going in Lacroix. Tartine is not upper range food back home, but I guess that for Aussies, this might sound somehow exotic (is it?) and after sometime abroad, I wasn’t chocked by the price. The tartine comes with a salad. The ratatouille is just veggies on top of a piece of toasted sourdough with cheese (ratatouille doesn’t have cheese normally), and I would not recommend it if you’re hungry. The good thing is that my dish wasn’t salty enough, so Monsieur and I swapped food so I could get salt from his.

The best part of Lacroix is not savory but sweet. I have to admit their tarte tatin (AUD 13) was delicious. I suspect they cook the caramel at the very last minute for it took ages to get out that tatin. Well worth the wait, for the caramel was strong (I loved it, Monsieur thought it was too sweet!) and along with the vanilla cream on the side, this dessert was fantastic. I would not recommend the crème brûlée (saw it on someone’s plate) for the ratio shell to crème is not my cup of tea. The crème brûlée is higher than large, so there is not much of the shell on top. We had the tarte tatin with the Turkish Apple tea (AUD 4.5) and that was stunning!

Overall, I would not recommend Lacroix based on their savory dishes (poor choice, expensive, and not much on your plate) but definitely for a quick coffee (AUD 3.5), tea (AUD4.5) and desserts (AUD 13)

LL Wine and Dine – Potts Point :o)

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It’s 4pm past. Time for lunch! Who on earth would want to eat at 4pm? Monsieur and I. It’s saturday after all! And who would open their door to us? We think Chinatown, but truly can’t be bothered walking so … Continue reading →

The Apollo – Potts Point :o) :o/ $$$

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I’m feeling like I could eat a horse ! I guess the sudden wave of coldness and wind does help, but our stomachs are ready for a real good treat. I want Greek food! I’ve been annoying Monsieur with The Apollo … Continue reading →

Brass Bistro – Potts Point :o) $$

Everytime I see croissant, pains au chocolats… (commonly called viennoiseries), I feel like Dorothy’s wizard of Oz. I click my heels and say “There’s no place like home”.

Then I bite the croissant, and I’m in Paris. Sometime the croissant does the trick, other times, I have to wash it with a flat white, because I’m reminded that this is not exactly like home… Brass Bistro does the trick. It was bite at first sight! The pastries there are wonderful, they taste just the way they should! They’d better be though, as one croissant and almond croissant cost me AUD9 (ouch !)

You’d get the same pastries for 3 to 4 euros at a french boulangerie. Really? Not really, I guess it’s the luxury of being miles away from home. Truth be said, do you know how almond croissant are made in France? I had no clue until my French Monsieur explained me that the almond croissant you see are reprocessed harder croissant from the previous day. Unsold croissant. This is the major difference between almond croissant in Sydney, and almond croissant in Paris. My croissant aux amandes back home is not soagy. The boulangère can hold it and safely put it in a paper bag without the whole thing falling apart. The dryness of the older croissant is a solid base for the frangipane.

“But it’s from yesterday” you’d say…

And that’s how they make it in France! I presume Brass Bistro use their fresh croissant, for the waiter who’s French, seems a tad confused about the softness of the almond croissant. It’s broken into three parts before reaching the paper bag. Surely not about aesthetics

Noodle Mee – Wynyard Station Sydney CBD :o) :o) $

Noodle Mee is my favorite. I just love how consistent the meat in their bibimbap tastes. Delicious. Where else can you get bibimbap+Kimshi and soup for less than AUD 8 ?

Cold Bibimbap – AUD 7.9

I recall the first time we got in there. Monsieur knew that the devices would scare the hell out of me with beep beep beep not being the usual music I listen to when enjoying food… I can’t hear these beeps anymore (non existent in France, such invention would trigger unions to schedule strikes, hehe!)

I love the Beef bibimbap there. I can’t get anything else but bibimbap. The owner knows us quite well, for I no longer bother to hesitate. We go for the usual!

Mix and Match, Over the counter style – AUD 8.9 for 3 choices + rice

Monsieur and I usually go there for lunch time at 2pm, otherwise it’s too busy!

Boardwalk Bar and Restaurant – Port Macquarie :o( :o( :o(

They say that if you don’t have anything nice to say, it’s best not to say anything at all. I have to say I agree in some ways, but when it comes down to a place with awful customer service that leaves such a bitter after taste you won’t advise even your worth enemy to go to… You share the pain.

It was a year ago, but the owner still strikes according to tripadvisor reviews. We drove from Sydney to Port and came in Boardwalk Bar and Restaurant to have a quick glance a the dinner menu (it was 4:30pm but we skipped lunch, being on the road) We were heavily welcomed by the owner who didn’t show the menu but just newspapers articles praising how Boardwalk was great. This was fine for me…

Though it took us 3 minutes to finally Get Access to the menu. As we looked at it, the owner just couldn’t stop but go line by line… Reading the menu and saying each dish was the best on earth. I decided i’d go for the lamb. Being explained that “this is Australia and dinner is served at 6pm” with quite a patronizing tone, we made up our mind to come back later. Part of the dialogue was spoken in French, the “i’ll get the lamb” and “let’s come back at 6pm“… Nothing more.

As i handed out the menu and before i could even tell the owner we’d come back at 6pm, we were shown thumbs down and were told “yeah, French are like that. I speak French”. I was left speechless and we made our way to the exit as the owner shout “no need to be rude”…

Too bad we didn’t try anything but the rudeness of a man who surely doesn’t have any sense of hospitality… Not recommended at all.

Mamak – Haymarket :o) $

I love Mamak. We have avoided the restaurant many times, thinking queuing was just not worth it and we were wrong. The queue definitely does justice to the know how of the roti master. I’ve tried kneading the dough and stretching it paper thin style. God it was a nightmare for Monsieur (he’s my guinea pig!) It ended up having holes and was still way too thick in some parts.

Folding paper thin rotis

It takes about 3 months full time to be a roti chief and the dough has to rest for 24 hours before you get to stretch it, otherwise holes might appear… Best is to go to Mamak and get these!

Roti Canai AUD 5.5 & Roti planta AUD 6.5

I clearly prefer the Roti Canai. As advertised, it’s crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. As for the roti planta, it’s a “rich buttery roti”; understand heavier roti than the Canai but good – It’s normal, butter is always better!

Roti Bawang – AUD 6.5

If you like half cooked red onions and aren’t planning to take home, a hot date (or looking to scare of your partner), look no further! Roti bawang will keep its promise. Red onions are not sufficiently cooked for my liking and this roti would be best paired with a curry/soup. Red onions give quite an after taste, beware!

Chicken Satay skewers – AUD 9 for half a dozen, AUD 16 for a dozen

Remember Depeche Mode? Well…  ”When I eat Satay, I go out of my head and, I just can’t get enough, I just can get enough” This is just how Monsieur and I feel about satay skewers, we just can’t get enough! (Above is the chicken in the Ayam Goreng Chicken… Don’t know what the fuss is about this, but I reckon KFC can do as well as Mamak for fried chicken). The skewers require a 15 min wait but man, they’re worth it! Proof is, we get the beef version…

Beef Satay skewers – AUD 9 for 6; AUD 16 for 12

You can mix and match the skewers for AUD16, just make sure you order them at the same time. We prefer the chicken satay over the beef, it’s more genuine!

Nasi lemak – AUD 8.5 and + AUD 3 for the curry chicken

Oopsie Woopsie, I touched the plate before I shoot the pic… Monsieur is not happy with this! Nasi lemak is Malaysia’s National dish. I think it is meant to be eaten like a bibimbap and you have to mix the whole thing so it looks like “fried rice style”… because everything comes deconstructed (Am I wrong?)  but Monsieur is not sure about the sauce that smells like shrimps and the crispy anchovies, so we keep it deconstructed. My favorite part of the dish is actually the curry chicken. It might be the national dish, I definitely prefer rotis!

Behind the curtains, a roti tissu is being shaped – AUD 9.5

We always get the Roti tissu no matter how full we are. It’s just too good not to be ordered. It’s crisp, sweet and impossible to cook at home. Lo-ve-ly. Definitely a must have!

The common factor to all rotis : Magic Dough

The dough above might seem like any other dough. I can ensure you it’s not. It’s a nightmare to try and render a dough such as the one above! If you try and succeed, please let me know your trick!! I’m available for tasting sessions

website : http://mamak.com.au