ACME - Rushcutters Bay, NSW

One of the benefits of being a couple is that you can have a differing opinion from your significant other and it can be totally okay!....most days. This logic applies almost in every superficial facet of your life: clothing, music tastes and of course, food. To give you a little context on why I'm going the #deep introduction: I can get somewhat salty (sensitive) when things don't go my way...for example, when I put a lot of effort into planning and thinking about where to take the Mrs on a special day and when it doesn't turn out to be absolutely perfect. In retrospect though, after thinking about it for a few days, our differing opinions about our meal actually helps me to appreciate my experience a lot more.

Such is the case with our recent visit to ACME. Now, to make things clear: I'm not trying to say that we had a bad meal at ACME. In fact, we had a comparatively good time and were very well taken care of but throughout, there were a couple of things that did throw the Mrs off (more on that later). I've personally known about ACME for a while now but the Mrs only really found out about it when we watched the first Sydney based Chef's Night Out video from MUNCHIES. In the video, you sort of get a glimpse of head chef, Mitch Orr prepare the signature dish: the macaroni with pig's head and egg yolk (which he described as sorta being like filipino sisig). Being the proud Filipina she is, she became rather interested in the dish and thus really wanted to try it. Since then, I guess the idea of eating at ACME just kept stewing in our heads, slowly but surely getting us more and more excited about eventually eating there. So, sure enough, the perfect opportunity came up when I was tasked with finding a venue for our Valentine's day dinner.

Unfortunately however, the only option for night was a pre-paid $100 per head dinner for a special chef's "crush me" menu. Not deterred by that fact that we wouldn't be able to try the dish that we'd been craving, I quickly made my reservation and paid for the meal, thinking that "hey, if they're so highly rated and well liked...no matter what they serve, it's gotta be good!". Valentine's day being a Tuesday, the Mrs and I decide to meet in the city after work and head over to Kings Cross station where the restaurant is just a short walk (do not ever try to find parking in the area...near impossible)

We're one of the first couples seated as we walk in 6pm on the dot. To my surprise, we're given an almost ideal position at the restaurant: this little island in the middle of the dining room right by the stairs where we get a perfect spot to watch the dishes come off the pass. The staff are super attentive and make us feel right at home where we quickly get settled, order some drinks and quietly anticipate our meals to come.

First course to come was a small appetiser called Jat'z Amore (such a punny name...I love it!) which consisted of basil pesto, sliced bocconcini, a slightly roasted half of a cherry tomato on a Jat'z cracker. I personally loved this dish as I could see the humor and ingenuity of the name and the pure simplicity of this dish but I believe this is one of the things that threw the Mrs off a bit. As she puts it, she felt it little odd to be served Jat'z biscuits on a $100 per head meal when a box of Jat'z costs $2 at Coles.

After that, the second course to come was fried chicken wings ala Moon Park. Now, I never got to try Moon Park before they permanently closed down but if this was any indication of how good they were, I had a definite feeling that I would have loved to dine there. The outside coating was crunchy and savoury whilst the inside was succulent, juicy and very flavoursome. The coating was intensely umami packed which led me to believe there may have been some sort of soy-based glaze used....or it could have been the sesame seeds.

The third course consisted of figs, stracciatella cheese and wakame. Compared to the previous course, this dish was milder but creamier and in terms of overall, each individual component and flavour profile is allowed to be more pronounced. It was at this point that I was able to identify a bit of an ongoing theme for that night's dinner...the composition of each dish had been thoroughly thought out with each element engineered in a way which highlights the individuality and natural flavours of the ingredients. This alone, to me, justified the premium I paid for the meal.

The course after had to be the absolute highlight of my night: marron with tomato butter and caviar. I mean, come on...how could you not love marron? Truly, it's the royalty of the crustacean world with flavours so intense it rivals the mud crab and with flesh so tender and meaty, you would almost believe that you're eating lobster or scampi. I guess that's why any restaurant who's doing anything spectacular with food is currently serving this stuff....never comes cheap either but always totally worth it. The butter had a really intense and almost bisque-like quality to it which was really accentuated by the herbaceous flavours of the chive and the luxurious yet mellow salinity of the caviar.

The next course was another great dish...spaghetti and meatballs alla "Lady and the Tramp". Perhaps the most impressive part of the dish was how incredibly well prepared the pasta was. Al-dente is not even apt enough to describe the amount of spring and chew the pasta had. The sauce of the pasta had a simplicity and purity about it...sweet, tangy and refreshingly tart. Finally, the meatballs were rich and deliciously meaty...sorta wished there were more of them.

After the carbs came the protein...unfortunately, this is probably why the Mrs didn't enjoy her dinner as much as I had anticipated her to. I made the assumption that she genuinely liked duck meat since she never seems to have a problem eating peking duck at my Parent's place. Turns out, that's the only duck that she seems to like. Traditional western preparation of duck (medium rare) is a bit too gamey and chewy for her liking. As a result...I ended up eating both pieces of the duck but I actually have no problems with it since I'm accustomed to eating French cuisine. I actually found this a rather interesting dish as I could have sworn that there was some Chinese black vinegar used in the sauce....it had a rather familiar pungent fragrance and taste to it which I found really enlightening!

Dessert happens to be where I was a little bit let down. Dessert consisted of two dishes: assorted fruits with champagne jelly as well as a chocolate fudge slice. I'm guessing the intention of the first dessert was to replicate the taste of a flute of high class champagne but I found the jelly to be a bit heavy on the alcoholic flavour. Have it with the fruits though and you start to appreciate the natural sweetness of the fresh produce. The chocolate fudge came as a welcome bit of richness as the deep, bittersweet flavour of cacao really helped round off the meal in a nice way.

Without a doubt, the Mrs and I had a wonderful meal at ACME. Despite not being able to try the dish we had anticipated for some time, it was our (my) choice to proceed with the dinner plans and I can definitely say that I wasn't disappointed in the slightest with the quality and presentation of the items. For the Mrs, I believe that it was truly the duck dish that threw her off and being the frugal, value conscious consumer she is, she's reached the point in her life where it takes more for her to justify the cost of eating out at slightly fancier venues. For me though, I think every dollar I paid at ACME was well justified. In the video Foraged, Mitch explains the difficulties and costs of running a restaurant. Coming from a family raised on my father's hard work as a chef and myself having worked a large portion of my younger years as kitchen staff....I understand the hardships of running restaurants and how little the staff get paid comparative to how hard or how many hours they work. We do live in the 2nd most expensive city in the world so even if it seems like a high premium to pay, I just think of it as paying for the hours of hard work and dedication Mitch and his team put into getting to where they are.

Grano - Wetherill Park, NSW

I did mention that the Mrs and I had eaten out quite a bit lately...in the midst of adapting to living with another person and enjoying married life, I really hadn't had the time to sort all my photos and write about places. I really should have written about this place ages ago but alas, here we are. For our Valentine's day celebration, the Mrs had come up with a suggestion for a place that she'd seen on Instagram. Since the Mrs rarely ever comes up with suggestions for locations, I took this opportunity immediately and booked a spot for two that day.


Situated on the corner of the industrial part of Wetherill Park, you'd never imagine from the surrounding location that such a well fitted out and romantic restaurant would be right there. They take that industrial fit out and run with it by overlaying a simplistic but charming old school italian vibe to it (complete with tomato cans and old cupboards). We start our night off with a couple of cocktails which is in my opinion: always the best way to start off a celebration. To me though, they were a slight bit too sweet as you couldn't really taste the alcohol. Great for a first date and getting your date talkative though.

For Entrees, we chose to have the zucchini flowers and polpette. The zucchini flowers were crispy and really nicely seasoned, sitting on top of a bed of simple bed of roquette and cherry tomatoes. A drizzle of balsamic glaze is then added with some freshly grated parmesan. The lighter of the two entrees, the crunch factor from the coating and the slightly peppery roquette gives you a really good palate cleanse.

Very shortly after we finished our first entree, our second order also arrived at our table: the polpette or calabrese style meatballs were delicious...plump, juicy balls of beef swim in this tart yet savoury tomato based sauce. The sauce is really simple: fresh tomatoes seasoned very slightly to bring out the sweetness and tartness with maybe just a bit of basil in it. The meatballs are cooked perfectly...red in the centre but definitely cooked through...they retain their shape and meatiness but have a certain tender elasticity. You also get slices of toasted bread to act as the "scarpetta" which means "little shoe", the piece of carb provided to help you sop up the sauce.

For mains, the Mrs and I were allowed to pick a dish each to which I picked the prosciutto e funghi pizza. I picked this because well...I love pizza, especially when it comes out of a wood fire oven. I don't know if my pictures are adequate enough to display how great this piece of pie is...smoky and delicate...the pizza crust is a perfect balance between doughy and crispy. Personally, there was a bit too much roquette on top which meant the thin, salty slices of prosciutto got lost amongst the green but I really, really didn't mind. It was definitely still a delicious pizza.

As Suze calls it...the "Upskirt" shot

The definite favourite of the night was this: the spaghetti al cartoccio. This was the dish that made the Mrs want to come here and boy, I'm so glad she found it. A paper bag is brought to the table on a wooden cutting board with a grilled chilli on the side. You may have seen it on Instagram but the does not compare to actually experiencing the spectacular unveiling in person. As you open that baked bag, the aroma of olive oil, seafood and garlic rise through the air, tempting you to look at the contents and salivate. Each strand of spaghetti is covered in generous lashing of this flavoured oil sauce and each bite yield this wonderful, al-dente snap...seriously, one of the most impressive pasta dishes I've had.

Normally, the Mrs and I actively avoid desserts...as if we hadn't gorged enough, we avoid further ingesting additional sugar that we have no means of working off later. This time though, seeing that it's Valentine's day, the Mrs specifically requested that we order dessert...in particular, she wanted to eat the cannoli. They do it a little special here at Grano: it's all D-I-Y...what this means is that you get two freshly fried cannoli shells dusted in icing sugar, a piping bag packed full of that ricotta flavoured cream and some chocolate sauce. It's entirely up to your discretion on how much ricotta cream you pipe inside, a little or a lot...or just put the bag in your mouth and squeeze. All up to you.

I mentioned it again and again during dinner that night but nothing makes me happier than to see great places like Grano open up in areas that are out of the beaten path. Wetherill Park is a great place to expand and open up at the moment as the population in Western Sydney need more places like this where they can go eat out and enjoy life. It was a really, really enjoyable dinner and since the Mrs works so close to Wetherill Park, I'm looking forward to eventually taking our friends there.

Buttermelt Cafe - Strathfield, NSW

The Mrs and I really haven't had the chance to spend any quality brunching time together this week. She's been pretty inundated with the planning of a very special event we have coming up. Normally, I'd be a lazy one and just stay home cause my food buddy isn't with me but today, I decide to get off my butt and go out for a nice bite to eat and a haircut and boy, am I glad I decided on that. I will only ever get my haircuts from two locations within Sydney and since today, I'm not inclined to head into the CBD, I decided to head to Strathfield as see what was on offer.

Since I missed my partner so much, I decided that I wouldn't be boring and have what I always had (the deluxe set from Tomoya). No, instead I walked around a bit to assess my options and I stumbled upon Buttermelt cafe, situated in the old "Moochi" location. Upon walking past the cafe and seeing the outfit and staff, I decided to head in and grab some lunch...best decision I've made today. The cafe is small and in typical cafe-fashion, has an industrial outfit which lends to the simplistic atmosphere. the cafe if very open so you get to see all the action whilst still being detached and sheltered from it all in one of the cosy tables inside.

Although I missed my other half very dearly, I can't say I didn't enjoy myself because one of the benefits of not eating with your Partner is that you don't need to be considerate of her and you get to order what you truly desire. In my case, I'd spotted another cafe-goer eating a delicious looking mushroom pasta and that pretty much told me what I needed to order and trust me, I was definitely not disappointed. Aside from looking absolutely on point, the dish tasted delightfully fresh and was delicious to boot. I loved the fact that they included two slices of buttered bread to help you soak up all the sauce and I was really pleasantly surprised when the buttered bread turned out to be mildly sweet which helped enhance the moorish and creamy flavours of the pasta.

I'm a die hard carnivore and even I didn't miss the meat in this dish because the addition of the chunky king oyster mushrooms added a really nice textural bite to the whole package. The pasta was cooked al-dente and the bits of cheese and stringy enoki mushrooms made it a delight to eat. 

The coffee was also unexpectedly and amazingly good. Buttermelt stocks Sensory lab beans and whilst I'm not a big bean snob, I know good suppliers when I see them. After a deliciously satisfying meal, I'd normally just gulp down my coffee like it was water but the aroma and taste of the beverage actually managed to slow me down to little sips as I'd enjoyed it so much I subconsciously just wanted to sit there and enjoy the moment.

After my meal, I went off to grab my haircut and on the way to collect my car, I stopped by again to grab a drink for the road. I settled on the green tea smash which I saw someone else have earlier and again, was thoroughly impressed with how well they did it. A bit on the pricier side in terms or iced drinks but definitely well worth it, an intense matcha flavour permeates the whole drink and is well complemented by the mild sweetness of the vanilla ice cream. If you let the flavours just roll in your mouth, near the end, you'll notice a slight bitterness which helps round off the whole drink.

I actually cannot wait to bring the Mrs back to Buttermelt, not just because it's so accessible to the both of us but also because I can't believe that such a little gem was hiding under our noses the whole time. A sincere thank you to you guys at Buttermelt cafe, you'd given me a lovely lunch experience and set my weekend off to a great start.

Family Potluck - Bexley, NSW

Earlier today, the Mrs and I posted an entry about our visit to Cafe Oratnek, well...that's not all we did (ate) over the weekend. Aside from enjoying a beautiful brunch, the Mrs and I had been invited to attend a potluck hosted by one of my close family friends. For the uninitiated, a potluck is an event or meal where each guest is in charge of contributing one dish. I quite enjoy our semi-regular potlucks as our families have always been close friends (our fathers all worked together at the same restaurant for many, many years) and as a result of being so close to the dining scene, our love for the culinary is equal to each others.

I decided that I'd take this opportunity to try an idea that's been floating around my head for a while: yakiniku tacos with radishes pickled in rice vinegar and asian inspired chimichurri. To make the dish, I marinated a couple of beef flank steaks in a house made yakiniku marinade overnight. The marinade is just equal parts cooking sake and soy sauce cooked with onions, garlic, sugar and honey (next time I might even try to add some fruit like apple or nashi pear in for some acidity). For the pickles, I sliced radishes on a mandoline slicer and pickled them in a rice vinegar pickling liquid overnight. Finally, I made the chimichurri out of the white parts of some spring onions, some garlic cloves, italian parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a green chilli. Overall, I was very pleased with the result. I would have preferred to use a more tender cut (such as harami/skirt steak) and maybe marinade it for less time but the interplay of the sweet and crunchy pickles and the spicy, herby sauce made for an excellent party dish.

My friend decided to make ribs and takoyaki (a weird combination I know, but it worked). The ribs were very tender and flavoursome which really reflected the amount of effort he put in to make the ribs. It would have been even better if it was warm enough to have a backyard barbeque where he could have put some smoke and charcoal on it. My friend also took the opportunity to try out various ideas for takoyaki flavours. My two favorites of the night were the XO takoyaki and the truffle aioli takoyaki. Being that the takoyaki was already very creamy inside, the addition of the tobiko and aioli really pushed it to a new level of decadence....a must try for any truffle fan. The XO was also really nice as the chilli oil from the XO sauce melded with the batter to create a ball of spicy goodness.

Another friend also took the time to make a pot of spicy napolitana penne. Although she did indicate that it wasn't her intention to make it as spicy as it was, we were all really glad that it came out the way it did because it was deliciously appetizing. As with any good chilli dish, the heat built up with each mouthful which made you want to eat more. Additionally, some other friends made quiches in potato cups. The quiches were perfectly contained in nice, crispy and carby cups which made them rather delectable treats.

For dessert, we were served lemon curd cupcakes and a chocolate tart. The lemon curd cupcakes were amazing and had a perfect balance of creaminess to tartness. It really was a wonderful way to cut through the intense flavours we had earlier in the dinner which was great because it gave us the ability to kick on and eat the decadently rich chocolate tart. Topped with sliced strawberries and shavings of white chocolate, this chocolate tart was all manner of lovely. Honestly, I probably hoarded half the tart to take home because it was that good.

I truly love the way our families have remained so close and still somewhat regularly find the time to get together and enjoy some great food. I genuinely hope that even as the Mrs and I move further to the west, our ties will remain strong and we still find the time to get together and cook up a storm.

Catalina - Rose Bay, NSW

You probably might have gotten the idea by now (what with us being food-bloggers and all) but the Mrs and I really like to dine out. Sadly, we haven't really had the chance to go out and enjoy a really nice meal lately because we've had to save some money for a special event we have coming up. That's why I was so excited when a major milestone of ours came up and I used this opportunity to go and book a restaurant that the Mrs had been wanting to try for a while, Catalina.

A little tip for would-be diners: don't fret too much about needing to beat the traffic and find parking. They have ample parking outside the restaurant and you won't really encounter the typical sydney traffic trying to get there. Upon entering, we were seated at a rather ideal table located right by the water, perfect for setting up a romantic evening. Service was also impeccable from the moment you sit down, but is expected of a dining experience of this calibre....still, major points to the staff.

Despite there being sushi and sashimi available on the menu, the Mrs and I fought our temptations and stuck to the regular entrees and mains. For our entrees, we decided to share an order of the crispy whitebait and duck-egg as well as an order of the pan-seared scallops. When the dishes arrived, we were fascinated by how the dishes were presented and served as the duck egg was cut up and tossed before being placed onto the table. To say that we were impressed by the whitebait dish is an understatement. The crispy texture of the whitebait was complemented by the delightfully moorish duck-egg which made the dish extremely tasty. Despite sounding heavy, there was a slightly citrus-like element in the dish which cut through the flavours making it really appetising.

The scallops were also pretty good but I have to admit that in this case, the Mrs did pick the tastier entree. The scallops themselves were cooked perfectly but I can't say there was any other element of the dish which was memorable. That said, I do have a palate that craves heavy and distinct flavours so that's why when we ate the whitebait and the scallops back to back, the scallops wouldn't have had as much impact as the whitebait did. The dish was good in it's simplicity and the freshness of the ingredients.

Quickly thereafter, our main dishes arrived at our table and boy, were we impressed. The Mrs ordered the pan-seared kingfish from the daily menu which was served in a seafood bouillabaisse. Kingfish is possibly my most favoured type of fish when cooked which is great because this piece of fish was cooked beautifully with crispy thin skin and an almost steak-like texture of the fish being just cooked on the outside but still a bit raw in the centre. Just underneath it was refined and elegant seafood bouillabaisse which was smokey and savoury in all the right ways. The dish also had clams and mussels which made it just so much better. For me, this was definitely a highlight of the night.

The star of the show had to be my dish though, the lobster and fettuccine nero with tomato and chilli-infused lobster oil. The dish was magnificently presented with vibrant colours and a smell which was well indicative of how good this dish was. The pasta was cooked to an al-dente snap and was tossed with an abundant amount of plump and juicy bits of lobster meat. The sauce itself was absolutely moorish but had an acidic tang to it which made it irresistible. It was a shame that halfway through I had to give the pasta to the Mrs...the things I do for love. In addition to all this, we also ordered a side of mash just in case the mains weren't enough.

Normally, we'd end the night there (neither one of us is big on dessert) but since we hadn't been out in a while, we thought it'd be a good idea to order a sweet treat just this once. I naturally gravitated to the most chocolatey dish available and the Mrs obliged. We ordered the caramel-centred dark chocolate mousse with feuilletine crumble and valrhona milk chocolate ice cream to share which was a great decision because the dish was so amazing but so rich and decadent. A must order for any chocolate fan.

In addition to the dessert, the staff also provided us with a little gift for our special occasion which the Mrs and I were very appreciative of and thought was a great gesture. That last bit pretty much adequately describes our experience with Catalina, Perfect. The staff provided some of the best service we've had with their attentiveness and care which only made the food and the night even more spectacular. This has to be one of the most memorable dinners we've had and we're both so glad we chose to celebrate at Catalina.