Drinks
Date with Vue De Monde at Rialto Towers |Melbourne
You may have seen the acclaimed Australian Executive Chef Shannon Bennett earlier this year and that’s because his appeared on MasterChef Australia with his mouth watering and nasty surprise: the theatrical warm chocolate and orange mousse from Bistro Vue. Bennett who is one of the world’s most talented chef at his restaurant Vue De Monde is widely recognized as one of Australia’s top 100 fine dining venues and most impressively it is situated at level 55 of Melbourne’s iconic Rialto building.
For a price tag of $200-250 per person for the gastronomes menu and a commitment to have the wine pairing as well, ranging from $30+ per glass is only appropriate. Ahh, this review is going to be long because the food is too good. Continue reading and you may drool. Just a little as each dish really plays on your mind.
We start off with compressed apple crisps with macadamia pureé. The crisps were a perfect crunch. It contained a nutty and sugary taste that seemed like a crime to eat with the compressed macadamia puree being intense. You’ll be nuts not to eat this because it almost tasted somewhat like Kettle chips, but only in a “healthier” form.
As far as first impression goes, two thumbs up.
Compressed apple crisps & macadamia pureé
From this point onward, the menu was on fast-forward mode.
With no menu in front of me, Vue De Monde decides to keep it all mysterious or perhaps YOLO style. Our next snack was the pine smoked salmon pearls. I had absolutely no regret eating the colourful mini vegetable garden on a plate with that heavenly intense burst of flavour from the salmon pearls. It was impossibly difficult to pretend I didn’t like this dish.
Middle: Pine smoked salmon pearls
I may have studded when I devoured the CANDY COATED smoked eel with a bit of caviar sprinkled on top and tucked underneath, white chocolate. I had immense fear this would vanish quickly and I was right. I enjoyed the savoury flavour and light candy crunch, but what was mind-blowing was that delightful buttery taste coming from the chocolate. I completely lost my mind…
Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar
Next on the entrée menu the BBQ lamb heart and duck tongue with a dash of pepper. I was utterly shocked to see these quirky parts of the animal in the menu, but that didn’t stop me from eating it. I wasn’t expecting this to be super impressive with that generous amount of caramelisation and light smokey smell, but after one bite it changed my perspective. I loved it. To accompany these BBQ meat I had to order a glass of NV Charles Heidsieck ‘Brut Reserve’. This bubbly had its own personality with fresh floral notes.
Top right to bottom right: BBQ lamb hearts, Duck tongue w mountain pepper
Left: NV Charles Heidsieck ‘Brut Reserve’, Reims, France
Soon after that oysters arrived with a citrus taste. They were fresh and creamy, just the way I like it, classic and simple.
Oyster
Just when I was so convinced that the snacks were over, here comes a massive piece of Himalayan pink salt rock and as a bonus we get front seats watching thick slices of salt-cured Flinders Island wallaby being rolled up at our table.
Prepared at the table
The wallaby was pretty damn good with a drop of green herb puree. It almost had the same texture as a tuna sashimi, but slightly tougher and leaner. But yeah more of the wallaby would’ve been good because everything tastes better with pink salt rock.
Salt cured wallaby
Vue De Monde’s open kitchen
At this point I realise that each of those rocks were hand-crafted.
Felt like I was eating with the Royal Family with these cutlery.
Now can we start on the first course? 😀 😀
The Spanish mackerel with cylinder potato filled with chicken puree and on top a teaspoon of caviar was simply perfect. The square piece of fish was fresh and succulent. My goodness the light crust was enough for a crunch but not enough to take over the entire dish. Now the quince sauce offered a sweet balance and tied together beautifully with the thinly sliced potato.
Spanish mackerel, potato, chicken, caviar
I had no clue where the chef came from, but I was so excited to watch first-hand what he was preparing for me next. The chef explains to us that we are having Blackmore wagyu.
I know I am having meat…
Fast-forward a minute later and it’s just oh so right watching wagyu being cooked like that. VDM knows how to serve me well. Medium rare please chef.
Blackmore Wagyu “steak & onions”
So okay, yes I was drawn to this dish and it wasn’t just because VDM served wagyu…*rolls eyes*. I hearted that meat with the sauce which had the right amount of tenderness and were balanced out with the smoky scent in the air with a hint of pepper. Besides that piece of meat the garden greens looked astonishing.
Adding the final touches
Baby I lost my breathe at my first bite of the wagyu. I just couldn’t keep up after that. I particularly liked the texture and I wish I could have a larger portion.
Medium rare is just the way I like my meat
Not sure if you can handle this but this has got to be the best theatre experience I have ever had for pallet cleansing. You can’t go wrong with a bit of science especially when it’s liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen was poured into a bed of wood sorrell and this instantly snap-freeze the ingredients.
Cucumber, wood sorrel
We were then asked to pound into fine pieces then a scoop of cucumber sorbet was spooned in. The result was freaken astonishing. Definitely super refreshing and no signs of it being tooth achingly. This dish was amazing and would return for that alone.
Cucumber, wood sorrel
The kitchen sent us a small black leather pouch and in it contained a warm loaf of sour dough bread and to accompany hand churned butter. Somehow this just made my soul feel all fuzzy. I had no regrets covering my slice of bread with butter, NO REGRETS! As expected the butter was silky soft.
Sour dough and house made butter
Excuse me but I think there seems to be a mistake. I didn’t order breakfast. In continuation of this mysterious menu, we were served with eggs on toast! Oh how I cannot resist this, especially when you can serve it with a glass of 2006 Louis Roederer Cristal champagne. I think this is called “Champagne Breakfast“. And that kids is how VDM will spoil you for breakfast.
“Champagne Breakfast”
This dish was TOP of my list at VDM because the textures were incredible and satisfied my tastebuds. That duck yolk and drizzle of truffle sauce did not disappoint. The crunch of the saltbush plus paper thin toast had my head spinning. It’s crazy rich, but you will not reach the overwhelmingly sick stage. Round 2, thanks!
Duck yolk, pear, truffle
OOOOZY!!! Oh how I love a good runny yolk, soooooo creamy and so heavenly deeeeeeeelicious! Gotta love me some calories. Get that calorie action game face on!!!!
I don’t think you understand…this duck yolk belongs to me.
Butter time!
Our next course was the three way marron. I had high hopes for this and I am glad it delivered. And while you are living the high life you might as well sneak in a glass of 2013 Bourgogne Chardonnay Domaine Paul Pernot. This wine maintains a great balance between fresh citrus notes and the lively acidity.
Three Way Marron
The marron was super juicy, like, fully JUICY! I tell you this course was just pretty darn addictive. I smothered the marron into the super silky brown butter like full on. This baby marron has got to be right up there on my favourite fine dining course ever! I was pleasantly surprised how well the three way marron married so well together.
Top left to bottom left: Brown butter, Marron & Marzipan
You know what’s perfect about this marron sandwich? EVERYTHING! Saving the best to last was an excellent idea. Not a single crumb was left behind and we all know that’s a really good sign. This delicate piece of sandwich required to be eaten with the hands and there may have been some finger-licking in between, so be prepared.
Marron sandwich
OH NO! Savoury course is almost over and to be frankly honest, food coma had already been activated, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating the next dish. Ox tongue with beetroot and bone marrow sure opened new doors of discovering something adventurous. Greeted with a white powdered creme fraiche that visually looked dry but as soon as it lands on your tongue it instantly melted like a snowman that was under the sun.
Ox tongue, beetroot, bone marrow
I had a bit of trouble trying to find the ox tongue but as soon as you scoop a tiny portion into your mouth there’s an enormous amount of meaty, creamy flavour laced with shreds of beetroot. Add a glass of 2010 Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese and you get a remarkable flavour.
Can you spot where the ox tongue?
By now I mentally imagined I had gotten up and walked off the calories that I just digested. I did say mentally. Teehee. Helllllo butternut with sunflowers and passionfruit. This isn’t your ordinary pallet cleanser as I never heard these combinations before. Crunchy crushed sunflowers says howdy to my teeth with burst after burst of butternut and passionfruit flavour.
Butternut squash, sunflower seeds, passionfruit
They tasted like summer with the fresh sweet fruity taste of the passionfruit. Sydney needs more of these nice light dessert to end the meal with.
A ball of happiness
Spotted the cheese trolley!!! Say CHEEEEEESE.
I should have probably invested in 15 pairs of granny pants because I felt so overweight that I would require someone to roll me out of here. The goat’s milk with blueberries and fennel was welcomed to our table. Topped with sugary crystal that you could easily break with a spoon and the texture was sooooo fine with the similarity of a panna cotta times creme brulee that was served cold.
Goat’s milk, blueberries, fennel
How can you decline chocolate soufflé when you get to witness the icing in action on your table? This dusting was going on for a solid 10 seconds. Shame it had to stop…
DARK Chocolate soufflé
BELLY SATISFYING souffle I have come across. I was not quite sure how I managed to finish this dessert but I did. It was light and fluffy with a knock in the face dark chocolate and an oozy molten chocolate centre.
To celebrate the end of our degustation a selection of petit-fours arrived. Get ready to BREATHE HEAVY. It’s nothing you’ve seen before. These salted caramel chocolate seashells had me eyes tripping. With sprinkled salt added to them I honestly couldn’t spot which one was the edible ones. AHHH sugar gods why weren’t the rest of those shells be made out of chocolate?!
salted caramel chocolate seashells
We were offered jelly pennies and I liked the novelty but the taste wasn’t how I pictured. There’s a teeny wenny sign of alcoholic flavour but hardly noticeable, with a hint of sweetness made with it.
Jelly pennies
Have you ever had menthol lollipops? For me this was my first time ever and there was rarely any actual menthol flavour, which is alright for me. Served frosted I digged the presentation more then the flavour. It looked incredibly kawaii. I seriously thought it was a cherry. VDM fooled me again! *applause*
Menthol lollipop
The famous cherry lamington was impressive. I can’t describe how wrong was I to believe yet again what you see is not what you get. This lamington was leaning towards a mousse cake and that cherry brings everything all together.
Cherry lamington
ZOMG! Our degustation is finally over. Before I left the VDM building to head straight to the airport and catch my next flight back to Sydney, we were given a mini tour and we had to stop here to look at this spectacular view.
This is what the view looks like at Vue De Monde.
Yeah we are on level 55!!!
Tiny bubbles…
I seriously didn’t expect to visit Vue De Monde in my final hours in Melbourne. Did I mention I ran straight to the airport to catch my next flight home to Sydney after eating this degustation. I now know the meaning of gastronome. I am belly satisfied 😀 😀 😀
Woo-hoo I can finally tick this off my bucket list!!!!
Just when the fat foodie gang were about to walk out of there, we were given a really awesome surprise package for the “next day”. It’s hard to forget Vue De Monde when they shower you with more food on your way out.
What I truly loved about this experience was the creativity for every single dish that was served to us, the exquisite service and food combined with high theatre. OH and the goodie bag on my way out, which I highly recommend every other fine-dining places should have because adults still act like kids and this big kid loves little surprises, especially when it contains food.
“For the next day” – brioche, honey, digestives, granola & tea
Photos by Vanny Tang
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Just at Jinda Thai, Abbotsford Melbourne
So it is true you’ll find wonderful restaurants, bars and cafes in nearly every suburb in Melbourne, offering best burgers, hipster drinks and celebrity restaurants. For the ultimate Thai food experience, Jinda Thai Restaurant serves the best shared-eating concept, except I suggest you don’t share desserts. Desserts are not made for sharing. Teehee. It was such a coincidence Amy from Milkteaxx was also in Melbourne the same time as me so we ended up driving to Richmond and having a one on one dinner date to catch up.
Get ready to get fat!
Found the famous purple Jinda sign in Melbourne.
To help easy our pain of Amy parking her “mini bus” vehicle in a tiny street in Melbourne I ordered nom yen ($3) that is the direct translation of tea milk cold and basically it arrived looking creamy pink that is flavoured with strawberry. It pretty much tasted like sugary milk and lacked that fruity berry flavour.
Nom Yen ($3)
Another popular drink that Amy ordered was the cha dum yen ($3) which was a sweet iced black tea. This is one of my favourite Thai drinks because I do not know how to strongly brew tea like the Thai’s do.
Cha Dum Yen ($3)
Every foodie loves a bit of fried stuff and luckily Jinda offers the deep fried soft shell crab ($8.90) served with sriracha mayo and sweet chilli sauce. Hello deep fried deliciousness! This one piece crab chopped in smaller itty bitty pieces wasn’t the perfect serving between two starving food bloggers, but enough to hold our stomachs for the next dish. OHHhhh that crispiness was light and with the sriracha mayo have a nice chilli kick.
Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab ($8.90)
The satay platter arrived looking so juicy with 3 pieces of chicken satay ($8.90) that is heavily covered with peanut sauce. It magically disappeared in the matter of seconds thanks to Amy, so judging my observation I think she liked it A LOT. It was marinated in satay awesomeness. There was no sign of lack of flavour.
Chicken Satay ($8.90)
Son in Law’s ($12.90?) includes CRISPY boiled eggs, tamarind sauce with dried shallots, chilli and coriander. The paper thing crispiness covering around the egg whites make a great team. It was win for the chilli lovers as it provided a top notch burning sensation on my tongue. This dish is a treasure for the protein junkies!
Son in Law’s ($12.90?)
Whatever it was the Roti ($3) tasted insanely good. I clearly remember eating this because it was crispy, flaky and the perfect accompaniment to the chicken satay sauce.
Roti ($3)
Jinda’s beef noodle ($10) was tasty and contained rice stick noodle with sweet soy sauce, pickled turnip and gravy beef but unfortunately the sauce level was miles away. It was the most incredible bowl of beef noodle that was rich, intense and perfect on that cold winter night, but it would have been nice to have a few more teaspoons of sauce just to even out the flavours with the noodle.
Jinda’s Beef Noodle ($10)
Basket filled with jars of sauces
I totally wasn’t expecting the Thai milk tea crepe cake ($8) to be FREAKEN DELICIOUS! It was a nice surprise the Thai cream custard was light and super SUPER smooth. It looked heavy when it first arrived at our table and Amy and I wasn’t too sure if we’d be able to finish it, but we gladly did. I loved the layers of crepe and I’m such a big fan of Thai milk tea that I had to order one for the road. It makes sense now why this dessert is constantly flooding my Instagram account. Totes would recommend it!
Thai Milk Tea Crepe Cake ($8)
Now the hard part was getting up and walking my big ass outta here. I really love Jinda Thai Restaurant as their décor is beautiful when you walk in. The food is reasonably affordable and meets the cheap eats guide. I strongly recommend if you visit Melbourne you have to visit Jinda and order their Thai Milk Tea Crepe Cake.
Photos by Vanny Tang
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Bring on Sashimi and Sushi Busshari, Potts Point
HEY Foodie Friends! It’s been a while since my last post and I’m slowly coming back to planet Earth. Forgive me, but ERMAHGERD winter is here. Since I’m slowly returning to the eating world I thought it was time to visit Busshari in Potts Point that is minutes away from Kings Cross Station. As I entered the restaurant I look around and it’s dark with a few dim lights, but that didn’t matter because I easily spotted the bar seating, YIPPEE!
Is your belly excited or what for some Japanese food?!
What? There’s sashimi and sushi at Busshari?
Busshari Bar Seating
We started with the chef’s selection sashimi plate ($34) that includes ocean trout, tuna, scallops, kingfish and fabulously decorated with red kombu and seaweed. Undoubtedly fresh! What a way to start dinner.
Chef’s Selection Sashimi Plate ($34)
Was it really necessary to take another photo of the fresh sashimi plate? YES IT WAS! My favourite was the ocean trout and tuna which had an utterly decadent texture to it and had us fighting over the last piece with our wooden chopsticks.
Liking the side view?
There was an impressive looking sake menu and well I had to order one for the team. Teehee. We tried spotting a waitress with our sake bottle, but instead she brings a selection of handmade sake cups to our area first and excitingly informs us to choose a cup. I took a gamble and embarrassed myself by singing eeny meeny miny moe. Look below what I picked…
Which sake cup shall I choose?
The Tengumai sake ($17) had the perfect sweet balance and matched incredibly well with sashimi and the sushi plate. Just a tip: If you order sake’s lukewarm/hot in winter they’re usually the ones where you instantly feel the alcohol going around to your head (like you might with vodka). After two shots of sake it did its job making my world spin.
Tengumai Sake ($17)
I felt comfortable staring at the chef’s selection sushi plate ($34), it was hot property between two hungry food lovers. I try the unagi that’s freshwater eel broiled with a sweet brush of teriyaki sauce and tamagoyaki as well as uni nigiri and they were wonderful. The textures made me crazy that I didn’t want to share so what else to do but to continue to eat….
Chef’s Selection Sushi Plate ($34)
This has got to be the LARGEST tamagoyaki I’ve ever had as I found it hilarious that it looked like a Japanese surf board and it’s edible. It looked so LOOOOOOOOONG that I compared it with my iPhone, almost the same height. It was tasty nonetheless.
My Tamagoyaki looked like a surf board. HAHA!
We applaud when the plate of sushi roll rainbow ($17) arrives. Usually normal people would eat the sushi but I had to do investigate each sliced sushi piece. Rainbow rolls are awesome in my world because you get a nice variety of fish, and they’re colourful and I love colours. There was a mix of ingredients including tuna, salmon, yellowtail and prawn.
Sushi Roll Rainbow ($17)
Turns out I was lucky enough to eat three quarters of this dish. These babies didn’t disappoint and had a tasty inside of avocado, cucumber and crabstick. I loved the fragrance of the rice as it was well put together with the other ingredients.
It’s ALL mine!
Fasten your seat belts because the soft shell crab karaage ($18) was FREAKEN INSANCE and finger-licking good. There was good chemistry with me and those crabs. It did look double battered, but looks can be deceiving my friends. It didn’t take much to make my happy with this dish and certainly wasn’t willing to share. I take the biggest piece that I could find and it was light and crisp. It almost felt as if each piece was hollow inside but had a strong flavour of the crab. A very exciting dish to order if you HEART FRIED STUFF.
Soft Shell Crab Karaage ($18)
Well when there’s fried food on the table one has to order Asahi beer on tap ($9.50) just to balance the flavours…
Asahi beer on tap ($9.50)
We genuinely liked the wagyu beef sizzling tobanyaki ($33), however for the wrong reason. After a friendly start with the wagyu beef sizzling in a clay pot with extremely hot charcoal we waited for a few minutes before we dived our chopsticks in. To my surprise the meat was kinda bland and lacked that wagyu melt in the mouth texture, but it was overall juicy. Some pieces were a tad chewy and whilst others were somewhat tender. It’s quite a popular pick for the locals as it looks fun, so do give it a go and maybe you’d get lucky with the flavour and texture of the meat. Make sure to ask for a bowl of rice ($4) to accompany those juicy pieces of wagyu or at least turn that boring plain rice into something meaty.
Wagyu Beef Sizzling Tobanyaki ($33)
I had high levels of affection with the mixed sizzling vegetables including corn, asparagus, mushroom and a piece of carrot carved into the shape of a flower. Something about vegetables being sizzled on a hot clay pot taste so much more awesome that I required a guard to make sure none of these pieces gets stolen from me while I went for a toilet break.
Top view of the wagyu at its best!
We struggled eating the last two pieces of wagyu and it was a real shame that it wasn’t the highlight of this dish, instead the mixed fresh veggies were. We had to make sure we didn’t get the wrong dish and had asked the waitress to clarify if this was the the wagyu beef we ordered. She confirmed this was the dish and informed us it was the wagyu shoulder. For some gut feeling I didn’t want to believe it. But hey I ate all my vegetables at the end of the day and most of the meat. How can one complain when meat is sizzling right in front of you…
Woooo this pot comes with hot charcoal inside and a flame…
Handmade plates made by the Chef himself, Nobuyuki Ito.
Our very last dish had to end with the dessert platter ($15) and I went way to emotional with choosing three part desserts. Living in my own little bubble the pumpkin mousse brulee made me feel like Cinderella who lost her shoe at midnight, but instead I just got fat. Teehee. The brulee was reasonably smooth and had a tiny bit of raw pumpkin flavour. Next the sesame tart was crazy intense with a good solid crunchiness to it and it was pretty generous with the sesame seeds as you can see. For the black sesame ice-cream it was undoubtedly rich and smooth and I just wanted to slab a few tablespoons onto the tart but I was too late. AND if you are a Washoku Lovers member you get a scoop of green tea ice-cream for FREE. All you need to do is just flash that card of yours to the staff. How easy was that?!
Dessert Platter (3 Choice- $15)
It was entertaining to see Chef Nobuyuki Ito show off his knife skills as well as plating each dish during the night with freshly cut sashimi and hand-making sushi right in front of us. I can see why Busshari is so popular at Potts Point as they recently celebrated their 9th Year Anniversary. I loved the bar seating area, the food was pretty up there, however very sad the wagyu wasn’t as great as I imagined. I do have plans to revisit this place again soon and try the rest of the sake menu.
Concentration is key at Busshari when it comes to making seafood sashimi salad.
Photos by Vanny Tang
Disclaimer: Nessy Eater plus guest attended Busshari, thanks SD Marketing Global and Washoku Lovers.
Some meals in this post were independently paid for.
Opinions are however, Nessy Eater’s own.
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Rengaya- Premium Wagyu Grade 9+
If you heart beef, especially with a beef marble score of 9+ than Rengaya is the place to be. With the weather getting more cooler in Sydney I think this place is looking like a winner for best restaurant to eat this winter. There’s plenty of beef dishes to order at Rengaya and I have mentioned before they also do ALL YOU CAN EAT. Besides stuffing my face with unlimited supplies of wagyu I thought I’d switch my classy mode on and give the al carte menu a try. Dining with Yuri (SD Marketing Global) and Angelica (Angelica’s Blog) made me feel more like a lady and I had such pleasure to getting to know both of them more.
Meatasaurus Nessy Eater coming through!
So if you LOVE FREEBIES like me than sign up to Washoku Lovers and members score themselves a free drink at Rengaya or maybe a glass of 400ml Japanese draft beer (choice of Asahi Super Dry on tap or Suntory – The Premium Malt’s value up to $9.50) or if you can’t handle alcohol than a soft drink from the drinks menu. All you need to do is flash your membership card when you order. Show-off that card as if you’re wearing a twenty carat diamond ring on your finger. YES it’s free to join and you get to score some freebies at participating Japanese restaurants too. Note each restaurant offers freebies to members – Click here for more info.
Moving on and we have the kinako milk ($5.90) (prepared soybean) that’s a very healthy beverage in Asia and popular too. Served chilled, Angelica mentioned it had a grainy kind of texture which she quite enjoyed. From her facial expression I think that was my queue not to ask if I could try some.
Kinako Milk ($5.90)
For Yuri and I we opted for the Asahi Super Dry on tap 400ml ($9.80). There’s no shame in admitting that I couldn’t finish it all because I was too busy concentrating on the waygu. That’s right!
Asahi Super Dry on tap 400ml ($9.80)
We start slowly with the namuru ($8.90) that’s so much similar to Korean seasoned vegetables namul. It contains 5 kinds of vegetables including zucchini, shiitake mushroom, white radish, bean sprouts and spinach. My face lit up when this dish was well seasoned with salt, sesame oil and vinegar. I couldn’t refuse my chopsticks to continue to grab a few more slices or strands of those pickled goodness.
Namuru ($8.90)
Are you ready to get some wagyu in your belly? If you are nodding your head in front of the computer screen then I have to introduce you to the wagyu “yukke” ($13.90)– Served with finely chopped shallots, drizzled in sesame oil, rubbed with garlic and sitting so still atop of the beef tartar was an egg yolk that had no sign it had escaped from the egg white.
Wagyu “Yukke” ($13.90)
My face was traumatised when Yuri did the unthinkable, pop the egg yolk. The quality and freshness of this dish is top notch. I always heart that creamy texture from the egg yolk and chewy feel of the shredded beef.
Baby yolk me one more time…
We were still waiting for the main star to arrive so in the meantime let’s help balance out our meat consumption with wrap-up lettuce leaves ($8.90). It includes a fair few washed large lettuce leaves that’s the size of my face, pieces of sliced carrot, green chilli, garlic and special sauce. I was informed by Yuri that Japanese people combined the leaves together with the meat so it feels healthier. I can confirm it does feel a bit healthier but I still love meat on its own.
Wrap-Up Lettuce Leaves ($8.90)
Drum rolls please and the moment we have been waiting for was the premium wagyu amusement ($49.90) that’s a chef’s recommendation of premium wagyu beef cuts of wagyu rib, wagyu loin, wagyu oyster, wagyu rib finger and wagyu ox tongue. Words cannot describe how many times my mouth orgasimed. My body was going through all sorts of feelings. Each piece of wagyu was heaven in my mouth. I felt like there was fireworks happening every few minutes in my body. No need to add oil in a pan because it knew how to oozes its fat out and provide that beefy fragant.
Premium Wagyu Amusement ($49.90)
Each wagyu piece knew how to please my mouth and body. Every bite felt satisfying with its incredible tenderness and juicy flavours. At the end of this adventurous wagyu party it looked like I had wagyu lip balm all over my lips because it was that oily.
Premium wagyu beef right there.
The stone pot mentaiko bibimbap with soup ($15.90) arrives sizzling with vegetables, egg, chili cod roe, squid and of course rice. It was no joke this rice was pipping hot and comes with a bowl of hot miso soup and a dollop of sweet and spicy miso paste just in case you think you’ve got what it takes to handle that extra kick.
Stone Pot Mentaiko Bibimbap with soup ($15.90)
Mixed Mentaiko Bibimbap
Wagyu lettuce us be together…
The girls were eager to fulfill their dessert stomach’s cravings and so was I, so we order the shiratama cream anmitsu ($15.90) that includes kanten with shiratama and sweet red beans topped with one scoop of vanilla and green tea ice cream served with sweet black syrup and seasonal fruits. This beautiful platter had caught my eye and it was pretty darn epic to see black syrup being poured on top of the two large scoops of ice-cream.
Shiratama Cream Anmitsu ($15.90)
Bathe me with more black syrup!
We couldn’t pass the “WA 和 (Japanese)” Plate ($18.90) as it had so many components on the one plate. To warm our souls we had the shiratama zenzai, which is pretty much red bean soup. Next we shared thick slices of warabimochi with sweet black syrup, then green tea creme brulee served with tea. There was just too many choices on this plate and I personally love anything that contains green tea in it, so I totes raised my hand high for the brulee. Definitely the kind of dessert that you would want this winter.
“WA 和 (Japanese)” Plate ($18.90)
“Cover me in syrup” said the Warabimochi
There’s no reason for me not to return to Rengaya other than its upmarket price, but with that being said it does offer top quality meat and dishes on its menu for what you pay for. The wagyu is thumbs up and desserts is a must. I’m definitely not saying good-bye to this restaurant, instead it’s see you later alligator.
Photos by Vanny Tang
Disclaimer: Nessy Eater attended Rengaya, thanks SD Marketing Global and Washoku Lovers.
Opinions are however, Nessy Eater’s own.
Check out my other Rengaya post I did. Click here.
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Public Dining Room- Balmoral Beach
Nothing beats a waterfront view on lovely sunny day. I drove to Balmoral Beach one weekday and dined at Public Dining Room. Considering it’s location and view we scored ourselves a spectacular window-side table facing the beach. This was a pretty good deal if you don’t mind me rubbing it in. Teehee. I noticed some people brushed off the sand on their feet and waked in to the restaurant. Talk about casual beach feel that makes me feel right at home already. There is one thing you shouldn’t expect at this restaurant and that’s fish and chips. Public Dining Room is not only popular for its location but also their presentation in their fancy meals.
Fancy lunch time
Public Dining Room
I always get excited when FREE rye sourdough arrives at our table. With a thick square of creamy super soft butter and a little bowl of sea salt for the table to share.
Complimentary slice of soft rye bread
Those fat juicy seared scallops ($26) were so fresh that they could have still swam. Teehee. They were seriously tender and lovingly plated with the crisp jamon serrano, pea puree and goats curd. Take one mouthful and you’d be quickly convinced to have another. For the delicate pea puree it wasn’t overwhelmingly rich and was a perfect match with the paper thin salty jamon serrano.
Fat juicy scallops come to Mama!
It took us a while to nibble through the duck terrine ($22) with house made fig chutney, watercress and foie gras. The generous slices of crostini was very helpful to balance out the overwhelming flavour of the terrine and added a crisp texture. I found this dish to be a very interesting presentation and reminded me of a forest. Mother nature was calling me to eat this forest!
What the duck? It’s Terrine.
Mocktail ($10) arrives looking all fabulous and coral pink. With a mix of pineapple, apple, cranberry and a squeeze of fresh lime. I think the lemon does lift and lighten the beverage.
Mocktail ($10)
A unique flavor experience was the fried zucchini flowers ($24) that came fresh from the fryer with stuffed ricotta, parmesan, papillon roquefort that was deliciously gooey and soft. The celeriac and cabbage remoulade with the sprinkles of pangrattato was equally impressive and seasoned to perfection.
Fried zucchini flowers ($24)
Crispy Pork belly ($26) was my favourite dish, the porky skin was so crisp that they were quickly munched down for an extreme hit of pork flavour. To accompany the meat we had generous dollops of apple sauce. Slices of apple, strands of savoy cabbage and woodland sorrel to decorate made this dish look super healthy. Close enough!
Pork calling!
Bursting with intense flavours and alluring aromas was the Tasmanian pasture fed eye fillet ($46) – The most tender of all steaks must be paired well with the massive pieces of king brown mushroom, roasted globe artichoke, mustard cress and a drizzle of brown onion jus. I could taste the long-lasting flavours of the eye fillet and mushrooms. The steak was lightly greased and it was all so very good.
I’m eyeing on you fillet.
Do I need to mention to you how tender the steak was? That thick juicy piece of meat may as well have been made out of butter. Hmmm medium rare is just the way I like it.
Eye-eye Captain Fillet.
Would you believe this is the view from our table? The atmosphere was so peaceful and relaxing at the same time. It felt like a get-away. If you enjoy this view then I totes recommend you to ask the staff to be seated next to the window.
What a Beach! Balmoral Beach
You’ll die and go to heaven with every bite of the Valrhona chocolate textures ($19). Decadently rich in chocolate with the bitterness of dark chocolate, the texture remains deliciously light and creamy. It’s the type of dessert you savour slowly with a glass of cold milk or tea or coffee as the intensity of chocolatey madness slowly builds on your palate.
You deserve this Valrhona chocolate textures ($19)
Meet and greet this chocolate bar with your fork. The crushed hazelnut pieces were incredibly tasty along with the smooth chocolate sensation. I’m GUILTY of eating this.
So many pretty textures in this Valrhona chocolate
If you’re looking for a tasty fruity dessert, try this sensational Mango and lychee bombe alaska ($18). The toasted meringue was heavily contained with a coconut crumble base and secured by green mango droplets . This beautiful merinague tastes as great as it looks, so fluffy and airy. I give this a gold medal for presentation of because if you look closely, you’d see it’s handcrafted with swirls.
Mango and lychee bombe alaska ($18)
I’m sure my teeth were hurting from all the sugar goodness, especially this was our second dessert, but that didn’t stop me from devouring this precious dessert. My teeth felt so spoilt with the hidden ice-cream in the center. Each bite delights with sweet mango…hmmm refreshing. I am so pumped to have another bombe alaska right now.
With a lovely view and heart-warming service, Public Dining Room is a real highlight for a fancy lunch and or romantic dinner. If you’re super eager to check out the beach make sure you bring swimmers along because I heard it’s great to visit on a perfect Sydney beach day.
You’re the BOMBE!
Photos by Vanny Tang
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