Surry Hills adventures

There have been quite a few exciting additions to the Surry Hills food scene in recent weeks.
Gelato Messina has been welcomed by many on the Crown Street strip, with queues out the door.
Offering their usual amazing staples plus specials such as rosewater gelato with lemon & rosewater soaked brioche, pistachio and cream or peanut butter gelato with toasted coconut & coconut jam.
If it's this busy in winter, I can't imagine the queues in summer....
http://www.gelatomessina.com/

Further down Crown St is the newly opened Kurtosh bakery. I look forward to trying their signature chimney cake. They serve Mecca coffee and have a very special espresso machine (apparently one of only four currently being used in New South Wales) which undoubtedly makes a fantastic brew.

Cowbell 808 is located on Bourke St (about a block from The Bourke Street bakery) and has developed quite a following in the past few weeks since opening.
The go to dish here is apparently the ricotta hotcakes with bacon ice cream, mascarpone and espresso syrup (sounds rather Heston Blumenthal to me) The coffee is Toby's Estate.
So many great coffee options in one suburb. Surry Hills just keeps getting better and better.

4Fourteen

I was back at 4Fourteen last week, this time to eat and it sure was worth the wait. Colin Fassnidge and his crew have created an impressive looking space in the former Le Pain Quotidien site. We started with half a dozen oysters and some lovely Iggy's sourdough bread. Next was one of my favourite dishes of the night. A crisp tortilla with quince chutney, chicken liver parfait and a crisp de-boned chicken wing perched on top. The flavour combination was delicious. The other standout dish of the night was the suckling pig platter that certainly showcased the pork. It's served with cauliflower, prunes, pistachio pesto and a cabbage salad with delicious pieces of crackling tossed through it. The desserts were beautifully presented. Bounty was a fun take on the classic Bounty bar. The Doughnut and Apple was an apple jelly served with doughnut holes, another fun dish. We were surprised to see our waitress bring over a third dessert with their compliments due to the extra wait they thought we'd had. We hadn't noticed that we'd waited any longer than usual but didn't question it as we tucked into the Daily Popsicle. This one was of the Nutri-Grain variety with lemon frozen yoghurt. It was probably my favourite dessert out of all of them. 4Fourteen is a welcome addition to Surry Hills. With this quality of food and service, it is bound to become a hatted restaurant. http://www.4fourteen.com.au/

Ms.G's

I had the pleasure of eating at Ms.G's in Potts Point last week. This is a restaurant I've wanted to go to since it opened and I'm so pleased I finally got there. Former Lotus chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu have created an extraordinary menu with Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese influences and have combined it with western food inspired dishes to create the ultimate dude food in an ultra cool setting. Dishes include prawn toast with yuzu aioli, coriander and mint, crispy lamb sweetbreads with coriander salsa verde, sang choy bou of maple chipotle chicken with lemongrass salsa, grilled beef pancakes, cucumber kimchi with a delicious sauce or the favourite savoury dish of the night the mini burgers (mini banh mi) with either crispy pork belly or chicken katsu fillings. The star dish of the night had to go to the signature dish at Ms.G's, "Stoner's Delight" which consists of a heady mish mash of doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, candied bacon, potato chips, mars bar slice and banana fritter. The candied bacon idea is brilliant and works so well with the dish. I would recommend sharing this one as it is super rich and you may want to save a little bit of room for another of those delicious mini burgers. http://merivale.com.au/msgs/

4Fourteen

I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peak inside the new Colin Fassnidge restaurant at 414 Bourke St today (opposite the old Hopetoun Hotel) The interior is stunning and has a very flash looking open kitchen where the chefs were doing a trial run of the menu. I'm pleased to report that unlike most hip Surry Hills restaurants, they will be taking bookings. Colin's new restaurant at 414 Bourke St Surry Hills opens on Thursday.

Encasa Deli

I've been lucky to have this afternoon off and thought I would drop in to Encasa Deli on Bathurst Street in the city for lunch.
This recently opened deli is an offshoot of Encasa spanish restaurant on Pitt Street.
There is a huge range of cheeses, jamon, olives, the list goes on.

At Encasa Deli, it's all about the bocadillos, a baguette (from Brasserie Bread no less) with a range of fillings such as grilled chicken, chorizo, pork, omelette or the one I had, calamari with aioli.
The fresh, lightly fried calamari was delicious on the baguette, the aioli a perfect match.

I will aim to drop in on a Saturday next time to catch the chef doing a paella cooking demonstration and I look forward to trying some of the other delicious sounding bocadillos.

http://www.encasadeli.com.au/

On the way back through Surry Hills, I just had to get a coffee from Single Origin Roasters on Reservoir Street.
I've had the pleasure of getting a caffeine fix from here twice this week.
It's such a shame they aren't open on weekends.
Their coffee is incredible and has a reputation for some of the best coffee in Sydney.
It's a neck and neck race between this place and fellow Surry Hills cafe Di Bella for me.

Oscillate Wildly

I finally ate at Oscillate Wildly last night. A restaurant I've wanted to go to for a very long time. I'm pleased to report that it didn't disappoint.

We started with the aerated foie gras, on a scallop flavoured cracker with roasted hazelnuts. The flavour and textures together were incredible.

The scampi followed with wild rice and ponzu dressing.
Next was a beautiful dish of two types of mushrooms with goats curd and what looked like pine needles.
The fish was red snapper presented with peas and hops.
The duck was sublime with plum and sorrel.
Wagyu beef was perfectly cooked, teamed up with prawn floss and speck, an exquisite dish.

We opted for the additional dish which was described as 'cheese on toast'.
Parmigiano reggiano flavoured ice cream with brown bread praline was delicious. The flavour combinations worked very well.
Rose petal sorbet with lychees, freeze dried raspberries and blueberries with coriander and violets was beautiful both flavour wise and visually.

The final dish was pandan leaf ice cream, hops and popcorn, a marvellous way to wrap up.

The food and service at Oscillate Wildly is fantastic.
I think this must be the best value degustation in town.

http://www.oscillatewildly.com.au/

Bentley Restaurant & Bar

I was thrilled to be taken to Bentley Restaurant & Bar last week for my birthday dinner.
We decided on the tasting menu and what a gastronomic journey we were about to embark on.

The first of many courses (ten to be exact) was the mud crab with sweetcorn, ham & prawn.
The fine wafer layers added a great texture to this sublime dish.

The balmain bug with lamb sweetbread, black bean and coconut curd was one of the most delicious dishes I've had in some time. The light flavour of the balmain bug matched the coconut perfectly. The texture and flavour of the crunchy shredded coconut added an additional dimension to the dish.

To follow was the pork belly with wattle, garlic milk and rhubarb. The pork belly was cooked perfectly.

Speaking of being cooked perfectly, the fillet of black angus beef was divine with carrot, azuki bean and white sweet potato cake.

We decided to share the optional cheese course presented as creamed cheddar with pretzel and vegemite. Not being a huge fan of vegemite myself, I approached this dish with some trepidation but was pleasantly surprised. All of the elements of the dish came together extremely well.

The main dessert (yes, there was a pre and post dessert) was the blood peach with sesame meringue, nougat and apricot sorbet. A beautiful dish both flavour wise and visually.

The Bentley Restaurant & Bar was a wonderful experience from start to finish.

The service and ambience was fantastic and the food with head chef Brent Savage at the helm is incredible. Special mention must be made of the very comprehensive and award winning wine list from Nick Hildebrandt too.

http://www.thebentley.com.au/

Mid north coast foodie adventures

I had a lot of fun foodie adventures last week on the mid north coast.

Taverna Six located in the heart of Scotts Head, just a stones throw from the beach has a fantastic atmosphere and great coffee. I enjoyed the Grinders coffee with a delicious baklava.
I look forward to returning to Taverna Six to sample some of the Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.

http://tavernasix.com/restaurant/

The Short Order Cafe located in Macksville is also worth a visit if in the area.
The coffee is Di Manfredi and the food looks good too.

The Riverbank Cafe in Gladstone overlooking the Macleay River is a place that I've been going to for a number of years now. Their flourless orange cake is a triumph. The gallery shop at the front has some beautiful things.

http://www.riverbankcafe.com.au/

Just up the road in Smithtown is the Riverview Hotel, also located on the banks of the Macleay.
Their fish & chips are some of the best I've ever had.
They recently won the best waterfront location in the SMH Good Pub Food Guide.

http://www.riverviewhotel.net.au/

Vini

We were back with our lovely friends to Vini recently for one of their regional dinners, this time the region was Umbria. I have been to this region of Italy and found it to have the most wonderful food.

We started with antipasti which included bruschetta with broad beans, peas and ricotta, some salami, and a potato tart with black truffle.
A pasta was served next that was similar to gnocchi but smaller and lighter.

The main was a beautiful piece of rainbow trout seasoned with fennel seed and lemon, wrapped in baking paper. The trout had a beautiful infused flavour and was a perfect match to the black wild rice and baby spinach served with it.
For dessert, rice dumplings, deep fried, similar to a doughnut, and Baci chocolates.

Once again Andrew and his team have delivered above and beyond expectations.
I look forward to returning to Vini in 2012 and it's wine bar next door, 121 BC.

http://vini.com.au/dinners

Gingerboy book launch

This week I had the pleasure of attending the book launch of Gingerboy by Teage Ezard and Chris Donnellan. This book is a celebration of the iconic Melbourne restaurant, which showcases creative Asian street food.

The launch was held at Black by Ezard at The Star. Teage hosted the gathering in his private dining room that even has a secret entry at the back for his VIP guests.

We started with spanner crab presented in a lettuce leaf with avocado, apple remoulade and parsley ginger meringue. A perfect summer dish.

The grain fed wagyu (MBS 9+) that followed was possibly the best steak I have ever eaten. It came with asparagus, mushrooms and a natural jus.

To finish, chocolate with a warm couverture ganache, banana ice cream and hazelnut mousse. Sublime.

What a great location to celebrate this stunning book.

http://www.star.com.au/dine/signature-dining/black.html

delicious magazine book launch

I was thrilled to be invited last week to the launch of the new cookbook from delicious magazine.
Simply the Best by the food director of delicious magazine, Valli Little is a celebration of the magazine's 10 year anniversary.
The launch was held at the fabulous JohnandPeter Canteen located at the Sydney CarriageWorks.

We started with parmesan wafers and fig & rocket tarts, followed by an antipasti of pinot grigio-marinated salmon, asparagus with fontina and prosciutto and zucchini with lemon, mint and olives.

For mains we had spicy chicken with tomato salsa served with baby leaf salad.

To finish, the most divine marsala cake with stracciatella ice cream.

The food and ambience at the launch was fantastic, what a wonderful way to celebrate this 10
year milestone.

Esca

Mario Batali's Esca was a restaurant I was intent on visiting whilst in NYC as a number of foodies had highly recommended it to me.
I am so pleased I did as the food in this southern Italian trattoria is fantastic.

Upon arrival we received a delicious complimentary amuse bouche of white beans on toasted ciabatta.

I started with the calamari. It was so tender and so beautifully presented.

For my main, I couldn't go past the house made fettucine with scallops. The pasta was very light and worked so well with the scallops that were perfectly cooked.

Spring vegetable salad.



We shared two incredible desserts. The first, a pineapple upside down cake with coconut icecream, mint and lime curd.

The second was a divine semifreddo with candied almonds.

Esca is a wonderful restaurant that showcases beautiful fresh seafood, has great service and some pretty amazing desserts too.

http://www.esca-nyc.com/

Whilst on the subject of Mario Batali's restaurants, I must mention Eataly located on Fifth Avenue.

It is a foodie's paradise that includes a number of restaurants, a gelato bar, a cafe, a bakery, a deli, fresh produce, gourmet products, the list goes on. They have also recently opened a rooftop bar.

http://eatalyny.com/

Corton

One of the most incredible dining experiences I had in NYC was dinner at Corton located in Tribeca.
The food that comes out of chef Paul Liebrandt's kitchen is exquisite.

We decided to go with the three course tasting menu.
Much to our delight, it came with a number of complimentary tiny tasting dishes, including a small scallop served in it's shell.

For my entree I selected the pheasant egg with seasonal vegetables.
The gold leaf on the egg was a lovely touch.

I couldn't resist having the lobster as my main.
It was served with the most delicious green curry sauce and just looked so beautiful.

We shared our desserts. The salted caramel with popcorn was divine, with the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

The second dessert showcasing chocolate in a variety of ways was a chocolate lovers dream.

To top it all off, a tray of complimentary macarons, chocolates and chocolate truffles came by each table at the end of their dinner. What a beautiful way to wrap up the perfect meal.

Corton is a must do experience when dining in NYC.


http://www.cortonnyc.com/

Le Bernardin

Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert's award winning seafood restaurant was one of the foodie destinations I was most looking forward to visiting while in NYC.
We had an amazing lunch, the food is truly art on a plate.

The above entree was the most delicious sauteed calamari filled with prawns and shiitake mushrooms with mushroom froth.

The second entree was the charred octopus with black beans, pear sauce, ink-miso vinaigrette and purple basil. The octopus was so tender and light, all of the components of the dish worked beautifully together.

The main of lobster with wilted greens was delicious and showcased the lobster to perfection.

For the other main we selected the seared rare king fish with creamy morels sweet pea and wasabi sauce. The king fish and the wasabi based sauce were a truly magic flavour combination.

The dessert menu was almost impossible to choose from as all of them sounded so tempting.
The above was the chocolate-coconut combination consisting of dark chocolate cremeux, cocoa sablee, mango, cashews with a coconut sorbet. The dark chocolate and coconut were a match made in heaven.

The second dessert we decided on was the hazelnut based dessert of gianduja cream, hazelnuts, honey, banana and brown butter icecream. This dessert also highlighted the incredible flavour combinations that worked so well together.

No wonder Le Bernardin is considered one of NYC's best restaurants, the food, service and ambience are top notch. It certainly is a very special restaurant.

http://www.le-bernardin.com/

Ma Peche

Dinner tonight was at David Chang's Ma Peche, part of his Momofuku group of restaurants, which means Lucky Peach.

I'd been hoping to go to one of David Chang's restaurants before departing NYC and I'm so glad we did. Not only did we meet a lovely Australian couple who happened to be sitting next to us, the food was also fantastic.

I started with the summer rolls and dipped them into a chilli sauce that had a good kick to it. I selected another entree as my main as I really wanted to try the soft shell crab, which was delicious.
I was also saving room for dessert as I wanted to try David Chang's famous crack pie.
This pie is famous for a reason, it is sublime. It comprises of an oatmeal cookie crust and a butterscotch filling with a salty sweet flavour. Heaven.
Oh NYC, I'm missing you already.

http://www.momofuku.com/

Pastis

Pastis, the sister restaurant to Balthazar has also been on my to do list since I arrived in NYC. Located in the uber cool meatpacking district and packed upon arrival on a Sunday, I was expecting a long wait. Within five minutes we were ushered to our table.

Pastis has a beautiful interior, quite similar to Balthazar. Once inside one feels like they have arrived in Paris.
I had the homemade pea ravioli with mint, pea shoots and pancetta. The ravioli was very light and fresh, not heavy at all.
To finish we shared some cheese with a lovely French dessert wine.
Pastis, like it's sister restaurant serves delicious French bistro food and has a fantastic atmosphere.
Both are essential NYC experiences.

http://www.pastisny.com/

The Spotted Pig

The Spotted Pig gastropub in the West Village has been on my to do list since I arrived in NYC.
Widely considered as a super cool destination, I anticipated a lengthy wait for a table, but was pleasantly surprised when we managed to get one upon arrival.
It was buzzing inside with a fantastic atmosphere.

My mission was clear, to try The Spotted Pig's famous gnudi with brown butter and sage.
Gnudi is a lighter cousin to gnocchi, made with ricotta.
Seeming I adore good gnocchi, this dish was my idea of heaven. The gnudi were so light and delicious, the brown butter and sage sauce the perfect match.
No wonder this dish has received so many mentions, it is incredible.

The burgers look fantastic too with their super skinny fries.
The Spotted Pig ticks all the boxes, great service, great atmosphere and incredible pub food.

http://www.thespottedpig.com

Balthazar

Lunch yesterday was at the iconic French bistro Balthazar in SoHo.
I was so thrilled to finally be dining there, the atmosphere is fantastic, the service spot on and the food incredible.

I kicked off with the most divine cucumber and basil martini.
My entree was the special of the day which was a chilled corn soup with basil and lobster.
The flavour of the soup was so delicious and the lobster took it to a whole other level.
My main was the homemade fettuccine with prawns and greens. This certainly was some of the freshest pasta I have ever tried.

I couldn't go to Balthazar without having dessert, and I'm so glad I did.
The caramelised banana ricotta tart with homemade banana icecream was out of this world.
The mint leaves on top cut through the richness and added a fresh burst of flavour.
This is the kind of restaurant where you don't want the meal to end as the whole experience is wonderful. Balthazar, you certainly were worth the wait.

http://www.balthazarny.com/

Lupa

We had the most delicious foodie adventure yesterday at Mario Batali's Lupa.
Lupa is a Roman style trattoria located in the East Village.

We started with the calamari with farro and salsa verde and the tuna with cannellini beans. Both were so fresh, the perfect way to start the meal.
Next was the ricotta gnocchi with sausage and fennel seeds. What a beautiful combination.
I am noticing the prescence of fennel seeds in a number of dishes I've had so far in NYC.
To finish off I had the tartufo with roasted hazelnuts.
The perfect lunch for a perfect summer day in NYC. I love this city!

http://www.mariobatali.com/restaurants_lupa.cfm

Les Halles

Greetings from NYC! I am having the most wonderful foodie adventures in NYC so far.
Les Halles was first on my list and quite fitting having met the man himself Anthony Bourdain last week. The food is classic French bistro fare such as French onion soup and steak frites. The desserts include divine crepes and a fabulous looking creme brûlée. Les Halles has a fantastic atmosphere and very professional service. What a great way to kick off my NYC foodie adventures.

http://leshalles.net/brasserie/locations/les-halles-park-avenue

AA Gill and Anthony Bourdain in conversation

I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favourite foodies tonight Mr Anthony Bourdain at the Sydney Town Hall. I met him many moons ago at Allen & Unwin and was so pleased I could chat to him again tonight and get his most recent book signed. He was there as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival in conversation with AA Gill and hosted by Tony Bilson.
A lively and hugely entertaining conversation between them meant that in no time the dedicated hour had passed. I could have listened to them discuss food and their travels for hours.
More events are planned across the weekend as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival.

http://www.swf.org.au/

Annabel Langbein in person

I was thrilled to meet the stunning Annabel Langbein today who is currently on tour in Australia promoting her beautiful cookbook The Free Range Cook.
Annabel's recipes are easy to follow and delicious.
The photography in the book is beautiful, capturing images from Annabel's property in Central Otago at the foot of the Southern Alps in New Zealand.
I'm very much looking forward to the next cookbook from Annabel later this year as I know I will refer back to this one time and time again.

http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=167885&SearchID=1&SearchRefineID=16889662

Rick Stein in person

I met the wonderful Rick Stein today at the Dymocks George Street book signing. We had a lovely chat and he signed my book and dvd box set. A huge crowd gathered across the lunchtime period and the atmosphere was fantastic. Welcome back to your second home Rick, it's great to have you back in Australia!

http://www.rickstein.com/

UTS/NSW Writers' Centre food writing course

I wrapped up a food writing course late last week with the NSW Writers' Centre (UTS accredited)
I highly recommend this course, hosted by John Newton.
The next course is to be held in June:

http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?keyword=Food-Writing-2010

Nigella Lawson in person

I met the beautiful Nigella Lawson for the second time today.
She had a book signing at the David Jones Elizabeth St store. She was so charming and generous with her time despite the huge queue winding all the way around the cosmetics floor.
What an inspiration. A cook not a chef who has a beautiful way with words. We love you Nigella!

http://www.nigella.com/

Muum Maam launch

I was thrilled to be invited to the launch of Muum Maam, my new favourite Thai restaurant in Surry Hills last week.
The launch menu was an exciting range of flavours and textures.
I saw a lot of familiar faces at the launch including Adriano Zumbo, Jared Ingersoll and Andrew Cibej .
The service at Muum Maam is so warm and welcoming, I'm looking forward to my next visit.

http://www.muummaam.com.au/

Rick Stein at Bannisters

I was lucky to have a couple of days off work late last week so we headed down the south coast.
Our first stop for Thursday night was my much anticipated visit to Rick Stein at Bannisters in Mollymook.

The accommodation is small but beautifully furnished and the view is incredible, views straight out to the ocean with the infinity pool directly below.
The restaurant was packed at dinner time and stretched the staff to the limit. The service was very friendly but slow due to the lack of staff on the floor that night.

Luckily the food more than made up for it. We started with half a dozen oysters natural which were beautiful and fresh.

For mains we had the fish stew and the fish & chips. The fish stew had a full bodied flavour and was every bit as good as a traditional bouillabaisse.

The fish & chips were so yummy with a twice cooked batter. No wonder Rick Stein is famous for these!

Next time I will make sure I save room for dessert. I can't wait to return.
http://www.bannisterspointlodge.com.au/index.php/component/content/article/88


On the way home we dropped in at the Berry Sourdough Bakery. I just adore this place.
The food is so yummy and the bread has a cult following (almost all of it was sold out by midday)

The gnocchi with cherry tomatoes, sage and ricotta was delicious and I picked up an olive and thyme sourdough to take away with me. The coffee is good too.

I almost forgot to mention a discovery I made in Ulladulla. It's a little organic bakery called Jasper Peel Breads just off the main street that is nothing to look at from the outside but sells fantastic organic breads. The organic sourdough baguette I had would be hard to beat.

Muum Maam

A fabulous Thai eatery has opened up near me. I'm very excited about this new addition to the Holt St foodie precinct. The food reminds me of Longrain and Sugarcane, definitely not your usual Thai fare.
I've visited twice now and both times the food and service has been exceptional.

I highly recommend the betel leaf with prawn and coconut. The red curry of roasted duck with lychee was incredible and the green papaya salad was the perfect match. Cocktails are also available, my two favourites were the lemongrass sour and the lychee and kaffir lime capriosca.
Next time I'm saving room for dessert as the gelato comes from Gelato Messina as the owner is also a part owner of the famous gelato shop on Victoria St in Darlinghurst.

http://www.muummaam.com.au/

Quay

Happy New Year!
I was taken to Quay this evening for my birthday and what a wonderful experience it was.
Possibly the best dinner I have ever had!
We started with a complimentary amuse bouche of tuna sashimi with cucumber and creme fresh as pictured below.

We decided to go with the four course degustation menu.

My first course was Peter Gilmore's famous sea pearls; sashimi tuna, sea scallop, crab and octopus:

The sea pearls were just incredible, each one was unique in flavour, some of them had edible flowers and one, edible silver foil. The most beautiful course I have ever eaten.
My second course were the sea scallops with organic pink turnips, radish, oloroso caramel and society garlic flowers.

The scallops were melt in the mouth fresh and the crispy texture of the vegetables complimented them so well.
I had the mushrooms for my third course with white asparagus in consomme with shavings of black truffle.
Wow, what a delicious and hearty dish. A dream dish for vegetarians. Not that I am one, but this kind of dish is so amazing, you forget that there is no meat involved. The decadent lashings of truffle on top just add to the superb flavour.

For dessert, how could we go past Peter Gilmore's two signature desserts?
The snow egg and the eight texture chocolate cake.
The snow egg tonight was of the white nectarine variety and was out of this world. The bed of white nectarine granita was so refreshing.

White nectarine icrecream is inside the snow egg and is a delicious surprise when you crack the snow egg open.

The eight texture chocolate cake is a chocoholics dream cake. It comprises of chocolate mousse, chocolate, caramel and vanilla ganache, chocolate and hazelnut dacquoise, cake base, praline discs, chocolate caramel cream and a dark chocolate top disc plus a hot chocolate sauce poured over the top at the table. Divine!

We finished with Campos coffee and petit fours.

What an incredible dinner, with faultless service in a beautiful setting.

If they awarded four chefs hats, I think Quay would win them hands down.

http://www.quay.com.au/

Christmas Madness

I've been in a foodie whirlwind this last week and revisited two of my favourite restaurants, District Dining and later in the week House.

This was my third visit to District Dining and it just keeps getting better and better. Great service and delicious food. The prawn spring rolls that are new on the menu are possibly the lightest and yummiest I have ever eaten.The food is interesting, has something for everyone and is beautifully presented.

I can say the same for House. This is the sister restaurant to Spice I Am. House food is loaded with chilli and really does pack a punch. Their use of lemongrass, chilli and coriander adds such a depth of flavour to the dishes. But be prepared, the food is hot, super charged chilli hot. Don't forget to save room for their divine toasted brioche dessert with pandan icecream and palm sugar syrup, sublime.

I was invited to a Christmas lunch at Le Pelican on Bourke St, Surry Hills during the week.
It was packed on a weekday lunchtime and I can understand why as the food is beautiful.
I had seared scallops to start followed by flathead pie with a soubise sauce. My dessert was an incredibly light mango souffle with yoghurt ice cream. I wish all lunch breaks were this good!

http://lepelican.com.au/about/