Sydney Food Diary

Angus Wines

We don't often write about wine, mostly because we consume so much that it would be difficult to document. However, I found both the (they said it couldn't be done) story (from the Wine Estate annual) and product of Angus Wines fascinating enough that I wanted to mention it.

On Hindmarsh Island, "an island in a river by the sea," Susan Angus has built her winery, her way - not heading the many people who said that "it can't be done" and overcoming more than a few obstacles and setbacks.

I'm happy to report that we found the resulting Shiraz spectacular - complex with blackberry and oak, full on the nose and long on the pallate.

Sweet po-ta-ta

We've had a couple of questions about the "orange things" accompanying our croque monsieur in yesterday's grilled cheese post. While acknowledging that they look a bit strange, we assure you that they are very delicious and simple to make sweet potato wedges.

You can make them thusly:
1) Chop a sweet potato (or 2) into slats or wedges (not too thick or they'll take an eternity to cook)
2) Grind together - fennel seed (approx 1 tbsp), cayenne pepper (approx 2 tsp), paprika (approx 1 tsp), salt, pepper in your mortar and pestle
3) Drizzle slats with some good quality olive oil
4) Toss in the spice
5) Bake on about 200 for 40 mins turning once

Playing with the mix of spice and it's balance doubles your pleasure (5 spice is supa-nice).

Spiceblog...

...is a nice (Aussie food) blog.

Fahrenheit 40000

If I lived in the US of A, I'd elevate my kitchen to an orange alert because the search is on for the Greatest Grilled Cheese Sandwich in America, with $40000+ worth of prizes on the line.

I wonder how our project, the reuben from Danks St Depot or even this rather yummy homemade croque monsieur might fare.

Don't miss - "Did you know?" the grilled cheese/teflon fact sheet

Korean?

The spectacular food in Sydney doesn't leave us wanting for much but there are a few boxes we can't seem to tick.

Korean food (which we love) is one such box.

We've found ok(-ish) samples of both the "DIY cook-in-table" variety and the "psuedo-Japanese restaurant with a few Korean offerings" but well below our expectations. We assume that at least one of the Korean spots near Central must be good but don't relish the idea of trying them all to find out. A recent stop into Mukungwa in Glebe (it was in the 2002 GFG) was the proverbial last straw (we'll spare you the painful detail and cut this long story quite short).

...and so now we ask you the dining public of Sydney for help? Anyone know any good Korean restaurants in this town? We know how amazing this simple, nourishing and satisfying cuisine can be (we miss you San) and can't wait to sample some locally. Help us Gnosh-erati.

In the meantime, here is a nice Korean menu from Bon Appetite

Holy Mole

Sometimes, just sometimes, we crave Mexican food and finding it in Sydney is a somewhat daunting proposition. This is part of the reason why we were so happy to find Azteca's in Randwick.

There is however an awful lot more to like about Azteca's. To start with it's a family run business and you are immediately, openly, welcomed to the family. The "charm" of the decor* only adds to the approachable feel (somehow the words ambience and atmospere don't quite work in this sentence). Legend also has it that Jose Cruz (one part of the afforementioned family) is also a mariachi, although we haven't had the pleasure of witnessing this ourselves.

The food is authentic, comforting and filling from the many moles** through enchiladas to the sizzling fajitas.
BYO, dig in and enjoy.

Azteca's is at 140 Avoca Street in Randwick.

* we do find ourselves wishing we could swap some of the old Mexico postcards for photos of Lucha Libre and that we could get them to constantly run Mucha Lucha on the TV on the back wall.

** witness the carnage we inflicted on moles of chorizo, con quesa and bean
before >>> and <<< not long after

Missing ingredients

An interesting panel discussion in this weeks Good Living:

"Sydney is a sensational place to eat yet it lacks some key ingredients that would qualify it as a great food city. The missing elements are staples in Europe - and in other Australian capitals."

Yum cha(s) continued

On the back of a few recommendations, we decided to venture away from our regular yum cha circuit and stop in at East Ocean in Haymarket.

The queue was long, the food quality was average but at least the selection was small.

Our expectations might've been a bit high (it does have a chef's hat in the GFG, but I suppose that'd be based on the fresh seafood at dinner), the over-packed room might've put too much strain on the kitchen and carts but ultimately this was a disappointing experience in a neighborhood with no real shortage of satisfying yum cha yumminess.

Down on Danks Street

Our friend Sonny Day, (formerly of Campos) has just been made head barista at Danks Street Depot so we thought it time to get over our good intentions and scope the place out.

We've heard a lot of good words about this buzzy industrial space and it certainly has lots going for it (not the least of which are it's across the road from Fratelli Fresh and attached to galleries).

We loved our ultra-tasty reuben (served with a side of seeded mustard!) and supreme sardines on toast (featuring some of the tastiest tomatoes we've ever sampled) and we'll definately be back for some creamed eggs with truffle oil and saffron and zucchini risotto.

Darbar, my darling

Nestled in Glebe, In the former Darling Mills (great room), lies Darbar an Indian dressed in white linen and with lofty ambitions.

The space is cavernous but still carries a warmth and a charm that makes it unique and frankly, kinda cool. Because of this and the fact that Darling Mills (which was supposed to be pretty great) closed about a month before we remembered that we wanted to go there, we arrived here with high-hopes (and not-inconsiderable hunger).

We arrived for a late dinner (9pm) to a half-empty restaurant and were refused our request to sit at a table for four against the wall (as we were only two). Undaunted we ordered the special deluxe banquet to get what seemed to be the best sampling of an extensive menu covering the entire subcontinent.

Disappointingly, the food didn't rise too far above the ordinary. The masala dosai although tasty was also pretty skimpy (especially compared with Indian Palace and Nilgiri's among others) and the mixed tandoori meats came out relatively dry and lifeless (especially when compared with the super-duper tandoori sizzler at Flavour of India, just down the street).

Some dishes were proficient and there were some nice details (and as a reheated lunch the leftovers were tops) but overall Darbar doesn't live up to it's promise.

Rating: 11/20

Darbar Fine Indian Cuisine 134a Glebe Point Rd Glebe