Sydney Food Diary

Jamón Jamón

Seems like such a short time ago when we were excitedly telling you how we were to thrilled to find decent prosciutto. And now we find that available right here in Sydney nothing short of genuine (imported) Jamón ibérico - the most prized cured ham in the world.

Jamón ibérico is only exported in very small amounts from it's native Spain and is made from the cerdo negro or black iberico pig which feed on bellota acorns in the South and South West of the country.

But happily the first commercial shipment ever has found it's way here and it's beginning to find it's way onto menus at top spots such as Rockpool and Marque (and even more happily, to our table!).

With a little nudge in the right direction from Gourmet Traveller we went to Terry Wright's Gourmet Meats in Randwick to procure a taste over the past weekend.

It was steep, we paid a touch over $30 for a touch over 100gms but an incredible treat. Eaten with the fingers naturally.

Speaking in Gourmet Traveller, Mark Best describes Jamón ibérico this way:

"It has some of the attributes of foie gras - not the taste but the intensity...I've had this brand Joselito before - they have it at Ducasse and Robuchon in Paris - and it makes prosciutto look like soccerball ham."

Pino's Prosciutto

To start things off we'd like to share one of our new favorite things in Sydney - the wonderful Bangalow Sweet Pork prosciutto at Pino's Meats in Kogarah.

It was over two years ago now (!?) that we first wrote how much we miss the availability of decent prosciutto and now we're happy to say that we've found some that completely obliterates anything else we've tried on this island. (which on the most part mostly resembles salted shoeleather)

In addition Pino Tomini Foresti also makes delicious Bangalow Sweet Pork salami and house made sausages - including incredible truffle sausages that have to be sampled to be believed - for your next decadent breakfast.

Pino's Meats 45 President Avenue, Kogarah, 9587 4818.

The World's Most Luxurious Ice Cream

Ice cream has had some unexpected, fascinating and occasionally surprising incarnations on the menus of our top restaurants in the last few years, from Heston Blumenthal's (now well on it's way to legendary) smoked bacon and egg ice cream to some great Sam Mason inventions at WD50 to well, seemingly everywhere you look these days.

Heck, we've even given experimental ice cream our own go, whirling together five spice and date, white peach and butter fried rosemary and other, less successful combinations which we'll spare ourselves the indignity of sharing.

Our favorite of this ilk, however has always been Tetsuya's surprisingly wonderfully blue cheese ice cream with pear and Sauternes jelly. So when we were asked to create an award for the Independent Food Festival Awards our minds did a natural little wander towards this wonderful creation (though we weren't sure what we would call it).

Ramping up for our award and upon revisiting Tetsuya's though, we were at least slightly deflated to find that the it had gone from the menu (at least for the moment, we did manage to wiggle our way into a new panacotta version of the aforementioned dish, as consolation, but that is another story).

In it's place on Tet's always entertaining tastebud-rollercoaster was something very special, something so deliciously, perfectly, cleverly, and gently balanced and at the same time very luxurious.... And it is to this dish that we humbly bestow the award of the World's Most Luxurious Ice Cream.

White truffle ice cream with white bean and fig sets a new benchmark for soul-filling umami but also comes off the palette surprisingly light and refreshing. Naturally it's also luxurious (which in this sense is a nice word for decadent) in ingredient, fusing white truffle with thick cream and egg.

Sign us up for at least a tub.

Our thanks to Hillel from Taste Everything for the opportunity to present this award and for organizing the Annual Independent Food Festival Awards

Sizzlin'

Thanks to Dan, his generously thoughtful nature and outstanding memory (see comments) our Mini is smelling and looking at least 400% more delicious.

The smell for the curious is most definately bacon, strong enough to get tasty wafts but not strong enough to lure stray animals out of the alleyway.

Quest for the best - revisited

We returned to this post from so long ago about our quest for the best pizza (which is more than a little different than the recent pizza quest on A Current Affair) and since the time it was written we've sampled the good the bad and the ugly of Sydney's pizza pie world. There are really some great samples to uncover La Disfida (above), Pizza Mario at Republic(original article pic), Grappa, Pompei's and we still like Bar Reggio and Napoli in Bocca.

For home delivery we most often choose Crust but mostly because it's is nearby enough that it's always hot.

We've also heard good things about both Balmain's Il Casale and Rosso Pomodoro (who also do pizza making classes).

But we're also still open to more suggestions. (coal fired pizza anyone?)

Sadly, none of the above are Grimaldi's (but what else is really?)

On the side

We found it hard to imagine a brunch spot which could rival the Danks St duo (Cafe Sopra and Danks St. Depot) and the temptation of Strangers with Candy, but mere blocks away, in Darlington, within the instant reach of so many suburbs is A Little on the Side.

Great coffee and a short but stylish menu is all this sunny, quiet corner tucked just off Cleveland St needs to start any brunch-ers day off right.

We chose the corn fritter, stacked high with bacon and a superb avacado salsa-come-salad (pictured) and a fluffy open omlette of chorizo and olive - both were more than we needed (but not more than we could eat).

We'd keep this spot to ourselves, but it too good not to share.

A Little on the Side corner of Boundary St and Ivy Ln, Darlington

Best of 2004

Without fanfare and with more than a little drool, here is our Top 10 favorite best dishes for the year 2004. They aren't in any specific order but only because that would be too painful and we aren't really qualified anyhow...

Quay - Quail Ravioli with black lip abalone in quail broth
FishFace - steamed fish in curry coconut broth
Flying Fish - seared tuna with pork crackle and pink grapefruit
Yoshii - Triple layers of blue swimmer crab, scallop and green pea mousse
Danks St Depot - Reuben Sandwich
Moog Wine and Food - confit lamb in vine leaf with harissa
Than Binh - Hanoi Fish
Zenith on Booth- smoked mozzerella and sultanas wrapped in veal
Perama - Crisp fried whitebait with Ouzo mayo
Quay - cinnamon-spiced pressed duck

And here are a few bonus favorites in specialty categories....

Brekkie: Cafe Sopra - Fritatta of asparagus, pecorino and chanterelles
Pizza: Grappa
Dessert: Bills 2 - Chocolate Pudding
Pie: The Welcome Hotel - beef and Murphy's pie

Dinner at Yoshii

Semi-Speechless.

Pics: Yes, Yes?!, Yes!, Oh Yes.
Menus: Saqura Course, Yoshii Course.

MmmMalaya

We've name dropped the Malaya several times but have never really given it the attention it deserves. A recently satisfied craving set us straight.

We think they have the best salt and pepper squid in town (no small claim) as well as mouth-watering beef rendang and superb prawn curry (from their original 1963 recipe).

creme de la creme

Have I mentioned lately just how good Campos is?