18th February 2012
With a busy and tiring morning of errands, house auctions (no i didn't buy any), followed by a 12km run around the tan i felt like i deserved a treat for lunch. Having finished the run at about 330 the majority of the nice restaurants i had in mind were closed so i went back to an old favourite and one of the first restaurants i completed for the list, Cumulus Inc.
Conveniently open from lunch right through to close after dinner service, it was still reasonably full and bustling even at 4pm. Having been rushing around all morning i was very hungry but skipped any of the entrees and charcuterie and went straight for the main course. Also to cool me down and refresh me from my run i went with a glass of Truman pilsner - an excellent beer for a warm, sunny day.
I went with the main course of duck, cooked to a pink perfection and sliced and resting on a bed of toasted grains, lentils and blobs of a plum puree. Quality produce and a focus on healthy foods and a mix of textures was good but there may have been too many grains and not enough duck for me. However the taste was great even if it didn't wow.
I then went for a desert of malt parfait, spelt crumbs, soft chocolate and a raisin sauce. The soft chocolate (a chefs and my favourite) was outstanding and work well with the malt parfait which was also superb and the crumb s and sauce both added a boost to the flavour and texture. Very, very good dish.
Having now been here a few times, i am running out of things to choose off the reasonably small menu but everything i have tried so far was been of an great quality and stuck true to the goal the restaurant to provide quality, reasonably healthy food in a fun and hip environment. The cost was not cheap but decent value and well worth a visit or two.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Chin Chin
28th January 2012
After a morning of house hunting in Middle Park and in the city, i was hungry and decided to try to go to one of the restaurants on my list for this year - Chin Chin. Having heard it was frequently busy and that getting a table straight away was very rare, i was surprised when i was given a choice of a table or a seat up at the bar or at the food preparation station.
Located in a funky hip converted warehouse and with a loud, hip vibe. After taking a seat i was offered a decent drink list which i choose a Bohemian Pilsner.
The food menu was written on one page and was broken down into several sections including smaller bites, salads, grill and deserts (and several others). Being lunch and i was not massively hungry i decided to have one of the smaller bites and a salad.
The first was the Chin Chin "Roll Ups". Consisting of moist but meaty red braised suckling pork pieces with some crackling thrown in. Served with very thin pancakes and a substantial salad of bean sprouts, herbs and chili it was full of flavour and surprisingly filling.
The second course was a steamed spanner crab and chicken salad with green mango, chili and coconut dressing. Excellent flavours and a real punch of flavour it was quality food.
The cool vibe and the style of food and the sharing concept of the food reminded me of going to Golden Fields and even the 2 dishes i chose were quite similar to two of the ones i had at Golden Fields. The quality was also very similar and was well worth heading back to.
After a morning of house hunting in Middle Park and in the city, i was hungry and decided to try to go to one of the restaurants on my list for this year - Chin Chin. Having heard it was frequently busy and that getting a table straight away was very rare, i was surprised when i was given a choice of a table or a seat up at the bar or at the food preparation station.
Located in a funky hip converted warehouse and with a loud, hip vibe. After taking a seat i was offered a decent drink list which i choose a Bohemian Pilsner.
The food menu was written on one page and was broken down into several sections including smaller bites, salads, grill and deserts (and several others). Being lunch and i was not massively hungry i decided to have one of the smaller bites and a salad.
The first was the Chin Chin "Roll Ups". Consisting of moist but meaty red braised suckling pork pieces with some crackling thrown in. Served with very thin pancakes and a substantial salad of bean sprouts, herbs and chili it was full of flavour and surprisingly filling.
The second course was a steamed spanner crab and chicken salad with green mango, chili and coconut dressing. Excellent flavours and a real punch of flavour it was quality food.
The cool vibe and the style of food and the sharing concept of the food reminded me of going to Golden Fields and even the 2 dishes i chose were quite similar to two of the ones i had at Golden Fields. The quality was also very similar and was well worth heading back to.
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