11th September 2012
Having head into the city for a work meeting, i decided to try a new restaurant that made it into the guide this year (Score of 14) before heading out to Vic Gardens to watch Expendables 2 with some friends. So with a friend who worked in the city in tow, i headed to the waste land of South Wharf to try Akachochin.
Located on the South Wharf Promenade in a converted shed, along with some other restaurants, it is a new area of the city that hasn't really caught on as a place to go out except for people staying at the Hilton or at the convention centre. High ceilings, wooden floors and marble counter tops at the sushi bar where i was seated and a busy vibrant atmosphere greeted me. (was very busy due to the food and wine convention at the exhibition centre next door and several people were turned away. Would probably be nowhere near as busy on a normal Tuesday.)
Billed as an izakaya, or Japanese tapas restaurant, with smaller dishes offering a wide variety of choice and the ability to try more of the extensive 7 page menu. However to start with i was offered a one page beer and wine list as well as a list of Sakes (there is no wine list for this restaurant due to its desire to stay true to traditional Japanese style - however the sharing house list from next door can be requested).
I went with a beer and ended up with a Kirin Larger in a can imported from Japan. Along with the beer came a free appetiser of Asian vegetables in a sesame sauce. Very decent and good fresh clean flavours.
I started with an initial dish of fish chips. Thin crisp sheets of fish (consistency of prawn crackers) with a decent fish flavour and topped off with liberal helping of salt and AO nori. Very good and definitely addictive and left u wanting more.
I however resisted and moved on to the next course of Quail Karaage to Manju which consisted of quail cooked 3 ways. The first was a slow cooked quail egg with a delicious yolk centre and perfectly cooked. The second was quail breast braised and had a beautiful coating and great flavour. The third was a potato croquette filled with minced quail. Served extremely hot (i may have burnt the roof of my mouth) but had a soft crisp outer casing, soft potato inside and excellent quail mince inside. Excellent.
The next up was chicken wing dumpling. A deep fried chicken wing with a dumpling ball attached to the end and deep fried and stuffed with chicken mince and herb and spices. Also served a smidgen too hot but very good flavours and textures. I especially enjoyed the crispy batter on the wing and dumpling.
The final dish was a yakimono dish of Wagyu beef, thinly slices and perfectly cooked with a slightly pink inside and slightly charred on the outside with a spicy teriyaki sauce that was beautiful and perfectly balance with the meat. A simple but wonderfully executed dish.
After deciding on whether i would bother with a Japanese desert (or go somewhere else), i decided to give desert a go. I settled on a Black Sesame Panna Cotta with green tea ice cream, red bean paste and slice strawberries. The flavours worked well but just wasn't for me and added into my dislike of Japanese deserts.
Overall the night was good. Efficient and speedy service and a menu designed for speed and a snacky dinner rather than a long languishing dinner extravaganza, it was decent food with a few rough edges. The cost was well under $100 and service was decent if somewhat brash at some stages. Good for a quick nice meal but not Hat worthy.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Easy Tiger
24th August 2012
Before heading out to my brother's second EP launch (Panoptics - check them out) i decided to have a late dinner nearby. Given the gig was on Johnson street i had a range of restaurants available to visit including an old favourite in Cutler & Co. but decided on a newly crowned hat restaurant (2013 Hat winners were announced on the 27th August) in Easy Tiger.
Located on Smith Street just up from the busy corner with Gertrude Street, the restaurant was a modern but cool and relaxed fit out with both large shared tables, individual small tables and an outdoor patio area out the back.
Having arrived early at 830 for my late 845 booking i was told my table was not ready and shown to the outdoor area. Wooden tables, chairs and waiting benches, i was seated and offered an palate cleanser of subtle green tea. Fresh, hot and subtle it worked well.
They also offered me the drinks list and food menu to peruse while i waited. After a couple minutes they returned and they suggested i have some taro chips with chili salt whilst i waited and that a lager would go well to accompany them. Obviously some great minds work at Easy Tiger cos i was thinking the same thing. I went with a large Singha beer. The taro chips had a good hit of chili, were crisp and delicious and very addictive. I went back for seconds after being shown to my seat inside.
I was seated inside near the front at a low table with leather couches and candlelight. Having looked online before leaving and having looked at the menu whilst waiting i had already decided on my dishes when the wait staff came around but let the waiter tell me about the specials and recommendations in case he swayed me from my original choices. I decided on 2 small snack dishes, one main with a side and desert.
The first snack was a double serve (2) of Ma Hor. A mixture of prawn, pork and chicken mince combined with peanuts and cooked in palm sugar and then rested on a small disk of watermelon. Perfect execution, great balance of flavours with the meaty and nutty flavours balanced by the fresh sweet watermelon. A winner and a great start.
The next snack was a dish of classic Thai fish cakes with sweet chili sauce. Great, bold flavours and a slight kick of chili and were good. Maybe i shouldn't have expected more than what was stated but given the inventiveness of the menu, i was expecting a twist or something extra. But a solid dish.
The next was a main of stir fried duck with snake beans, hand main egg noodles & chili oil. Big bold flavours with a substantial hit of chili it was a superb dish and was perfectly accompanied by a side of big fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I also went with a further side of a 'son in law egg'. Runny yolk in the centre of a slightly crisp outside batter. Excellent side dish and well cooked.
To accompany the main course i went with a moorooduc estate pinot gris which was ok but nothing special but was reasonably priced and part of a smaller (2 page) but intriguing wine, beer and cocktail list.
I then went on to desert and the desert that first attracted me to going to this restaurant. The waitress didn't even need to hand me the menu as i had known for months if i went to Easy Tiger, this would be my desert. The desert was the chocolate and pandanus dumplings, melon and salted coconut cream. The dumplings were green in colour and great in flavour and filled with a rich decadent dark chocolate. There was also small round melon balls and a layer of coconut cream that had only a slight salting. The dumplings were the standout and i would have preferred more of these than the melon but only because the chocolate was so good. Excellent dish and due to a slight delay (the waitress didn't immediately put the order in but corrected it before i noticed the time delay or even thought that it was delayed) this dish was give for free.
Definitely worthy of the hat that was recently bestowed and loved the style and atmosphere of the place. Amazing food, excellent friendly service and very decent value (snacks, 2 entrees, main and side and desert with a giant beer and a glass of wine for well under $100 - although the desert was free and would have pushed it close to $100). Would definitely go back with a group of friends to show off a very cool, hip and quality restaurant.
Before heading out to my brother's second EP launch (Panoptics - check them out) i decided to have a late dinner nearby. Given the gig was on Johnson street i had a range of restaurants available to visit including an old favourite in Cutler & Co. but decided on a newly crowned hat restaurant (2013 Hat winners were announced on the 27th August) in Easy Tiger.
Located on Smith Street just up from the busy corner with Gertrude Street, the restaurant was a modern but cool and relaxed fit out with both large shared tables, individual small tables and an outdoor patio area out the back.
Having arrived early at 830 for my late 845 booking i was told my table was not ready and shown to the outdoor area. Wooden tables, chairs and waiting benches, i was seated and offered an palate cleanser of subtle green tea. Fresh, hot and subtle it worked well.
They also offered me the drinks list and food menu to peruse while i waited. After a couple minutes they returned and they suggested i have some taro chips with chili salt whilst i waited and that a lager would go well to accompany them. Obviously some great minds work at Easy Tiger cos i was thinking the same thing. I went with a large Singha beer. The taro chips had a good hit of chili, were crisp and delicious and very addictive. I went back for seconds after being shown to my seat inside.
I was seated inside near the front at a low table with leather couches and candlelight. Having looked online before leaving and having looked at the menu whilst waiting i had already decided on my dishes when the wait staff came around but let the waiter tell me about the specials and recommendations in case he swayed me from my original choices. I decided on 2 small snack dishes, one main with a side and desert.
The first snack was a double serve (2) of Ma Hor. A mixture of prawn, pork and chicken mince combined with peanuts and cooked in palm sugar and then rested on a small disk of watermelon. Perfect execution, great balance of flavours with the meaty and nutty flavours balanced by the fresh sweet watermelon. A winner and a great start.
The next snack was a dish of classic Thai fish cakes with sweet chili sauce. Great, bold flavours and a slight kick of chili and were good. Maybe i shouldn't have expected more than what was stated but given the inventiveness of the menu, i was expecting a twist or something extra. But a solid dish.
The next was a main of stir fried duck with snake beans, hand main egg noodles & chili oil. Big bold flavours with a substantial hit of chili it was a superb dish and was perfectly accompanied by a side of big fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I also went with a further side of a 'son in law egg'. Runny yolk in the centre of a slightly crisp outside batter. Excellent side dish and well cooked.
To accompany the main course i went with a moorooduc estate pinot gris which was ok but nothing special but was reasonably priced and part of a smaller (2 page) but intriguing wine, beer and cocktail list.
I then went on to desert and the desert that first attracted me to going to this restaurant. The waitress didn't even need to hand me the menu as i had known for months if i went to Easy Tiger, this would be my desert. The desert was the chocolate and pandanus dumplings, melon and salted coconut cream. The dumplings were green in colour and great in flavour and filled with a rich decadent dark chocolate. There was also small round melon balls and a layer of coconut cream that had only a slight salting. The dumplings were the standout and i would have preferred more of these than the melon but only because the chocolate was so good. Excellent dish and due to a slight delay (the waitress didn't immediately put the order in but corrected it before i noticed the time delay or even thought that it was delayed) this dish was give for free.
Definitely worthy of the hat that was recently bestowed and loved the style and atmosphere of the place. Amazing food, excellent friendly service and very decent value (snacks, 2 entrees, main and side and desert with a giant beer and a glass of wine for well under $100 - although the desert was free and would have pushed it close to $100). Would definitely go back with a group of friends to show off a very cool, hip and quality restaurant.
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