Pure South

15th September 2013

After recently being elevated to one Hat status due to a new chef returning to Australia after a stint at a 2 Michelin star restaurant in London and some subtle tweaks to the menu and presentation of dishes, i was keen to try this restaurant again after many years. So on a surprisingly warm Sunday afternoon and after building a decent hunger after a Crossfit class, i headed to Pure South for a relaxing late Sunday afternoon lunch.

After taking a seat outside in the more relaxed casual area (menu was the same for both areas) i was offered an extensive drinks menu and food menu that was broken down into entrée, main, beef and finally desert and cheese. After i had settled in a waitress came around with warm bread fresh from the oven which was crisp on the outside and soft inside and accompanied with very nice butter.

 

After my first choice drink was not available (Moo Brew Czech pilsner) i went with a glass of Stoney Chimney Pinot Gris. A very nice glass of wine.

 

I decided to forgo entree and head straight for main course. After reading about this main in the latest good food guide, i went for the Rabbit saddle served in 2 circular perfectly cooked blocks with a seared and slightly crisp outside on a bed of broad beans and peas with a meaty rabbit jus. It was also served with a separate rabbit Sheppard's pie with moist delicious chunks of rabbit with peas, carrot in a warm delicious gravy and covered with fluffy, creamy mash. Perfect and delicious comfort food and well worthy of the highest praise.  

I asked the waitress whether the above main would be sufficient or whether a side would be needed and this is the only part where i was steered wrongly. The above dish was more than enough especially given the richness of the food. However the side of triple cooked chips where perfectly crisp and delicious but decided not to finish them all.

I would need room for the desert of Chocolate & praline mousse with mandarin gels and a crumble of roast hazelnuts. A rich decadent bar of chocolate mousse with a base of praline base was topped off by candied and fresh mandarin and served with intense blobs of mandarin gel and a pile of toasted hazelnuts.Great flavours matched with quality plating and great technical mastery showed off a desert and chef at the top of its game.

Quality high end comfort food and excellent surroundings and service, probably the only quibble was due to being on Southbank the prices were on the more expensive side ($35 mains $18 deserts) but that did not detract from a very enjoyable lunch.

Mamasita

8th September 2013

After Crossfit and then shopping in the early afternoon and before a basketball game at MSAC in the evening, I had some time to kill. Rather than head home for a short time before heading back out again I decided to stay and try a restaurant that i had been waiting to try since it opened, Mamasita.

Always packed when i have been past before, the 430 pm on a Sunday time seemed as likely as any to provide me with the opportunity to try it out without having to queue for an hour or more for a table. I still decided to go despite reports of it being overrated and better less crowded Mexican restaurants around.

However i decided to push ahead (also limited options on a Sunday at 430 pm) and see if it is worth the hype and queues. After heading up the narrow stairs to an interesting mix of dining room with some nice features but a dodgy school dining room floor.

After being seated at the window with views out to the street, i was served by friendly staff who were quick to refill water and offer other drinks. A decent drinks menu offered a variety of options but I settled on a simple Pacifico beer.

The menu was also reasonably extensive and offered a variety of different ways to go representing its sharing philosophy. As it was just me i decided just to try some smaller items and therefore experience a little bit of everything it had to offer.

The first 2 dishes came out together with one being a single serve of Ceviche de Yucatan served in a shot glass and filled with market fish, green tomato, chili, mint, lime and coconut milk. Good fish with nice flavours and contrast of the milk and sharp lime.
The next was a Fish Taco with a very fresh mix of grilled fish, lime, red onion salsa and chipotle mayo. Good fresh flavours and hint of spice and sharp lime provided a good mix. However were no better than tacos from Paco's Tacos (although they were about the same price).

After a slight break the next dish was my favourite dish and was a crusty rolled filled with pulled pork, pickled onion and refried beans. Served on a big plate that was "drowned" in a spicy tomato sauce. Good flavours and bold mix it was very good.

This was served with a side of Sauteed sweet corn marinated in chili & lime. I mixed this with the above dish and was great flavours if a little too much lime. However generous bowl of sweetcorn and worked well.

I had heard about a desert that involved a Sweetcorn ice cream so i thought i would try this out and see if it worked. Served in a normal cone filled with Sweetcorn ice cream and topped with caramel and popcorn. The caramel and popcorn consisted of a few kernels on top that were gone within the first bite and while nice added little to the whole dish. The Sweetcorn ice cream was actually a little blander than i anticipated and was a little underwhelming. It was nice but nothing exciting or boundary pushing.

Overall the flavours and dishes were good if nothing boundary pushing or amazing and the service was decent (however it was on a relaxed low key Sunday afternoon - I would imagine it would be different when packed) and a quality drink list. It was a decent meal that was worth a trip given my experience just not worth waiting for or the hype surrounding the place. Much better restaurants, both Mexican and non-Mexican that you don't have to wait for.

Longrain

29th August 2013

After missing out of having lunch with either parent at Momofuku, my father was down in Melbourne for a job interview for a couple of days and me and James decided to catch up with him for dinner. At the demands of James we were forced to go for something with a little spice and after heading along Flinders Lane to see a number of the restaurants packed, I suggested we head to Longrain as I had wanted to go back for a while now and also it filled the criteria of spice.

After walking for a while we were hungry by the time we got to Longrain and were happy that they had space and were lead to the end of the long communal tables in the dining room. Having been there before I took the lead with ordering but we each choose a dish and shared along with the Thai Jasmine rice.

First out was my dish that I insisted on and one that I had previously, the Filled eggnet with pork, prawns, peanut, caramelised coconut and a side of cucumber relish. Lots of flavours and generous size it remains a favourite and is a must for me whenever i go to Longrain.

The 2 other dishes were served together with the rice. The first was a slow cooked duck with crisp ginger, mint and Thai basil. Well cooked duck with zingy full flavours with a hint of spice. Excellent dish.

The final dish was a red curry of sliced beef and kifler potatoes. This again was more tingling rather than full spicy but was well cooked and full of flavour.

After a look at the desert menu we decided again any desert which is a disappointment of Thai cuisine that the deserts are not usually to my taste. We therefore just finished with the 3 mains shared between 3 people but the portion size was substantial enough to leave us relatively full. Decent prices (food was about $100), good service and a cool vibe to go along with the flavour packed food meant that it was well worth a return visit.

Momofuku

20th July 2013

After months of discussions and many attempts to book a spot at the new and exciting 3 Hat restaurant spot in Sydney, they finally expanded their booking policy to 20 days and I was able to snag a lunchtime booking for 2 people at Momofuku.

Unfortunately the booking for 2 people eventually became one, as first my mother, who birthday present this was got sick, forcing my father to change the flights to him, only for Virgin to cancel both his Friday night flight and his replacement Saturday morning flight meaning he would have been unable to get to Sydney until 4pm which left a very tired and angry man stuck in Brisbane unable to join me for lunch.

At least Momofuku were considerate as they waived the cancellation fee they normally charge for last minute cancellations. So what started as a birthday lunch for my mum ended with me having a lunch on my own. With the initial disappointment of not getting to share this experience with anyone, I was ploughed ahead and was rewarded with a magical lunch.

Located in 'The Star' casino opposite Zumbo (which I may have stopped in to pick up some cakes to take home), the restaurant was spacious and would have been a chef's dream with a large open kitchen. The view from my seat at the bar stools along the kitchen edge provided an excellent view of the chefs at work in separate neat stations. The decor and vibe of the place was nothing if not cool, hip and ultra modern with hip hop and urban beats pumping from the speakers.

I was given an encyclopedic drinks list with a variety of different drinks including wine, from around the world, sake and cocktails. No food menu given the degustation only approach but the drinks offered more than enough choice for today. If I hadn't been alone I may have been tempted by the matching drinks which matched not only wines but the full range of alcoholic options. There was also a juice pairing. As it was lunch time the lunch menu is supposed to consist of 8 courses ($110) with a lunch beverage pairing ($75) or Juice Pairing ($40).

I decided to just have a glass of Pinot Gris ($22) that was a substantial glass and excellent.

Whilst the lunch was supposed to be only 8 courses it evolved into 10 course + petit fours extravaganza. Despite the 10 courses, they were delivered in rapid succession so that you didn't feel that you had been eating for half the day and had time for other activities (although not so fast that you felt rushed and hurried).

The first course was a spectacular opening that set the tone for the delicate, thoughtful, intricate but full flavoured approach that maintained a constant theme for the whole meal. The first course was a smoked potato purée encased in a crisp cylinder shell with an apple gel and apple snow. Wonderful flavours, textures and quality of dish.

The next dish was one of the signature dishes that David Chang bought across from his other restaurants, Steamed Bun filled with Pork Belly.A fluffy steamed bun filled with delicious and perfectly cooked pork belly served with cucumber, hoisin and a bottle of Sriracha sauce (chili).

Following was the first of the Trumpeter courses (and the first I thought to take a photo of). Sashimi of striped trumpeter with slivers of pickled celery and mustard oil. Well balanced flavours, top quality sashimi and a quality dish.

The next dish was a mix of sweet and savoury with confit potato, fried parson's nose (the fatty part of the tail of a chicken), quondong (native Australian fruit which was sweet and tart) and watercress.

The next dish was one of my favourites with a eel dashi (jelly that was delicious), baby octopus hidden underneath and radishes topped off with almond flakes. The eel dashi was full of flavour and an interesting texture and the octopus was perfectly cooked.

The next was an amazing dish that rivalled the previous for favourite status. A slow cooked poach egg yolk (which was cooked whole and individually removed the shell and any trace of white), which spice and fried cauliflower and covered with a generous helpings of black truffle. The egg was superb - rich and full of flavour and complemented by the spiced cauliflower and nutty black truffle.

The next dish was the second version  of trumpeter. A fillet cooked well and with crisp skin combined with a squid ink purée and shaved fennel and dill. A more subtle dish compared to some of the big flavour dishes previously but no less superb.

The next and final savoury dish was a slab of pork neck with marinated squash, kombu and thin slices of eggplant. It was served with the hunting knife showed below and the meat needed a little bit extra. The combo and flavours were good and pork neck was excellent.

We now move onto the sweet dishes with first being a bridge between desert and savoury with a cheese course. However rather than the normal cheese and accompaniments on a plate or board this was in the form of a dollop of soft goats curd with intense blackcurrant syrup and mint oil and topped off with some toasted sweet crumbs. The flavours of the blackcurrant and mint were very intense but offset the goats curd well (although were a little overpowering). The best part were the toasted crumbs.

The last official course of the dinner was slices of pear with a delicious honey cream, muntries (native Australian fruit) and toasted milk crumb. The milk crumb was amazing as was the honey cream. The pear was good and the dish worked extremely well as a whole. Not too sweet but a good balance of flavours, textures and contrasting elements.

We finished with Petit fours just before the bill arrived to sweeten you up. A superb salted caramel with a little pepper on top and a Canele which was extremely crisp on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. A perfect finish to a wonderful meal. However I was a little disappointed to get to try to caramelised pork shoulder than had previously been the signature and much talked about Petit four.

For the quality, intricacy and thought put into every dish the final price of $132 offered very decent value with service that was on point and efficient without feeling rushed. With cutlery changes required for each dish this was a smoothly run team but they were never unavailable to discuss wines or general discussion.(I did cancel an additional wine due to the speed of dishes and its slight delay). Amazing food and a cool vibe and the cheapest 3 Hat experiences in Australia I would be more than happy to head back. If only someone will be able to make it to join me the next time.