Hulu at King St Wharf

 

A feast at Hulu

 

My first impression on arrival is a well set restaurant overlooking Darling Harbour and lovely King St Wharf views.  Situated along Lime Street and King St Wharf Hulu sits in the shadow of Barangaroo.  It is in a perfect location for the business lunch, the after work crowd and the social weekend crowd.  It would work for a date night too!

 

My second impression is a modern menu with a classic cocktail list.  We are a party of six food bloggers tonight. We are excited to taste the menu.  I start with a classic caprioska with kiwi fruit.  It's is a refreshing way to start the evening.  The kiwi fruit adds a different dimension to the drink.

 

 

Caprioska with kiwi fruit

 

As a group we go with a varied selection of the menu and end up with a feast to write about!  The menu offers a great selection of dumplings to begin the meal.   

 

Mixed appetiser

 

We begin with an appetiser that includes a prawn and honeydew melon salad, chili chicken, pickled carrot and daikon and spinach in sesame sauce.

 

Next up we start with dumplings.  Actually where do I start.  There are many to taste!

The pan fried mushroom dumplings are earthy and delicate in the thick chewy dumpling wrapper. 

Pan fried mushroom dumplings

 

The deep fried lamb dumplings looked delicious. The dumpling casing is thicker and doughier than I expected but the filling is meaty and delicate.   Next up was the Hulu signature cheese and prawn dumplings. I was intrigued by this combination of filling and was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

                         Deep fried lamb dumplings                               signature Crispy Cheese and Prawn Dumplings

 

The uniquely hand made Nemo dumplings have fast become a menu favourite (and most photographed menu item) and are not only fun to eat but are delicious too!  The prawn and pork dumplings were lovely and light.

 

 

Nemo dumplings                                                     Prawn and pork dumplings

 

Homemade tofu is a menu item you don't see very often in a restaurant.  This was fabulous and one of my favourite dishes.  The slab of tofu is silken and creamy and delicate but holds the sauce of the enoki mushroom really well.  Definitely a winner for me.   

 

 

Homemade tofu and mushrooms in egg white sauce

The lobster congee was like any good congee but superior with chunks of lobster meat.    A delicious comforting dish.

Lobster congee

 

A twist on an old classic looks enticing.  Sweet and Sour Pork on ICE. Yes on ice.  It is said that the ice cubes keep the crispy coating even crispier.   The pork was tender and the coating was crisp and being cold was an interesting spin on the dish.

 

Sweet and Sour Pork on Ice

A half smoked duck in jasmine tea is fragrant and crispy.  It is portioned and served on an unusual serving dish which adds to the excitement of it.  Crispy skin and great flavoured duck with a hint of smoky tea, thankfully it is not overpowering the richness of the duck. Yum.

Smoked duck in Jasmine tea

 

The next dish didn't appear on the menu. It's prawns in a citrus sauce and was light and refreshing.

Prawns in citrus

Yangzhou fried rice accompanies the feast. 

Yangzhou fried rice

We are in awe when the final savoury dish of the night arrives at the table.  The signature slow cooked pork belly is wrapped in leaves and slowed cooked.  Once unwrapped (at the table) it is sauced and served.

 

This was incredible.  The pork belly is melt in your mouth, sticky, chewy and all the great things that go with this cut of pork.

Signature slow cooked pork belly

 

To finish off this fine feast I try a piece of the osmanthus cake (which is anything but 'cake')  more like a jelly this is flavoured with chrysanthemum and is light and delicate.

 

Osmanthus cake

To finish of the meal I was excited to eat the deep fried ice cream (which is my weakness). Served at table side, the deep fried ball of ice cream is encase in a dome of white chocolate. A warm chocolate sauce is then poured over the top to melt the dome and mix into a warm chocolate sauce. The bread coating is the perfect coating to vanilla ice cream.

 

Deep Fried Ice Cream

*Roofood dined as a guest of Hulu at King St Wharf and Red Productions.  All opinions are expressly Roo's. Thanks for the invitation.

The Mill @ Echuca

Last week found me driving around the State of Victoria for two friends weddings.  That's right two weddings in the space of 5 days.

One of the weddings was on the Murray River in the twin towns of Echuca Moama on the NSW/Victoria border.  The historic town of Echuca is situated on the Murray River and the Campaspe River and the Old Port of Echuca takes you back to the early days. 

There are quite a few good dining options in Echuca and I found myself at The Mill for Happy Hour between 4-6pm on a Wednesday night.  This bar is in the old flour mill.  High ceilings, rustic old brick warehouse meets industrial concrete.

 

As I am dining solo I was lucky enough to have the Chef prepare me the Chefs Share plates for one (usually for two people).  Grabbed myself a lovely glass of white to enjoy while I waited. 

 

Sitting near a window and enjoying the warmth of the later afternoon sun streaming through and looking at these gorgeous prints of Audrey Hepburn.

 

The Mill is a very laid back, casual comfy cool place to hangout!

The feasting begins!

The first dish to arrive is a small plate of creamy hommus topped with a crunchy dukkah. The pita bread wedges are light and fluffy with crispy edges.

Next up was a wedge of Greek Kefalograviera cheese topped with barberries, pine nuts and mint. This was salty and squeaky and delicious.

The third dish was a lovely piece of delicate poached salmon shakshuka. Glazed in a mild Middle Eastern style tomato sauce and a dollop of smoked vanilla labne.  This dish was delicious.  the smoked vanilla in the labne was gorgeous!

Next up was a crispy Vietnamese springroll filled with a very tasty chicken and prawn filling with a Vietnamese dressing.  Sadly I forgot to take a photo of this!  I really enjoy a good springroll and these were up there!

By the next plate, and another glass of wine down, I am struggling but solider through. The next dish a Thai BBQ satay skewer. The chicken is charred but tender and the peanut sauce hugs it like some love. It’s delicious.

I end the meal with a lovely little 3 grain salad, topped with yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. I only take taste a couple of tablespoons. Although lovely I am at my limit.

 

If you are ever in the area, I can highly recommend a visit to The Mill. The Chef has designed a versatile and unique menu in this town and it packs global flavours.

Of course, Happy Hour is one of the best deals around!

 

 The Mill
2-8 Nish St
Echuca
www.themillechuca.com

Chiosco by Ormeggio @ The Spit

Being whisked over to Mosman for a team Christmas lunch is always welcomed and most definitely appreciated. It is a glorious sunny December day (amid some bad weather days) to dine alfresco on the jetty overlooking the marina and Middle Harbour at Chiosco by Ormeggio, the more casual dining restaurant sister to Ormeggio (just on the other side of the jetty). The concept is Italian Trattoria and it's modern, fresh and judging by other diners good portion sizes!

 

 

Enjoying a glass of bubbles and admiring the view we peruse our menu for today and we are all excited about what is about to be served.

 

 

There are 15 people dining with us today so we have the Chefs Sharing Feast.
 

We start with some Pane. Fresh from the Ormeggio bakery the organic sourdough has a wonderful thick crust and fluffy dough. The bread is served simply with extra virgin olive oil.

 

 

The Burrata is served broken into creamy mozza chunks scattered on the plate with crispy kale, capers and crispy organic sourdough crumbs.  Each dish serves 3-4 people on the table.

Boxes (and I do mean boxes) of Fritto misto arrive next. School prawns and baby calamari coated in a semolina batter and deep fried to a crunchy mass of deliciousness. Served with a tangy lemon mayo. This was definitely my favourite of the day.

 

The Baccala fritters are moreish. The creamy potato centres were fluffy and the salted cod hinted of salt. topped with a creamy herb mayo this were good little bites.

A bowl of mussels arrive that are sauteed in a garlic, chilli and tomato sauce served with garlic bread. The mussels are plump and delicious.  The bread was soggy as it had soaked up a lot of the sauce.

 

Next up, Gnocchi with a pork cheeks, peas and a pea puree arrived.   The gnocchi were pillowy soft and the pork cheek was rich and had a depth of flavour that was surprising. Fresh peas are delicious!  this was topped with crispy strips of bacon.

 

A platter of the Gamerboni, Pollo alla Diavola and Corn arrived.

 

The plate consisted of grilled split king prawns with a lovely chilli and lemon dressing, free range chicken with chilli, rosemary and grilled lemon and cobs of corn dusted with paprika and pecorino.

The chicken was spicy and crispy and very tender and juicy.

 The grilled king prawns were fabulous and easy to eat as they were already split. The char on them gave them a great flavour.

I think the corn speaks for itself. Corn with spice and cheese is always a winner in my books.

 

We finished the meal off with a box of Bombolone and Cannolo. Some may have had coffee, I continued with bubbles.

The bombolone are donut balls filled with nutella and dusted in sugar. These are addictive! 

The Cannolo is filled with sweet ricotta. The shell is on the softer side but the sweet filling is light.

Chiosco has a great wine selection but it is also BYO (which we did as it was easier for us). As you can see I took a bottle with me on the boat.

We finished the afternoon off on the boat cruising around Middle Harbour and around through the heads before being dropped off at Darling Harbour. Bubbles on board and good banter amongst colleagues topped off a perfect afternoon!

Yayoi Teishoku @ The Galleries, Town Hall

The recently opened Yayoi Teishoku in The Galleries has seen an influx in diners since it opened its doors in August.  

 

The new concept store promised individual ipads to order, a seasonal a la carte menu which also included a teishoku menu, which is your meal as a set menu which includes miso and rice and vegetables or Japanese pickles called “tsukemono”. 

 

We arrived early to beat the crowd (and lucky we did, because within 10 minutes it was getting busy).

 

There are many dishes and combinations to be had and I have a difficult time choosing but we narrow it down.

 

I decide on the Nasu Miso & Saba Shio-Yaki teishoku.  This comes with two dishes in a set meal, offering more to taste! Eggplant with slithers of pork in a miso sauce and a a fillet of the salt-grilled mackerel. 

 

 

 

 

My eyes may have bulged a little when the large tray arrived laden with lots of little dishes offering something delicious.

 

From mid left (clockwise) we have the eggplant with pork in miso.  Chunks of tender eggplant are coated in a sweet miso with tender slithers of pork.  The salt-grill mackerel is lovely.  the fillet is overcooked slightly but that does not deter us from the flavour of the salt that sets off the natural oiliness of the fish.  It's delicious. 

 

There is also a spinach salad with sesame dressing, a bowl of miso soup, a small dish of marinated shallots and a bowl of Kinme rice.  Kinme is a type of rice used by Yayoi that has more health benefits than normal white rice.

 

I really enjoy my Teishoku.

 

My lovely friend Mr G, is dining with me this evening and goes with his stock standard Salmon Teriyaki Teishoku. 

 

It's a good set.

 

Large, meaty chunks of tender salmon with a sweet teriyaki glaze. 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I am too full to event attempt dessert, but make a note that on next visit I am going to do double dessert with the Matcha ice cream and the Matcha Warabi Mochi that looks divine!

 

Definitely a stop to make for a meal, just remember to go early to beat the queue.

 

  

 

Sushi Train @ Neutral Bay

 

 

Many (many, many) moons ago I took my very first bite of a sushi roll. I was intrigued by this handheld snack and instantly fell in love with the little parcels of rice and teriyaki chicken, cucumber and avocado wrapped in nori sheets, doused in wasabi and soy and a slither of lurid pink pickled ginger on the side. Yes, back in those days, and I am talking a good couple of decades ago, chicken teriyaki was one of the first sushi rolls to pass my lips. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I was eating raw tuna and salmon rolls and moving onto sashimi, amongst other tasty morsels. My palate has certainly come an extremely long way since those days of chicken teriyaki rolls.

I am by far no sushi expert. Yes I have had my fair share of sushi and sashimi. I have had varying degrees of quality and quantity both here in Australia and internationally. Of course, like most, I have my favourite(s).

As with many ‘franchised’ restaurants I admittedly (and most ashamedly) have always had this pre-conceived notion that Sushi Train (which is also one of the originals to open in Australia) was a simple, casual sushi train serving plates of average sushi on mass to the public.

HOW WRONG WAS I!  

We arrived at Sushi Train in Neutral Bay at 6.30pm on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was bustling. I was blown away about how inviting and warm the restaurant felt. Friendly staff welcomed us into the restaurant and seated us at a booth near the rear or the restaurant offering us a full view of the room. The room has warm and friendly, with dark panelling, soft lighting, counter seating and booths which are beautifully set around a central preparation/kitchen area where you can watch the chefs.

Ken, chef and owner introduces himself and has carefully prepared a dish of salmon aburi to start our meal. This dish is off menu and has been specially prepared for us. Salmon aburi is cross between half grilled and half raw. Usually found atop nigiri, this is ‘deconstructed’ with lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, lemon slices, fried garlic and salmon roe. This is a lovely light dish and I love how the fat pearls of salmon roe ‘pop’ in the mouth with a subtle fishy brine flavour.

 

 

Sushi Train drinks menu includes a selection of good wines along with a small selection of sake.  It's also noted that BYO is available.  It doesn't matter how many times I have tried, Sake is unfortunately one drink that I have never quiet enjoyed.  However, when Ippin is recommended, to be served cold, I decide on one last ditch effort  The Ippin is described as medium body rich taste.  We have also ordered the Bishonen, that has a dry and sharp finish (for comparison and research purposes). As a side note, if you are a member of Washuko Lovers, bring your card along and you will receive a complimentary sake.  If you aren't a member head on over and join up (it's free). 

 

 

 

It is Japanese custom to pour drinks for others and never your own and a sure fire way to drink far to much.  Although the Bishonen was exactly how I imagined it would be and one I am not partial to, the Ippin is a game changer!  I really enjoyed this (but it must be cold).

 

Getting down to the food.  Sushi Train offers a more diverse and certainly more modern sushi compared to other restaurants.  Sure there is plump and filling sushi and sashimi making it’s way around on the conveyor however, the menu offers an a la carte offering of nigiri, handrolls, ‘ships‘ reminiscent of an Izakaya vibe.

It's refreshing to see something a little different and exciting.  It wasn't until after dinner that we realised the only dish that we actually took from the train was Edamame.  These were crispy, cold and good.

 

 

The remaining dishes were ordered al la carte.  I did noticed the selection of sauces on offer.  Obviously wasabi was, along with big packets of pickled natural ginger (not pink here) and also packets of teriyaki sauce and kewpie mayonnaise (on the right hand side).  Condiments  I have never seen elsewhere.  I also noted the above average number of packets of ginger my friend was enjoying!  It was good.

 

The menu is broken down into types of dishes.  Here we have the Seaweed and Tofu salad with sesame dressing.  Firm cubes of tofu next to a big mound of seaweed. I felt healthy eating it plus the sesame dressing was lovely.

 

Agedashi Eggplant is a generous bowl.  Tender pieces of eggplant are swimming in a light dashi broth.  I like it a lot...although my friend would preferred it a little saltier. 

 

 

A selection of nigri follows.  There are some delicious options.  We start we Ika Sugata nigiri which is a raw whole baby squid.  This is creamy and tender.

 

 

Always a fan of grilled Hotate nigiri, which is more commonly known as grilled scallop.  Hotate is my go to nigiri and this one is awesome. 

 

 

 

Topped with fresh shallots too it's the perfect bite.

 

 

 

 

A salmon volcano ship is next up.  This is aburi salmon wrapped around a ball of rice topped with a mixture of cream cheese and mayonnaise and salmon roe.  Slightly charred  this was delicious!

 

It is the duck nigiri that surprises us.  Not your traditional choice of sushi, this duck had a jerky likeness to it.  Fatty and delicious with a sweet soy sauce and the mayonnaise.  This was a winner!

 

The tiger roll is a huge serve.  Ebi tempura (or fried prawn) rolled in sushi rice, nori and topped with avocado, mayonnaise and more tempura crumbs with a miso sauce.

The contrast of crispy fried tempura batter and the creaminess of the avocado was a great texture wrapped around a yummy fried prawn.

We end our meal with a tuna nigiri (only because we hadn't had tuna at all this evening and tuna is a benchmark for me).  This was melt in your mouth and perfect (but probably should be a starter not an end to the meal).

 

 

Sushi Train offers a blend of typical, traditional sushi to the more modern dishes and depending on your appetite will fit any budget.  We were overall extremely pleased with out dining experience, as for my friend it was second time ever to do a sushi train and know that I may just have enticed her to go again!

Thanks for a great evening.  I know I will be returning to a Sushi Train soon!

 

*Roofood dined as a guest of Sushi Train Neutral Bay and SD Marketing

Sushi Train
306-308 Military Road
(Neutral Bay) Cremorne, Sydney
www.sushitrain.com.au