Travel Photo of the Month - August 2016

Throwback to fun days in Orlando. 

Enjoyed catching up with a friend at Joe's Crab Shack. Who could pass up a crab pot?

Huge pot of crab, potatoes, corn.  Could not have asked for more, except more time catching up with my friend.

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!

Sushi Tucker @ Neutral Bay

Japanese cuisine has come along way in Sydney, and there are more and more restaurants opening offering anything from handrolls to skewers, fresh sashimi and ramen to more complex dishes, sake tastings and regional spin on classic dishes. Casual to the more fine dining options. Regional Japanese is on the rise in Sydney and everyone is hunting out good food with new flavours.

From the street Sushi Tucker is an unassuming shop front, at first glance you might think it is similar to any other casual diner offering cheap and tasty sushi and handrolls. Once inside, you will see that it is just that, simple, casual yet very friendly and inviting. It's the little touches that make it so quaint.

Sushi Tucker is part of the Yachiyo chain which owns three restaurants and two shops throughout Sydney. Tucker offers rice bowls, and is particularly known for its ‘create your own’ rice and salad bowls, hand rolls and rice sandwiches (the ‘new’ sushi trend). Everyday starts with a visit to the Fish Markets and all produce is prepared at a central kitchen before being distributed amongst the restaurants. Not only are the ingredients fresh and of the highest quality it also means that the same quality is served in the shop and the restaurants.

Take a seat at one of the few small tables and browse the menu that is on the wall behind the counter. The selections are endless with various combinations of your toppings. Recently they have added dumplings to the menu and the steamer can be seen in the front window. Just what you need on a cold night.  

I am informed that the special tonight is the Pork Katsu Curry and that it is very popular. While the pork katsu special is not always on the menu there is always a ‘special’ of the day..

We make a selection with a little bit of assistance from staff who are eager to recommend various dishes.

In the glass fridge/cabinent are a selection of Japanese drinks including green tea. The Iced Lychee Tea has my attention. It’s a sweet style tea with a lovely lychee flavour.

In no time we are presented with a beautiful big bowl of the pork katsu. I am immediately drawn to the large cutlet that is golden brown with crispy panko crumbs and the light gravy of the curry sauce. It smells delicious.

The pork was crispy fried, crunchy and tender (although I am unsure of the cut of pork). The curry sauce was well balanced with a light curry flavour.. I am told that the curry sauce today is made with both fish and chicken stock, chicken and vegetables. There are cubes of potato and carrot in the sauce. At $9.90 this is a large serve.


Two perfectly rolled handrolls appear on a board with a bowl of miso soup (extra). Soy sauce and wasabi are also offered to mix your own sauce. We have chosen a snow crab roll and a scallop roll. The handrolls range between $3 and $4.

Although the snow crab meat is sweet, I find it a very strong crab flavour and I am still unsure whether I like it or not. However it was the scallop handroll that delighted me. The cold creaminess of the raw scallop has a lovely texture.

Tonight I have chosen to create my own rice bowl. Firstly you choose your rice base being white rice, brown rice or sushi rice and then your salad leaf which could be a mixed leaf, a herb mix or cos lettuce.

Secondly, you choose your fresh toppings that include a variety of seafood, including lobster, snow crab, scallop, smoked salmon and eel to name but a few. There is also miso pork, wagyu beef and spicy chicken. There are vegetables and edamame, crunch fried wonton skins and avocado. The beauty of these toppings is that they come in various serving sizes offering a truly unique create your own depending on your appetite. You could opt for a large serve of salmon and a small serve of eel or a medium serve of spicy chicken and you can have as little or as many toppings as you choose (each topping is charged for).  Price range would be between 6.90 and 90 cents. This could ultimately make it a very expensive ‘cheap’ dinner, but a unique and very tasty dish!

Lastly you have a choice of dressings ranging from sesame, teriyaki, wasabi or spicy. I have asked if I could taste a few dressing to see what works best with my choices.

I have chosen small servings overall, which actually gives you a fairly decent size bowl once everything has been added.

My bowl arrives and it’s beautifully presented. So colourful and fresh.

Consisting of sushi rice, mixed salad leaves, fresh tuna, fresh salmon, eel, avocado and crunchy wontons. I also note they have thrown in corn, edamame and some cucumber too. Along side are small bowls of Dynamite sauce, which is a caramelised chilli and soy sauce and packs a good punch of heat. The ‘house’ Yachiyo sauce, a onion soy sauce (which is also my favourite) and the widely popular and well known wasabi mayonnaise.


As a side note, Sushi Tucker is also a member of Washoku Lovers and offers a great member set deal. It’s free to become a member (and you can join here). I was lucky to be there when a member was ordering a Washoku Lovers set and I asked if I could take a photo of her meal. Here she has chosen the chicken teriyaki rice sandwich, smoked salmon rice paper roll and dumplings, along with miso soup and a salad. This is definitely a bargain at $10.

A very enjoyable casual dinner spot in Neutral Bay. A suburb north of the bridge and one I need to
explore more.



*roofood dined as a guest of Yachiyo and SD Marketing

It's a Goa !

Whilst living in Dubai (back in 2009), after a crazy, stress filled, horrible day I booked a few days away to Goa. Why not? This little getaway was no budget holiday. I had booked into the 5 * TajExotica and I knew I was in for a treat.

I arrived into Goa at 4am and was meet by a transfer, which whizzed through the narrow lanes of Goa at an alarming speeding, dodging late night traffic and cows lazing on the road! I was certain that one of the sacred cows wouldn't make it to morning.....I am staying just outside of Candolim, next door to Fort Aguada (which is another Taj Hotel built into the Fort).

 

This is my villa.

 

 

 

Up far to early after a 4am arrival, a buffet breakfast in the open air overlooking the Arabian sea made up for it...although I can't tell you what I had...from memory (and it's a long way back) there were eggs, dosai and dhal, along with western breakfast staples.

 

 

Next I was haggling for a taxi to take me over to Anjuna Markets (only held on a Wednesday)....a hippie style markets that began way back when the hippies were flogging their wares to make some money for another week in Goa, or to move on to somewhere new. 

 

The market is awash with colourful fabrics, flashy jewellery, locals trying to grab your attention to come to their stall and further into the markets you happened upon westerners who are hanging out in Goa (or living there for so many months of the year) selling some funky jewellery or clothes. There were drumming stalls, hammocks and colourful fabric lanterns, Nepalese and Tibetan handicrafts, plenty of sarong and pashmina stalls, leather goods, silver jewellery, nik naks and junk! Local men dressed in traditional garb wandering around playing a trumpet with a cow all dressed up in colourful materials and bells..


choose your tea leaf.....

 

 

colourful markets under the palm trees

 

Needing a break from the humidity and heat of the sun, I sat in a little beach shack and quenched my thirst with a cold Kingfisher beer, the first of many over the course of the next 4 days. I watched as local woman, balancing huge baskets of fresh fruit on their heads, wandered the beach selling the fruit (or if you ask for a photo of them , money), and the cows on the beach....

 

 

It was getting far to hot and crowded so headed back towards Candolim for a late lunch and a few cold beers. I find a little restaurant that was serving freshly grilled promfret recheado. Recheado comes from the Portuguese cuisine and is a blend of Indian spices vinegar and is stuffed inside and also covers the fish.

It's delicious. The pomfret is flaky and moist and soft. I didn't need the chips.

The hotel is a haven of tranquillity and lush gardens. It's very quiet and great to kick back after a day of hustle and bustle of Goa and I spend the rest of the day in this.

 

 

 

 

I stayed in for dinner at the Taj Exotica at their open air restaurant, replete with a full moon and mosquitos. thankfully I had a mosquito coil under the table at my ankles. Sunset cocktails overlooking the Arabian sea was the way to start the evening.

 

 

Goa is famous for their fresh seafood and I took full advantage of this during my visit.  I start with tandoor prawns with oregano seeds.

The plump, tender prawns are full of sea flavour and the pop of the oregano seeds adds a texture and a strong oregano taste as they pop in your mouth.

 

For main I couldn't pass up on the rock lobster. Steamed and served whole...it's the best way to enjoy shellfish. The meat is sweet and tender and super delicious.

The following day I had booked a private driver for a full day of sightseeing. I met my man Vinay at the gate of the hotel and headed 2.5 hours to the National Park border to meet up with a 4WD to head up into the National Park and the Dudhsagar Falls, which is on the Eastern border with Karnataka. I purchased some fruit to take to the monkeys, but didn't know once we got to the entrance of the park that we were not allowed to take it in...so into the bag it went until I got to the falls.

We had to ford 3 small rivers/creeks, making sure we held up our bags as the water poured into the floor of the truck! Definitely a bumpy but fun ride.

Hiked into the falls, which appeared very popular but the water was absolutely icy cold! The falls are 603 metres high and the best time to see them are in the monsoon season (but inaccessible) or just after the monsoon season when there is more water!

 

Remember that fruit I purchased?....well I did feed it to the monkeys.  Hundreds of white face monkeys.  So adorable and although wild, clearly happy to interact with humans. One of the baby monkeys took the fruit from me, not taking his eyes of me and then swiped my hand away. So cute. They were adorable and they just amble around the group....they loved peanuts too and at one point one of the monkeys grabbed a bag of nuts off a tourist and gobbled the whole thing down!

 

 

After leaving the National Park my next stop was something I had been wanting to do for a long time and that was bathing with the elephants.  My elephant, Luckme, was waiting for me at a little creek waiting to be scrubbed down. Just as he walked into the water he decided to do a big poo, right where I was going to have to stand. Lovely thought elliepoo squelching . The Mahout (the elephant handler) just picked it up in his bare hands and threw it out of the river...I suppose it is just grass and leaves :)

I waded into the water and started scrubbing him down. He was just kneeling in the water and lapping it up. It was hot, so this was a pampering session for him! 

 

 

Next I then climbed onto the elephant (no mean feat as I was worried I would hurt him) but he was all ok with it.  Once I was straddling him around his neck, he then gave me a shower. Blowing water all over me from his trunk over his back. It was awesome....definitely a highlight of the day.  Elephants are beautiful and graceful beasts.

 

 

Next stop was a spice plantation. A lush forest of spice trees and coconuts. On arrival I was served lunch of Goan foods using the spices found on the plantation but firstly the most important thing to have is a glass of Cashew Feni...the local firewater I reckon...at 50% it definitely has a kick!..

There was a buffet lunch included at the plantation, however I wasn't feeling hungry (*gasp* I'm sure it was the heat and dehydration)...so I just zoned in on a Goan speciality.  Chicken Xacuti with some steamed rice.  The curry is made with shaved coconut, white poppy seeds and chillis.  It was very tasty served with a coconut chutney and poppadoms...it's all I could manage.

 

 

The tour itself was informative as we wandered around through the tourist area of the plantation. The plantation itself is just a jungle where all the spices and trees grow amongst each other, with no specific areas for each spice...no paths. The pickers just amble through the jungle finding what they can....however, for the tourists they have set up a small area with paths for them to access the spices.

Cashews are another product that is famous in the region and loaded down with a kilo of fresh raw cashews I left the plantation behind.

By the time I reached the hotel mid afternoon I was starting to feel a little hungry and definitely thirsty.  So I headed to a local 'restaurant' for this tasty dish.  Called prawn papad...its literally a spicy prawn paste wrapped in papad (which is an Indian flatbread).  Commonly deepfried as I had it, although you can have it roasted or grilled.

After a day out in the sun I decided to stay in and enjoy another night at the hotel.  I headed to the Beach House for a more fine dining experience.

Ironically, the wine menu is lengthy with good international wines, however the only one 'available' this night was an Indian wine.  Let's just say it was one of the worst wines I've tasted and has become that memorable because of it!

The menu on the other hand is favourable with many local dishes (jazzed up) and finding it hard to choose. In the end I choose the crab recheado and the prawns in saffron served with garlic naan.

The recheado paste is mixed with the crab and then stuffed into crab shells.  The aroma is thick with Indian spices and the taste buds are having a little party. 

The prawns in saffron are a surprise.  They are creamy and intense curry flavours, however it works with the plump fresh salty prawns.

Who can pass up a fresh bowl of garlic naan.  Crispy and fluffy, like a naan should be and laced with roasted garlic they are perfect to dip into the sauce.

 

Another wonderful day in Goa.

 

My last full day as spent with Vinay, my driver on another adventure into Old Goa town and I joined a river cruise at Divar Ferry Wharf. Along the way, I saw many small boats dredging the river....hard work as it is all down manually....under the hot sun, a man would use a very long pole with a bucket on the end and skim the bed until the bucket was full, then haul it up and dump the silt onto the floor of the boat....until the boat was full, then they would go to shore, filling baskets of silt and hauling that onto their head before carting it off the boat and onto awaiting trucks to transport the silt to who knows where....hard gruelling long day's work....

 

Boating through the mangroves was peaceful even though we were on the hunt to spot the sea water crocodiles (apparently they only eat fish!). The crocodiles are protected and some grow to over 3.5/4 metres long....and apparently have never killed anyone.

 

 

 

A morning of peaceful river cruising and a couple of hours in the old town we headed back to Candolim, where I asked Vinay (my driver) out for lunch...the least I could do after two days of adventure....but on one condition, he took me to a good local goan restaurant...proper Goan food, none of this touristy tamed down food.... and it was great.

 

 We ate red snapper in a rich sticky masala sauce, kingfish fillets fried in breadcrumbs which was delicious and a fish curry sauce (for my papads (or poppadums) as I couldn't eat the rice). It was a dusty little restaurant overlooking the narrow road leading out of Candolim (far from the tourist trail) and I loved it....It was a Goan feast of fish curry, red snapper masala, kingfish fillets, dahl, rice and papadoms...washed down with Kingfisher beer. 

 

 

The total cost for both of us......US$10

I spent a lazy afternoon by the pool relaxing before venturing down the road for some dinner at a great little restaurant set in the terrace gardens of the house...It's called the Stone House and it was a lush little haven!

They also had a singer taking requests for the diners....the mozzies were out in full force, but a mozzie coil did a good job when placed at my feet under the table!
Getting my last dose of good (cheap) seafood I had the special kingfish and vegetable kebabs and a Goan vegetble curry.

Lastly, a night at the markets of some last minute shopping and enjoyment of Goa.  I met this lovely Karnataka lady selling her wares.  I just love the jewelry and dress of the local woman.  So colourful and vibrant!

 

Goa offered such a great amount of culture, delicious food, friendly people and a wonderful place for a respite.

* All photos are copyrighted to Roofood Blog