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.

Mezza Train @ Mascot

 

 

Mezza Train at Mascot has caught my eye. When you first think 'train' you think sushi which is not a new concept, however serve little plates of other cuisine and it opens up a whole new world! Mezza is perfect for this!

 

 

 

At Mezza Train there are two options to order.  Straight off the train that chugs past you or for something hot and fresh off the grill you can choose from the menu which is cooked to order.

 

 

Perched on our comfy stools my eyes are darting along the train to see what was dished up. The first thing I notice is the sizable individual servings of pita, both fresh and crispy, for dipping.

 

 

 

 

We start with a fresh dish of shanklish with diced tomato.  Shanklish is an Arabic cow or sheep cheese that is aged and dried cheese.  typically rolled in zaatar or thyme and depending on age can vary to a soft mild flavour to a more robust, pungent flavour.  This one is crumbly and flavourful.

 

 

Baba Ghannouj.  Smoky and creamy.  Perfect with crispy pita to scoop it up with.

 

  

 
 
 

 

Something a little different to try.  Arnabeet.  This is fried cauliflower with tartour.

 

Off the menu we order fresh falafel.  The pickles are good too!

 

 

Sambousek.  Fresh out of the oil, these pastries are filled with minced beef with onions

 

 

 

Love a good kebbeh and these do not disappoint.

 

So many dishes to taste!  The restaurant also has a lovely bar so a glass of nice wine is a treat to have with your mezza.

 

 

Onto more dishes.  The labne with olives is tangy and creamy

The haloumi stack with watermelon, basil and mint was a surprise.  The salty haloumi paired with the sweet watermelon and a hint of herbs made this dish stand out.
 

There are a few options for shish kebabs, which are grilled to order .

We have the shish tawouk - a marinated cubed chicken breast
 

 

and finally finish with a kebab of Laham Mishwee.  Marinated lamb.

 

There is always room for dessert.  Wanting to finish with something not sweet is a little hard to come by so the Znoud El Sit is perfect.  It is crispy layers of  phillo pastry with creamy ashta filling.  This is an cream that is similar to clotted (or as close as you can get).

 

 

We dined mid week on a very rainy evening and it was very busy.  I can only imagine what it would be like on a weekend!  Great recommendation and one I will return to dine again.

 

 

Banksia Bistro @ Banksia

When news hit that the Banksia Hotel was welcoming a new bistro, my interest perked up. 

Colin Fassnidge has teamed up with Leigh McDivitt of 3 Weeds to bring us Banksia Bistro.  A gastro-style pub that us locals in the South have needed for some time and we are excited!
 

The Bistro is simple, green, leafy and bright!  The feels are about community, comfort, enjoyment and laid back dining.  There is a small play area for the little ones too.

The hotel also has also an area of high top tables in front of the bar area where you can dine and watch your sports as well.

  

The Bistro has been opened a week when we decide to check it out.  We head down early and within 20 minutes the bistro was packed. We were lucky to be seated in a booth that offered the perfect view of the kitchen and the dining area. 

 

 

Although the menu may seem limited at first glance it actually offers some interesting dishes for a pub.  With the likes of chicken liver parfait, crab on toast, ham hock and pigs ear schnitzels for entrees amongst the more regular pub grub comforts including chicken schnitzel, Irish stew, corned beef, and a burger you are in for a great meal.  The chefs' philosophy of nose-to-tail dining is definitely showing through on this menu!

 

 But tonight we focus on the mains. We cannot pass on the beer battered market fish with chips and the house made buttermilk chicken schnitzel with chips.

Although the kitchen is getting very busy as more people are arriving we were surprised how fast our meals arrive. 

We decided to share our dishes (you know for maximum tasting purposes).

The beer battered fish is crispy, light and the fish was juicy and meaty.  The house made tartare was awesome.

The chips are perfect to. They are chunky, hot, crispy, crunchy with fluffy middles.

Slicing through the huge buttermilk chicken schnitzel was as easy as slicing through butter. Super juicy and tender with a herby crunchy panko bread coating was delightful.  The coleslaw is crunchy, chunky and not swimming in dressing which is great!

My only negative was with the price of the beverages at the hotel (this is not the Bistro). There seems to be a big difference between beer and wine. Standard tap beer is normal bar prices but glasses of wine started at $9 (note that they do serve Artisan/boutique beer that cost more), which I thought was a little on the expensive side for the area. Just saying.....

 

That will not stop me returning for a meal.  I am looking forward to spending more time at the Banksia Bistro.   Next time the pigs ear schnitzel and crab on toast will be a must!

They have done a stellar job at updating an refurbishing a weary looking hotel and us locals are very happy to have Colin and Leigh in the area!!!

 

 

 

 

Belfield on Botany @ Rosebery

Checking out Belfield on Botany at Rosebery has been on a list of burger wants for quite some time and I was a very happy person after visiting in October last year.

  

There are 10 burgers on offer along with sides and milkshakes.  Simply and easy.....

 

 

 

 The Boy opts for the mouth drooling B.W.A.  A double patty, double cheese, streaky bacon, onion rings and hot sauce burger that is dripping with excitement.  It's a winner.  He is a big fan!

 

 

 

The sides on offer include tater tots, sweet potato wedges, crinkle cut chips and deep fried mushrooms.

 

What do we go for?

 

A bucket of tater tots are the perfect accompaniment to a good juicy burger.

 

 

The deep fried mushrooms just took my dining experience to a whole other level.  These were amazing (and I really mean that).  I think these have just become my new favourite side dish! 

 

Plump, juicy mushrooms coated with an awesome crumb coating and deep fried to golden perfection.  Oh yum! 

 

 

I went with the Pork burger.  A unique concoction of a peanut butter pork patty, kimchi, green apple and mayo.  It was so gooooooood. 

 

 

 

We loved our burgers here.  we loved the mushrooms and the tater tots.  We loved it! We have been raving about those mushrooms for months and who doesn't love a good crispy, hot tater tot!

 

 

 

 

January 2017 rolls around.  It was our last day of our holidays, before heading back to work and we decided that we needed a burger and headed back for our second visit. We took up an Ompty.com offer for burgers, which are an awesome deal that include, a burger, side and a can of soft drink for $10.

 

The Boy opted for the classic Belfield burger consisting of a beef patty, cheese, rocket and Vegemite mayo.

 

 

 

Of course we couldn't pass up on a serve of tater tots and a serve of the deep fried mushrooms plus a side of crinkle cut chips!

 

 

 

Although the mushrooms were smaller (which got you more in the bucket *wink..wink*) they were still as tasty as ever.  The tater tots are exactly the same awesomeness and the crinkle cut fries are super crunchy and crispy. 

 

This time I went with the Mushroom burger which included a hash brown, rocket and aioli.  I was a little underwhelmed by this burger. 

 

 

Our burgers were 'okay'.  We weren't left drooling like last time.  We loved our mushrooms and tater tots and I love dining in at Belfields.  It was just the burgers didn't live up to the hype that we had on our first visit which left us wondering if it was an off day or things had changed (a few friends have commented lately too) - I hope not. 

 

Another visit is on the cards so we can decide.