Passion Tree Cafe Chatswood NSW

I have been drawn in different directions from the feedback I get from friends on this Passion Tree Cafe.   We can agree on Zumbo, Christopher The, Pishon and Messina, but I get two waves of strong opinions about this Korean set up above Chatswood rail station.

One, it has desserts that you would come back for, purposefully, and not just because you by chance happen to be near by and need to kill some time off waiting or checking the smart phone.

Two, some things are not what they make you expect to be and some are rather pricey for what  you get.  The coffee is so so and not comparable with those dished out by hipster bearded guys at rustic looking dug outs across the Sydney landscape.

Peanut bread with honey butter, cakes, chocolate Fondue, macaroons, cheesecakes and Tortes all served here seem to have no issues with my foodie mates. 

Two particular servings are at dispute in my network.

Patbingsoo  - is it more of the quality of fruit offered, rather than in the making and serving of the whole dish?   This comes with rock melon, pineapple or another fruit with more sharp and confronting flavours.  This ice shaved dessert has a cousin in Ais Kacang in south-east Asia.  Are the flavours not intense enough, or not in harmony, with some ingredients tasting more heavy when eaten with the delicate ones?  Is the problem with the granularity of the ice shave?  Beans and condensed milk are the usual stuff that you find in Patbingsoo as well.

Pancakes, whether Matcha or Taiwanese or Korean - are they not at the right texture, taste and flavour?   The basic things in pancakes are eggs, milk and butter, but I reckon the debate with my mates is whether there is sufficient flavour drawn out from  them.  I realise delicate things do create problems and are not that easy in pleasing every one.

One thing I am firm in my opinion about is the extent to which the Passion Tree Cafe takes  in making things pretty looking.  It is not just those colourful desserts, mainly from fruity inspirations, but also in the clean white interiors, the spaciousness and high ceilings, the white painted chairs and in those same designed chairs hanging from the ceiling.  The surrounding impression of white background - just perhaps reminding me of K-Pop music videos at times - can bring out better the contrasting colours of the cafe's menu offerings.

On a lazy Sunday arvo, there were many youngsters flowing out from the tuition centres ala Chatswood  - and added to that there were school kids from performances in the nearby Concourse.    Several were obviously multi-tasking - doing homework, dating, keeping up with social media and in cyberspace.  As it was a nippy day, many were in better looking clothes, not as sloppy when it is summer in Sydney.  

To me, the ambiance is tropical, East Asian and fruity.   Passion Tree hails from Queensland.   

Intense red from those carved out watermelon balls seems to jump out of some one's order or floating intensely as the wait staff carries it on a tray.     Then it is the drizzle effect with the presentation  - the lines or dots can surround a stack,  a centre piece or around a yummy thing.  And one more thing coming here.....the more people the better, to share in the many delights.  Kids and teenagers especially will appreciate this place.







The Passion Tree Cafe is located at T67, 436 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood Interchange in Chatswood NSW.   
Opening hours are from 1130am to 1000pm every day, with last orders taken by 930pm.


My impressions of the Passion Tree Cafe in Chatswood NSW:
Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5

Customer Engagement: 3.5 out of 5
Culinary Delight: 3 out of 5
X Factor:  3 out of 5
Overall:   13/4 out of 5 



Recommended Menu choices:
Honey bread.
Salted caramel popcorn on waffles.
Chocolate Fondue.
Macaroons.

 

Mado Cafe - Auburn, NSW

Turkish coffee is intense and aromatic, a manifestation of how the coffee beans were transformed  in the so called Old World. Those who are first initiated into this ritual expect something unknown.  There is not much interference by sugar nor dilution by milk.  One goes embracing the purity and integrity of what coffee drinking is actually like, and how it all began. The Ottoman Empire transversed both East and West, embraced cosmopolitan practices, was enriched by many demographics but had food traditions that are still unique.

To enter such a world, and sample a variety of the special cooking that was centred in the Middle East, my cousin Lin and her hubby Joe organised for a group of us to try the Mado Cafe. The cafe has a visible location along Auburn Road and was recommended by her close friend from Iran. So each of us had expectations, but also missing gaps in what we were going to experience.  We wanted more authenticity, less modification and true atmosphere. I have tried Lebanese cuisine but not totally Turkish. My stereotyping perspective of grains, beans, nuts and spices set my tone and mindset.  It was a bright Saturday in early spring (picture above) but I was also concerned how the pastes and ingredients in unique Anatolian cooking could agree with my stomach.

True to my expectations, Momma breads, pide and dips , along with flavourful steamed pilav rice, first welcomed us at our table.  Indian rotis and Turkish breads, they seem logically connected, via geography, trading routes and historical connections.  I find the dips lively and standing up in taste, with the colours reflecting the freshness of the ingredients. Baba ghanush has eggplants, cacik has dried cucumber and the rather well known humous provdes chickpea and tahini as its main inspiration.  Tahini paste is made from ground and hulled sesame seeds.

I am one who checks the dessert offerings at a restaurant before the mains, often furtively.  It may be a bad habit, or a strategic one, to help me choose just the right serving of the  main dish and allow room for the stuff to sweeten up the meal.  I saw the pomegranate seed laden with other stewed fruit concoction above on my way to the booked table. However, I was also captivated by the efforts of Mado to place representatives of their cultural heritage in various corners, like in the image below.  Fereidoun Hassan Zadeh directs the running of this rather spacious restaurant, with the help of attentive and eager staff.  For our lunchtime visit, we sat at the front, but there were several dimly lit corners of seating far back, with my imagination running wild and suggesting sessions of enjoying the Turkish water pipe, and more.

Yes, I did mention desserts earlier and there is a very good reason.  If you do not take anything else, you must try the Mado cafe for its signature ice cream - the dondurma.  At this stage, I realise that there is  well known Mado Cafe in Istanbul itself.  (186 Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul Beyoğlu, Turkey).  Pistacchio and mastik flavours are worth a sampling. I enjoyed a special experience in Mado in Auburn with the Maras inspired ice cream slice serving seen above - I had to use a knife and fork to cut through the hard texture, beautifully welcoming with yogurt and sahlep orchird tuber aromas.  I am told that the dondurma is sold by the metre back in Turkey!  The Mado chain back in its homeland is very popular, and there are many overseas outlets, including those in Malaysia, South Korea, Cyprus and Hong Kong.  Picture below provides a display of burnt rice pudding or the Kazandibi.

I could  not help pointing out the shoes hanging on the wall to my fellow lunchers Al and Lucy. (photo above) I enjoyed the simple but light salad mix of tasty tomato cuts and cucumber slices  mixed with Mado's special sauce. (picture below)  Two main dishes caught my eye - the Ali Nazik, lamb mince bathing in a a gravy of eggplant strips and yogurt, all garnished by parsley; and the Maras kebab, with sauteed Turkish bread cubes, more minced lamb with vegetables and yogurt. The province of Maras is located inland in south-eastern Turkey.  Oh yes, my stomach was most agreeable with what we had at the Mado.

Mochi Sweets, Gardens Mall - Kuala Lumpur

Premium Japanese, carefully and elegantly presented.  Mochis are bite-sized sweet and savoury snacks that can contain fillings like peanut, mango yogurt, bean paste, chocolate, coffee and green tea.   The outer dough is made of pounded glutinous rice and one cannot re-freeze those lovely little balls after dethawing them - there will be an impact on taste.  Ideally, mochis should be eaten as soon as possible on the day of obtaining them.  I noticed them at a cutely set up stall at the Gardens Mall in Kuala Lumpur.  In Japan, they are consumed on festive occasions like the New Year - and has a dedicated festival named after them, the Mochitsuke.

The Mochi Sweets business I saw is a franchise from Hong Kong. To me, their appeal here looks like the equivalent of the penchant for macarons in Australia. There is even a cherry blossom flavour at Mochi Sweets - yes, they are called Sakuras! A daifuku is a specific type of mochi moulded in round shape and containing sweet tasting bean fillings only.

 

For the uninitiated, there may be a valid concern that once a mochi gets into the mouth, there is a risk that it may just become one blubbery and sticky ball.  Not to worry, this does not happen.  It is best to have them with green or smoked tea.

 

Mochi Sweets are also available at  the Tokyo Street Market on the 6th floor of the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur CBD, and at One Utama and Sunway Pyramid in the Klang Valley of Selangor State.  Mochis are cousins to the mua chis from Fujian Province in China..  Mua chis (or in Mandarin, ma shu)  started as street food with only peanut fillings - and it is interesting that they now can be sold in an upmarket form for as much as four Malaysian Ringgit.

St Ives, Sydney - Lunch Time

The apple crumble, pictured above, provided a fitting finale to a well made home meal hosted by Jennifer, cooked with the heart, infused with experienced care and devotion and utilising so many ingredients.  Crumbles have been a British and Irish institution, especially since the end of Wolrd War 2 and can be made with other fruits like plum, kiwi fruits, coconut, rhubarb, blackberries and peaches.  An even more interesting choice is for the toppings, whether they are broken biscuits, almonds, rolled oats or breakfast cereals.  Brown sugar is usually utilised to caramelise the toppings.

I was more than happy to have the crumble without any ice cream or cream.

Prawn slices pork rib cuts, vermicelli noodles and deep fried shallots are served in a stock soup above, in the classic Fujian dish, har mee.  The amount of prawn shells that goes into making an outstanding soup must be seen to be believed. The shells are pounded, stir cooked on the wok and then refined to be infused into the main stock.  The five of us at St Ives that arvo had an engaging time participating in conversation - Cheryl was visiting from Penang, An Qi came up from her Sydney University campus and both Janie and Jennifer has returned from a few weeks in south-western Europe.

The kueh seri muka has a layer of sumptious coconut milky topping over a pandanus flavoured glutinious rice base. (as photographed above)  Jennifer's version is yummy gulping, with gentle textures that are not overbearing on your palate. Vanilla bean paste can also be utilised instead of pandanus flavours. 

I reproduce the recipe from My Kitchen.blogspot.com website (all copyrights acknowledged):

Ingredients (8" x 8" tin):

Bottom Layer
250g Glutinous Rice, soaked for 4 hours and drained
170ml Thin Coconut Milk
¼ tsp Salt
Top Layer
2  Eggs
150g Castor Sugar
120ml Pandan Water (Blend about 10 pandan leaves with 120ml water)
400ml Coconut Milk
120g All-purpose Flour
3 tbsp Tapioca Flour
¼ tsp salt

Methods:

1. Bottom Layer: Steam glutinous rice with coconut milk and salt for 30 minutes. Rest for about 10 minutes, then transfer and press steamed rice onto a bottom of a 8" square pan.
2. Top Layer: Beat eggs with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add in pandan water, coconut milk, salt and green colouring. Mix well.
3. Sift in flours and whisk till well combined. Strain the mixture and rest for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture in the pan with pressed glutinous rice (1) and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes.
5. Cool completely before serving.

Vietnamese-styled drip coffee is served in a contraption unique in shape, inspired by the French and made practical by Indo-Chinese ingenuity.  Janie arranged the delightful process as seen in the photo above, and the taste was a strong combination of a dark brew served with stirred condensed milk. In this instance, I did not have the iced version (cafe da), which is popular in the several ASEAN nations, as the climate is equatorial.  In  St Ives that Saturday, we were well in the throes of an Australian east coast winter.  I was told that the French introduced coffeee to Vietnam and that now many of their youngsters are drinking Starbucks but still have a penchant for their local flavours.   Yes, the metal drip filter (that reminds me of a miniature hat) you see above can be small in size,  but does the trick.

The Sababa in Newtown, Sydney

Penang Street Foods - A Sampling

With names like poh pniah, lam mee, chee chong fun, tom yam mee and more, the labels on the variety of street food on the island of Penang, Malaysia can be simply bewildering. Above, the food court in New World Park, along Burmah Road in Georgetown. The variety available is astounding - and even if servings can be relatively small in the perception of the Australian, American or British visitor, the price asked for is only a fraction of what is required back in the Western countries. The dishes are an evolving result of the fusion of different cooking styles, traditions and ingredients - when they all meet up on the island. The trick is not to over indulge, go for the widest choices and take a break of at least three hours before starting to snack again. Most of these dishes come served with various sauces and condiments to enhance the experience.

Deep fried yellow-striped scad (above), or black pomfret, with the insides stuffed with spicy mixes, are a feature of Malay and Straits Chinese based family cooking. The fish are rubbed with yellow ground tumeric, a dash of salt and given a light batter of flour before they go into a thoroughly cleaned and oil heated wok. The idea is to turn over the fish only once for a perfect finish. Another marinade choice is tamarind juice.

Such prepared fish are normally eaten with nasi lemak, the coconut milk flavoured savoury steamed white rice that are a favourite at breakfast time.

Ice kacang, what more can be said (above). On a humid, sweating afternoon, the ice shavings are soaked with syrup, accompanied by nuts, beans, fruit slices, mashed corn, black jelly bits and palm sago - whatever you fancy, really! Then you have a choice to top up with the ice cream flavour of your preference, over all this heaving and delicious cooling stuff. Who cares if it is thirty degrees Celsius outside?

Kaya spread is put over the Straits Chinese glutinous rice cakes (above, also known as pulut tai tai) slightly coloured by the aqueous extract of the vivid blue telang flower. (Clitoria ternatea ).

For a quick snack, try the "carrot cake" (below), which is not a cake at all, but a quick stir fried concoction of radish based cubes, bean sprouts and omelette eggs, best eaten hot with a dash of pepper.

A satisfying entree is the shrimp fritters, doused with hot chili sauce and complemented by cooling cucumber slices (above). Dough with fillings are prepared in a hot boiling pot (below) to result in sesame seed crunchy and crispy snack balls (last picture in this write-up).

A delicate stew of the Fujian inspired sweet and savoury peanut soup (above).

For a quick reference, poh pniah (meaning "thin biscuit") are Fujian based cylindrical shaped spring rolls that have fresh and cooked ingredients wrapped inside the delicate skins - firm soya bean cake strips, small cooked prawns, crab meat, julieanned cucumber, shallots, sliced green French beans, cooked belly pork bits, chopped carrot cubes and the necessary item of bangkwang ( yambean ).

Lam mee are braised yellow noodles traditionally served to mark key birthdays, with garnishings of crab meat, pink dyed omelette egg strips, chicken strips and a really rich stock of a gravy.

Chee chong fun can be peculiar to Penang and normally are available at yum cha restaurants or cafes - and they are flat rice rolls served without nothing more than a few tasty sauces. Their Hong Kong cousins have fillings inside and doused only with a light marinade.

Tom yam mee comes from Thailand, where the prawn and shrimp paste are utilised to flavour noodles, not just in soups but also come stir fried.

Another Weekend Too

Mee rebus in Chatswood (above)

Note: Due to some unresolved technical issues, the following blog posting, from a past year, has suddenly decided to re-park itself as a 16 March 2011 entry.




Fresh bean sprouts are mixed with other crunchy and sweet vegetables. These are next poured on to a plate and mixed with a zesty sauce that provides savoury touches of chilli, lime drops and potato smoothness. The key ingredients are the shrimp fritters, small enough to bite into and optimally crispy to provide a contrast from the vegetable bites. This South Indian inspired mix, often referred to as rojak, appears in different forms throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Thai vermicelli salad,also dished up by Susan and Boo Ann,was lighter in outlook, with mint leaves, pineapple cuts and the compulsory chili bits. Here the overall effect can be more outrageous, as the sourness combines with the peppery heat - and there are hidden landmines in those small but powerful chillies hidden in the mixture. Asian food preparation is often preceded by lots of detailed ingredients, fine chopping and clever blending of flavours and different sensations.

More than an hour passed before we received our food at the Oscars in Towradgi, not far from my home. The kitchen staff looked over worked and time-pressured. The food was tasty but one had to be patient. Was this a problem of success, where capacity and capability did not match demand on a more timely basis? It can be a hard call of balancing the vagaries and volatility in the seesaw of balancing demand with supply. It was not even summer - I cannot imagine when it is a January Friday night!

My prawn and pea risotto was delightful nevertheless. Shane and Danielle, together with Dave and Jo, had brought their kids - fortunately for me as well, for I was taken off my mind on waiting time. Charlotte and Max could interact well with Nieve and Bridget,and vice-versa, and in fact provided a party atmosphere at our dining table.

Hand-made chocolate from Ju was exquisite - my first bite made me realise the ingredient quality and care that went into her creations. The flavour was intense, and the texture just right. Dark chocolate was finely set with a nutty after thought.

I was not too thrilled with the the version of mee rebus (braised noodles with a spicy twist and gravy) from a Malaysian outlet in Sydney's Chatswood Chase. It can not compare with what Mum makes back in Penang, and the presence of certain ingredients reduced its authenticity. The gravy had a more peanut emphasis than it should be. The Hokkien noodles were not soft enough.

Sucker catfish prices in the Illawarra area, pardon the pun, are shockingly and suckingly expensive. On another day, I had been attracted to such delightful miniature creatures that require no additional feed apart from the algae and moss that thrive naturally in most aquarium environments.At 14 Australian dollars per creature, I baulked at buying them in Hurstville in Sydney's south. Nearer my home, the asking price was much more.

In Wollongong CBD, John called me when I was engrossed texting and checking my sms messages on my I Phone.He and Carla had finished their meal, but were gracious to stay on to drink tea, sip wine and be merry at the table.Carla had her hair done in a new way. No appointments were necessary for us to meet up. We relished in our carefree weekend revelry. John and Carla kindly introduced me to various people in the cafe - and John is a true Wollongong boy.

Yum cha in Hurstville's Mr Chao's Chinese Restaurant on a mid-Saturday in April was refreshingly tasty. I had not been to the venue since the incumbent owners closed it down, when it operated under another name - Forest Court. Nae and Tom had taken me to Mr Chao's for a lazy brunch of a fav Cantonese cuisine- and I was like a kid at a candy shop, partaking with vigour, amongst other things, the tau foo fa ( soy bean curd dessert, mixed with your choice amount of syrup); the char siew so (baked pastry pork buns); the standard siew mai (prawn and pork dumplings); the fong chau (phoenix claws , a re-labelling of braised chicken legs); and the healthy plate of oyster-flavoured steamed kailan vegetables. (All dish names are in Cantonese). We later retreated from the burgeoning surrounding restaurant chatter to Nae and Tom's new apartment, where I enjoyed viewing two fish tank environments that Nae had set up, and tasting some of Tom's dessert wine.

The Making of Cendol Dessert

When the throat is parched, and the palate longs for a sugary fix, with gobs of creaminess, consider the cendol dessert. This is also known as che banh lot in Vietnam. Both names refer to the squiggly green coloured crunchy yet soft strands you see in drink combinations all over Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - and in some Asian cafes in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Once you have fresh cendol strands made, you can have a free rein of choice as to what you next add - fresh or canned lychees, cooked red beans, grapes, nuts, ice cubes or shavings, light coconut milk, gula Melaka syrup, bits of black coloured jelly from Asian grocery shops and more. (above) The idea is to create texture, variety and compatibility for taste, presentation and bite.

Cendol strands are made with green pea flour soaked for at least an hour in water.

Concurrently do set aside sufficient time to prepare the liquid pandan leaf extract.

This can be an involved process involving cut leaf strips of fresh pandan leaves to be liquidised in a blender, then set aside to be added with a tabelspoonful of alkaline lye water. (not more, as the lye water can be toxic in bigger quantities - lye is popular in very small dosages to be added in making Hokkien noodles and the like as well).

After an hour, mix both portions into a saucepan for controlled simmering - with continuous stirring and conscious flame size control - until you obtain a transparent glazed look and thickened shiny surface (above).

Always ensure not to overcook this resulting dough mixture.»

Now comes the fun part - with a firm but small potato presser, press the cooked dough mixture (above) through a wooden or aluminium cendol-maker frame, with quick short strokes into a basin ideally just six inches or 15 cm below and filled with iced water - this recommended distance will prevent the resulting cendol strands from becoming too long.

Allow for the resulting strands to rest in the iced water basin for around ten minutes.

Below, the gula Melaka syrup is freshly made by simmering the palm sugar cubes with water and flavoured with cuts of pandan leaves.

Above, the residue remaining after filter straining the liquidised pandan leaves.

Below, all ready for making the dessert combinations according to your taste.

Best served chilled and get the participation of your guests in making the final serving.

Thank you, Marta!