Designs That Greet You - Newtown, Sydney NSW

Lettuce B. Frank - Wollongong NSW

Setting the tone - side shelves near the entrance.

A cluttered rustic look and creating a homely trendy atmosphere.

Emphasis on fresh produce.



 

  

The Anchorage Restaurant, Wollongong Harbour NSW - Recent Visits

Bull & Bear Cafe & Restaurant - September 2017

Chicken Croquettes with Alioli.

It was an occasion for a blokes' lunch  - one of our party had sung praises about the Tapas like creations and we could hardly wait!   There are sort of two levels at the B & B, one at street ground level and then a quick step up on the side to the right to an inner chamber, where groups gather, with all female hang outs, families and singles.   There is a licensed bar, the place has a rustic feel and one feels as if a hang out party is about to begin at one corner of the place.

There is a Iberian or Mediterranean feel about the menu and place.  I instinctively think of Siesta after our meal.  However, it was not warm the day of our dropping by the B & B, the winter had not fully blown its oceanic winds in this seaside region.   So my palate was ready for something grilled, and there they were.   The chicken on skewers is always a winner with me, here accompanied with cool cucumber and dips.   I am a sucker for croquettes - what we got was exquisite, with a rather crispy exterior and a comfy warm inside of fillings.

Naturally we winded up our meal with Churros, served with a rich dipping chocolate sauce.
This dessert echoed an authenticity about itself.  I can say that the food is prepared and cooked with obvious touches of love.    Owner David Juarez Vidal recalls with fondness her GrandMa's culinary passion and strong sense of family togetherness.

Pork and veal meatballs with a rich tomato sauce.

The Bull & Bear was visited at lunch time.   This place was attempted to be booked fby a mate of a mate for dinner recently one Friday evening, but some hurdles were placed for this chap to get a table for around ten persons, including family members under 18 years  of age.   I am not sure of the reasons but there were a lot of No's said on the phone to this prospective customer.  Apparently only Tapas are served on the evenings the place is open for diners.


The "Special Plates" menu appears on the black board and can change weekly.   You can expect sightings of Chorizo, Paella,  Jamon, grilled octopus, olives, meatballs and spices.    There is the aroma of slow cooked beef cheeks,  crispy chicken drumettes, twice cooked lamb shoulder and braised pork belly.

On a next visit, I am aiming for these following dishes that caught my eye on the menu:*

The Pulled Pork Baguette

La Espanola:  A sourdough toast filled up with smashed avocado (how Aussie!), fried egg, Tumaca and grilled Jamon Serrano.    The practice of spreading ripe tomatoes on bread had given rise to the term Tumaca.

and the Valencina Ensaladas: Spanish onion, black olives, Frisee  ( a curly bitter leaved endive), orange, croutons and crispy Jamon Serrano go into this delightful light salad mix.  

Serrano ham always brings out the best in uplifting a dish when applied with care.


My impressions of the Bull & Bear on this visit in Wollongong NSW are:


Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5
Staff Engagement:  4 out of 5
Culinary Captivation: 4 out of 5
X Factor:  3.5 out of 5
Overall:  3 out of 4





The Bull & Bear Cafe & Restaurant is located at 2 A Voctoria Street, Wollongong city centre, NSW.
Contact  +61 2 423 143 15
Opening hours are from 8am every day until late, except for the three days of Sundays to Tuesdays, when it closes at 4pm.
A ten percent surcharge applies to bills on public holidays.

The Bull CALL US ONMy impre

 

Koi Dessert Bar Chippendale NSW

Not since Adriano Zumbo has there been such a huge adoration for a Patisserie chef in Sydney, Australia.    Reynold  Poernomo is young, slim and full of dreams.   He has an eye for the aesthetic, the detailed and the captivating - not just visually, but in arousing our template and inherent urge for the forbidden culinary world.   Human beings need relief from the mundane, the usual and the routine.    Reynold provides this at the Koi Dessert Bar in downtown Sydney in the revamped village hub of Kensington Street in Chippendale.


The menu creates more excitement with names from fairy tales and Nature.    The Forbidden Fruit suggests of a recreated apple, looking so red perhaps because of use of the raspberry Sorbet, but when you get digging into this, there are other treasures to discover - chocolate mousse, lime zest and raspberry gel, all sitting on a chocolate looking and tasting soil.    There is a definite pleasure to contrast the richer chocolate with the lighter but still sharp raspberry.


Some other dessert offerings are more direct to figure out -  Peach Please is dominated by peach jam, but is actually a rosemary flavoured yoghurt, enhanced with a Heillala vanilla mousse and sprinkled with a raspberry powder.   This turns out to be rather harmonised both on the palate and to the eyes.   Heilala vanilla is a brand found in Australia, often used in bakeries, noted for the vanilla seeds present and useful for light coloured recipes like Cream Brulee, custards and shortbreads.


T. Time suggests very East Asian, with a core of black tea ice cream, garnished by mandarins, chocolate pebbles,  a five spice hazelnut sponge and the French Creme De Meaux.

A central Koi Kitchen prepares the pretty and petite delights.    Back at Kensington Street, the openness of the goings-on at street level, with a hive of activity of mostly energetic staff, suggests an inviting world of what is happening behind the display.   It is a cobbled and paved lane in front,  as if a private enclosure, and you have entered an inner sanctum of Reynold's.


Cocktails, licensed bar offerings and a dimension of a way about town permeate upstairs.  It is as if you have climbed  up a traditional two storey house in the South Sea islands, but this one is surrounded by glass on most sides.    You can look down at a small flowering garden below.    The romance you have been caught in, blurry eyed, downstairs can continue in an affair upstairs.      

Mousse, sponge, Panacotta, gels, tarts and jelly.   Asian reminders like Matcha, sesame, Yuzu, coconut, green apple and lime.    Aussie standards like Pistachio, caramel,  white chocolate and yoghurt.    The compulsory little flower petals sitting on top of things that catch the eye.   Shapes that persist -  globes, pyramids, towers, rectangles and squares.


Colours do arise from the tropical origins of where Reynold's extended family came from.   Purple, yellow, orange and more.  They can at times remind me of the Straits Chinese kueh, but this a world away with Euro influences, fusion encouragement,  East Asian beauties and the best of new fangled ingredients.    Hidden in the delights is a reminder of the Bika Ambon, usually made with tapioca, sugar, coconut milk, yeast and eggs, but also versatile to combine with cheese and chocolate flavours.    At the same time, Tonka beans from Central America and the northern parts of South America are also used at the Koi   - the power of the beans is in their Coumarin, which is also utilised in the perfumery industry.

The expectations of customers can be subject to whims, sentiment and reality.   This can apply especially when when two of the artistes and chefs behind the creations from Koi have been on public television.   


Art can be a subjective thing - has Reynold Poernomo concentrated more on presentation, ingredients with taste?    Going forward, can he can consider more on texture and theme surprise?   To be fair, there have been this teasing play by Koi of how ingredients have been converted into shapes far from their what they usually are, for example fruits rediscovered in sheets.    Reynold also does love to surprise and make us smile  - several of his dessert creations involve cracking a surface, digging with anticipation inside and then changing our perceptions.   This process sweetens our experience and increases our anticipation all at the same time.


Do the regulars prefer more variations as time goes by, while retaining the favourites?   This is not easily answered.  If you have fallen in love with one creation, you would not want that replaced, but to create more variety, that means more to be made for the display shelf.


Koi does not just offer non-savoury items and has factored in a degustation menu away from the patisserie and desserts.    The non-dessert creations, from a chef with a background of Indonesian culinary influence, come from Arnold, brother to Reynold.   Mind you, there is another brother, Ronald, in the team as well   - and he specialises in cocktails.   Three brothers , each with his own unique talent.


Back to Arnold, he was a judge in the Indonesian version of Masterchef.     The one savoury dish from Arnold  for me is the duck breast   - roasted with charcoal;  served with duck hearts, butternut pumpkin, Swiss chard leafy veg with red stalks and onions; and flavoured with orange maple cider and red wine.    


The other test of culinary skills is in the Hiramasa kingfish, increasingly popular in fine dining these days  and Koi garnishes them with salmon roe, a puree of caramelised onions and mushrooms,  kelp oil plus smoked Dashi.    Dashi is an important stock and base for many things in Japanese cooking - usually made with kelp and preserved and fermented fish like the Skipjack Tuna  - and is essential to provide the significant Umami taste.

There are four variations as to how you wish to enjoy the Koi experience.  Many phone in orders for catering to collect or take home.    Walk-ins usually wait for a seat along the street and line up to obtain what is available on the display shelf.   Before dinner time, yet others order from down stairs but get a table in better ambient surroundings upstairs.   If you come after 6pm and want to go upstairs, you have to order from the degustation menus - dessert or a combination of savoury and dessert.


There are more variations at the licensed bar upstairs.   Serious coffee lovers may make the leap with a Gotta Have Espresso Tini, where Canadian maple syrup, Japanese Mirin, vanilla Vodka and Licor 43 mix with an espresso to provide the best of many worlds.   Licor 43 is reputed to have forty-three ingredients, but generally is a light citrusy liqueur from Spain, flavoured with vanilla and a host of aromatic herbs.    Mirin has a lower alcohol content compared to its other fellow rice wines


For something refreshing, I love the Bitter Balance, where an innocent shot of Angostura Bitters makes company with Campari, dark rum, burnt orange vanilla syrup and lime juice.    The seemingly healthy Banana Milkshake is laden with Baileys and a Caramel Vodka.   And who can not help noticing the Kevin Bacon, where the theme of bacon, truly, flows through its ingredients - Atzec chocolate bitters, Choc bacon and Bacon washed Bulleit Rye whiskey, all washed with maple syrup.

On street level, at certain times, it may look like a queue for seeing a pop star.   There is not much space to wait in front of the display, yet people patiently do so  - Japanese anime  dressers,   middle class families from the North shore,  tourists,  matronly types, youngsters.     Upstairs, there is a ruffle of activity and amidst the diners, there are single ladies, couples, party goers out on the town and the university people.






Koi Dessert Bar visited is located at 46 Kensington Street, Chippendale NSW.   This is the side of Kensington Street away from George Street.
Opening hours are from 10am to 10pm every day except Mondays.  Coffee and cakes are available from 10am to 10pm, whilst degustation dinner begins at 6pm.
Contact + 61 2 9212 1230
It has been announced for another outlet opening in Ryde NSW.





My other recommended creations to try at the Koi Dessert bar are:

Nomtella, served as a dome with a Brownie base and topped with salted caramel and Espresso flavoured mousse.

High Tea combination with matching tea blends  -  I understand this is the next frontier and adventure at Koi's.







 

Snaggletooth Food and Drink Joint Fairy Meadow NSW

Cronuts in a basket.

I was tipped off about a new cafe in the suburb  -  the place had been relaid out, giving a different feel from the previous operation and that the coffee was good as well.


Open every day, it has added to the ambiance in Fairy Meadow, a normally working class suburb  transformed over the past two years into something more to visit.  With its Italian-Australian flavours in shops, schools and community,  this small area north of  Wollongong city centre is now comparable to Haberfield in Sydney's inner west, although not so heavily ethnic.   It does have a beach to its east, not far away and even a rail station that once had the risk of losing its unique name to the suggestion of "Innovation".    That name change proposed to NSW Rail did not transpire, but the more significant matter of having a more viable commercial hub is happening as I write.

Breakfast omelette.




Toby the owner-operator may have a nick name that relates to this cleverly named cafe - Snaggletooth.    Already a few weeks into business, one thing stood out to me - the generous servings of food served.   I must say it is wholesome food for customers.  The menu is also extensive.   There are little touches that mean a lot to me - avocado delightfully waiting to be uncovered below your Eggs Benni.   Snaggletooth also opens early for the commuter and the physically active.

Toby's Estate is the blend for the cuppa  - they not be overly bold for the strong hearted in preference, but good enough for me to stand out in my skim Picollo, when I first went there with a mate.   The cafe is close to supermarkets, a sporting ground used often by schools and is a useful pick me up amongst your trip to do the chores.    There are various forms of seating with a wide store front looking out on the Princes Highway.   


Snaggletooth literally means a projecting, broken or unusually shaped tooth.   If this is to indicate a suggestion to do something different and positive fro Fairy Meadow and the Illawarra Coast, why not?   The cafe may not look totally hipster but there are other markets waiting to be attended to as the art of coffee consumption spreads beyond the twenty somethings.    It must be said the quality of the food provided must be recognised as an important factor -  not just in the sourdough, but across all lines offered.    Do not just depend on the coffee, no matter how romanticised it can be.

Eggs Benny with salmon, wedges, avocado  and veg.

Snaggletooth visited is located at  19 Princes Highway,  Fairy Meadow NSW, near the corner with  Cambridge Avenue and opposite the set of lights with Daisy Street.

ONA Coffee House Fishwyck Canberra

Seated just outside ONA, five of us.   it was a comfortable morning for inland Canberra.   The road was just down this parking ramp and the shops are rather light industrial, but what a difference how one well run place can make.....especially a world competitive winner in the coffee stakes - some examples are the 2016 win by barista Hugh Kelly of ONA at the Australian Barista Championships and ONA founder Sasa Sestic winning both the Australian Barista Championship and the World Barista Champion in 2015.




Pulled slow roast beef in a croquet?  Wait, there was more....Salsa Verde, a Latin twist on fried egg and sprinkled with Cheddar Cheese.  It is as if the son from the ranch had brought home a pretty woman with a Spanish background. 
  

I wanted something lighter, particularly after the wholesome dinner the evening before.  And there it was, saying to me, "Take me, take me!".   White Anchovies on sourdough - they sound simplistic, but that morning it combined fulfilling my hopes of and  my missing the garnish from Southern Europe and adopted in south-east Asia.   What did it taste like, this potentially savoury saltish spread on hipster bread?


To me, it was texture on the palate.  The soft cushion of poached egg, enhanced by the anchovies, rested on dough with an air and a bite.   Instinctively I harked for the chilli Sambal to be part of this experience, but it was only a passing - but delightful -  thought. Never mind. 


Whilst most cafes have the Aussie Big Breakfast, here you can try the ONA Big Roll.    A pair of fried eggs and double rashers lay the foundation, with rocket, Aioli, tomato chutney and smoky BBQ sauce adding to the outcome.    We were on the cusp of lunch time but not quite - late breakky but not yet brunch!   If you are there later, try the Barramundi Larb, a salad like dish with Nuoc Mam dressing, peanuts and mixed greens; or the confit Chicken leg.   Nuoc Mam Cham is made from fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, cloves, chilli and lime juice).

And don't forget the cuppa.  If you are feeling adventurous, do check out the Ginga Ninja, which despite the name does have high levels of  cafeinne furtively waiting for you, in this combination of ginger and Cascara ( or tea from the dried skins of coffee cherry).

Ona Coffee House visited is located at  the Roastery sited at 68 Wollongong Street, Fishwyck, Canberra Australian Capital Territory.  Barista courses are conducted here as well.
Opening hours are from 730am to 230pm every day.
Contact +61 2 6162 
Ona has other ACT outlets in the Cupping Room in New Acton and on the Lawns in Manuka. 
Ona coffee is from the green bean trading company, Project Origin.



Click on:

https://kindlyyours.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/ona-coffee-manuka-canberra.html






 

Bombara Seafood Wollongong NSW

No longer are you required to collect your own cutlery like some years back.

The views are still lovely, offering different moods of the sea, escarpment and weather.  You can check out the surf from a vantage point or feel the breeze on your face and hair at the verandah.

Vehicle parking can be a pain at certain times of the day and night, especially during summer.   On Friday evenings in summer, there may be an outside food fete near the Lighthouse area.

The servings are generous, especially the platters, whether in the classic modern Australian style or those with a decidedly Mediterranean influence.  

Get dirty with your fingers, ask for any crab clamps, dig into the variety of sauces and cool down with wine or beers.   You may even come across an acquaintance, neighbour or good mate.  Families and couples, visitors or locals, they are all here.

Bombara Seafood is located at  the upper floor of the Fishermen's Coop Building at 1-2 Endeavour Drive, Wollongong Harbour, NSW.
Contact +61 2 4229 7011
Opening hours are from 7am to 10pm every day.

An independent review by Kevin Yong

My dish recommendations at the Bombara Seafood,  Wollongong Harbour are as follows:

Cob loaf of organic olive and rosemary bread slices served with hazelnut and balsamic butter.

Grilled fish - your choice of Barramundi, Atlantic salmon, John Dory or Snapper.

Sizzling prawn hot pot.

Hot and cold seafood platter for two with an upper tray of Moreton Bay bugs and lobster; with a lower plate of fresh and battered salt and pepper prawns, grilled Snapper fillets, salt and pepper squid, smoked salmon rolls, oysters Kilpatrick on the shell, dipping sauces and chips.

Element 6 West Ryde NSW

South West Ryder Big Breakky.

Within walking distance from West Ryde rail station and the Ryde Eastwood RSL, is  a gem of a cafe.  It is laid out in a contemporary style at street level, stereotyped small at the front  -  and I like the further option of more seating tucked away behind, over looking bush and providing some kind of a  private hideaway.   The Element 6 is located in suburbia, but has an ambiance like in a more hipster corner of Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong.   I understand that it has been running for around four years - and is the talk amongst my mates living in that north west corner of greater Sydney.


I quickly thought about Kin By US near Macquarie Centre and Big Tree House Cafe  at Calder Avenue in Rydalmere.   Perhaps I am comparing apples with oranges.  The menu offered at each of these three brunch and breakfast places are different, each offers a separate atmosphere but all do revolve around more than just coffee - it is the inter-weaving of ideas and ingredients, it is the philosophy of the owners and the diverse inspiration behind the food.   


The two of us tried iconic test dishes - a Big Breakky called South-west Ryder and a pulled pork presentation, garnished with tumeric potatoes, pickled carrot and apple fennel slaw.   I was impressed with both, in the careful and devoted manner in which Element 6 delivered contrasting and yet harmonious in texture, colours and utilisation of ingredients.  Pulled pork can be tricky though, it takes hours to prepare but can come out a bit saturated on the palate at times.    The servings of either dish eaten were generous. Some friends said it was even better when they first opened.   The menu is not overly extensive but I reckon we do not need too many listings.  There is a wooden adornment feel around the place but the cafe does stand out amongst its retail neighbours.

Toby greeted us that Sunday lunchtime and had a pleasant demeanour with him.  There were many lunching the afternoon we were there, but Toby carried on his work with a natural pleasant and fast manner.   Haha, there was perhaps more customer engagement from Toby than from the barista outside, who seemed over whelmed with his orders.


Element 6 also opens early each day, perhaps to catch the train commuter and fitness crowd.  At certain times, there can be a wait for tables, so be forewarned.   Still I understand that there is a regular crowd.   There are tables on the pavement but also a stream of takeaway orders.  The Stateside Iced Coffee is just nice for summery weather - and for tea lovers, do try the Sticky Iced Tea with Bon Soy.

Pulled Pork.

The Element 6 Cafe  is located at  65 Ryedale Street, West Ryde, NSW, near the Rail Station.
Contact +61 2 8021 2838
Opening hours are from 630am to 3pm every day.

An independent review by Kevin Yong

My dish recommendations at the Element6, West Ryde are as follows:

Element 6 Chicken Burger, with fresh herbs, Pepperonata, Element 6 Aioli and tumeric potatoes surrounding a marinated breast fillet.

French Toast with blackened vanilla bean creme, praline and seasonal fruit, with options for additions in ice cream and bacon.

Honeybee Smoothie, with cinnamon, banana, yoghurt, honey and ice cream.

Chubby Bacon and Sunny Egg Roll with Element 6 Aioli, House pumpkin chutney and onion jam.

Babyface Kitchen, Wollongong NSW - Oh What A Night

Scallops placed on a corn puree base and topped with delicate things.

"Kevin", the tall and smart looking gentleman behind the counter called out to me.

I shook his hand but I was not terribly sure initially who he is.  He sensed my uncertainty and quickly mentioned 'Hevan".

I was impressed.  A young man who looked hipster in the mornings at a Corrimal cafe fav of mine has transformed into an even more dashing personage at Wollongong city centre's outstanding restaurant for degustation, fusion and bar experience - the Babyface Kitchen.

Duck spring rolls looking and are yummy, with Namjin sauce  - my repeated favourite.

Babyface Kitchen is located at Shop 1, 179 Keira Street, Wollongong city centre, New South Wales.
Contact +61 2 4295 0903
Opening hours are from 6pm every week day except Tuesdays, and from 12 noon to 3pm on weekends.
Fully Licensed Bar.  BYO Friday lunch only with $10 Corkage per bottle or 6 pack of beer.

A selection of fine Sashimi, graced by Japanese radish mustard and pickles.

The layout of the restaurant had not changed in the few weeks since I was last there.  The menu had changed like the turn of the season, expanded but my loved items remained.  And to night, there was even an option for a five course so called 'standard" menu choice.

Oh yes, the young lady, standing beside ......she was engaging as usual, made a good recommendation of a bottled white to start with to match the seafood and her settling us in.  

We arrived a quarter before seven for dinner and after us, the people started coming in, good for a Tuesday night, a specially opened evening before Christmas.  Babyface is usually closed on Tuesdays.   Soon the obvious only table for ten was filled up.  The open kitchen door, through which one can occasionally glance at, was a hive of activity.

An eggplant medley.

What could we expect from this five course option, we asked.  Then perhaps we preferred to be surprised, potentially with delight.   Sparkling water to cleanse the throat.  No more questions, bring the delights in - and surprise us.

The course proceeded - it not just continued to delight me, with new and familiar offerings. The duck pancakes are a standout, the Soba noodles with a freshly cooked runny egg are my comfort food.   The kingfish, tuna and salmon slices and cubes made both of us speechless.   I shall never forget the positive amazement on the face of my fellow diner that evening when he bit into the exquisite beef.

Some after thoughts from both of us on the heirloom crunchies - they were a tad over salty;   the topping of the flavours on the seared scallops had unexpected sourish after taste, perhaps a bit harsh for the delicate natural flavours of the scallops; and the eggplants may seem off course from the culinary journey we were on.

Heirloom crunchies.

Raspberry flavoured gelato was in reflection perhaps too strong a contrast for dessert, when placed side by side with the caramel version.   A second round of wine degustation came with a light red, as suggested by another staff member (or was he one of the owners?).   By late evening, we were happy, satisfied and delighted that Babyface Kitchen continues to strive and deliver.


Ala carte next time.  I must say the portions have increased compared to when Babyface first started.   The mains have always been just right in size.  The crumbed and fried eggplants tonight were generous in serving.  The scallops were ideal entree size.

Consistent, gratifying and quality  - the beef slices on my most recent visit in December 2016.

An independent review by Kevin Yong

My dish recommendations are as follows:

For entree, seared Saikou salmon belly; and

the Mooloolaba yellowfin tuna.

For mains, the Kurobuta rare breed pork chops.