Guillaume, Paddington NSW - Revisited

A room with a view and verandah.

Guillaume's Restaurant had renovations in August 2014.  I would like to share my impressions on my most recent visit in December last year.

The Royale of Asparagus entree has always been a winner with me - served with truffle gems and mud crab meat, I reckon my focus moved away from the asparagus to its enhancing companions on the plate.

The Moreton Bay bug warm entree is always a winner with me, served with delicate but flavourful pork cheek, sea spray, cauliflower and radish - providing a yummy harmony between land and sea produce.  For those being inducted into gourmet Australian cuisine, this is a symbolic experience for a sea produce that is unique to the eastern seaboard of this continental island.

For beef lovers, it is irresistible to have the Shioro-Kin full blood Waygu from the Macquarie Downs region in Queensland.  This is accompanied by pickled radish and Jerusalem artichoke, before being drizzled with jus gras right behind serving.   The other beef offering comes from the Rangers Valley in New South Wales - the Waygu Tartare, with a cast of Sterling caviar, oyster and mushroom.  ( A side note is that the term Wagyu literally means "Japanese cow", a reference to the origins  of this cattle breed.)

Scampi from Wellington New Zealand is uplifted with shisho, ocean trout roe and peach slices, together with cucumber bits, croutons and chili bits.  Shisho is part of the mint and basil family of herbs - it is often used as a garnish by itself, just like here, but can also be a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine, in preparing tempuras, shashimi and salads.   It is both an edible herb and an ornamental plant and also called the Perilla and Ooba.  It is aromatic, provides a citrus flavour and also herbaceous to the nose.

Pineapple dessert is reliably refreshing when it is provided with cashew nuts, ginger, coconut and caramel sauce to offset texture and send contrasting flavours on to our palates.  The primary tone is definitely tropical and is a salute to the South Pacific.   This theme is also echoed by the passionfruit dessert, which comes with Creme Anglaise, in a mixture of both passion fruit and banana sorbet and souffle.

What I aim  for on the next visit is the suckling pig carved slices, presented with endives, pumpkin and caramelised apple.  A twist on the traditional roast and veg!

The attending butler for our table exudes experience, professionalism and engagement. Hailing from Italy, he has worked in the USA and now enjoys his sojourn in a country at the forefront of experimental and fusion culinary styles with available quality ingredients.

At Guillaume's, you expect the best in human interaction at the table - and you do get one of the best in Sydney's competitive field.  It is refreshing to hear various accents from Europe as the smiling and hard working staff articulate the menu with intimate knowledge and readily answer your questions.  The private dining room we were in at Guillaume has views of Sydney Harbour from afar but also closer views over the inner city streets.

Another young man fascinated my table guests with his French accented English - we really loved it - but he was so mindful of being in an English speaking nation.  Hey, we just wanted this person to be himself when pronouncing his way through the dishes placed on the table  it can be a lovely change to our ears.

A complimentary delight in between the menu offerings.

Each creative dish is linked to a place of origin for its main ingredients used.  From the northern parts of Australia, comes mango from Darwin and passionfruit in Gympie.  To the south, Patagonian tooth fish is harvested near Glacier 51 on Heard Island in the Antarctic.  Partridge served was raised in Woodville in New South Wales, flavoured with cumin, eggplant and carrot on the plate.  Lamb is from Flinders Island off Tasmania.   What a culinary adventure!

Although the sourcing emphasis is emphasised locally, Europe does beckon as Chef extraordinare Guillaume Brahimi himself is French - and the elegant touches around the restaurant, not just in the food, do bring guests to an ambiance of a continent so far away.  He was away in Melbourne that evening so we missed his usual friendly gesture of coming out to speak to diners as the night hours continue.

Lamb served with asparagus, peas and turnip.

A severe thunderstorm raged outside even if we were in the middle of our culinary proceedings, like us being in the middle of a light and sound show from Nature herself -  the heavens poured down with a fury not normally or often witnessed in the Sydney Basin, with regular lightning strikes outside the windows near and far.   This added to the quality of the night out, in terms of displays of the randomness and volatility of Nature, in stark contrast to the skillful and careful interplay of technique and use of ingredients by the culinary team at Guiliame's.

Inside the restaurant was refinement and order, whilst thousands of fans who attended the Ed Sheehan concert at nearby Moore Park were at the same time being drenched in an intense manner.

Brioche from Guillaume.

Guillaume is located at 92 Hargrave Street, beside a small roundabout with Elizabeth Street in Paddington, an inner city suburb of Sydney.
Telephone 612 9302 5222
Opening Hours at the time of this blog post are from 545pm for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
Guillaume is open for lunch from noon every Friday and Saturday and on the first Sunday of each month.

My Pantry - North Wollongong Beach NSW

Pavlova with strawberries and mango coulis.

The lady who greeted at the door was friendly-infectious and knew how to get the drinks and food going.  She was professional, welcoming and made sure every table was attended to despite being busy.   We hung around for around three hours and felt like being at home.  There are choices in meats, salads and cocktails, with a good wine menu.  I noticed the Vegie Patch salad and tried at first to not choose chicken but in the end I deferred to the white meat, much to my glee for the crumbed chicken was a delight  - and I loved the uplifting batter.

John Dory fish and chips


The grilled Dory fish was just right - crispy batter, fresh flavourful juicy insides and with yummy chips accompanied by two dipping sauces.   For dessert I wanted the lime and coconut Panna Cotta but they had run out that day.  I looked at alternative choices of trio of sorbet but went for the chocolate cake, which turned out to be good.   The complimentary Gong bus shuttle also passes by the front doors of My Pantry.

 

My choice for mains - crumbed chicken breast, just right for a moderate lunch.

Posters on the wall echo scenes from Cuba to Monte Carlo.   This is a two shopfront restaurant and accessible throughout the day once opened,  so customers and regulars think nothing of walking in during mid-afternoon.  From 230pm to 6pm, customers can also have cocktails, cheese platters and a relaxing atmosphere between the meals.   I understand that there has been a recent change of owners and I like what I see in the new arrangements.

The menu is varied from tapas to Mediterranean influenced cuisine.  There are communal settings for mingling and its location is just across the road from the Novotel North Wollongong Beach.   Cliff Road is the millionaires row of Wollongong so to speak but the gem is the surf and beach at its door.
We had sangria - nice red and easy - to settle into the afternoon hours.   It is irresistible to be able to walk along the shore near My Pantry but the rains threatened outside.

Chocolate cake with texture and gentle on the palate - with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and strawberry.

My Pantry is located at 5/17 Cliff Road, North Wollongong.
Telephone  612 4229 3141
Opening hours on weekends and from Wednesdays to Fridays for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Mondays and Tuesdays for lunch and dinner.


 

Quay Canteen - Wollongong CBD

There is the Bakery Boys located further down Crown Street in Wollongong city centre.  But on the upper side along the mall, on top of another coffee place (the Square), lies a hidden gem, in the innards of the previous Central Chambers - climb up an unassuming stair case, navigate the narrow passages once you are on the first floor and head towards the corner balconies.  The menu is mostly Indo-Chinese, but you still have Aussie favourites like croissants, avocado smash and banana bread.
Another perspective is that it is vegan friendly, has gluten free options and its catch cry emphasise "raw treats".

Then we noticed the French baguettes, and before long it was Good Morning Vietnam!  Ingredients like fried shallots, coleslaw from the tropics, coriander, vermicelli salad and spicy sauces dotted the compact but diverse menu.  A fellow luncher recommended to me the v salad - laden with pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds), mint leaves, cucumber slices, carrot and pickled daikon radish. We all felt like backpackers discovering this fusion of the best of Asia and Australia.   I can have my breakfast waffles but they do not come with honey or maple syrup  - instead they are served with Nam Mouc (or  dipping fish sauce) and five spice powder flavoured mushrooms!   There is crackling pork available to eat with cole slaw.  Imagine fresh tofu presented on a baguette.

Quay Canteen has turned the tables on burgers and sandwiches.  I can be messy with my disintegrating crumbs on the table from a bitten baguette, but the bite from a crunchy textured baguette is just so different from that with a multi grain bread or sourdough.   I can have bbq pork with all these explosive but tasty Asian salad garnishing.  We look out from the balcony but it is not Saigon or Hanoi.  The food served is light, not over done and can be snacks, takeaway or a full meal.  On display in the cake shelves are things like English banoffee and Italian rum choc balls.

Looking out at Crown Street Mall - central portion.

Maybe the coffee needs to be provided hotter.    There is both inside and balcony seating - plus niches for couples who want more privacy.   The cafe grew out of a clothes business and that original outlet - the Quay Supply Company - is still there, in an adjoining room.    Hey, perhaps shades of Lee & Me in lower Crown Street!   The staff wear black, the plates have black linings and even the coffee cups are black.   I have yet to try the classic Vietnam staples like the Bahn Mi, rice paper wrap rolls and steamed buns -  but aim to.

The Quay Canteen is located upstairs above the Square Cafe in the middle portion of Wollongong city centre's Crown Street Mall.
Address: Shop 5, 157 Crown Street, Wollongong NSW.
You climb up a stairs and then navigate through an area with small shop outlets, subconciously aiming for a corner of the building with two balconies over looking Crown Street Mall.
Orders are taken over the counter and help yourself to tap drinking water.

Opening Hours: Breakfast, brunch and lunch.