Bondi Beach Revisted

Miss Chu, Bondi Beach - Sydney

Traditional sausages from Laos, but which I found to be on the sweet side, though tasty and wholesome on the bite.

I must say it got pretty dark, eating inside the Miss Chu joint at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach one Sunday twilight.  Bob and I were pretty happy that we had a table, as it was obvious the place was filling up pretty fast, spilling from inside to the passage areas and more. The semi-darkness became more obvious only when I saw diners literally eating not being able to see their food on the outer tables.
There was however a buzz about the place - perhaps I attribute this most to the demographic patronising Miss Chu there at the corner of Campbell Parade and Curlewis Street, next to the Hotel Bondi. In fact we had crossed over from schooners of Coopers at this pub before we crawled over to what seemed to be Vietnamese street food, but which in reality also offered Laotian delights.

I felt though I was transported back to a street lane in Vietnam.  The table we had was designed to have a holder for napkins below the  flat surface. I found the napkins were of very poor paper quality. There was no receptacle to hold sauces like in Thailand and the stools were very low rise. The diner had to cope with and settle for compact dimensions. We could not resist having the drip filter coffee ala Vietnam, but no tea spoon was made available for us to stir the condensed milk at the bottom of the small glass.  In a ridiculous moment, we had to use flimsy wooden chop sticks to stir this gluey milk to blend with the thick coffee.

Wait staff were few and very busy.  I also empathised with the kitchen crew, having to work in rather confined environs where it was easy to rub shoulder with shoulder.  The young lady who attended to our table, Caucasian, still kept her bright spirits about her despite it all. She even made sure to ask us if everything was okay with the food just when we approached a small counter to pay for our meal.  As the evening drew on, more and more guests came in but the food was served rather efficiently fast.  The profile of the typical Miss Chu customer that night fitted the perception of Bondi to a capital B. The males had hunky shaved jaws, surfer tans and gym bodes.  The females looked like they grew up elsewhere but adapted to the place fast, worked in jobs of their passion and seemed to be world wise travellers.

I did feel heavy pangs of thirstiness when I reached home two hours later. This may mean additives added to the food or maybe not.  I did reflect, on eating the banh mi, or baguette with fillings, that I could get this snack at much less cost in some other suburb.  Servings were generally on the smaller scale and as in such Asian joints, guests helped themselves to drinking water from kettle like pots.  It had been a magical and enjoyable Bondi evening for us earlier, so all these little things did not bother us much.  Miss Chu is found as well at the Regent Place near the George Street Cinemas in down town Sydney, a hub more attuned and adjusted to rough and ready, come and go settings.   The Bondi outlet had a good turn over of diners that evening.  What made us stand up from our low stools was the fact that the ticket for parking was soon running out of its paid time.

I was told to try the rice paper wraps and we chose the tiger prawn variety. I found them to be pretty ordinary that evening - or was it because I had higher expectations?

The Harbourfront Restaurant, Wollongong Harbour, NSW

Authentic, with a savoury sauce that got the palate going as an entree. Prawns can be de-veined and are lightly touched with lemon juice and set aside. Scallions, garlic, celery and parsley are finely chopped to get the flavours started. The chopped herbs are sauteed in cooking oil. The brew is enriched with broth, dry white wine, salt and pepper.  The ready sauce is added with the prepared prawns and sprinkled  with chopped oregano and crumbled feta cheese. Then everything goes to be baked at 400 degrees Celsius for at most 15 minutes.  Garnish with cherry tomatoes and fresh scallions.

What differentiates the Harboufront Restaurant in Wollongong from its fellow practitioners?  I reckon it is the quality of the seafood and the service.  The ambiance may already be pre-determined by its harbour side setting, with guests being able to look out to the calm waters of a marina and further gaze into the escarpment holding tall above the Illawarra coast.  It is the careful and friendly way the staff attend to you , from when you step in, to when you ask for things away from the menu, that make a difference. It is the texture, flavour and integrity of the ingredients used, plus the accompanying sauces and garnishing, that complete the satisfying picture.

Although I have been at the Harbour Front before for pre Christmas meals, it was a pleasure to visit it  again to mark the Lunar New Year of the Snake, to relax with a good mate.  I thoroughly enjoyed a great conversation, spurred on by three other wonderful experiences -  the Long Board pale ale(local top the Illawarra and was served by the Harbourfront);  the Sartorini prawns (photo above); and the affagato coffee consumed after the mains.  My mate had the five point lamb rack, whilst I reaffirmed the Harbourfront's speciality in seafood by enjoying my choice of moist grilled salmon and a grilled scampi (picture below).

The chefs Joshua Marks and David Vidal have a gem going for them, the restaurant being winners of the category of Best Seafood, South Coast NSW as recently as last year.  The restaurant also overlooks the fishing boats coming in occasionally from the day and night's outing to the Tasman Sea.  Seasonal sensitivity in choice of ingredients may be a key factor.  Established in 1984, Harbourfront continues to enjoy a neighbourhood with a renovated Belmore Basin, a demographic who appreciates surfing and other ocean side delights the ocean and more properties rising in value along next door Cliff Road.

There is no traffic rush on evenings in Wollongong CBD, unless there is an NRL game live at the nearby WIN Stadium.  Summer lunchtime, or when the weather remains sunny and balmy during any season in the year, can pose vehicle parking issues but it is most often just a nice stroll away to the Harbourfront.  I have hardly tried their meat offerings like Angus Scotch and their rib eye.   There are Italian inspired creations with gnocchi, calamari and panna cotta, but I stand always with the John Dory, snapper, barramundi and Atlantic salmon served at the Harbourfront.  They also have wedding function and dinner packages.  I recall fondly their seafood platters, both with cold and warm items, as they handle crustaceans well. There is a reserve wine list, consisting of mainly Yalumbas, Penfolds and Henschke, plus a range of premium spirits like bourbons, Pimms, Cinzano, Bombay Sapphire and Captain Morgans rum.  A ground floor venue accessible from the main upper two floor dining site also provides a more casual beach cafe option.

The Urban Pantry - Manuka, Canberra

Egg Benedict, perhaps the smallest serve I have experienced, with only several pieces of leg ham bits and a small slice of Sonoma sourdough. A Friday morning in February 2013.

It is a dinner, brunch, lunch and breakfast place that will do well in any trendy setting.  It carefully describes and offers its produce as organic and fresh.  It provides options as gluten free and free range.  The Urban Pantry has quick acting staff and customers were so relaxed on the morning I had walked over from the Rydges Capital.   There were several similar places open that early morning, but this one was the most busy.  I had a breakfast smoothie in a tall glass (AUD8) and the Eggs Benedict shown above.  I did consider the buttermilk pancakes, but I was bothered with the infused mascaporne so early in the day. The smoothie was made from oats, honey, bananas, almonds and berries, all blended with milk.

The proximity of the Urban Pantry to the Australian Parliament may underlie its understated importance of a place where networking, intrigue and dealing may take place. Up front, it was a lively gathering hole for a variety of demographics, ranging from women friends, couples, office types, retirees and families.

Urban Pantry's stated philosophy is to provide a warm space for customers and to serve with knowledge and finesse. They do take extra attention with the earthy decor and rustic accessories. However, the tables are unavoidably small to make more effective use of the nature of the venue.  Urban Pantry does come out with unique choices like a braised duck leg risotto, garnished by orange butter and sugar snap peas.  They are strong on the meat table with suggestions like veal medallions, fennel salted pork tenderloins, herb crusted lamb rump and the roast duck breast forming a bed below pearled barley and pecans with a pomegranate dressing.  There are different surcharges to a guest's bill between Sundays (open till 2pm only) and public holidays.

Situated at one strategic corner of the Lawns in Manuka,  it can be crowded inside but offers options of el fresco seating on the corridors outside.

Other breakfast items that caught my eye served at other tables were the sweet corn and zucchini fritters served on toast and graced by bocconcini, spinach, basil and cherry tomatoes.  Apart from modern Australian, there are hints of Mediterranean fare available - for example for lunchtime, there is a burger accompanied with green pea falafel, quinoa tabbouleh and tahini yogurt; and for both lunch and dinner, the pappardelle with king prawns, zucchini ribbons, chill, lemon and mint.   Dessert delights include traditional Dutch dumplings and the coconut rice pudding, enhanced with passion fruit syrup and mango sorbet.  The store also offers a wide variety of oils, antipasti, preserves, whilst also embracing its own coffee blends.

Salmon Tamarind Flavoured Curry

Tender bites of Omega 3 laden fish. Moist seafood infused with sensations of produce from herb and spice plantations, with hints of the monsoon breeze and served with fluffy basmati rice that is neither overcooked nor too dry. The gravy seeps into the rice and juicy tomato cuts.  An appetising possibility awaits you on the dining table. You long for this to be served on banana leaves but it is good enough on white china.  You wait for a beer, or something soothing and cool to accompany this dish.

This was a daily affair for the colonial officer a hundred years ago, whether he was based in India, Ceylon, Malaya or Indochine.  The home country was only but a memory on a sweaty and humid tropical evening.  The kitchen was well staffed, mainly with women who stayed at home the whole day long, not out of choice but cocooned in convention.

Freshness is everything and sets the tone, but can also be considered to balance out the richness of seafood curry.
Light bites of green grapes and muscato can help provide alternatives on the palate.
Italian tomatoes are always favoured to blend in with salmon.

Tamarind flavoured salmon curry is perhaps an illustration of contemporary fusion, but has roots that go back to the Straits Chinese and Straits Indian kitchens of Malacca, Penang and Singapore.  The fish is not native to South-east Asia but the spice mix is.  Lemon grass, onions, garlic, chillies, gelangal and the kantan flower are all finely cut and lovingly pounded by mortar and postal to bring out the best nuances and potential of these ingredients. The pounded result of a consistent paste is then garnished with bits of the dried shrimp concoction of the belacan, bathed with tamarind juices and showered with pinches of sugar and salt before being placed to the cooking pot.  Only when the flavours rise from the simmering paste do the salmon pieces go into the next step of brewing the produce of the oceans with the produce of the land.  Note that for this recipe, yummy large fish heads can be used instead of salmon fillets.

Salmon, fresh from the markets and sliced into manageable slices and with enough surface area to absorb the brewing spices and flavours.  Texture, appearance and taste all intertwine into a powerful combination.

Rice is one of the most manually exacting crops to grow and harvest. Every little grain is a microcosm of the biological cycle and reflects attention to detail and an encapsulation of quality and hard work. When eaten with the salmon curry, the appreciation for rice is enhanced.