Lindt Chocolate Cafe, Wynyard - Sydney CBD

Both of us needed a hideaway, like now and then. I wanted to stare into her eyes, and hers into mine. To feel the warmth of her personality and manner. For her to soak in my full expression and not just over the phone, Facebook or mob phone. I wanted to have another opportunity to dwell into the colour of her eyes, the curve of her hips and the elegance of her legs. I also wanted to enjoy the comfort of immersing myself into the colour of her hair.  In this rushed routine and with each of us in two different worlds, it took effort to have special moments. Winter is also oppressive in not having a nurturing clime, but on the other hand, feeds the hunger to see each other.

So the big question was where to go, to hold hands under the table and to dangle the feet in such tantalising proximity? Where can we indulge not just in ourselves, but in soul inspiring food? We thought of Euro culture, we arrived a t chocolate and we logically met at the Suisse Lindt Chocolate Cafe. Most of these places are crowded, smallish and in hubs of Sydney city centre that people congregated. We could not travel to Miranda's Westfield in the south, so we settled for the outlet in Sydney's banking district.  

There were more than enough options waiting for us on the shelves - cakes, macaroons, wrapped choc balls, barista coffee, chocolate drinks!   The crowd that afternoon had the motley mix of office workers, secret couples, families and people on holiday. The male staff attending was attentive, organised fast and got us going at our table. It was heavenly when we looked into each other at the table - and this was further enhanced by the bite into the Lindt creations.  

So the two of us had a sort of dance in our conversation with each other. Our words underlined the strong need to reaffirm our mutual feelings and to reassure each other that each of us were doing okay. We used each other as comfortable sounding boards and a target for some jesty humour. Each of us revealed something personal new that we did not know earlier  - and in the process, without saying out loud, was sub consciously seeking the other's approval and advice. I reckon our eyes spoke to each other more than words could say.

We massaged each other, not physically, but in our hearts, our inner raw selves and in our aspirations. Lindt provided the food of being together, of making our meet up more elegant and in warming us up nutritionally. At the same time, each of us had our bodies, mind and soul full on to savour every moment. Yet it all felt strangely natural - and good.

Patagonian Toothfish

Minced beef balls in tomato base gravy(foreground) and the popular pork chorizo sausage slices (background).

It was a dark and stormy night. All right, more wet than stormy. I have not gone back to the streets of Redfern ever since I attended Sydney University with wide-eyed wonder or just drove along its fringes on the way to somewhere (Glebe or Newtown or Broadway). Instinctively and quietly, I had a rising thrill inside, with flutters, as to how I would rediscover Redfern, so near Sydney's city centre and yet in character maybe so far away.  The classmates who attended classes with me had since gone on various paths but under the cover of evening, memories still came back to me.   The part of Redfern five of us embarked upon for dinner was more Surry Hills to me than the Redfern of the railway station and its adjoining lanes.  Parking was not easy to find, the light rain drip drapped along and we saw a strikingly attractive shop display of craft - giant Red Indian head, a cuddly big bison head and more.

Entrance to the Patagonian - subdued, with low lighting but with ambience inside.

We arrived at our meal destination, with a distinct tooth fish sign in red lights at the door. Lighting was low. Patagonia reminded me of school geography, the tip of Tierra Del Fuego across the border in Chile and is definitely Argentinian. Everyone I knew during the great Aussie dollar era went to Macchu Picchu, Sugar Loaf Mountain with the giant Jesus and trendy parties in Sao Paulo.  Why this fish?   Bruce mentioned about the feud between Argentina and Australia way back when the South American boats were alleged to have intruded on Australian waters in the pursuit for more tooth fish. Interesting enough, my US and Canadian mates say this sea creature is more popularly known as the Chilean sea bass. Whatever its label, the fish itself has a confronting big mouth and is of the darker shade in colour and appearance.  Argentinians call it the Merluza Negra and they weigh anything from seven to ten kilos each. Not only do humans devour them, but they are also eaten by sperm whales, colossal squid and southern elephant seals.  Michael mentioned that this restaurant caters to queries for live specimens as well.

Sangria on glass - and you can have your choice of white or red versions

I looked forward to the tapas which are a landmark of this rather authentic place. The antipasto platter was already unusual, in that they had dried apricots and Brazilian nuts, in addition to the cheese, olives and chorizo. We landed up with a selection of several tapas and loved most of them so much that we willingly wanted seconds. My favourite of all was the Champinones al Ajillio, a rather poetic name for a tasty delight - mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and garlic, garnished with a dash of chili and cream! Oh yes, Italian fare has a comparable dish as well in this regard. The other top tapas that night in my view was the Calamares Fritos, salt and pepper squid served with aioli.   I would also recommend the really tender and juicy char grilled baby octopus, heavenly on the palate with just a tomato and BBQ marinade (the Pulpitos a la Plancha).  We also had traditional Spanish meatballs in a spicy tomato salsa, chorizo served with chimichurri and Papas Fritas (deep fried potatoes garnished with aoili).   I did eye the soft shell crab and the pan fried prawns from Seville (Gambas a la Sevilliana) but all of us were already really full by then.

Louis attended to us attentively and I looked upon him as both butler and marketer.  He is charming, makes suggestions and always made sure we were not left to our own devices, swooping in like an eagle on a timely basis and ensuring that we had a flow and energy from the cuisine. The lovely young lady who cleared our plates knew that perhaps we were running out of space on our table.  We were seated under a canopy on the pavement as it was full inside and the last time I had such an ambient location was along Lygon Street in Melbourne's Carlton.  On a next visit, I already have in mind the paella with blue swimmer crab and saffron Jasmine rice; the seafood fettuccine and a pumpkin salad.
Desserts are limited to churros but the choice of drinks is really good.  The national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha, is available - it is made from sugar cane rum. You can also choose Mojito, Margarita, Cuba Libre and Pina Colada.

Louis tells me that they also do corporate or private party catering.  He mentions that they are open for breakfast.  Maybe the only thing the restaurant do not serve as food is the toothfish itself.  The lunch menu has a spectrum of burgers, penne, wraps, sandwiches and paella.  The evening we were there, many of the diners were of Latin American background - couples, families and twenty somethings. I felt that I have discovered a gem of a delight in Sydney town. There are cozy seatings, bigger tables and corner hideaways. Would I return?  I just plan to.  Lisa came all the way from the Shoalhaven area and Chip, from Little Bay.  I reckon we were all glad we did.

My top tapas dish that evening - delicate and tenderly braised mushrooms in a wholesome sauce.

N2 Extreme Gelato, Chinatown Sydney

It looks like a shady chemistry lab. It feels like an underground cavern. It exudes some mystery.  How does liquid nitrogen add to the flavours of gelato?  I am reminded of Dr Who, I recall my high school moments and I notice the chalk on the blackboard. Word of mouth has fed much into my ears and if I am in uni, I would consider this cool, very cool. Overhead lights add to the allure, bright coloured spots and items provide some surprising touches.  It may also feel like the garage school boys hang out. Already operating in both Melbourne and Sydney, I reckon this business model can do well in Asian cities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei.  What, you may ask, another hyped up gelato joint?  It can do well in warm climes instead of the rather cold day when I checked out N2.

To me, it looked like kitchen cake mixers (yes they are Kitchen Aids) but then there was a serious effort of adding this gas like thing on to the mixing bowl.  Ah ha, the UK chef Heston may have had a hand in all these.  The thought did cross my mind that handling nitrogen is not in the same league as preparing juices or ice cream smuck.  It is a more risky league.  I tried the avocado mix. Staff were friendly, the smiling Caucasian guy in the white coat and the naturally beaming Asian lass helping him. I did find the gelato on the thick side but then it was flavourful, did not have icy sheen as some of the competitors dish up and there was quality. Perhaps two can share one order, especially if you visit after a meal.  There is so much choice in flavours and combinations and I do recommend the plain old pandan, cocolichee sorbet, fig and yogurt and the pork floss gelato.  Many commented that the flavours are skewed towards Asian tastes and upbringing, but I suggest to every one to let go, feel the wind and be adventurous.

The venue at One Dixon Street encourages inter mingling whilst also providing funky corners to wait, stare and consume.  N2 is one of the more refreshing gelato and customer hub concepts played out in reality - and the obvious demographic market target is the 13 to 30 year olds.  I may have forgotten my chemistry element symbols but N2 is obviously nitrogen. It is a credit to founder Min Chai's imagination and flair that N2 Extreme Gelato exists - and this is another real life story of a trained accountant going beyond the figures to create a business.  There are extreme queues at certain hours but uni students find it fun, they catch up without having to make over complex appointments.

Din Tai Fung, World Square Sydney CBD

I had been to one of the several outlets of Din Tai Fung in Singapore, but always perceived the first branch in Sydney was a larger version than most of its peers around the world. Feedback I received had been varying, depending on when the visit was made and what was served, but one constant factor was the always fully occupied tables in the midst of meal time. The business was started by a Taiwanese, but the cuisine harks back to the Chinese mainland, with a combination of central and southern Chinese inspired dian xin (or literally, "touches of the heart").   How does Din Tai Fung differ from the stereotyped Cantonese restaurant offering almost similar fare? Maybe it is the siew loong pau, that dainty dumpling which hides a soupy inside, or is it the dan dan hand made noodles, taken in a swirling mix of chili oil laden gravy?  In such equivalents of China's traditional fast food business models, service was relatively fast once you have ticked off your preferences on paper soon after arrival.  As for yum cha, there are no bookings taken ahead and customers come as they are and get seated. They also allow for take aways at the end of the meal.  Even if we came early at 11am, by 1230pm, the place was packed and buzzing.

The day twelve of us had lunch there, the heavens had persistently produced windy and torrential rain, which we could view through the large glass partitions of Din Tai Fung.  Ceilings seem to be higher than in typical Chinatown joints and Mandarin is the preferred lingua franca. There are the old favourites like piping hot steamed buns, with choices like minced pork coated with greens. There seems to be less oiliness in such food when compared with Hong Kong styled lunches. I particularly liked the condiments you can mix yourself on small side plates, with an emphasis on julienned ginger slices and Sichuan chili oil. Like Cantonese food, however, they continue the emphasis on fresh ingredients but the food is overall more light on the palate.  I reckon such degustation of small and varied dishes is a safe bet for recovery after a late and long night the evening before - provided you make sure you order tea and not be pressed by the offer of alcoholic drinks.

There can be various sources of similar food all over the inner western and north-western suburbs of greater Sydney.  The choices at Din Tai Fung may appear more standard and less exotic, but welcomed by mainstream demographics of Australian society. The elderly and the kids are safe with this cuisine, especially when they are steamed and come with stunningly green cuts.  South-east Asians can find these possibly bland, but then there is always the chili oil on standby. Apart from World Square, there are smaller outlets at the Star Cafe Court in the casino complex at Darling Harbour and on level 5 Food Court of the Westfield at Pitt Street Mall.  My top choice items to must have at Din Tai Fung are the steamed pork dumplings; mango pudding dessert; stir fried long beans; churros styled Chinese sesame seed paste snacks; and silken tofu with a garnish of dried pork floss.

Newtown on an Autumn Sunday - Inner Sydney