Nobu

Just as the tennis public heralded the arrival 21 years later after the fusion between Mr and Mrs Federer with all that elegant play, so did the food world rejoice when it was introduced to a young (now not so young) Japanese man by the name of Nobu Matsuhisa. With the backing of Al Capone and the all the hype of a Sex in the City movie, the celebrity chef brought “IT” to the most important southern state in Australia (apologises Tasmania) to be along side other food goliaths. “IT” being the uniquely Japanese and Peruvian influenced cuisine at his self-titled restaurant, Nobu.

The venue is low key, no frills, down to earth, much like the racquet superstar, with it’s red and chocolate hues, solid wood finishes with more of the tree appendages fencing the walls. Play singles matches on the cozy little tables that won’t fit much other than your choppers and the dish for your shoyu or be a knight at the round tables that invite players to share it around.

Swiss Maestro precise backhand slices of jalapenos bite off the surface of the lightly soy dressed whitefish sashimi that proves to be a perfect 15-love start. Beef seared quicker than a 1st round encounter against the world number 1 then thinly bladed is smothered in a lemony soy yuzu dressing garnished with chopped spring onion and flakes of garlic. New Style Sashimi from an old stager comes takes goodies from the sea such as scallops and prawn, served nude with only chives providing the same coverage as a Wilson natural gut string, sprinkled with sesame seeds and its oil for a bit of nuttiness and a citrus soy dressing. The balance of flavours impeccable, it really is an on the run Federer backhand whistling down the line in food form. As impressive is the lobster ceviche, the chopped crustacean meat sits on a leaf the colour of Wimbledon’s centre court, again lemony zing evident amongst a drop shot winner deft chilli paste. A messy mound of artichoke salad with its wheat noodles provides a pleasant change of ends to the warmer dishes.

Roger control of the ball is also found in the tempura. Sea urchin is lightly battered, fried to the point where not only the outer shell is crispy but also the little creature inside is heated to a warm gooeyness. Though this is no match for the Nobu signature that’s the Express at 23, the peak of its powers. Unleashing like a cross court forehand, the meaty steak of black cod that’s been soaking in a sweet white miso is baked til the fish is service line white, then grilled with a heat equal this his ground stroke so that the top caramelises to a fine crisp. Drizzle with lemon to completely change its flavour, an oversized novelty cheque bonus to go with this grand slam title dish.

Be prepared to open up the wallet, it’ll cost you an scalped ticket to the Oz Open’s women’s final. But with the extremely professional, informative and well drilled ball kids in black at the helm, Nobu, with all its grace, it’ll earn big prizemoney as well as a legion of fans to rival tennis’s ballerina.

3 / 5 yums!
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Where? Crown, Whiteman St, Southbank, VIC
What? Small dishes $16, Mains $30









Left to Right : Whitefish sashimi, Beef Tataki with Yuzu Miso, New Style Sashimi, Lobster Ceviche, Artichoke Salad, Sea Urchin Tempura, Black Cod Miso, Sushi and Sashimi Platter

Asian Night Noodle Market

It’s that time of the year again. No not when the ladies attempt to destroy the doors on the Lonsdale Street entrance of the Melbourne CBD Myer at the crack of dawn for the boxing day bargains or when the blokes decide to clear out the underwear drawer of garments which have lost their elasticity to be retired as grease cleaners for engine parts. It’s Sydney’s October Good Food Month and one of its most popular events, the Asian Night Noodle Market held in Hyde Park’s North. With every year, the setting becomes more and more spectacular, with streams of red paper lanterns lining the air above, colour changing globe light features and the hypnotic lounge music. With booze available and plastic chairs to make oneself comfortable, or the patches of grass in the surrounds, make it a night out under the stars with some grub from the south east. It might not quite be hawker style or hawker quality, but there are plenty of choices as the stalls do their best with their hands tied due to equipment restrictions. With almost every country covered, you’ll either have to have a number of stomachs equal to a cow to sample them all or return on other nights.

2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? Hyde Park North, Sydney, NSW
What? Dishes under $10





Left to Right : Char Kuay Teow, Chicken Satay, Satay Sauce, Mussels, Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab

Moncur Terrace

So you’re at this inner city bar and with a couple of freshly ordered drinks in hand you happen to “bump” into the pretty prey that you’ve been gawking at all night. The contact causes spillage that luckily narrowly misses all couture, follows with a rapid exchange of apologises in the most polite and sincere manner and ends with a somewhat forced laugh to lighten the mood. Finding some sort of attraction in each other (oh those are nice shoes where ever did you get them from?), a conversation is struck and surprisingly common interests are found. A connection. All is going well. Then comes the mistake. Exchanging numbers before excusing oneself to return to the friends, a dinner is suggested somewhat hastily. DINNER!??!?!?!!??!?! HOSHFUDDLE the guilty party proclaims immediately after… why not something more casual like coffee or brunch? That’s ok because the situation can be rectified.

Thankfully there are venues where one can impress a potential breeding partner on the first “date” that balances great nourishment, price and atmosphere without exuding the impression of trying too hard and being overbearing. One such place is Moncur Terrace, the Johnny Walker Red Label to the Johnny Walker Blue Label Bistro Moncur. Up the stairs at Woollahra Hotel, escort your date to the alfresco dining with glistening steel chairs and granite-esque table tops, the long tree branches to soften the tan and grey coloured concrete wall surrounds attempt to provide a casual, outdoors feel.

Having hurdled the awkward silences with small talk about the weather, ankle bracelets and Barak Obama, then running out of speaking topics, the waiter arrives at an opportune time to take orders. The pizzas look fun, but on this occasion, the bloke impresses by selecting a rather sophisticated fillet of crispy skinned kingfish, dressed with a light tomato & white wine vinaigrette sleeping on a bed of roasted sliced spuds and other wholesome vegies. Showing a bit of authority, the lady chooses the burger that ain’t what the average punter would expect. Those with problem dentures have no problems with the wagyu beef patty that not only melts in the mouth but I bet would also inbetween two column heaters. Find it with melted cheese on top, sitting on a slice of tomato and cos lettuce, carbs from a dusted bread roll arriving with generously thick hand cut chips.

The food has the potential to brighten the mood of aspiring couples. It’s not the kind of place has that has the “you are the one for me baby” factor or “I’m expecting “coffee” at your place after this” that a restaurant with harbour views would. Choose the Terrace, with it’s casual atmosphere, to manage expectations that won’t set the bar exceedingly high for the next “date”, if you’re lucky enough to get that far.

3 / 5 yums!
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Where? 16 Queen St, Woollahra, NSW
What? Mains under $27





Left to Right : Kingfish, Wagyu burger

Mission

Good morning, [insert your name here]. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves gracing a local restaurant and bar in Chippendale. You may select any two team members, but it is essential that the third member of your team be Nyah Nordoff-Hall. She is a civilian, and a highly capable professional thief. You have forty-eight hours to recruit Miss Hall and meet me in Hyde Park to receive your gastronomic assignment.

Search amongst the terraces and apartments that litter the suburb for the renovated mission with a fresh coat of Egyptian Blue paint. Dine in a space that’s glows via candle light, creating an intimacy which also doubles as an art gallery that showcases the pieces for sale. You will find a chameleon menu that changes and adapts to the produce of the season. Target a trio of dips of a wholesome borlotti bean, a tame baba ganoush and pureed pumpkin with chargrilled bread for starters. Defuse the overly busy sliced seared lamb rump, still pink and tender in the middle, that’s bodyguarded by a mini pie, diced zucchini and spring onion. The prized crispy skin ocean trout is a higher priority; flesh just cooked through floating on a silky sweetcorn puree contrasted with a fresh yet zesty tomato salsa.

As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.

3 / 5 yums!
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Where? 3 Little Queen St, Chippendale, NSW
What? Starters $2-9, Entrees $14-17, Mains $20-28, Desserts $12-15





Left to Right : Dips, Lamb, Ocean Trout

Milk and Honey

Life’s pleasures. A child’s first steps. Their first words. The first time they go pee pee on their own. Take the nectar from a female bovine’s teat, pasteurised or un (your choice), heat and add nature’s natural sweetener and you have a liquid treat. Simple.

Just like the menu at Milk and Honey that reeks of Kevin Rudd’s Facebook page… tries very hard to please everyone. Certainly not palate shattering meals, the way smashing Spencer’s Cajun Creole onto the tongue with a sledgehammer would. Just food that befits the relaxed, casual, modern environment, inspired by touches of the Middle East and Europe.

$30 each, for a large group, gets you a savoury experience. Share the starters, consisting of hommus, baba and spicy capsium with flat bread. Follow this up with something substantially more substantial in the mezze plate of kofta balls, falafel and lamb skewered kebabs. Individually choose your main to top up the stomach, from a gentle garlic, chilli infused olive tossed in linguini, spring onion, prawns and scant button mushrooms, skin on chicken breast, pan fried and drizzled with a lemon juice squatting on a saffron risotto cake, a heart foundation tick of approval tender pork cutlet roasted with thyme, caramelised onion and apple, or a slickly greased parsley crumbed veal on a rack of asparagus.

While capilano or manuka might not remedy some of the kinks with the food, but with a bit of warmness and calcium, Milk and Honey could grow up be bigger and stronger to be the nation’s capital’s favourite teenager.

2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 29 Garema Pl, Canberra City, ACT
What? 2 course banquet $30







Left to Right : Dip plate, Mezze, Linguini, Chicken Breat, Pork Cutlet, Crumbed Veal

Menya

The middle child. Melbourne Demons. Britney Spears. This blog. Needs a bit of attention but ain’t getting any. It’s unfortunate that Menya shares the same city with great casual dining behemoths such as Ramen-Kan, Kura, Ryo’s and Ichi Ban. The calibre in front, for me it gets pushed down the line of choices. Not that Menya has anything to worry about for it still bristles, traffic Manila intersection plentiful, nestled in the corner that is the eating paradise under the Prince Centre. Don’t have to worry about the freshness of the food, for the turnover is higher than a BS CD. I will have a piece of BS, as well as the karaage chicken that’s probably been in the frier a little too long. Nothing unexpected at this standard Japanese joint, from dons, sushi to ramen. With a meritocracy that’s far from the brand of footy the Dees are playing at the moment, it’s still worth keeping in the back of the foody bank.

2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? Shop 8, 8 Quay St, Haymarket, NSW
What? Under $10

Mamak

Chinatown Sydney was crying out Lois Lane styles for a truly super duper Malaysian food store. It had everything else, but the one cuisine that truly makes me feel like I’d lose all bladder control from over excitement. The hybrid nourishment that’s influenced by the best of worlds… Indian, Chinese, Indonesian.

Mamak has answered that call and it doesn’t disappoint, arriving in the nick of time to rescue the insatiable appetite. Not Superman bicep and forearm cradling comfortable on the short wooden stools and the prices won’t match those on the hard streets of Petaling Jaya. What is though is the soothing sound of the soft dough of egg, flour, water and ghee being splattered on the sparkling mirror of stainless steel to flatten then folded over. It is allowed to rise before softly sizzling on a liberally oiled BBQ hot plate to produce the 13th wonder of the world… the roti canai. Coming to a mouth near you with two curry dips of fish and vegetable. Have them all, from the Telur (egg), Planta (buttery) even Kaya (pandan and coconut) and Piseng (banana). Crispy, flaky on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside, like a Lex Luthor Martha Kent cross breed. Most of the classics are here, although strangely absent is a rendang but still plenty to please including a Jonathan Kent likable Nasi Lemak, Kristen Kruek hot hot hot Kari Ayam (chicken curry) and Malaysian style Ayam Goreng (fried chicken).

The heart flutters, the face blushes, and lucky I was wearing that adult diaper. Thank you SuperMamak in your stripped back latex glory.

3.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, NSW
What? Under $15







Left to Right : Teh ais, Limau ais, Kopi ‘O’ ais, Nasi Lemak chicken curry, Kari Ayam, Ayam Goreng, plain Roti Canai, Roti Planta