SIFF 2010 Sugar Hit at Azuma Kushiyaki and Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria

My first SIFF Sugar Hit!  Went on a heart stopping, artery clogging trip with Julie, Rachel and Vivienne for a double dose of sugary goodness.  We had dinner at Mappen and I was about to put that into the same post but the title was getting a bit long so I have decided to blog about it in another time.

I have to admit, a really full dinner and 2 Sugar Hits in one night is not my cup of tea, especially that I went a bit crazy at Mappen and grabbed nearly one of each thing just so I could take a photo of it.  The sad sad things I do for this blog.

To kill time between 7pm to 9pm, we walked around the city and had a shop in World Square where I found my awesome hat for Saturday's Food Blogger 'Mad Hatter' Spring picnic.  *happy*.  We then had a pre Sugar Hit 'warm up' by having a large bowl of frogurt at Azuma Patisserie.

We stared at the little boxes of dessert the staff were carrying out from the Patisserie to Kushiyaki and eagerly looked at the time every 2 seconds hoping that it would magically turn to 9pm.  Finally, it was time and we swiftly shifted ourselves inside the restaurant.

Azuma Kushiyaki

Inside the restaurant, rows of sake, traditional Japanese wooden screens and modern styled chairs shows a strong Japanese modern fusion theme, similar to the foods offered at Azuma.

Azuma Sugar Hit have the option of either their Green tea, Brown Brothers wine or Hennessy V.S Cognac.  If you are willing to pay extra, you can even choose another wine to accompany your desserts.

Azuma's Special Blend Japanese Green Tea

Hennessy V.S Cognac

Julie chose the cognac but I personally felt it was a little too strong for something delicate like Japanese food.

East meets West dessert tasting plate with Brown Brothers 2009 Orange Muscat and Flora

The light aroma of orange blossom with a fresh, citrus and tangy palate was a perfect combination with the dessert platter although, I felt it suited the tarts more than the panna cotta as the taste of the panna cotta is lost in the sweetness of the wine.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis

Belgian Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry Coulis Centre and Freeze Dried Raspberry Flakes

I dug in to the panna cotta first and the light, creamy and smoothness made me fly to heaven.  I had a sip of the wine and ate the panna cotta again but since it was so delicate in flavour, I could not taste the vanilla anymore.

After scooping the little cup clean, I moved onto the chocolate mousse which is much more rich than the panna cotta. I loved the intense colour and the subtle sourness the raspberry flakes brought to an otherwise ordinary chocolate mousse.  After careful observation, Vivienne discovered there is a thin layer of sponge cake on the very bottom of the cup.  We all excitedly dug to the very bottom trying to fish it out. 

Premium Japanese Matcha Green Tea Ganache Tart, Fresh Japanese Wasabi Ganache Tart, Petite Almond Financier, Macaron (Coconut)

The richness of the mousse made me move onto the other box half way through.  I picked up the matcha ganache tart and it had a nice balance of 'matchaness' to not over power the tart.  I had a bite and another till im defeated by its denseness.  The wasabi ganache tart was equally as dense and it had quite a strong wasabi taste which went a bit in my nose (I could breathe again)! Rachel could not handle it and puts it down while I managed a quater of the tart.  In the end, I used a spoon to scrape the ganache out and just ate it like that.  Still didn't manage to finish half of it though.

The almond financier was loved by everyone and was devoured easily.  We put the mini macarons together to take photos as we all got different flavours and faces.  Flavours were coconut, orange and lemon and the filling for mine was quite nice (I can't really make out what it is) while the orange filling had a tangy citrus flavour.

Cute faces on the macarons :3

It was just after 9:30pm when we paid and started to move on to our next Sugar Hit at Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria (Chifley Plaza).  I previously booked for the newly opened QVB one but they had a function so we had to go to the one at Chifley. 

Blaming my lack of geographical talent, I thought we could be there in 15 minutes but instead, it was more like 35 minutes.  We rocked up fashionably late and they were already cleaning by the time we got there. Oops.

The waitress didn't seem impressed but they still seated us.  We were all bloated with a belly full of Japanese noodles and dessert that we thought it was wise to share 2 Sugar Hits amongst the 4 of us.  I think they got it prepared already and waiting for us as the plates was brought out immediately.

Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria

Their lights was such awesomeness!

Chocolate Tasting Plate

We oohed and ahhed when the pretty desserts was brought out on a wooden cutting board.  Funny how both Sugar Hits had a macaron in it.  The macaron craze in Sydney is insane!

*Add in* Thank you Vivienne to point out that we had MORE macarons during Mappen and thank you again for letting us eat your delicious Lindt macarons :D
 

Brown Brothers Dessert Wine

The dessert wine was different to the one offered at Azuma.  This had a much bolder and nuttier flavour compared to the the Orange Muscat and Flora to go with the richness of the chocolates.  Both of the wines complimented their desserts perfectly and made me want to learn more about wine matching and appreciation.

Glace Apricot and Milk Chocolate Ganache Tart

The tart that changed my life! Literally.  The glace apricots was covered under a warm, gooey layer of milk chocolate ganache.  At first, I thought it was caramel but it was not as sweet or sticky.  I thought it was the world's most wonderful caramel sauce until I checked online and found out they were a milk chocolate ganache. Still, the tart was totally amazing and I would eat it all if I wasn't so full.

Berry Chocolate Fudge with Dehydrated Orange Slice

The chocolate fudge was a bit of a let down. Maybe it was because we arrived late and it was on standby for so long, the fudge was really dry and not gooey at all. It was more cake than fudge which left me disappointed.

Gianduja Macaron

What is gianduja (pronounced zhahn-doo-yuh) you ask. Well, it is an European chocolate made from chocolate and 30% nut paste.  I was glad that they offered something out of the ordinary instead of the usual ganache.

I enjoyed both of the Sugar Hits very much.  They both offered dessert that was representative of their style and origin which I think is most important.

Azuma Kushiyaki Bar and Grill

Location: Regent Place, 501 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 9267 7775

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday from 12pm, Monday - Saturday from 6pm, Sunday from 5:30pm

Website: http://www.azuma.com.au/

Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria (Chifley Plaza)

Location: 2 Chifley Plaza, Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 9223 9552

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 12pm - 10:30pm

Website: http://www.bacco.com.au/

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