Suminoya and the V8 Diesel Cake

Soooo...it has been nearly 2 weeks since I blogged *slaps wrist*. I hope I didn't lose you all because I love each and every one of you :(

If you follow me on twitter, you may notice that I have been either terribly sick or stuffing myself sick to a terrifying level (love my play on words there) so when I get home, I just want to bum around or sleep.

To those who care, I've been sick ever since May. I've eaten countless number of medicine...capsules, granules, tablets, syrups, you name it. Coughed till I puked and it was so bad that the doctor prescribed me super strong antibiotics and cough syrup that they had to take it out from a locked cupboard. Even after all that, it didn't make much of a difference :( My. Life. Sucks.

Anywho, one of my best buddies ever since Year 9 is having a birthday! Dinner plan is a must and Suminoya here we come!

 

Happy Marshmallow :D

At Suminoya, we chose the Premium Buffet which costs $50 but that includes sashimi and unlimited beef tongue. It's a bit on the pricey side, especially that I don't do very well in a buffet situation.

 

Suminoya

 

Sashimi of Salmon, Kingfish and Tuna

Three serves of each sashimi comes out and we were sad. It was tiny. It was gone within a minute between 7 people so we know better now to order MOAR!

Squid Sashimi

Ten serves of squid sashimi is still pretty small....

 

Beef Sashimi

 

Spinach and Almond Salad

As I was sitting on the edge, I was given the responsibility to order the dishes. Everyone hated me for ordering vegetables...bunch of carnivores! The salad did came very handy as the BBQ started to burst into flames every now and then and the leaves were very efficient in putting it out.

Radish and Chilli Cod Salad

Loved this salad! When I say I love a salad means I love the sauce...

Yukke

Three serves of yukke has again proven not enough and three more were ordered later on. I have heard some horror stories from other bloggers saying some places serve them frozen D: Luckily this one was fresh and soft and tasty with a bright golden yolk sitting happily on top.

Edamame

Cucumber Kimchee

Corn with Butter

I had some major dilemma with this baby. You see, the butter is solid and I want butter to smother all over the corn YET I don't want the corn to be hot. I tried putting the butter on a spoon and hovering it over the BBQ which definitely got some "WTF what are you doing?" stares from my friends. In the end, I got tired and the butter didn't seem to budge so my solution was to take a tiny bit of butter with every scoop of corn ... Please don't judge me.

Oh right, here are the stuff on the BBQ.

 

Beef Tongue

Beef Loin

Scallops and Octopus

It was very freaky BBQing the octopus as the tentacles kept moving around and sometimes flipping over as if they were alive. I chose not to look at them and focus on my meat eating.

Beef Fillet

 

Chicken Gristle

I thought this would be crispy but it was quite chewy and had this 'powdery' texture. Weird... and I spat it out :(

 

Shabu Shabu Style Pork Loin

Sizzle my babies, Sizzle!

 

Miso Soup
 

Lemon Sorbet

We all ordered this very early on in the evening. My friends are a bunch of meat loving, sugar licking monsters and I love them<3

Green Tea Icecream

When I say sugar licking monster, no one compares with me. I had 3 serves of icecream and wanted more but my stomach always fails on me.

You do remember this is a birthday dinner right? No birthday is complete without CAKE! In this case, a V8 Diesel Cake from Zumbo.

V8 Diesel Cake

Please don't make fun of our old age :(

Balllllllssssssss

 

And I got some of it

-Insert inappropriate joke here-

 

Food Porn :D

Does this look familiar to you? It's very similar to the eight texture cake from Quay but lighter and not as overwhelmingly rich.

We also have creative personnel on the table.

Miss L turning a streak of ganache into art

Suminoya

Location: 1 Hosking Place, Sydney NSW 2000

Opening Hours: Mon - Fri 12pm - 3pm, Mon - Sun 6pm - 10:30pm

Phone: 02 9231 2110

Website: http://www.yakiniku.com.au/suminoya.html

Adriano Zumbo Cafe

Location: 114 Terry Street, Rozelle NSW 2039

Opening Hours: Mon - Fri 6:30am - 4pm, Sat - Sun 7:30am - 4pm

Phone: 02 9810 7318

Website: http://adrianozumbo.com/

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Cheese Fondue at JPB Restaurant, Swissotel

Remember last month I was ranked 21st in the 'Top 100 Australian Food Twitterers You Should Follow' list? Well...I am now 9th! Yeah baby! Am I awesome or am I awesome?  If you aren't following me yet, you SHOULD!

Enough about my shameless self promotion. So, I organised a cheese fondue night with my favourite girls...with two being lactose intolerant and just happen to share the same cheese pot (whom also ate the most cheese out of any of us)! I always thought JPB restaurant only have it during winter but nooooo, they have it year round, which made me stomping my feet wondering why I haven't visited earlier.

JPB Menu

Berrilicious $18

Only Miss V and I got drinks. I convinced her to get the berrilicious. It contains vanilla vodka, Chambord, raspberry, cranberry and black berries. The ingredients sounds so yummy but it tasted like strawberry cough syrup :(

Toffee Apple $17

Vodka with apple and butter scotch schnapps. This on the other hand tasted much better with a very nice butter scotch aroma.

Cheese Fondue with Emmental, Gruyere and Racelette $27pp

A pot of smelly, stinky cheese was presented to us in a little cauldron like pot (yes, I'm making HP references because I just watched it last night!). The pot is shared amongst two and I got to share with Miss M but that is still far more than enough for the both of us.

Crusty Bread

No cheese fondue is complete without cubes of crusty bread! We were given a mountain pile of it and here is what you get if you dunk it in a pot of bubbling cheese...

Oh yes baby!

Roast Potatoes


Sausages

Gherkins and Cocktail Onions

To those who think 'Pfft, I can eat all of that by myself'. Well, did I mention that there is unlimited top ups? So you can eat till your heart's content. Not bad for $27 really.

 

After busy taking photos, everyone started to dig in.

 Awesome shot of everyone putting food in their mouth at the same time :D

I was trying to convince everyone to get the chocolate fondue as dessert but that was a bit too much for everyone to handle so 'normal' desserts were ordered and shared.

Chocolate and Vanilla Sponge with Peanut Tuile $18

Very very misleading title for a dessert. I was first lured to order this dessert as a neighbouring table from far away ordered this and I spotted the cute little milk jug with a retro styled straw.

The dessert had a vanilla milkshake with salted peanut butter mousse (which was more like a paste) on chocolate soil and here comes the misleading part; a 'sponge' that was harder than a biscuit. It wasn't even chocolate nor vanilla but peanut with the middle layer a frozen slab of cream. I didn't enjoy the dessert much but the vanilla milkshake was pretty nice.

Mini Vanilla Milkshake

So cute that I had to take a photo with it (thank you Miss V for taking it)

Don't mind the quality, it's an iphone photo ok?

 

Crème Brûlée $17

Creme brulee with a cinnamon doughnut and uhh...apples behind the jar. Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the dessert menu >-<//

Lindt 'Noire de Domaine' Soufflé $17

A soft and fluffy chocolate souffle on top of a wheel of hokey pokey mascarpone and vanilla bean ice cream.

We walked outside and waited outside the hotel for Mr K to drive Miss V and I home...yes, I tagged along in a car pool and thank you Mr K! :D

I spotted this beautiful window display outside the hotel and I just couldn't resist taking some photos of it.

Cute Little Canary

Baskets full of roses and pine cones

Overall, it was a really fun night out with the girls but there was a little fumble in between. On the phone, I have confirmed with the staff that the cheese fondue is $27 a pot but when the bill arrived, it is actually per person :( Oh well, $27 ain't that bad either.

JPB Restaurant, Swissotel

Location: Level 8 Swissotel, 68 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000

Opening Hours: Monday - Sat 6:30am - 10:30am, 6pm - 10pm

Phone: 02 9238 7088

Website: http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/Australia/Swissotel+Sydney/HOTEL+HOME/Gallery/Dining/Jpb+Restaurant.htm

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Quay Restaurant

Yes! We finally visited The Quay for lunch on Friday. I insisted on going for lunch for the nice natural lighting so we can take purdy photos of our not so cheap food. Since Quay is only open during weekdays for lunch, we all took annual leaves to go! That is true dedication right there.

 

Quay Menu

Harbour Bridge

I was so cut that a gigantic P&O cruise ship decided to park itself right in front of Quay, blocking the views of the Opera House.  Luckily we were seated next to the window facing the Harbour Bridge so at least there was something to look at.

 

Quay Butterfly $18

Vanilla vodka, butterscotch snaps, limoncello with a cute star anise floating on top.

Aperol Sour $18

Aperol liquor, a dash of lemon juice and egg whites! It was a really refreshing blend of sweet and citrus sour taste which I really enjoyed.  Can't tell there was egg whites in it though. 

Complimentary (Rye) Bread

Amuse Bouche

A perfect balance of creamy eggplant puree,  soft dashi jelly, blue fin tuna loin and red garnette.

We chose the 4 course menu which was $135. 

Course One

Sashimi of Sea Scallops, Smoked Eel Flowers, Apple, Organic Crosnes, Horseradish, Sorrel Shoots, Virgin Pine Kernel Oil

A very delicate and light dish with many layers of subtle flavours and textures. This has been my first encounter with corsnes and I thought they were very cute with a shell like appearance. When eaten, it had a faint nutty flavour with a crunchy texture.

Southern Tuna, Toro, Pink Turnips, Jamon de Bellota, Juniper and Wasabi Flowers

Super pretty ball of tuna with pink turnips laid on the sides.  It chose the toro, the fatty bit of tuna which makes the flesh almost melt in my mouth.

Mud Crab Congee, Fresh Palm Heart, Hand Shelled Mud Crab, Chinese Inspired Split Rice Porridge

A Chinese inspired dish with a light yet very flavoursome porridge, juicy crab meat and steamed egg custard.

Course Two

The waiter took our cutlery away after the first course and we were expecting new ones to be replaced right away. However, the second course arrived and there was no cutlery in sight.  We hailed the waiter over and he gave us a shocking look that pretty much says "Oh shit". The expression was priceless, but we expected more from Quay to forget basic things like this.

Poached King George Whiting, Wintermelon, Lettuce Heart, Kale, Native Angasi Oysters

Slow Cooked Coturnix Quail Breast, Pumpernickle and Ethical Foie Gras Pudding, Walnuts, Quinoa, Truffle, Chestnuts, Milk Skin

Really tender quail breast with a rich mix of foie gras, walnuts, chestnuts, milk skin and truffle with the crunchy quinoa balancing the otherwise bland texture.

Gentle Braise of Black Lipped Abalone, Pearl Oyster, Rare Breed Pig, Shiitake, Native Sea Parsley, Ginger Scented Milk Curd, Earth and Sea Consommé

I loved the juicy shiitake mushroom and rare breed pig. The flavours are nicely balanced with each element's flavour blending perfectly into the dish. The abalone however, was a little rubbery due to overcooking. I had a few heart stopping moments when I feel like the abalone is going to fly out of the plate because I couldn't cut into it.

Course Three

Bass Groper, Young Vegetables, Smoked Butter, Fennel Pollen, White Carrot Cream, Pea Flowers

Miss K had difficulty ordering this as she thinks it sounds kinda wrong saying 'Groper' haha! The fish was very delicate in flavour and very tender so eat this one first if you are sharing with friends.

 

Berkshire Pig Jowl, Maltose Crackling, Prunes, Cauliflower Cream, Perfumed with Prune Kernel Oil

My eyes lit up when this baby was brought to me. The waitress instructed me to take in the fragrance before eating as it was perfumed with prune kernel oil.  The smell was absolutely divine but my eyes was totally fixed on the maltose crackling. The crackling was very thin but very crisp, similar to the glass on a crème brûlée.

The meat was very succulent and juicy but was even better when coupled with the smooth creaminess of the cauliflower cream and fruity sweetness of the prunes.

Poached Wagyu beef, Oxtail, Morel, Black Pudding, Farro, Buckwheat, Hazelnut, Ezekiel ($10 surcharge)

It was a wagyu of score of 8 to 9+ and like the quail breast, it was very rich in flavour with an earthy undertone.

Salad Mix with Balsamic Dressing

Ohhh, it's mirrors above us! (Miss J's face is blurred)

Course Four

Quay's Eight Texture Chocolate Cake

I'm sorry about the blurry images on the bottom.  I quickly set my camera on Auto since the waitress already started pouring chocolate on the cake and...obviously it didn't focus where I wanted it to. Never set it on Auto boys and girls!

I thought I can take on any type of cake/chocolate, ok, dessert in general but damn! This cake is rich! I was struggling to finish off the piece of cake Miss J gave me.

Layers of chocolatey goodness

Guava and Custard Apple Snow Egg

Ahh, ye o'mighty snow egg that needs no introduction. It was featured in last year's Masterchef Australia when Adam Liaw and Callum Hann was to replicate all its glory.

It consists of custard apple icecream, vanilla custard, guava granita, guava puree, poached meringue, maltose tuiles which is melted and wrapped around the meringue, vanilla cream and guava fool.  Yeah, all that in one dessert.

The Snow Egg and I

Food porn shot!

Still unsatisfied with my dessert cravings, we ordered petite fours to finish off the meal ($9 extra).

White and Brown Sugar Cubes

Latte

I'm in love with these double layered cups! Looks pretty AND it doesn't burn your hands.

 

Flowering Jasmine Tea (thank you Miss J for posing)

 

Petite Fours

The lighter ball of goodie contains palm blossom, sugar, milk, chocolate ganache, with a roasted hazelnut in the centre.  The darker one has a Amedei Chuao chocolate ganache centre, muskatelle grapes and amaretto chocolate crispies on the outside.

The lighter ball had a strong palm blossom sweetness and the darker ball was so overwhelmingly rich that I think it puts the 8 texture cake to shame. If you are a fan of very dark and rich chocolate, this is for you.

Head Chef Peter Gilmore

Now, I took a photo of Peter Gilmore when he was tasting whiskey.  Some say it's stalker behaviour, but I call it fan girl.

The bill came down to $510 for 3 people but when we looked at the receipt, they charged us for 1L of sparkling water which costs $14. Since we all ordered a cocktail, we didn't have sparkling. I think it was a supervisor (because he was in a suit) came over and gave us a disgusted look which literally translates to "You guys are lying". We were very unimpressed with this service as he didn't even say sorry and took the bill away.

We ended up giving a $15 tip which was more than the sparkling anyway. I wish I got his name so I can diss him in my blog.

Quay Restaurant

Location: Level 3, Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000

Opening Hours: Tues - Fri 12pm - 2:30pm, Mon - Sun 6pm - 10pm

Phone: 02 9251 5600

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

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