blown away by welly

No, this time I was not literally blown away in my hometown that is Windy Welly.  The food, yes the food, is what blew me away.  On a recent trip back to Wellington, I was lucky enough to have a week there to try some of the best food they have on offer with some of my favourite people.  There are a lot of people who rave on about the food that Melbourne has on offer and yes I agree, the food here in Melbourne is amazing.  But I have to say that I am so proud of my little hometown, being a fraction of the size and population of Melbourne, and having this amazing food scene that is steadily expanding and evolving.  I always look forward to a trip back where I can enjoy three of my favourite things, good food, great company and simply being home.

The Wellington coffee scene is insane.  I have always been a little (or a lot) biased and preferred the coffee in Wellington over Melbourne and pretty much anywhere else in the world.  I put it down to liking what you know and what you are used to.  I am not saying that I enjoy every single cup of coffee that I have in Wellington but what I am saying is that the consistency and flavour nearly always satisfies me.  So with the “hipsters” in full force, Wellington now has so many choices available that without the inside knowledge of a hipster friend, I may have been a little lost.  Red Rabbit is where I was taken and my latte did not disappoint.  The flavour of the coffee was great and with the standard Wellington double shot, it was a good strength also.  Red Rabbit also has the Leeds St Bakery delights available for purchase and oh my goodness, their salted caramel cookie is to die for.

I had heard a lot about the Crab Shack that opened whilst I have been away.  I mentioned to a great friend of mine that I wanted to try it.  She considerately pointed out that I would have to try it with her since I have a husband who is allergic to crustaceans and another good friend who is allergic to seafood.  So being the great friend that she is, she took the day off work to take me to the Crab Shack.  I know, I feel so lucky and am very grateful!

We started with the Shrimp mac ‘n cheese croquettes.  These beautifully crumbed morsels were deliciously filled with creamy mac ‘n cheese.  Admittedly the shrimp was not memorable however the entire croquette experience was definitely a worthy one.  I judge it with the question to myself “would I order that again?” and this was definitely a yes! 

The other entrée we had was the Moroccan spiced calamari, lightly fried and served with aioli and lemon.  I am pretty fussy when it comes to calamari, it needs to be tender, fresh and perfectly cooked.  This entrée ticked all those boxes and I would definitely order this again.

For mains, we both had the Crab & Clam fettuccine with white wine, garlic, chili, roasted peppers & parsley.  It sounded, looked and smelt fabulous.  It was definitely tasty however its downfall was that it was over seasoned.   It was that little bit too salty where we both did not finish the dish.  I probably would not order this again however this is not to say I would not visit again.  The menu at the Crab Shack is extensive and there is something on there to suit most people with non-seafood dishes also.  So yes, I’m guessing my great friend knew this and just wanted me to herself, but hey I’m not complaining!  It is also set on the Wellington waterfront and even on a cold winter’s day, it was beautiful and definitely a recommended place to dine.

I truly am so lucky to have beautiful and generous friends who I will always be grateful for.  An old friend of mine flew down from Auckland while I was in Wellington just to have lunch with me which made me feel overly spoilt.  I had heard good things (as usual) about Charley Noble so we ventured there for a nice, long, lazy lunch.
 

As I typically do, I studied the menu before I went and a few things had caught my eye but I had not made a decision, as I would rather wait to see what I felt like on the day.  I opted for a vegetarian dish, the house made pasta – Ravioli with pumpkin, amaretti, sage, pine nuts and brown butter.  This dish blew my mind.  It was so flavoursome and had the perfect balance.  The serving was not huge, however it was just right for my appetite that day and it did have a generous amount of pine nuts. 

My friend opted for a pasta dish also and went with the parpadelle with duck ragu and Grana Padano which is a hard slow-ripened, semi-fat cheese similar to parmesan.  This dish was hearty and also very delicious.

We also ordered sides of Truffle fries and French Peas, bacon, white wine and cream to accompany our delicious pastas and for that extra bit of decadence.  Both were delicious but probably not required, but hey we forgo dessert instead as our lunch was already superbly indulgent.

Tucked into Miramar an eastern suburb of Wellington is Café Polo.  This suburban café/restaurant was already established before we left Wellington five years ago, however the couple we were dining with who live in Miramar had never even been there!  I always remembered this place as consistently good and wanted to get back there while I was in Wellington. 

To start with, we had the Wild mushroom arancini with garlic aioli that comes in a serve of three balls.  One thing I love about this menu is it tells you how many items you will get in a serve, takes the guessing out of it and also saves you from asking.  I love arancini because I am a huge risotto fan.  These were delicious, full of flavour and well-crumbed.  Personally I think there is nothing like something that is crumbed well!

Also to start we had the Fish Sliders (in a serve of 2), which came with sauce gribiche and watercress.  What is sauche gribiche, I hear you wondering?  Well, it is a mayonnaise style sauce however the eggs are cooked instead of raw.  You do learn something every day when eating fine food!  The sliders were again delicious - I think delicious is fast becoming my favourite word.  The fish was battered and deep-fried, the buns were fresh, and the combination of watercress and egg is one of those matches made in heaven.

Onto the mains.  We had the Pan roasted fish, cauliflower puree, pine nuts, sultanas & glazed endive.  This dish had my favourite things.  I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower in its natural form.  However, when it is pureed, it is a different story.  It was creamy, smooth and well-seasoned, I loved it so much, I have tried to replicate it in my own kitchen.  The fish was also well cooked and this was a complete dish that simply worked.



The other main was the Crispy skin pork belly, apple & parsnip remoulade, quince, roast shoulder croquette.  Again, pork and apple go hand in hand and is a harmonious marriage.  The dish was presented beautifully and tasted mighty fine also.  It was very scrumptious and we were extremely satisfied.


As if we needed more satisfaction, there was still room for dessert.  I opted for a new dish that had found its way onto the menu, it was the Bitter chocolate & malt tart, toasted marshmallow, almond & vanilla milkshake.  There were so many components onto this one mind-blowing dessert.  It also contained a quenelle scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate krisipies.  The tart was smooth with an amazing dark chocolate flavour which I am a huge fan of.  The toasted marshmallow was light and fluffy, similar to a meringue without the crunch.  The milkshake was a quirky addition to the dessert and an extra decadent way of washing the rest down.

The other dessert was a Vanilla ice cream fudge sandwich.  I had seen this dessert on social media and had to try it.  It was absolutely amazing.  The creamy smooth ice cream was sandwiched between what I think was pop corn wafers?  I am not 100 percent sure but whatever it was worked well together.  The final hurrah that completed this mind-blowing three course meal.

Would we return to Café Polo?  Most definitely.  Would we recommend Café Polo?  Absolutely.  I not-so-secretly think, this is one of my favourite places to dine in Wellington – besides having my mum’s cooking of course.

Wellington will always hold a special spot in my heart.  It is the tiny, windy, funky city where my family settled and made our home.  I am always quick to boast about this city and I love seeing how it has evolved and how it can challenge the food culture of its bigger cousin Melbourne, in its own unique and wonderful ways.

tasting tassie

I had heard a lot of good things about Tasmania and the food they have on offer.  So on a recent short trip to “Tassie”, I was looking forward to the beautiful scenery and of course the chance to sample the food, glorious food. 

The first stop was the small seaside town of Bicheno.  Located on the east coast of Tasmania, it is approximately a two-hour drive from both Launceston and Hobart.  I had heard of the Sea Life Centre and was concerned that it was a tourist trap.  The lovely man at our accommodation assured me that it was not just another tourist trap and that he often frequents this restaurant.  So with a hunger for seafood, we headed there.

We started with the sourdough bread with whipped garlic butter.  I was looking forward to warm fresh bread oozing with delicious butter.  The bread was definitely warm and fresh, however we were not sure that it was in fact sourdough. It tasted more like a plain baguette which was a little disappointing.  It did however fill the spot and we now had the mains to look forward to.

I had the Sealife Seafood Platter for one, this consisted of a combination of fresh seafood including freshly crumbed flake, battered prawns, salt and pepper floured calamari, cold marinated Tasmanian fish, and avocado rolled horseradish salmon, served with sauces, chips and salad.  It actually also contained two raw oysters which were deliciously plump, fresh and perfect with a squeeze of lemon juice.  That was definitely the highlight of the platter.  The rest of the platter can simply be described as fresh and good, but nothing stuck out as amazing.

My companion had the Ocean Trout which was Oven baked, served on egg noodles with steamed vegetables and topped with a peach, mint and ginger salsa.  This dish was fresh and healthy. So healthy in fact, that my companion said it’s the healthiest dish he has ever ordered in a restaurant. The trout was fresh and perfectly cooked as were the vegetables (sometimes they can be terribly overcooked and mushy). It was also so healthy that I don’t think the vegetables and noodles had any seasoning on them.  Fortunately, salt can always be added and I am a firm believer that food is better under seasoned than over seasoned.  With full bellies, there was no room for dessert and on the whole it was a pleasurable experience on a cold rainy night by the sea. 

The Freycinet Marine Farm near Wineglass bay offers fresh seafood in a casual dining environment or for takeaway.  We opted for half a dozen natural oysters - $10 and Tasmanian salmon served with a bread roll for $14.  The oysters were fresh but not as plump as the ones from the Sealife centre however the salmon was again, perfectly cooked and tasty.  This was a perfect meal washed down with a Tasmanian Pinor Gris after a long five-hour hike to Wineglass Bay and the Hazards.

The Salamanca markets is what I would call Hobart’s most famous tourist attraction. We left Bicheno early to try and get to these markets that are only once per week on a Saturday.  We left without a proper breakfast to give us room to devour the delicious market food.  Strolling past the stalls of the markets, there was nothing really that appeared so appetizing even though we were past the hungry phase and nearing the “hanger” (hungry-angry) phase!  I had heard of the famous scallop pie and therefore had to try one.  They were $7 which is understandable being on the pricier side for a pie, since they contained seafood.  The first few bites were delicious.  They had a mild curry flavour and the scallops were cooked well and fresh, however by the end of it, it became sickening.  Perhaps it was too creamy or heavy or both.  It is definitely a pie that needs to be shared.

Dessert at the markets was the next thing I searched for.  There were the usual donuts, pastries and the like, but I had never seen individual pavlovas before.  Not only that, you could choose different flavours.  I opted for the double espresso which also included chocolate chunks on top.  In hindsight, it was probably not a good idea to opt for such a creamy dessert after having a creamy pie, however the cream on the pavlova was not even the real deal.  For $8, this dessert was disappointing.  Even the pavolva was not light and fluffy as you would expect it to be.  Maybe the Aussies should leave the pavlova making to us Kiwis!  Unfortunately this famous tourist attraction of Hobart disappointed and we left unsatisfied.

Being Kiwis, we love our fish n chips, and on numerous occasions we have been disappointed by the quality available in Melbourne.  So on this trip to Tassie, we used the opportunity to try what Tasmania had to offer. We were not disappointed with Mako Seafood on the Hobart waterfront.  The oysters were fresh and the blue trevally fish was meaty and flavoursome and we left feeling pleasantly satisfied.




There is a little suburb called Battery Point south of the city, and it is here where a mind-blowing bakery  - Jackman & McRoss sits.  There are just so many choices that a second visit was required.  On the first visit we had a salt-crusted salmon with fennel on a risotto cake served with a side of rocket.  We also had chorizo sausage, gruyere, caramalezied onion wrapped in puff pastry.  Both were equally decadent and divine.  For dessert we had the chocolate éclair and a brioche filled with crème anglaise.  The chocolate éclair was soft and light with just enough cream and icing to top it off.  I may even add that it was the best chocolate éclair ever!!!  On the second visit, we had a simple ham & cheese croissant, a beef pie and a pork sausage roll. All three staples of most bakeries however they were all perfectly cooked and very tasty.  A cream donut finished things off nicely and needless to say for any trip to Hobart, this place cannot be bypassed!

And finally to end a wonderful few days of eating, a steak was on order from Roaring Grill.  They pride themselves on offering Cape Grim beef from Tasmania’s North West therefore we wanted to try the Tassie beef.  We ordered the eye fillet served with mash and coleslaw, the sliders served with a side of fries and also an extra side of Mac n Cheese.  This was the perfect amount of food for two with no room for dessert.  The eye fillet had great flavour and was cooked on point at medium rare.  The sides of mash and coleslaw were creamy, well-seasoned making great accompaniments.   The sliders were tasty, juicy and a satisfying choice from the menu.  On the whole Roaring Grill was worth the visit for a great steak and away from other tourist attracting steak houses on the waterfront.

On the whole, tasting Tassie was an enjoyable, satisfying experience. After being there, I have put it down to the fresh available produce available, together with the clean fresh air, a trip to Tassie is definitely worth it and provides a feel good factor.  With so many great places to choose from or revisit, another trip is definitely imminent. 

back to my roots

Another year has flown by and again I have not made the time to blog.  However I will now look forward not backwards and I have given my beloved blog a lot of thought.  I have so many ideas and things that I would love to share therefore a new and improved blog will be coming soon as I move over to Wordpress.  Watch this space!!!

While that is in the works, I am bringing my blog back and to kick things off, I’ll be sharing a recipe originating from my roots.  I was born in Cambodia and growing up our family meals were very much traditional Cambodian cooking. This recipe is for ‘Fish Amok’ a well-known dish in Cambodia and arguably Cambodia’s national dish.  This is an old favourite which I remember only having on special occasions, most likely due to the effort involved.  I tried googling the recipe multiple times and I have had a few unsuccessful attempts as they never compared to the way my mum made it.

So when my mum was recently in Melbourne I was lucky to have her dictate the recipe to me while I eagerly wrote down as much detail as I could allowing me to recreate the dish.  I have made it twice so far and although it is still not quite the same as I remember, each time it improves so I am happy with that.  So here it is, please enjoy.

fish amok 

(serves 4 with 1 -2 other dishes because you never only have one dish when sitting down to a Cambodian meal!)

Equipment needed:

• -       Mortar and pestle
• -       Blender/grinder (optional)
• -       Bowl for marinating the fish
• -       Steamer
• -       Bowl for steaming

Ingredients:

• -       500g firm white fish fillets cut into 1 inch pieces
• -       150g button mushrooms quartered (optional)
• -       One bunch of spinach leaves (or other leafy green such as silverbeet)
• -       Banana leaves made into a bowl (this is optional however is a traditional option)
• -       The creamy part of one tin of coconut cream
• -       2 eggs
• -       1 tsp salt
• -       2 tsps sugar
• -       1Tbspn fish sauce
• -       2 Tbspns khroeung (3-4 stalks of lemongrass, 3 garlic cloves, 1tspn tumeric)
• -       5 shallots
• -       1 inch galangal
• -       5 kaffir lime leaves (thinly sliced)
• -       2 red chillis (more if you prefer spicy)
• -       ½ tsp paprika
• -       ½ red capsicum thinly sliced to garnish

Method:

1. Make the khroeung (a common base for many Cambodian dishes) by thinly slicing the lemongrass and then blending into a paste with the garlic cloves and tumeric.  This can also be done in a mortar and pestle, however for best results blend in batches followed by pounding in the mortar and pestle, remove the khroeung for the next step.
2. Pound the shallots, galangal and 4 of the kaffir lime leaves until it forms a paste.  Add the chillis, khroeung, salt and pound together until well combined. This takes around 10 minutes. 
3. In a bowl, combine the khroeung, sugar, fish sauce, paprika, eggs and creamy part of the coconut cream until well mixed.
4. Add the fish and mushrooms and stir altogether for approximately 15 minutes to ensure that it is well combined.
   
5. In the steaming bowl place banana leaves if using to cover the bottom.  This is for decorative and fragrant purposes only.  Then place the leafy greens in the base of the bowl.  Spoon the fish mixture into the bowl.
6. Once the water has boiled in the steamer, steam for approximately 15 minutes taking care not to overcook the fish.
7. Garnish with a few tablespoons of coconut cream, red capsicum and kaffir lime leaves.
8. Serve with rice and enjoy!!!