Eat Like Ushi

On a cold raining afternoon, the incredible amounts of fog and mist prevented any kind of sight-seeing or outdoor activity. All that really leaves is exploring nearby Leura and finding food around Katoomba. I made my way to Hominy Bakery for the reputed sourdough and after a brief dalliance with the menu of a nearby Mexican restaurant, I ended up finding a gem at The Yellow Deli.

The place reminds me of something like an ski lodge with wooden furnishings, a fireplace, a slight hipster-marijuana vibe and a waitress wearing a cool retro American type dress. It's got something for everybody.

- Mate $3.0 - apparently it's a kind of tea that is turned into a coffee-type latte drink. It's a little odd but not necessary bad;
- Green chai latte (with almond milk) $4.5 - a sweet smooth drink that helped keep warm on a cold raining afternoon;
- Bowl of Pumpkin Soup (served with artisan bread) $10 - outstanding smooth blended soup with a mild pumpkin flavour but deep warm satisfaction;
- Bowl of hearty kettle cooked Beef Chili (served with artisan bread) $10 - the Deli's staple meat soup is chilli with minced beef chunks. Very good indeed.

The breads served with each soup were fantastically soft and delicious. The delicate homemade butter served with it was fantastic. The mate was not charged after they asked and I said it was unusual. Even though I was happy to (since I ordered it), the waitress wouldn't. Definitely worth the tip.

The menu isn't all that extensive (most of the rest of it is burgers or sandwiches) but the overall setting, staff caring and fireplace warmth make it an excellent and recommended stop in Katoomba.

There weren't many places open to eat on a Monday night at 915pm. Most of the ANU area had shut down already and Red Chilli Sichuan wasn't taking anyone new. Across the road from it, in a prime corner of Northbourne Avenue was a new(ish) Viet place that I had heard mixed things about. Bistro Nguyen's probably brings a little hesitancy to the avid eater on paper (especially one with some familiarity with Vietnamese food) considering the prime location, the restaurant name, and the decor attempting to fuse old school Vietnamese charm in a more modern setting. The only modern Viet places I've tried are The Slanted Door (which is exceptional) and Red Lantern (which is good). There's also a chef's hat called Dandelion that I've always been interested in but never made it to. But with limited options, a few other people eating inside and the cold weather setting in, it seemed reasonable to try and see what Bistro had to offer.

The first thing that hit me walking in the door is the strong aroma of pho broth with tones of Thai basil filling the air. It was unexpected, stronger than those encountered in dedicated pho places along Victoria Street, and intoxicatingly welcoming and homely. The staff are Vietnamese too which adds some authenticity.

The menu has fun caricatures (as does a wall in the restaurant) and has all dishes with the Vietnamese name listed first. I wonder if it's to help some of the staff know what customers are ordering, but maybe there is a hidden faction of Vietnamese speakers in Canberra that I haven't come across. On a cold night the order of the day was warming comfort foods.

- Nem nuong (grilled pork mince skewers, vermicelli, salad, fresh herbs, rice paper & nuoc mam cham) $14.5 - there's essentially ingredients set out of 4 rolls - 4 rice papers pre-wet onto a platter, 4 skewers, 4 rice noodle squares etc. The meat is very good minced texture, well grilled with great aroma and taste. The nuoc mam isn't too strong and has a little hint of chilli. I think it would be better to get additional rice paper to make 6-8 smaller rolls with the same ingredients, because it gets a little messy eating fat rolls as the rice paper breaks with the moisture;
- Pho thit bo Nhat (wagyu beef sirloin 5+, brisket, tendon, beef meatballs) $16.9 - I usually get pho tai nam as my standard but the wagyu sirloin allured me. The broth has a mild medicinal edge and subtle spices but is actually satisfying and fantastic (and that's something coming from me who usually definitively prefers spiced over medicinal). The wagyu has mixed bits of raw/rare/cooked (which I like) and has good tenderness, brisket isn't overly fatty, meatballs add texture, and the tendon and tripe isn't for everybody but gives another layer (although I expect many people wouldn't be used to eating that);
- Che ba mau (red beans, jelly, mung beans, coconut syrup & crushed ice) $7.5 - they call it rainbow dessert, everywhere else calls it 3 colour drink. It's a little expensive for the bowl size (usually served in a large tall glass) but the jellies and coconut milk mix well and the ice is reasonably well blended. (To the inexperienced, shaved ice is the best for this as it dissolves upon mixing, rather than you eating large chunks of crunchy ice).

Overall I was much more impressed than expected. The menu has the classics which I certainly will come back to try - goi, bun bo hue, bun nem nuong (although I will ask them here to add bun thit nuong and banh xeo). The sharing plates do seem a little pricey ($28.5 for canh chua seems a little excessive) and the generic sauce options where you pick your own protein has never sat well with me. Additionally banh mi for $8.50 makes my face twitch but this is Canberra (and I have paid £5 for a catfish version to Banhmi11 at Broadway Market). But who knows - they could well be good. And while my Luke Nguyen, Andrea Nguyen and Charles Phan cookbooks gather dust on my shelves, I'd be happy for these Bistro guys to cook for me.

10-2015

I returned another evening for the pho again. This time was a little more disappointing - whereas the flavours and broth still satisfied, unfortunately the meat had dropped in quality. The wagyu slices were much thinner and overall less than previously meaning they were more heavily cooked and less tender.

I also tried the green papaya salad with prawns which had a nicely balanced nuoc mam dressing, and the bun bo hue which was also quite good but could have used more depth of flavour and chilli.

Once upon a time I used to frequent Fitness First in Spitalfields. As much as I didn't enjoy the 10min run there, the weights, the X-trainer HIIT routine and the panting recovery on the mats afterwards, I always was happy to know I would have a good lunch on the way back. In fact the place I probably ate most frequently out of anywhere in London was probably Kastner & Ovens (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kastner-and-Ovens-Spitalfields/247714511943824).

Kastner & Ovens had a fantastic range of fresh salads made and varying daily. On top of that, two daily hot foods were also on offer, and for £5.50 the option of a large box of hot food + 3 salads or 5 salads soothed my aching muscles. I often wondered if somewhere that offered high quality salads could prosper in Australia. Unfortunately I hadn't seen anywhere that did it in either Melbourne or Canberra.

Walking through Westfield Woden I noticed this new food option - lots of fresh salads, some baguettes and hot drinks. $10.90 for up to 4 salads isn't a bad deal so thought I'd try it out. My combination this day was pesto barley, signature bean mix, Mediterranean salad, chicken schnitzel salad. Other than the nicely textured chicken schnitzel (more schitzel than chicken), the rest was relatively plain. The salads are fine for a lunch, but unfortunately not K&O level. The (complimentary with lunch) soy chai latte was quite syrupy and topped with a ridiculous amount of cinnamon powder. 

Oh well, I haven't found my K&O replacement yet, but this was a step forward Australia.

Woden is also soon regaining Kingsley's chicken - I can finally try their chips soon.

After the rumours, the photos and the reputed waiting times, I finally made it Patissez. I did a walkby the day before around 1pm and was told the table wait was 2.5 hours. On a Thursday 10am, it was luckily 25mins. Upon leaving at 1130, it had stretched out to 1.5hours. They take your number so you can wander around and come back (an excellent system), which means you can actually go elsewhere for a coffee first (eg. ONA), do you grocery shopping at Coles, banking or shop browsing, or laze on the lawn outside. They also do takeaway freakshakes (the wait time being approximately 25mins) if you want to sit outside and work out how to eat them cleanly.

The food menu is actually quite impressive, with promoted sandwiches (I saw one with a huge amount of pulled pork) and brunchy options, making Patissez more than just a dessert/sugar-high cafe.

- Cheeky (slow cooked beef cheeks, black eyed beans, baked egg centre, crusty bread, kale pesto, parmigiano reggiano) $19 - an excellent rendition of a baked egg/cazuela/shakshuka dish, replacing the usual smoky chorizo with soft cheeks and thus a milder tomato and bean sauce. The cheese, minimally runny egg and touch of greens added texture and flavour. I wondered why the pesto was so mild and now I see - kale, not basil. I'd prefer a traditional basil but it might overpower the dish;
- Salmon Dance $21 - the menu has changed and Sea Pea has been replaced. This dish had a reasonable grilled piece of salmon, sitting on roast potatoes, runny poached eggs, spicy chorizo, tomato, green beans and topped with tangy Hollandaise sauce.

Toward the end of the food, the freakshakes came out ($11.50 each). They are indeed a sight to behold. Interestingly the two shakes ordered on this occasion are actually served with the liquid very hot so the tops melt down and everything overflows like a cascading volcano threatening to spill onto the table.
- Muddy Pat (warm fudgy choc shake, chewy fudge brownie, more chocolate fudge, whipped cream, toasted housemade marshie) - from the top, the marshmallow is outstanding, the brownie is moist and slightly thick, the choc shake itself is remarkably mild. I don't think that's a bad thing and perhaps mixing the brownie and marshmallow into the drink will balance it out. As my usual preference, perhaps a twist of dark chocolate or coffee in the shake would make it more my taste? But each to their own;
- Salty Nutz (warm salted caramel & pecan pie shake, slathers of salted butter caramel, chewy wedge of pecan pie, vanilla bean whipped cream) - the immaculate pecan pie topped a (too me overly) sweet, buttery caramel drink.

As they do takeaway shakes, it was easy to get a cup to carry the remaining butter caramel drink home for a later time. The insides have a variety of decadent cakes of which I'd certainly like to try someday.

Overall I think the shake parts of the drinks could be thicker at the expense of serving less of it. I couldn't finish either of them and neither did any table in the area I was. Sharing one between two is probably the best way of countering this, but at the same time I think the liquid part didn't match the outstanding toppings for quality. Nonetheless the food is actually very good which makes coming to Patissez ideal for meals, photogenic drinks and overloading your day with calories. Just be prepared to wait or have some things to do around Manuka.

Next time I would order any of the food items (particularly the Cheeky again, Get Pig'd or The Field) and probably to suit my taste the French Vanilla freakshake (let's be honest, partially for the shake, partially for the photo opportunity). Otherwise one of the 'standard' shakes with banana, matcha, dates, Greek yoghurt, honey and granola sounds like something I'd order at any other place.

For some reason I had a craving for fried chicken. Well the precise reason was I saw the $42 fried chicken platter at Public in Manuka the night before and this had caught my daydreams. Even though I could have simply gone there, the lure of Korean FC had me searching online to see if Canberra had this available. I came across two options - a blog post with a Korean flyer and a mobile for home delivery (which after calling has now relocated to Sydney) and B-One, a place in Civic.

Chicken Gourmet's fried chicken is pretty average to be honest. It's convenient and edible but not particular good. KFC has good taste but you always regret it later on. Melbourne's Gami and Da Rin are the ones I've decided must be authentic, so I was interested to see how B-One would stack up.

It's refreshing to walk in on a weekday and have the place quite full with nearly all Koreans - families, students, couples etc. Obviously they like something about the place, hopefully more than the location.

The three samples of beanshoots, tangy kimchi and savoury beancurd started things off. Jujube tea was a hot fruit drink that reminded me of plums (it's a date I've discovered). Then came the stars of the night:

- Bibimbap - a steaming hot stonebowl of ingredients with your own gochujang sauce to top with. The flavours were nice, but most impressively the bottom rice was beautifully browned crisp;
- Fried chicken - the sweet and soy versions complemented each other well. I preferred the sweet version as the soy had a little too much soy (not salty, soy) flavour. The mild quantity of sauce meant the coatings maintained excellent crunch;
- Rice cakes with beef - I bought this to takeaway for my next day lunch. The savoury version was nice and the rice cakes soft and gummy. I'd probably opt for the chilli version next time.

B-One has elevated itself to the top of my Canberra Korean restaurants list (to be the fair the only other one I've been to is Tosung in Manuka which is far from bad).

It's Canberra's truffle season. Who knew that the 40+ degree summers and the 0 degree winters would be ideal cultivating conditions for the Perigord truffles to grow? That was part of the education session from the lucky owner of French Black Truffles of Canberra. He was correct in saying there are cheap imitations - Chinese versions and the much less potent summer black truffles. He neglected to mention the God of all truffles - the white Tuber magnatum (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/tag/Alba). Other than those there's only a few truffle dishes I remember in this lifetime so far - the ridiculously priced degustation at Eleven Madison Park where the truffle supplement was USD100 per head, the 7kg black truffle turkey I made for Christmas in 2011, the French Laundry white truffle risotto I made using the 15g/€60 white truffle I purchased from the Alba white truffle festival in 2012.

After reading about the exceptional quality of The Boat House by the Lake's overall cooking and their reputation for one of the best truffle courses around (especially locally), the $120 food tag didn't seem too much of a risk. Funnily enough on the night I don't think any of the waiters paid any attention to who ordered the $160 wine courses as they were happy to serve anyone. Thanks for the final serving of madeira - brought me back to the tasting rooms in Porto.

Truffle beignets and truffle gougere were served whilst standing around in the foyer. The dark black morsels had warm soft centres and engaged much more than the yellow ones (which I was quite sure were truffle-free cheese).

- Cultured truffle butter, multigrain bread rolls - several servings of warm bread with excellent crusts and soft butter aided digestion throughout the night;
- Truffle porridge, blood pudding, swiss browns, persillade - my adoration of black pudding continued in this dish with crisp flavoursome pieces dominating the other flavours;
- Baked savoy cabbage, raclette, truffle, bacon - to make a cabbage better stuff it with cheese. What a revelation - cabbage has never been so good;
- Pork jowl, truffle soubise, spinach water, apple - a beautiful piece of meat with outstanding flavour and a high meat:fat ratio. The skin was delicious but could have used a little more crispness;
- Truffle spatchcock breast & sausage, parsnip, black tea, pear - probably the dish where the truffle stood out most to me, layered in the roasting of the exceptionally cooked bird;
- Truffle textures, icecream, tapioca, cheesecake - a hint of truffle in the crisps and icecream (which unfortunately was melting too quickly) and a lightly textured cheesecake finished off the formalities.

Petit four (white chocolate truffles) giving credit to the other (less expensive) sort of truffle. If you were wondering, the black stuff wasn't edible. I tried.

There is no doubt the food quality and cooking at The Boat House is excellent. Maybe it's my taste buds but I didn't discern distinct truffle flavour in each dish and for that reason I was slightly disappointed. I think I'd have been happier paying less for the same set course without truffle added. Maybe I've been launching raids on street and comfort food for too long now. 

Nonetheless I'll be back.

It was a depressing evening when I realised my Dimmi points (intended for Soju Girl) had expired. The decision then came to something Asian(ish), bookable on Dimmi for points, and in the Entertainment Book for a nice weekday discount. It had been more than a year since my last trip to The Hungry Buddha, so it seemed appropriate for this occasion. In case you are wondering, the other places that fulfil these 3 criteria are all Thai or Indian.

Warm smells and delicious air greets you on arrival down stairs. There's some tasteful photographs and an excellent landscape painting of what I can only assume is a beautiful part of Nepal.

Rockmelon lassi was a smooth light yoghurt with a fresh hit of rockmelon flavour. Then came the food:

- Mo: Mo: (traditional Nepalese steamed chicken dumpling served with homemade tomato pickle) $9 - interestingly yellow filling and sauce. Not really sure how to describe it. It was fine but I probably wouldn't order it again;
- Khasi ko masu (boneless goat enriched with the flavour of fenugreek, cinnamon, tomatoes, coriander, bay leaves, ginger & garlic) $10 mini serve - a very meaty-edged thin curry sauce rich with the flavours of the tender soft goat pieces;
- Mountain eggplant (& peas cooked in Himalayan spices) $18 - lovely dish sweetened by onions;
- Jhinge tarkari (tiger prawns simmered in the paste of traditional Nepalese spices, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves & coconut milk) $22 - crunchy decent sized prawns in what tasted like a tomato-coconut flavoured sauce (I'm aware the description doesn't mention tomato...);
- Pulao $4 - basmati rice coloured with saffron and small amounts of raisins (but no detected nuts). I don't think the additives were discernible to me more than plain rice;
- Garlic naan $5 - soft pillowy bread topped with very mild diced garlic oil. 

There are so many Nepali dishes left to try. I'll definitely be back for all sorts of things - gorkha beef, jhaneko daal, bheda ko masu lamb or even the other Asian offers such as Sri Lankan roti or Burmese fish. Can't wait.

Funnily enough after living off and visiting Victoria Street so often, I'd never realised there was a dumpling restaurant there. Subtly hidden near the corner of Victoria and Nicholson Street, opposite the Hive and right near the CBA ATMs, it seems to have slipped past me over and over. It could be because I rarely walk on that part of the road, either crossing the road on the other side to go to Nhu Lan or Pho Hung Vuong 2 or not crossing the road at all and settling at Seoul Soul.

For a late lunch I decided to try this place for something a little different.

There's a good stream of customers buying uncooked/frozen dumplings home. They are all handmade inhouse by the proficient and expert older Chinese females. It gives the place a real family feeling about it.

- Fresh homemade noodles with spicy pork sauce $11.8 - they asked if I wanted it hot. I said yes, but not too hot. The serving was filled with cut fresh chilli. Luckily my fears subsided when I realised the chillies were large and thus not vey spicy (unlike those ridiculous Beijing ones). In fact I finished all the chilli pieces together with the thick irregular (ie. homemade!) noodles. Surprisingly good;
- Steamed lamb dumpling 6 for $11.8 - I opted for lamb as something to differ from my pork noodles and Northern Chinese tend to do lamb things well. The dumplings were thick and meaty, with salty liquid inside that balanced well with the table vinegar.

Altogether the meal was very nice and I'll happily come back for my China, chilli and dumpling fix along Victoria Street. 

Next time I would order either of those two dishes again, particularly the noodles with spicy pork sauce. I'll preferably come with more people next time to try extra dishes also - more dumplings include in hot & sour soup, wontons with chilli oil, mapo tofu, lamb with cumin and beef brisket noodle soup.

Canberra is known for its wine region. It isn't something I care about as I don't enjoy drinking wine (other than used in recipes, added to sangria, or mixed blasphemously with coke or lemonade when in Spain). However one particular place 40mins north enticed me with the promise of woodfired pizzas.

Both pizzas (rosemary & potato, chicken & Spanish onion I seem to recall) were covered in thick cheese and had nice crusts with mildly puffy edges. Satisfying for a cold day and maybe even with a glass of wine.

I won't say the pizzas are worth heading out there for, but if there then don't need to hesitate.

It isn't often that you dine with a Jewish person and a Coeliac's person. The combined dietary limitations of no meat (not Kosher), limited seafood (needs fins and scales), no gluten, and just for fun no nuts and limited dairy impact dining options. My approach is to order what I want anyway otherwise I won't get to try the dishes that interest me.

Monster is a very stylish place housed in a modern hotel/cinema complex. The Monday night movie special of $10 (combined with the other local restaurants all being closed on Monday, other than Max Brenner) makes movie and Monster dinner Monday probably a common combination for Canberrans with money to spend. The Palace cinema complex with its cheeses, dips and wine also help to separate away the children and youth. It isn't a bad thing for a childless non-youth like me.

Considering Monster is one often features on Canberra's to-eat list, it's quite remarkable the Urbanspoon rating sat in the realm of approximately 58%.

- Yabby jaffle, horseradish, crème fraiche $19 - I assume yabby meat is expensive. Very expensive. Otherwise there should be a lot more of this nice flavoursome mixture in between cheap supermarket-style whitebread;
- Buttermilk fried quail, sriracha $8 - small half of quail, juicy meat and a thick coating. Not bad;
- Oven roasted trout, parsnip mash, capers and raisins - an evening special of exquisitely cooked fish with a touch of rare to the flesh and a seasoned crisp skin;
- Cauliflower, hazelnut, burnt butter, Reggiano, Sutton truffle $28 - expensive dish without any discernible truffle flavour or aroma (given it is truffle season also). The dish was fine but for the price I'd expect protein or more truffle;
- Roast beetroot, shankleesh, onion, almond, dill $19 - simple dish of beetroot and a few additives;
- Twice cooked pigs cheek, burnt eggplant, hoi sin, scallop floss, Sichuan vinaigrette $32 - I struggle to believe this was cheek and not belly. It had a crisp seasoned skin, a very thick >50% layer of fat, a thin layer of meat, and another thin layer of fat underneath. Cheeks should be meat nuggets with fat running through it and not attached to skin. It was confusing and the amount of edible meat for the price made it a bit difficult. The meat that was there was succulent and tasty. Burnt eggplant clumps were distinctive and the floss had nice flavour and texture. I couldn't detect any Sichuan heat or numbness;
- Poached apples, apple crisps, rhubarb, meringue and earl grey icecream $18 - a hybrid dessert for my gluten-free diner that had a nice combination of flavours and textures. Not bad at all.

The couple at the next door ordered a special that was 4 very large grilled king prawns. They blasphemously didn't eat any of the head and cut straight from the start of the head shell. Wasteful. But the dish looked appealing.

Overall the flavours were fine but the dishes didn't seem particularly special. For the prices, the delivery of actual product seemed to lack. I'd definitely give it another go (as I intend to go back to Palace Cinema sometime), but for now my meal at A. Baker another evening exceeds this one.

Next time I would order ideally without dietary restriction - 38-hour pork neck bao (although for $9??), Grazing beef tartare with miso, special dish of grilled prawns (if available), eggplant main and pulled lamb shoulder.