Banana Palm: Vietnamese Cuisine, Coogee (23 July 2010)

260 Arden Street, Coogee NSW 2034

Phone (02) 9665 1212

Monday to Saturday: 5.30 pm – 10.30 pm

My new favourite Vietnamese

A friends birthday banquet brings me to this dimly lit and beautifully decorated restaurant on the outskirts of Coogee Bay far away from backpacker central. It was also recommended to me by a work colleague so I was looking forward to the opportunity of trying. It has a respectable 7.5 (45 reviews) on Eatability but many of the negative comments have been about slow service in particular. After the initial hurdle of our group working out the dishes for a custom made banquet for 21 guests our dining and friendly service experience was very smooth and within a reasonable time without feeling too rushed.

The impressive sized Deep fried stuffed prawns with minced pork, served with spicy plum sauce ($13) were a good tasty starter although I think it could have benefitted from a home made classic Vietnamese nuoc cham dipping sauce rather than using a bottled sweet chilli sauce. The Salt and pepper chilli squid ($13) was delightfully crispy and tender as hoped but a bit more freshly fried chilli and shallots wouldn't go astray to add some extra flavour depth and punch — one of my favourites is still from Pho 236 in Newtown. The Fresh Vietnamese rolls with pork, prawns and fresh herns wrapped in rice paper ($10) were wrapped very differently to what I usually see but still worked well delivering the right amount of balance of fresh ingredients. The Vietnamese fresh rolls at Thanh Binh still reign supreme for me, especially their fried version.

A reasonably priced Salad of lotus stem with chicken breast, prawns and peanuts ($12) provides delicious slivers of lotus stem which reminds me of the Beef salad with lotus root at Saigon Saigon. Stir fried beef with lemongrass and chilli ($19.50) is dressed with refreshing coriander and the Wok tossed crispy pork with chilli and shallots ($20) has a similar crispy coating as the Salt and Pepper Squid. Warm roasted duck breast salad with mixed herbs and chilli ($22) has tender meat as does the Braised stuffed chicken with mushroom and water chestnut ($21.50) which I'd happily order again. Good depth of flavour is appreciated in the Lamb shank curry with sweet potato and eggplant ($22) with fall-of-the-bone meat to be had. A crowd favourite of Seared scallops with shitake mushroom, pine nuts and ginger ($25) goes quickly and a must for any scallop and mushroom lover like myself.

Thanh Binh has been a long standing favourite of mine for Vietnamese, especially for their fried Vietnamese Rolls and Green Papaya Salad but I'd be happy to return to Banana Palm to explore more of their interesting dishes, especially the Soft-Shell Crab which I didn't get to try this time.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor and seating, Good food presentation and quality, Fresh and interesting dishes, Reasonably priced

CONS: Service may be slower when it's very busy, Pricey corkage at $7 per bottle

MUST TRY: Salad of lotus stem with chicken breast, prawns and peanuts; Seared scallops with shitake mushroom, pine nuts and ginger. Hopefully Soft-Shell Crab next time.

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Deep fried stuffed prawns with minced pork, served with spicy plum sauce $13

Salt and pepper chilli squid $13

Goi Coun: Fresh Vietnamese rolls with pork, prawns and fresh herns wrapped in rice paper $10

Salad of lotus stem with chicken breast, prawns and peanuts $12

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Stir fried beef with lemongrass and chilli $19.50

Wok tossed crispy pork with chilli and shallots $20

Warm roasted duck breast salad with mixed herbs and chilli $22

Braised stuffed chicken with mushroom and water chestnut $21.50

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Lamb shank curry with sweet potato and eggplant $22

Seared scallops with shitake mushroom, pine nuts and ginger $25

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

The bill for 21 guests

Dining area

Lounge and bar area

Nice decor

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Boom Banana: Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, Surry Hills (30 July 2010)

27 Oxford Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

BOOM BOOM schnitzel time!

I've passed this tiny juice and sandwich shop countless times, which is nestled next to the Darlinghurst IGA supermarket, but have never thought about checking it out until today when I received a reliable tip that they do a roaring trade of Chicken schnitzel sandwiches for only $5.50. They've got a menu board of around a dozen suggested sandwiches to choose from but you can also just choose your own ingredients like any other sandwich shop. Seeing the large piles of precooked chicken schnitzel gives me the impression that it's definitely one of their more popular choices. The no-nonsense service is quick and efficient and within minutes I'm off carrying my small brown paper sandwich bag to the park. The very light weight sandwich makes me think it won't be very filling but anything deep fried and crumbed is a good filler in the end.

The chicken is surprisingly moist and tender with the right amount of crunch on the crumbing. It's a simple sandwich that's tasty and cheap, especially on the stock standard white bread. If you're looking for a monster sized chicken schnitzel sandwich then head Big Bite on Pitt but I prefer Boom Banana's chicken schnitzel. If you prefer it in a tasty baguette then head to Taste to try their version.

Other reviews of Boom Banana:

• TwoThousand

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Cheap, Tasty, Fresh

CONS: Can get busy when ordering, Small space at service counter, No seating

MUST TRY: Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

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No. 2 sandwich: Chicken schnitzel with lettuce and mayo $5.50

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Plenty of chicken schnitzel ready for sandwiches

Small shop front

Boom Banana next to IGA

Hyde Park very close to eat your sandwich


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Flinders Inn: Bastille Day Dinner, French, Paddington (14 July 2010)

Shop 1, 160 Flinders Street, Paddington NSW 2021
http://www.flindersinn.com

Bastille Day in Paddo

Last year the Alliance Française de Sydney Bastille Day Party was lots of fun but I found the food a bit non-authentic and catering-like so this year I wanted to celebrate Bastille Day at a French restaurant. My first choice based on the menu was to try Manu at L'etoile Restaurant & Bar but found it to be already booked out. My next choice was La Brassiere but they were also booked out. The menus advertised at

Tabou

and

Sel e Poivre

weren't quite right for my dining party. A few days beforehand I got a twitter update from Fooderati and Morgan that there were spots still available at Flinders Inn and they were doing a few classic French style dishes so I was sold — and I'd been wanting to try this restaurant as well.

The dining room is quite cosy with minimal decor and is surrounded by large mirrors written with menu specials. Service seemed swift and prompt. Starting with a White Peach Bellini ($16) was a good way to relax into the night. Large slices of Iggy’s bread ($3) was reasonably priced I thought and so tasty. The menu was very tempting and I chose the special of Bouillabaisse ($25) as entree. The seafood broth that was poured over the two scallops and single de-shelled mussel was delicious and full of flavour BUT I couldn't help wonder where's all the other seafood you'd expect to find in a Bouillabaisse :-( — at the very least you'd expect there to be some fish pieces. If this dish included a couple of pieces of fish, king prawns and perhaps a couple more large mussels (in a shell for presentation) along with the two plump scallops then I think it would have become a favourite. Otherwise as it is I'd consider it more of a seafood bisque soup and at $25 it's a bit pricey.

The Pork and Duck Liver Terrine Sauce Gribiche ($25) was rustic in texture and pretty tasty. The Rabbit and pork rillette, spiced orange, toasted sourdough ($23) was quite filling and rich and was provided compliments of the chef. The Yamba prawn risotto, peas, chives ($24) was cooked well and this is when I noticed all hot dishes were served with nice warm plates. The special of Flinders Cassoulet ($37) seemed to be liked by the French born dining companion. The Roasted mulloway, kipfler potatoes, mussels provancale, rouille ($35) was cooked well although seemed rather pricey. My Crispy pork belly, roast cauliflower puree, caramelised apples ($34) certainly provided the very crispy crackling pieces I was hoping for but I found the roast cauliflower puree just a bit too heavy and rich for my liking and would have perhaps preferred a lightly dressed salad of shaved celeriac to cut through the heaviness of the tasty and moist pork. Pomme frites ($8) were decently priced and met expectations.

Being almost full we still were tempted to try the desserts. The Vanilla creme brulee ($14) was great and definitely up there with the best I've had in Sydney. The Honey & lavender parfait, poached pears, lavender salt ($14) had interesting flavours although had mixed reactions. I didn't mind it although I think I might have liked it more without the lavender salt since there was already lavender in the parfait. The decently sized Crêpe Suzette ($15) had some lovely ingredients although I was expecting it to be flambéed with Grand Marnier to give it some nice caramelisation and warmth of the crepes to contrast the ice cream — I think if this was included it would have become a favourite as well. We didn't order the Tarte au Citron ($15) but received it compliments of the chef and it ended up being one of our favourite desserts of the night along with the creme brulee. The pastry was nice and thin and the lemon/lime tart delivered the right amount of citrus flavour although personally I think I would have preferred some vanilla bean ice cream rather than the dollop of crème fraiche which seemed just a tad too creamy for me.

Other reviews of Flinders Inn:

• FoodiePop

Other French restaurants visited:

• Flinders Inn - Paddington, 14 July 2010

• Tabou - Surry Hills, 27 June 2010

• Sel e Poirve - Darlinghurst, 1 Dec 2009

• Tabou - Surry Hills, 9 Oct 2009

• Onde - Darlinghurst, 25 Sept 2009

• Chez Pascale Cuisine Francaise - Sans Souci, 8 July 2009

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice lighting and seating, Swift service, Good food presentation, Nice toilet (but outside), Nice wines on offer, Quality ingredients, Hot plates

CONS: Bouillabaisse needs more seafood including fish, Could be considered a bit pricey

MUST TRY: Iggy's bread, Vanilla Creme Brulee, Tarte au Citron

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White Peach Bellini $16 each

Iggy’s bread $3

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Rabbit and pork rillette, spiced orange, toasted sourdough $23 (compliments of the chef)

Pork and Duck Liver Terrine Sauce Gribiche $25

Yamba prawn risotto, peas, chives $24

Bouillabaisse $25 — Where art thou seafood?

Flinders Cassoulet $37

Roasted mulloway, kipfler potatoes, mussels provancale, rouille $35

Crispy pork belly, roast cauliflower puree, caramelised apples $34

Pomme frites $8

Vanilla creme brulee $14

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Honey & lavender parfait, poached pears, lavender salt $14

Crêpe Suzette $15

Tarte au Citron $15 (compliments of the chef)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

2002 Falls Wines Semillon NSW $11, 2007 Steingarten Riesling Barossa Valley $11, 2005 Irvine Merlot Eden Valley SA $11

2007 Triplebank Awatere Valley Sauvigonon Blanc Marlborough NZ $13, 2005 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra SA $15, 2008 Radford Shiraz Eden Valley SA $12

Menu

The bill $381 for 4 people

Wine bar

Chef Morgan in the kitchen

Key for outside toilet

Nice toilet tiles

Nice toilet hand wash

Toilet 3 doors down outside

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