Encasa Rapido, Chifley, Chifley Square, CBD Sydney (15 Nov 2016)

F4 Level 1, Chifley, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000
https://www.encasa.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/encasaaustralia/

Spanish eats in Chifley

Chifley (formerly Chifley Plaza) is finally back open after months of renovations and Encasa Rapido is quick off the mark as one of the first new eateries to open in the space. Chorizo Bocadillo - Grilled Spanish sausage, roast capsicum, tomato, Spanish onion & aioli ($12.50) comes in a nice crusty baguette and plenty of tasty chorizo with a mild spice. Nice combo of flavours and easy to eat without being too messy. Spotted some tempting Spanish muffins, alfajores, portuguese tarts and almond croissants on display for a sugar hit. Loving the new decor and seating options on Level One. Sort of reminds me of a hotel lobby bar for some reason in parts. Plenty of other eateries still to open and hopefully soon.

Good Food Month: Steersons Steakhouse $39 menu, King Street Wharf, Sydney (30 Oct 2013)

17 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.steersons.com.au

Steaking out King Street Wharf

“Steersons offers premium quality in all aspects of the dining experience — from the tablecloth to the steak knife and the steak. Steersons will remain true to the steakhouse fundamentals yet exhaust new beef trends allowing the Steak Lover to appreciate an enhanced steakhouse experience for both body & soul.”

Thanks to Jess Guilfoyle from The PR Partnership for inviting me to sample the Good Food Month menu ($39 per person including a drink) at Steersons Steakhouse as part of the Food Art & Film By The Wharf during October. Upon arrival table water was provided promptly which always gets a tick in my books. While perusing the menu their was strangely no promotion of the Good Food Month menu and my waiter had no idea what I was talking about. Thankfully another waiter knew all about it but mentioned they'd recently stopped promoting it on the tables which I thought was unfortunate because then diners wouldn't be aware of it unless they had seen it on the website. A tasty Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil ($10.90) was an enjoyable starter and the Freshly baked damper from Fuel Bakery with salted butter ($5.90) had a nice crust and lightness inside. 

A glass of Bishop by Ben Glaetzer Shiraz 2012 was a good choice to enjoy with the 400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone ($39 with wine) served with beer battered prawns and tarragon salted hand cut chips. Prawns were plump with a light crisp batter as hoped and the flavoursome steak was served pretty much medium rare as ordered. I wasn't a fan of the lettuce garnish which I guess added colour to the dish but needed to be dressed to make it more appetising to eat and cut through its slight bitterness. The chunky chips were good and the option of boulangère potatoes is also a good choice. For the sweet tooth the nicely presented White & dark chocolate mousse with Stracciatella ice-cream, honeycomb & lavender ($13.90) had enjoyable rich flavoured chocolate and the Mango Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla Ice-Swiss Cream ($13.90) looked a treat although I didn't get to try it but I'm suspecting larger scoops would have been appreciated.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Well-presented dishes, Water view, Nice decor, Pleasant ambience, Steak lovers menu, Menu seems reasonably priced for the location and quality, Service was professional and friendly

CONS: Good Food Month menu wasn't promoted with the a la carte menu and some service was unaware of the promotion

MUST TRY: Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil, A steak that tickles your fancy

VERDICT: Seems like a popular spot for business lunches for suits that love their steaks but hopefully there's a few suitable menu options for the ladies

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Good Food Month menu — although wasn't promoted with the a la carte menu even though the promotion runs until 31 October

Nice having white table clothes — I'd would give extra marks if the creases were ironed out

Bishop by Ben Glaetzer Shiraz 2012 Barossa Valley — very nice wine

Pan-fried chorizo with mint and basil ($10.90) — enjoyable tasty flavours as an appetiser 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Freshly baked damper from Fuel Bakery with salted butter ($5.90) — nice crust and softness, flavourome 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone, served with beer battered prawns, tarragon salted hand cut chips ($39 with wine) — nice plump prawns with thin batter, flavoursome steak, lettuce needs dressing, good chips

WORTH TRYING :-)

400gm dry aged rib eye on the bone, served with beer battered prawns, boulangère potatoes ($39 with wine) — nicely cooked potatoes

Mustard options

Steak order medium rare and looks pretty close

Nice prawns, decent size, thin crispy batter — these would make an excellent canape on their own for a function

Nice chips — would have loved a side of tomato sauce provided as an option

Lettuce garnish — slightly bitter, would have preferred served with some dressing to make it more interesting and appetising on the plate

White & dark chocolate mousse with Stracciatella ice-cream, honeycomb & lavender ($13.90) — enjoyable rich flavoured chocolate, nice presentation

WORTH TRYING :-)

Mango Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla Ice-Swiss Cream ($13.90) — I didn't try it but looked pretty good although I suspect larger scoops would have made it better value

Steak menu 

Small dishes menu to start — oysters seem reasonably priced if shucked to order

Water views

Clean toilet although having walls so dark I seemed to miss seeing the exit sign on the door and opened a cubicle instead

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Home Cooking: Chorizo with Kale and Breadcrumbs (30 Jan 2013)

Kale of a dish

Ever wanted to eat more healthy kale but always found it too boring when boiled. I did. So when I discovered the simple Stone Soup recipe which used chorizo I thought I'd give it a whirl. Cutting up kale and chorizo is dead easy. Add some oil, I used olive oil, to a wok/pan and pan fry the chorizo. Smells so good at this point tempting you to stop right here and eat as a tapas dish but persevere. Take the chorizo out with tongs and retain the flavoured oil to quickly stir fry the kale. Only takes a couple of minutes. As an adaptation I made some breadcrumbs by finely chopping a slice of white bread and cooked in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees until dry and crunchy. I added the breadcrumbs soon after the kale had cooked and the chorizo was added back in the wok. Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up any excess oil or add a dash of extra olive oil if too dry. Add a splash of lemon juice and take off the heat with a final stir fry toss. I only had bottled lime juice on hand which seemed to work OK as well. Didn't take long to make and tasted pretty good although probably not as healthy with the oil and chorizo but makes it easier to eat your greens.

Ingredients:

• Chorizo

• Kale

• White Bread

• Lemon or Lime Juice

• Olive Oil

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Kale is very healthy for you, There's chorizo in this dish, Simple recipe and easy to cook with minimal wash up required

CONS: Chorizo is probably not the healthiest thing to eat but tastes so good

MUST TRY: Discovering more recipes to cook kale in a tasty way

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Chop up chorizo and kale

Breadcrumbs made by chopping up white bread and cooking in oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes

Cook chorizo in a bit of oil. Chorizo will produce extra oil when cooked.

Once the chorizo is cooked take out with tongs and keep to the side. Retain chorizo flavoured oil in wok.

Stir fry kale in chorizo flavoured oil on high heat

Once kale is about cooked add chorizo back in wok

Add breadcrumbs to soak up any excess oil and to flavour the breadcrumbs

Take off heat and add a splash of lemon or lime juice for extra flavour zest

Plate up and enjoy