Simon Food Favourites: Crème brûlée

Showing posts with label Crème brûlée. Show all posts

19 July 2012

Sydney Harbour Marriott Icons Brasserie: Seafood Buffet, CBD Sydney (9 July 2012)

Level 2, 30 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.icons.sydneyharbourmarriott.com.au

Eating your money's worth

A tempting $29 Seafood Buffet Lunch promotional special available Monday and Tuesday brought me to try Icons Brasserie. The key in my books to getting your money's worth is to hit the seafood hard and avoid the breads, salads and too much of the hot dishes although I usually try and sample everything. I managed 36 Sydney rock oysters, 12 prawns, 2 salads, smoked salmon, 5 hot dishes, 1 chilli prawn stir fry, half a slice of bread with butter, 11 desserts (shared), 4 pieces of cheese with crackers and a few jelly beans. The oysters were very small and missing most of their brine you'd hope for but still sweet and quite nice. Timing is everything with the oysters so I recommend waiting for the tray to be replenished then swooping in to get the best pick of the tray. Prawns were surprisingly decent sized and pretty fresh. There was quite a good range of salad to choose from or make your own but seriously who makes friends with salad at a buffet although it's good to probably fit in a few greens. The cooked fish and chicken were my preferred hot dishes of the day and for dessert the Panna Cotta with berry compote, Crème brûlée and Double choc mousse cups were the favourites I'd happily have again. Table service was friendly and polite (Michael) and the shell bowl and dirty plates were taken away in a timely manner. Wine by the glass was expensive so I think the wine buffet could be a better option for diners thinking of having more than two glasses.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Promotional Lunch Special is reasonably priced, Good range of dish options, Quality was better than I expected, Nice decor and open space, Table service was friendly and polite (Michael), You can eat as much as you like, Dishes were replenished in a timely manner

CONS: Eating too much can cause indigestion, Oysters were very small, Wine by the glass is expensive, Only one hand bowl provided on the table (not the nicest thing to share)

MUST TRY: Avoid eating bread and go straight for the oysters and prawns but don't forget to leave room for desserts

VERDICT: A better than expected experience that suits small or larger groups looking for a pleasant dining experience that provides lots of dish choices — and no arguments about bill splitting

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Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ ($11/glass) — quaffable but not cheap

Dish 1: I always start with oysters and prawns. Oysters are very small but sweet and quite nice although mostly missing brine. Prawns are large and easy to peel and pretty fresh.

Dish 2: A second lot of oysters and prawns is my usual tactic with a bit of salad to tick the healthy box.

Dish 3: If the oysters and prawns are pretty good I'll go another round but the hot dishes tend to make an appearance too.

Dish 4: I spotted a fresh batch of oysters replenished so thought I'd pick the best ones at the time.

Dish 5: I spotted the stir fry station with Chilli Prawns as the special of the day. Already peeled for easy eating and were quite flavoursome.

Dish 6: Now that I've tried all the hot dishes I wanted I usually go back for another plate of oysters before dessert. It's one of those moments where I get my money's worth I think.

Dish 7: Dessert time — the cannoli was a bit dry and crumbly but the Panna Cotta with berry compote, Crème brûlée and Double choc mousse cups were good.

Dish 8: All steam ahead with desserts — jelly as expected, carrot cake quite nice, pavlova good but more ratio of meringue would have better and cheesecake surprisingly nice and not too heavy.

Dish 9: Final run of dessert with a nice enough Chocolate croissant pudding with creme anglaise, too firm Crème caramel, quite rich but decent Chocolate mud cake helped along by freshly whipped cream. Not sure why I got the jelly beans — maybe because they were just there.

Dish 10: For those that don't like desserts they usually go for the cheeses. The brie was the best of the lot while I found all the other cheeses quite uninspiring on flavour. No sign of a blue cheese — perhaps too expensive for a buffet.

Little oysters just means you can eat more of them

Decent sized prawns

Smoked salmon, anti pasto and salads

Salads and bread — probably the stuff I tend to avoid at an all you can eat buffet

Hot dishes — the cooked fish was very nice and roast tender enough

More hot dishes — the chicken tulips in teriyaki sauce were tasty but the pie was a bit short on meat and the potato gratin not as flavoursome as hoped

Desserts

Breads and cheeses

Bread and butter — sometimes you just have to try it, but not too much or you'll get too full from it and then they have won!

Shell bowl — was collected and emptied quite often which was a good sign service was doing their job properly.

Friendly service at the stir fry station — Would be great if they could add a Salt & Pepper Squid to the menu

Glasses of wine start from $10 which isn't cheap

Wine buffet is $24 at lunch and $29 at dinner so if you're thinking of drinking more than 2 glasses of wine this would be a winner for the drinkers

Not much of a view outside but it's a nice light and open space

Tables aren't too squashed together giving ample room to stack on a few extra kilos during the feasting

Table supports get a tick from me — nice and flat

Impressive open foyer space

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21 June 2012

Quarter Twenty One: European, CBD Sydney (20 June 2012)

Level 5, Westfield Sydney, Cnr Pitt & Market St, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.quartertwentyone.com.au

Soul searching for one

‘The name Quarter Twenty One is derived from the soul: it's been said that the soul's weight in the human body is 21 grams, and we put our soul into the food we prepare’

With the news of Justin North's 'the Group' going into voluntary administration I thought it best to try Quarter Twenty One soonish in case it became a casualty throughout the process as its been on my wish list since its opening. With no one available for a more than average priced working week lunch it became a table for one. Just like going to the movies it can be liberating going solo but you don't get the share factor during the experience. The 7 seeded bread roll (complimentary) with churned butter and caraway salt on the side was served warm, had a nice salty crust and good flavour throughout. Another one was offered but I saved myself for the dishes ahead. Pambula Rock Oysters ($3.50 each) was on the specials menu which was a no brainer for me. I love oysters and these were evidently shucked to order possessing a good amount of salty brine with a clean fresh flavour. The champagne vinaigrette worked well to help soften some of the salty flavour. It was very tempting to order more but had to save room for other dishes.

The Seared Queensland scallops with boudin noir and Jerusalem artichokes ($28) came with crispy artichoke for texture and nicely cooked scallops. A flavoursome dish with the boudin noir (black pudding) that thankfully wasn't too overpowering. The 5-6 elements on the dish all worked well together and wasn't over-complicated. Market Green Salad ($8) was fresh and dressed evenly throughout. I sort of missed a bit of sharpness on the palate that could have been provided with some balsamic vinegar. Hand cut fries ($8) were crunchy and made from Dutch potatoes that were twice cooked (blanched then deep fried). I'm still a bigger fan of the triple cooked chips which melt in your mouth more after the shattering crunchiness. For dessert the Banana crème brûlée, salted peanut brittle & milk coffee sorbet ($18) was recommended to me by MsCritique. Its presentation reminded me of the same dessert I had at Bécasse in 2008. The sorbet had excellent flavour and thankfully the peanut brittle wasn't too sticky and hard making it a pleasure to eat. Service overall was friendly, professional and knowledgeable and the dishes from the kitchen were timely. I look forward to revisiting one day to try other dishes on the menu that tempted me like the Fried Hawkesbury squid ($15) and Kitchen charcuterie of bresaola, prosciutto and coppa ($22).

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly, professional and knowledgeable service, Quality ingredients, Nice decor and ambience, Dishes presented well, Focus on showcasing good produce

CONS: Expensive (entrees over $25, mains around $40), Window view looks towards fitness centre, Toilets are located outside the restaurant in public area, Table support

MUST TRY: Oysters, Seared Queensland scallops with boudin noir and Jerusalem artichokes

VERDICT: Was an enjoyable dining experience that tempts me to try more on the menu with the hope of oysters as a special again

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