GourmetRabbit Issue 2 Launch at Harts Pub, The Rocks, Sydney (8 March 2011)

Corner of Essex & Gloucester Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
http://www.hartspub.com
http://www.gourmetrabbit.com

Congratulations on Issue 2

Thanks to Denea Buckingham from GourmetRabbit for inviting me along to her well-attended launch of the Issue 2 magazine. There's no stopping this self-driven and highly energetic young woman who can bedazzle most foodies with her extensive knowledge of food, wine and beer, including myself. The upper floor of Harts Pub was divided into four tasting areas plus the bar which provided beer tastings and fried nibbles of Kaarage chicken, Cajun spiced crocodile, Goujon (battered fish) and Chorizo sausage. Service was accommodating and friendly and Marnie did an excellent job in providing me all the matching sauce details. I fondly remember the Cajun spiced crocodile from my last visit.

Bartender Sam created lethal tasting Americano and Martinez cocktails made with DIY Sweet Vermouth — I hope the recipe will be coming my way soon as promised. I had to try three to make sure I really liked them so much. Joseph Raineri's table of extremely good cheeses and Italian fine foods was probably the most eagerly visited section. The eye-catching Popcorn with truffle was subtle in flavour but became more noticeable with the more you ate. Nice tasting crushed green olives, grilled artichoke and mixed mushrooms were soon overshadowed by the large barrels of cheeses on display to try. I really enjoyed the lovely tasting Asiago cheese from north Italy. The exotic Truffle pecorino, sharp tasting Parmigiano-Reggiano and flavoursome Testun Occelli al Barolo were all very popular and distinctive in flavour. The smooth and creamy Arnoldi Valtaleggio was noted as a great one for melting. Wafer thin slices of Proscuitto melted in your mouth and a combination of Bresaola with crushed artichoke and white truffle honey was a rich delight of flavours.

New Zealand King Salmon were at Taste of Sydney last year and will be there again this week. Tonight Michael Grinyer and Markus Gerlich prepared a couple of light tasting canapés of the Smoked Salmon Pastrami straight from the packet (how easy is that) and a delightful looking Salmon Tartare with pickled cucumber, salmon crackling, salmon caviar and micro herbs. The balance of flavours worked well and the salmon crackling was apparently made from the skin which added a light crispy crunch. The team from Ettason importers showcased a range from their extensive selection of products including different flavoured Dragon Heart Candy which had a super flaky coating like fairy floss and some Instant Seasame Dessert served with ice cream. To help finish on a sweet note Harts Pub served up some mini Apple turnovers and freshly baked Melted choc chip cookies which were devilishly good.

Other blog reviews:

• GourmetRabbit

Denea officially launches GourmetRabbit Issue 2 alongside Lisa from SpicyIceceam

Beer tasting to start the night off

Americano cocktail: Gin, DIY Sweet Vermouth, Soda

Martinez cocktail: Gin, Luxardo, DIY Sweet Vermouth, Bitters

Bartender Sam

Harts Pub: Kaarage chicken with sesame soy dipping sauce, Cajun spiced crocodile with remoulade, Goujon (battered fish) with homemade tartare sauce, Chorizo sausage with tomato cider chutney

Raineri Italian Fine Foods, Five Dock

Serving up the cheese

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Asiago cheese, North Italy

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Truffle pecorino sheep milk, Sardinia (instead of Tuscany)

Arnoldi Valtaleggio, North Italy, Good for melting

Joseph Raineri shaving proscuitto super fine

Testun Occelli al Barolo cheese

Bresaola with crush artichoke and white truffle honey

Proscuitto — wafer thin and melt-in-your-mouth

Popcorn with truffle

Crushed green olives, Grilled artichoke, Mixed mushrooms

White truffle honey

New Zealand King Salmon Regal table

Salmon Tartare with pickled cucumber, salmon crackling, salmon caviar and micro herbs

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Smoked Salmon Pastrami

Ettason importers table

Ettason table team

Dragon heart candy Yuhin Icy Crispy

Inside a Dragon Heart Candy Yuhin Icy Crispy

Instant Seasame Dessert served with ice cream

Some Ettason samples of Chicken Powder and Jimmy's Sate sauce to try with my home cooking

Harts Pub: Mini apple turnovers

Harts Pub: Melted choc chip cookies

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Launch party crowd

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Harts Pub: Serving Australian Hand Crafted Beers, The Rocks (28 Nov 2010)

Corner of Essex & Gloucester Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
http://www.hartspub.com

Beers with an Aussie Hart

At Harts Pub, the home of Rocks Brewing Company, our mission is to provide Sydney with an experience different to any other pub. Serving Australia's best hand crafted beer, rotating through our 12 taps, there will always be something new to experience.

A friends casual birthday drinks brings me to this cosy pub where there's a definite fascination with famous quotes printed all around the walls which adds a welcoming humor to the place. I wish I could say the same for the bar service received upstairs tonight which came across as somewhat disinterested and not particularly friendly — perhaps the young woman didn't really want to be working there that day? Browsing the menu for a bite to eat the funny named 'Hart Stopper' Steak Sandwich ($22) looked inviting but I felt it was a bit on the expensive side so I opted for Cajun Croc ($16) which was crocodile strips tossed in Cajun spices, shallow fried and served with a tangy remoulade. It was quite a spicy and tasty dish and the crocodile meat tasted rather like chicken to me. Beer battered wedges ($9) seemed rather pricey but actually worked out to be OK because the serving size was quite large. It's served with an interesting side of tomato cider chutney and Cribbs Porter mustard sauce rather than the usual combo of sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. A Bowl of fries ($9) is also quite generous in size and freshly cooked to a nice crispy finish as hoped.

The hand crafted beer menu reminds me of the boutique selection available at The Local Taphouse and perhaps to a lesser extent at Yulli's. You won't find your basic VB, Carlton and Tooheys here and I believe they're hoping to expand their selection to include some European beers in the future. The main meals aren't the cheapest around town as far as pub food goes ranging from $22 up to $36 for a 400 g Rib Eye so hopefully the quality of the dishes can justify the higher prices. The Herb Crusted Lamb Cutlets ($30) and Kangaroo Skewers ($24) sound pretty tempting for next time. Large plasma screens seem to be in every room so you won't miss out on the cricket when it's on if that floats your boat.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Australian boutique beers available on tap, Cosy decor, Courtyard available, Interesting food menu, Beer tasting paddle

CONS: You won't find your mass produced VBs and Carltons here, No free street parking in the area

MUST TRY: More hand crafted beers

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Cajun Croc: Crocodile strips tossed in Cajun spices, shallow fried and served with a tangy remoulade ($16)

Beer battered wedges served with tomato cider chutney and Cribbs Porter mustard sauce ($9)

Bowl of fries served with tomato cider chutney but changed to tomato sauce ($9)

12 Australian hand crafted beers on tap

Beer paddle $10 for 4 tastings

Upstairs bar

Upstairs seating areas

Downstairs seating

Interesting fact about Margaret Fulton

Quotes on wall

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