Heston for Coles: Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie (29 Aug 2014)

http://www.hestonforcoles.com.au

Heston for Home

Lazy dinner of Heston for Coles Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) is a tasty success combined with some oven baked sweet potato and peas. Cooked in the oven for about 30 minutes was too easy. Pastry was quite nice and the parmesan cheese crusty on top was a winner. I thought I'd need some sauce but the filling was pretty saucy more than meaty. I enjoyed the flavours and would happily have again. Makes me want to try more of the range now.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Tasty, Easy to cook, RSPCA Approved Chicken Meat, Seems fairly low in sugar, No artificial colours and flavours

CONS: Daily intake of saturated fat is 104% per serving which sounds like it might be high?

MUST TRY: Other products in the Heston for Coles range

VERDICT: Easy to cook and quite yummy makes for a simple and tasty meal

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Heston for Coles, Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) 

Glass Wine Bar: $20 Corporate Lunch menu including a Glass of Wine, CBD Sydney (3 Feb 2012)

Level 2, 488 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.glassbrasserie.com.au

Luke's $20 meal deal for lunch

Thanks to Lorna O’Neill from the Hilton for inviting me to sample Luke Mangan’s Corporate Lunches available Monday to Friday, noon til 3 pm for $20 each which includes a glass of wine. If you consider a glass of wine will set you back at least $10 at Glass Wine Bar you’re getting your meal for only $10 or less which seems to be a bit of bargain, especially in such a nice dining area and cooked by a 1 hatted restaurant. I also thought while nearby Charlie & Co charge $18 (dine in) just for their wagyu burger without fries it’s a bit of a no brainer who’s got the better burger deal. The Wagyu burger ($20) was my favourite dish of the day which was juicy and came with BBQ sauce, bacon, cheese & French fries including a glass of wine. I’m a sucker for beetroot in my burgers so if they added this I’d give them an extra point. A pretty large pickle is supplied on the side although I’m a fan of having it in the burger. Wines available at the time were Longbend Pinot Gris ($10) or Luke Mangan Pinot Noir ($13) and for those favouring a beer it was Vale Ale ($8).

The Tempura Fish, fries and tartare sauce ($20) was nicely cooked with a thin cripy batter although I would have preferred a nice garden salad or coleslaw on the side instead of the pretty boring rocket leaves which seemed to be more of a garnish. The Luke Mangan Pie ($20) was a home-style chunky beef pie with mash potato and mushy peas. Nice pastry and I wondered if the peas had mint in it. If so I reckon a bit more would have gone down a treat for me. The Minute Steak, fries & bearnaise ($20) was cooked medium-rare as ordered. Meat was quite tender and decent quality leaving little gristle to compete with. I know it’s probably not traditional for such a dish but a small side salad would have been nice to balance the meal. For afters I tried their Affogato with Frangelico ($18) which was nicely presented with a decent amount of ice cream as hoped. Nice touch with the mini macaron on the side. I think there’s opportunity to add a few simple and reasonably priced desserts on the menu as well like a chocolate brownie with ice cream, meringue with seasonal fruit and whipped cream or panna cotta with berry coulis for those with a bit more time to enjoy their lunch.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor, Quality ingredients, Efficient and professional service, Reasonably priced meal when you consider it includes a glass of wine

CONS: Limited menu choices, Only available for a limited time, No desserts included on the menu, Toilet is located outside the restaurant with a little bit of a walk

MUST TRY: Wagyu burger, Affogato with Frangelico

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Corporate Lunch menu ($20 including a glass of wine, beer or San Pellegrino water)

When spoilt for choice try one of everything

Longbend Pinot Gris ($10), Luke Mangan Pinot Noir ($13), Vale Ale ($8)

The Chef's Burger: Wagyu burger, BBQ sauce, bacon, cheese & French fries inc glass of wine ($20)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tempura Fish, fries and tartare sauce inc glass of wine ($20)

Luke Magan Pie: A home-style chunky beef pie, mash potato and mushy peas inc glass of wine ($20)

Minute Steak, fries & bearnaise inc glass of wine ($20)

Affogato with Frangelico ($18)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chef Luke Mangan in the kitchen

Glass Wine Bar dining with a view of QVB

Restaurant dining

For those with a bit more cash to burn

This scallop dish looks like something I'd love to try

Restaurant dining options when you have a bit more time and money

Very impressive wine selection

Glass branding and bread station

A bit of a walk to the toilets but the mens urinals have privacy screens which gets a tick in my book

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Arras Too: Café open for business, CBD Sydney (5 Sept 2011)

204 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.restaurant-arras.com.au

Big plans for a small space

Thanks to Richard Elliot for suggesting to visit Arras Too to check out their first day of opening and offerings. Taking over the site of Plan B made famous for their Wagyu Beef Burgers, chef and owner Adam Humphrey has no plans to offer burgers or fries for that matter but instead a decent coffee, simple cakes and a few Yorkshire daily specials. While Restaurant Arras is being constructed where Bécasse once stood you'll be able to pick up a reasonably priced coffees made with Allpress Organic Blend coffee. My Cappuccino ($3 small) was pretty good although when they say small they mean small. It wasn't too bitter and no sugar was needed. Sharing a Spicy Scotch egg ($4.50 each) reveals a semi-runny yolk which I'm sure is not easy to achieve. The spiciness seems to come into play from the pork mix around the egg which was similar to a mild chorizo for me. It's the first time I've tried such a dish so it's hard to compare with what it should be like but Richard was pretty happy with it.

The Yorkshire pork pie ($6) is fairly dense and deceptively filling. Sharing the one seems to be more than enough for me to leave some room for cakes. There's decent flavour from the pork filling and the pastry holds together well without being too stodgy. Unfortunately there's no tomato sauce available while they're finding their feet but then again I'm not sure if it's sacrilege to add sauce. It's an automatic reaction for me with pies even if it's a cold one. The Arras too walnut bread ($3) reminds me of a friand. The texture is even throughout and keeps together well. I detect a slight sugary coating which is quite nice. I think a good dollop of double cream and a few crushed caramelised walnuts on top would make it a lovely afternoon sugar treat. I remember being a fan of the old processed yellow custard tarts at school but the Arras Custard tart ($3) is a lot more sophisticated. Nutmeg flavours are quite noticeable both on the palate and visually and the thin pastry melts-in-your-mouth. The daily menu is limited at the moment but they seem to be doing them well. Tables and seating is limited and there's not much to choose from but hopefully the changing menu will keep you coming back for more. Let's hope they will update their twitter and website on what's available.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Decent coffee, Reasonable prices although small servings, Everything made fresh and changes daily

CONS: Finding their feet, If there's something you really like it might not always be available, Limited seating and very small service counter area

MUST TRY: Coffee and anything that has Scotch or Yorkshire in it's description

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Espresso ($3), Cappuccino ($3)

Spicy Scotch eggs ($4.50 each) runny yolk

Yorkshire pork pie ($6)

Custard tart ($3)

Arras too walnut bread ($3)

Chef and owner Adam Humphrey, Specials of the day menu

Allpress coffee organic blend and La Marzzocco coffee machine

Clockwise: Arras too walnut bread ($3), Custard tart ($3), Genoise sponge ($3), Yorkshire pork pie ($6)

Spicy Scotch eggs in chilled display, Ginger cookie ($2) and

Oatcakes ($2) on display, Small window display of cakes

Service counter and display

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