Simon Food Favourites: Schnapps

Showing posts with label Schnapps. Show all posts

15 April 2012

Bavarian Bier Café: Oktoberfest with Bier & Schnapps, CBD Sydney (25 Oct 2011)

16 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com

Heart warming schnapps time

Well if you wanted to know what was on offer at last years Bavarian Bier Café Oktoberfest then this post will tell you what you missed out on — sorry. Unfortunately this is what happens when you get side-tracked with eating out too much and not having enough time to post everything when you want to. Anyway, thanks to Laura Cairnduff from Zing for inviting me to check out the Oktoberfest menu. Possibly these specials will be available again this year but you can always count on the imported pure biers and lethal schnapps to get you in the mood for some serious lederhosen dancing. The Freshly baked Bavarian Pretzel ($3.50) is probably a must to try and line the stomach before any serious beer drinking. The Roast beef with fried potato, served with a side salad & Bavarian Mayonnaise ($18) was probably my preferred dish of the night. The potato had good flavour although I wished the salad had some dressing on it to make more appetizing.

I can’t say I was a huge fan of the Traditional Munich-style white sausage salad ($17) but maybe if the sausage was warm rather than cold and there was more dressing on the salad it might have been better liked. It was funny seeing the carrots in the Pan fried Cone Bay barramundi fillet ($31.50) cut like you might find in a Chinese restaurant but the fish seemed to have a crispy skin as hoped. The Char-grilled steak of cured pork belly ($27) was tender but I really liked the Bavarian white cabbage salad that came with it more. Good depth of flavour was found in the Brewmaster's bier stew served with bacon & sauerkraut napkin dumpling ($24) but I was clueless what a napkin dumpling was. Apparently if the dumpling is cooked in a napkin it’s known as a napkin dumpling in central European cuisine. The Pork loin with sautéed onion & potato gratin ($26) was tender and tasty but would have preferred more crisp bits on the potato gratin surface.

My strategy when ordering the Schnapps was to go for the strongest ones — why, because they had twice as much alcohol for about the same price on the list. My taste buds were left in Germany after sampling the Friesengeist 'Friesen Ghost' 56% ($8), Teufelskrauter 'Herbal' 50% ($8), Gletchereis 'Glacier Ice' 50% ($8) and Bergfeuer 'Mountain Fire' 50% ($8). All totally lethal but perhaps there’s taste bud value to be had in the more fruity and less alcoholic ones which might be more enjoyable on the palate. For dessert the Vanilla cheese cake with sour cherries and double cream ($12) was quite cheesy but perhaps a little on the dry side for me. The Creamy apple strudel with berry compote & chocolate sauce ($11) was nice but I generally prefer the pastry to be a bit more crispy and flakey like Gelato Bar Bondi and preferably served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Other visits to the Bavarian Bier Café:

• 25 Oct 2011 - O'Connell, Sydney, Oktoberfest Menu

• 6 Dec 2010 - O'Connell, Sydney

• 21 July 2009 - Entertainment Quarter, Sydney

• 18 April 2009 - York St, Sydney

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good variety of biers produced using the Bavarian Purity Law, Buzzing atmosphere and grand décor, Great range of schnapps, Comfort food to keep you warm on a cold day

CONS: Not sure about the background music of Nickelback and Wolfmother which I think I heard, Lack of dressing on the salad makes it a bit boring, Not sure where to look when the service ladies have their top shirt button undone

MUST TRY: The bier, Other schnapps next time

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Every time is bier time at the Bavarian Bier Café

Freshly baked Bavarian Pretzel with butter ($3.50)

Roast beef with fried potato, served with a side sald & Bavarian Mayonnaise ($18)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Traditional Munich-style white sausage salad, served with char-grilled rye bread ($17)

Pan fried Cone Bay barramundi fillet on sautéed kipler, snow peas and carrot served with aioli ($31.50)

Char-grilled steak of cured pork belly with dark bier jus, sebago mash & Bavarian white cabbage salad ($27)

Brewmaster's bier stew served with bacon & sauerkraut napkin dumpling

Pork loin with sautéed onion & potato gratin, served with a side salad ($26)

Schnapps - Friesengeist 'Friesen Ghost' 56% ($8), Teufelskrauter 'Herbal' 50% ($8), Gletchereis 'Glacier Ice' 50% ($8), Bergfeuer 'Mountain Fire' 50% ($8)

Vanilla cheese cake with sour cherries and double cream ($12)

Creamy apple strudel with berry compote & chocolate sauce ($11)

Ice cream ordered to have with apple strudel — you can't have strudel without ice cream or cream I think

Oktoberfest menu

Schnapps menu

Small plates menu — seems like a good idea

Nice central bar area

Decor and casual seating

Loving the tall ceiling in this place

Downstairs seating

You can never have enough cuckoo clocks

Interesting and crazy tiling but badly designed placement of urinals — seriously too close for comfort in my books

View Larger Map

07 December 2010

Bavarian Bier Café O'Connell: Bier and Schnapps, CBD Sydney (6 Dec 2010)

16 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com

More than just bier and meat

Thanks to Kate Loxton from zing for inviting me along to this bloggers dinner event co-hosted by Roberta Camargo from Bavarian Hospitality Group (BHG) and Dominic Dighton aka Pier Professor from German Beverage Imports. Having only just eaten at the Entertainment Quarter restaurant less than two weeks ago I wasn't sure if my body was up for more filling meat dishes — and unfortunately where my credit card was also stolen, but that's another story. Thankfully tonight I was introduced to some lighter dishes on the menu which I never would have considered before. It's almost compulsory to order a beer in this establishment and tonight I tried the house recommended Hofbräu Original ($7.20-300ml) to start which was followed by the slightly heavier yet more flavoursome Hofbräu Dunkel ($7.50-300ml). Towards the end of the meal I tried the Paulaner Salvator which was sweeter and fruiter with cherry notes on the palate.

A great starter is the Freshly baked Bavarian Pretzel ($3.50) with the Bavarian antipasto platter ($19.50) which goes nicely with the beers as an easy to eat bar menu. I was thinking the Tomato and caramelized onion tart with goat's cheese and rocket ($18.50) was going to be quite boring but it turned out to have some lovely fresh flavours and the smooth goat's cheese wasn't too overpowering — quite a nice light starter to perhaps share. I had no idea the Mediterranean flammenbrot with prawns, olives, mushrooms and semi dried tomatoes ($20) was going to be like a really thin pizza — with such a super thin base you can better appreciate the toppings. I've never heard of a Pissaladiere ($18.50) before which came with crystal bay prawns and garden salad. It's a rather simple dish which was a little hard to cut and share but was one of the lighter dishes that's worth having if you're not a big meat eater.

Now for those you crave meat you'd probably be pretty happy with the generous slab of Crackling roast pork belly ($28.50). Not quite as big as the Belgian Beer Cafe but it's better presented and a more manageable size. I would consider the generous Jager schnitzel pan-fried veal ($29) a heavy dish which could probably be easily shared so you could try other things. For those wanting something a little less guilty you could consider the Oven baked chicken schnitzel free-range chicken thigh ($25.50) served with green salad — I'm thinking this would be my healthy choice if I visited again and it was pretty tasty. On the specials menu was the Pan fried salmon fillet ($30) which looked pretty healthy as well. Now if you're serious about your meat and crackling then your best beat is the Succulent slow roasted pork knuckle ($37) which would be a challenge for anyone to finish. The crackling looked exceptionally good tonight.

In the past I've always been drawn to the Bavarian tasting platter ($27) which comes with pork belly, sausages and schnitzel and tonight I choose it again . The 3 types of sausages are juicy enough, there's plenty of sauerkraut and red cabbage and the chicken schnitzel is cooked well. The pork belly meat is moist but unfortunately the crackling isn't particularly crunchy as hoped yet slightly better than my recent experience two weeks ago at the Entertainment Quarter which was just a bit on the chewy side. I remember the first time I tried this dish at York St in 2009 and the crackling was excellent and at another time at Moore Park not long after which was also very good. One day I hope to find that amazing pork belly I once had before.

With bellies pretty full it's amazing how there's always a bit of room left for dessert — gotta love those separate dessert stomachs. The recommended Apple strudel with vanilla anglaise ($11.50) had good flavour but I'm always hoping to find the upper pastry more flaky with a good nutty caramelised base — the kind I remembered having when I was younger at the Gelato Bar in Bondi. For lovers of chocolate the Chocolate delice with summer berries and toasted almond ice cream ($11.50) could be your best bet. The berry compote helps cut through the heaviness of the chocolate and the sweetness of the ice cream which has a rather honey taste. The nicely presented Classic lemon tart ($11.50) isn't too sweet and the pastry is nicely thin. I really liked the bold flavours in the Walnut & date pudding with honey ice cream ($11.50) and it was pretty moist has hoped. A generous platter of cheeses served with red wine apple compote and lavosh ($19.50) with it's Jenga stacked hard cheese is pretty good value although the soft brie probably needed a bit more time to soften and wasn't as flavoursome as the other two cheeses which I preferred. The final stage of dining is a digestif in the form of a shot of schnapps. Being a food and drink dare-devil I go for the most alcoholic Friesengeist ($8) at 56% alcohol. It had a slightly citrus taste and warmed up my palate and throat pretty quickly.

Other visits to the Bavarian Bier Café:
• 25 Oct 2011 - O'Connell, Sydney, Oktoberfest Menu
• 6 Dec 2010 - O'Connell, Sydney
• 21 July 2009 - Entertainment Quarter, Sydney
• 18 April 2009 - York St, Sydney

Other blog reviews:

• Food, booze and shoes

• Chocolatesuze

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good variety of biers produced using the Bavarian Purity Law, Food is freshly prepared each day, Kitchen aims to source the best produce directly from their suppliers, You won't leave hungry, Good selection of schnapps, Nice decor, Friendly service

CONS: The long heavy pew-like seats are awkward to sit on and not particularly elegant for women, Good pork crackling has been a hit and miss for me

MUST TRY: Schnapps, Any of the biers, Pork knuckle

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Freshly baked Bavarian Pretzel with butter ($3.50)

Bavarian antipasto platter: Selection of gourmet cured and smoked meats with condiments and European bread ($19.50)

Tomato and caramelized onion tart with goat's cheese and rocket ($18.50)

Mediterranean flammenbrot with prawns, olives, mushrooms and semi dried tomatoes ($20)

Pissaladiere with crystal bay prawns and garden salad ($18.50)

Crackling roast pork belly served with granny smith apple compote and sautéed potatoes ($28.50)

Jager schnitzel pan-fried veal topped with mushroom sauce served with sauteed potato ($29)

Oven baked chicken schnitzel free-range chicken thigh dipped in yoghurt and emmenthal cheese, then dusted in breadcrumbs, oven roasted and served with green salad ($25.50)