Opera Kitchen - Bennelong Point

Sydney's Bennelong Point is not known for its restaurant quality (Aria and Guillaume excepted), so when four renowned chefs combined forces to open Opera Kitchen, Sydney foodies' collective hip hip hoorays could be heard loud and clear.

Whereas the fine dining options of Aria and Guillaume are pricey, the offerings at Opera Kitchen are more reasonable and the food quality high. Besides food quality, the seats for Opera Kitchen offers the diners a spectacularly stunning vista of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well as a close-as-can-be view of the Sydney Opera House. Perfect for that summer evening or when there is a show at the Opera House. A word of caution however: the best views are obtained by sitting in the open sans shade, but in the searing hot summer sun, it does not take long to burn, as we unfortunately discovered all too painfully.

Opera Kitchen comprises Nahji Chu's Vietnamese at Misschu, Kenji Nishinakagawa's nippon selection at Kenji, John Susman's piscatorial delights at Cloudy Bay Fish Co., and the greedy Justin North with his twin offerings of burgers and sweets at Charlie & Co. Burgers and Becasse Bakery respectively.

All four chefs are well known and highly regarded, in particular Justin North whose restaurants are both hatted (Becasse with two and Etch with one) and is a household name with his numerous appearances on the Australian MasterChef television shows.

With such impressive CVs, the expectation for the food is high, for obvious reasons.

The five eateries are set side by side, similar to a food court, and food from all five can be ordered from one register. The bistro ordering style is relaxed and simple: you place your order and you get a number to take to your table. When the food is ready, it is brought (along with appropriate cutlery and serviettes) to the table by waitstaff.

The menu for all five eateries is listed together on one A3-sized paper, further simplifying the system. In fact, as we were digging into our savouries, we were greedily deciding what we were going to order for our desserts already.

California Roll ($15)

The first dish was the ubiquitous California Roll, and it came very quickly after the order was placed. The rolls were fresh, neat, and flavoursome, with the classic combination of avocado, cucumber, and crab meat working a treat. There was also a dish of soy sauce, a dollop of wasabi paste, and slices of pickled ginger to enliven the palate.

The Federation Burger ($21.50)

The Federation Burger consists of a seasoned Angus beef pattie, aged cheddar, fried egg, bacon, and sauteed onions with a side of fries. We asked for the burger to be cut so we could share it, and it came perfectly halved, with the mountain of filling still neatly in place. The sesame seed bun was perfect: lightly toasty on the top and bottom and pillowy within. The beef was superbly cooked to a muted pink in the middle, making it juicy and tender-riffic. It was as good as the famed Plan B burger, which is expected given Plan B is also a Justin North noshery. That Mr. North certainly knows his burgers. Lastly, the fries were super: crunchily crisp on the outside and fluffy inside with the right amount of seasoning; one of the best fries we have had the pleasure of eating. So good the accompanying tiny container of tomato sauce was left untouched and unloved.

Satay chicken and coconut young Vietnamese rice paper rolls ($12)

The Vietnamese rice paper rolls came in a pair with a bottle of sweet chilli sauce. The rolls were large and packed tightly of satay chicken, young coconut, coriander, carrots, and cucumbers. The rice paper skin was delicately thin, and as always with these rolls, the ingredients burst forth after the initial bite, spilling everywhere. I love having cold rice paper rolls on a hot and sunny aestival afternoon, and this was delicious but a little messy. Maybe I have yet to master the art of Vietnamese rice paper roll eating.

With the savouries out of the way, it was time for desserts, and Becasse Bakery has a great selection of pastries and cakes to choose from.

Pineapple & coconut muffin ($7)

The pineapple and coconut muffin was very moist and had just the right amount of sweetness and coconuttiness. It was a good size and a perfect way to end the meal without being overly full.

Pistachio & Raspberry friand ($7)

But I couldn't pass up the chance for a friand! Even though this pistachio and raspberry friand was incorrectly labelled as a pistachio and raspberry 'friend' at the counter, it still looked delish. Texturally, it tasted very much like the muffin, but slightly richer. The subtle pistachio flavour was enhanced by the pistachios studded on the top, and the three raspberry halves sitting on top added a nice tartness to the overall dessert. It was difficult to choose the best dessert out of the two, but the friand wins by half a nut. A pistachio nut that is.

Out of the five eateries, we managed to try four. Cloudy Bay was one eatery too many on this particular afternoon. However, with so many shows at the Opera House to come and summer still only in its first month, there are opportunities aplenty to enjoy all that Opera Kitchen has to offer.

Opera Kitchen is definitely a welcome new venture at Bennelong Point. Previously, we had not even considered the area as an eating destination, preferring instead to dine nearby at the wonderful Etch. Now, with the numerous and wide variety of cuisines on offer so close to the iconic House, we may have to reconsider. Of course, the prices are paralytically high, but that's the price you pay for a famous chef, gorgeous views, fast friendly and efficient service, and great food. Hip hip hooray for Opera Kitchen!

Happy New Year and happy eating in 2011!

Jazz City Diner (Darlinghurst)

Location, location, location.

Everybody knows its importance when it comes to food, and in some cases it can make or break a restaurant. Others have it and use it to their advantage (Quay, Aria, Manly Pavilion, etc.) whilst for some, the food does all the talking and the location is irrelevant (Tetsuya's, Assiette, Bilson's, etc.).

Jazz City Diner is a newly opened eatery serving American-style food on this side of the Harbour Bridge, but its location does it no favours. When I first read about its impending arrival, its address of Crown Street gave me much optimism, until I realised it was on the western side of Oxford Street.

With Google Maps, it was easy to find the tiny noshery, but it is located in a no man's land area almost midway between Oxford Street and Stanley Street. This part of Crown Street is definitely not a busy thoroughfare.

Being very new, there were (many) kinks to iron out, but we'll come to that later. The diner is a little reminiscent of an American diner, but very simple in its decor, consisting predominantly of black and white. There are jazz-related posters and jazz muzak playing in the background, as well as cute little jukebox/television screens on the wall besides the booths; apart from that the environment did not feel as inviting as that of another American diner, South in Neutral Bay, which has a more kitschy but warm feel. Jazz City Diner feels a little cold in comparison.

Little splashes of colour and humour are much needed, but these come in the form of pastel-hued menus and candy pink uniforms of the waitresses, whose name badges reveal that either their parents were big Dallas or Dynasty fans (or both!), or they are given sobriquets for that Yankee Doodle feel (Mary Lou, Sally Ann, or something similar, I cannot recall). Regardless, the attempts at colour and humour are a little wacky. Still, they are trying to provide an experience, and they should be commended for their efforts.

The menu itself is a little wacky too, with breakfast items served along with the usual American staples of burgers, salads, and southern-style specialties. I am not sure if they are open for breakfast, but I guess there are people in Darlinghurst who prefer their sausage and eggs at six in the evening or later.

We were not overly hungry, so we opted for a burger and a specialty to start.

When the Coke arrived, we giggled at the midget bottle it came in: it was squat and a mini-me version of a regular-sized Coke bottle.

The chef kindly came out to greet us and also to present us with an appetiser, a corn grit muffin (I think). It was moist and dense enough to tide us over until the food arrived.

Buffalo chicken wing ($14)

When the first dish arrived, we were a little shocked, not only by the elaborate presentation, but by the lack of size. The buffalo chicken wing was way smaller than we imagined and were told. Reading the menu, we were uncertain as to the portion sizes, so we asked the waitress. The waitress was unsure so she checked with the kitchen, and her response was that all of the dishes are of a main size. Looking at this dish, one chicken wing split into four pieces does not constitute a main. Hiccup number one.

The chicken was nicely cooked, crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. The blue cheese sauce (they call it a gazpacho) was quite tasty but overly strong, so we didn't finish it. The little green celery lozenges were actually gelee (how many times have they used the word 'gelee' in Top Chef All Stars this season?) and tasted enough of celery for me to recognise it. I'm not sure where the Tabasco air was, but I guess the splashes of orange-coloured sauce was the Tabasco, but how it can be called 'air' is a mystery to me. Overall it was a beautiful looking dish but a little light on substance. And chicken.

Edit: The Jazz City Diner website is now up and running, and there is now more chicken on this dish (three more morsels) according to the picture, but the price has increased by $4 to $18.

Cheeseburger and fries ($11)

The burger arrived in an ill-fitting black basket, looking a little sorry. Firstly, I am not sure why they decided to cram the burger and fries into a basket, as a plate would have made it look much more presentable. Secondly, the bun came cut in half (as we had requested) but it looked a little worse for wear. Thirdly, we asked for no tomatoes but it came with two slices of tomato (don't you just hate that?). Hiccup number two.

The burger pattie was dryer than we liked, and the relish tried hard but it fought a losing battle, as it still felt dry overall. It was essentially a bigger version of a Hungry Jack's Whopper burger, except it had freshness on its side and the bun was better. The fries were surprisingly hand-cut and were pretty good, although unevenly cooked (some crunchy, some soggy). Overall it was underwhelming, even if it was cheap.

With the first two dishes barely touching our stomachs, we had to order a third dish, so we opted for the southern specialty of gumbo, even though it was blazing hot outside and the last thing we wanted was a thick hot soup.

Chicken and chorizo gumbo ($14)

It was our first ever gumbo, so we had no expectations. We only knew it came in a bowl, and so it did, with a small scoop of white rice on top. It was certainly delicious and rich, with the various spices complementing each other nicely. There was a generous amount of shredded chicken and chorizo dispersed throughout, making it a very filling dish. I am not one hundred per cent sure about the texture, which was a little gritty, but overall it had a good spicy kick and easily the best of the three dishes tasted thus far.

Being still a little ravenous, we had no choice but to sample the desserts. Plus, they were inexpensive, so why not?

Strawberry shortcake ($7)

The strawberry shortcake was not a cake of any sort at all, but strawberries served three ways. The presentation was ambitious and pretty as a picture, especially for $7, but it tasted a little bland. The diced strawberries were naturally sweet, and its combination with its perfect match the cream was fairly predictable. The strip of strawberry gelee bisecting the plate did not taste of much and the texture was a little stiff, so to me was redundant. The little crumbs of shortbread was much needed but there wasn't enough.

Pecan pie ($5)

The pecan pie was much more successful. It came on a black tile currently so beloved by restaurants, which made the squiggle of caramel sauce that much harder to scrape up. The pie was just sweet enough, and it was gooey and moist, while the cream and caramel sauce added a little pizazz. We hoed into it rather vigorously and it disappeared in no time.

What's the matter Pierre?

Hiccups number three and four came when we received the bill; the charge for the Coke was $5 but it was listed as $4 on the menu, and we were informed (too late) that the EFTPOS facility was not yet operational. We apprised the waitress of the one dollar discrepancy in the Coke charge, but nothing was done about it, so we paid without tipping. We also noticed that there was a large table of eight just about to start their meal; I hope they brought some cash with them! We should have been informed at the beginning that there was no EFTPOS available, as how many people carry money on them nowadays?

Overall, an awkward location plus major hiccups in the life of a new restaurant does not a good combination make. Jazz City Diner needs time to iron out their flaws before people will embrace it with open arms. Its currently scattergun (although amiable) service, coupled with the limited ambience and overly ambitious food, is underwhelming. The only redeeming features are the low cost and the potential of the menu; that's a shame because some southern-style cooking would be most welcome in this part of the city.

Merry Christmas everybody!

http://www.jazzcitydiner.com/


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District Dining (Contemporary) - Surry Hills - science revisited

Gloop! That's the sound of chef Warren Turnbull putting his finger into the bistro dining pie, an ever-burgeoning metophorical pastry creation already filled by the success from chefs such as Justin North (Etch) and Dietmar Sawyere (Ad Lib).

The chef and owner of two-hatted Contemporary-French fine diner Assiette has taken a little while to establish his bistro diner, but now it is here, situated above the Central Hotel at the intersection of Randle St and Chalmers St in bohemian Surry Hills.

Assiette is a classy and elegant restaurant, all white tablecloths and white-on-white appointments. District Dining however is a more casual affair, with the dark moody interior washed over by the light streaming through the large windows. It certainly looks the prototypical 2010 noshery beloved by designers and diners alike.

We arrived at six p.m. on the dot, and fortunately for us, there was a spare table. Earlier in the week, they did not take dinner reservations so I did not make one, but that changed quite quickly as they now did. We were told the restaurant was fully booked, which is a good sign as this part of Surry Hills is not renowned for its food. Unfortunately for us, the table we were given was equidistant from both the male restroom and the elevator, but fortunately, during our meal, not many people used the men's room and nobody used the elevator.

The menu is simply presented on a piece of A4 paper, with all the savoury dishes on one side and the sweets and beverages on the reverse. Each dish is made to be apparently shared, but there is no indication of the size of each dish, apart from the price. I'm sure the wait staff would be more than helpful in assisting one to choose a suitable selection of dishes to share.

There is no complimentary bread, and a basket of four rolls for $3 is the only option listed. Never the less, the bread is suitably crispy on the outside and warmly soft on the inside. The bread came with olive oil but we prefer butter so our request was promptly met by our friendly Kiwi waitress.

Ras el hanout quail, peach chutney, brioche, pomegranate ($18)

Having ordered four plates to share, we were asked whether we would like the dishes to come in pairs, a sensible suggestion with which we concurred. The quail brioche and the crab fritters were the first pair to arrive.

The quail was tender, and the brioche was crunchy, a nice contrast. The peach chutney added a welcome sweetness, but aside from the slight tartness given by the pomegranate, its presence was somewhat puzzling and incongruous; perhaps it was there for the colour, as the dish itself was otherwise brown.

King crab sweetcorn fritters, basil ($14)

The king crab fritters came presented on a wooden block, another casual approach suited to the bistro atmosphere. They were crunchy-licious without being too greasy, even if they were sitting on paper to absorb excess oil (we assumed). I generally don't care for food dished up on paper, and neither does Tom Colicchio or Anthony Bourdain, both of whom were critical of Fabio's pasta stew (?) dish on the first episode of Top Chef All Stars. Scrunched up paper aside, there was a lovely earthniess to the dish with the fresh crab, and corn which popped in the mouth, and the dipping mayonnaise added a creamy tang.

At this stage, I was all ready for the larger dishes to arrive, but then IT happened, a nightmare of epic proportions dreaded by food bloggers. At first it was one blink, then it slowly increased to two blinks, then three, before becoming a permanent steady blink, blink, blink ....

That's right, the dreaded battery power indicator on my camera. The camera was about to stop working and I did not have a spare battery, but what could I do? I had my phone and could take photos with that, but that would be akin to watching a Blu Ray movie on an iPhone. Blast that modern technology! There was enough battery juice left to tease me with that God-forsaken indicator, but not enough to actually take a photo? So I did the only thing a desperate food blogger would: borrow a camera from another diner! I saw a table where a lovely couple was taking photos of their meal using a Sony NEX, and I was very tempted to seek their assistance. Thankfully though, I had one last trick up my non-existent sleeve. I took the battery out, gave it a good old-fashioned rub on my shirt to build up a little static electricity, crossed my fingers and toes, and tah-dah, I was able to take two shots. Yes, just TWO, but still preferable to none! I scrambled the dishes into position, held my breath and snapped, heaving a sigh of relief after the image preview showed up on the LCD. There is nothing like primary school science to resurrect when in times of trouble, is there?

Pork belly, fennel salt, lime, kimchi ($24)

So the ubiquitous pork belly, a dish as common as the much maligned panna cotta, came predictably on another wooden slab. It came as one large piece however, not as two pieces sliced lengthways down the middle I have seen on other blogs. This presented a minor delay as we struggled to cut through the snappy-licious crackling and underlying fat. After eventually yielding to our relatively blunt knives, the now deformed pork looked a tad unappetitising, and I never thought I would ever say that about pork belly! Never the less, the belly was tasty, and seasoned just enough for the complementary kimchi to also shine. Not the apotheosis of pork bellies, but still good enough for a pass, despite the degree of masticating required.

Veal tongue, pickled turnip, salsa verde, almonds ($16)

The remaining dish was the veal tongue, the muscular organ of choice for not many. This was a pretty plate though, a wave of colour and texture with the dull brown of the tongue pieces enlivened by the vibrancy of the pickled vegetables (carrot cubes and baby turnip spades) and radioactive-green salsa verde. The tongue was tender melt-in-the-mouth, and at the other end of the spectrum there were almonds which gave crunchiness to the otherwise literally soft dish. I was grasping for a hint of sweetness but it never came, as I found the pickled turnip somewhat tart and therefore the balance off.

After sharing four plates without full satiety setting in, we decided desserts were in order. The selection here is not huge, so it was an easy choice for us to have the panna cotta (natch) and the rice pudding. Now all that was needed was to rub the battery again so I could hopefully get one snap each of the desserts. Sigh.

Buttermilk panna cotta, blood orange granita ($12)

The panna cotta was sneakily presented in a glass jar container, so the wobbly texture could not be easily scrutinised. It was very smooth, luscious, and possessed just the right amount of sweetness. The granita on top was sharply cold, tangy, and full of blood orangey goodness. The combination was delightful and satisfying.

Efi's rice pudding, cinnamon ice cream ($12)

The rice pudding is based on a recipe by one of the chef's grandmothers, whose name is Efi. I wasn't overjoyed by the presentation (again on wood) as it was a little stark, but it's the taste that counts. Like my dessert, the pudding was in a jar, except this was more callipygian. The rice pudding was just right texturally, and together with the clever cinnamon ice cream and biscuit crumbs, made for a good dessert.

With dessert out of the way, I could finally flick the power button on my camera to the 'Off' position, giving it a well-earned rest. Thankfully I managed to get a useable shot of each dish, for which I am forever grateful to the God of battery life, Energizer. I will certainly be more vigilant in future and check my battery status before venturing out. Lesson learned.

So, with the drama out of the way, I could go back and truly appreciate the food. District Dining is a nice addition to the growing bistro dining scene, and to us is on a par with the much-lauded Ad Lib. The international flavours dished up by the team is certainly eclectic, and makes choosing the dishes interesting. I am still an unabashed devotee of Etch, but the combination of good global food, pleasant service, and reasonable prices is more than welcome and I hope many of the other super chefs will be persuaded to do likewise.