Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, Melbourne

A visit to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was the very first thing Sheena and I booked when we were planning our trip to Melbourne. Food was going to be the highlight of our trip, and this dinner was going to be the very pinnacle of of our culinary experience.

Like its two Michelin starred sister restaurant in London, the menu features dishes that are inspired by the gastronomic history of British Royalty, going as far back as the 13th century. The Melbourne restaurant incorporates bits of Aussie flair and showcases the great produce the country has to offer.



We arrived a little early and had some drinks at the bar. 

Peter Piper's Pickled Lemon Lemonade (c.1830), Sarsaparilla Soda (c.1750) - $14 each

I was quite thankful that the drinks menu was not overly complicated and settled quickly on Peter Piper's Pickled Lemon Lemonade (try saying that five times fast!). The pickling process meant that the lemonade was not overly sour and there was a good balance of sweetness in the drink without being overpowering.

I had warned Sheena against the Sarsaparilla Soda as previous experience told me that it would have an overpowering licorice taste. Fortunately, this was not the case. The drink had a faint hint of sweetness and light medicinal quality to it.

While we waited for our food to arrive, our very obliging waitstaff let us wander around the restaurant with our cameras. We were, of course, immediately drawn to the automated spit roast mechanism with slowly roasting golden pineapples. 

Roast Marrowbone (c.1720) - $36

The Roast Marrowbone, combined with herbs and panko crumb, came topped with snails and served with pickled vegetables on the side. The snails provided a bit of bite to the otherwise smooth dish while the vegetables helped to cut through the buttery taste of the bone marrow. 

Hay smoked Ocean Trout (c.1730) - $36

The smoked trout was served underneath a bed of pickled lemon salad, smoked roe, and gentleman's relish (a sauce of anchovies, butter, herbs and spices). Each slice was incredibly delicate but packed a real punch -  the gentleman's relish provided a great savoury base for the trout while the blobs of citrus gel made each bite dance on the tongue.

Powdered Duck Breast (c.1670) - $58

The Powdered Duck Breast arrived with smoked beetroot, grilled red cabbage, umbles and pickled cherries. The five hour salting process the duck went through resulted in a very succulent piece of breast meat while the additional touches provided the sweetness to balance out the dish. 

Slow cooked Pork Belly (c.1820) - $58

My favourite main was the Slow cooked Pork Belly which came with grains wrapped in a thin spelt blanket, lardo, roast onions, baby turnip, and Robert Sauce. I was surprised that I wasn't offered a bigger knife with my dish, and was even more surprised that my regular table knife was able to slice through the pork with ease! 

Everything about this dish was delightful - the crunchy turnip was a great contrast to the tender pork, while the Robert Sauce tied everything together in its earthy flavour. The only thing that would make this dish more enjoyable for me would be to have a proper crispy pork crackling.

Tipsy Cake (c.1810) - $32

The Tipsy Cake had to be ordered along with our entrees and mains to allow time for the gradual basting process. Traditionally made using old bread soaked in brandy, the modern version involves light pillowy brioche filled with cream, and soaked in rum. The roast pineapple, with its golden sweet outer, was the perfect accompaniment. 

As one of Dinner's signature dishes, this cannot be missed.

Post Dessert of Nitro Ice Cream - $15 each

Post dessert involved an ice cream trolley and a fantastic display involving liquid nitrogen. Need I say more?

Nitro Ice Cream Toppings 

Our ice-creams were served in a very thin cone with our choice of inspired toppings - popping candy, fennel and chocolate, white chocolate and raspberry, something I can't quite recall. 

Post Post Dessert Chocolate Pot

And when we thought we couldn't possibly eat any more food, a post post desert was brought to our table. The little chocolate pot was very rich and crispy fennel biscuit was a lovely and light.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is located at Crown Melbourne, Level 3, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, Melbourne. Be sure to book quite early as spots fill up super fast!

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken With Roast Vegetables

For the home cook, the best recipes must not only be tasty -they must also be simple and repeatable. These kinds of recipes are the ones that make it onto my dinner repertoire time and time again. Of these, Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken is my favourite -it is perfect for a small group of friends or a simple dinner for two with leftovers.

Contrary to many roast chicken recipes out there, a juicy chicken does not require butter, oil or running back and forth from the oven to baste. It also has the most delicious crispy skin! Thomas Keller's recipe calls for only 3 ingredients - salt, pepper, and a chicken. I also like to add a bit of lemon on the inside.

Salt, pepper, and a chicken. Optional extra: Lemon

The only equipment you need is a roasting pan and some kitchen twine to truss the bird. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly. The chicken must also be dry before going into the oven.

After this, you can just walk away and come back when your kitchen starts smelling wonderful.. 

Carrots, Potatoes, Parsnips, Beetroot, Garlic and Thyme

Or, to create a complete meal, you could chop up some vegetables to accompany the chicken. I put these in halfway through cooking the chicken so they are done at the same time. The veggies also help to create a little bit of moisture as I've found that the oven tends to smoke if the chicken is cooked by itself.

After that, I reduce the juices that have formed in the bottom of the tray to make a simple jus for the dish. 

This recipe is head and shoulders above any roast chicken recipe I have ever used. It is easy to make, easy to remember and oh so delicious! I dare you to find something simpler!

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken With Roast Vegetables
(Serves 4 - 6)

Roast Chicken Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 1 to 1.4 kg)
Salt
Pepper

Roast Vegetable Ingredients:

1 kg assorted root vegetables (see third photo for what I used)
1.5 Tbs olive oil 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels -inside and out.
3. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan and truss the bird, tying the legs close to the body so it cooks evenly.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken (top and bottom).
5. Place the chicken in the oven and leave it alone for about 1 hour. 
6. Cut assorted vegetables into 2-3cm sized chunks and toss with olive oil (I like to oil beetroot separately so it doesn't stain the other veggies).
7. Place the vegetables in the oven when there is 30 minutes left to go.
8. Once 1 hour is up, test the temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. It should reach 75°C (165°F).
9. Remove the chicken and the vegetables from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carving. 
10. While you're waiting, pour all the pan juices into a small saucepan and simmer for about 7-10 minutes or until the juices have reduced a little.
11. Serve.

Notes:

1. I don't rinse my chicken as it tends to splash raw chicken germs all over the sink area. Any dangerous germs will be killed if the meat reaches the correct temperature. Read more about it here.
2. A roasting rack isn't entirely necessary, but I find that the chicken cooks more evenly and there is no risk of the chicken sticking to the roasting pan.

Aria - Winter Menu

I find it incredibly exciting to be among the first to discover something new. It is even more exciting when the discovery is yummy food. And because I'm not very good at keeping secrets, I want to share with you the new winter menu at Aria Restaurant and Bar.

Located in the Crowne Plaza on Albert St, Aria Bar and Restaurant is a fancy hotel restaurant that has kept a cozy, intimate feel. The space caters for large groups as well as date nights. Its central location also makes it perfect for a pre-show dinner. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to a menu tasting, along with several other food bloggers. We journeyed our way through 11 amazing dishes which left me very satisfied and eager to come back with Jason.

Mushroom Salad

The mushroom salad consisted of Shiitake, Button and Portobello mushrooms. The dish was full of umami and the parmesan added to it. The toasted pine nuts added another layer of texture.

Smoked Salmon 

The house smoked salmon was very flavoursome and was served in generous chunks. Each bite was flaky and tender. The roast beetroot provided a light sweetness while the horseradish gave a bit of heat. I was glad that the cauliflower panacotta was more of a puree than a jelly and added some creaminess to the dish. All the separate elements of this dish worked together very well to highlight the salmon.

Pan Seared Scallops

My eyes widened as this colourful dish came to the table. The scallops were cooked perfectly accompanied by earthy french lentils and bursts of flavour from the cherry tomatoes. I couldn't really taste any heat from the chili but I thought that the dish didn't need it.

Sweet Potato Tortelloni

What is the difference between tortelloni and tortellini, you ask? According to Wikipedia, a tortelloni is slightly bigger. Who decides how big is big? I didn't get that far with my Googling..

Nevertheless, the tortelloni was cooked al dente. The sweet potato filling was creamy although a little too sweet for my liking. I would have preferred a larger pasta to filling ratio - perhaps tortellini would be a better size to balance out the strong flavour of the sweet potato. I really enjoyed the nuttiness of the burnt butter and the saltiness of the parmesan.

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork and Beetroot Risotto

The french goats cheese added to the creaminess of the neon pink risotto. Together, they provided a fantastic base for the pork. The prosciutto formed a deliciously crispy and salty coating for the tender pork. 

Pork Cutlet Crépinette

For me, this was a great first introduction to crépinettes. The casing was amazingly thin and crispy. However, the stand out of this dish was the gnocchi. The soft pillows of potato had an amazing texture and was complimented well by the jus - I could have had a whole plate of these!

Lamb Shanks

The lamb shanks fell apart at the touch of my spoon. We were told that it had been cooking for the whole day and we could really tell! The cannellini mash wasn't too heavy and the sautéed silver beet added an earthy freshness to the meaty dish.

Confit Duck

The duck confit came in a creamy red curry. The duck had a nice crispy skin and easily pulled apart flesh. The curry sauce had a good amount of heat and had bursts of juiciness from bites of lychee and pineapple.

Chocolate Melting Pot

The chocolate lava cake was made of dark Belgian chocolate so it was quite rich. The vanilla bean ice cream and the blueberries provided great freshness to balance out the decadent cake. 

Black Doris Plum Tart

The warm plum tart was a welcome dessert on this cold night. The pastry had a wonderful texture which resembled a soft biscuit. The plums were plump and juicy, the pistachios gave a good crunch and the créme anglaise balanced out the tartness. 

Hazelnut Dacquoise 

The Hazelnut Dacquoise was my favourite dish. The very thin layers of hazelnut and salted caramel came together to form the lightest dessert I've ever had. The blackberry sorbet was wonderfully sweet (but not sickly) and the praline added a nice pop to the creamy dessert. All the flavours and textures on the plate came together perfectly.

To try some of these amazing dishes yourself, Aria Restaurant and Bar can be found at the Crowne Plaza, 128 Albert Street, Auckland. 

Lucy dined as a guest of Crowne Plaza, Auckland.


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Prawn and Corn Nuggets

If you have stepped into the vegetable section of the supermarket lately, you will have noticed that sweet corn is cheap. Really cheap.

Like, really really cheap!

Because I am my mother's daughter, the lure of 4 for $5 corn was too enticing for me and we ended up with way too many. We had been quite busy last week so most of our dinners were paired with microwaved corn. This time, however, I decided that the corn should be the star, not just a quick and easy side dish.

These prawn and corn nuggets are quite easy to mix together and pack a real punch. They are crispy and chewy with little juicy pockets of corn. What more could you want?

This recipe yields about 25 nuggets and make a delicious snack or a light dinner.

Have you been making the most of the summer corn? What's your favourite way of preparing it?

Prawn and Corn Nuggets
A Lucyeats Original

Ingredients:

3 ears of corn, kernels removed

300g precooked prawns, de-shelled and roughly diced

2 Tbs chopped parsley

2 Tbs chopped spring onion

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for deep frying

To serve:

1/2 cup aioli

Smoked paprika

Method:

1. Mix corn kernels, prawns, parsley, spring onion and flour in a bowl
2. Beat the eggs and the milk. Add to the corn mixture and stir until just combined
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Halfway fill a deep saucepan with oil and place over medium high heat
5. When the oil is hot, drop heaped tablespoons of corn mixture carefully into the oil
6. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the nuggets are golden
7. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels while you fry the remaining nuggets
8. Serve nuggets with aioli 

Shaolin Kung Fu Noodles

As I've been very bad at keeping everyone updated on wedding preparations, you may be surprised to know that Jason and I are getting married next weekend! The countdown to the big day has been relatively calm as we have had a long time to plan. There's really not much left to do except make up the wedding favours, finish our vows and get through the rehearsal next week!

As preparation for the wedding, Jason and I have been taking dance lessons from a lady at work. Let's call her Ms Spectacular. Ms Spectacular and her partner have been teaching us the waltz for about 5 weeks now and, in my humble opinion, we are getting pretty good.

Usually meetings and other post work events make it hard for us to head home, so we have been stopping off at Shaolin Kung Fu Noodles for dinner before heading off to the dance hall. 

Chilled Sweet Green Bean Soup and Coconut Sago Soup - $4.00 each

Some co-workers and I first discovered this place during a site visit and wandered in mostly because it was the closest eatery to where we had parked. We headed in about 11am to discover that it was already humming with customers and it only seemed to get busier as the day went on. I was thrilled that the drinks fridge had what my coworkers called "weird" drinks like green bean soup and coconut sago soup. Both were refreshing, sweet and a lot nicer than your average fizzy drinks!

Sauteéd Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce - $14.00

I ordered the sauteéd eggplant which came in a delicious garlic sauce that was also spicy and sour. The pieces of eggplant, lightly coated in cornflour, were very tender and creamy which went perfectly with the rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - $16.00

I took a sneaky pic of my colleague's sweet and sour chicken, which I'm told was quite nice. The fluoro orange colour put me off trying it though..

Kung Fu Beef Noodles - $9.80 (small)

I returned with Jason, a few days after, where we tried the Kung fu Beef Noodles and a plate of Beef and Celery Dumplings. The hand pulled noodles were wonderfully springy and the hot and sour soup packed a real punch. The portion size was very generous and, for a mere $1.00 more, you could order the large size!

Beef and Celery Dumplings - $12.00

We were pretty much full after the noodles but we forced a few of these dumplings down and had the rest for lunch the next day. The dumplings were adequate -pretty much like any other dumpling shop.

Kung Fu Goji Berry Lamb Noodles - $10.80 (small)

When we came the following week, the restaurant had a massive dinner crowed and we were seated upstairs where we could look out onto Dominion Road. Our server recommended the Kung Fu Goji Berry Lamb Noodles which we found to be a bit bland -apart from the salt, coriander was pretty much the only other flavour we could taste. The noodles, as usual, were very nice and chewy while the meat was tender but I think the spicy noodles are a lot nicer!

Deep Fried Chinese Pan Breads - $6.00

The fact that the server looked at me funny when I ordered this should have been my first clue but its Chinese name was just too appealing for me not to. Who can resist 黄金三角? In English, this translates to "golden triangles" which, trust me, sounds a lot sexier in mandarin. I quite liked the spices that were used (I could taste cumin, fennel, chili, salt and sugar) but we only got through half of it before deciding that we were sick of eating bread.

Don't think I would order this again..

Sauteéd Potato, Capsicum and Eggplant - $14.00

We thought that the Sauteéd Potato, Capsicum and Eggplant dish was quite a nice item for vegetarians and had a great sauce. However, we couldn't get past the oiliness of the dish and the amount of cornflour that was stuck around the vegetables -especially the eggplant. 

The service was a lot more rushed this on upon our last visit and we felt pressured to make our order and trying to pay at the end of the meal was a bit of a mission. Even though the restaurant was super busy, we received our meals within 20 minutes of ordering. 

After weighing up its pros and cons, Shaolin Kung Fu Noodles is somewhere I would definitely return to. I don't mind the fast paced feel of the restaurant as it reminds me of restaurants back in China and their hand pulled noodles are to die for! 

Shaolin Kung Fu Noodles can be found at 636 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, Auckland



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Federal Delicatessen

As a big fan of Al Brown, I had been looking forward to visiting Federal Delicatessen ever since it had opened. Taking inspiration from the Jewish delis of New York, Al Brown has recreated his own in little ol' Auckland.

I am told that booking is not necessary for groups of less than ten and I was afraid of a long wait. Fortunately it is quite spacious inside, despite the small shop front. The Fed is situated right next door to another Al Brown restaurant called Depot and the two restaurants share a hallway.

The interior resembles a stripped back diner and all the wait staff are dressed to suit. There are seats up near the bar and cooking area, as well as more private booths along one side for groups of four. Old jazz was playing over the speakers and it felt like we had stepped back in time.

Cherry Cola - $5, Vanilla Egg Cream $6

We started off with the drinks menu which was very exciting, to say the least. The Vanilla Egg Cream was described to me as a mix between creaming soda and milk which turned out to be delicious - creamy and bubbly without being too sweet. My dining companion had the Cherry Cola which I'm told was very nice too.

The menu at The Fed is quite varied and extensive but, as we all know, too much choice can sometimes be a bad thing. Luckily, our waiter was super helpful and was able to help us pick a few dishes to share after much indecisiveness from the group.

Matzo Ball Soup - $16

Matzo Ball Soup up close

We started off with Matzo ball soup which was kindly divided into 3 portions for us. This item is from the "specialties" menu and I can certainly see why! The chickeny broth was full of flavour and came with very tender pieces of chicken and delicate fennel. The highlight for me was the matzo balls which were wonderfully soft and very well seasoned.

Smoked Kahawai Cakes - $14

Our next entree was smoked fish cakes with a thin crunchy crumb filled with lots of smoked fish and creamy potato. The wasabi and lime mayo was a great partner to the sweet smoked fish.

Veal Schnitzel - $28

Due to past experience with horrible dry schnitzel, I was a bit apprehensive when our waiter suggested it. But the veal turned out to be very juicy, flavoursome and the light crumb was not too oily. The deep fried sage was a welcome addition and really helped to lift the dish. I think The Fed has made me like schnitzel!

Spit Roast Chicken - $23

Grilled Zucchini - $8

The spit roast chicken was very tender and juicy and came with a very tasty gravy -so tasty, in fact, that I even poured it over my schnitzel.The cheesy grilled zucchini was a great accompaniment to the meal and has now become one of my favourite sides. 

NY Cheesecake - $11.50, Banana & Toffee Pie - $11.50

Although we were close to bursting after our mains, we just couldn't leave without sampling something from the dessert menu. The New York Cheesecake was very smooth and tasty without being overly sweet, but my favourite would have to be the Banana & Toffee Pie. The thin base added just the right amount of crunch to the soft filling while the caramel popcorn was a very cute twist.

The Fed is a must visit if you're in the mood for something a little bit different. The menu is full of interesting items and I've already decided what I'm ordering when I return!

Federal Delicatessen can be found opposite the Sky Tower at 86 Federal St, Auckland, New Zealand



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