Mister Jennings, Melbourne - 10 December 2014

Paul Jennings was one of my favourite authors growing up (remember that hilarious TV series from your childhood, Round the Twist?). Paul Jennings also happens to be a childhood favourite of Ryan Flaherty (ex Fat Duck, El Bulli and Estelle). Mister Jennings, a new(ish) restaurant in Richmond that was opened in July 2014, is named after his favourite childhood author and school teacher. The restaurant is small with a casual, relaxed dining room that seats around 36 guests. My colleague and I are here to enjoy a nice relaxed meal after a long day of meetings with clients.

The menu contains a number of small starters, entrees, mains, sides and desserts, which are designed to be shared (this seems to be the latest trend at restaurants now). There is also a 5 course tasting menu for $80 per diner, which we opted to have, since I didn't have a clue which dishes to try.  May as well let the chef decide what he thinks is best.

Boudin blanc / dagwood dog

The meal starts with chef Flaherty's cheeky take on a boudin blanc, dressed like as a Dagwood Dog. The chicken mousse could have been smoother and the batter crispier, but this was a fun, enjoyable snack to kick off proceedings. The boudin blanc was sprinkled with paprika salt for smokiness and served with a nice, tangy house ketchup.

Crab, salmorejo, chilli, black pepper

My eyes were immediately drawn to the vibrant orange of the salmorejo.  The salmorejo was a delicious mix of refreshing, tangy tomatoes, chilli  and black peppers. Underneath a mustard leaf was a mound of hand picked crab. The crab's sweet, delicate flavour were enhanced with lemon juice and mayonnaise. Overall, this was an excellent dish with light, refreshing, clean flavours that complement each other.

Frozen kangaroo, wasabi, nashi

Mister Jenning's signature dish is the frozen kangaroo, a feast for the eyes. The loin of the kangaroo was frozen and sliced thinly like a carpaccio so that the roo melted from the warmth of the mouth, creating an interesting contrast of temperatures. There were also a medley of flavours and textures from freeze dried raspberries, wasabi avocado mousse, pickled onions, jelly made from veal jus and crisp batons of nashi pears, all of which worked well with the gamey kangaroo. Whilst this was a very interesting dish that clearly had a lot of thought behind it, I actually found the flavours in this dish to be the least memorable of all the courses. 

Mulloway, sesame, spring greens

The mulloway with sesame sauce and spring greens was my favourite course of the night. The mulloway was excellently cooked with moist, soft flakes of meat. The sesame sauce, which was made with a mix of toasted sesame, tofu and vinegar, was the star of this dish. It reminded me of Asian style sesame salad dressing, albeit a more refined and balanced version. The sweetness, nuttiness and slight acidity in the sauce worked wonders with the mulloway. The spring greens, which included broad beans, peas, asparagus, beans and nasturtium, added freshness to the dish.

Sirloin, pan juices

Going from modern to classic, the final savoury dish was a French bistro classic, steak and chips. The sirloin was cooked medium- rare, with a blushing pink centre and a lovely caramelised crust; the steak was juicy, well seasoned and served with its pan juices. There was a selection of mustards, but the meat was flavoursome on its own so it didn't really need them.

Baby gem salad, chips

The steak was served with a baby gem lettuce salad and hand cut chips. The baby gem lettuce salad was fresh, with all the leaves being nice and crispy and mixed with a buttermilk dressing. The chips had a crisp exterior and fluffy potato inside.  

Chocolate, cardamon, crunch

For desserts, we were presented with two different desserts to share. The first were the three C's being: chocolate, cardamon and crunch. This was not exactly the prettiest dessert, but it was pretty darn tasty, especially for a chocolate lover like myself. Basically this was a dessert with chocolate in different forms: biscuits, powder, ganache, soil, mousse and finished with a warm, rich dark chocolate sauce. There were bursts of citrus through the chocolate biscuit and the creamy yet light chocolate mousse had a mix of hot and cold sensations. A brilliant dessert!

Jaggery cake, apricots, double cream

The other dessert was a modern take on the classic afternoon tea favourite, sponge cake, jam and cream. The jaggery cake, a microwave sponge cake a la Ferran Adria of El Bulli, was soft, fluffy billows of sponge. The cake was topped with a dollop of double cream, the perfect companion to a soft sponge, and a sprinkling of fennel powder, which gave the dessert a pleasant anniseed undertone. Underneath the cake was a thick apricot jam, which provided additional sweetness and tang to the dessert. Both desserts were excellent, but the jaggery cake was my favourite by a whisker.

Yo-yo biscuits

A final bite was presented to us in the form of mini yo-yo biscuits. These were crumbly and melted in the mouth with a buttery, custard finish. 

Verdict
Highlight: Mulloway, sesame, spring greens.
Lowlight: No complimentary bread and butter.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Mister Jennings. Whilst the food was  quite innovative, the flavours were mostly spot on. The stiffness found at some other fine dining establishments in Melbourne was noticeably absent. The staff were warm, friendly, personable  and knowledgable. This is definitely a place that I would recommend to anyone looking for a great meal with a bit cheekiness thrown in.
8/10 (Excellent)

Mister Jennings

Address: 142 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
Contact no: (03) 9078 0113
Website: http://misterjennings.com.au/

Ume Restaurant, Surry Hills - 17 January 2015

My wife and I have wanted to make a return visit to Ume Restaurant for quite some time following our memorable lunch back in August 2013. We decided to drop by for lunch last weekend after a stop at our new favourite coffee place, Artificer Speciality Coffee Bar and Roastery, which is just across the road from Ume. The coffee there is seriously awesome, but more on this another day!

Ume is located in a relatively quiet section of Surry Hills on Bourke St. The decor at Ume is pared back with white walls, dark wood and a plum blossom painting on one wall. The head chef and owner is Kerby Craig, who worked at Tetsuya's back when it was in Rozelle and Koi in Woolwich before opening Ume.

The menu at Ume is Modern Japanese cuisine, utilising classical Japanese techniques, modern flair and local, seasonal ingredients. There are a la carte options or set menus available (5 courses for $67 or 7 course set menu $87). As we had only tried a la carte courses at Ume in the past, we were keen to try the 7 course set menu this time. With advance notice, Kerby Craig was able to prepare a separate vegetarian set menu.

Some of the sakes from Ume's great selection

 

House made yuzu soda ($5.50) and Izumibashi Nama Genshu Natsu-Yago, Kanagawa ($21)

There's a great selection of sake, shochu, whisky and umeshu at Ume. I opt for the Izumibashi Nama Genshu (180ml, $21) to start the meal. This sake was served chilled, perfect for a 39 degree day.

My wife went for Ume's house made yuzu soda. Being a yuzu fanatic, I loved this soda! For me it was just right: refreshing, tangy and not too sweet. I'm calling this my favourite yuzu beverage in Sydney! We loved this yuzu soda so much that several rounds of this drink were in order. 

Course one

Kingfish sashimi: shiro ponzu, black sesame, house made yuzu-kosho

My menu starts with beautiful slices of kingfish sashimi dressed in a white ponzu and served with Ume's house made yuzu-kosho. The kingfish was delightfully fresh with firm textured flesh. The tart and peppery notes from the yuzu-kosho were a perfect accompaniment to the kingfish. 

Chargrilled asparagus, avocado, yuzu-kosho, ponzu

My wife's first course was char grilled asparagus, avocado, Japanese negi, Ume's house made yuzu-kosho and ponzu. This was a simple yet enjoyable course. My wife commented on how good that ponzu sauce was. So much so that she would have run her finger through the sauce if no one else was watching.     

Course two

Seared Hokkaido scallop: koikuchi shoyu, kombu brown butter, finger limes

The next course was a revised version of Ume's signature dish - seared Hokkaido scallops. Scallops were thinly sliced, like a carpaccio, and fanned out in a shape of a flower. The texture of the scallops was just beautiful - smooth and velvety and the flavours in this dish were on point. The scallops were sweet, the kombu brown butter was loaded with umami and little rocks of finger limes provided bursts of acidity. I thought this version improved on the original, which was already an excellent dish!

Roasted yuba, koikuchi shoyu, kombu brown butter, finger limes

My wife's second course consisted of the same elements as my course (i.e. soy, kombu brown butter, and finger limes), with roasted house made yuba (tofu skin) taking the place of scallops. The yuba had a soft and silky texture. But it was the roasting of the yuba, which imparted an amazing toasty/smoky flavour, that really made this dish stand out. This was one of the favourites courses for my wife this meal.    

Course three

Kakuni: soy braised pork belly, karashi su-miso, broccolini, pork crackling furikake

Pork belly was slowly braised in soy and dashi stock and then finished on the charcoal grill. This must have been the softest layer of pig fat that I have ever eaten: so good and just melting away in the mouth! The meat was also very tender and tasty. But it was the karashi su-miso (a combination of Japanese mustard, miso and egg yolk) that really brought this dish together. The sweetness and pungent heat of the sauce went really well with the pork belly. Pork crackling was sprinkled on top like you would sprinkle furikake over rice for texture. 

Shiki no salad: roast heirloom carrots, fried brussel sprouts, buckwheat, black vinegar, tamari custard

My wife had the shiki no salad, which we ordered last time and was our favourite course from the previous meal. Our assessment of this dish doesn't change: it's fantastic and loaded with umami. The highlight of the salad were the fried brussel sprouts. The crispy sprouts were so so delicious when dipped into that creamy tamari custard and addictive soy and ginger dressing. The assorted roasted heirloom carrots were also delicious.   

More yuzu sodas... a much needed remedy for a 39 degree day! ($5.50)

 

Course four

Yaki nasu: charcoal grilled eggplant, wari shoyu, nori oil, grated ginger, Ito-gaki katsuo-bushi

Next was one of my favourite vegetables in Japanese cooking, eggplant. Nasu dangaku (miso eggplant) has been replaced by yaki nasu (charcoal grilled eggplant). The eggplant, which was sitting in an umami-filled wari shoyu broth and nori oil, was smoky, fall-apart-tender and juicy. The eggplant was served with grated ginger and katsuo-bushi (bonito flakes).    

Yaki nasu: charcoal grilled eggplant, wari shoyu, nori oil, grated ginger, nori

My wife's yaki nasu was topped with crispy nori rather than katsuo-bushi.

Course five

9+ Wagyu sukiyaki: David Blackmore 9+ wagyu, local asparagus, onsen tomago, soy and mirin reduction

 

That #yolkporn!

Thin slices of lightly cooked David Blackmore wagyu beef (marble score 9+), asparagus and shimeji mushrooms were immersed in a soy and mirin reduction, sukiyaki style. David Blackmore produces some of the best beef in the country and this was evident here. The beef was amazingly tender and flavoursome when coated in the soy and mirin reduction, kind of like a refined teriyaki sauce. The onsen tamago with perfectly oozing yolk and soft, just cooked egg white made for an excellent dipping sauce for the beef and vegetables. This was my favourite course of the meal.   

Akita-Komachi rice ($4.50)

I don't think you can have the wagyu sukiyaki without a bowl of perfectly cooked, fluffy rice to mop up the sauce. Akita-Komachi is a high end, short grain rice from Akita prefecture in Japan and the rice was cooked with dashi stock.  

Kinoko moriawase: assorted mushrooms, yuba, soy

My wife's final savoury course was kinoko moriawase (or assorted mushrooms) with bamboo shoots, yuba and soy; another simple, yet enjoyable dish.

Course six

Strawberry compote: caramelised white chocolate, ice cream powder, matcha pudding, ginger bread, dango

The first dessert course consisted of strawberry compote, white chocolate caramel, matcha custard, dango (Japanese glutinous rice ball), ginger bread and white chocolate ice cream powder. I love my matcha bitter and the matcha custard in this dessert was just that. The sweetness of the white chocolate and strawberries were a great match with the bitterness of the matcha custard. This was my favourite of the dessert courses.  

Uzen Shiraume Ume Yusui, Yamagata ($10)

I ordered a Uzen Shiraume Ume Yusui to have with my dessert courses. The tart flavours of ume were wonderfully balanced with moderate sweetness, creating a ume-shu that was really pleasant to drink and not sickly sweet.

Course seven

Mango: mango tofu, frozen green tea, mochi, dehydrated cocoa mousse, mango sorbet

The final course of the menu was just as pleasant to stare at as it was to eat. I had a similar dessert in my previous meal at Ume; except this time mango was in season rather than mandarin. The mango sorbet was nice and refreshing. The mango tofu was interesting and was -more like the firm tofu variety or a jelly rather than a soft tofu. This dessert also utilised the matcha and fruit combo with frozen green tea. The shards of dehydrated chocolate mousse and mochi provided textural contrast in this dessert.

Like my first meal at Ume, I was highly impressed with the food; every course was enjoyable! Ume's food utilises classical Japanese techniques which are familiar to me but it's the modern flair that elevates the food to another level. My verdict of Ume remains unchanged: Ume = Yummeh! 

Verdict
Highlight: Wagyu sukiyaki with a bowl of rice. 
Lowlight: Expect Japanese-sixed portions, after all this is a Japanese restaurant.   
Overall: Ume's food is pure, clean and full of umami flavours, all of which are hallmarks of great Japanese food. Ume is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Sydney and one that I would happily revisit regularly.   8/10 (Excellent)

Ume Restaurant

Address: 478 Bourke Street Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Contact no: (02) 9380 7333
Website: http://www.umerestaurant.com.au/

 

The Town Mouse, Melbourne - 8 December 2014

I was in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago with 2 other colleagues for a business trip. The only time we got to relax was after our client meetings, so we decided we should reward ourselves with a nice meal after a hard day's of work. The task of deciding where to eat invariably falls to me (not surprisingly being a food blogger). The first venue that I have chosen was the always-popular, one-hatted restaurant, Town Mouse in Carlton.     

Town Mouse is all about good, fine-dining quality food served in a casual, relaxed atmosphere; much like places such as Saint Crispin and Mister Jennings. The decor inside is casual with black tiled walls, timber furnishings and bar stools (not ideal if you have a bad back).  And the service is warm, attentive and unpretentious (who wants stiff service when you're tired after a long day any way?).
 

The menu, developed by head chef, Dave Verheul, is modern, seasonal and produce driven. It is divided into snacks, raw items, vegetables, meat & fish and desserts. The food is designed to be shared, which was fine with us, as this meant we got to sample a variety of dishes.
    

House made sourdough bread, sesame butter

The complimentary sourdough bread was very good. The bread had an excellent crust, and a nice, slightly chewy texture. The sesame butter was addictive with toasty, nutty notes to go with the creaminess and sourness of the butter.

Goat's cheese profiterole, caraway, thyme & our honey ($3.50 each)

The goat's cheese profiteroles were the first snack to arrive at our table. We were totally smitten with these profiteroles, which were so crisp thanks to a bit of dehydration and filled with the most amazing goat's cheese mousse. The profiteroles were dusted with caraway and thyme and stuck to the plate with honey from Town Mouse's own on-site beehive. These profiteroles are a must order!

Milk curd, fried bread, broccoli, chicken and lavender jus ($9)

The fried bread were essentially large croutons, which were covered with a blanket of raw broccoli florets. The chicken and lavender jus was quite salty, which was thankfully balanced out by the milk curd. This snack wasn't bad, just wasn't anything particularly special.

Shaved calamari, oyster cream, dill and fermented apple juice ($15)

Our waiter convinced us that we should order the shaved calamari dish, as it has featured on the menu from day one. Calamari was cooked sous vide and shaved into strips of firm, slippery rice noodles. Completing this "pretty as a picture" dish were dabs of oyster cream, dill oil, fermented apple juice and cucumber. All the components were mixed together to yield a clever dish that was filled with clean, refreshing flavours and a great balance of textures.
 

Heirloom kales, slow cooked egg, quinoa, comte foam and mustard ($20)

The heirloom kales were served as a pile of crispy, kale leaves with a slow cooked egg hidden underneath, comte foam, quinoa and mustard. The perfectly runny egg yolk was mixed with the comte foam and mustard to create a rich, decadent sauce to coat the kale leaves. This was absolutely delicious and one of my favourite dishes of the night.
 

Slow roasted red cabbage, prune, parmesan and red apple ($15)

The slow roasted red cabbage is perhaps the most famous dish at Town Mouse. And for good reason. A massive hunk of red cabbage is cooked sous vide and slow roasted. The red cabbage was perfectly cooked. The leaves were tender, juicy and cooked with a good amount of butter. The cabbage was filled with lots of caramelised prunes and red apple, which were so good with the bitterness of the red cabbage. The cabbage was finished with a thick blanket of finely shaved parmesan cheese for extra bite. This was easily the highlight of the night for me and it was refreshing to see a venue give their vegetables as much attention and care as their proteins (if not more)!

Smoked pork jowl, hispi cabbage, hazelnut and sour pear ($24)

The smoked pork jowl was "melt in the mouth" soft and fatty. But it was also very, very smoky, which I didn't mind because I do enjoy smoked foods. The pork jowl was sitting in a slick of hazelnut sauce, and topped with fresh, crisp hispi cabbage leaves, and slices of sour pear.

Skate wing, globe artichoke cream, broad bean, oyster, fennel and bay leaf ($23)

The skate wing was the lowlight of the evening. The skate was dry, overcooked and not all that enjoyable. The skate wing came with sauces of globe artichoke cream and oyster cream, neither of which were able to lift the unexciting skate wing. There was also a huddle of shaved fennel, broad beans an bay leaf served on the side. 
 

Snapper, wood grilled broccoli, clam, capers, olive oil ($34)

The snapper was nice without being spectacular, but cooked noticeably better than the skate wing. The highlight this dish were the wood grilled broccoli, another expertly cooked vegetable. The charred broccoli was nice and smoky and had an enjoyable, crunchy texture. The dish also contained some delicious crumbed bits of broccoli florets, clams and capers.

Red currant, strawberry, lychee and macadamia tart ($16)

This tart was a recent addition to the menu and was a big hit at our table. A tart of red currant, strawberry, macadamia and white chocolate was topped with the most incredible lychee sorbet. This was a light, refreshing and fruity number that I would not hesitate to order again!

Almond parfait, fennel, licorice, chocolate and toasted meringue ($15)

Fennel and licorice desserts seem to be latest craze at Mod Oz restaurants and Town Mouse has also joined the party. This dessert consisted of an almond parfait sandwiched between two sheets of toasted meringue, slices of confit fennel, chocolate crumbs and dabs of licorice. I hated licorice growing up, but when used in moderation, aniseed can be a nice supporting flavour, as was the case with this delicious almond parfait. It was an interesting dessert with good use of different flavours and textures; but probably not one that I would be rushing back for.   

Lime posset, green apple, white chocolate, dill and matcha ($15)

The lime posset was an excellent course and my favourite dessert of the night. It was light and refreshing, like a palate cleanser. A slice of lemon posset was topped with green apple foam - a beautiful combination of tart, tangy flavours. The posset was sandwiched by 2 thin sheets of sugar, and also contained matcha green tea, white chocolate and dill to add additional depth to this dessert.



Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at The Town Mouse. The food was amazing and reasonably priced, with the highlights being the vegetables (which may come as a surprise to some). The service was excellent - the staff were friendly, attentive as well as being knowledgable without being pretentious or overbearing. And I loved the vibe at Town Mouse - a cool, relaxed dining space with a buzzing atmosphere.
               

Verdict
Highlight: The slow roasted red cabbage is probably the best cabbage dish you will find anywhere! 
Lowlight: The skate wing was an underwhelming course for me. 
Verdict: Town Mouse represents a new age of dining, where good, fine dining quality food is being served in a more casual, relaxed environment. These are the sorts of venues that Sydney needs more of. 7.5/10 (Great)



The Town Mouse

Address: 312 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053
Contact no: (03) 9347 3312
Website: http://www.thetownmouse.com.au/