207 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003 USA
(corner of 13th street and 2nd avenue)

http://momofuku.com/new-york/ssam-bar/

The Review

Of the Momofuku family, Ssam Bar is the best.  Pork and duck team up to create the ultimate meat.  Ssäm does the most amazing pork buns and rotisserie duck, and pretty good sweetbreads too.

The Meal

oysters with kombu mignonette

Pork Buns

Fried Duck Dumplings with sriracha mayo

Sweetbreads with Watermelon

Rotisserie Duck over rice – duck scallion, ssam sauce, crispy shallot with chive pancake

691 8th Avenue (8th Ave and 44th St)
New York City, NY, USA

Overview

Burgers! Cheese Fries! Concretes!  Even food for dogs ?!

This ever reliable chain provides a grease fix, perfect for getting over jet lag.

The Meal

SmokeShack

Shack Burger

Cheese Fries

Concrete (Frozen Custard)

190 North State Street
Chicago, USA

Overview

This quirky chain of sandwich shops, has not only great sandwiches but stocks the amazing IBC Root Beer.  The perfect place for a healthy lunch.

The Meal

401 1/2 N. Franklin Street
Chicago IL 60654

http://thedoughnutvault.tumblr.com

The Review

Unfortunately I did not heed the reviews and showed up at the Doughnut Vault an hour after the opening time. I should have arrived half an hour before they opened! This place cooks their donuts before opening and once they are gone, they are gone. 

Of course, this meant that by the time I arrived I was given the last item available, the Gingerbread Stack. Accordingly I was not able to properly review the full range of donuts available. While the Gingerbread Stack was pleasant enough, it lacked the freshness and flavour punch of the donuts I had on previous visits to Do-Rite Donuts (This might be because my order had been sitting on the counter for too long, as opposed to Do-Rite Donuts’ offerings which are freshly baked every hour or so). Nonetheless, I would certainly given it a try should I end up in Chicago again, although next time I will definately arrive earlier.

The Meal

Gingerbread Stack

439 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654

http://www.loumalnatis.com

The Review

A very nice, pizza with a buttery crust and ample cheese and tomato sauce. However, it did not adequately represent the Chicago Deep Dish I was seeking. I would have no problems ordering it again if I was in town and looking for an easy pizza fix but I would not go out of my way for it.

The Meal

The Malnati Chicago Classic
Deep Dish Pizza with lean sausage, some extra cheese and vine-ripened tomato on Buttercrust.

50 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601

http://www.doritedonuts.com

The Review

Once again…Best…Donuts…Ever.

Nuff’ said.

The Meal

Carrot Cake

Buttermilk Old Fashioned

50 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601

http://www.doritedonuts.com

The Review

Best. Donuts. Ever.

Or at least in my experience. Every donut was fresh, fluffy and perfect. The Cinnamon Crunch donut may have been the plainest of the three options but it still packed a punch when it comes to flavour. The bacon on the Candied Maple Bacon donut was perfectly crisp and full of enough flavour to provide an amazing contrast to the dough to which it was affixed. The star of the show, however, was the Banoffee Pie, featuring a donut filled with delicious banana and toffee filling. 

So good I might travel to Chicago again just to visit this place.

The Meal

Cinnamon Crunch

Banoffee Pie

Candied Maple Bacon

1723 N Halsted
Chicago, IL 60614

http://www.alinearestaurant.com

Notable accolades

Three Michelin Stars, Michelin Guide 2012

Number 7, S. Pellegrino’s The World’s Best Restaurants 2012

The Meal

(not shown)
A glass of Lemonade
wind chime

A Napkin

Serving Spoons

Steelhead Roe
coconut, curry, yuzu

accompanied by a glass of Gimonnet Brut with St. Germain and Esterhazy Beerenausiese

Oyster Leaf
mignonette

King Crab
passionfruit, heart of palm, allspice

Lobster
carrot, chamomile

Razor Claim
shiso, soy, daikon

accompanied by a glass of Georg Breuer ‘Terra Montosa’ Riesling, Rheingau 2009

Miso prepared in a coffee siphon

Woolly Pig
fennel, orange squid

Scallop
acting like agedashi tofu (featuring miso from the coffee siphon)

accompanied by a glass of Bodegas Godeval ‘Vina Godeval” Valdorras 2010

A glass of miso from the coffee siphon

Otoro
thai banana, sea salt, kaffir lime

accompanied by a glass of Chehalem ’3 Vineyards’ Pinot Gris, Willamette 2011

Burnt Morels
ramps, asparagus, smocked date

accompanied by a glass of Descendientes de J. Palacios ‘Petalos’ Bierzo, Spain 2009

Hot Potato
cold potato, black truffle, butter

Lamb
………??????……..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A close-up of the 60 or so accompaniments to the lamb

Black Truffle
explosion, romaine, parmesan

Squab
inspired by Miro

accompanied by a glass of Valpolicella Classico, Superiore ‘TB’ Bussolo 2006

Anjou Pear
onion, brie, smoking cinnamon

accompanied by The Rare Wine Co. ‘Boston Bual – Special Reserve’ Madeira

Ginger
five other flavours

Blueberry
buttermilk, sorrel, macadamia

accompanied by a glass of Paolo Saracco Moscato d’Asti 2011

Balloon
helium, green apple

Sides

A video

White Chocolate
strawberry, english pea, lemon

The insides

The aftermath

6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA

Overview

Describing itself as an “All-American” hamburger joint, lunch at this chain was a quick fix after our flight from Sydney was delayed as we did not want to eat lunch any later and risk being too full for our dinner reservation.

The food was promptly served and generally passable even if forgettable. I would only recommend eating here if you were in Hollywood & Highland and did not want to go to the effort of travelling somewhere better for lunch.

The Meal

Chili Cheese Fries

The #12
Cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, white onion, pickles, mayonnaise & their supposed signature “red red sauce®”

8400 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

http://www.redmedicinela.com

Overview

Established by chef Jordan Kahn, a veteran of notable restaurants such as Alinea, Michael Mina and Per Se, Red Medicine seeks to provide a modern, western take on Vietnamese food. 

This restaurant is infamous less so for its food but more for Chef Kahn’s decision to kick out and publicly out a LA Times critic who visited the restaurant in its early days. Neverthless, treated as a restaurant serving western food with Vietnamese flourishes, as opposed to a restaurant serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine, it certainly delivers an excellent meal. The food was mostly excellent with only two dishes falling into the “good” category. Services was professional and attentive if not overly friendly, although this could be due to the crowding of the restaurant when we visited.

The major drawback with the restaurant is the darkness of the dining room, most likely designed to create a hip environment, and the poor acoustics making it almost impossible to hold a conversation unless you wish to shout the entire time. Provided you do not need to talk at length with your dining companions, you should be fine.

The Meal

#73 Novo Fogo Silver Cachata, Lime, Sugar
served in a Mason Jar

The novelty of this cocktail, being served in a mason jar, was half of the attraction. The cocktail certainly contained ample alcohol for $10 but was too strong for my liking.

#70 Johnny Drum Bourbon, sapling maple liqueur, maraschino liqueur, shaken with an orange slice and served over crushed ice with seasonal berries and mint

Again a strongly alcoholic drink only slightly sweetened by the myriad of berries sitting on top of the ice. Again, a decent drop of alcohol for $10 but I personally prefer my spirits served neat or diluted by more refreshing flavours than this middling contrast.

Chinese Lion Peppers
almond skins, honey, soy, violet basil, dates

This course was our attempt to add some vegetables to a meat-centric meal and it was an excellent addition. The Chinese Lion Peppers contained excellent flavour and the breadcrumbs added a nice texture to the dish. Fantastic.

Crispy Spring Rolls
dungeness crab, lime, pea pods, fines herbs, chili

Unfortunately the photo for this dish does not do it justice. The spring rolls were perfectly cooked, with a crisp outer shell and decent amounts of crab on the inside. While there was no strong flavour aside from the crab meat, it still provided a tasty twist on the traditional spring roll

Chicken Dumplings
caramelised sugar, pork fat, lemongrass, confitures

This dish provides a do-it-yourself takes on san choy bao. A dish containing nine compartments featured four crisp meatballs of chicken mince that could each be placed in provided lettuce cups and to which a range of accompaniments could be added, including pickles, scallions and various sauces. While not traditional dumplings as described in the menu, this dish provided quality ingredients that could be molded together to form quite the fun and tasty snack.

Pork Rillette
crispy chicken skin, lychee, clove, pistachio, spicy herbs

An extremely generous portion of rillette served in a cocotte covered by salad that had to be removed to reveal the feast that lay underneath. The rillette was warm and all of the ingredients worked well together even if by combining so many together there was no true standout flavour.

Accompanying croutons for the pork rillette

Pork
caramelised black vinegar, goji berry, spring onion, dried almond

Don’t let the picture fool you; this dish contained two very large pieces of caramelised pork shoulder that fell apart at the first touch of a fork and which melted in your mouth. Not dissimilar from Momofuku Seiobo’s caramelised pork shoulder, the version at Red Medicine acted as a true main course, as opposed to Seiobo’s play on petit fours, with stronger, heavier flavours. This dish was divine.

Heirloom Rice Porridge
Santa Barbara uni, egg yolk, hazelnuts, ginseng, echire butter

Probably Red Medicine’s most famous dish, it appears at first instance to be your standard rice porridge eaten at dessert. However, the savoury nature of the dish quickly becomes apparent courtesy of what appears to be three sticks of butter mixed into the porridge.  The savoury flavour is then further enhanced once the egg yolk and uni is mixed in to the porridge to transform an attractive dish into an unattractive but absolutely delicious bowel of glop. A truly memorable dish.

Birch Ice
almond praline, red current, orange blossom, jasmine

Initially mistaking this dish, ordered by the table next to us, for something else on the dessert menu, we accidentally ordered the right dish and I am glad we did. Served in a clear bowl so that you can see the bubbles forming underneath a crunchy crust, once the crust and contents underneath were mixed together every spoonful conveyed something cold and refreshing while extremely sweet to the point that I was worried my teeth would fall out. A visually stunning and delicious dessert. 

6a Barker St
GRIFFITH ACT 2603

http://www.rubiconrestaurant.com.au/

The Good

A very nice, quiet venue in Griffith featuring perfectly cooked meats. The barramundi, gnocchi and pork assiette were divine. The offer to replace our BYO slightly-warm bottle of Moet with a chilled bottle from their cellar was a very nice touch from our server.

The Bad

Some of the dishes lacked creativity or genuine flavour – I am fairly confident the sauces with the barramundi and the steak were substantially identical or deceptively similar, to borrow from trade mark parlance. The confit duck was not very exciting.

Service-wise, there were some very, very long waits between courses. While it may be the case that this was due to the difficulty of a custom degustation for a group of six people, it is also the case that a restaurant should not encourage said custom degustation menus if it will result in serving difficulties. The delays also resulted in the wine pairings appearing stingy. Last, but not least, by the time the meal ended I had to walk up to the front of the restaurant and ask for the bill as everyone was packing up and there was no one in the back area to serve us.

The Meal

Amuse Bouche

WA red claw yabbies with leek and gorgonzola gratin, flying fish roe

Crisp skin Barramundi with crab, chive and potato dumplings, roasted tomato and fennel sauce

Roasted chive and potato gnocchi (flourless), confit tomato, basil, tallegio cheese

Intermezzo

Berkshire pork assiette – belly with chilli lime caramel; rolled shin and boudin noir with a crispy ear and herb salad

Confit duck, spiced plum salsa, pickled carrot, St Maure d’Poitiu goats cheese

Roasted lamb shoulder and grilled lamb loin, speck lardons, peas and mint

Chargrilled beef fillet in bacon, beef jus, sauce béarnaise, confit tomato, thyme roasted kipflers

Sorbet

Ginger and lime crème brûlée, crème fraîche sorbet, roasted passionfruit

Gorman House Arts Centre
BRADDON ACT 2612

http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au

The Good

A fabulous meal featuring excellent ingredients and presentation. While some of the dishes were creatively presented, I never felt that creativity came at the expense of taste, something which cannot be said of a number of other restaurants I have visited. 

The menu changed in the days before our arrival, which unfortunately denied me a dish that I had been anticipating when I made the reservation. However, the dishes on the new menu did not leave me wanting at the end of the meal. The lemon sole and veal tenderloin, which featured a small addictive sweetbread, were particular standouts. I cannot fault any of the dishes, although perhaps the beetroot and carrot dishes lacked the punch of the protein courses.

Our server was friendly and helpful throughout the night. From the moment we sat down, he offered help us add additional courses to the autumn omnivore tasting menu should we desire. We did so desire after reviewing the a la carte menu and after a quick trip to the kitchens our server confirmed there would be no issues incorporating two extra courses (the pork and duck courses).

As for the venue, it is within walking distance from the centre of the city and thus conveniently located. The room is very nice with tasteful, modern furnishings.

While not an inexpensive restaurant, I regarded the meal as providing exceptional value for money in Canberra.

The Bad

There were four occasions during the nearly four hours we were dining that we had to wait more than is usual for our glasses to be refilled or for our next course. However, the issue was usually resolved before we began to get really irritated by the issue. In the case of the timing of the courses, this may have been the result of our adding courses to the tasting menu, which may have placed the kitchen out of synch, so I will not hold it against them.

The tables against the walls are probably too close ot each other for my comfort, but at least the music was at a low enough level that the restaurant never felt too crowded and one did not spend the entire night listening to his neighbour’s conversations.

Even though it is technically still Autumn, it got very cold in the restaurant each time someone opened the front and back doors to the restaurant.

The Meal

House baked bread

Artisan churned butter with sea salt

beetroot variations
eucalyptus smoked trout, freeze dried mandarin, coriander

honey peppered heirloom carrots
malt, yolk, ricotta, olive powder, brioche

tuna & foie gras
sashimi, mojama, crackling, chervil, PX dressing 

pork ‘all sorts’
slow cooked belly, braised cheek, choucroute, baby vegetables

lemon sole
potato crumble, cauliflower, parsley, capers, red wine jus

veal tenderloin
sweetbreads, forest mushrooms, sweet potato, soy & maple glaze

muscovy duck
orange, carrot, pickled red cabbage, licorice

rhubarb & raspberry
quinoa crunch, creme brulee foam, rose petals

chocovado
chocolate cremeux, hazelnut cocoa crumble, lemon gel, avocado cream

autumn scenery (an alternate for my wife to the chocovado course)
chestnut log, chocolate branches, malt, apple sauce

160 Hutt Street
ADELAIDE SA 5000  

http://www.chianticlassico.com.au/

The Good

An excellent lunch featuring some of the best pasta I have ever had in the form of the tagliolini with a rich sugo featuring many, many chucks of spanner crab meat. The offer of a dessert tasting menu when we could not decide on our dessert options was a fantastic service touch. 

The Bad

None.

The Meal

House bread with olives and olive oil

Arancini  alla  Boscaiola 
Lightly fried risotto croquettes flavoured with wild mushrooms, black truffle and parmesen

Fiori  di  Zucchine 
Lightly fried zucchini flowers filled with ricotta cheese and pine nuts, served with tomato relish

Tagliolini  con  Granchio
Fine  pasta  ribbons  with  a  rich  sugo  of  Queensland  spanner  crab  meat, tomatoes  and  basil. 

Pappardelle  con  Anitra  
Handmade  broad  pasta  ribbons  with  roasted  duck  meat,  red  capsicums, spinach, pinenuts  and olive  oil.  

Dessert tasting platter
semifreddo, Torta di cioccolate, zabaglione, panna cotta amongst others

Corner of Braybrooke and Battye Street
BRUCE ACT 2617 

http://www.ellacure.com.au

The Good

A quick lunch at Bruce’s favourite restaurant featuring very friendly and efficient service. The food was good for what is was, and I would be happy to return to obtain a better idea of the restaurant’s capabilities.

The venue is very nice and perfect for a lazy weekend lunch.

The Bad

As odd as it sounds to say this, the service, while friendly, was perhaps too casual with the staff talking to my wife and I in a jovial manner that was initially off-putting given we had never been to the restaurant or met our servers before.

The Meal

Fresh bread with chive butter & olive oil

Spaghetti with prawns, garlic, olive oil, lemon, chilli & cherry tomatoes

Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets
12 Dalby Street
FYSHWICK ACT 2609

www.beanandgrain.com.au 

The Good

While breakfast may remain the star attraction, my lunch at Bean and Grain only served to confirm the talents of its chefs who are obviously committed to using quality ingredients to turn out what may be the best representations of basic cafe, or even bakery, dishes in the city. I must admit to being curious as to what these chefs are doing the rest of the week when the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets are closed.

I would happily order any of the dishes below again, although perhaps next time I will save some space for the gigantic sausage rolls I saw a few other people eating. I wonder if they do take-away?

Friendly service.

The Bad

The cafe was extremely crowded at about 1pm but slightly better when we returned half an hour later. The next time I visit for lunch, and I will be back, I will have a late lunch at 2pm to avoid the crowds.

The Meal

A close-up of the Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Oriental Twist Tea
ORIENTAL TWIST has power of the ancient Chinese super food, lychee, blended with the delicate Jasmine Flowers and Green Tea to deliver a unique tasting oriental tea experience. Rejuvenate & Revive.

 34 Isabel Drive
Murrumbateman NSW 2582

http://www.flintinthevines.net.au

The Good

A good meal, shared with friends celebrating a big occasion, complemented by excellent local wines and stunning countryside vistas.

The Rabbit & Pistachio Terrine was particularly impressive of the starters while the pizzas provided some interesting combinations with the brie, mango and salami pizza offering a surprisingly tasty flavour combination. The sole dessert was fantastic, albeit a little too rich for those of us who had overindulged on the savoury courses and excellent wines.

It is always difficult to properly judge service standards at a restaurant whilst sitting at a 20+ person table, so I will simply acknowledge the lack of any noticeable with the service or the speed with which dishes or beverages were brought out.

The Bad

Not much to report on this visit other than the fact that one needs to carefully choose a designated driver for the 40 minute drive back to Canberra afterwards. 

The Meal

Escabeche of WA Sardines with candied lemon, fennel, parsley and Rabbit and Pistachio Terrine with grape & tarragon salad, toasted brioche

Flint’s Calamari with chilli seasoning, blue cheese aioli & lemon

Seasonal Wild Mushroom Pizza with roquette & white truffle oil

Pulled Chicken Pizza with basil pesto, caramelized onion & sun-dried tomato

Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza with fresh sage

Brie, Mango & Salami Pizza with mascarpone, fresh mango & coriander

Roquette & parmesan salad

Chocolate Terrine with crème anglaise, confit lemon & cinnamon ice cream

Bean and Grain

Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets
12 Dalby Street
FYSHWICK ACT 2609

www.beanandgrain.com.au 

The Good

Presently in my mind Canberra’s best breakfast venue. The addition of a free smoothie shot with every hot breakfast is a nice touch, but getting a free large smoothie when asking if the smoothies are sold separately is even better!

Very friendly service.

The Bad

None.

The Meal

Latte

Country Benedict
Two poached free-range organic eggs, house made English muffin, sausage patty & sausage béchamel, served with a smoothie shot and a potato croquette topped with crème fraiche & chives.

Rockmelon and Passionfruit Smoothie Shot

 Two poached free-range organic eggs, house made English muffin, sausage patty & sausage béchamel

A potato croquette topped with crème fraiche & chives

 Bacon Buttie
Crispy bacon rashers between buttered sourdough toast 

65 Northbourne Avenue
CANBERRA ACT 2600

http://www.benchmarkwinebar.com.au

The Good

An excellent meal from start to finish shared with two friends. Bookended by complimentary appertizers and pre-dessert courses, we shared six tapas-style dishes all prepared with good technique and ingredients. The anchovy crostini, cuttlefish and foie gras were particular standouts. 

Service was helpful, friendly and attentive throughout the meal.

The wine list is fantastic, unsurprisingly for a wine bar, with some marvellous Chianti Classico wines available.

While the restaurant furnishings are basic, as befitting a wine bar, the space and tables are very comfortable. Most importantly, there is excellent spacing between tables so you are not forced to intrude on other tables’ private conversations.

The Bad

The prices are consistent with the most expensive restaurants in Canberra ($45 for duck liver pate? Ouch!) so the restaurant is definately not priced for casual visits unless one is there only for a glass of wine and perhaps one or two tapas dishes. However, the prices are not unreasonable when the quality of the overall meal is taken into consideration.

The Meal

Amuse Bouche

PORK BELLY with pickled daikon and alpine pepper

ORTIZ ANCHOVIES on crostini with truffled salsa

ZUCCHINI FLOWERS stuffed with goat’s cheese, finger lime and capers

CUTTLEFISH with a thai pomelo salad and fresh coriander

DUCK LIVER lafitte ‘foie gras de canard’ with fig sauterne sauce

SAUSAGE PLATE with lamb merguez, beef tomato and onion, veal and herb, pork, fennel and white wine sausages, served with tomato chutney 

 Sorbet

Dickson Dumpling House

2 Cape Street
DICKSON ACT 2602

The Good

Excellent dumplings and main courses served very quickly. The Shang Tung Lamb is fantastic.

The Bad

This is not the sort of place for attentive service – go in, sit down, order, eat, pay the bill and get out. The golden soft shell crab, while good, was far too much fried goodness for two people.

The Meal

Peking Duck Pancakes
Peking Duck with skin, pancake, cucumber, hoisin sauce

A Peking Duck Pancake

Pan-fried Prawn and Pumpkin Dumplings

Golden Soft Shell Crab

Bean and Grain

Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets
12 Dalby Street
FYSHWICK ACT 2609

www.beanandgrain.com.au 

The Good

Excellent food at very good prices. The addition of a free smoothie shot with every hot breakfast is a nice touch!

Very friendly service

The Okay

None.

The Bad

None.

The Ugly

None.

The Meal

Blueberry bagel served with berry cream cheese

Bacon Buttie
Crispy bacon rashers between buttered sourdough toast 

Salmon Benedict
(Left) Berry and Passionfruit Smoothie Shot
(Middle) 2 poached free-range organic eggs, house made English muffin, cured salmon, shallot chilli sambal, & fresh made lemongrass hollandaise
(Right) Potato croquette topped with crème fraiche & chives