Bill's: Darlinghurst

Ryan and I woke up early, determined to make the most of my time in Sydney before embarking on the next leg of my journey. After some deliberation we decided to head to Bill's at Darlinghurst for breakfast. Bill's is named and owned by chef, Bill Granger and its decor reflects his easy going approach to food. The Darlinghurst establishment is well lit with lovely honey wood and windows overlooking the gorgeous leafy streets. It isn't uncommon on the weekend for a queue of locals and tourists to line up for a table at this popular cafe.

I was sorely tempted by the idea of the 'Ricotta hotcakes, fresh banana and honeycomb butter' but I decided to selected the 'Sweet corn fritters, roast tomato, spinach and bacon.' The corn fritters were light as was held together minimal batter and had lovely savoury accents from small pieces of capsicum. While it wasn't health food it was a delicious start to the day.

Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Bill's but my only disappointment was the burnt coffee. The barista obviously tried as my mocha had a lovely melted chocolate base and a gorgeous leaf formation on the top, but burnt coffee is easily avoid by selecting the correct temperature setting. Burnt coffee is a sin ... but I'm a forgiving foodie. Bill's is still definitely worth a visit.

Rating: 3 out of 5.
Address: 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010.
Open: Monday - Saturday: 7:30am - 3:00pm. Sunday: 8:30am - 3:00pm.
Phone: (02) 9360 9631.
Price: Breakfast: $5.50 - $18.50.

Super Epic Rainbow Cake

A couple of weeks ago the amazingly talented Nikki posted her attempt at creating Whisk Kid's Super Epic Rainbow Cake. From the moment I saw this confection of beauty, I knew I had to make it. However don't be deceived by its apparent simplicity, the Super Epic Rainbow Cake requires a certain degree of zen. This article is designed to catalogue the tips and tricks I learnt along the way to prevent you from rearranging the word 'dessert' into 'stressed.'

The image above is the creamed butter and sugar. I would recommend using a mix master rather than a hand beater for this project.

After completing the original cake mixture you can move onto portioning the batter into separate bowls and dying it with gel food colouring. It is important that you use gels to gain the intensity of colour and you can purchase these from Wheel and Barrow or Matchbox. I would recommend using at least two spring form pans to complete this process and lining them so the sponge releases easily. It is also important to ensure the batter is perfectly smooth as the high level of sugar in this recipe cause the sponge to burn easily.

The most interesting part of the recipe is making the Swiss Meringue Cream. I've never made a butter cream over a double boiler and had some concerns that I was going to end up with sugary scrambled eggs, but if you go slowly the butter cream will come together and the same goes for the frosting.

So here it is! The finished cake photographed by the talented Mr Barlin. Happy birthday good Sir, I hope you liked the cake!

Quay Restaurant

A short stroll from Sydney's Circular Quay train station and boasting some of the best views of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge is Quay. Head Chef, Peter Gilmore creates more than just innovative cuisine, it is a complete immersion of your senses.

There are two ways to enjoy Quay and they are via the eight dish, Tasting Menu at $220 per person or the four course menu (there are five choices per course) for $155. Ryan and I decided to go down the four course menu and every bite was just exquisite. Here are some photographs from the evening.

The Sea Pearls are a signature Quay dish comprising of crab, smoked eel, octopus, sea scallop and sashimi tuna. Enjoyment is gained from the taste, texture and finite details such as the delicate flowers and the ruffle of edible silver.

The second dish I selected was the Butter poached coturnix quail breast with pumpernickel, morel, ethical foie gras pudding, walnuts, quinoa, truffle custard and milk skin. This was an extremely rich, earthy dish but despite all the luxurious ingredients, they all worked together harmoniously.

Confit of Suffolk lamb loin, smoked white carrot cream, fennel infused milk curd, pantelleria capers, nasturtiums, green almonds and fennel pollen. This dish had to be one of my favourite mains in presentation. Though the butter soft lamb is the feature of this dish, I found the white heirloom carrots to be a striking feature.

Made famous by MasterChef, the White Nectarine Snow Egg was the dessert du jour for our table. The light white nectarine granita, crisp maltose tuiles made this dessert incredible.

Those who follow my blog know I am a harsh marker and it is with great pleasure that I announce Quay as Eats Food, Hates You's first five out five. Quay is worth the visit and if you have room in your suitcase it's well worth purchasing a signed coffee table book so you can relive the experience visually.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Address: Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000.

Open: Lunch, Tuesday - Friday, 12 noon - 2:30pm. Dinner, Monday - Sunday, 6:00pm - 10:00pm.

Phone: (02) 9251 5600.

Price: Four course menu from $155.

She's Got Issues

As my co-workers can tell you, I have number of quirks and one involves the problem of assigning emotion to food. My latest challenges include the disturbing suicidal Cadbury Creme Egg Advertisements (please call Lifeline and get help Creme Eggs, please don't waste your life! I know there are people who love you and wait every year for you, I know my brother does) and the Arnott's Teddy Bear.

What could be so disturbing about a waving Teddy Bear biscuit you ask? Well have you ever seen them caged in a clear biscuit jar, with their little paw raised, desperately asking to be released? They watch every single staff member come into the kitchen, never knowing when the will be separated from their pack and munched up. Unfortunately you can't free them as they would be a waste of food, but I instead recommend shielding the Teddy Bears from their impending doom by facing them towards the wall. Be humane, be kind and perhaps somewhat silly as life is just too short. It is for the Teddies :(

Rocky Road

Kath celebrated her fabulous 30th birthday on the weekend so I thought I would make her a gift worthy of her, the perfect Rocky Road. I'm fussy when it comes to Rocky Road, I like dark chocolate, lots of nuts and fluffy marshmallows. I find addition of Turkish Delight can be hit and miss depending on the sweet but then I found this box of Divan Rose and Lemon Turkish Delight at Black Pearl Epicure and they are amazing. Tasty, gorgeous presentation, lovingly crafted and each cube is the perfect size.

As you can see the rose and lemon flavours are separate and though they are the perfect size for the Turkish Delight lover, I decided to chop each cube in half.

Here is the Turkish Delight combined with 100g of pistachios, 100g of almonds and 250g vanilla marshmallows (I used this recipe to make them and think the homemade version give a better finish). I then rolled the mixture in 500g of melted dark chocolate, smooth it before allowing it to set on a tray lined with greased baking paper. I popped it into the fridge for three hours before cutting it into logs.

I wrapped my log of Rocky Road in cellophane and finished it off with some bold silk cord. Have a go yourself.

It's been a while since I posted a photograph of Baci. So here's one of her surveying her backyard domain.

Sono Japanese Restaurant: Brisbane City

The original Sono Japanese Restaurant nested in Brisbane's Central Business District is a world away from the rush of the Queen Street Mall below. Walk up the stairs and you are drawn into another world, with all the wait staff dressed in Yukatas. The Yukata is much more practical than a Kimono in this setting as they are easier to wear and made of cotton rather than the lined silk structure of the Kimono.

The gorgeous Evonne had picked out Sono to celebrate her birthday and the trusty band of seven were escorted into a small wood panelled room and with a pit below the table to allow guests to comfortably place their legs.

I ordered some Salmon Sashimi and a Prawn Tempura and Salmon Roe Hand Roll. As always the Sashimi was beautifully fresh and the hand roll was satisfying with its crisp tempura batter and the savoury accents of the roe. The other than the food, what impressed me about Sono were how accommodating the wait staff were. The birthday girl has a number of food allergies and they were kind enough to check and ensure none of these were included in the dishes.

I didn't have any dessert but some of the other guest did and this is a photo of the Flaming Mount Fuji. This glorious dessert is layer of sponge, topped with green tea ice cream and meringue. This is then lit on fire in front of the guests, yummo!

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Address: Level 1, Tattersalls Building. Corner Queen and Edward Streets, Brisbane, QLD 4000.
Open: Lunch from 12pm. Monday - Friday. Dinner from 6pm. Monday - Saturday.
Phone: (07) 3220 1888.
Price: Sushi from $6. Entrees from $9. Mains: $19 - $55. Desserts from $8.

Coffee and Chocolate

There is something dangerous lurking around Brisbane, it's like Godzilla rising from the ocean, it's a Krakatoa waiting to blow .... but worse as there is nothing quite as terrifying as an angry foodie.

I had a couple of hours before my next appointment and with the pouring rain I decided it would be prudent to settle down in a cafe and start drafting one of my university papers. I decided to settle on Coffee and Chocolate in Queens Plaza as it's light, open plan and has a range of desserts that remind me of now closed and much missed, Fude and Drinc. I ordered an English Breakfast Tea and a Lemon Meringue Tart at the counter from a helpful young lad. The tea came served on stylish homeware and the Lemon Meringue Tart, though expensive at $7 each was full of taste and well presented, but that's where the positives end.

So why does Coffee and Chocolate rile me? Well it is painfully clear to me that the passion is lacking with the cleaning products are left in clear view of the customers, the magazine holders in disarray and an obvious residing labelling enthusiast (see photo above). But worst of all, there isn't any pride in the food. My dessert came served on a warm plate, which meant the cream yellowed and was melting fast. Every time I encounter an establishment like this, it makes me angry. Food isn't simply about nourishing the body, it is about nourishing the soul, it is a passion and anyone who doesn't feel that way about their establishment, simply shouldn't be there. Coffee and Chocolate is a convenient location but it shouldn't be a destination on your food radar.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Address: 226 Queen Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000.
Open: Monday - Thursday. 7:30am - 5pm. Friday. 7:30am - 9pm. Weekends. 9am - 5pm.
Phone: (07) 3229 7799.