Sashimi Bento @ Miso, World Square, Sydney

Our last night at Sydney ended with some delicious Japanese fare. Sis and I were eyeing this quaint restaurant when we passed by World Square. The place was packed and had a long waiting queue. They open at 5:30pm, so we came early on a hot Dec31 in Sydney.

The place was small but clean. The servers were dressed in a semi-contrasting uniform, with aprons and folded caps. Out came the menu, almost all items with pictures. That's a good start. The menu had English and Japanese translations, for those who can read one or both. The Sashimi Teishoku immediately caught our attention. I know what Sydney is well-known for it's seafood, being close to the harbour and all. We had pretty good and fresh sashimi during our trip so while this is a bit pricey than the rest, we hope that the quality will be better. We also ordered the Unagi Don, all to share.

Sashimi Teishoku. I admit that it's not one of the best, but it's considered as outstanding and generous. Each type of sashimi has at least 4-5 slices, all prettily arranged in all their shining glory. The best part was there were little treats inside such as the delicately wrapped and marinated glass noodle and the side of cauliflower and beans. Everything was lovely and supple. If I were to come back to Sydney, this is one of the places I'll have to dine in again.

Unagi Don. We've had unagi before and suffice to say, it was well-cooked but not outstanding. The marinade was subtle and not too salty. Overall, a well executed unagi don.

Love Peking Duck @ Quanjude, Queen Street

I have been to Quanjude once on a team building lunch. I can't particularly remember how good the peking duck was but it was good. Now, mum insisted that we should have lunch again at Quanjude, simply because it's Beijing's most sought after Peking Duck restaurant. If we were in Beijing, we won't be able to book a table to the restaurant. It's that in demand.

So, off we went to Quanjude. Once we were seated down, the head waiter asked if we wanted duck. We all nodded in consent, saying we want one Peking Duck for our table. We also ordered a few more things. We weren't particularly famished but we were thinking that a Peking Duck won't keep us full for long.

Yang Chou Fried Rice - Mum wanted to order this because this is what we usually order in Chinese restaurants in Manila. It's ordinary but the ingredients were fresh and the rice well-cooked. It's a well-executed rice dish.

Eight Treasures Hot Pot - We all agreed that this is delicious. We never had tofu hotpot this good before. The sauce was just right without being too salty or too thick. The eight treasures included fresh scallops, prawns and chicken. The dish came out piping hot and bubbling, which was a good sign and, yes, it does taste as good as it looks.

One whole Peking Duck - We had ample time to eat this time so we savored every bite. First, the peking duck was sliced by a trained Hong Kong chef. The skin was peeled off for us to eat first. What can I say but sheer delight was inside my mouth. It was crispy and light, and surprisingly, not too oily.

Next, the duck meat was sliced and arranged on a plate. The duck meat was so tender and luscious. I never had Peking Duck this good before. There was a hint of juice in the meat but not oozing out. There is enough moisture to make the meat tender. The slices of duck meat can be arranged on a piece of pancake, with hoisin sauce, slices of cucumber and slices of leeks. Wrap it up and enjoy.

Lastly, the soup was served. The soup was not clear soup but was milky in color. It was not pungent but light, which was unexpected. The taste wasn't what I was expecting from an aromatic duck though it was pleasant and flavorful.

SAZL Sweats : Christmas Day Dinner with Family

Having my family around to spend Christmas Day with is a rare treat. Being in Melbourne for more than 10months, needless to say I miss being around them, specially during the holidays.

For our Christmas meal, the first stop is to Queen Victoria Market. It was literally packed. I haven't seen so many people shopping. We can hardly walk from one end to the other and need to take detours just to get from one section to another.

With regards to our menu, mum insisted on having potatoes for dinner as our carb. I think she also likes potatoes as opposed to rice. As to my sis, her only request is my baked prawns.

First, the potatoes. The potatoes aren't really my specialty but I just picked the dish up from one of my friend's farewell party. She served a baked creamy potato dish, where the potatoes are thinly sliced, with cream and salt. The original version of the dish had cheese, but she took it out from the last time. For my version, I added parsley and salt to make the dish as a tasty side.

The baked prawns are created because we had left over cream a few years back. I added chopped garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper to the cream. It has been a family favorite eversince. Everyone would ask for me to make this dish. The most difficult part about making it is butterflying the prawns. The rest is easy. Just grill the prawns under a 200C oven for 10mins and you're done.

Christmas Dinner @ Jacques Reymond, Williams Road, Prahran

A special Christmas season calls for a special Christmas dinner and I've made arrangements for my mum, my sister and me at Jacques Reymond. That night, the Melbourne weather wasn't cooperating, and we were like little wet chicks when we arrived at the restaurant. Even though we were early, we were allowed to go in and soon, everything was well-taken care of.

Our waiter was gracious, as usual, and we decided on what to order. The funny and best thing about the A la Carte menu was that there were 12 items on it. My mum and sis had the 3 course menu and I had the 4 course. Our waiter arranged the entree and mains on which entree would go well with which main, so we didn't have to worry about it.

Two tastes of scallops with seasonal flavours

a ceviche with swede, artichoke chips and lemon myrtle, seared scallops with beetroot, apple and cider emulsion. This is my favorite dish. The scallops are perfectly cooked, the crust formed on the outside and inside was meltingly sweet. Another element that amazed me was the beetroot and apple combination. I can't imagine beetroot and apple going so well together but Jacques Reymond made it possible.

Hare and black pudding

saddle of hare gently seared with sancho spices, witlof and orange, infused tonka bean oil with smoked sweet peppers and apple, devil black pudding. I haven't had hare and black pudding before. The hare surprisingly tastes so much like beef but softer. There was not gamey-ness to it whatsoever, just a smooth, delicate taste. The black pudding however, was another story. I know that this might be top-knotch black pudding but still, it's black pudding and it would depend on the person's preference. It's does not have a bad taste but texturally, it's a cross between a sausage and sponge.

Roasted snapper, espelette pimento and mustard seed butter

a white onion tart, fluffy parsnip and yabbies, textures of enoki and Australian pure virgin olive oil, a green lettuce emulsion. The flavors are predictable but the snapper was perfectly cooked.

The delicacy of milk fed veal sweetbread

the sweetbread is golden roasted in corn syrup and lime, natural sweetened salsify and lemon pulp, baby turnips and campari, corn and chilli pop corn. This, for me, is also the highlight of the evening. I can't remember having sweetbread but I've heard good things and bad things about it. First, when overcooked, not bother to eat it. But undercooked, it can also be a disaster. Knowing the skill of Jacques Reymond, this came out as a perfect dish. The outside was firm but inside was creamy and a bit bouncy. It was deliciously seared then cooked in butter. There were several lovely elements on the dish, namely the baby turnip (cooked in campari) which was both sweet and bitter and the melange of corn, popped and cooked.

We had a bottle of sparkling wine to go with all our dishes. We finished with coffee and petit fours. Overall, we had a wonderful evening, thanks to Jacques Reymond. Merry Christmas!

Delicious Beef Ribs @ The Steakhouse, Westin Denarau, Fiji

On our last night, we wanted to stop by the Flying Fish for our dinner. Unfortunately, it was packed for the night. We decided to walk to the Westin Denarau to have dinner at Zing, which was also closed. We had dinner already at The Steakhouse but it seems like we were left with no other choice.

We quickly decided on what to order while waiting for our table. A salad, an appetizer and a main. We have good experiences with the way salads are presented and dressed, which are always fresh and without that too zingy dressing, but light, sweet and mellow. We fell in love with it. A fresh garden salad did not disappoint.

The next one, however, was disappointing. The salmon caviar and avocado sushi was a let down. Instead of meticulously rolled and cut pieces of sushi, they were huge huge chunks of sushi rice with nori. Inside were cucumber and avocado. The salmon caviar was salmon roe, around 4-5 pearls per piece of sushi.

The main arrived and we were shocked. The serving was huge for just one person. It's the braised beef ribs which was said to be their specialty. And needless to say, just from the picture, that it was delicious and so melt in your mouth. It came with a side of yummy, chunky mashed potatoes, just the way I like them. The ribs, on the other hand, was a sensation. The meat was unyielding and lovely, and the braised sauce was another story. Though served family style, the beef ribs proved to be a trip worth coming back for. We left the place too full but happy and warm because of the home-y food and great service.

Fijian-Aussie Breakie @ Feast, Sheraton Denarau, Fiji

I was missing Aussie breakie, can you believe it?? But yes, I need my dose of scrambled eggs, bacon, croissant, and yes, more bacon please! Breakfast buffet at Feast is hard to beat. They have almost everything. Not to mention that they make mean pancakes and excellent poached eggs to feed the Western mob that morning.

And of course, breakfast won't be complete without a platter of freshly sliced fruits from the station.

Fresh From The Sea @ The Wet Edge, Sheraton Denarau, Fiji

When you're close to the beach, the first thing you would want to eat is seafood. NS and I wanted to try their seafood platter but they were out of stock. Really strange but then again, they have fish fillet and tuna steaks on the menu.

The Wet Edge is close to the ocean and have stunning views of the bay. We chose to just have tap water along with our dinner. I'm just wondering that why they are selling Fijian spring water when they can also serve you water from the tap? Isn't it also Fijian water? Anyway, I had the Tuna Kebab with avocado, tomatoes and fresh salad. Need I say that this is one of the best tasting pieces of tuna that I've had? The huge chunks of tuna are skewered through lemongrass stalks, marinated with light, sweet soy sauce then placed over the barbie. The salad is also a marvel. It wasn't too acidic and also had a sweet, caramelized dressing. Lovely start to a perfect holiday.

SAZL Scenes : Fiji

Went to lovely Fiji and enjoyed the sun, sea and sand :)