Risotto and Rockets

That is not a misspelling or error in my typing (although I am well capable of both). This post is as much about the evening as it is about the food. Sunday night gourmet was shown at the special time of Saturday this week on account of a Sunday wedding Carla was attending. It may be a little unconventional but, hey, that's how we roll here at Sunday Night Gourmet (I think I have just elevated dinner between two people to a production . . . which is something worth investigating. I'm going to get my agent on to this).

The plan was a simple risotto with just what was in the fridge. Technically Carla was cooking this week but being off a day had everything out of kilter. So it was chicken, mushroom and rosemary risotto, made with the freshest rosemary I have ever seen (bought from the bad coast while I was there on some client work- the bad coast being the Sunshine Coast which is compared to the good coast, being the Gold Coast). Carla sent off the obligatory "I'm leaving home now" message which means she is about 3 hours away (I think that is how far she lives). She added in a follow up message "I'm on dessert, just out of the oven", adding that bit of extra spice to the evening.

The draw card of the evening (excluding the company of course) was Riverfire.

So, the aim was to cook, serve and eat in time to walk from my place to the river by 7pm. My keen sense of planning and time management did not kick in as one would expect in these circumstances and it was a little rush near the end. With this in mind, you would think I would be well into to preparations before Carla arrived but, alas, I was barely aware of the recipe (and I know it off by heart). And how was I to concentrate when she shows up with home made (including pastry) caramel tart, with meringue topping? Carla tells me she was baking for hours, with some assistance from Mrs Peters. We the readers are a little sceptical of this. I don't think licking the spoon counts as making the dessert :P (although we did decide that Masterchef has taught us that tasting is the most important part of cooking so . . . )

As you can guess, the risotto was ready a little later than expected. We enjoyed it, quickly, with a nice glass of West Australian white and some live John Mayer. Although fleeting, it was good. We rushed out the door after I threw on some thongs (this will be relevant later). It was a good 15 minutes walk, and we had 10 before the fireworks so I was nearly pulling Carla by the collar. As we were on the last block, we commented on the particularly "interesting" clientèle of the Brunswick Hotel who were hanging out the front for a quick smoke break between $5 pints.

We picked up the pace when the F111 showed up. We ran the last block like kids chasing Santa, or escaping from a plate of peas (and I now know where peas come from thanks to the Peters). We found a spot behind the crowd that had the least tree obscured view. The fireworks were spectacular. We were watching the fireworks on the story bridge mostly and they were just amazing. We did talk about how fireworks have really not changed since we were kids and we are still enchanted by them as adults (as apparently we are).

There was of course the obligatory inconsiderate couple that decided the best view of the fireworks they could get was one directly in front of us. We used our best powers of glare to bore into the backs of their heads until they "realised" they were being so uncivilised.

There were many highlights, including the spray of fireworks above the bridge that were launched in machine gun like succession (including sounding like a rapid fire gun). There were the red and green ones that reminded me of Christmas and also, just the look of the fireworks glittering of the glass covered buildings of the city. But best of all were the F111 fly overs - three in all. For the second fly over, the combination of the music, the long advance along the skyline and the glow of the tail make it look just like Superman was flying in to save the day. My inner-child was already excruciatingly excited and this was the equivalent of it downing a bottle of red cordial on top of that.

On a high, we made our way back home, past the Brunswick Hotel. As we were passing it, I noticed through the window there was a round pool table. It was a weird sight, nearly as weird as Carla sticking her head through the window to check it out and starting a conversation with one on the patrons.

I am not sure if it was the high from the F111s, it was the need to wash down the risotto or just curiosity, but Carla suggested we stop into the Brunswick hotel for a drink. We found a spot near the pool table, ordered a couple of Tooheys New and sat back to watch the microcosm of Brisbane's society. This included the karaoke lady (oh yes, the night was just getting started), the out of place wealthy family, the homeless guy (we decided his shoes were too good for him to be homeless but for damn sure he looked it), the really, really, REALLY, bad karaoke that tragic who obviously has no friends because for sure they would have mentioned to her that sing talking is only acceptable at the end of your career. We were loving it. Initially I was worried that I was only in thongs and shorts but this turned out to not a problem here.

Then the newest contender for the Brunswick Hotel Karaoke champion, Pav Erotica, took the mic to show us her moves. She was not a bad singer, but she was no Pav Erotica (whatever that actually means).

Hands down the performer of the night was Homeless Guy. He has been entertaining himself (and us) on the dance floor with his smooth moves. He was loving it and we were really enjoying his energy . . . and then he took the mic. I am not sure that he knows what Karaoke is because he spend the entire song (which was well chosen by him- Gnarls Barkley's Crazy) dancing, interspersed with a few howls which teen wolf would have been proud of. It was a sight to behold, especially when he would not hand over the mic when he was "finished" singing and the karaoke mistress said "you do not want to see what will happen if I have to come over there and take that from you". This is not a great video, but you should be able to make out the words on the screen, the music in the background and the notable lack of singing.

It was around this time when the wealthy Mum leaned over to us and said "that is what my hair looks like in the morning" in reference to the Young Einstein style hair of the homeless guy. You could tell how chuffed she was mixing it with the common folk (and that she had a couple of champagnes under he belt). The wealthy family did not last much longer, having spent enough time here to be able to claim to the book club crowd that they have personally connected with typical constituents of the latest heart wrenching book on the life of the poor.

So while PavErotica and the sing talker were taking turns trying to make our ears bleed, Carla takes hold of the song book and looks for some inspiration. After 15 minutes of careful consideration, she chickens out. The crown was disappointed - they really were deserving of some talent before the night was through, but not this evening.

After a game of round-table pool (which proved that I could get worse on the pool table. Seriously, if it is not a straight shot, it is in the hands of the gods), we set off home for a bit of caramel tart with the meringue topping (which Carla referred to from then on as the PavErotica topping and disturbingly closed her eyes as she did). It was excellent, and we enjoyed over an episode of Glee. Thanks for dessert Mrs Peters, it was excellent (and of course Carla for her the spoon licking prowess).

So what started out as an evening of risotto and rockets turned into much, much more. Best night in Brisbane ever.

The times, they are a changing

This blog started out as portrayal of my adventure into cooking as a pass time.  Cooking was something to do, but also, it was a way of finding ways to spend time with a little someone I may have had my eye on. It then moved on to tracking the exploits of Carla and I as we explored the restaurants of Brisbane.  Soon enough, I had taken her to enough places of repute to convince her to spend her life with me.

So times change and along with my jump into a new level of adulthood, comes the nesting phase. Our life does revolve around cooking and food.  Carla has a love of cooking all things sweet, and basically anything that tickles her fancy and I have a love of cooking bread and basically anything that tickles my fancy.  The recent step we have made is home gardening. We have a little courtyard in the apartment  and progressively we have build upon this, with help along the way from the parents in law (we had no idea what we were doing).

We are now weekend warriors at Bunnings (much to Pop's disgust) and we decide on the newest herb, fruit or vegie that tickles our fancy. Now watch as our little courtyard takes on a life of its own.

Restaurant Two

The restaurant list we have been using for this gastronomic adventure has been taken down so I am using Gourmet Traveller's list now which excludes Moda. Not sure why it was on one and not the other, but we will still go there all the same. Of the restaurants that are on the list, Two was the one I was most aware of because I used to drive past it nearly every day on my way home.

So while I was at work recently, we were talking about personal brands. Someone beside me asked "Ian, what are you known for? What would people say about you?". Without hesitation I said "I'm loud". What we quickly learned about Restaurant Two is it is not a restaurant that lends itself to loudness.

We walked in and it is very polished - and almost clinical. We certainly appreciated this was its thing and it was a novelty. Adding to this was how few tables were seated. It was just after 6.30 so it was still early, but the high ceilings, open space and the almost ritualistic silence the staff adhered to made it feel like we were in a library with a particularly stern librarian in charge. This was not the place for a man who's professional claim to fame is he is loud.

In spite of me feeling like I had to whisper, it was pleasant atmosphere and really nicely themed a in simple, clean way. We appreciated the little couches around the bar area and the simplicity of the bar itself, which we would be happy to have a drink at. And so I don't try and make myself out to be a interior decorator, I will leave my design comments at that.

We were greeted by a French Polynesian waitress who followed the indoor voice rules of the establishment to the point I was going to ask for subtitles. I should point out that Carla and I did not actually think she was French Polynesian but I thought she had a French accent and Carla thought Polynesian. We know it doesn't make sense but we could not pluck up the courage to ask her where she was from in fear of being thrown out for being the classless hillbillies we are (it is right to point out that I am the hillbilly and Carla is of course the refined southern belle in this story).

Of course before we hit the menus, we had looked around and checked out our fellow diners. There was the young couple (would have been teenagers) who were sitting closest to us (right next to the window damn them) who ordered the degustation menu. We considered it for a second but both think that doing a degustation sitting requires training and preparation that we both had not committed to that day. Basically, not eating after breakfast is required to get the most out of it.

So on to the main event - the menu. This was a place where the menu offered up so many possibilities that you could see why people would go back. It was almost painful to have to select only one item for each course so I can understand why the degustation would be such a good idea.

To start, Carla went with the Prawns and Gnocchi (because she is taken under a spell every time she sees gnocchi on the menu. I think pillows of potato if the form of a cloud would be her preferred dinner partner if they could talk). I opted for the Game Terrine because game sounded great and I have never ordered a terrine before and we are all about new experiences with our restaurant adventure.

Both of us were very impressed with what was presented. The gnocchi was great (getting close to Anise great which is basically touched by god). My terrine was excellent with really good flavour and a great mix of flavours on the plate. Well done Restaurant Two, you have us wound in with your entrees (although we had to express our delight in muted tones).

On to the mains and Carla opted for Duck served with a honey sauce and me, the Barramundi with seafood in a champagne cream sauce. I'm not usually one to order the fish but mixed with more seafood and then a champagne cream sauce, how could I resist? When they arrived, Two did it again. Carla rated the duck better than the gnocchi and I was really happy with mine. The champagne cream sauce was excellent and everything on the plate was great. They really did everything well. Gluttony has now set and we were hanging out now for the dessert menu. We certainly did not want anything else to eat, but after the quality of what we have had so far, we just could not say no.

We opted to share our final course (there is a physical limit to our gluttony) and being the fair and democratic couple we are, we whittled it down to two options, and Carla selected the dish. As I have previously mentioned, one of Carla's superpowers is choosing the best thing on the menu. It is uncanny. So we just couldn't go past the Chocolate Ganache with Earl Grey Ice Cream. The picture below is what we were presented with and it was impressive. The best thing was it tasted as good at it looked. It was spectacular. It also came with orange wedges dipped in love and pistachio crumbly bits. There was not much talking through dessert because there was just too much to experience on the plate to also have to think of words.

This left us in a precarious position, which is what is a perfect 10 dish? Carla wanted to give this dessert the coveted 10/10 but I was worried that we have closed the door to their being anything better. In rebuttal, Carla asked me what would I change - what was wrong with it that made it less than a 10. In the end, we decided on a 9.5 but in writing this, I wonder if we made the right decision. Of course, we may just find that I am over thinking this and it does not really matter . . .

The verdict:

Prawns and gnocchi 8.5

Game tarine 8

Duck honey sauce 9

Barramundi and seafood 8.5 champagne cream

Ganache and earl grey ice cream. Best dessert so far. 9.5

Watch out for the next post which is on 1889 Enotica where we revisit the definition of the perfect 10.

As I write this, I am sitting on the stairs of Sourced Grocer drinking some of the best coffee in Brisbane, after eating a sandwich that words could not do justice. All this and I get to walk away with the ingredients for my beetroot risotto tonight. They have pretty much ticked all of the boxes - not sure what I did before it opened.

The secret recipe - Alchemy

Next on the list of Brisbane's top 10 is Alchemy. This one was totally unknown to me. For some reason I had it placed in Customs House, but it was actually tucked away next door in the base of a commercial tower, overlooking the Brisbane River from the Story Bride to Kangaroo Point Cliffs. It was a secret garden in the hubbub of the city.

Inside it was small and intimate (although larger than Montrachet) and was almost Arabian in its feel with flowing curtains and dark lighting (I should point out that I have never been anywhere that is actually Arabian and therefore this is based on my impressions from the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark).

One of the most exciting parts of each of these adventures is the first read of the menu. It invariably results in conversations about ingredients and dishes that are on the menu that we do not know, those we have had before somewhere else and some horse trading on who is going to order what. Sometimes Google helps out, other times we ask our waiter for guidance. This part of the night is always great because it offers so much possibility.

We waked through the menu (making sure to ignore the desserts so we can relive that excitement of the menu at the end of the night). And although this has never happened, we also don't want to commit to a dessert when we may not actually be able to fit it in (and we all hope this never actually happens). Before we arrived, we had heard about the house speciality which is the beef cheeks. We wanted to order this because it's what this place is known for but at the same time, did not seem interesting enough to order. Overall, the menu seemed large and there were great ingredients all over the place, but there was not much that actually jumped out at us. Let's hope this is the the opposite of Montrachet.

We took the opportunity to speak to our waiter to help our decision making. He described the way the beef cheeks were prepared, which included 12 hours of cooking. This did seem too good to pass up so we ended up ordering them. For entrée, we ordered Scallops with roasted Chorizo, Confit Tomatoes and Parmesan Foam and also Lemon and Lime Risotto with Crab and Octopus.

I was most excited about the scallops and chorizo (how could two of the best ingredients in the world be bad?) but we were most impressed by the risotto. We were reasonably happy with entrees and were looking forward to mains of Braised Beef Cheeks and the waiter's suggestion of Pork Belly with Lentils. And the winner is . . . . the beef cheeks. This was one of the best meals we have had to date. I went to cut the beef cheek in half (which was served on the creamiest mashed potato you have ever seen - so much so you would have thought it was the brother of the pillows of love) and much like the red sea for Moses, I am sure it parted into two pieces as my knife hovered over it. For sure it was blessed by the divine.

Mixed with the mash, and the glorious gravy that it was born into, a simple plate of meat and mash was a genuine experience. So if this is what they can do with one of the toughest parts of the beast, what can they do with the joy that is pork belly? The answer is overrun it with lentils and make it less enjoyable. Unfortunately the plate was overrun with lentils and this was the dominant texture. It made the whole dish less than it could have been.

So far we have a balanced main, and a balanced entrée - blow us away with your desserts Alchemy.

We perused the dessert menu and were tempted by the chocolate cake. This seemed like a pedestrian choice but it was chocolate and the name of it did not give away the style of the dessert. We asked the waiter what he thought and he highly recommended it. He had also recommended the pork belly (big mistake, huge mistake) but he had also provided a lot of information about the produce they use and the stories behind some of their menu items so we gave him another chance.

It arrived and it was a chocolate lava cake and boy did it erupt. I cut through it and the molten chocolate could no longer be contained. It was an impressive site, and the up side was there was no Pompeii style side effects. Unfortunately, that was the best it could offer. For a dark looking chocolate cake with a molten chocolate sauce, there was a decided lack of chocolate flavour. In fact, it had a real flavour of packet chocolate cake. It was a real pity that the taste was not equal to the presentation.

Carla and I were at our fortnightly pretentious best so let's not beat around the bush here. The food was a mixture of great and good. The service was excellent - our waiter was attentive but unobtrusive. He was also clearly passionate and knowledgeable. He really improved the experience and would be a factor in our return. To be scientific about it:

Lemon and lime risotto 8 (really acute citrus flavour and light for a risotto)

Scallops and cherizo 7 (just did not work as well as it could have)

Beef cheeks 9 (amazing potato, beef melted, super rich)

Pork and lentils 6 (lentils overpowered texture, pork was tender and pleasant)

Lava cake 6.5 (lacked choc flavour. Tasted like packet cake)

Service 9. Knowledgeable waiter, attentive service.

Overall we rated Alchemy 7 out of 10 on the Anise scale.

Watch our for our next instalment in our pompous gastronomical tour of Brisbane, Enoteca 1889.

All the way with Montrachet

It was the big night. As Darren Hayes would say, we were On the Verge of Something Wonderful. We were experiencing child like excitement starting our adventure eating at THE restaurants of Brisbane people talk about. The restaurants that draw awe when mentioned and whispers of I know someone who has eaten there. Well, they are not really that exclusive, but that is how it felt at the time.

With all of this excitement, mixed with my small town boy upbringing (well, on the Gold Coast), I certainly felt a little like a fish out of water. I put on my best adult walk and nonchalant look and faked it until I made it.

Walking into Montrachet, my first thoughts were how charming it was. It was decorated in a classic French theme (or what I think is classic) but without being cheesy (even though the French love their cheese). It was also disarming because it was so quaint. We were seated at the bar, which I have always enjoyed after my time in the US and also that's where we were seated at a recent visit to another French restaurant (more on that later).

But now for the main event- the menu. There were so many treasures to choose from. We devised a plan of attack to maximise our joy. We opted to share an entree, each select a main (sharing allowed), and then we would consider dessert. This meant we could get through three courses without exploding. We also decided not to look at the dessert menu and leave it as a surprise. We ordered from the appropriately arrogant French waiter who fit the place well. He was not rude, he was minimalist in his approach to communication and I loved it. Now and then I'm sure I would get a look from him suggesting he wanted to hit me over the head with a French stick, but being a professional, would not act on it.

We decided to start with the Soufflé aux Crabe et Gruyere, and me being fluent French, knew this meant crab and cheese souffle. Souffle in a French restaurant - it was so clichéd we had to do it. Unfortunately, when it arrived, it food did not live up to our hype. It was nice but it was not wow. It was a cheese souffle and tasted like cheese and crab but there was no wow factor.

It's ok. We will call this a slow start and let ourselves get blown away by les plats principaux. Again, the menu was a feast for the eyes and everything sounded extraordinary. I elected to have the Lapin Sauce Forestière (Casserole of rabbit with white wine, tomato, smoked speck and mixed mushrooms served with sautéed potato and tossed green beans) and Carla went for Poussin et sa Fleur de Courgette (Spatchcock served with a lemon thyme ratatouille and zucchini flower farced with quail and truffle mousse). Our mains were much the same as the entree. It read so well but lacked the punch we were expecting. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but it was just not great. It was not the experience Carla had been building up or as the menu had insinuated.

We opted for the Crème Brûlée to finish because while in Rome. . . What I can say for Montrachet is that it is consistent. We had a pleasant dessert to round off a pleasant meal. Nothing more, nothing less.

We did not know this at the time, but we had developed the Anise rating system. It is much like the Richter scale or the Richard Wilkins 5 star movie rating system. We had eaten at Anise recently and were utterly delighted by the food, wine, service, and the feel. It then developed subconsciously in our mind as the standard that all restaurants will be measured by**. We may have romanticised Anise, but I think because it was so good and unexpectedly so (I chose it based on proximity and cuisine) and also because it presented to us the best gnocchi every made, by anyone, and forever known as pillows of love. So, based on the Anise scale, we rated Montrachet a 7/10. The restaurant was well presented, the service was great and the food was good. A seven may sound good, but out of the top ten restaurants in Brisbane, I expected more.

We are going to give it another try because poor little Carla's heart was broken by the experience - she had hoped for so much and it had been promised by so many (you know who you are).

Up next is Alchemy and those sweet, sweet beef cheeks.

** I know this is going to disturb the more judgemental of our readers, you know who you are