Entrecôte

September 27, 2016May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

I’ve always said that Japanese was my favourite cuisine. The reason for this is that it is generally healthy, the flavours are clean and it’s one of very few cuisines which I could eat more than twice a week. However lately, I must be honest and say that lately French food keeps knocking on my door and challenging my favourite cuisine title! Maybe I do prefer the big bold flavours, the fancy sauces and cheesy goodness which is evident in so many of their dishes. It’s sending me a message to eat first and worry about my cholesterol later. Right now I’m a bit confused which cuisine I prefer more, but I know for a fact that Helen has already jumped over to the French ship!

So without further ado, I would like to introduce you guys to Entrecôte – Parisian Streakhouse & Bar. I initially found Entrecôte online when I was looking for a late night steak place. It kinda dropped off my radar for a while, as I was eating my way through different restaurants. We were reunited when Helen and I came across them in the Entertainment Book. Now armed with a discounted price, we weren’t going to let Entrecôte slip away again! The interesting thought I felt after dining here was that they were really selling themselves short by calling themselves a ‘Steakhouse’. It’s rare for the French to sell themselves short, as they normally do the opposite. They have always been great at marketing their products, because they supposedly make the best wines, best perfumes, best handbags, etc etc. I firmly believe that they are so much more than just a steakhouse, and stating this in their name could steer people to just their steaks. As a consequence of this, people may miss out on all the other wonderful foods on their menu, because who wouldn’t order steak at a steakhouse right!?!?

Luckily for us, we have a bigger appetite than most normal couples. We started off with easily the best dish of the night, Soufflé Gratine – Jerusalem artichoke, Gruyère & black truffle soufflé. This dish was simply mind blowing! I would dare say that this is the best soufflé I’ve ever had, sweet or savory. Great decision to use Gruyere as it’s one of the best baking cheeses of all time as it doesn’t overpower the dish at all. Texture of the soufflé was perfect and the hit of black truffle at the end was heavenly! Best of all it didn’t feel heavy at all and I reckon I could have polished 5 more of these if they were presented in front of me (okay… at $22.90 each, maybe not). It’s a must have, way too good to share, get your own if you come here.

Steak tartare was spot on. Authentic, seasoned perfectly and the steak was fresh. Speaking of which, yes the actual steak here was pretty damn good too. The colour of the herb sauce took a little getting used to, can’t say I’ve had many steaks where the sauce was that shade of green. It was also very runny, certainly tasted better than it looked. As soon as a piece a steak was moved, the sauce would ooze down and coat it straight away. The steak was Black Angus beef and had an amazing beef flavour. It was also cooked exactly how we wanted it, nice & rare. The serving was massive! Helen and I had decided that sharing one steak would be the best option next time. 3 entrees and 1 steak would allow us to have more variety as well. For $44.90, you get a steak, fries and a soft leaves salad. I felt as though this was a little on the pricey side. However I must repeat, the quantity is substantial and I doubt anyone would leave hungry. I must make a quick note – house wine was only $7 a glass! We didn’t inquire too much about the wine, it tasted great and we both ordered seconds.

Décor was more French than Camembert, loved it! I think the pictures speak for themselves. Service was relaxed and we never felt rushed. We don’t normally hang around too long after we’ve finished eating, but if you’re the opposite, then this is certainly the place to do it. Aside from the steaks which I felt was a little pricey, I really don’t have anything bad to say about Entrecôte. Rest assured, we’ll be back the next chance we get, and I recommend you guys check it out too!

Entrecôte
Approx $80 AUD per person
Website: www.entrecote.com.au
Address: 131-133 Domain Road, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 3 9804 5468

Peruvian @ Pastuso

September 12, 2016May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

It’s not every day that Helen and I get asked to go to a Peruvian restaurant. To be honest, I had to do a quick Google search to make sure I knew which country it was from, Peru – yes of course. Our friend aka ‘The 3rd wheel’, invited us to go to Pastuso. Cool name, new restaurant and new cuisine for us, we were never gonna say no!

Located off Flinders Lane, Pastuso represents the classic Melbourne laneway experience. Nestled in the corner of the laneway, the entrance looks grand, yet it’s also low key at the same time. You would expect a place like this to be smack bang in the middle of the city. There’s a certain confidence which Pastusco emits, as if to say “you want us, come find us”. Or maybe I’m just overanalysing things again, it could be for the simple reason that the rent’s cheaper.

Walking in we were welcomed with funky colourful tiles and a beautiful bar with gold trimmings. Dimly lit lights complete the picture of an intimate and relaxed atmosphere. Being our eager selves, we arrived early and were escorted to the bar area for a quick drink while we waited for our table. Without much hesitation, I opted for the Pisco Sour while Helen got the Cucumber Chilcano. I’ve had Pisco Sours in the past but this one is without a doubt that best I’ve had!

We were handed the menus by one of the smiling and friendly staff and off we went. This menu was the gateway to our Peruvian food experience and I really liked what I saw, I wanted nearly everything on it! With us eating out so much, some menus are starting to look pretty boring. Brunch menus spring to mind, as most of them are roughly the same ingredients just repackaged. Pastuso’s menu in contrast was a whole new experience to what we’re generally used to. Ingredients such as marlin and alpaca captured my undivided attention. I had only seen marlins jumping out of the water on TV fishing shows, and alpaca… how many people can say they’ve tried alpaca before!?!

We found ourselves stuck in the ceviche section of the menu, and struggling to progress. Normally we’re lucky to get one ceviche on the menu, but they had six at Pastuso! Overwhelming as it is, we powered on and got the Corvina (lightly smoked black kingfish), salmon, and of course the Marlin Nikkei ceviche. The ceviche quality here was in a league of it’s own, and I would recommend coming here just to try some of these out. Instead of tasting just like lemon or lime juice, the ceviches here all had their very own distinct and unique characters. I couldn’t really fault any of them, but the one that stood out had to be the Marlin Nikkei. For such a huge fish, the texture was never going to be soft or mushy. It had a bouncy texture and was just the perfect fish for a ceviche. The braised shitake mushrooms and rice wine vinegar dressing worked its way in beautifully with the fish. Who could resist the pronounced mushroom flavours which shiitakes bring, the soft and subtle acidity of the rice wine vinegar to round it off. Thoroughly deserving of the best dish of the night award. My only criticism was that for such a massive fish, I was kinda expecting a bit more!

The Carpaccio de bife was also another highlight dish, it’s a shame that it’s from the specials menu so will most likely not be there next time. I would have loved to see this dish featured permanently. Now onto the meat which I had looked forward to the whole night – the alpaca ribs! These were 8 hour braised ribs with a honey glaze. I had all these perceptions on what I would think it would taste like, but it ended up being different to what I had ever imagined. Well basically it tasted like…. nothing. The meat itself didn’t have any character and was highly dependent on the sauce for flavour. I soon learnt that alpaca is a really lean and healthy meat which is low in fat and cholesterol. I was expecting a more gamey flavour. The honey glaze was not too sweet and just lightly coated each rib. I was very happy that I had the opportunity to try a new meat.

To be honest, after all the food we ate, dessert was an absolute blur to me. I felt like I was just going through the motions and I guess I should have left more space to really appreciate it. Oh well, over ordering is still something we’re heavily working on! The service at Pastuso was flawless. All the waiting staff were friendly and had a smile on their face. They were attentive and always down for a chat. They also showed great professionalism and always demonstrated their ability to take a joke, in response to our sometimes inappropriate conversations amongst ourselves! All it takes is a frown or judging eyes from the waiting staff to kill the mood, but these guys were really cool.

I highly recommend Pastuso for a special night out or anyone looking for a new food experience. Their food and flavours are uniquely different and will most likely leave a lasting impression. I know we’ll certainly be back especially for the ceviches. Now I do mention it’s best for a special night out because I did feel that the food was a little pricey, and the portions could be bigger. However, I do feel as though the food is high quality and the service is outstanding. An alternative would be to have a cheaper dinner elsewhere and come for the ceviches to finish off, best of both worlds!

Pastuso
Approx $70 AUD per person
Website: pastuso.com.au
Address: 19 ACDC Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9662 4556

Stokehouse Q

August 27, 2016May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference with a few other colleagues in Brisbane. A dinner was booked at Stokehouse Q in Brisbane’s Southbank precinct for the 8 of us on our first night. Being the foodie I am, I instantly looked up the restaurant and could see quite a few positive reviews so I was excited to check it out!

Now before I get into it, I have to apologise in advance if the photos aren’t up to our usual standards as I didn’t think to pack my proper camera. So all these photos were taken from my trusty ol’ iPhone. I didn’t want to use flash for obvious reasons but mainly so that my colleagues didn’t think I was ‘that crazy photo taking colleague whom we’ll never invite again’. So these were quick snaps without holding everyone up from eating!

Stokehouse Q is located in a great location, right along the river and was no casual affair. It had very classy decor with the white table cloths, dim lights and gorgeous views. Staff there were very friendly, attentive and accommodating. We started off with some bubbly to celebrate and then perused the menu which looked absolutely amazing. One of the staff also brought out a whiteboard and talked us through the specials for the night.

For entree I ordered the Moreton Bay bug, mussel and clam chowder with Jerusalem artichoke, guanciale and paprika. This was so delicious! I really had to resist from eating it too quickly because it was so good. The flavour combinations of the seafood mixed with the saltiness of the guanciale was perfect.

For mains I ordered the charred wagyu intercostal with cipollini onions, salt bush, shaved squid and mustard seeds. This was cooked sous-vide style and oh my gosh, the wagyu was so soft! I have to say it was one of the softest cooked beef I’ve had! I also loved the generous green sauce that came with it. That with all the other elements on the plate made it a beautiful and enjoyable dish.

By the time dessert came around I was so full so we all agreed to order just a few to share. I picked the The Bombe – frozen white chocolate parfait, strawberries, toasted meringue. From memory we also ordered the chocolate and hazelnut cremeux, tonka bean cream, mixed nut ice-cream, crumble and the vanilla cheesecake mousse, poached rosella, mandarin sorbet. All desserts were scrumptious!

Overall, it was hard to fault this place. Amazing food, great service and perfect ambience. What more could you ask for? I highly recommend Stokehouse Q if you’re ever in Brisbane, whether you’re looking for a venue for a work function or a romantic, intimate dinner for two.