The Phantom of the Opera

I don't know what's wrong with my lately, but my brain just isn't functioning. A friend invited me to a birthday party last Wednesday for the Friday night, and I replied after checking my calendar, that I've got tickets to the Phantom of the Opera that night. Yet Thursday night I kept saying to myself that I'll come home straight away after work etc etc. Hell, I even contacted Cherry Tuesday morning to plan what we're going to do before the Phantom!

Luckily I remember on the day and I didn't go home, otherwise I would've wasted perfectly good tickets to the Phantom and the fantastic meal we had at The Little Snail before the show. I checked the menu before we went and saw that they had a Bouillabaisse on the menu and I knew I had to have that if they had it on the night. And since I was getting an entree and a main, I might as well get their 3 course meal special.

Scampi in a light Tempura Batter

The scampi looks huge, but after you take away the head and the tail, you're left with a piece of 2 inch long meat. Cherry seemed to enjoy it though.

Traditional French Bouillabaisse with Crusty Garlic Baguette

This was anything but traditional. I was expecting a much smoother and pale looking creamy soup topped with croutons with dollops of aioli. This was closer to a seafood stew with garlic bread. It was still really nice though. It was chock full of seafood. Under those two pieces of bread was 2 pieces of fish, 2 scallops, 2 prawns and 2 mussels.

Crispy Atlantic Salmon served with Salsa Verde on Tomato Risotto

Duck A L'Orange on Crushed Kumera and Grand Marnier Glaze

I had the duck and it was quite nice. I've never had Duck A L'Orange before and this wasn't a bad start. I think I much prefer duck confit or chinese BBQ duck more though. The fruity acidity of the sauce was a bit too much after a while. But I still enjoyed the duck regardless.

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Traditional Creme Caramel

This creme caramel was much better than the one we had at Encasa. This was softer and more wobbly. The caramel was sweeter and had a lovely nutty taste. Again, we walked out of there completely stuffed!

Luckily it was a good 5min walk to the Lyric Theatre after that. We got there about 15mins early and sat in our seats waiting for the food to digest. Our seats were about 1/2 - 2/3 of the way back from the stage, and boy was I glad we were sitting back with the show started. I'm not going to give away any details, but this is something you don't want front row seats to, as you will miss out on the full effects of the production.

I've only see the movie edition of The Phantom of the Opera starring Emmy Rossum, and I absolutely loved her (Although I hated the guy who played Raoul and the Phantom). So whilst my expectations wasn't one comparable with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman's performance, my expectations certainly wasn't low. And let me tell you, this Australian production starring Anthony Warlow and Ana Marina blew my socks away! The cast, the set and the music was just magical!

Before the show started, I remember Cherry asking me if I was going to get teary eyed like when I watched Miss Saigon. Ok, I bawled my eyes out at one stage watching Miss Saigon. But I never cried watching the movie, so I assumed it would be the same with the theatre production. Well, I didn't bawl my eyes out this time round, but there were a few scenes where I started getting emotional and wanting to cry! That is the power of the play. I loved it! And Cherry loved it! In fact, the whole way walking from Star City back to George St, we couldn't stop raving about the show! I was half tempted to pull my iPod out to listen to the songs again!

I would love to go watch it again, lets see if I can get decent seats for a cheaper price. For anyone who hasn't been to watch a musical before, I highly HIGHLY recommend that you go watch The Phantom of the Opera!!

Michael Buble Concert with Naturally 7

Its been ages since the last Michael Buble concert. Last time we went, we had tickets to his outdoor concert on the Opera House steps. It was windy and raining, but we had a fantastic time! Sitting there in our ponchos, listening to Michael Buble serenading us with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as the backdrop. It was perfect!

So when I saw the ads for the next Michael Buble concert, me and Cherry jumped at the opportunity to purchase tickets. So on the night of the concert, we decided to crash Encasa and hope we can grab a table without reservations. We did get a table for 2.....that seats 30 people! Luckily, other people sat at the two ends so we didn't look like complete nigels. The food at Encasa was fantastic as usual, and tasted even better after a jug of sangria ;)

Champiñones al Ajillo - Sizzling Garlic Mushrooms

This was so deliciously garlicky. The mushrooms were sauteed with loads of garlic that had caramelised and turned slightly crispy. Absolutely moreish when you dip your bread into the garlic oil or spoon some of the garlic onto the bread.

Patatas Bravas - Fried potatoes topped with salsa and aioli

Crispy fried potatoes that have been lightly salted (perfect on its own) was topped with a spicy salsa and creamy garlic mayo. I couldn't decide whether to eat the potatoes on its own, or smoosh it into the sauce to soak up all that spicy garlicky goodness.

Gambas Sevillanas - Peeled king prawns in spicy tomato salsa

Big bursty king prawns were cooked in a light spicy salsa. I was spooning the sauce onto my plate so I could enjoy every last drop of it with bread.

Pork, Chorizo and bean stew

I can't remember what this dish was called, it was the special of the day. It was a stew made from smoked pork, chorizos and big fat beans! So hearty and comforting! If only the beans were softer. I like my beans soft like baked beans, but the dish was really nice.

I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered dessert, because I was stuffed like a chicken kiev. But we had plenty of time so we both opted to get a creme caramel, EACH.


This was nice, not too sweet, but a bit too eggy for me. I actually really enjoyed the vanilla ice cream on top. I can't remember the last time I had vanilla ice cream.

We decided to slowly walk to the Entertainment Centre, which is less than 5 mins walk away. I was so full I swear I was waddling. But as we got closer, I had to try and walk like a normal person. Why? I had my DSLR shoved into the bottom of my bag and I was hoping cameras were allowed. Luckily the Entertainment Centre isn't as anal as the Superdome, so I walked right on in without problems.

We get seated and soon the concert is underway. We didn't know who the supporting act was until Naturally 7 walked onto the stage. And from the moment they opened their mouths, I was completely blown away!


They started off with an a capella which turned into a full blown song. We started debating as to whether there was any music, or was it all vocal play. It wasn't until they stopped and explain the concept of the band were we totally knocked off our feet. They were 100% vocal play. No instruments, no synthesizers, no special effects. All them. All Natural. And even then, I had my doubts. That was until they gave a one by one demo on how they layer the music! They were absolutely fantastic!

To be honest, of all the concerts I've been to in the last 5 years, I can't remember a single supporting act that I liked. Come to think of it, I barely remember seeing support acts as I usually walk out or just block them out. This time, I wanted to buy their album! I haven't stop raving about them since!

I was disappointed when they're performance ended, but then Michael Buble came out and everything was perfect. PERFECT. I can't describe what it was like watching him in concert again, but all I can say is that he is charming, witty and funny as hell! AND he could sing! Boy could he sing.

Busting some moves

He jumps off the stage to get photos taken with the audience!

Taken when the woman was in the middle of groping his butt

One of his many funny skits

The concert was PERFECT. I can't wait for the next one!

Allysons Family Restaurant - Lebanese

I've never had Lebanese twice in a week. But I was up one night suddenly wanting to find out what was happening with our old family restaurant, when I found out about Allysons. Allysons is actually a few shops up from where our old restaurant used to be. Looking at the reviews, it sounded promising, so I conned a friend into going with me (So I can walk past our old restaurant to see how its doing).

As we walked in, I noticed a big table of about 20 people celebrating someone's birthday. To the right hand side, there was another room with a table set up for about 40 people. Luckily I had made a booking and was seated in no time. The decor is very simple, almost a bit sterile. But I was there for the food.

As I looked through the menu, I spotted Kibbi and knew I had to order it. Kibbi is the Lebanese version of Icili Kofte and it one of my favourite middle eastern dishes.

Kibbi

Crunchy on the outside, filled with a spicy lamb mince and pinenut mixture. It was sooooo good. Luckily, our platter came out and I wrapped these up with some dip an bread.

Mixed platter for one

We ordered a mixed platter for one to share. It came with a chicken kebab, shish kebab, kafte kebab, hommus, babaganoush, labne, garlic dip, tabouli and lots of lebanese bread (Both fresh and fried). I didn't think this was a lot of food shared between 2 people, but I was really really full by the time we finished this platter off. Which was a good thing, because the pizza we ordered was a complete disappointment.

Seafood pizza

I've never had a seafood pizza made almost entirely out of seafood stick. We actually counted before eating, that there were 2 prawns, 1 piece of fake crab meat and the rest was all seafood stick. The base was quite nice, but the excess seafood stick made the pizza almost sweet. And the cheese was strange in the sense that it didn't melt properly.

I would probably go back for the Lebanese food, and maybe the pizza again. But I'll definitely check what pizza other people are eating before ordering.

The suicide before Zenobia

A few of us met up in Leichhardt for the Spanish film festival. We had prepurchased tickets to the suicide club. It was an amusing film, but I guess I had much higher expectations. I kind of expected it to be like something me and Moishii would make. But honestly, not many people are as screwed in the head like us. After the movie, we were all starving. We decided to find the closest indoor place for dinner, which happened to be Zenobia.

Moishii had been there before and said it was pretty good, but he's only ever had the banquet at a party. As we walk in, we spot Brian McFadden standing outside having a cigarette break. We didn't bother chucking a fuss as Delta Goodrem wasn't there. We walk in and get seated. It took us a while to figure out what we wanted to order, which wasn't a bad thing since the waiters basically ignored us (Even though our table was RIGHT next to Brian McFadden's table).

We eventually flag someone down and place our order. About 10mins later, our dip and some bread finally come out. We're ravenous at this stage and start to devour everything.

Babaganous

The babaganous is really nice and smokey, but I reckon I make a much better babaganous. We decided to go easy on the dip and bread as we wanted to save our stomach for the mains and possibly dessert. 20mins after we finished the dip, Gus's fish comes out:

Grilled fish with a nutty sauce

The sauce was really nice on first taste as it was rich and creamy with a lovely nutty texture. A few more bites into it, it starts to get a bit sickly. Since everyone else ordered the same thing, we told Gus to start so it doesn't get cold. Its a good thing we told him to as well, because it took almost 30mins for the rest of our meals to come out. And when I asked the waitress what was happening with our food (After half the table started flapping their arms for attention), I got a "Are you stupid?" look followed by a "WELL! YOU ordered the chicken. Of course it takes longer than the fish!" followed by a "Moron" look from the waitress.

I tried to explain that my friend is sitting there eating by himself whilst we wait. And again "Chicken takes longer than fish to cook". Gees woman. I know that. Any moron knows that. So maybe, you should cook the fish when the chicken is almost done? As opposed to cooking them at the same time? Now THAT would be a logical way to do it don't you think? Instead of having one person eat 30mins before everyone else. They didn't even bother telling us when we ordered, just expected us to wait. I can tell you, if Gordon Ramsay Kitchen nightmares this place, that would be the first thing they would get beaten about.

And it wasn't just the waiting time for the food, it was them completely ignoring our table because Mr McFadden was in the house. Every waiter/waitress was fwapping around the table like bees to honey hoping for a big tip. Their table had at least 4 people attend to them, whilst us, sitting right next to them practically had to wave a flag and blow a trumpet for a nod of acknowledgment. I know he's a celebrity, and you may get a big tip. But think of it this way, who pays the rest of your salary for the rest of the year when he's not around. Ignoring everyone else for one tip is plain stupid.

As for our long awaited chicken. It was ok. Certainly not worth the wait. I would happily drive the extra 20mins to Bankstown for Habibs and pay 1/2 the price for twice as much food and a much better garlic sauce. Atleast Habib's sauce doesn't taste of raw garlic and sting your tongue.

BBQ Chicken with garlic sauce

We were actually all looking forward to dessert, but after the service we've received and how long it took, we decided to just grab the bill and leave.

Homecook heroine...wannabe

I've been in a bit of a strange mood lately. Either I want to go out and party and spend up, or I want to stay home and mope whilst I think about my career. I've also been moping at friend's place which gives me a chance to whinge and work out what I really want in life right now, which is everything. The upside is, when I don't go out drinking and eating my salary away, I will be cooking up a storm.

SMJ Minestrone - Starring Cavalo nero

This was my "oh my god, I've been drinking 6 days straight" detox healthy soup of carrots, zucchini, potatoes, broccoli and cavalo nero. I have been staking out Woolies for the past 4 months after I found out that they're one of the few retailers that stock cavalo nero. And when I spotted the last packet on the shelves, I grabbed it before I realised what I would use it for. Using it in the soup really let me taste the natural sweetness that you don't always associate with cooked cabbage.

Chunky fried rice

Using leftover home made bbq pork, I added some chunky chicken before stir frying up the biggest wokful of carb loaded comfort food to an asian. Fried rice.

Shepherds pie

What better way to combat the cold, bone chilling weather we've had with a hot bubbling tray of shepherds pie. The filling was a combination of lamb mince and slowly stewed chunky beef, finely grated carrots, onions and peas. The next time I'm going to make this, I'm going to make it extra saucy, but in a deeper dish. A lot of the sauce bubbled over the sided of the tray and dried it out a tad.

Big BIG breakfast

What can I say? Theres nothing better than a big breakfast to cure a hangover. This was more lunch than breakfast, but it was good enough to eat 3 meals a day (If it doesn't kill you). Runny sunnyside up eggs, sausages, bacon, garlic mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, hash browns and baked beans, all served with crunchy hot toast.

Scotch fillet with pommes noisettes and garlic mushrooms

The steak was good, but the star of the show was really the pommes noisettes. I saw the photo of the pommes noisettes on TFP's website, I just KNEW I had to have some. The last time I had these would have been a good 6-10years ago. Damn it was good!!!

Curried sausages and mashed potatoes

I'm a bit obsessive compulsive. Like there was one time I watched "Everybody loves Raymond", and they had a scene where they were eating biscotti. Next thing you know, I'm googling a biscotti recipe and ripping everything out of my pantry to try and find flour to make biscotti at 10:30pm. I couldn't find any flour and was tempted to run to the shops in pouring rain so I could make biscotti. The only thing stopping me? It started thundering and lightening.

So when I was reading one of the forums, I saw a recipe for curries sausages. And ever since then, all I want to do is make curried sausages. Not that I followed the recipe, but its curry and sausages isn't it? Served with a pile of mashed potatoes to mop up the sauce...MmMMmm

Then I wanted to make pizza. Lots of it.

Attempt 1: Ham, cheese, onion and oregano pizza

Attempt 2: Ham, mushrooms, cheese, onion and oregano pizza

Attempt 3: Ham, mushrooms, cheese, onion, oregano and chilli pizza

And this? I didn't cook this. But I ate this with my workmate after a big night out where we both got kicked out of the bar. These are possibly some of the best squid in all of Sydney. They were crunchy and spicy. Lightly dusted with a chicken like salt, served with rocket and aioli. We also ordered a big bowl of chips to share. You can get this at Chicane on Bond St, opposite Australia Square. The BEST squid.

Efendy in Balmain - Modern Turkish

When I first heard about Efendy and their Modern Turkish cuisine, I knew I just had to go try it. And who else but my partner in crime? It took me and Moishii ages to find a day that suits both of us since we're so busy all the time. But the day finally came around, and all he had to do was drive through a thunderstorm to pick me up! We arrive at Efendy's and find a car parking spot right outside the main entrance:


We're seated, literally in the corner of the restaurant. I'm actually tucked into a corner where I can barely get out without knocking the table over. The good thing though, was that it was quite warm in my corner.


We had a quick look at the menu before we went, but we still didn't know what to order. You see, we almost wanted to cancel dinner because we wanted to save money. We all know what happens when we save money right? So our plans of a main each kind of went out the window when we saw the mezze platter. So it became 2 mains and mezze. Then we got a bit carried away and ordered other stuff as well....

Fresh baked turkish bread rolls with pepper olive oil and olive and chilli dip

Mezze for 2

Cerkez Tavuk - Circassian chicken dip, garlic, walnut aioli and paprika oil

This was unbelievably good. I actually found a recipe for it a few months ago and emailed it to Moishii, who said he's never heard of it before. But what was served definitely didn't disappoint. The dip was creamy and aromatic and I treated it more like a salad than a dip by shoveling it down my throat.

Mercimek Kofte - Lentil, bulghur and spice kofte on cos lettuce

For some reason, we thought this would have raw meat in it. Just shows how much we actually bother reading. This was lovely with a squeeze of lemon served with the cold crunchy lettuce.

Patlican salata - Smoked baby eggplant, grilled capsicum and pomegranate salad

This was twist on the traditional babaganoush. The dip was much chunkier than you're used to, and the ruby red pomegranate seeds bursting in your mouth was the perfect contrast you needed.

Borek - Spicy lamb, feta and capsicum filled pastry

This is nothing like the borek we have in Turkey, but it was delicious! It was closer to a Lebanese ladies finger, but hey, I wasn't complaining.

Gozleme - Feta cheese with parsley rolled in thin yufka pastry

This was nice, but it can't compare to the ones you get at the Glebe markets.

Ahtaphot - Grilled baby octopus marinated with grape pekmez, chilli and oregano

Tender smokey grilled baby octopus. MMMmmm the left over sauce was perfect to mop up with the hot crusty Turkish bread.

Our intention of "saving" money on this dinner, somehow involved us ordering a salad to go with it?

Efendy salad - Rocket, brown Turkish fig, feta and walnuts

I really loved this salad. The pepperiness of the rocket, the creamy feta and the crunch of the Turkish fig and walnut made the perfect salad. This is something I'm going to make again in my own time.

By this stage, we were getting quite stuffed. But when I saw my main put down infront of me. Oh gosh...

Ordek - Confit of Duck leg, Anatolian cheese baklava, poached quince and zeytinyagli fasulye

The duck was alot firmer than I would've liked a confit to be, but the cheese baklava more than made up for that criticism. If only they served more of it!

Kuzu Incik - LAMB SHANK slow cooked in pomegranate and saffron, chickpea and barley pilaf

This was Moishii's, and although it was a bit spicy for him, I think he enjoyed it.

You think we'd be full by this stage, but the stupid switch got flicked on in our brain so we both ordered dessert. Not to share, but one each as we assumed it'll be the same size as the mezze.

Chocolate Baklava - Dark chocolate mousse, baklava wafers, Pedro Ximenez spiced sour cherry compote, salep ice cream

This was more like a chocolate brownie between baklava sheets. It was so rich and decadent, that you really needed the sour cheery to cut through it. The ice cream was also fantastic, it tasted like orange blossom ice cream which I devoured. We really should've shared this, as we barely got through half a plate each. Moishii was tempted to hide the food in my handbag, Mr Bean style.

Turkish tea and turkish delight to end it all

I was so full at this stage that I couldn't even sip water. I could be in the desert, dehydrated and ready to die, and I still wouldn't be able to sip water to save my life. Our "lets save some money and not go nuts with food" plan when down the drain with a $180 bill. But it was so SO worth it.

Efendy
http://www.efendy.com.au
79 Elliott Street (Corner of Darling Street)
Balmain NSW 2041
Ph: 02 9810 5466