Chocolatesuze - Sydney Food Blogger

Baker's Delight Giveaway

19 March 2010, 12:25

I <3 hot cross buns. Their arrival in stores means the closer my most favourite eating holiday will be! A 6 pack of shiny hot cross buns was bought last week to take with me to the land of cheap shopping aka Malaysia to tide me over until i return haha but dudes this Saturday March 20 is ‘Bundraiser Day’, and all 625 Bakers Delight bakeries nationwide will be donating $1 from every six-pack of Hot Cross Buns sold, to raise over $145,000 for the purchase of essential medical equipment to help make a difference for sick children this Easter.

Chocolatesuze is giving away 5 x $10 vouchers to our awesome readers to grab some freshly baked Easter hot cross buns goodness from Baker’s Delight. All you have to do is leave a comment on how you like your hot cross buns- buttered? With sultanas? Toasted? The competition is only open to Australian residents. You can enter once each day. Winners will be selected using Random.org Competition closes Monday 29th March at 9am, winners will be notified by email.

 

 

Jacq's 21st All you can eat ribs at Waterfront Grill, Darling Harbour

17 March 2010, 05:44

This is Jacq aka Penguin Says Feed Me! This youngin had just turned 21 and what better way to celebrate than an all you can eat ribs dinner ($29p.p on Tues) at Waterfront Grill (Shop 289 Harbourside, Darling Harbour) with a whole bunch of other awesome super hungry food bloggers. Their website says mention the ad and you get a free soft drink but the waiters had nfi about this promotion and we ended up asking to speak to the manager who also had no clue and so iphones were produced and the website shown before our round of drinks appeared with much apologies.


Oh hai. i like knives.


The ribs arrive, glistening with the tastyness that is bbq sauce. The thick chunky cut chips are golden and fantastic and even though they are classified as ‘filler’ by the boys they are irresistibly munched upon. Billy mentions ordering a side of salad and while at first we all laugh at the idea of greenery, after the first plate of ribs is devoured i would’ve loved some form of lettuce to help balance the meat.


I am fail and only manage 2 plates of ribs but Richard manages 4 plates before finally admitting defeat.

The arrival of Ellie’s crack pie with a singular candle in the middle is greeted with pleadings of ‘please don’t sing!’ from Jacq which of course makes Richard and I break out into song and soon the whole table is joining in, the candle blown out and the crack pie is portioned out with Helen travelling 40mins across town to get a piece of the pie.


The pie may be a tad on the not so pretty side but it sure makes up for its lumpy appearance with a bucketful of awesomeness. It definitely lived up to it’s nick name of ‘crack pie’ with its super short and buttery cookie crust and a sweet gooey filling so freaking addictive that i was scraping the plate clean. Stomachs full we stumble onwards for some ice cream. Cos that is how we roll heh. Hope you had a happy birthday Jacq!

 

 

Taste of Sydney

15 March 2010, 00:54

Another year at Taste of Sydney equals another happy day chortling at the cheekiness that is George Francisco’s wobbly boobie pannacotta!


I’m sure everyone’s seen heaps of posts on the festival so i’ll keep mine short and sweet. (Also im in the land of cheap eats aka malaysia for my semi honeymoon and internet access will be dodgy).


An evening of eating is always best when shared with other food loving friends. On a random note, it’s always best to know which bus stop to get off at. Or a super long walk around Centennial Park will result in large amounts of cussing. Heh.


I had way too much sugar.

Chocolatesuze attended Taste of Sydney with thanks to Renee from Stellar Concepts

 

 

Win a Masterclass with Tetsuya + 10 course degustation dinner!

11 March 2010, 04:22

I started blogging as something to pass the time. A couple of years ago food blogging was unheard of in Australia but hey look at where we are now! I was one of ten lucky food bloggers to be invited to attend an Electrolux Masterclass with world renowned chef, Tetsuya Wakuda in his new Masterkitchen and also a fantastic 10 course degustation dinner! I was picked up by the lovely Tom in a shiny car with dark tinted windows and driven to the restaurant, through the black gate and up the driveway past the perfectly manicured gardens to meet Barbara, Billy, Christie, Cynthia, Helen, Jules, Lorraine, Peter, and Reem.

We are led upstairs to Tetsuya’s shiny new Electrolux kitchen and see white marble workbenches with two gleaming black touch-control induction cooktops on each side. The kitchen does not look like a kitchen. It is super clean and pleasantly calming. I knew I should’ve taken a photo of the room but apparently I am fail. The room is devoid of any protruding knobs- there are no dials or gas burners and water gushes out like a waterfall in the giant sink that could fit several babies.

Note: It’s 4am and my eyes are already starting to feel like this: 0_0 so hopefully you’ll just look at the pics right? Cos the words well, things will start to sound loopy right around this hour. Whee! Also, I’m sure you guys have seen everyone else’s posts which are all fantastic so hey feel free to skip to the bottom to enter the competition!


Scampi cooked confit-style. Ok I won’t be covering everything from the class in depth because um my memory ain’t that great but also so it will be a surprise for when you guys go! It was pretty informal with everyone gathered around the workbench and Tetsuya would explain the ingredients and the method in the dish he was about to cook followed by plating of the dish which the waiters would then divide and serve to us to taste.


Tetsuya’s shyness melts away when the group starts peppering him with questions and he exclaims “I love to cook for people who love their food!”


Alaskan crab legs.


Fastest and tastiest tagine evah


I like his knives.


After our photos with Tetsuya we make our way to the room next door for the second part of our evening: a 10 course degustation dinner with matching wines oh baby yeah! Though halfway through dinner the wines were making me slightly tipsy and I ended up drinking coke. Um. It’s how I roll.


Freshly baked bread rolls appear along with the famed magical tubs of truffle butter. As we all whip out our cameras our waiter smiles and says ‘It’s just bread and butter!” What do you mean it’s JUST bread and butter?! It’s bread and butter made by ANGELS! But he knowingly brings us another tub of the truffle butter as soon as ours is swiped clean. The butter is unsalted and mixed with flecks of truffles and parmesan cheese. I think I would be happy to just eat bread and the truffle butter for dinner.


Chilled Japanese pumpkin soup with white miso cream. The refreshing cold soup awoke my tastebuds and sent them all tingling with anticipation at what was to come and I loved how instead of the usual dollop of sour cream there was miso cream which lent a richer flavour to the pumpkin soup.


Sashimi of kingfish with blackbean and orange. I tend to have issues with citrus in my savoury foods but the orange lifted the heaviness of the blackbean and gave the kingfish a zing. Zing!


Soft roast scampi with herbs and citrus oil. The flavours of the lemon, lime and tarragon infused oil combined with a just cooked through scampi was a winning combination and had me eyeing my neighbours to see if they had any unwanted scampi they wanted to part with. They did not.


Salad of confit ocean trout with zucchini and non-pasteurised roe. Tetsuya’s signature dish arrives and the whole table falls silent save for the sounds of chewing. The trout has been cooked at a very low temperature and has a wobbly jelly-like texture. It is amazing and I much prefer this version with the lesser amount of konbu (dried seaweed) topping compared to a previous visit


Raviolo of octopus with oregano and black olives. Whenever I eat anything with olives my mouth tends to react with an immediate ‘Er wtf I really don’t like olives why are you trying them again?’ I keep trying to make myself like olives in the hopes I will one day grow to tolerate and maybe eventually accept and love. But sadly that moment has not arrived yet in my life and the taste of olives was too overpowering for me in this dish though I did enjoy the slivers of oregano and the fragrant basil with the tender octopus innards.


Breast of chicken with corn and foie gras. The baby chicken is so freaking tender and juicy (I refuse to use the word moist) and sits atop a bed of smooth creamy corn with nubbins of sweet juicy kernels. I like the word nubbin. And nub. I also really like corn. Sweet sweet corn filled with the happiness of a thousand suns. The square of foie gras hiding under the chicken added a creaminess to the dish and had me wishing for more


Sirloin of wagyu with braised leeks, sansho and soy. A thin scroll of wagyu cooked ‘shabu shabu’ style is our last course before dessert. Oddly my appetite returned in full force and I happily scraped the plate clean.


Pione grape sorbet with sauternes jelly. The sorbet arrives in all its bright purple pink glory and tastes like the souls of 100 juicy sweet grapes. It is a refreshing palate cleanser and hidden in the depths of the martini glass are 3 peeled grapes


Cannellini beans with mascarpone and soy caramel. Familiar with eating beans in some Asian desserts, I quite like the combination of the sweet soy caramel sauce with the slightly salty blue cheese anglaise and the beans however I do find the blue cheese to be a bit overpowering towards the end of the dessert.


Floating island with double anglaise of vanilla bean and praline. I love you praline. So much love. So much tastyness. The smiley waiter tells us that rosemary is actually incorporated into the mixture to remove the eggy smell!


And an innards shot! Mmm it’s bleeding chocolate and raspberry deliciousness.


Tea. Love the heavy feeling of the cups!


Petit fours: green tea marshmallow, coffee and date friands and chocolate macarons with lemon curd and pink peppercorns. The marshmallows were a tad too bitter for me with their overload on matcha powder because yes I like all things super sweet. The friands are light and moreish though by this stage we are all too full and clutching at our stomachs. Super loved the lemon curd filling in the macarons but not so much the peppercorn in the middle. Spicy!

This was definitely a night to remember! Getting to meet Tetsuya and learning some trade secrets was priceless. I particularly loved how the dinner was a more casual affair and yet the service and the food were freaking amazing. It was great to share the experience with fellow food bloggers and not being the only person on the table to be taking photos of their food!

And now what you’ve all been waiting for!

Electrolux is giving Chocolatesuze readers the chance to win a ticket to this exclusive event. All you have to do is click on this link and answer a simple question: “What is your favourite feature in Tetsuya’s new Masterkitchen?” in no more than 25 words and then copy and paste your answer in the comments so i can see too!

This competition is open to Australian residents aged 18 and over. The 12 best entries received will win:

* A single invitation to an exclusive Tetsuya Masterclass at Tetsuya’s restaurant, 529 Kent Street Sydney NSW – on the evening of Tuesday 24th August 2010 from 6pm

* Return economy airfares from the major prize winner’s nearest Australian capital city

* One nights’ accommodation on the night of the Masterclass Tuesday 24th August 2010.

* A private car that will transport the winner from their accommodation within the Sydney Metro area (50km radius from Sydney city centre – GPO) to Tetsuya’s restaurant for the Masterclass and then back to their accommodation within the Sydney Metro area stipulated above

* Terms and Conditions can be found here

All entries must be received by 12 midnight AEST Tuesday 4th May 2010.
ENTER NOW!

Chocolatesuze attended the Tetsuya Masterclass and dinner as a guest of Electrolux and Wakuda Tetsuya.

 

 

Visible Grimace

10 March 2010, 10:31

This is all kinds of awesome. ‘The Visible Grimace’ is a Tshirt design by Glen Brogan [via Laughing Squid]

 

 

Lex's Taste Test

8 March 2010, 02:01

This is Lex. He is awesome. He may not have blogged in three freaking months but he’s got a good excuse: the Time Out Taste Test is next week as one of the events of March into Merivale and for all you people lucky enough to score tix to this event you guys are in for a tasty evening! Lex decided to do a trial run and test his creations on us happy food bloggers


Bak Kut Teh! So normally I have issues with the herbally medicinal smell of this pork rib soup that i don’t go near the stuff. But one look at the fatty porky goodness and om nom nom the contents of the giant pot soon disappears


Pork belly with jumbo seared scallops


But wait what just came outta the oven? I spy crackle!


Pork belly mountain now with pork crackle peak!


Giant pot of creamy celeriac mash


And all washed down with a bottle of red. And a can of Mother. It’s how i roll.


And then it is time for dessert and whenever a food blogger is invited over for a feed they will most likely bring something sweet. Check out these gloriously pink finger buns from Steph! Fluffy rounds of bread topped with sweet icing and a sprinkle of coconut makes for immediate happiness


Karen’s chocolate marquise is a sight to behold! Layers of sponge cake encasing a slab of rich chocolatey mousse so velvety smooth that even tho we are all clutching our stomachs our plates are licked clean


I have a weakness for butterscotch sauce. I also tend to “accidentally” double the recipe just in case there’s not enough. Sticky date pudding has a place close to my heart (right next to cheeseburgers) and because i was a little short in time i made them in a cupcake pan so they’d bake faster. i used this recipe baking for 25 mins instead of the 40.


Why hello there


Thanks again and good luck Lex! Um and get some sleep yeah?

 

 

suze & noods' slideshow from reception

3 March 2010, 19:16

I don’t have the video from ceremony just yet but here have a watch of this awesome slideshow noods made:

 

 

got hitched

2 March 2010, 00:40

Just a quick photo for now dudes! (stole this pic from nat thanks dude!) I haven’t yet recovered from lack of sleep just yet but we had an awesome day filled with friends, family, sunshine and lots of lollipops

 

 

lollipop mess

26 February 2010, 10:35

2moro is the big day! And i’m frantically making bouquets haha oh dear being so laidback has a price! The awesome people at Walker’s Candy are supplying the lollipops for my wedding and i thought instead of the normal flower bouquet i’d make lollipop bouquets! Decided to glaze them incase it’s super hot and they start melting and ive superglued some pins to the mini ones for the boys bwahahaha can’t believe it’s 2moro dudes! edit: yeah see that broken lollipop up top yeah apparently when you lacquer stuff they tend to shatter way more easily argh need to lacquer backups!

 

 

my hen's

24 February 2010, 10:56

HAI. So i know this post isn’t really food related but um if i don’t write about it i tend to forget… In case you don’t follow me on twitter i’m getting hitched in 3 days (haha uh crap) and so a hen’s night was organised thanks to my ninja bridesmaids. To read the rest of this post click here

 

 

kfc tower burger returns + tshirt giveaway

21 February 2010, 19:26

I remember the first time I heard about the KFC tower burger- “Dude there’s a hash brown in the burger? That’s freaking awesome!” I have a love of hash browns, truly i love any form the potato can take. Yes i was that person who shoved french fries into a burger but seriously i love the crunchiness! The pic is from the KFC website but it looks a little too perfect hehe irl it has super tasty crispy bits around the edges of both the hash brown and the chicken fillet with magically soft and juicy innards and tangy bbq sauce.


Bwahahaha dodgy gif lol yarmy burgah! Sometimes i like getting the Zinger tower burger because it’s about the only level of spicyness i can handle in my foods. Oh and there’s also the option of adding bacon. It’s not really an option because hey if you can add bacon to something the real question is, why wouldn’t you?


And thanks to Sarah from One Green Bean we’re giving away 6 limited edition ‘the legend returns’ tshirts from travisty, 3 boys and 3 girls tshirts available in red, black and white. You can enter once a day and all you gotta do is leave a comment on what your fav kfc item is and sorry dudes the competition is only open to Australian residents. Winners will be selected using Random.org Competition closes Monday 1st March at 9am, winners will be notified by email.

 

 

big mac lego

18 February 2010, 12:42

Lego food! Made by Japanese lego artist Sachiko from let’s brick the classic big mac combo was made to scale using standard lego bricks haha oh man now i want to go dig out my old lego and build a whole set of food [via design boom]

 

 

rainbow pancakes

16 February 2010, 09:21

It’s Shrove Tuesday so Happy Pancake day dudes! These awesome rainbow pancakes are from Amanda from i am mommy ahh roygbiv makes everyone happy [via ohdeedoh]

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year!

14 February 2010, 11:20

Happy Chinese New Year dudes! Gong Xi Fat Choi! May the year of the Tiger bring you good health and good fortune! We had our reunion dinner last night at Makan@Alice (262-264 Pennant Hills Road, Cnr & Entry via Bellevue St, Thornleigh). The CNY Banquet for 10 people with 8 dishes was $488


Of course the banquet must start with the Yee Sang- a salad of julienned vegetables, juicy pomelo segments, slivers of jellyfish, crunchy wonton skins and strips of salmon sashimi topped with plum sauce, sesame oil, five spice and sesame seeds


Lo Hei Lo Hei! Nian Nian You Yu! (ahem thanks wikipedia!)


The Butter Soft Shell Crab is deep fried to a golden perfection crowned by clouds of fragrant buttery egg threads


The Basket of Prosperity is deep fried yam bowl holding plump scallops, morsels of chicken, carrots, macadamias and cashews


Teowchew Loh Ark (1/2 duck) is amazingly tender but sadly I am not a fan of the herbal-y taste


Salt & Pepper Prawns are zingy and leave me smacking my lips to get the last of the tasty seasoning


Nin Nin Yau Yee (Whole Fish) is steamed and then flash fried so the skin is crispy while the fish innards are deliciously tender and juicy


Dried Scallops, Fatt Choy and Mushrooms. Ever since I was little I was always told to eat the hair like black moss so that I’d be rich haha I’m not that superstitious but I figure a little bit of help can’t hurt :D


Long Life Noodles is the last dish and oh boy is it filling! The uber long strands of noodles and a mountain of mushrooms and chicken defeats us and is packed for takeaway


But stomach space is soon made for the ice cendol and the ice kacang


Lastly the Pulut Hitam arrives- it’s a Malaysian dessert and is made with black glutinous rice and topped with a swirl of coconut milk and tastes alternatively sweet and salty. Oh so tasty!


Heh heh harlo Alice! So here’s to a day of family, red, ang paos, food and rest!


Oh and Happy Valentines Day! Noods, I less than 3 you heh heh geddit? <3 my 1kg of guylian seashells oh the happiness haha

 

 

Edible Blooms

10 February 2010, 22:16

OH SO PRETTY! A bouquet of chocolate! Flowers will die but chocolate is definitely the way to my heart!


The awesome Tara from Edible Blooms sent me the blooms packed all nice and safe. Note: returning the box to them gets your a $10 voucher. Nice i like recycling incentives!


Helloo precioussss


This is the Crimson Bloom Bouquet Medium which had 10 Ferrero Rochers, 5 Mint Chocolate Lindt Balls, 5 Milk Chocolate Lindt Balls and 10 solid Belgian milk chocolate stars from Chocolatier with a 100% recycled & Australian made gift box and complimentary gift wrapping and gift card.


Way better centerpiece than a vase of flowers hehe im loving selecting stems and pulling out a chocolate mmm tastyness :D


This Valentine’s Day Edible Blooms are offering a Sunday delivery service within metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Feb 14th, making it the perfect last minute gift idea!

Chocolatesuze received the Edible Blooms with thanks to Linzi and Tara for sweetening my day!