Vincent – Woollahra

Bonjour everyone!

Sorry about the long absence, a lot has happened in the last year, which have kept me away from the blog. I regularly post pictures on Facebook and Instagram though, so feel free to follow me there too!

I’d been dying to visit Vincent (by same owners as nearby Buzo and Wine Library) for ages, as I’d heard a lot about their Comté soufflé and their cheese-making efforts (anyone prepared to make their own cheese gets my full admiration!). The birthday of my partner’s mum proved the perfect occasion to visit!

The restaurant is located in a boutique hotel right on Queen Street, on the corner of five ways, in Woollahra. After walking through the hotel lobby and the beautiful bar, we were led to our table on the terrace, protected from the elements by translucent plastic covers and heaters. While it got slightly cooler by the end of the night (the heaters might have been turned off at some stage), we were generally quite comfortable. After nibbling on sourdough bread, homemade “Vincent butter” and an assortment of olives, we ordered a few entrees to share, as our friendly waitress had advised us that the portions were quite generous.

A Year in Burgundy – Documentary

Last year I reviewed on this blog the Australian documentary “Red Obsession” about the great Bordeaux wines and the unquenchable thirst they create in international buyers, especially in China. The director said at the time that since then, Chinese buyers had already shifted their focus onto other wine regions, including Burgundy.

When I read that a documentary had been made specifically about Burgundy, it immediately sparked my interest, as I’ve always wanted to learn more about this unique wine region, famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir wines (my favourite style of red).

Manu Feildel at Alliance Francaise Sydney

A couple of weeks ago I attended a book signing and Q&A session with Manu Feildel at the Alliance Francaise of Sydney. The 12:30pm session booked out so fast that they had to add another one mid-morning, which booked out just as fast. This man sure has a lot of fans!

Manu, mostly famous for co-hosting popular cooking show My Kitchen Rules, was here to present his third cookbook, French for Everyone, which he hopes will show Australian readers what real French food is about: “We don’t eat confit of duck every day at home, boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin or cassoulet… What we eat is what my mum cooked, which was what you guys cook but with a French accent.” “Every recipe [in the book] is easy to make, but they are very tasty, and there’s a lot of sauce,” he said.

La Maison de l’Eclair – Bondi

After a Macaron frenzy fuelled by pastry wizard Adriano Zumbo, Baroque Bistro (followed by many others), and more recently the arrival of French macaron house Ladurée, get ready for a new pastry trend in Sydney town. Indeed, Eclair is the “new black” of the pastry world, according to La Maison de l’Eclair, the first store in Sydney entirely dedicated to Eclairs which has just opened.

Brasserie Ananas – The Rocks

Every year, my girlfriends and I organise an early Christmas catch up over a good old French fare before everything gets too crazy. We’d been talking about Brasserie Ananas for a while, and I was pretty excited to try it, as I was well aware of the chefs’ pedigree: Paul McGrath, previously from 2-hatted Bistro Ortolan in Leichhardt, and pastry chef Yves Scherrer, whom I knew from his work with Team Pastry Australia and his reputation for the best Salted Caramel Eclair in town.

And yes, people might also remember this restaurant for making the news with their infamous bright red mouth-shaped urinals! The uproar they provoked led to their removal… until the owners decided to put the urinals back again! But I think the food is what they should be known for, as it really is worth it.

Interview with Alison Brien – Channel Cheese

Puzzone di Moeana cheese, Italy (Trento province)

Saying that I like cheese would be quite an understatement: I simply love it, I grew up wolfing down slabs of Comté and Camembert, eating Cancoillotte and Mont d’Or by the spoon, and later as a young adult was quite happy to just dine on wine, baguette and Picodon (goats cheese).

Cafe Opera, Intercontinental – Sydney

Cafe Opera’s famous Slow-cooked Egg dish

A few weeks ago I was invited by Cafe Opera Executive Sous Chef, Julien Pouteau, to discover their new Spring Menu at the restaurant located on the 1st floor of the InterContinental Hotel, right next to Circular Quay.  

Sydney Cove Oyster Bar – Harbourside Beach Barbie

Location, location!

A few weeks ago I was invited to the media preview of Sydney Cove Oyster Bar‘s Harbourside Beach Barbie, taking place every Saturday at lunchtime in October for only $55/pp. during Good Food Month, Sydney Morning Herald’s food festival.

Sydney’s Best Croissants

Bonjour tout le monde!

As some of you might know, I recently wrote a piece for the blog section of The Guardian Australia about croissants. I had to sacrifice myself and taste as many croissants as I could to bring you all this information… lucky you!

Red Obsession

Chinese sex-toy billionaire and his $60-million cellar

Last week I went to see a great documentary at the Dendy Newtown about the legendary Bordeaux wines, called: “Red Obsession“, one of Sydney Festival hit films a few months ago. It was directed by Warwick Ross and David Roach, and the latter was present at the Dendy for a Q&A after the projection.