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April 11 五臟廟之語 – Pho AnPho An (or Restaurant An) is recommended by my Vietnamese colleague. I guess that is already spoken of the high expectation.
When we arrived we definitely know we are at the right place. It is around lunch time (~ 13:00) and there is a queue outside the place. We know we are here.
The place looks quite new and big. It definitely feels modernised and not like a hawker style noodle place, which usually the good street style noodle is found. One thing that needs to mention is this place only offers pho, either beef or chicken. They don’t have other entrée and stuff so if you want to try other things, don’t bother. This is a specialist place for Pho, and that makes them the king of it as they put all their efforts into making the best pho.
The soup is the soul of Pho. It is different from the Pho I had in other parts of Sydney. Their soup is so rich and dark but still feels lite. One taste of this and other places in Sydney with Pho is just becomes too lite. I check with my Vietnamese friend and the recipe is really a home-make recipe with ingredients needs to be imported from Vietnam directly. I guess at least now I have tasted some authentic Pho without going to Vietnam.
I usually order Pho Special, just to sample all the ingredients. It is the best way to see what the place offer as that show you not just the beef but also the inert. As most HK diners aware the best sides for noodles are the inert. Therefore the second thing I would notice is if the inert is good or not (some argue that Pho is the next thing to look at and I am not fuss about that). I definitely say they are really authentic and also follow the hawker style food rule – lots of them to retain the value.
Pho itself is definitely of high standard. However I don’t think this is the top quality or the ones I can have in Vietnam thought. This is not the fault of the restaurant but always a limiting factor, as you can only make or get Pho made in Sydney and not in the country that it originated. I am sure most would agree the wonton noodles in Sydney are definitely different to those you have in HK. Something you just can’t help it.
No matter what, it is the best so far. April 03 五臟廟之語 – Waqu
These days many restaurants started to imitate the high class degustation menu. However these menus don’t offer any new ideas or creativity, and it becomes a selection menu of the a la carte menu the restaurants normally offer. This degrades the degustation menu to just a showcase and attract business, rather than using it as a display or show off of the chef’s talent.
Waqu’s tasting menu is very similar to their a la carte menu. However the tasting menu’s quality is quite exceptional and therefore if this is just a show case of the a la carte menu then Waqu is really an exceptional mid-class restaurant in Crows Nest.
Entree: 2 of the 3 choices
Mains: 2 of the 3 choices
Dessert: 1 of the 2 choices
These days dining out is not cheap and if you want a nice place with some quality food the price is usually above $50 per person. However we have a 6 course menu for just $45 and the food is still at the high end of the quality of casual dining.
Although the dishes are normal the techniques used to prepare them are definitely usual in casual dining, or I should say not normally used. For $45 the value is excellent. Also you have a choice in the mains so you don't have to have the same thing when you are dining out with friends. 五臟廟之語 – BathersA surprise call from Rosy gets us to Balmoral beach for the Easter Saturday. Since Belinda and I never been to there and never try Bathers, so we welcome the call.
The surprise we had so by far the greatest. Last time Pier really sinks our confidence on the chef head rating and this time I must say we confirmed that. Bathers should definitely worth more than 1 chef head.
The first course is free. The crab meat corn cream soup is so nice I want to ask for second.
You can choose from the 3 menus: A la Carte, Degustation and the market menu. Degustation menu has 7 courses, with 4 entrees, 2 mains and 1 dessert item. The interesting part is the market menu. It is the mini degustation menu (5 courses) that is not on the normal menu as the chef use the ingredients from the market of today. If you ask me, the market menu has the most value for your money.
If you want to try out the full spectrum of Bathers’ offering then degustation is worth the try. However I think the menu is not balancing entrée and mains. The 2 mains are the trout (similar to tetsuya’s signature dish) and rabbit. I highly recommend the rabbit as the whole rabbit is used. You will experience the crown, legs, kidneys, livers, and also a stew. Of the entrees I was impressed by the duck, also employ the same theme that the whole duck is used (duck breast meat, duck meat mince, and duck liver mousse).
However if you had already been to Bather’s before then the market menu will provide more excitement and surprise element. Also the market menu definitely provides more value and insight into the chef’s great skills and creativity.
When it comes to dessert, however, the degustation menu offers the best dessert after all. In the degustation menu the dessert is a selection of the great desserts that are offered in the a la carte menu.
The dessert in the market menu is just a single dish but not offer in the a la carte menu.
If you are a first time visitor the degustation menu will be a logical choice, however the market menu is definitely worth the visit. |
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