Thursday, September 22, 2011

Birthday foods!

1. Grab & Tucker, Newtown



Eaton Mess
Beautiful dessert! Tasted even better than it looked :)


2. Red Lantern, Surry Hills




One sunny afternoon, I went to Red Lantern for lunch. Red Lantern is a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant which is located at the busy street of Surry Hills. There are alot of great restaurants at Surry Hills and Red Lantern is one of the busiest place, especially on Saturday nights. Red Lantern promotes ethical eating and as much as possible, uses the freshest in local sustainable and organic produce. Red Lantern was voted Top Ten Most Environmentally Sustainable Restaurants Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010. Red Lantern was one of my fav restaurants in Sydney!




Goi Cuon $16.50
Soft rice paper rolled with prawns, pork, vermicelli, perilla leaves and garlic chives

Yummm!! This is the best rice paper rolls I've ever had. The rice paper is so thin and smooth, the filling is so fresh and the dipping sauce is so delicious. Such a perfect entree because it makes you even more hungry!



Mi Xao Voi Vit Quay $36.00
Roasted Thirlmere Duck Maryland with wok tossed egg noodles and tamarind sauce

So Last year I went to Red Lantern and had their duck salad. That thing is one of my favourite dishes anywhere ever. I couldn't stop thinking and talking about it for months, but unfortunately they don't have it anymore :( (they change most of their menu every season)
So I thought this time I ordered something duck again just to make up for it :p (Well I like duck anyhow anyway). I'm glad I ordered this because it tasted great.
Note : But I still love the duck salad more (our bond is that strong) ^ ^



Bo Luc Lac $35.00
Cubed pasture fed Black Angus sirloin wok tossed with garlic, sesame and black pepper

The beef is sooo tender (yet fully cooked/ well-done)How is that possible achievable?? Hmm.. I remember I had this exact same dish last time, and back then, it was actually a bit chewy. But this time, Oh My God! so tender! and the salad is refreshing and fresh. YuM!. And I don't normally like salad that much!

3. Manta Restaurant, Wooloomooloo Wharf



A week before my birthday, my flatmate took me to Manta Restaurant for my birthday. He was heading overseas so he took me out early. Manta is a fine dining restaurant with views of the beautiful Wooloomooloo Wharf.
We started with some bread which we soaked with some delicious olive oil and (seriously) the most amazing balsamic vinegar! We ordered half a dozen of oysters (from different regions) to share and an entree, a main and a dessert each.
Manta's oysters are hand picked and delivered directly by the grower to ensure proper care all the way to the plate. They are opened to order and tasted so fresh!


Lemon and pepper seared yellow fin tuna, lime, wasabi, avocado mousse and gazpacho salsa 28
Yum! I love Tuna!


Steamed mud crab – bottarga, parsley and lemon butter.
The crab is so juicy and perfectly cooked! Probably the best crab I've ever eaten!!!



Textures of amedei dark chocolate and piemonte hazelnut 18
Hmm this dessert has so many different textures. There are other chocolate stuffs underneath the square chocolate disc (which can't be seen from the picture). Everything is so amazing, It is smooth, luscious, yet refreshing and not too sweet (which I like) and the chocolate ice cream is so delicious!