Kobe Jones @ The Wharf

Last night I went to dine at Kobe Jones @ The Wharf. The restaurant serves Japanese cuisine and modern Australian cuisine, and I suppose a fusion of the two.

I wanted to go after my boyfriend mentioned that it was one of the best modern Japanese restaurants he knew. So when I saw some discount deals on Spreets.com, I bought them. It was $77 for 11 distinct food pieces. Apparently its full price would have been $155. Here are the set menu details. The set menu recommended that it would take 2hrs to finish all the items.

NUMBER ONE SPECIAL - Crab salad with avocado, wrapped in Hiramasa kingfish and baked with Kobe Jones secret sauce

SEAFOOD POKE - Hawaiian-style sashimi cubes, marinated in poke sauce

ANAGO SCALLOPS - Tempura Hokkaido scallops, stuffed with crab salad and asparagus, and drizzled with a bittersweet soy sauce glaze

OYSTER SHOOTER - In mango-infused sake

LOLLIPOP SUSHI - Tuna, snapper, salmon, crab salad, asparagus and smelt roe, wrapped in thinly peeled cucumber with soy sauce vinaigrette

DYNAMITE TUNA HANDROL Seaweed cone filled with rice, raw tuna, tomago and a touch of chilli

BONDI ROLL - Oven-baked prawns, layered on a crab salad avocado roll, with special cream sauce and spicy rush with chilli

ALASKAN CRAB - Grilled to highlight the sweetness and served in the shell with fresh lime

WAGYU HOT ROCK - Self-cook your wagyu beef on the hot rock just the way you like it, served with dipping sauce

SUSHI ME 2 - Vanilla cheesecake, fresh fruits topping, served with almond sauce and our famous chocolate chopstick

ANKO - A flaming green tea crème brulee to share

We made the booking at 6:30pm. We were seated by one of the managers and told that a particular waitress would take care of us and deal with our orders. My boyfriend then explained to us that tables are all designated a waitress and that waitress would be the only one that serves the table. After 5 minutes of sitting there without seeing our waitress we realised that they were quite understaffed. There were only 4 or 5 waitresses for the entire restaurant, which actually looked like it could sit 200. So basically we were sharing our waitress with another 5 tables. When the waitress finally came 10 minutes later we gave our drinks orders and that came pretty quick. The mocktails we ordered looked pretty and tasted great. 

Mangalo: fresh mangos blended with orange and
crushed pineapple juice with a dash of grenadine

After the drinks came we sat there patiently eager to get right into the good food that we were about to be served. Ten minutes later the first dish came. It was quite delicious, but in the poorly lit restaurant I was not fully able to appreciate it. It was only later in the photos that I took that I realised the food actually was not very visually appealing. But then again different people may have different views about this. You be the judge. 

NUMBER ONE SPECIAL: Crab salad with avocado, wrapped in
Hiramasa kingfish and baked with Kobe Jones secret sauce

After the first dish it was about another 20 minutes until we got the next one. We originally thought that the 11 pieces in the set menu would be separate courses like the way it is in a degustation menu. I mean the full price of the set menu was a lot more than a degustation menu, so I figured that it would have just as much to offer as one. Unfortunately the menu was a little deceptive. The next 4 dishes came together on a plate. Each was one piece of food that looked  more like a piece of canape than something that could be counted as an individual item in a set menu. The pieces tasted good, not fantastic, but good. Under the flash, I still thought the food did not scream delicious, they just look quite mysterious with the exception of the lollypop sushi (I don't know about you but I usually like to be able to make out what I am putting into my mouth). Again... I will let you be the Judge.

SEAFOOD POKE, ANAGO SCALLOPS, OYSTER SHOOTER,
LOLLYPOP SUSHI, DYNAMITE TUNA HANDROL

Just one more thing to say about that plate. The oyster shooter tasted horrible. I have never tasted something that bad before. The oyster was fine as long as you don't drink the rest of whatever that was in that shot glass. The lollypop sushi was cute but my favourite was the Hawaiian sashimi cubes marinated in Poke sauce. 


By the time we were waiting for the next dish we were sort of hoping that things would get better. After 20 minutes the next dish came and I really thought it went full downhill. That dish was just the lowest point in the entire set menu because I had no idea why it had to look the way it looked. Perhaps they thought we would never be able to see what the food looked like given the dim lighting, but even then they could have at least tried to make it delicious right? The taste was actually nice minus the chilli sauce. The first one I had did not have chilli sauce so I was able to appreciate its full flavour. However the chilli sauce completely overwhelmed the dish because I could not taste anything after I tasted the chilli. In fact it took my boyfriend 10 minutes to get feeling back into his mouth again.

BONDI ROLL - Oven-baked prawns, layered on a crab salad avocado roll, with
special cream sauce and spicy rush with chilli (definitely an understatement)

The next dish must have taken 30minutes to come out. That was just poor. It was just Alaskan crab legs. Emphasis on legs, it was definitely not an entire Alaskan crab, which was the impression given by the name of the dish. I must say that the Alaskan crab leg meat tasted nice and sweet, and that was very much to my surprise. Just a bit disappointed with the quantity. You only get 2 crab legs for 2 people. Definitely not even trying to make it value for money. 

ALASKAN CRAB - Grilled to highlight the sweetness and served in the
shell with fresh lime (Again... legs only, total misrepresentation)

So far, pretty much let down since the second dish came out. I was hoping that having waited 30 minutes for the wagyu dish it would be blow-your-mind delicious. But based on previous experience I was not holding my breath. When the wagyu dish finally came on, it was again very disappointing. It had only enough meat on the hot plate for one person. Nevertheless the experience was really interesting, I had never cooked wagyu cubes on a heated piece of marble before. The meat was not high grade wagyu. Having had grade 9 wagyu before, the grade they served was just a bit tough. If you blindfolded me, I would not have been able to identify it as wagyu. It looked and smelled great though. I guess that may be some consolation.

WAGYU HOT ROCK - Never have been served only 12 small cubes of meat to eat between 2

Next thing you know we have finished all the mains if they could be called that. It felt a lot like I just ate a few pieces of canapes or some taste testers. So on to dessert. It took about another 20 minutes for them to bring the cheesecake. We chose cheesecake as my boyfriend had had their creme brulee before. When it came he said that the cheesecake was clearly not as good as the creme brulee. Also we just could not get over how small they were. Each was about 2cm x 4cm x 2cm. Tiny. However I liked the chocolate chopsticks that came along. Then again I could not have anything else as I am lactose intolerant. But it was good knowing that I was not missing out on anything. 

SUSHI ME 2: Vanilla cheesecake, fresh fruits topping, served with
almond sauce and our famous chocolate chopstick (TINY)

Overall the entire experience was a really really huge disappointment. I would never go back again to the restaurant even if there was another discount. I can't believe I will never get my $77 and 150minutes of my life back ( Yes the entire meal went beyond two and half hours). 


Thank god I could rant about this. Haha. 


xox


Z

Aroma Festival 2011

Last Sunday was the Sydney Aroma Festival held at The Rocks. I decided to go again this year with my boyfriend and close friend Mel. The festival was more crowded than it was last year but oddly it made it even more fun. 

We first sampled some coffee beans coated in dark chocolate. They were amazing so I bought a pack for mum. She is now addicted to them. When it approached lunch time we happened pass a very nice stall that was handing our pieces of falalfel and naturally we took some. To my amazement it tasted amazing! I had never had falalfels before. Next thing you know Mel and I both ordered a falalfel burger and my boyfriend ordered a Wagyu beef mince burger. The burgers were so filling that it really made it hard for us to sample foods later. Nevertheless it was a rookie error that we were willing to make again if necessary. 

As we continued to walk around The Rocks we came to the stall with the best corn in Sydney. The stall is there every Saturday too. There was a huge line, but from past experience I knew it would be a worthwhile wait. This time I got mine buttered and coated with chilli sauce (I am salivating as I am typing this) but usually I find that buttered with salt and pepper tastes really fantastic as well. It is amazing how there is always extra room in one's stomach for some really nice corn even after a very filling meal.

The infamous 'The Rock's corn'

After the corn we continued the search for more yummy food. I saw some mini cupcakes but there was no way I was going to eat more food. I was really really full. My boyfriend and I spotted a person with a delicious looking chicken skewer, and it was game on for him to search for the stall selling those skewers. As we followed the trail of people walking away with chicken skewers we came across this huge stall with a massive line. So we waited. He was happy with the skewer but he thought that it could have been marinated for longer.

Cute mini cupcakes

The chicken skewer we searched the festival for

After finishing the skewer my boyfriend wanted to have dessert. I was shocked that he could still eat. Then Mel seconded his suggestion that we all get fresh churros. So again we went looking for churros. On our way my boyfriend took this photo of a chocolate strawberry and fruit bouquet. Lots of people were gathered around to look at it and take photos. I have to admit it is quite refreshing.

The stall selling the fresh churros was very popular and had a 10m line in front of it. That's only a sign that the churros are really really awesome. So we waited again and it paid off. The churros were beautiful and tasted so crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Dipped in the chocolate sauce, the whole thing was the best ending to a very delicious and aromatic day.

Chocolate strawberry and fruit bouquet

Mel and I standing in the line for churros

Those awesome golden churros

Mel enjoying her awesome chocolate dipped churros

Great festival! Next year I will get there early and line up for the spuds-on-a-stick stall. I had it last year and it was great. Essentially it involved spiral cut potatos skewered onto sticks and fried so that it ends up looking like chips on a stick. Brilliant.


xox

Z

Eastern beaches tour: Coogee Beach, Clovelly, Bondi Beach, Bronte

Belated post.



Last week my family, my boyfriend and I went to tour the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Mum used to work there and was reminiscing the good old times. She was curious about the change that had taken place since she moved on from her old work. For me, it was interesting to visit the place of all her work stories. Coincidentally I had not visited the eastern beaches for over a year now, therefore it was good to visit those places again.

Our first stop was Coogee. It was a really sunny day so the photos turned out great. I love the rock pools. I went there with my boyfriend before we started to date. It was summer, and we went for a swim in the natural rock pool and it was just one of the most fantastic experiences I have had at a beach. The waves would roll over the rocks and make the rocks shimmer. When it got hot you could just sit on a rock, lay back and get a nice tan. If you were lucky, every now and then a small wave would come and just barely wash over the rock you were laying on, giving you a nice break from the heat.

This time I took out my new camera and started snapping away instead. Being winter, I did not see anyone braving the cold to swim in the rock pool. However it was still fun climbing the rocks. The others went on to spy on little crabs and sea creatures hiding under rocks.

The rock pool (I like lying on the rock in the centre of the photograph)

Sitting in the sun, breathing fresh air and watching the waves roll in... what better way to spend a weekend.

View of Coogee beach from the rock pool

Mum on the edge of this continent

View of Clovelly from Coogee

Our next stop, Clovelly, was just as amazing. I went there to view the sunrise with my boyfriend when we first started dating. I remember vividly how we sat on the edge of a cliff watching the sky change from dark gray (it was a cloudy day unfortunately) to light grey and then finally revealing a small slip of ray as the sun passed the horizon. There was a car park next to the cliff, filled with cars belonging to those who traveled to see the beautiful view. This time as we were parked and sitting in the car having some snacks, a couple parked next to us with the back of their small ute/truck facing the ocean view. We watched as they got out with their lunch and sat on the back of the vehicle and laid back enjoying the sun and their meal. I thought to myself that their idea was ingenious.

When we finally left the car, we were all very excited by the sound of the crashing waves. As we approached the edge of the cliff, we could see splashes coming from the impact of the waves against the rocks. It was very beautiful. Walking around Clovelly and the small family friendly beach I began to appreciate the lifestyle that people enjoyed in Sydney. Nested in various areas around the beach there were orange semi-nude men and women in their swimwear, young parents pushing their baby in a pram, packs of tourists, young families enjoying a lunch at the beach or at the adjacent cafe, and fishermen perched on the edge of cliffs pulling in large breams. It was a lovely scene.

My brother settling into the Australian lifestyle

Beautiful view from the top of the cliff

Waves would come up through a hole in the rocks

Beautiful live sea snails

Next was the infamous Bondi Beach. We headed there when we realised that it was 1:30pm and we just really wanted to eat lunch. After explaining to mum that the best ribs in Sydney were found at Bondi Beach, we drove straight to Bondi Hurricanes and ordered 2 full lamb rack combos and 1 half lamb rack and half-chicken combo with a caesar salad. Let me just say, between the four of us we still had a full lamb rack leftover. It was so delicious but impossible to finish without making our stomachs explode. Great idea but I was enjoying the food so much that I forgot to take photos. Oops.

Our final stop was Bronte. I was not familiar with the name, but when I got there I realised that I had been to the place before... at 2am in the morning after a party. The place was so serene at night without a soul in sight last time, but this time it was filled with young families and young people. As I approached the beach I saw small children riding with their parents in a mini-train going round and round, laughing so happily. Brought back great childhood memories. When I walked up along the right side of the beach towards the top of the cliff, I passed a man-made aquamarine rock pool that looked so pretty against the turquoise sea, I made a mental note that I should come back and swim there in the summer.

The beach and the rocks

A seabird enjoying the view from its pedestool

My boyfriend looking effortlessly handsome ( I love this portrait of him, there's something about those rocks that capture him as a person)

I had so much fun that day. It made me realise that Australia has so much to offer, so much beauty that it was not necessary to travel far or spend too much money to witness true natural beauty.

xoxo

Z

Caution: Newbie photographer

I recently bought a Canon 550D with twin lens kit. I am thoroughly excited.

When I finished reading the manual from start to finish I began taking amateur photos. I took so many photos of the same thing just to test the camera and I love it. Check these out! *Beware the amateurish quality of these photos*

Truffles (chilling in the sun)

Fufu (he has since gotten a proper body and face clip)

 

 

Ex-windchime

I've got a lovely pair of sea urchins

If you have not had fresh sea urchin, you may be amazed to know that those spiky exteriors hold such soft tender flesh. The Japanese have been enjoying the flavour and texture of the sea urchin flesh for centuries. I have only discovered it for a little over a year. 

 

I was at first a little sceptical of foods that are raw AND orange-coloured. (I have always had a serious doubt about foods that are orange in colour - it's just not normal) The first time I tried it, it was not fresh. I could tell because it tasted really strong, and if you could taste the air in the fish market it would be that taste. The next time I tried it, it was great because it was just scooped out of a sea urchin. 

Today I have in my possession two small containers full of sea urchin flesh. I only wish I could persuade other sceptics to join me and savour the lovely flavour and texture of the slimy sea urchin flesh. I think it is not a lost battle yet. Who wouldn't want to put slimy and raw orange-coloured tongue-looking things into their mouth?

 

That chubby sausage

Introducing the one with the long body and a chubby stomach. Her name is Truffles. 


At night you can hear light snoring leaving her small coiled up body. When she has overstayed her invitation to my room, she turns her head just enough to avoid my pondering gaze. She thinks she's fooled me into believing that she's asleep. Playing possum is her favourite night time game, one that can only be played with me. I can never bare the thought of making her leave my warm room and go back into the cold dark night. Even if the white fluffy one keeps her warm and company. His name is Fufu.


This morning, I taught them a good trick. It is called "Hi 5", but really I only need to tell them to sit first and place my palm near their front legs. They understand what they must do: raise the left paw and place it in my palm. I am thinking of improving this to "extreme Hi 5", which involves jumping into the air and doing the trick. If that proves to be impossible, I might just settle for teaching them how to "Hi 5" each other.