Need... not a want

What's currently in the freezer- Hokey Pokey and Banana & Salted Caramel.

I have a strong feeling that this Gelato phase won't end anytime soon. So much so, my household has created a rule: There must be Gelato in the freezer at any one time.

Joe Black

A few shots from my recent visit to Joe Black.

Follow them on twitter!

Vienna Philharmonic

Last week I was lucky enough to see the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra perform both of their programs for their Australian Tour.

Night One's program was:

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 Unfinished
MAHLER Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Matthias Goerne, baritone)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8

Night Two's program was:

BRAHMS  Tragic Ouverture
MOZART Symphony No.34 K. 338
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4 Romantic

The orchestra was conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, who I have to say is one of the most fascinating conductors I've seen. 

On a more personal note- I love attending concerts of a higher calibre for the mere reason that the audience is so much more respectful and really share a great common interest. Although, one thing I found surprisingly amusing was that a large percentage of the audience were of the older generation and each time there was a break between movements all you could hear was everyone letting out all the coughs and sneezes that were held onto whilst the orchestra was performing.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience. Until next time!

Wokstar

Last night's meat dish.

Chicken marinated in Kecap Manis, dark Soy sauce, Sugar and some other things.

Coconutz

Coconut time!

And below is what you could call Vietnam's Okonomiyaki, Tortilla or Crepe. Made from a batter of some sort (not too sure of) and filled with beef, bean sprouts and spring onions. Yummy!

Kurtosh

Yes, that picture above is the address of the 2 week old Kurtosh in Randwick. We had to walk up and around The Spot to find this awesome new Hungarian bakery as the address was no where to be found.

Still in it's early days this place is already offering a great selection of European pastries. As you walk further into the shop you see a woman at the window creating these hollow coiled golden brown cylinders, also known as Kurtosh- hence the cafe's name.
Out of respect of the owners I couldn't include photos of that corner so hopefully my explanation will do it justice.

This place has a rustic feel with tiled walls and wooden furniture. Warm glowing industrial lights hanging from the ceiling and marble bench tops. Sorry, now back to the Kurtosh. 

They offer them covered in several different things such as hazelnut, pistachio, hundreds and thousands and cinnamon. We got the Pistachio to take home. Also ready to take home are chocolate and custard filled goodies known as Babka's, and other sweet loafs. 

To have there, we had the Raspberry Cheesecake, Three Nut Slice and Pain au Chocolat. I was really impressed with the Pain au Chocolat- disregarding it's size I think this is the best I've had since being in France. The pastry was so light and buttery.

Another plus of this cafe/bakery is that they sell their pastries and cakes by weight, the more reason to try everything!

The staff were all friendly and happily took us through the pastries. I should also mention that they use Mecca coffee.

I'll definitely be back soon!

Sushi Suma

Sushi Suma- 421 Cleveland St. Redfern

At the top is where I was drooling over the menu for District Dining. We stupidly rocked up without a booking as going out to dinner was a last minute idea and shamefully had to go elsewhere.

Not too far away was Sushi Suma which I've been hearing rave reviews about, perfect, it was time to confirm this for myself!

Upon walking in it looked busy and smelt great. Then... we got seated at the worst possible table. First impression- not so good.

After asking to be moved the shouting waiter hesitantly took us upstairs where it was a bit quieter. I was apprehensive on sitting upstairs because waiters are notorious for neglecting the quieter areas. After a while of waiting for the menu that thought was justified.

Mind over matter, I was adamant that I had to try the food so we went and got our own menu's. We chose our dishes and after another while we then had to go downstairs and fetch the waiter.

It's fair to say that service was quite negligent. 

Not too long after ordering, our entrees came out. Getting better.

We got the Edamame, Gyoza, Cream Croquette and Yakitori to start. The Edamame, Croquette and Yakitori didn't disappoint, as for the Gyoza- I still haven't found Gyoza's in Sydney that even slightly compare to the norm in Japan. I think it's because Sydney joints deep fry them as opposed to steam then sear the bottom. 

Soon after we finished the entrees, the mains came out. Fast! Awesome.

For mains we got a dish of Katsu, a set of Sashimi and a pot of Tofu with rice. The Sashimi was the stand-out for me. Fresh and beautifully cut. The Katsu a bit too overcooked for my liking.

In the end I was satisfied and pretty much had to roll out of the restaurant. Although, the food was reasonable I don't think I'll be back any time soon merely because of the service. It definitely brought the overall mood down.

Coffee at The Little Marionette, in the studio with Kyrah, a Nutella sandwich, one massive hot pot at Bach Dang and (not so good) Indian take-out from The Last Train to Bombay.