Free slurpees tomorrow

According to the Slurpee website, Nov. 7 is 7-Eleven Day:

Come and visit us at your local 7-Eleven store [from 7am to 11pm on Nov. 7], and say "Happy 7-Eleven Day" to the person behind the counter for your free small Slurpee.

Yum!

Sugar Hit @ Shangri-la Hotel

This Sugar Hit had been three weeks in the planning. A couple of friends and I finally managed to find a night when all of us were free for some chocolatey goodness.

It's not difficult to see why the Shangri-la's Sugar Hit appealed to us:

Chocolate Lovers Plate - Trio of Rhubarb & White Chocolate gelato, 70% Excellence macaron with raspberry ganache and Roast Banana gianduja mousse on a coconut crisp.

Pretty much an menu item that purports to cater to the chocolate lover will get my attention.

The Lobby Lounge at the Shangri-la was by far the most comfortable Sugar Hit venue I've been to. The couches were huge and soft--perfect for, well, lounging about. When we walked in, someone was playing the grand piano. Definitely a great start to the night.

For the first time this month, I was offered a choice between the cognac and the dessert wine. One of my dinner companions--having been to numerous Sugar Hits already--asked what tyoe of Brown Brothers wine they had. It turns out that they had the Sienna, which was a red dessert wine. My friends were sold, while I chose the cognac for variety.

The drinks arrived first, and the cognac was strong. Over the course of the night, I don't think I even got halfway through the glass. My friends said the dessert wine was good.

Henessy Cognac VC (front)
Brown Brothers Sienna (back)

Of course, the main event of the night was the tasting plate. When it came out, there were looks of awe and grins of anticipation. The waiter named each dessert on the plate, but all I heard was "Blah, blah, blah," as we smiled politely and waited for him to leave so we could dig in. After he did leave, we contemplated the best order in which to tackle the plate.

Sugar Hit - $20

It was obvious we had to start with the strawberry (because it was sitting on the spoon). The fruit was firm, not sour but not too sweet either. I would have liked more chocolate, but it could have been swimming in melted Valrhona and I'd still want more, so maybe that's not saying much.

Then we tasted the mousse. It was sooooooo good. I had my doubts about banana and mousse together, but it wasn't banana-flavoured chocolate as I'd feared. A piece of sweet banana sat above the base and covered with the mousse. My friend, who ate the mousse from the top down, exclaimed, "Oh, so there's the banana!" Which was nothing compared to my dumb moment of the night:

Friend: The pear is nice.
Me: What pear? Isn't it a coconut crisp?
(Confusion all around as everyone stares suspiciously at their plates.I grab the menu.)
Me: It says "coconut crisp" on the menu!
(Silence, which I assume might have been my friends wondering what kind of airhead I am.)
Me: Um, or maybe it is a pear.
Other friend (managing to almost hide his sarcasm by not rolling his eyes): I think the mousse is on top of the coconut crisp.
Me (sheepish): Ahhhh...I was wondering! 'Cos didn't think it looked like coconut--coconut is white!

*sigh*

Anyway, I dug into the gelato after a few bites of the mousse, and the effect was almost like having a banana split. *g* The gelato was underwhelming after the mousse. We agreed it wasn't bad for something that was masquerading as chocolate even though it had no cocoa, but it tasted pretty much like vanilla gelato. There were swirls of rhubarb flavour, but mine didn't have enough for me to appreciate it (although I think my friend got an actual rhubarb bit).

We finished the plate off by savouring the macaron, which was airy and just delightful. The filling was surprisingly rich. While I would have liked more, more, more (it was a very small macaron), it was probably just the right size for the plate. Any more and the sweetness would have overpowered everything.

We sat around for another couple of hours chatting away. Did I mention how comfy the couches were? I wanted to take them home. The service was excellent. We pretty much overstayed our welcome, but we never felt like the staff were trying to bundle us out.

I had such a great experience that I'm planning to come back soon with my husband. I also hear their buffet upstairs is good, so it's on my list to try.

By far, this was the best Sugar Hit of the month for me. I hope they're back next year!

Lobby Lounge - Shangri-la Hotel
176 Cumberland St, The Rocks
02 9250 6198

Sugar Hit @ One on 1 Brasserie

Miz M and I were planning to go the Sheraton to attack the dessert buffet ($29 during GFM), but when I made a booking for 10pm, I was told that the kitchen closes at 10pm--including the dessert buffet. Bummer.

So Miz M and I perused the GFM Sugar Hit offerings and decided to try the Radisson:

Heavenly Morsels - triple the tastesation with Roasted macadamia nut and Quandong Crème Brûlée, Mixed Berry Crêpe Stack & 5 Spice Panacotta with Palm Glaze.

The night started off as a kind of comedy of errors. Just as I was about to sneak out of the house, the toddler woke up. "I want to play!" *sigh* Luckily, Rob was able to shuffle him back to bed while I made my escape, crossing my fingers that the twins won't wake up.

Then, we went to the wrong Radisson. The Sugar Hit is not at O'Connell Street, but at Liverpool Street. Luckily, the parking gods were with us, and it wasn't a big hassle.

When we arrived at the brasserie, it was packed. We had to wait a minute while the waiter prepared us a table. The service declined further during the night, improving only when we managed to flag a waiter--more than 15 minutes after we arrived--and asked about our Sugar Hits. Miz M is a little more assertive than I am and mentioned our 9:30 reservation *hint, hint* and our desserts came out within 5 minutes (meanwhile, four girls at the table next to us were still waiting even though they were already seated when we came in).

As usual, we weren't given a choice between the wine and the cognac--we got the wine. It was lovely and fruity and sweet, but we made the mistake of digging straight into the panacotta. After that, the wine tasted pretty horrible. I suggest drinking the wine before tackling the sweet options on the plate, or after the entire dessert has been consumed and your tongue has had a chance to reset.

Sugar Hit $20

I'm not a huge fan of panacotta and didn't have very high expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by the spicy flavour. Miz M declared it to be her favourite dessert so far (she's been to the Sheraton and the Swissotel). I liked it a lot, but I thought there was too much of it. The palm glaze was yummy and sticky, reminding me of those slightly runny toffees you sometimes get at a cake stall.

The crepe looked lovely, although it seemed bland after the panacotta. Perhaps I should have tasted this first before I delved into the sweeter offerings. The berries were encased in red jelly, and the strawberries at the bottom were deliciously sweet. The crepe was a little meh and would have been nicer if it had been warm and slightly sweeter.

I saved the creme brulee for last. Alas, no crunch. For a dessert that took more than 15 minutes to arrive, this was a disappointment. The taste, however, was excellent. The texture was thicker than I'm used to in a creme brulee, but perfect for my preference because it came very close to tasting like leche flan (Filipino creme caramel). The roasted macadamia nuts inside the creme brulee added a contrast that made the custard taste less eggy. I could have eaten it all night.

In fact, when we finally scraped off the last bit of custard, jelly and glaze from our plates, I looked morosely at our empty plates, sighed and admitted, "I want another one."

One on 1 Brasserie
Radisson Hotel & Suites
72 Liverpool St, Sydney
02 8268 8888

See the sidebar for a round-up of Good Food Month in blogland.

High Tea @ Swissôtel

I had my not-a-baby-shower shower at the Swissotel's Crossroads Bar. The high tea buffet had been taunting my brain for a few months--cravings, anyone?--and it was the perfect opportunity to sample what I'd heretofore only read about and salivated on Grab Your Fork.

I wasn't disappointed, although I had baby brain at the time (at 36-and-a-half weeks) and didn't even think to take down notes on what I had. So I think I'll leave this as a kind of photoessay instead.

Caramel slices topped with pecans

Maccaroons

Fresh fruit for the chocolate fountain

Creme brulee and chocolate mousse

Lemon meringue tarts

Pistacchio, pecan and caramel tarts

Chocolate eclairs, strawberry shots, and a chocolate tart

I should mention that service was great at the start and miserable at the end. Considering we booked a table for 20 people, we expected some extra special lovin'. We settled for the chocolate fountain instead.

Chocolate fountain

Swissôtel High Tea at Crossroads Bar
68 Market Street (cnr George St), Sydney
02 9238 8888
$29 per head, 2pm-4pm

Chocolateria San Churro opening in Glebe

Walking along Glebe Point Road near the corner where you turn to go to Broadway, I spotted a sign saying the Chocolateria San Churro is opening soon. (I would have taken a picture, but I was walking with someone from my mother's group, and I didn't want her to think I'm weird.) I've tasted their wares in Melbourne, and even though I wasn't particularly impressed with their overfried churros, the hot chocolate was to die for. (I'm easy that way.) So bring it on. I just hope they hire people who actually know something about chocolate, because the folks in Melbourne just gave me a blank look when I asked them if they sold chocolate pots.

Champorado

One of my favourite home-made Filipino desserts is champorado. I'm not sure how this dish got its name, but in English I call it "chocolate rice". Which is pretty much what it is. (I suppose you can call it chocolate rice pudding.)

As a child, I loved the ritual of adding sugar to my bowl of champorado, followed by swirls of milk. My dad used to form our initials when he poured milk ... kind of like coffee art, but low-tech. *lol* I used to make swirls and curls and sometimes I'd try to fit more than one milky initial into my bowl, usually with disastrous effects. I used to love my champorado drenched in milk, but as I grew up, my taste buds adjusted themselves and now I very rarely add milk anymore--yes, even when we used top-notch cocoa and ended up with a very dark result (see below).

In the past few weeks, Mum has been coming over to help out with the new babies--yes, I had twins!--and what better time to absorb all her cooking shortcuts and tips? Yesterday she talked me through how to make this delicious concoction that even Rob, who usually declines chocolate fare--much to my delight since it means I won't have to share my dessert--has at least two helpings whenever champorado is being served.

The timing couldn't be better. Cupping a steaming bowl of champorado, inhaling its delicious aroma, and taking that first spoonful of chocolatey goodness ... what a delightful way to beat the winter chill.

Champorado
1 cup glutinous rice
5 cups water
2 tbsp (heaped) cocoa
2-3 squares cooking chocolate or tablea (optional)
3-4 tbsp (heaped) sugar
milk

1. Put rice and water in a medium sized saucepan. Cover and place on high heat.
2. Mix cocoa and sugar in a small bowl. Add hot water to dissolve, and remove lumps. Stir mixture into the saucepan using a wooden spoon.
   
3. Add chocolate squares into the saucepan and stir.
4. When the water boils, reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is plump.
5. Add milk and extra sugar to taste just before serving.

Cooking tips
- The darker the cocoa, the more sugar and milk you'll need. You don't need to use high-quality cocoa. My mum uses the no-name brand and no one has ever complained about the quality of her champorado.
- Don't skip step 2 or the chocolate will be lumpy.
- The cocoa can be substituted entirely with chocolate squares or tablea (or vice versa), but it may affect the texture of the champorado. You may need to experiment a bit to get the quantities right.

This recipe is usually good enough for about 4 people, but if you love this dessert and haven't had it in a while then 2 people can probably go through the entire recipe within 24 hours. Rob and I fairly inhaled it in one sitting. The picture above shows what was left after we were done. Yes, after one sitting.

Fudge & kisses - Sugar Fix

Rob hasn't organised anything for my birthday, and he was sneaky enough to let me know this in advance. To manage my expectations.

But I've been expecting this, what with newborn twins in the nursery, and I was smart enough to let him know where he can get me some temporary love while he sorts himself out.

Thank goodness for Sugar Fix. When I discovered their store at Sydney Central Plaza, I nearly squealed with glee. I may have squeaked and quivered. I found a huge box of Toffifee and that clinched the deal--I was in lust. Unfortunately, they didn't have them anymore when I came back, but they do sell Hershey's Kisses and Reese's cups. Mmm...

But how to purchase these treats without feeling guilty? Easy. I told Rob to check out their marzipan, and now he goes there willingly...and buys me chocolate every time he gets his marzipan. :-)

And if you're reading this, thinking about what a selfless husband I have, you should know that he will probably eat at least half the fudge in that box. I may have to hide it.

Sugar Fix
Sydney Central Plaza, Pitt Street Mall
(in the food court, across from Mrs Fields and New Zealand ice cream)
02 9222 1491

Desperately seeking churros

Churros (based on Dean Derhak's recipe)
vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar

1. Heat water, margarine and salt to rolling boil in saucepan; stir in flour.
2. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
3. Beat eggs until smooth, then add to saucepan while stirring mixture.
4. Spoon mixture into cake decorators' tube with large star tip (like the kind use to decorate cakes).
5. Squeeze strips of dough into hot oil. Fry 3 or 4 strips at a time until golden brown, turning once.
6. Drain on wire rack.
7. Roll churros in sugar or dump the sugar on the pile of churros.

Right. So the end result didn't exactly match what I had in mind. You'll see from the picture above what churros should look like, more or less. And here's how mine turned out.

Homemade churros con chocolate

My main problem was not having the right equipment. I really needed a larger star tip. Much larger. Not just that, the decorator's tube kept collapsing. In the end, I gave up and used rolled up baking paper (Mum swears by it, but she's had heaps of practice) so my churros looked like soft little worms.

Taste-wise, I found this recipe quite bland. However, this might be partly due to my equipment problems. I read that using the right star tip is essential as it allows the churros to cook evenly all around (rather than being soft and soggy in the middle).

Some Valrhona drinking chocolate rounded off this little experiment and kept me reasonably happy despite the mixed results and massive clean-up afterwards.

Why I bought Ferrero Rocher as back-up

So I had this bright idea of making sugar cookies for Christmas, to be shaped and decorated by KB. How cute! you say.

Well.

First, I don't know how to cream butter. So I doubled the recipe in order to incorporate the not-so-creamy stuff into the hopefully creamier stuff. Didn't work.

Luckily, I have Mum as a freelance consultant. Just go on with the recipe, she says. The flour should put everything back together.

Next, I discovered why I shouldn't attempt double recipes with a freaking hand mixer. Luckily, the dough looked relatively doughy so the effort was worth it.

Five phone calls and one broken plate later, I had everything mixed, bagged and tucked in the freezer. I forgot to double the salt content, but whatever.

Tonight, we will attempt to roll, cut, bake and decorate these suckers. Then, I'm going to recruit the hubby into bagging those babies, ready to be handed out tomorrow night.

Oh god, please let me survive Christmas.

Sugar Hit - Park Hyatt

After several failed attempts, I finally managed to snare a reservation at the Park Hyatt to sample their Sugar Hit. Yay, me! I had been looking forward to this Sugar Hit since Wednesday:

Chocolate and saffron infused poached pear, milk chocolate and caramel crème brulee, and white chocolate and coconut parfait

Saturday night parking at The Rocks is serious business and we considered ourselves lucky to nab a space near the Sydney Dance Theatre. It was a decent walk but the night breeze was refreshing and KB was quite happy to skip along the sidewalk so it wasn't a problem.

We arrived at the Park Hyatt a little after 9pm. I was expecting to be seated at the littlekitchen, but we were directed to a lovely table in the restaurant. KB was seated in a wooden high chair, which was great - I didn't have to act as a human shield between him and the cutlery...and the glassware...and the candle. Although he made quite a valiant attempt to blow out the candle from the other side of the table.

Sadly, the service was just downhill from there. KB kept me amused with his antics and so wasn't until Rob started grumbling that I realised we had been kept waiting. For a very long time. You know it's bad when your toddler looks around with a concerned expression and asks, "Where dessert?" No amount of polite head-straining could stop a waiter. We just couldn't make eye contact with any of them. Rob watched in annoyance as a table of four at the end of the room, who had been seated after us, enjoyed their cool drinks and what looked to be...dessert!

Finally, Rob had to pretty much raise his voice to get the waiter's attention and he told her in a very grave tone that we had been waiting for 20 minutes and watched other people being served, without so much as being offered any drinks. The waiter was suitable apologetic, service picked up considerably, and our Sugar Hits arrived within about 10 minutes.

Sugar Hit @ Park Hyatt - $15

Unfortunately, by this time we were both stressed - having argued over grumpy dining companions, slow service and general dissatisfaction with the world - and increasingly concerned that KB's good cheer would not last long once we passed the late bedtime threshold of 9:30pm. It did help that the waiters were very attentive now, and the maitre'd came over to apologise for keeping us waiting. Rob was quite easily appeased, although I still felt flustered. It's difficult being out so late with a toddler because you know that once you hit a certain time, you're facing all sorts of horrors that you'd rather not have to live through - tantrums, boredom, hyperactivity from sleep deprivation, dirty nappies - any of which are likely to cause an abrupt and probably noisy end to the night.

But back to dessert...

The parfait was delicious and I didn't really taste the coconut flavour at all. There was a lot of chocolate syrup so it ended up tasting a lot more chocolatey than it was probably meant to. KB loved it, though. He refused to eat anything else. Unfortunately, the parfait melted very quickly so I had to eat it first, by default. I would have preferred a much more solid construction because I think the flavour would have come out a bit better.

The wine was surprisingly yummy. I was expecting it to taste the same as all the dessert wines served at the other Sugar Hits I'd been to but for some reason, I found the wine not so sickeningly sweet this time around. It was really, really lovely - neither overpowering nor insipid.

The maitre'd approached us to apologise once again, then came back to ask us if there was anything she could do to make up for the initial stuff up. We were happy to accept her offer of flat whites. Hey, this is a coffee blog after all. :-)

The downside to all the attention was that our dessert was interrupted a few times. I felt quite rushed as the parfait melted and KB started showing signs of overtiredness. Stress before dessert is really not recommended.

The poached pear was suprisingly good. I say this because I am by no means a lover of pears. In fact, I usually find them bland and uninspiring. But this...this was lovely. I could kind of see the saffron but couldn't taste the chocolate at all. The pear sat on what I assume was either cream or mascarpone - if I hadn't been so focused on keeping KB amused, I probably could have taken some time to pay it a little bit more attention - and the amount on the plate was just right for the cute little pear.

I left the crème brulee for last. I was surprised to find it somewhat...pedestrian after the more subtle flavours of the pear and even the parfait. It was very sweet - dare I say it, perhaps too sweet? - but it earned points for having a relatively crackly cap, which is my favourite part of the crème brulee.

In the midst of all this came our free coffees and what I'm going to guess were brandy snap-ish pieces. This will sound pretty shameful for a food blog but I don't know what the nuts were! Honestly, I was so distracted it was all I could do to pay enough attention to whether or not I liked what was going in my mouth. Actually, if I concentrate really hard...I think they were macadamias. Yes, macadamias. Lock it in, Eddie. *phew*

I ended up stuffing myself with the brandy snaps. There was something about them that made me want to pick another one up and stuff it in my mouth. Or maybe the Filipino in me just couldn't bear to waste all the freebies we were given. *grin*

When KB started devising ways to get out of his high chair - "Stuck, Mama, stuck!" - we knew it was time to leave before we traumatised the people at the next table (who, incidentally, had been waiting for about 20 minutes without so much as a follow-up from a waiter). But again, our turtle impersonations and subtle attempts at eye contact got us nowhere with the wait staff. Fortunately, KB found us a waiter, who stopped by to flirt with him. While she was telling KB how gorgeous he was, Rob quickly asked for the bill.

The bill arrived fairly quickly and the freebies were indeed free, which was great. But in what seemed to be the theme for the night, we couldn't snare a waiter long enough to hand them a credit card. After about 5 minutes, I just walked over and handed it to one of the wait staff.

Later, Rob and I would muse over the fact that they interrupted us at least 3 times over dessert to ask us if everything was OK, but every time we actually needed some service, they were nowhere to be found. His theory is that their service is so personalised that for people like us, who are only there for dessert, lack of dedicated wait staff means that you're likely to be overlooked. I'm not sure if this would have happened had we been seated at the littlekitchen.

I'd love to come back for dinner one day. I cast very longing looks at some of the meals being served to people around us - and with all the waiting we had to do, I saw a lot of plates pass by. The portions were very generous and Rob said they smelled wonderful.

I was really disappointed that I couldn't enjoy this Sugar Hit more due the poor start we had. I do think that in terms of taste, it might well have been the best so far. For a tasting plate, I think it's pretty hard to beat. The flavours were subtle and there was enough variety and volumen to make it worth the spend.

Because I couldn't relax properly enough to savour my experience at the Park Hyatt, the Sofitel still gets my vote for best Sugar Hit. Rob is also sticking by the Sebel, which is really interesting because I have a feeling he remembers that night fondly more because of the company and conversation than the dessert itself. Which just goes to show what a difference good service and great conversation can make.

Park Hyatt Sugar Hit
7 Hickson Rd, The Rocks
02 9256 1437

For a round-up of Good Food Month in blogland, go and visit CucinaRebecca.
Technorati tag: gfm06

Darling's Treat Patisserie

I used to have a part-time job in Balmain while I was at uni and it was here that I discovered the profiterole stack and the Nutella pizza.

It's been a while since Darling's Treat Patisserie has sold profiterole stacks as a matter of course. Nowadays, they only make them to order. Which is a bit of problem for someone as organisationally-challenged as I am. After about two years of planning to order, I finally did it and picked up my stash this morning.

But before I knew it, Rob wanted morning tea so we all sat down for a little snack and I went home with my dessert box a little lighter. That's right - I ate one on the spot.

It was oh, so very good. But to be honest, not as wonderful as I remembered it. The old profiterole stacks were drenched in soft chocolate, whereas my ordered batch were drenched with cream. I did mention this to the lady at the counter but I was quick to add that it was still very yummy.

It probably just means that it will be some time before I risk buying another one again.

Profiterole stack - $4.50 (order the day before, minimum 2)

Darling's Treat Patisserie
355 Darling St, Balmain
02 981 2301

Sugar Hit - Swissôtel

"Mum, are you still on a diet?" I e-mailed my Mum a couple of weeks ago. "Because there are Sugar Hits to be had this month!"

Sure enough, my mother decided she could break her diet long enough to indulge in some dessert. After finding out that the Park Hyatt was booked out for tonight, I managed to get a reservation at the Swissôtel. Mind you, the first time I was told that no reservation was required. But I'd heard this before so I rang back in the afternoon, spoke to a different person, and was marked down for a table of five.

I was a little apprehensive because I hadn't seen this Sugar Hit on any of the foodie blogs I normally check but I've been to the Swissôtel before and have never had cause to complain about their food. The GFM site described the Sugar Hit thus:

Warm Lindt Ecuador Chocolate Torte with Wattle Seed, Quark Mousse, and a Strawberry Shot

but this really wasn't all that descriptive to me so I asked the lady on the phone what the desserts were like. She told me there would be three items: a chocolate fondue...or rather, a pudding, a cheesecake, and a shot with vodka. Mmm...that sounded pretty damn good to me!

The Sugar Hits were served at the Crossroads Bar but they seemed so popular tonight that many patrons spilled over to the restaurant for seating. My poor Dad arrived ahead of us and felt so lonely sitting all by himself at the far end of the room. The rest of us finally trickled in between 9 and 9:30pm.

I'm not sure if it was because we had a toddler with us and kept moving about but the service seemed very slow. It might have been because we were seated so far away. Whatever the case, our order of four Sugar Hits and one chicken quesadilla with jalapenos took what seemed like ages to arrive.

The dessert wines, though, arrived within fifteen minutes. Although the GFM site stated that we had a choice of dessert wine or scotch, we weren't actually asked our preferences. We all got the Orange Muscat. Which was fine by me as this was what I would have asked for anyway, but I guess I like to be asked. It makes me feel empowered.

Orange Muscat

We watched as patrons who arrived after us tucked into their Sugar Hits. When we got ours at last, I was glad to see that the desserts were plated quite well and not lost in a ridiculously big plate. The chocolate pudding smelled wonderful.

Sugar Hit @ Swissôtel - $15

Unfortunately, my photos suck, partly due to the dim lighting, but mostly due to my brother who insisted on poking everything with a teaspoon. His theory was that I needed some kind of pictorial trademark so people would remember them. Theoretically, not a bad thought, but I'm afraid that random bits of cutlery poking out of my food is not how I want my food pics to be remembered.

The problem with this plate is that I love chocolate and will therefore endeavour to eat it last, if I possibly can. Which means I must go through the cheesecake first, thereby ruining my tastebuds for the less sweet flavour of the chocolate pudding.

Quark mousse, otherwise known as a cheesecake

The cheesecake was, in a word, bland. Even Rob found it unremarkable so that's pretty ordinary indeed. I think it suffered from being in storage all day. The kiwi slices and lone blueberry seemed a somewhat paltry attempt to liven things up.

A view from the top

Alas, the dark chocolate pudding tasted even less sweet after the cheesecake. I was slightly disappointed as I had expected to love it. The cake wasn't too dry but it also wasn't moist enough for my liking. The chocolate inside was also a lot thicker than I would have liked...but maybe that's the difference between a pudding and mud cake with hot chocolate in the middle? I was expecting a moist cake with a hot chocolate centre so that the texture balanced out the lack of sweetness. What I got was a slightly dry, somewhat bitter cupcake with a thick, gooey chocolate filling. It wasn't bad but it also didn't taste as good as it looked.

The strawberry shot was a delightful surprise. Perhaps it's nothing too out of the ordinary but it went down really well and tasted like a refreshing shot of daiquiri. I couldn't taste the vodka at all. It was really refreshing and I wish I had a glass instead of a shot. :-)

In the end, we were all left looking longingly at Dad's quesadillas, which were steaming hot and served with a generous dollop of sour cream. He was kind enough to leave a slice for us to taste. I'm sure that somewhere, there's a rule which says you're supposed to eat dessert last but in my family, this is the one rule we consistently break.

The verdict? Not bad for volume, but in taste it doesn't beat the Sofitel. Rob still likes the Sebel best but keep in mind that he has weird tastebuds.

Swissôtel Sugar Hit
68 Market St, Sydney
02 9238 7082

For a round-up of Good Food Month in blogland, go and visit CucinaRebecca.
Technorati tag: gfm06

Sugar Hit - Sofitel Wentworth

My cousin and I had been trying for a couple of weeks now to hook up for a Sugar Hit. So when she told me she was free tonight, I was on the phone to the Sofitel to book us a table. I was no longer to content to leave my sugar cravings to the vagaries of fate. Which was just as well because when we turned up at 8:55pm, the hostess immediately asked if we had a reservation.

"Yes, we do," I smirked. I think we were first. Yay for us! We were seated at a table for two next to the well. Not very picturesque but I guess the better seats were reserved for bigger groups.

Dare I say it but the service at the Sofitel seemed a little...snooty. I'm not sure if the waiter was just very formal or if it's because I was wearing thongs (stylish thongs, mind you - with a long skirt). All the same, I didn't find the service warm and friendly. However, the desserts arrived relatively quickly and, from the way they were being brought out as the night progressed, the Sofitel either had a good assembly line of kitchen elves or they did a good job of preserving pre-prepared plates. And when it comes to dessert, I do value speed much more than friendly smiles.

I picked the Sofitel on purpose to try with my cousin because Rob is not a big chocolate fan and the dessert here was pretty much all chocolate:

Chocolate assiette - a delicious tasting plate consisting of white chocolate crème brulee, Valrhona bitter chocolate parfait and praline and a berry & milk chocolate terrine.

That description brings out all manners of drool in my mouth but does nothing for Rob. Luckily, my cousin is not a chocolate pleb so she was more than happy to try it out. And oh, what joy to have a dining companion who did not mind me taking pictures of the food AT ALL.

Even at first glance, we were not disappointed. No lonely white spaces on this plate.

Sugar Hit @ Sofitel Wentworth - $15

I was fully expecting to love the berry and milk chocolate terrine best but I found the berry just a little bit too sweet and overpowering. I would have preferred an all-chocolate terrine (which might actually just be a mousse, come to think of it).

Berry and milk chocolate terrine

The bitter chocolate parfait was divine but I made the mistake of eating it at the same time as the terrine. Again, the sweetness of the berry layer dulled the richness of the chocolate. In hindsight, I should probably have eated the parfait first.

Valhrona bitter chocolate parfait and praline (left)

And by the way, is it me or do parfaits normally come in a glass? I became very confused when what looked like a parfait tasted like berries and I was expecting bitter chocolate.

Anyway, my cousin and I agreed that we loved the crème brulee best. It was just so tasty and the sweetness was not overpowering. I would have preferred a cracklier crust but honestly, it didn't bother me too much. I could have eaten it all night.

White chocolate crème brulee

We tried to make this Sugar Hit last but alas, family gossip could only extend dessert so far before we found ourselves empty-plated. I gazed longingly at the other tables where people were just about to have their first taste of these yummy concoctions. Even after the last raspberry was consumed, our spoons continued to scrape our plates. At one point I seriously considered licking the decorative chocolate syrup clean. Discreetly, of course.

My cousin, who has been to three Sugar Hits thus far, pronounced the Sofitel's plate the best she's had so far. And I have to say, it's going to be pretty hard to beat.

Sofitel Wentworth Sugar Hit
61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
02 9228 9157

For a round-up of Good Food Month in blogland, go and visit CucinaRebecca.
Technorati tag: gfm06

Sugar Hit - Sebel Pier One

Actually, this was supposed to be a Park Hyatt Sugar Hit but when I rang to make a reservation, I was told that I didn't need one. "Are you positive?" I asked, not wanting to miss out. I was told that yes, I definitely did NOT need one. So of course, when my friends and I arrived at around 10pm for dessert, I was told they were sold out. And really, no amount of whingeing was going to create three more desserts, just for us.

So we dragged our sugar-deprived bodies across to the Sebel Pier One. They didn't need a reservation. Service was not quite with a smile but hey, they weren't sold out so already our night was improving.

We sat at the lounges as we waited for our sugar hits. In the middle of the floor, there's a large area made of see-through material which allows people to gaze into the running waters below. Rob and BottlaRed (yes, she chose her own pseudonym) pointed out the jellyfish to me and fancied they could see some fish swimming about.

"Hmm, imagine how horrifying it would be to suddenly find a dead body floating in the water," I mused. They looked at me, slightly horrified, but I do think that kind of set up is a bit of a risk. If you've read any decent detective novels lately, you'll know that serial killers like to tie their victims up to those pole things and wait for the high tide to swallow them up. That was the first picture in my head when I looked down.

It took a little while for our desserts to arrive but with BottlaRed getting married in a month, there was plenty of conversation to be had. The Sebel's Sugar Hit is described thus at the GFM site:

Dark chocolate pot with coconut ice cream and champagne strawberries

When I read "dark chocolate pot", I thought of a pot of hot chocolate and was looking forward to cupping this in my hands after the slightly chilly walk from the Park Hyatt. But I soon found out that the description was literally of a pot - well, a small cup - made out of chocolate in which the coconut ice cream sits.

Dark chocolate pot with coconut ice cream and champagne strawberries

I'm not sure why the plate was so big but the poor little pot of ice cream and mound of strawberries seemed dwarfed by big, empty white space.

Sugar Hit on lonely white plate

I'm not a big fan of coconut, so the fact that the coconut ice cream was the piece de resistance didn't do all that much for me. Rob, however, found it delicious. I found the strawberries slightly sour (although Rob claimed his strawberries were sweet) which balanced out the sweetness of the ice cream. The chocolate pot seemed a little pedestrian in the face of these other flavours and was totally overpowered by the ice cream. But maybe I placed too much importance on the chocolate. Maybe it was meant to be more decorative than tasty.

We all had the Orange Muscat Aperitif, which was sweet and delicious. It was a little too sweet for me but my dessert companions loved it.

All in all, it wasn't bad for a back-up hit but I'm definitely looking forward to bigger and better things in the next couple of weeks. Watch me cram sugar into my veins.

Sebel Pier One Sugar Hit
11 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
8298 9910

For a round-up of Good Food Month in blogland, go and visit CucinaRebecca.
Technorati tag: gfm06

My husband's love affair

I wake up late this morning so I tell The Boy to use up my free buffet breakfast. "Oh my god, it was SO good," he gushes, when I ask him if he enjoyed it. "I was there for over an hour!" Later this evening, he casually asks me if I'm having breakfast tomorrow. I tell him I'm not sure - it depends on what time I get up. Pause, then quietly he asks, "Can I have your breakfast?"

We have dinner with different people; the baby goes with me to Balzari. Lygon Street is not yet crowded but a stroller careening through the narrow walkways is treacherous to unprotected feet. I apologise many times, but not very sincerely. The restaurant is surprisingly warm and free of the oppressive boisterousness of maître d's clamouring for business. The waiter helps with the stroller - the baby is a guest, rather than an inconvenience. Actually, the baby is a star.

He is also a glutton. And so am I. Even though I immediately select the rissotto with duck confit and mushrooms, I take another glance at the menu and cannot resist the puff pastry tart with caramelised onion, roma tomato and pesto mascarpone. It's for the baby, of course. Sometimes you unexpectedly discover a dish that is just right on the palate and this is what happens to me. When it turns out the baby doesn't like it, I share a few slices before demolishing the rest. He likes the rissotto, however, and requires two glasses of water to balance the salt content. The baby is so full, he refuses dessert.

We walk to Brunetti and the baby is happy to partake of the affogato - he eats the ice cream, I sip the coffee. I manage less than ten bites of the creme caramel before surrendering it to one of my dinner companions. "I was just about to get another dessert," he grins, as his fork digs into the delectable custard.

Creme caramel and affogato @ Brunetti

Meanwhile, The Boy is in a group of five walking along Brunswick Street. They decide on a Thai restaurant and, upon entering, are asked to take their shoes off. The Boy's friends are very tall. They sit on the floor around a low table and must stoop to eat. Their legs brush against each other. "Stop playing footsies!" they accuse one another, feigning outrage. Talk turns to the tennis players staying at their hotel. "I'm getting together with Sharapova," boasts one. "I woke up and she was lying next to me," claims another. "She's cheating on me!" roars a third. The table explodes in mirth.

The baby is asleep and I'm surfing the Web when The Boy quietly slips into the room. As he goes through his night-time routine, he asks me what time I'm getting up tomorrow. I assume he's setting the alarm so I shrug, which in the condensed language of our marriage means I'm trusting him with the decision. He is distracted as he goes through the final motions of preparing for bed. Finally, he tells me, "I want to take the baby to daycare at eight o'clock in the morning." I'm puzzled for a moment, then laugh as he sheepishly admits, "I want to be back in time for breakfast!"

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It seems my husband is having a love affair with this city. As he falls asleep, with eyes closed and a small, contented smile, he whispers, "I love it here. Let's move to Melbourne."

Café La
Sofitel Melbourne
25 Collins St, Melbourne
03 9653 7744

Balzari
130 Lygon St, Carlton
03 9639 9383

Brunetti
194-204 Faraday St, Carlton
03 9347 2801

Just a lot of waffle

The good news is that I visited Waffle On (formerly known as "the Belgian waffle stall") on Degraves.

The bad new is that they're closed. So I sent the owner a text message...and found out that they won't be open at all this week.

The good news is that I found more exciting waffle places.

The bad news is that I may not have time to go there.

I think I might cry...

Corn ice cream

My very first favourite ice cream flavour was not, as people might suspect, chocolate. Not even close. It was, in fact, corn.

Yes, corn.

When I was a kid, my Lolo (grandfather) would take me to his country club and treat me to ice cream. I could pick any flavour I wanted and I'm sure I sampled them all: chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry, ube (taro), cheese and the ever-yummy corn. I loved feeling the corn kernels popping in my mouth amid a swirl of sweet ice cream.

But we moved to Sydney and I thought that corn ice cream would forever be lost to me.

So imagine my surprise when I was walking around Melbourne's Crown Casino and happened to look in on the Japanase takeaway counter at the food court.

Long lost tropical ice cream flavours at Crown Casino food court

Coconut. Taro. Sweet corn pumpkin. And even durian. There they were, those tropical ice cream delights. I could scarcely believe my eyes. I might have even squealed.

I tried some sweet corn pumpkin on a cone. After twenty years, it was even better than I remembered. For this alone, I could move to Melbourne.

Japanese takeaway
Crown Casino Food Court
8 Whiteman St, Southbank
(the food court is along the promenade overlooking the Yarra River)

Lindt Café, Martin Place

A couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to the glory that is the Lindt café. Yes, kiddies, read it and weep: Sydney has the very first, one and only Lindt concept store.

Before I wax lyrical, it's at 53 Martin Place (corner of Phillip St, behind Hotel Chambers). A nondescript brown building into which people disappear quite frequently. Don't bother reading the end of this post - just GO!

For the rest of you ... allow me to gloat as there are very few luxuries we actually get in Sydney, let alone have first! OK, so we have Tim Tams, but that's because we made them up.

S,o back to Lindt ... so far, I've tried the hot dark chocolate and the iced milk chocolate. Both were equally delicious. I need to taste them again to decide which is better.

I also had half a slice of their hazelnut gateaux--soooo divine, I can't even begin to describe it. I almost had a gastrorgasm at work while devouring it. Next time, I will buy a slice to eat in the privacy of my dining table. But first, I have to try the other cakes on offer. Cos, you know, I wouldn't want to be accused of not having an open mind ... or mouth, as the case may be.

This afternoon, after dreaming about it the entire day, I braved the chill to buy an Excellence 70% Tart. It's a chocolate tart filled with Excellence chocolate (70% cocoa). The tart is stashed away and hidden in our room because I really, really don't want to share it so I have to eat it when everyone else in the house is asleep.

At $7 each, the cake slices aren't cheap but if the hazelnut gateaux was anything to go by, it's definitely worth it. Even sharing it with one other person, there was more than enough to keep me happy--and that's saying a lot for a chocolate slut like me who will eat any half-decent brand (yes, I'm talking Cadbury, Nestlé, and even Goya) in great quantities.

My problem now is that the café is only a 5-minute walk from work. I can't stop thinking about it and the lovely, yummy goodness within. It beckons me, every minute of my working day.

It's lovely.
It's excruciating.
It's going to make me fat.

It's great to live Sydney.

Lindt Café
53 Martin Place, Sydney