Wednesday, June 29, 2011

My night cooking at SIDART!

 
Three Lamps Plaza
Level 1/283 Ponsonby Road
Ponsonby
(09) 360 2122

 
www.sidart.co.nz

I won a night helping out at SIDART restaurant in Ponsonby via Ruby’s List. I was nervous but excited as I walked the steps up to the sliding door of the restaurant – it’s fine dining so not only do the clients expect the best, the chefs do too. Head Chef Sid Sahrawat is backed by two extremely talented Sous chefs, Jason and Ed. You can see why SIDART is so successful, the team gel so well and the food they produce is simply stunning. They take such pride and precision in what they pass through to the restaurant – if it’s not perfect it doesn’t go out of the door.
 
'Rebecca it's terribly important to taste'



'Total concentration'



'Precision'

RH-Sidart5.jpg
'Team work'




'Watching now, your turn next'




I assisted Ed on the “cold larder” section of the kitchen for the night – this included helping prepare starters such as yellowfin tuna, aloe vera, radish, wasabi and the cured salmon, goats cheese w peas & smoked eel dish. Such intense flavors and beautifully presented. I also helped with a couple of desserts, which are named vaguely so that the customer is intrigued and surprised by their choice. These included lychee & pineapple and also mandarin with meringue – “WOW” was all I could say as they passed by me.




'Sid you're far too fast'









'Dish completed'




'We're talking all the senses here'




'On it's way to the lucky diners'


 
SIDART recently won “Dish of the Year” in the 2011 Metro Magazine awards for their John dory with paua, miso and vanilla – all I can say is go there, you really won’t appreciate SIDART cuisine until you experience it yourself. 
 
TPB X
 

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A weekend in Queenstown


HOW WE GOT THERE:
 
Jetstar – despite hearing negative things surrounding this airline’s timeliness we had no issues whatsoever. Seats were comfortable, flight wasn’t full so we had room to stretch out and relax for the 1 hour 20 minute flight from Auckland (swift I know).
 
WHERE WE STAYED:
 
Mantra Marina Apartments - 875 Frankton Road, Queenstown.  We rented a 2 bedroom apartment with kitchen/living and dining area and of course views of beautiful Lake Wakatipu from the Frankton end.
 
WHAT WE DID:
 
Now Queenstown is generally known for its offering of outdoor pursuits, many of them dare devil that you wouldn’t catch me doing in a lifetime. However the food scene in the South Island really has been boasting some amazing things, so we decided to check it out. We are really big fans of locally produced food and the Southland is very big on this – forget your usual, we’re talking about hearty Angus beef fillet, Stewart Island salmon, Waitaki pork and Fijordland venison. We didn’t know how many restaurants were too keen on focusing local, so we handpicked a couple and cherry picked a couple more.

 
WHERE WE ATE:
 
Gantleys Restaurant - 172 Athurs Point Road
 
Driving out of Queenstown on the road towards Arrowtown, you’ll stumble upon Gantleys. It’s a beautiful old restaurant that has been there since 1863 when it was a gold miner’s hotel. It was then restored as a restaurant in the 1970’s and in 1993 Director Brend Rands and Head Chef Jared Aldridge took it over. The menu is influenced by a lot of local produce and seasonal changes are made, but the local favourites such as Rack of southland lamb and duck are always there. 
 
I’d been to Gantley’s before, 8 years ago in fact and it hasn’t changed one bit. The food was exceptional, the service polite and knowledgeable and the surroundings as beautiful as ever. We started with the seared scallops seasoned and served with a whole scampi and finished with a light lemon cream reduction – beautifully cooked and the presentation outdid itself.

 
Next was the “piece de resistance” grass fed Angus Beef Fillet, garlic and rosemary potato cake, with kumara and blue cheese stuffed gourmet onion, balsamic mustard demi-glace and roasted shallot sauce topped with crispy prosciutto, my mouth is watering as I write this. Sounds delicious yes? Well it was unbelievable and my partner was so impressed with the stuffed onion he’s now re-creating it at home. I chose the “Taste of Southland”, a trio of fish in a way; White bait patty with micro greens, tempura Bluff oyster with crispy bacon and pan fried thyme and brioche Blue Cod fillets served on Israeli cous cous finished with lemon and honey mustard beurre blanc, it was equally delicious.
 
Gantley’s is at the top end of the market but the food shows this and it’s well worth booking ahead to ensure satisfaction.


 
 
 
We arrived here on our final night, the rain was battering down and the jovial manager greeted us at the door set us up with one of his last tables for the evening. The food was very good indeed, in fact my partner even said it was the best meal he’d had since we’d been in Queenstown. Two if the highlights were the roast French rack of Gus Morton’s Waitaki Pork served with an apple and parsnip mash and creamed savoy cabbage – the pork was perfectly cooked, melt in the mouth and the accompaniments were the perfect additions. The aged Hereford eye fillet of Southland beef, portabello mushroom and oxtail cottage pie, red wine shallots and jus was a massive hit with my partner, proclaiming it to be one of the best fillet steaks he’d had in a long while. The atmosphere at Pier 19 is casual but the food really is sensational, we’ll definitely be back here again.

 
Tatler - 5 The Mall. Great choice of food and wine. On the main street so plenty of people watching.
 
Searle Lane Social, 11 Church Street. Fantastic $10 lunches, $3 beers and wines on Thursdays and Fridays. It’s modern with a great atmosphere, cheery staff, pool table and an appeal towards a younger crowd.
 
WHERE WE WANTED TO EAT: (but were either too full or disorganized to book a table)
 
Ferg Burger - 42 Shotover Street.  Wow these burgers are legendary and gigantic, we really wanted one but just couldn’t fit it in. Next time.
 
The Bunker - Cow Lane. It’s situated in the most hard to find place, I mean you really have to hunt it out, but we’d heard it’s definitely worth it and by the look of the place I was definitely intrigued. It’s hidden away behind a dark alley and a rustic door and the friendly staff recommended that we head to Pier 19 for something nearly as good as The Bunker. And with options like oven roasted Cardrona Valley lamb rack and braised boneless hindshank with new potato and chevre gratin, green beans, roasted almonds and thyme jus on the menu, we couldn’t help but feel that we’d let ourselves down by not booking ahead.
 
Botswana Butchery - 17 Marine Parade.  We’d heard great things and the menu looked delicious, but alas they were fully booked for the night.
 
WHAT WE LOVED: The atmosphere in Queenstown in the autumn is fantastic; there aren’t the crowds you’d expect during peak winter and summer seasons, so you can take everything at a leisurely pace. It sounds like all we did was eat during our stay – we did manage a bunjy jump and lots of walking but food was our main point of interest. Overall, the range and variety of food available in Queenstown really is impressive, with a lot of restaurants sourcing the majority of food locally and taking pride in what they do. We will definitely be back soon!

WHAT WE’D DO NEXT TIME: Book ahead!

TPB X

Monday, June 13, 2011

Winter Warmers

I don't know about you but here in New Zealand the nights are getting darker and the days are colder - only one thing for it - dust off that crock pot or slow cooker as we call them in the UK and whip up one of the recipes below. Remember that you can always freeze any left overs for another meal.


The Queenstown trip will be uploaded shortly, also I spent a night at Sidart http://www.sidart.co.nz helping the team there last week so I'm busy writing that before I head off to Melbourne for the weekend. There will also be a blog on that. I'd better get going!


Stay warm. TPB X


SMOKEY BEEF STEW


Serves: 6
Cooking time: 7-8 hours


800g blade steak, fat removed, sliced into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed chili paste
250g bacon lardons
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (400g) cans chopped tomatoes 
1 (425g) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 beef stock cubes
2 small onions, peeled and sliced
1 green capsicum, de-seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cocoa powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of hot water
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes
2 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 2-3 tablespoons hot water


1. In a large bowl, combine steak, garlic and chili paste, mix well so beef is well coated. Heat a non-stick fry pan with olive oil. When pan is hot, add beef in batches to sear. When all beef is seared place into slow cooker and set aside.
2. Add bacon lardons to the fry pan, stir until crispy and well cooked. Drain off excess oil and add to slow cooker.
3. Add rest of ingredients to slow cooker, excluding cornflour and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for 7-8 hours on a low setting, or 4 hours on high. Check and adjust seasoning if need be.
5. Add the cornflour paste 30 minutes before serving, stir well to thicken sauce.
6. Serve with tortilla chips, rice, guacamole and sour cream.






TIP –You can buy lardons from the supermarket but they are easily made by cutting bacon rashers into fat cubes.


GUACAMOLE


2 Ripe avocados, peeled, stone removed and chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
½ red fresh red chili, de-seeded and chopped
4 tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
Handful fresh coriander, chopped


Combine all of the above in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.


SLOW COOKED LAMB SHANKS WITH LENTILS & THYME


Serves: 4
Cooking time: 7-8 hours


4 lamb shanks, rinsed, patted dry and seasoned
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
5 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 420g can chopped tomatoes
3 ½ cups beef stock
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
Small handful fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 2-3 tablespoons hot water


1. Heat a non stick fry pan and with a tablespoon of oil. When hot add the lamb shanks, turning so each side is equally browned. Set aside.
2. Place all ingredients except lamb shanks in slow cooker, mix well then add shanks. Push down so they are completely immersed in the stock mixture.
3. Cook for 7-8 hours on a low setting, or 4 hours on high. Adjust seasoning. 
4. Add the cornflour paste 30 minutes before serving, stir well to thicken sauce.
5. Serve with mashed potato and steamed green vegetables.