Sunday, 22 March 2015
Friday, 20 March 2015
Nikuya Japanese Restaurant - review
Nikuya is a swanky restaurant in the Valley just outside the Brisbane CBD. It resides in M & A Lane, a bit of a hipster hangout by the look of it. Mr Pickings and I were settling in for an evening at home recently when we got an unexpected call from friends asking if we wanted to try out a restaurant with them. "Why not?", we cried casting aside our bowls of gruel and throwing on our glad rags. An hour later we were on our way in their swish new 4WD, being chauffeured to our culinary destination. We love Japanese food, so we were very excited to be trying out the BBQ delights on offer upstairs in this 2 level establishment. Downstairs they have the Izakaya menu, and upstairs is where the BBQ'ing goes on. I confess I am not entirely sure what Izakaya means. I did look it up and was informed it means a drinking establishment that serves food. Ok - not much clearer:). Anyway you know it means food! Gyoza, sushi, sashimi, seafood, chicken, pork, you name it. And speaking of pork - they use meat from a special type of pig called Kurobuta (aka Berkshire Black), which is apparently a special old breed. You will also find Wagyu beef here, which as we all know has intense marbling, and a lot of fat. Fat = flavour, as the chefs say!
We took the service lift up to the 1st floor as my knee is still acting up (there were a lot of stairs). You find a very large space with queer, copper tubes hanging down. These are the extractor fans that hang over the BBQ plate at each table. Really beautiful in themselves, and practical too. Our friends are the insurance brokers for this restaurant (no, we didn't get freebies), so they knew that the fit-out had not come cheap.
The 4 of us chose the banquet for $55 per head, which was a very satisfying and filling meal. It included meats, soup, salad and ice cream. Oh and spring rolls, and sashimi and kimchi and edamame. So no, you won't go home hungry. There are also other banquets at $70 and $90 per head. Our friends decided to try the Sake Tasting List, which consisted of 5 different types of sake. They were surprisingly large tastings we thought, and our friends got a bit heady after trying them all. I had plum wine flavoured with brown sugar - oh my, so delish, so moreish - so I had another. Mr Pickings had his usual ginger beer, only one as he is the designated driver when we go out together, and he just couldn't get out of the habit even though he wasn't driving!
The ice creams were really different and delicious. I had a try of the sesame seed version; it tasted at first like sesame oil which did odd things to your brain as you expected it to then be savoury but it was sweet, and Miss Mandy said you just forgot about the savoury aspect as you kept eating. The green tea ice cream had a very intense tea flavour, and was a great end to the meal.
I would love to go again and eat downstairs as that seems less formal, and it is very close to the bar which has single malt whiskies, which apparently is all the rage in Japan at the moment. Also, as Mr Pickings and myself are not usually big meat eaters, I would like to try other dishes like the sushi and sashimi and the dumplings, etc:) You can't deny though that the meat here is seriously delicious, tender and flavoursome. So carnivores will be very happy, as will anyone who likes fresh, delicious and interesting food. Oh, and one last thing, the house specialty is "passionately coated loin"- how could anyone resist that?
We took the service lift up to the 1st floor as my knee is still acting up (there were a lot of stairs). You find a very large space with queer, copper tubes hanging down. These are the extractor fans that hang over the BBQ plate at each table. Really beautiful in themselves, and practical too. Our friends are the insurance brokers for this restaurant (no, we didn't get freebies), so they knew that the fit-out had not come cheap.
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| ground floor Izakaya space as you enter the restaurant |
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| beautiful aren't they? copper extractor fans |
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| cooking up our Yakiniku platter |
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| it didn't look like much meat but at the end, we were full! |
The 4 of us chose the banquet for $55 per head, which was a very satisfying and filling meal. It included meats, soup, salad and ice cream. Oh and spring rolls, and sashimi and kimchi and edamame. So no, you won't go home hungry. There are also other banquets at $70 and $90 per head. Our friends decided to try the Sake Tasting List, which consisted of 5 different types of sake. They were surprisingly large tastings we thought, and our friends got a bit heady after trying them all. I had plum wine flavoured with brown sugar - oh my, so delish, so moreish - so I had another. Mr Pickings had his usual ginger beer, only one as he is the designated driver when we go out together, and he just couldn't get out of the habit even though he wasn't driving!
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| Mr Pickings loves ginger beer - $5 |
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| brown sugar plum wine - so delish! - $8.50 |
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| steamed rice and dipping sauces |
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| miso soup |
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| octopus balls - I ate Mr Picking's share as he just can't stomach octopus:) |
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| prawn spring rolls - I have to admit I ate Mr Picking's share of these too 'cos he doesn't eat shellfish! |
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| salad on a beautiful plate- very fresh and palate-cleansing |
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| edamame (soy beans in their pods)-crunchy and moreish |
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| sake drums - now that's a lot of sake |
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| I loved this sword/beer tap contrivance. Look at the condensation! |
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| green tea ice cream |
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| toasted sesame seed ice cream |
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| looking down on the pendant lights from the stairs |
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| a seriously gorgeous kimono hanging in the stairwell |
I would love to go again and eat downstairs as that seems less formal, and it is very close to the bar which has single malt whiskies, which apparently is all the rage in Japan at the moment. Also, as Mr Pickings and myself are not usually big meat eaters, I would like to try other dishes like the sushi and sashimi and the dumplings, etc:) You can't deny though that the meat here is seriously delicious, tender and flavoursome. So carnivores will be very happy, as will anyone who likes fresh, delicious and interesting food. Oh, and one last thing, the house specialty is "passionately coated loin"- how could anyone resist that?
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Eat the Street Lismore 2015
Yep another food festival! I have a feeling Mr Pickings probably thought he had been dragged to enough of them but being the good hubby he is, he agreed to come along. Well, the fact it was in northern NSW, one of our fave places for a break was the real inducement I am sure. We love the wide rivers down there, the incredible greenery and the amazing arty, creative people who inhabit the area. And how lucky are they to have several regional galleries, including the Margaret Olley Centre within a short (ish) distance of each other. I think Lismore is doing its best to come out fighting to take back some of the arty/foodie glory, so this food festival was a way to give a yell about its attractions. So ok it was fairly small, and it has a long way to go, but it was fun and they were really trying. And hey, it was the inaugural event so there is plenty of time to make it better next year! We had just had a massive lunch so more food was not really on our horizons, except visually. We wandered up and down the street taking in the atmosphere, and enjoying the happy vibe. I love the way the local Council has cleverly encouraged graffiti artists to make real public artworks around the town, decorating the brick walls and creating amazing laneways for all to enjoy. The Lismore Regional Gallery currently has the finalists and winner of the Archibald Prize on its walls, which was the other reason we headed down that way. And not to forget a visit to our dear friend Brooke from Red Door Studio, the amazing ceramicist/potter. So all in all, we had a lot of reasons to head there last weekend and any time.
We had such a fab time. We stayed in Ballina on the river where all you here is the water lapping and the birds crying. I was really lucky and saw 3 dolphins and 2 sea-turtles on our last morning. We came home feeling really refreshed, and eager to head on down again ASAP.:))
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| Mr Pickings enjoying the Archibald |
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| this guy looks a bit suspect:) |
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| $5 plates at most of the stalls |
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| this pie cart is just gorgeous! the truck/bus part is incredibly long |
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| salumi galore! |
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| some of the colourful graffiti in the lanes |
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| looks like the Persian food was popular |
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| follow the sign:) |
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| clever stuff |
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| artist hard at work:) |
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| don't you love this sign? |
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| such a glorious morning |
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| pelican saying goodbye on our last morning |
We had such a fab time. We stayed in Ballina on the river where all you here is the water lapping and the birds crying. I was really lucky and saw 3 dolphins and 2 sea-turtles on our last morning. We came home feeling really refreshed, and eager to head on down again ASAP.:))
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Friday, 13 March 2015
Chocolate Heart Cake
Yep I guess I am a bit late for the whole Valentine's Day thing. Mr Pickings and I have our wedding anniversary on the first of Feb so we tend to let the whole St Val thing slide. So just think of this as a chocolate cake, and forget that it is heart-shaped. I have been making this cake for years, so when we came home from Melbourne recently with a jar of Burch & Purchese chocolate, hazelnut and caramel spread, I figured it would be super delish in the middle of this cake. This recipe is really easy and quick, but tends to the dry side so I always add something like Nutella, and lashings of whipped cream and a sprinkle of liqueur to liven it up. The recipe calls for chopped raisins but not being a raisin fan, I include sultanas instead (plus it means you don't have to chop them up). And of course I splash in Frangelico rather than rum 'cos we want that hazelnut flavour going right through it. Normally I would add hazelnuts but as my cupboard is hazelnut-free at the moment (my mistake), I have added pecans - my next fave nut. Well, apart from Brazil nuts and macadamia nuts and cashew nuts...
I think I got my raisin phobia from my mum, who used to use sultanas most of the time. Funny how these things get carried down the family! So here it is - a hearty (pun intended) and delicious chocolate cake with all the trimmings. (I think this is most likely an old Women's Weekly idea originally. I have upped the ante on this recipe, with several changes to add moistness and flavour.
ingredients:
1/2 cup sultanas (or chopped raisins if you fancy)
3/4 cup boiling water
185g. melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup of Frangelico or your fave liqueur
1 large egg
1+ 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup Dutch cocoa
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans
1 healthy tbs of Frangelico + 2 more tbs
1/2 cup Nutella or similar spread
for the choc cream:
100g, dark chocolate
200 mls whipping cream
1 tbs icing sugar
1 tbs liqueur
3 tbs caramelised cocoa nibs (or chopped chocolate or nuts)
Method:
Grease your cake tin (heart shaped or a regular 20 cm tin) with butter, and dust with cornflour
Place sultanas, boiling water, melted butter, liqueur and the egg into a medium to large mixing bowl
Give it a good whisking
Sift in the flour, bicarb, cocoa and sugar and mix well
Stir in the nuts
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for around 45-50 minutes at 180C
It will be done when a skewer comes out clean
Cool in the tin for 5 minutes
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of liqueur over the warm cake
Allow to cool on a wire rack
Split the cake into halves
Sprinkle 1 tbs extra liqueur on each half - I may have sprinkled even more:)
Spread the Nutella over the bottom layer of the cake
Melt the dark chocolate (do it the easy way in the microwave for about 60 seconds)
Whip the cream with the icing sugar and liqueur till you have thick peaks
Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate to the cream and stir it in
Spread 1/3 of it over the bottom layer of the cake
Place the top half of the cake on the cream-filled layer
Happily spread the rest of the choc cream over the top and sides of the cake
Throw the cocoa nibs (or chopped chocolate or extra nuts) over the top
I think I got my raisin phobia from my mum, who used to use sultanas most of the time. Funny how these things get carried down the family! So here it is - a hearty (pun intended) and delicious chocolate cake with all the trimmings. (I think this is most likely an old Women's Weekly idea originally. I have upped the ante on this recipe, with several changes to add moistness and flavour.
ingredients:
1/2 cup sultanas (or chopped raisins if you fancy)
3/4 cup boiling water
185g. melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup of Frangelico or your fave liqueur
1 large egg
1+ 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup Dutch cocoa
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans
1 healthy tbs of Frangelico + 2 more tbs
1/2 cup Nutella or similar spread
for the choc cream:
100g, dark chocolate
200 mls whipping cream
1 tbs icing sugar
1 tbs liqueur
3 tbs caramelised cocoa nibs (or chopped chocolate or nuts)
Method:
Grease your cake tin (heart shaped or a regular 20 cm tin) with butter, and dust with cornflour
Place sultanas, boiling water, melted butter, liqueur and the egg into a medium to large mixing bowl
Give it a good whisking
Sift in the flour, bicarb, cocoa and sugar and mix well
Stir in the nuts
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for around 45-50 minutes at 180C
It will be done when a skewer comes out clean
Cool in the tin for 5 minutes
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of liqueur over the warm cake
Allow to cool on a wire rack
Split the cake into halves
Sprinkle 1 tbs extra liqueur on each half - I may have sprinkled even more:)
Spread the Nutella over the bottom layer of the cake
Melt the dark chocolate (do it the easy way in the microwave for about 60 seconds)
Whip the cream with the icing sugar and liqueur till you have thick peaks
Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate to the cream and stir it in
Spread 1/3 of it over the bottom layer of the cake
Place the top half of the cake on the cream-filled layer
Happily spread the rest of the choc cream over the top and sides of the cake
Throw the cocoa nibs (or chopped chocolate or extra nuts) over the top
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| melt the butter |
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| gather your ingredients |
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| chop the nuts |
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| stir the mixture together |
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| sift in the dry ingredients |
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| make sure your tin is greased and floured |
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| stir in the nuts |
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| pour into the baking tin |
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| cut the cake in half when baked and cooled |
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| smear on that spread |
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| melt the chocolate |
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| whip the cream - old school cos the electric beaters just threw cream all over me! |
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| stirring the chocolate into the cream |
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| top layer about to go on cream-filled bottom layer:) |
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| cake done and dusted (well, decorated anyway!) |
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