bar area

The bar menu is full of options, from small plates to nibble with a drink, or a full meals to have during a lunch break from the office. We had a small staff lunch to celebrate a colleague’s anniversary and it was delightful!

David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese and Zuni Pickle $18.00

Naturally, all my colleagues went for the wagyu hamburger, as it was too tempting to resist on the menu. Little did they know the case of food-envy that was bestowed upon them when my minute steak arrived:

Wood Fire Grilled Minute Steak with Café de Paris Butter $29

It wasn’t just any cafe de paris butter. This one was flavoured with curry, mustard and thyme (?), which was an odd combination, but worked so well with the grilled-to-perfection meat. Highly recommended!

Onion Rings with House-Made Ketchup $9.00

The onion rings were slightly oily, the batter definitely sub par compared to the ones from Sean’s Kitchen – but the flavours were beautiful, it was chunkily sliced, and the house made ketchup was a true winner. I wish I could have a bottle of that stocked at home instead of my Heinz big red.

What my colleagues lacked in selection during the meal, they sure made up for during dessert!

Chocolate Jaffa Mousse Cake, Rockpool circa 1992 $19

Apple Galette with Brown Butter Ice Cream and Candied Hazelnuts $18

Passionfruit Marshmallows $6

The Chocolate Jaffa Mousse cake was exactly how you would imagine it, the rich,fluffy jaffa flavoured mousse only reminded me of the good times during my ‘tweens’ when I used to throw jaffas in a dark cinema towards the back of innocent viewers. The apple galette was phenomenal, with the crispy pastry against the brown butter ice cream. Oh yes. But by favorite was actually the petit four styled dessert – the passion fruit marshmallow. I believe the marshmallow is making a come back in desserts – Jean Georges in NYC has an amazing selection, Mostly because it’s so comforting, who doesn’t love soft pillows of sweetness to end their meal?

So I ordered it anyway, just to see what the fuss was all about.

There were three lobster tails cooked in butter, served on a floured, slightly toasted bun with watercress salad and foie gras butter.

It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have any wow-factor. The bun was slightly dry, and while the lobster tails were cooked to perfection with delicate, subtle flavours, I would’ve enjoyed them much more sans bread. It sounded a lot more appetizing on paper, than in my hand.

One thing I do want to rave about, was their Prosciutto endive salad with a mixture of fresh and marinated figs, served with aged reggiano cheese. This was just superb.

Well, here’s to spending our stimulus packages from the government. It’s all about helping the economy, right?

Our US classic … grain-fed beef burger stacked with pickle, diced onion, relish, iceberg lettuce, Swiss cheese & mayo

BITE ME DOUBLE

Bite US(A) … with 2 grain-fed beef burgers

The bar has an affordable sharing platters (all under $30 each) such as Mezze (hommus, fetta, olives, tzatziki etc), Sashimi, Charcuterie (terrine, rillettes, pate), Cured Meats (prosciutto, salami, bresaola) and Grilled meats (eye fillet, chipolatas, lamb chops, bacon). Not your usual bar food options, which is so refreshing to have something substantial after a few evening beverages, and not enough time for a dinner out.

You can say that it caters for all. Whether you’re looking for French sturgeon caviar ($230 for 50g) with a bottle of vintage champagne; a ice cold Kirin off the tap ($5) with a bowl of fries and a grill plate; a cheese selection with a bottle of wine; or desserts with a girlfriend and a cocktail in hand. The lounge is partially outdoors, proving to be the next favorite spot for smokers under the strict new smoking laws. Half of the tables are smoker friendly – that reason alone, if I was still a smoker, would make me a regular!

Look for the arrival of a new French elderflower liqueur with the first bottle delivered September 15 to Steel Bar and Grill - St-Germain elderflower liqueur is crafted from handpicked elderflowers and is a welcome introduction to the Australian bar scene, as it is the world’s only elderflower liqueur, served in an amazing Vanilla and Elderflower Martini.

(weekday lunch – quick bar food menu: Grilled Salmon, celery and apple salad, sauce gribiche; Angus Hamburger, bacon, gruyere, coleslaw, chips)

Open Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Drinks til midnight. (Bar menu served all day)
Find me serving you three nights a week – in a very modest uniform. No more revealing Japanese mini silk dresses… the more you wear, the less they tip. Sad but true.

Not your usual Fifth Ave

Visited Blacktown on Sunday to pick up my new baby in an arms deal. In the spirit of the United States we decided to visit Lone Star Steakhouse on the way home – to join the bridge and tunnel crowd (it’s just like going to Jersey!) in a feast of cholesterol and melted cheese on EVERYTHING. Ranch dressing is so common in the states but actually very hard to find in Australia – no one here is familiar with what Ranch is… and I absolutely LOVE IT… on everything. It brings just as much happiness to me as indulging on fois gras grilled with truffle butter.

No lectures on my cholesterol levels, please! The following was consumed purely on reasons of nostalgia… and the eternal question: Why do yanks cover everything with cheese (Including their pick-up lines)?

Amarillo Cheese fries

Lone Star fries smothered in melted Cheddar cheese, topped with bacon, served with Ranch Dressing

Spicy spinach and artichoke dip

With a hint of Jalapeno, topped with cheese and served with tortilla chips.

Bone in Rib Eye

In our opinion the best darn steak you’ll ever taste, YES it’s that good! Actually, I would agree! What is that thing to the right? A piece of pumpkin, with an ENTIRE SCOOP of butter, covered in cinnamon sugar. Induces cardiac arrests before you can even say “heart attack”

Swiss and Mushroom Burger

Melted Swiss cheese topped with our sauteed mushrooms and served with ranch dressing

(L) Would you like a sprinkle of salad leaves with your cheese and thousand Island dressing?
(R) The remaining ball of melted cheese picked off the Cheesy fries. WOW.

I don’t think I’ll do this again in a long time – eating cheese and ranch on everything, or going to Blacktown. If it’s any consultation, I made organic chicken & vegetable soup for dinner (which is also what I’ll be having for lunch today).

God Bless America. Yee-har! *fires shots into the sky*

Ingredients:
Silken Tofu (ready to eat out of the pack)
Wakame (soaked)
Corn Kernels
Edamame beans (boiled and shelled)
1 tbsp Soy or Tamari
1 tsp Mirin
1 tsp Rice vinegar
Yuzu and Japanese sesame dressing (Drizzle to taste)

For some reason I totally forgot to add my edamame beans into the salad before I left the house yesterday morning. You should also add bonito flakes and toasted sesame seeds for added texture. This is very quick to prepare before running out of the house in the morning.

Oh… by the way, my diet’s going quite well! I can fit into my pants again!

The Corn and Basil soup from Plan B by Becasse today, was AMAZING, and only $5 for a large bowl!

I also bought the Coronation Chicken Sandwich, and the BLT for my colleagues. They both said it tasted amazing, but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera before it was both wolfed down. (so it’s got to be good!) Sandwiches are $8 each. (photo link here)

Plan B are best known for their Wagyu Burgers – but alas, not part of the current diet plan, girlfriend!

In December the Merivale Group CEO Justin Hemmes will open his new pleasure precinct called Ivy – $150 million worth of bars, restaurants, pools, nightclubs, retail and ultra-exclusive hotel suites covering three city office blocks in the Sydney CBD.

The Ivy will have a pool surrounded by outdoor bars, a couple of nightclubs, a day spa, ballroom for 1000, teppanyaki grill, sushi train, burger bar, wine bar and deli, Italian restaurant and more bars. The entire ground floor will be retail outlets and two laneways will divide two buildings.

Two purpose-built party penthouses will occupy the top and penultimate floors of the five-storey building at 320 George Street. Each will be 350sq m, with staffed cocktail bars, a pool, spa, lounge room, dining area, bathrooms and bedroom – all for a cool $4000 to $5000 a night.

Being Asian I have been typecasted to work in the Japanese restaurant wearing a [slutty] kimono styled dress of some sort. Perhaps I can pretend to be Japanese at the same time, since most customers think I’m from Japan anyway!

I was serving Tara Reid and didn’t even know it – I mentioned to someone that the ‘old woman’ I was serving looked strangely like a very old version of Tara, only to find out that it WAS Tara. Check out this photo of her arriving at Sydney Airport! Makes you think twice before you party til dawn.

Other Celebrity Sightings of the week:

My version of a sausage mcmuffin:

Fresh organic sourdough bread from La Tartine, Beef chevap (Serbian skinless sausages), and one egg – easy over. Best thing? All ingredients totalled under $2.?/EM>鉅iscovered when I couldn’t afford the ingredients to make smoked salmon eggs benedict with a side of avocado.