Becasse

While others are committed to “dry-July”, it’s actually my favorite month for drinking as it is laden with Champagne events. Last year, it was the fantastic events during Dom Perignon week, and this year didn’t fail to disappoint.

The Comité Champagne, together with Vogue Entertaining + Travel collaboratively held a dinner at Becasse, where Justin North created a modern French menu to match my favorite liquid indulgence – French Champagne.

Bollinger’s Australian brand manager, Paul Boothby mentioned that Australia still remains as one of the top 10 countries for Champagne consumption, with 3 Million bottles sold last year (that’s 140,000 bottles consumed more than other countries such as China), and that makes us a very strong Champagne market (with good taste!).

The selection for the night included some beautiful vintages, but we shouldn’t let them steal the show, as the NV’s are usually the harder blends to make. A good vintage comes around five times a decade, and 20% of it goes into the blends to make the non-vintage. The difficulty in creating a consistent flavour and quality in the NV release is far higher.

Justin North has put together a harmonious menu where each course complements and brings out the elegant characteristics of each type of Champagne. Due to the “micro climates” within each appellation, the different terrior and temperatures give each champagne its own unique characteristics, much like different regions for wine.

Canape

Amuse bouche

Escabeche of scampi with gazpacho granita
NV Moët & Chandon Rosé, Epernay

Entree

Raviolo of spanner crab with Champagne cabbage and lemongrass velouté
NV Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Reims

Middle Course

Fricassée of calf’s tongue, marron and scallop, Jerusalem artichoke
1996 Champagne Lanson Gold Label

Main

Roast Breast and crispy spiced leg of quail with parsnips and dried cranberry jus
NV Larmandier-Bernier Brut Rosé de Saignée, Vertus

Dessert

Citrus tart with strawberry and vanilla yogurt sorbet
1999 Veuve Clicquot Rich, Reims

And to highlight one of my favorite vintages: 1996

Champagne (1996 Lanson)

For an unknown reason, the 1996 vintages are both high in acid and in fruit ripeness, whereas normally, only one of those characteristics shine through. We were served the Lanson – and the best thing? It was poured from magnums, known to have the best volume to liquid ratio, and a gem for the cellar.

Flinders Inn is the creation of an impressive team, with head chef Morgan McGlone (ex-Salt), Darran Smith (ex-Icebergs) and Rob Young (ex-Uccello, NBI) running the show. It is cosy 40 seater French bistro situated by a bustling intersection on Flinders Street. The daily specials written with a tangerine crayon adorn the mirrors around the room, while happy diners sat around tables with crisp, white linen tablecloth painted by the reflection of the reflecting ruby votives. 

The food is rich, french bistro style, with very reasonable prices (all entrees $16, all mains $27) and there is a good mix of Australian and French wines on the list, with the option of by the glass, half bottle carafes and full bottles. If you order by the glass or by the carafe, the wine is poured at the table – it is an act more restaurants should do!

As I looked at my menu, I notived that even the fidgety 10 year old boy on the next table was completely silent when the food arrived. He was savouring every bite of his juicy steak, and he repeated the performance once dessert arrived as well.

We started with amazingly fresh oysters from Merimbulla, followed by…

Chicken liver parfait, cornichons, toasted sourdough - best I've had in a while! Highly recommended

Seared scallops, pickled Jeruselem artichokes, watercress salad

Chargrilled Scotch fillet, pomme frites and sauce Bernaise - also highly recommended.

Duck Confit, peas a la francaise

Molleaux au chocolat, honey ice cream $11

Tarte citron, creme fraiche

Rob Young was ever so kind to add to my caloric intake with a complimentry slice of lemon tart, before what I ordered arrived:

Fromage, Lavosh, fig jam, walnut bread

Cheese of the night was Buche D’Affinois – my absolute weakness when it comes to soft cheese. I had an amazing evening, thank you boys! A return visit is definitely on the books, before it becomes all too hard to get a table.

http://flindersinn.com/
160a Flinders St
Paddington

The Top 50:

1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=)
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

and the other 50:

51 Zuma, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, U.K.
53 Spondi, Greece
54 L’Arpege, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China
56 Hibiscus, U.K.
57 Aqua, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Spain
62 Maison Pic, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Russia
64 Le Meurice, France
65 Bukhara, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, France
70 Wasabi, India
71 The River Cafe, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
73 Le Cinq, France
74 Allegro, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Germany
77 Geranium, Denmark
78 Caprice, China
79 Jardines, South Africa
80 Amador, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon U.S
83 Fasano, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France
87 L’Ambroisie, France
88 Maison Boulud, China
89 De Librije, Netherlands
90 Babbo, U.S.
91 Maze, U.K.
92 Zuma, U.K.
93 Manresa, U.S.
94 Pier, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Belgium
96 Aubergine, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, China
98 Rust en Vrede, South Africa
99 Del Posto U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, UAE

Good service should be rewarded – I must admit, I was acting like a spoilt princess when I found out that the ‘outdoor table for 9′ that I booked ended up set by the entrance to the restaurant. The server saw the disappointment in my face and with his own initiative, ended up re-setting the outdoor area for us. I am a true believer that the service before the meal is crucial to the customer experience and it really depends on that first impression. You could have mind-blowing food, but if someone isn’t happy to begin with, they most probably will not enjoy the rest of the meal. This was probably something that was recognised right away and corrected. I wish more mid-ranged restaurants in Sydney would do this!

The food was beautiful, and we were amongst heaters on a crisp, cool Saturday afternoon in the courtyard of a Victorian terrace house with sandstone walls. Both the chef and the waiter were attentive to our needs (even though it was a quiet day, there were only two other tables in the restaurant that day), the food was delicate and the flavours were rich – just the way the French like it. I had no qualms with my 33% tip, well deserved – albeit a little painful for the wallet. I guess I felt bad for being difficult.

The wine list had my new favorite white for the moment - Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) from the Loire Valley alongside other French wines. Divine.

Escargots a la Bourguignonne $14
Snails with garlic butter and puff pastry

Souffle d’ecrevisses au gruyere $22
Twice baked Moreton bay bug & gruyere souffle

Salade au chevre chaud $15
Spinach salad with pears and warm goat’s cheese

Duck Rilette (special of the day)

Soupe du jour $14
Celeriac and Salsify soup with parsley toast

Saint-Jacques et crevettes a l’ail $35
Grilled scallops wrapped in prosciutto & garlic prawns (I thought of PetiteTokyo when I ordered this!)

Faux Fillet $29
Angus sirloin with bearnaise sauce & fries

Supreme de canard et son choux farci au porto $35
Pan-fried duck breast & stuffed cabbage with a port sauce

Plat Du Jour
Veal shank and lamb pie

Puree de pommes de terre $8

Creme brulee $14
Vanilla creme brulee

Profiteroles au chocolat $15
Chocolate profiteroles with vanilla ice cream

Tarte tatin $15
Apple tatin with ice cream

Delicioux!

I have a spare moment at work (mind you, it’s already 8pm Thursday evening before the Easter long weekend) to blog about some of the amazing Chinese food that I dearly miss so much in Sydney. It doesn’t even compare – not even close!

Wonton noodles at 何洪記 (Ho Hung Kee) 2 Sharp St, Causeway Bay
It’s all about the extremely thin, but super “springy” noodle texture. Established in 1946, the quality has not changed. In fact, my parents used to go here on dates when they were still in high school. How adorable!

Dim Sum at 富聲 (Fu Sing) 1/F, 353 Lockhart Rd, Wanchai
The siao long baos are very soupy with an extremely thin wrapping that’s not supposed to burst because of it’s elasticity; crumbed turnip pudding with prawn ’stuffing’ on top; flakey pastry cha-siew pork buns (soooo good), and roast pork – the way it’s supposed to be, with a very crispy skin, minimal grease and dipped in yellow mustard and caster sugar. Oh, and who can forget my favorite dessert 楊枝金露 – cold sago soup with pomelo pulp!

My favorite delicacies – 花膠 (fish stomach?) with goose webb, and stuffed sea cucumber

We took the boat out to this island – I totally forgot the name, but there is only one restaurant on that island:


The island is known for producing great sea vegetables and other dried seafood goods. Where else can you get dried shrimp that is gutted, and the size of your index finger? Too bad customs would never let me take those back to Sydney. Some of the dishes we ate included giant clams with garlic vermicelli, and scallops with chilli bean sauce. They do a mean lobster noodle (伊麪) too!

Who can forget the classic Hong Kong styled diners, I went to one in Happy Valley for breakfast:

Deep fried HK style french toast, with butter on top, and peanut butter in the centre. Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Pour that maple syrup all over it!

Will update during the long weekend on my favorite non-chinese dishes…. mmm
NOW you know why I had been dieting for 4 weeks prior to my trip, during the first 48 hours I had already gained 8lbs!

[edit] Went back for breakfast – Toby’s Estate Coffee (sooo good) and a baguette toast with jam and butter: only $4! Tick again. I LOVE this place. It’s my new favorite place… everytime I imagine opening my own restaurant, it is EXACTLY a concept like this. Get there early to see the dough rising in the oven, and the pastry chefs piping cream onto delectable pastries…

I booked a 2 bedroom apartment for my friends at Tonic Hotel which is in Lovedale. It is ultra modern, the fridge is fully stocked with goodies (most of them complementry, such as bacon and eggs, fruit juices, cereals, milk, fruit salads etc), there is a fireplace, a large outdoor entertaining area, BBQ, two GIANT bathrooms with showers and Aesop products. Even the latest chillout music CD’s are provided by the strereo.

We began our day having lunch at Esca Restaurant @ Bimbagen. There were “wine tasting plates” on offer where you have an assiette of three dishes that are matched with 3 small glasses of wine. The view from the restaurant overlooking the vineyards is also amazing.

[left] Sumac spiced prawns with a watermelon, marinated fetta and mint salad
Caramelised onion, olive and duetto tart
Poached asparagus with a smoked salmon terrine and soft boiled egg

Matched with three Bimbadgen Estate White Wines  

[right] Wood spit-roasted duck with sauteed Ya pears
Wood char-grilled cumin lamb fillets
Wood char-grilled beef with parmesan polenta

Matched with three Bimbadgen Estate Red Wines 

 

This is followed by a visit to one of my favorite places – Piggs Peake Winery

Girls love the “I Swine”, which is a cute name they use for their popular Icewine – where my guyfriends bought multiple bottles, as “chicks totally dig it”, they say. You only need to take one look at the happiness on our faces.

Another favorite is the Scarborough, which are famous for their Chardonnays. I’m not a big fan of the Chardy, but if there is one winery that does it right, it is Scarborough. Very highly regarded by a lot of chefs I know, and they provide a very comprehensive tasting with free cheese!

Dinner was at Mojo’s Restaurant, where they only use the freshest local ingredients, and the menu changes seasonally. The atmosphere is casual and cosy.

 

On the way back to the hotel we caught a baby frog… it’s sooo cute! (No, I didn’t eat it)