churro heaven

Ok so MGS likes chocolate. Dark or dairy, it doesn't really matter.

And who doesn't like doughnuts? Especially the skinny, crunchy kind that the Spanish call Churros.

Icing-sugar dusted churros dipped in a choice of melted, white, dark or milk chocolate just made MGS' night the other night.

The chocolate thick shakes were pretty darned good too. MGS.



Chocolateria San Churro
47 Glebe Point Road 9692 0119

Spicy Sichuan - Glebe Point Rd

There's a new(ish) Sichuan restaurant in Sydney. Spicy Sichuan is located on Glebe Point Rd, near the corner of Parramatta Rd. On the outside the restaurant is all red lanterns and rosewood. The inside brings more rosewood, glass-topped tables, pleasant waiters in terrible imperial Chinese uniforms, and the aroma of dry-fried Sichuan peppers and garlic.

MGS and friend came for the Sichuan test. That is the dry-fried chicken with chilli and the dry-fried beans with mince pork test. Any Sichuan restaurant worth its salt needs to get these dishes right.

Spicy Sichuan got them right. Almost. First for the chicken:



The dry-fried chicken with chilli came the way MGS likes it - with peanuts and whole, fresh Sichuan peppercorns buried among the chillies. The flavour was tongue tingly good, the only crit being the chicken pieces were not quite "dry" enough. They needed a little longer in the pan to crisp up.

The beans:



The dry fried beans with minced pork, garlic, ginger, spring onion and black bean were as good as MGS has eaten anywhere. Hot, fresh, crunchy, tasty. These were dope.

So with the first two dishes having passed their test, MGS went for the kicker: Boiled fish with vegetable... the English translation of this dish's name makes it sound rather bland, but be warned, this dish is spicy, practically trembling with Sichuan peppercorns and delivers a delicate sour kick to the back of the palette. The fish was firm and fleshy, the vegetable a welcome addition.... a delicious dish.



The verdict? MGS likes this place but reckons Red Chilli in Chinatown (see previous review) still maintains its hold as best Sichuan in Sydney so far.... any challengers?


Spicy Sichuan
1-9 Glebe Point Road
Glebe NSW 2037
Phone (02) 9660 8200

Uyghur Cuisine, Dixon Street

So MGS headed into Chinatown on February 10 for the Year of the Rat parade. It was crammed and crowded and after the drums and the dragons the streets became rivers of revellers streaming towards one thing: dumplings.

Frightened by the cram and the lines at the dumpling joints, MGS headed for more Laghman... this time at Uyghur Cuisine, a ground floor establishment on Dixon Street. You can identify the place by the plastic grapes hanging from the roof and the lamb fat hanging in the air of this small, definitely not-posh, Xin Jiang restaurant.

MGS ate cold laghman here, although the noodle dish was supposed to be hot. The noodles were long and chewy in that hand-made noodle kind of way and had they been hotter they would have been quite delightful but for the scant, chewy thumb-nail sized pieces of lamb scattered over the top. But unfortunately the lamb here was too bland and the topping too stingy for MGS to feel really blown away...




For a better Uyghur fix, MGS recommends the Silk Road Restaurant up the stairs next door (see review below).



Uyghur Cuisine
Shop 1, 2 Dixon St.,
Haymarket

Back after a short repose...

Signing in as MGS - back in Sydney after a short repose - plenty of eating to be done, starting this weekend. Stay tuned....

Silk Road Uyghur Restaurant

Several years ago MGS spent several months - about 18 of them - living in BeiJing. This explains her penchant for Asian flavours. One of MGS' favourite BeiJing haunts was a small, cheap, cheery (read fluorescent lighting) Xin Jiang restaurant not far from her apartment.

Xin Jiang is an "automonous region" in China's North West. It borders Tibet, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir. That's a lot of influences on culture, language, religion, politics... and cuisine.

The region is home to many ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Uyghur people. These people are mostly Muslim, and their food displays the influence of both their religion and their geographical location: we're talking lots of lamb (lamb kebab, lamb soup, lamb pie, whole roasted lamb, stir-fried lamb) as well as delicately seasoned flat breads, beef casseroles, spicy salads and - in a nod to the vast span of Han China in the east - plenty of hand made noodles.

Two of the most famous Uyghur dishes are lamb kebab and lagmian.

Xin Jiang lamb kebabs come spiced with chilli, salt, pepper and cumin.



MGS has eaten these outside of China, and has also made them at home herself, but has never quite tasted or recreated an authenticity of flavour that could blast her back to her table in the Xin Jiang cafe.... the Silk Road restaurant has changed all that.



The lamb kebabs here taste like the lamb kebabs on the streets of BeiJing, ChengDu or XiAn, all cities with transient Uyghur populations... the lamb is tender, the pieces the right size, and the spice balance just right. The best advice is to use your chopsticks to slide the meat off the skewers, and eat these while they're hot. The lamb does toughen as it cools.

Laghman are homemade wheat noodles, boiled and then fried with lamb (or beef or chicken), cabbage, capsicum, chilli and a soy/vinegar/tomato-based sauce. The dish is a little bit of the Middle East, a little bit of Italy and a little bit of Asia rolled into one - and delicious.



There were plenty of other options on the menu (no pork of course,) all well priced (even the whole roasted lamb, presuming you have enough people to eat it and share the cost). The place has a cheery feel, the waiters friendly, the food quick. A great find.

SILK ROAD UYGHUR RESTAURANT
8 Quay St, Haymarket
61 2 9281 9658
BYO ONLY.

Pazzo, Surry Hills

MGS ate at Pazzo last Saturday. This was her second trip to this small, homely Italian eatery at the bottom end of Crown St. At Pazzo, Mama makes the pasta... and it's good stuff. The place is simple and BYO only... it's really all about the food. There's plenty of it, at a decent price, and we're talking fresh ingredients, bright flavours, interesting flavour matches and spaghetti cooked just right. There's not a hint of arrogance, either, and this is something rare in these parts.

MGS and friend began the evening with bruschetta: the familiar tomato and basil as well as chicken liver braised in white wine. Both combinations were tasty, although the bread felt perhaps just a little doughy and the white wine flavour on the chicken livers was just a touch overstated... nice textures though.

For the record, Pazzo does a fabulous anchovy bread, tasted on a previous occasion, but there was none of this available on Saturday.

For mains, MGS couldn't go past the pasta... she went for spaghetti with prawns, scallops and baby octopus... the flavours were full, the fish and pasta cooked perfectly... although for those not used to eating fresh spaghetti, be warned, the texture is very unlike dried spaghetti - more similar to Asian-style noodles. It's a Marco Polo experience.

MGS' companion ate potato-filled ravioli with a tomato based sauce. This was fabulous. The ravioli much lighter than one would expect and the potato filling fresh and hot and creamy.

No room for desert. MGS.

L'etoile Restaurant & Bar

MGS and friend woke late on Saturday, both sporting the kind of headache that only a pair of trendy sunglasses and a bought breakfast in Paddington can fix.

So MGS headed for Paddington's famous Five-Ways (undergoing a bit of footpath renovation at present) which boasts a number of elegant breakfast establishments with plenty of options: from headache-curing fry-ups to less toxic wet mueslies with lashings of yoghurt...

MGS headed for what used to be known as Local but what is now L'etoile following its takeover by new owners 3 months ago.

The courtyard out the back is a top spot to sit, particularly in the rainy weather - the patter patter on the canvas roof reminds MGS of summer camping trips - and there are plenty of gas heaters should anyone feel a chill in the air.

This place is a beaut breakfast option. Plenty of choices, all with a French twist, and all under the $16 mark. MGS ordered rye toast with house smoked salmon, feta cheese and avocado.


Rye toast with house smoked salmon, feta and avocado

It arrived as a neat, generous, pile of excellent salmon atop a tasty, crusty, slice of feta-smothered rye. The avocado on the side - mixed with red shallot, guacamole-style - served as a perfect accompaniment, as did the capers, parsley and lemon slices... a lovely dish. Light, tasty, refreshing.

MGS's companion went for the egg white omelet with mushrooms, thyme, caramelised onion and truffle. Again the serve was generous, the toast thick and crusty, the omelet light and fluffy with a wonderful mushroom flavour contrasting nicely with the sticky caramel of the onions.


Egg white omelet with mushrooms, thyme, caramelised onion and truffle

Top stuff. Good coffee, unpretentious service (rare in these parts), a relaxing way to ease into the day.

L'etoile Restauarant and Bar
209-211 Glenmore Rd
Paddington, NSW 2021
(02) 9332 1577