Firedoor (2) – 10 October 2019

Most of the restaurants I go to leave a big impression on me. Each restaurant generally has one or two dishes that leave a huge impression on me. And then there’s a dish that changes the way you think about something forever. Those come by only every few restaurants, and one of them is the Firedoor steak.

It was the thought of that steak that made me book Firedoor again, even though this time I would be dining alone and wouldn’t actually be able to order the steak. But I also think this place made headlines after I visited because they had a goldfish to accompany solo diners at one point? I could be wrong on that. Either way, I was eager to come back.

Continue reading Firedoor (2) – 10 October 2019

Quay 2.0 – 8 October 2019

Quay was the second fine dining restaurant I visited back in 2011. I really enjoyed the first experience, from the view, to the decor, to the food, especially the pork jowl dish! And everything else. To this day, some of the dishes I had then are are still prominent in my memory and a lot of other restaurants trigger the memories of that visit, notably the marron with grapefruit, the congee, and the pork jowl.

Recently they renovated, and started featuring crumpets on their menu instead of the usual bread options. There’d been a crumpet craze, and I joined in that craze when Saint Peter did uni on crumpets (which are SOOOO good!). So, I decided, now’s the time to revisit!

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Aloft – 15 Dec 2017

Aloft. Out of the three restaurants I visited, this was my favourite experience. I can’t really make a direct comparison with Franklin since I didn’t have a dinner sitting there though, so now, Aloft was the one I enjoyed the most as a whole.I actually had some reservations (pun intended) about eating here simply because their style was Asian, and I have a tough time liking Asian food, but it’s a hatted restaurant and had great views, and they had kitchen counter seats, so why not! I didn’t need a view of the water, I needed a view of the chefs. However, the kitchen was limited to the banquet menu, though I didn’t mind that too much. And what a surprise the kitchen was. As we were walking to be seated, I saw a super eye catching thing: fire.

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Franklin – 15 Dec 2017

Yay, Franklin! While Franklin has always been on my Hobart list, my excitement grew recently after discovering that a chef I am aware of (but didn’t actively stalk at the time) moved here and started working at the restaurant. I would have loved to come here at night for their full dining experience, but because I had far too many places to go and not enough time, I ended up shuffling this one to lunch simply because it was open for lunch while my other restaurants were dinner only. That bumped Templo right off this visit, but maybe next time…. Continue reading Franklin – 15 Dec 2017

Kuro Kisume – The Table – 13 Dec 2017

There’s classy, then there’s classy. Want the ultimate exclusive experience? It doesn’t get more on-the-surface-looks-so-pretentious-and-foodie-exclusive than this. But let me tell you now, it’s the friendliest, silliest, laughter filled and delicious eating experiences you can get.  Continue reading Kuro Kisume – The Table – 13 Dec 2017

Sokyo Omakase 2 – 31 May 2016

Again, this is a repost of text that was written “shortly” after the visit.

I have this thing for Sokyo and omakases. I like both! The sushi I have at Sokyo is always so good, I feel like sushi anywhere else just isn’t as good! There are of course exceptions (like Umi Kaiten Zushi and all those nice restaurants in Crows Nest), but this is the one I keep coming back to.

I didn’t actually plan to have two omakase sessions in a year, this visit was all due to circumstance – I just happened to be in Sydney, and a winter omakase tends to be more interesting than a summer one – however, I missed out on truffle season by a few weeks. So close yet so far!

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Sokyo Omakase – 11 Feb 2016

Okay, because I need to write up about a new omakase experience, I’ve only just realised I’ve never posted my original one, so here we go. The text is pulled from what I’d written shortly after the visit.

Oh hello again Sokyo, I’ve missed you! Last time it was the a la carte, this time it was the omakase. Previously I’ve only had omakase at the Tsukiji fish markets, so I was excited to have one in Sydney!

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Supernormal – 12 Dec 2017

Can you believe that I also have not posted about Supernormal?? I remember really, really wanting to go here, and braved the queues for it. Then, my first experience was ordinary. But on this revisit (because my friend wanted to try it), I really liked it! I figure what I ordered must have been more to my taste, which has a huge impact when the cuisine type is Asian since I’m so picky about it.

Continue reading Supernormal – 12 Dec 2017