Thursday, 26 May 2011

Cafe Morso, Pyrmont

Cafe Morso 

Cafe Morso is tucked away in the middle of Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, just a few shops away from Flying Fish restaurant.
It has been here for a few years now and I wonder why it took me so long to come here, considering it is pretty much next door from where I live.
The great thing about Cafe Morso is that they take bookings for breakfast/brunch on the weekends, which is a rarity and causing big headache when you try to find a place for a big group.

Karmee Coffees $3.80
soy latte, skim cappuccino, latte and cappuccino

The coffees here were excellent, a few of us ordered second rounds of caffeine because of that.

"Tea Craft" Earl Grey Tea  $4.00
 
Outside Dining Areas
 
Frappes  $6.50
mango and orange ; pineapple, mint and blueberry ; raspberry, strawberry and lime

A few of us opted for something more "healthy", glasses of refreshing frappe to cool us down in the morning summer heat (it was still summer when we went there :P backlog...backlog....).
I had the pineapple, mint and blueberry frappe and it was delicious !

Inside Dining Area

The foods didn't take too long to arrive eventhough we were in a big group and the cafe was packed that morning.
Didn't get to taste all of them, so please just enjoy the pictures ^_^

Roasted Field Mushroom w/ Avocado, Ricotta and Poached Free Range Eggs on Toasted Crusty Bread   $15.50

Soft Scrambled Eggs w/ Gruyere Cheese on Toast w/ Roasted Tomatoes & Spinach  $15.50
plus a side of Chorizo Sausages  $3.50 

Took a bite of my friend's scrambled egg dish that looks more like a soft set omelette. The egg was silky smooth with a punch of cheesy flavour from the Gruyere.

Bacon & Egg Gnocchi w/ Baby Herbs and Truffle Oil  $14.50

The sound of bacon and egg gnocchi is just too good to pass when I saw it on the menu. It has now made it to my list of favourite breakfast or brunch dish.
The logs of gnocchi were basically mashed potato mixed with bacon, shaped into logs and shallow pan fried. crispy on the outside but creamy, fluffy with bacon bits on the inside.

Oozing Poached Egg's Yolk

To top off the already amazing gnocchi was a perfectly poached egg and plenty of crispy bacon bits !!

The Cafe Morso Breakfast  $18.00
plus a side of Baked Beans w/ Onion & Relish  $2.50

A few weeks later, we went back for a return visit, this time just the 4 of us and was lucky to score a table without a booking *phew*.
Someone happen to call in and cancel their reservation as we arrived, hehehehehe...

Iced Chocolate  $5.00

Large vs Regular

Sautéed Wild Mushroom, Truffled Scrambled Eggs & Sonoma Sourdough $16.00

Ham Hock Consommé w/ Spinach Wrapped Pork Parcel & Soft Poached Free Range Egg $16.50

Compared to the other dishes in the breakfast menu, the portion is smaller. It just didn't look substantial enough to satisfy hungry stomach :)
Nonetheless, the consomme was delicious and not to mention what's inside the sphere of spinach :

Pork Parcel


Salmon Gravlax Carpaccio w/ Wilted Spinach, Avocado Salsa & Poached Free Range Eggs  $16.50

Wasn't up for anything heavy that morning, so I opted for something more light, salmon gravlax with spinach, poached eggs and avocado salsa topped with micro herbs. Also ordered a side of toast to help balanced out the richness of the dish.
It was close to lunch time when we finished our meals, and spotted the waiter carrying out someone's lunch order - a stack of rectangular beef fillets that looked delicious - must make a return visit for lunch soon !!

Old rail tracks on Jones Bay Wharf


Cafe Morso on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Restaurant Balzac, Randwick


Restaurant Balzac's special Friday lunch menu has been on my list for a long time now, finally one Friday in February I got to try it out :)
It has been so long now that I don't even remember why I wasn't working that day.....hmmm......I'm pretty sure there must be a legit reason why....I hope....LOL
(It's bugging me though that I can't recall why.....)

Inside the restaurant ; Friday Lunch Menu

Like other restaurants in Sydney that does specially priced Friday lunches, you get a full 3 course meal with just a fraction of the regular price, $39.00 p.p. here at Restaurant Balzac.
Choosing what to have was easy, I'll just pick the opposite of what my friend decided to have, then we get to try everything on the menu ;) 

Sourdough & Salted Butter

Yellow Fin Tuna, "Ceviche" Vinaigrette

My starter was a colourful row of pink yellow fin tuna, topped with tomato and cucumber cubes with a lovely tangy lemongrass scented dressing.
The fish was very fresh and the dressing though full of flavour didn't overpower the fish itself.

Baked Beans, Poached Egg, Truffle Oil

My friend's chose the baked beans starter, which is a bit odd for lunch I think....but anyways...it tasted good, though I'm not a big fan of beans so I'm glad she chose this instead of the ceviche :P
The earthy aroma of the truffle added something extra to good ol baked beans, complete with oozing poached egg and crisp bacon.

Onion Tatin with Sherry Caramel, Goat's Cheese, Witlof & Rocket Salad

The horror on my face when the main arrived...so much goats cheese !! Two generous slices of the cheese, which is great if you are a fan of it, which I'm obviously not....-___-;
The onion tatin was delicious though, the pastry was crisp and fluffy and the sweetness of the sherry caramel help make the goats cheese go down easier. The bitter witlof and the peppery rocket balanced out the richness of the creamy cheese.
Despite not able to finish all the cheese, I enjoyed this dish, to my surprise !

Whole Rainbow Trout with Roast Aubergine & Smoked Tomatoes

The shock on my friend's face was for a totally different reason LOL
I think we underestimate the word "whole rainbow trout" on the menu....surely they can't be serving a whole fish....
Well....we were proven wrong....one whole rainbow trout....head and all.....
The trout was cooked very well indeed, the pink flesh was moist and tender and the roasted vegetables was a lovely accompaniment to it.
Needless to say, she was struggling to finish it, even with me helping.

Cherry, Mascarpone & Hazelnut Trifle

The chocolate mousse based triffle was topped with brownie bites, crunchy hazelnut and pistachio brittle, a dollop of mascarpone and chocolate curls.
A perfect dessert for chocoholic :)

Caramelized Apple Terrine

The apple terrine was a stack of thinly sliced apple, still retaining its crispiness and a nice balanced of tartness from the apple itself and the caramel, laid on a pond of Cointreau creme anglaise.
I prefer this one compared to the trifle, its more refreshing and light :)

We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch here, excellent value with such generous portions on some of the dishes.
Now...which restaurant's special lunches should I try next ?

Restaurant Balzac on Urbanspoon