Still on my quest to find the national dish of Australia, I headed off to Sydney!
Once again I had the pleasure of meeting up with guests, who I have been fortunate to meet at Londolozi, and they really pulled the rabbit out the hat with a booking at ESTER!
At his very new and very hot Chippendale diner, former Billy Kwong head chef Mat Lindsay has little more than a combi-oven, a Thermomix blender and a vacuum sealer by way of high-tech tools. The beating heart of Ester is a massive wood-fired oven. They have recently been awarded Two Hats and were named Best New Restaurant in Sydney.
Dining with Rob and Vicky, Mike and Sue, Howard and Shelley, this is what we were indulged with…
Raw Kingfish, Mandarin and Nori – simply sublime
Lobster Sausage Sanga (an Australian Slang word for sandwich!)
Octopus, Nduja, Ink. Nduja is typically made with parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly and jowl, as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices
Prawns, Brown Butter and Capers – unbelievable combination and have already tried it at Londolozi!
Greens, Fermented Chili and Garlic. Whole Fennel, Leeks and Spring Onions with Pak Choy – all done in the wood fired oven.
Whole Yellow Eye Mullet
Whole Cauliflower, Almond and Mint – this was incredible!
Mike, Sue, Rob, Vicky, Howard, Shelly and myself at Ester. A truly fabulous evening and a massive culinary delight.
I wandered around Sydney quite extensively, checking out the trends, the bakery’s, the markets and the many Macaroon shops! I stopped in at Baroque Pantry for a Black Truffle Cheeseburger which was delicious. Sipping on some good Australian wine I later watched the flurry of activity from my spot at the Opera Bar situated below the Sydney Opera house.
Then, one of my dreams came true! I was fortunate to be taken to Matt Moran’s Chiswick Restaurant and it just so happened he was there! (Thank you Helen and Harry!) As well as meeting him, we dined on incredible food ending with Fresh Mint Tea from the gardens surrounding the restaurant. At Londolozi we have a similar concept whereby many of our vegetables are sourced from local gardens on the property, ensuring that foods are fresh and harvested on site. Guests visiting the reserve are welcome at any time to have a look at some of the many vegetable gardens that we have. We hope that by the time we reach 2020 we will be fully sufficient with enough vegetable gardens to feed the entire camp as well as staff. Click here to read more about vegetable gardens at Londolozi.
With a grin the size of a Cheshire cat! Matt Moran and Anna!
A simple plate of steamed greens, chili, garlic and lemon
Kingfish Sashimi, Sesame, Yuzu and Coriander – due to my sesame allergy it was served on the side!
Seared scallops, celeriac, fresh Western Australia truffle
Roast pork belly, toasted barley, shallot dressing
Crispy fired quail, lime, shallot, ginger – also known as KFQ! Highly delicious.
Whole roasted rainbow trout, garden herbs, baby leeks
Thank you Helen and Harry – we look forward to seeing you again soon.
I had heard that there was a restaurant in Sydney owned and run by a South African Chef. I was determined to get a booking, however, his restaurant was fully booked most likely owing to the fact that he had just won the prestigious Chef of the Year title. Instead I managed to get a booking at The Bridge Room and was not disappointed.
Two-Hatted Sydney restaurant, The Bridge Room, owned by Ross and Sunny Lusted has a menu that includes dishes inspired from Europe and Asia, some cooked over charcoal and slow smoked in the Japanese Robata style.
Ross Lusted was awarded CHEF OF THE YEAR by the Sydney Morning Herald GOOD FOOD GUIDE and HOTTEST CHEF IN AUSTRALIA by the Weekend Australian Magazine HOT 50 RESTAURANTS in Australia 2014.
A amouse bouche of Spanner Crab Risotto– definitely set the standard of what I was about to dine on!
Robata grilled Southern calamari, salsify parsley root cream, whipped prawn bisque. The most incredible ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.
Rangers Valley 7+ Wagyu Sirloin. Oxtail pillows, ash grilled carrots, smoked onion, spinach.
Simply delicious – bowl of Australian mussels, Tomato and chili sauce with fresh ciabatta – amazing. All washed down with my new favourite beverage – prosecco and elderflower cordial
My last day in Sydney was spent zipping around with Rob and Vicky to Bondi Beach where I was introduced to a fabulous café called Brown Sugar – I highly recommend this to anyone who’s in Bondi. You may have to wait a bit, but trust me for someone who doesn’t normally wait, I was very happy I did!
You can’t really leave Sydney as a foodie without a trip to the Sydney Fish Market. The choice, quality and quantity of fresh seafood is simply mind blowing.
The most important aspect of a food safari is the inspiration that stems from trying new dishes. I have already tried a few in camp – food inspired by Australia with a Londolozi/African twist.
The Sydney Fish Market
Leaving Sydney with an extremely full tummy, I headed off on my next adventure to Perth…
Food Safari – Down Under – Part 3 – coming soon!
Click here to read part 1
Wow! What a fantastic experience. The food looks divine.
Sydney was incredible with the highlight being a hug from Matt!
Yum and thrice YUM Anna – what a super mouthwatering blog. You will have fun integrating some of those ideas at Londolozi!
Thanks Jen!
i’ve already tried a few inspired dishes out here and they have worked out very well!
Delicious meals! Thanks for sharing your food safari experience. I look forward to part 3 – Perth.
Thanks Kate
Oxtail Pillows!!!!???? oh please tell me what these are…….look like little pink cups of something creamy & delicious!
YUM!
Thanks Susan
The Oxtail Pillow are indeed the picture of the “onion cups” filled with an Oxtail Marrow Mousse which was delicious and paired well with the Wagyu beef!