I'm back like original Vegemite on toast

It has been a while, hasn't it friends? In fact, this hiatus was almost as long as one my toilet breaks at work. The last 3 months have been crazy but I've survived the semester, we've well and truly settled into our new place, I've triumphed over our precarious conventional oven and I have time to blog again! Life is good.

Most of you will know that Dan and I have moved out. I could not be happier with the location and 3 months later we're still discovering cool little places to grab a bite. Here are some of our favourite places to have a casual meal (for those busy nights when you want to be in and out like you mean business).

Ryo's Noodles, Crows Nest

A friend of mine hailed the noodles at this place "the best ramen in Sydney". I still think the best ramen in Sydney is from Ichiban Boshi opposite Kinokuniya in the city, but Ryo's comes really close. The servings are generous, service is fast and the gyoza is killer. Be wary of the Friday night queue that starts around 6pm and opt for no makeup as it gets pretty stuffy with no air con and hot soup.

The Counter, Crows Nest

You know those children's books that have alternate endings and you choose your own adventure? This American franchise lets you choose your own burger adventure. You get to customise every part of your burger on a neat clipboard and a short wait later you get to eat your delicious creation. The burgers are huge so wear your eating pants if you're shy about unbuckling. You have to try the apple pie shake (with real chunks of apple pie) and cheesy fries.

Guzman y Gomez, Crows Nest

I flipped out when I found I lived 2 blocks away from a GYG. Whoever thought up the concept of Mexican fast food and tequila daquiris in the one place must have been a demigod. The only disappointing thing is you can't takeaway alcoholic drinks. I'm still dreaming of the perfect world when we can walk down the street with a drink in one hand and a burrito, taco, quesadilla or nachos in the other.

Thai Emerald, Crows Nest

We get so many Thai takeaway menus in the mail and being the junk mail fiend he is, Dan brings them up to the apartment and hoards them in case we need to order Thai from 30 different places. I'm so glad I let him though because during exams, we did need those menus, and yes, I had prawn pad thai every night for 2 weeks. Thai Emerald did the best prawn pad thai in terms of taste and price. For $11.90, it's by far the cheapest pad thai in Crows Nest, the taste is almost perfect and the prawns are impressively succulent.

I also wanted to share with you guys some pictures of our new place just because it's so darn cute. I like to think of it as 1950s Californian housewife.


Hopefully I'll have a chance to pop down to Harris Farm next week and work on some recipes I've been brainstorming. Very excited!

Duckfest 2010 @ MUMU Grill

70-76 Alexander St, Crows Nest
7 courses of duck prepared by Craig Macindoe (MUMU Grill) and Ben Cooper (St Ali)
$95 pp including wines

It's hard to pare down my favourite foods to a top 5, or even top 10. But if I were served duck, cooked any which way, for my last meal, I would die a happy woman.

When it came to the day of Duckfest, I made it a point to not eat until I got to the much loved MUMU Grill so that I was armed with a clean palate and a spacious belly.

The night starts off with a glass of 2007 Polin & Polin Verdehlo, duck liver pate and a quick chat with Craig. The food is mostly prepared, just awaiting some final touches. All is calm here, not a hint of stress or doubt in sight. He tells me that there is such a long waiting list that a second Duckfest has sold out in Melbourne. By this point I'm gushing like an excited schoolgirl because I know that dinner will not disappoint.

Duck consommé

The rich flavour of the duck stock is cut through with the freshness of the spring onion. Imagine the deliciousness of duck juices trickling down your fingers when eating roasted duck. Now imagine a whole cup of it. Yum!

Duck breast with deconstructed XO

Served with a 2008 Little Yerring Pinot Noir. Crispy deep-fried duck breast and scallop are coupled with a hot and sour XO sauce.

Duck sang choi bao - flash-fried duck leg with kim chi and oyster in lettuce leaf

Served with a 2008 Bass Strait Pinot Noir. The duck is so tender that it reminds me of really smooth gow gee filling. It goes well with the pickled ginger and mushroom in the kim chi and oyster.

Twice cooked duck with bok choy and poached pear

Served with a 2003 Parker Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The meat just falls off the bone as I plate myself up a small portion. The fattyness of the duck is complemented nicely by the sweet acidity of the pear.

"Turducken" - turkey stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with a guinea fowl

Served with a 2003 Ada River Cabernet Sauvignon. I can't tell you how excited I was for this, and it definitely lives up to my expectations. An amalgamation of turkey, duck, chicken and game bird flavours, each layer juicier and more tender than the last.

Duck egg caramel with pineapple and papaya

Served with a Pink Muscato by Innocent Bystander. This is by far my favourite. You can taste the duck fat in the sticky caramel on top. Underneath is a custard that tastes of sweetened duck egg yolk. It is a dessert of complex flavours and the fruit and fresh mint tie it all together.

By the end, Dan and I were just in awe of how amazing the food was and how gracefully the night unfolded. I love it when a menu is creative and it's executed beautifully, especially with a food that is notoriously difficult to cook. Kudos to Craig and Ben for an unforgettable night!

Hopefully this is the first of many Duckfests to come. Craig tells me there's a Porkfest just round the corner, so keep your eyes peeled.

Beer & Beef Masterclass @ MUMU Grill

70-76 Alexander St, Crows Nest
Classes are run bi-monthly, check here for dates
Call 02 9460 6877 to book

They say good things come in threes. Well MUMU Grill has pared it down to two in a neat little package: for $85, chef and owner of MUMU Grill, Craig Macindoe, teaches you everything you need to know about beef and Dan the (self-proclaimed) Beer Snob gives you the low-down on boutique beers.

The beef

Craig starts off by telling us in the kitchen why he's so passionate about organic grass-fed beef: it tastes better, it contains fats that the human body needs (with its healthy omega 6-omega 3 ratio), it is better for the environment and it is chemical/preservative-free. Ageing (air-drying) beef for 6 weeks is all it needs for its flavour to intensify and become tender. For premium organic beef, Craig recommends Hudson Meats (Cammeray, Surry Hills and Lane Cove).

We're then run through the 'sweet cuts' of beef that make up the 20% of the cow we eat. These include the eye fillet, sirloin, scotch fillet, rump and t-bone. The thing that surprised me the most is they're so simple to cook! To season, sprinkle with rock salt (to bring out the flavour in the mouth) and pepper, and lightly coat with olive oil (less is more as too much oil builds a layer of char on the beef). To sear, cook the beef on one side for 2½ minutes, rotate 90° (so that you create a criss-cross pattern on the steak) and cook for another 2½ minutes, flip and repeat. Cook until desired doneness.

One recipe I was especially intrigued by was Craig's Tagliata t-bone: sear, slice into strips, drizzle with garlic and rosemary in olive oil and place in a woodfire oven for 10-15 minutes. The result is a juicy and garlicky, melt-in-your-mouth piece of beef. I'm definitely trying this at home in my conventional oven (set at a low heat, roughly 120°).

The beer

Before Saturday I was never big on drinking beer. I've tried very hard to like it (my friends call it an acquired taste, so if you can learn to like wine, why not beer?) - I've even gone to Lowenbrau and the Belgian Beer Cafe hoping that it'd change my life and I would have an in in the world of beer. But Dan the Beer Snobhas enlightened me. Turns out, mainstream beer is different to boutique beer.

Dan tells us the three tell tale signs of a good beer: colour, clarity and carbonation (the three C's). We tried five different beers, starting with the palest (Murray's Pilsner) to the darkest (Moo Brew Dark Ale). I've got to say, I am convinced. Beer snobbery is the way to go

All in all this was a fantastic class, geared towards cooks and drinkers of all levels. I've always loved MUMU Grill, Dan's family and I have been a few times now and the love only keeps growing. Next up is Duckfest!