First Taste of Down Under

It’s been a while since I wrote – we’ve been keeping our heads down and trying to a) dry out and b) save money after a particularly hectic Christmas and New Year. Having said that, we have just returned from an a) boozy and b) expensive little sojourn in the Margaret River, Western Australia – ho hum, detoxing is never easy!

We flew into Perth and hired a car to make our way down to Dunsborough, where we had ourselves a snazzy little beach house. It’s a three hour drive, so we (obviously) had to stop off en-route for a bite to eat. We had no clue where we were going, but luckily our noses are pretty good at sniffing out eating establishments and we ended up at Vat Two in Bunbury.



This funky little restaurant is right on the harbour, with decking over-looking the beach and an inspiring menu of fusion cuisine and an impressive wine list (well, I guess we were in the middle of the wine region!).

We kicked off with a plate of oysters to share amongst the four of us, to get us in the holiday mood – they come in a variety of ways, but we chose to mix up some with Thai-nam jim & crispy shallots with some Japanese chilli, ginger & rice wine vinegar:





My friend and I then shared the Salmon Fishcakes, served with buttered spinach and chive hollandaise



And the Thai Prawn Salad with rice noodles.



The food was excellent – as was the wine and the ambience (and the company, of course was second to none!). So we left feeling very pleased with ourselves to have stumbled upon such a little gem, and would definitely recommend it as a stopping-off point if you happen to be driving down to the Margaret River.

Vat Two, Bunbury, Western Australia - http://www.vat2.com.au/

Gastronomic Anniversary

It was our wedding anniversary – yes, four years of Greedy Gluttonous living, and what better way to commemorate the occasion than a gastronomic feast at one of Singapore’s finest restaurants?

Iggy’s has a truly enviable reputation amongst the city’s restaurants – it was recently voted Asia’s Number One Restaurant by the Miele Guide and is also named in UK magazine The Restaurant’s S. Pellegrino World’s Best 100 restaurants. It is worth noting that not a single restaurant in Asia makes it into the top 50 of this list, nor do any restaurants in Japan make the cut at all – quite amazing considering that Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world (more than London and Paris combined). So whilst the judges of this list are clearly somewhat blinkered (or not very well travelled), the fact that Iggy’s is recognized makes the achievement all the more remarkable.

What immediately sets Iggy’s apart from most other restaurants is its ambience. No cosy tables à deux in here. There were 12 diners on the night we went, and we were all seated around an L-shaped counter, facing towards the semi-open kitchen (the windows were blacked top and bottom, meaning we could observe the chefs busy at work, without being privy to the intricacies of their endeavours). So whilst the evening is not set up for a romantic and intimate dinner, the atmosphere is relaxed and informal, and encourages interaction with the other diners, in addition to the waiter/sommelier who serves all the guests from behind the counter. As you are all facing one another, there is also the chance to get a sneak preview of what is coming your way in the 10 course Gastronomic Menu – and this is what we were treated to:

Uni
Cauliflower mousse, sea urchin, shiso jelly

Jabugo Iberico Bellota
Jamon Iberico, autumn salad, parmesan croutons, warm figs, fresh herbs and datterini tomato

Foie Gras
Foie gras crème brulee, cinnamon sugared pear, pan-fried foie gras on toast

Spanner Crab
Spanner crab meat soufflé, shellfish bisque, rocket sprouts

Cappellini
Cappellini with zucchini, smoked mullet roe and shallot

Halibut
Pan-roasted halibut fillet, red curry-scented pumpkin puree, green mango salsa, roasted shallot oil, glacier lily and balsamic reduction

Welsh Lamb
Herb crusted Welsh lamb saddle, French beans, baby aubergine, seito tomato, garlic confit and thyme jus

Pre-Dessert (a fruit cup)

Chocolate
Caraibe chocolate bar, mascarpone ice-cream, green lime zest

Iggy’s Lemon Tart

Suffice to say – the food was exquisite, and each course just got better and better. The ingredients were undeniably fresh, cooked to perfection and the flavours paired impeccably.

The capellini was truly to-die-for, I could’ve eaten an entire pasta bowl full, and I didn’t think I even liked smoked mullet roe!

The halibut was cooked to perfection and the delicate red curry-scented pumpkin was a worthy accompaniment, with the glacier lily an unusual addition that provided some scrumptious crunch to the dish.

‘Melt-in-the-mouth’ is a phrase far too often applied to food, but there is no other way to describe the herb crusted Welsh lamb saddle – and the memory of the marscapone ice cream which accompanied the sticky fudgy gooey chocolate bar remains with me to this day.

So does it deserve all the accreditations? Well it was certainly one of the best restaurants I’ve had the pleasure to feast in, and the relaxed ambience, impeccable service, interesting menu and of course, the exquisite food all combined to make this a very special and memorable anniversary meal indeed.

Iggy’s - http://www.iggys.com.sg/

I’ll take the Fake

So the much-hyped Supperclub has finally opened its Asian doors in Singapore. Having had such a good night at the Bed Supperclub in Bangkok (note – no relation to the Singapore/Amsterdam chain – like so many others things in Bangkok, that one is a fake/copy), we were keen to check out the new one here. With this being the original from Amsterdam we had high hopes, so with a group of friends we booked a 'bed' and made our way down to Odeon Towers.

Walking into the Supperclub is exactly like the one in Bangkok (oh yes, like my Chatuchak market Gucci handbag, Bangkok does a good fake) – whitewashed walls, large communal beds lining the room, DJ box, bar, upstairs balcony, dance floor… although perhaps the waiting staff here were a little stranger.

Having kicked off our shoes and made ourselves comfortable on the beds with a glass of wine (no cocktail menu here unfortunately), we sat back and waited for the entertainment to begin. In Bangkok we were continually being entertained – there was always something weird and wonderful going on, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen the same here.

Never mind, the food was brought along so we had something to keep us occupied. The five course surprise meal (unlike the one in Bangkok where the menu was revealed after each course on the projection screen, we were never told what each course was) kicked off with a Tuna Tartare, served in polystyrene takeaway boxes, with chopsticks.



It then moved on to a Seafood and Sweetcorn "Cappucino", served in a half pint Heineken glass



Followed by Swordfish with a Risotto



Lamb Cutlets with a Sweet Potato Puree and Vegetables (unfortunately raw – no, not rare, I said raw!)



And finally a Chocolate Molten Cake with Caramelized Pineapple and Ice Cream.



The food unfortunately was all pretty average - so back to the entertainment. Well, somewhere between those courses they did eventually bring in a painted lady offering suggestive dance moves with a large snake round her neck. It lasted about 10 minutes... then we went back to entertaining ourselves. Then once the meal was over an artist wearing a gimp mask turned up to paint some canvases in the middle of the dance floor for 45 minutes – well there’s only so much paint splashing that can keep you amused and after five minutes most people had got bored of it... so we went back to entertaining ourselves.

So our highly anticipated evening out ended up being a bit of a damp squib really… the entertainment was lacklustre, the food average and the bill exorbitant ($250 per head in fact) So in otherwise in comparison to the copy in Bangkok, the Singapore Supperclub is half as good for twice the price… thanks Singapore, but if I’m thinking of heading back to a Supperclub, I’ll take the fake in Bangkok…

Supperclub – www.supperclub.com

Disappointment at Dempsey

A few of our friends had been to Barracks and said how much they had enjoyed it so myself and Mr Greedy Glutton decided to give it a whirl for a Friday night ‘date’.

First impressions weren’t great as we started off in ‘Camp’, the bar area. The restaurant and bar are housed in the former mess of the British army barracks up at Dempsey, hence the name and the rather over-the-top theming of the establishment. Whilst the location of the bar with views over the rainforest should have been perfect for an alfresco pre-dinner tipple, the desire to carry the army theme throughout meant utilitarian furnishings which are just uncomfortable.

We tried to take one of the canvas covered sofas made from tent poles which suggested they might be slightly more comfortable than the steel upright chairs, but were told that they were fully booked (nobody sat in any of them in the hour that we were there – in fact there were only 2 other tables full). Despite there being next to nobody in the bar, flagging down a waiter wasn’t the easiest task, but we did finally manage to order some cocktails.

Camp boasts that its cocktail menu has been put together by a group of global mixologists and claim to be ‘here to help you discover a better standard of drinking’, so we thought perhaps things were about to look up. They also claim that their Madagascan Mojito (“a vanilla twist on the classic Cuban refresher”) was voted Best Mojito by I-S magazine.

Well I’m guessing the people at I-S magazine didn’t try any others, because this was the worst mojito I have ever had the misfortune to try. I’m all for a good serving of mint, but this was taking it to extremes – between the mint and the ice, there was no room left for any liquid and after two sips it was gone – at $17.00 ++ that’s two expensive sips of cocktail! Thankfully the Latin Fling was more successful – with Freshly Muddle.d Pineapple and Lime, Brown Sugar, Cachaca 51, Havana Club Anejo Reserva Rum, this was refreshing and unique.

Unfortunately the service in the restaurant, Barracks, wasn’t much better – there was much confusion over our booking despite them phoning me earlier that afternoon to confirm, and us confirming with them on our way to the bar an hour earlier. We sat for ages waiting for the menu and wine list; the water we asked for on sitting down didn’t appear until half way through the meal and even then only because we had to ask again; when we ordered a bottle of wine the waiter walked off without even acknowledging our order only to return ten minutes later to tell us it was out of stock; when we eventually ordered the wine it appeared about 20 minutes later, just before our starters…

I could go on, but writing this is depressing me as much as sitting there did on the night. Focusing on the positives – the wine list was fun and quirky (even if half the bottles were out of stock!) presented like a Pantone reference guide

and, thankfully and most importantly, the food was good. We started off with the Sweet Corn Soft Shell Crab, which were lovely and crisp, served with baby herb salad, a creamy sweet corn puree and ‘Mojo’ sauce, and topped with a novel addition - curry popcorn.

I then moved on to the Slow-cooked Crispy Pork Belly, which they claim is slow-cooked for 7-9 hours. Of course I don’t know if this is true but it was fantastic, with delicately crispy crackling and the crunchy sweet pickled vegetables complemented it perfectly.

Mr Greedy Glutton’s option of Cod Fish and Chips a la Indian was slightly less successful. Despite being described as being ‘curry and coriander cod fish’ it just tasted like, well – fish and chips… they weren’t bad fish and chips, but certainly not as interesting as the menu suggested.

I have to say that their desserts sounded fantastic – Mango Marshmallow Melt anyone? Or how about Hazelnut & Raspberry Chocolate Cake Crunch? Sounds tempting… but to be honest we had just had enough by then (bad service can be terribly exhausting!)… and we decided instead just to get the rock out of there…

Camp/Barracks - http://www.dempseyhouse.com/

(be careful, the website keeps crashing my internet browser!)

Straight into the Top Ten

Last time we were in Bali, Hu’u Bar & Restaurant was our favourite place we visited for dinner, so we couldn’t resist a return visit this holiday, especially as we wanted to share our discover with the Greedy Guts.

Thankfully it didn’t disappoint and has now made its way firmly into my Top Ten Restaurants of All Time – it has the whole package: winning ambience, alfresco dining, fantastic cocktails and truly outstanding food. I’m hooked!

Mr Greedy Glutton has never quite got over the fact that I trounced him on my choice of meal last time we were here, and so this time, guess what? He ordered my exact same meal from before – the Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa, followed by the Seared Tuna. Luckily for him it was every bit as good as last time and he was happy diner.

This time I kicked off with the Duck Pancakes and oh my goodness, I fell in love with this restaurant all over again. The blend of Asian-style duck wrapped up in French crepes rendered this dish absolutely sublime – little bundles of Fusion joy.

My follow-up dish was no less impressive – a platter of Tamarind Chilli Prawns – thick, juicy and delicious.

Determined to drag this meal out slightly longer and get absolute maximum enjoyment, we then plumped for dessert – a truly awe-inspiring Caramelized Banana Tart, which quickly had our four spoons fighting for the remaining scrapings on the plate.

Hu’u Bar & Restaurant, I salute you… you’re just another reason to keep me coming back to Bali for long weekends…

Hu’u Bar & Restaurant, Seminyak, Bali - http://www.huubali.com/

A Romantic Evening in Bali

So we found ourselves in Bali for a few days, and after a hard day on the golf course we were ready to put our feet up and chill… so we took a short walk from our villa to the uber-cool chill-out haven that is Hu’u bar.

I have to say I was blown away by this place – it’s everything you could wish for in a bar for drinks and dinner with your significant other – awesome cocktail list, chill out area (here, in the form of big floor cushions on the lawn), comfy sofas in the bar area, fairy lights strung up amongst the trees, attentive staff, candle-lit tables, cool background music and a mouth-watering menu.

We started off on the aforementioned sofas in the bar and made our way through the cocktail menu. Me being a fruit-based martini fiend, started off with one of my all-time favourites, the Mango Martini. It was delicious. Smooth velvety mango liquid with a good slug of vodka – just as it should be.

I followed it up with a Honeydew Melon Martini – again simply scrumptious and not at all syntheticly flavoured as they can be

and then swiftly followed this up with a Watermelon Martini, which was equally fantastic, although watermelon being a lesser flavoured fruit did mean that it didn’t mask the alcohol so well, although perhaps by this stage that wasn’t a bad thing…

By now we were definitely ready for a stomach-lining feed so we moved down to one of the candlelit tables surrounding the swimming pool (did I not mention that this place also has a swimming pool?!) and perused the dinner menu. This took some time as everything really sounded so fantastic, but we did finally make a decision, starting with the Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa for myself:

These were golden-crisp and completely delicious, and much envied by Mr Greedy Glutton, who opted for the Seafood Salad, which in turn was also extremely tasty, with generous portions of ceviche-style marinated raw seafood tossed into the leaves with pine nuts, peppers and cherry tomatoes.

He followed this up with the Linguine Alio Olio with Belly Pork

which was really very good although I again provoked envy from him with my Seared Tuna – this had been coated in black pepper and sesame seeds, and came served on a fresh black bean sauce, with an exquisite sweet potato mash, asparagus and sun blush tomatoes. The combination of all these flavours on the plate together really was heavenly. No wonder Mr Greedy Glutton was looking green-eyed!

For the record I have to say this was one of the best meals we have had in a long time… not only was the ambience second to none, but the food was truly outstanding… We are due to go back to Bali in a few weeks time and we are definitely… definitely returning here for a meal…

Hu’u Bar & Restaurant - http://www.huubali.com/

Surprise Menu

The Bed Supperclub is always on the hitlists for places to go for a night out in Bangkok, so we decided to go and check it out for ourselves. From the outside it looks like a giant simulator, all aglow in pink and once you make it up the ramp, a sliding door leads you into a minimalist space, with beds lining the walls, and pink lighting washing the walls.

We were led to our ‘bed’ upstairs on the balcony, the ideal location for a spot of people watching. Here, we were encouraged to kick off our shoes, lie back, order a drink and makes ourselves at home. We were a little early arriving, which gave plenty of time to get acquainted with the cocktail menu and the place soon filled up and we were then shoulder to shoulder with our fellow supperclub members. The idea of the supperclub is that everyone eats together, the same meal, at the same time.

Tonight, it was a surprise menu, so we had no idea what was coming. We were a little apprehensive about this, as one of the fun parts of eating out is perusing the menu and agonizing over the choices, but happily everything that was handed over was delicious. As there is no room for tables on the beds (a small platform is provided at each seating area for your drinks), every course was designed to be eaten off your knee as if at home curled up in bed.

We started with a Roasted Bell Pepper and Basil soup with a Mozzarella Noodle.

This was followed by a Seared Duck Salad (with some kind of Asian-inspired dressing)

Followed by Beef Fillet, served with Buttery Mash (I seem to remember there was some Foie Gras in their somewhere too)

Then a Mango Sorbet with Ginger Foam palate cleanser

And ending with a Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream (oops, too many cocktails consumed by this point to be able to take a photo in focus!)

It was a fantastic meal and much fun was had tasting each dish and deciding what we thought the ingredients were before it was flashed up on the screen. What made it such a memorable evening though was the entertainment provided – from the DJ spinning his chill-out tunes, to the lion dance, Chinese acrobats, masseurs and tarot card readers and even a feather duster-weilding ‘cat’- this was certainly an evening we won’t forget in a hurry.

Bed Supperclub, Bangkok - http://www.bedsupperclub.com/

Fusion Fare

Just walking into The House, we knew we were in for a special evening. Tucked back from the busy Moonmuang Road, in a renovated 1930s house, the romantic ambience was evident from the outset and the staff immediately welcoming. The main restaurant of The House takes up the ground floor, and presents an elegant dining area with high ceilings, rattan chairs and white linen-clad tables. A visit to the restrooms revealed candle-lined stairs leading to cosy private rooms with cushioned sofas, which looked just perfect to kick back in with a glass of chilled wine. There was even a live acoustic guitarist to accompany your meal, although I did feel it was a bit much when he started to pluck out strains of 80s answer-machine favourite, Greensleeves!

The Fusion menu made an interesting read. The chef, although local, was apparently trained in Europe which shows in the dishes, although they are obviously inspired by local ingredients and flavours.

I opted for a starter of an Avocado Salad with Crab and Prawn and a Chipotle Dressing (chipotle is a Mexican smoked jalapeno pepper, in case you were wondering),

while Mr Greedy Glutton chose the U.S Scallops on Green Pea Puree and Parmesan Chip with Truffle Oil.

Great care had obviously gone into devising an interesting presentation for the dishes – with particular emphasis on piling everything high. Unfortunately the same care hadn’t been afforded the flavour of the dishes – the Avocado Salad lacked the kick that the Chipotle Dressing could have provided, whilst the Parmesan Chip overpowered the Scallops starter (although once the Chip had been exiled to the side of the plate, the Scallops and Pea Purée were actually very tasty).

A similar experience followed with the main courses – mine being Grilled Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Sautéed Zucchini, Aubergine, Capsicum, Tomato, Basil and Fried Potato with a Rosemary Sauce,

and Mr Greedy Glutton testing the Fusion menu to its max with a Pork Tenderloin wrapped with Pancetta, Served with Yellow Pepper Puree and Mango and Passion Fruit Sauce. We couldn’t quite decide what the latter was meant to portray with its carrot horns and pureed tail, but it definitely looked mythological.

Unfortunately, once again, the flavour of the dishes was not the stuff to inspire mythological legends - but they were both pleasant enough.

We finished off by sharing a double serving of Crème Brulée – the first with a plain burnt top (burnt being the operative word) and the second with a raspberry coulis.

The food, although not bad, wouldn’t be enough to inspire me to return to this restaurant. The ambience however, would. It’s one of those places that just makes you feel like you’re celebrating a special occasion… and that in itself made for a very enjoyable evening...

The House, 199 Moonmuang Rd, Chiang Mai