High tea at The Loft - fit for a Queen

With the Queen's birthday coming up, celebrating with a high tea in Her Royal Majesty's honour surely wouldn't be inappropriate.

The Loft on King Street Wharf is well known for its weekend girly Traditional High Tea by the water in the gorgeous daytime bar setting, while for those not tea inclined there's also High Tea with a Twist; an alcoholic one, that is.

High Tea platters at The Loft, Lime Street, Sydney

While I've lost count of how many times I've been to The Loft for cocktails and functions (including a great night on Saturday just passed), this was my first high tea experience there.

The Loft bar

Being more of a savoury than sweets person, my high tea strategy is to go hard on the first savoury plate and ease off as I get to scones and sweets, washing down the latter with lots of hot tea.

Breakfast at Tiffany's cocktail (front) and Chandon Rose (back, flute)

The Loft's High Tea with a Twist includes either a Breakfast at Tiffany's cocktail or a glass of Chandon sparkling wine.

The bright fizz cocktail is based on Zubrowka vodka, peach liqueur, apple and passionfruit, finished with a light tea and topped with real Maraschino cherries.

Ovvio Black Rose Boudoir organic tea

The Loft uses the all-organic Ovvio range of tea for High Tea, having recently changed from using a better known brand which isn't completely organic.

The Black Rose Boudoir was a black tea fragant with rose petals and vanilla, served with milk on the side.

Ovvio Chai High Spice organic tea

I had the Chai High Spice made on water (rather than milk, which is an option with the Chai). Unlike a lot of commercial chai teas or chai lattes which aren't really chai, this black tea released the real flavours of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in smell and taste.

Ovvio Summer Pineapple organic tea

For warmer days there are also sweetened iced tea options using Ovvio tea. The Summer Pineapple was beautiful with pineapple and lemongrass flavours at the fore, and peppermint, lemon myrtle and licorice root as part of the tea, served on crushed ice with a pineapple wedge garnish.

Ovvio Sencha Green organic tea

It's probably here I should mention that High Tea at The Loft includes endless tea. For a tea lover like me, the opportunity to try a whole range of the Ovvio tea range was such a delight.

The Sencha Green tea was beautifully clean without bitterness, and would be my choice as an all-day, everyday tea.

Savoury platter

To the food, we started at the bottom of the three-tiered platter with a fabulous savoury selection. There were the customary crustless finger sandwiches on white bread, filled with devilled curry egg.

From the others, I couldn't actually pick a favourite as they were all exemplary morsels. From the tiny rectangular tarts filled with smoked salmon and caramelised red onion jam; the juicily roasted button mushrooms filled with ricotta and pesto; the creamy chicken salad served on red witlof leaf boats; or the miniature leek and gruyere quiches with beetroot relish.

It was probably the chicken salad that I liked best for being quite the unusual high tea item but overall, I was quite impressed with the savoury options (which at some venues seem to be an afterthought).

Plain and raisin scones

To the scones there was a plain or raisin-studded variety, both looking very professional and without the often rustic surfaces of home-made versions.

Both scones were light and fluffy inside but I was more taken by the whipped Chantilly cream which was infused with a stunning flavour - perhaps a tea variety.

There was also a house-made strawberry jam which was more a liquid than a jelly, but so intensely strawberry flavoured it was almost a better embodiment of the flavour than the fruit itself.

Sweets (and strawberry jam, centre)

I think the petite sweets platter is the highlight for most people. The sweets included a slightly-too-crunchy macaron (the green one anyway), mini red velvet cupcakes with a lovely crumb and texture within, and a miniature chocolate and salted caramel tart with gold leaf that was the perfect ending, and just the right size too for something so rich.

The view from The Loft balcony

With comfy lounge seats on the balcony, we lounged with pots of hot tea and satisfied bellies. The service during our high tea experience was impeccable and I probably would have lounged until beyond sunset if I hadn't made evening plans.

The Loft morphs into its night time persona around about 5.00pm so an elongated high tea could indeed turn into sunset cocktails, both quite fit for a Queen.

High Tea at The Loft is available every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3.00pm. Bookings are essential - see here for more details.

Food, Booze & Shoes dined at The Loft as a guest.

Happy 11th birthday to Kobe Jones

If there was a comparison, I think restaurant years would comprise more time than dog years. So the fact that King Street Wharf's Kobe Jones is celebrating 11 years at the waterside site this year, I think is more like celebrating a 90th birthday - completely commendable and worthy of respect in the Sydney dining game.

Miyamizu sake at Kobe Jones, Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney

To celebrate Kobe Jones' entry to restaurant tween-hood (or nonagenerians) earlier this year, we were invited to indulge in an 11-course kaiseki set course meal featuring menu favourites from across the last 11 years. Indeed, a lot of these favourites remain on the menu today; a testament to the staying power of customer favourites.

We commenced with a celebratory "kanpai" before sipping the delectable chilled Miyamizu sake from the Nada region in Kobe.

Number One special

We started with one from the many of Kobe Jones' signature maki sushi rolls, the Number One Special, which arrives in a torched cloak of the restaurant's secret creamy sauce.

The large, at-least-two-bite sushi pieces comprise Hiramasa kingfish rolled with nori seaweed sheets, filled with creamy threads of a crab salad and avocado, and topped with smelt roe.

It was a full-on mouthful of seafood and creaminess; the latter a characteristic of the fusion Californian-Japanese style Kobe Jones is known and loved for. As a starter, this was matched with Wild River Sparkling Brut NV.

Seared salmon carpaccio (left) and tuna tataki Kobe Jones style

Sashimi took on a new form with slight searing of both the raw salmon and tuna slices in the next combined offering.

The salmon carpaccio, seared with extra virgin olive oil, was dressed with a mildly spicy wasabi and pepper sauce, garnished with microherbs; while the tuna, also seasoned with pepper, was topped with a special cream sauce.

The platter was completed with steamed mushrooms and poached asparagus spears, and matched with the sweet 2009 Xanadu Next of Kin Rose.

Yellow Submarine roll

With modern Japanese restaurants now doing all sorts of things to the traditional sushi forms, I was interested to sample Kobe Jones' Yellow Submarine Roll which is wrapped in a soybean "sheath" rather than nori seaweed.

Soft and smooth, the yellow soybean sheet loosely held rice and a filling of prawn, julienned cucumber and crunchy pops of bright orange fish roe, garnished with more salmon roe.

Calamari salad

Next, a not-so-healthy salad featuring thickly crumbed squid pieces dressed with Kobe Jones' own mayonnaise dressing.

The salad comprised mixed leaves, carrot, shallots and more fish roe and was an appropriate break from sushi and sashimi, although the heavily battered calamari was disappointing, albeit crunchy.

These two dishes were matched with the 2013 Peter Lehmann Pinot Grigio; one of my favourite drops of the evening.

Yuzu soy scallop

In another modern Japanese favourite, plump sashimi style scallops appeared beneath a tumble of microherbs; the molluscs marinated in yuzu and soy. I adore the sea-sweet flavour of scallops and these were no exception; absolutely highlighted by the well-rounded, citrusy dressing.

Lobster roll

The celebration of Kobe Jones' special creamy sauce continued with the lobster roll, which was barely distinguishable beneath the cavalcade of sauce, smelt roe, shallots. sesame seeds and soy glaze.

There was slipper lobster meat to be found under the sauce, and further in, crab and avocado rolls in another rendition of classic Kobe Jones contemporary sushi style.

Tempura prawn

Crunchy tempura fried tiger prawns didn't surprise anyone but they were done very well with an airy and crisp batter, perhaps a tad oily but still a satisfying few mouthfuls dipped into tempura sauce. These were paired with the 2011 Yangarra Estate Viogner.

Alaskan crab

The dish of the night for me was undoubtedly the Alaskan king crab legs, cooked on the robata grill and served simply in its shell with fresh lime.

Just cooked with a slight char flavour, the simple cooking process allowed the sweet crab flesh to truly shine. There was no greater pleasure than pulling out whole strips of crab leg and savouring each sweet bite slowly.

Wafu style grilled wagyu

Nine courses down and I was struggling to look at the wagyu steak; also cooked on the robata to a slightly more than medium point. Pre-sliced and served with a balsamic teriyaki sauce, a round of grilled onion, baby corn and mushrooms, it was a heavy, slightly chewy end to the savoury courses.

The steak was matched with the not-too-heavy 2009 Logan Cabernet Merlot.

Flaming anko

Having left the table for a short moment, I missed the flaming of the green tea crème brûlée which was designed to brûlée the toffee top. In addition to the well-flavoured custard, there was sweet mashed azuki red bean within the pot in a classic Japanese pairing.

We finished with delectable glasses of 2010 Peter Lehmann Botrytis Semillon, deliciously decadent and entirely appropriate for a birthday celebration. Happy birthday to Kobe Jones - here's to many more happy restaurant years.

Food, booze and shoes dined as at Kobe Jones as a guest, with thanks to The PR Partnership.

Vivid Sydney lights up Sydney - until 9 June

Sydney Opera House for Vivid Sydney 2014, 23 June - 9 May, various locations

It's been an unseasonally warm end to autumn and the month of May but with the kick-off of Vivid Sydney - the 2.5 week-long annual festival of lights, music and ideas - it's basically an unofficial start to winter in Sydney.

'Digital Forest' at Martin Place

This year the festival has expanded into the heart of the CBD, in addition to Circular Quay, The Rocks and Darling Harbour, with a bit of a hub of light installations, pop-up food stalls and a bar set up in Martin Place, to operate in the evenings for the duration of the festival.

CTA Building at Martin Place

My favourite light feature so far has been the light projection on the uniquely-shaped CTA Building in Martin Place. It's simply mesmerising to watch trees grow and birds fly around the surface of the round building.

CTA Building at Martin Place

Installation at Martin Place

British India jaffle from Jafe Jaffles pop-up in Martin Place

A number of Sydney's food trucks have set up pop-up stalls in the middle of Martin Place (between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets) to feed the light-watching masses.

It's hard to beat a hot, cheesy jaffle on a cool night with plenty of walking, and the British India flavour from Jafe Jaffles (sans Kombi van) hit the spot with butter chicken in crunchy, toasted white bread and a well-seasoned raita yoghurt dip.

Customs House for Vivid Sydney 2014

Sydney Opera House for Vivid Sydney 2014

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

Museum of Contemporary Art for Vivid Sydney 2014

'The Pool' at Fleet Park, Circular Quay

There's plenty more to see and do during the festival. See more pictures from Vivid Sydney 2014 on my Facebook page (and Like it while you're there!).

Chill-out Sunday session at Café del Mar Sydney

Café del Mar, Rootop Terrace, Cockle Bay, Sydney

Café del Mar is synonymous with chill-out music, beach parties and Mediterranean glamour – and it's now here for Sydney-siders to enjoy. Opened late last year on the rooftop terrace at Cockle Bay Wharf, Café del Mar Sydney is a more food-focused offering than its Ibiza party animal counterpart.

Rooftop balcony

While it's not quite a beachfront location, the rooftop terrace position offers a unique view of Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay. With the balcony facing the west, it's about the best we can do in terms of watching the sun set beyond the casino and other Pyrmont buildings.

Inside restaurant

In a nod to Café del Mar's Spanish heritage and the Sydney venue's food focus, they have appointed Miguel Maestre as a brand ambassador, while head chef Ben Fitton incorporates Mediterranean touches to the menu's share plates and mains which features Australian produce and the fun flavours that Sydney is known for.

Rojo tres red sangria

Seated on the edge of the outdoor balcony, the pitchers of house sangria from the outside bar were too much fun for a group of girls to pass up for a Sunday lunch.

With three of each red and white sangria variations, we started with the Rojo Tres – a deep red concoction of Ketel One Citroen vodka, Westend Tempranillo, saffron syrup, pomegranate, lime and a long sprig of rosemary.

Pretty and full of diverse flavours, the Rojo Tres was a nice start to lunch, and certainly not too strong on the boozy content.

Blanco uno white sangria

The second pitcher, the Blanco Uno was perfect for the warm afternoon, featuring St Germain elderflower liqueur, Square One Vodka, Richland sauvignon blanc, lemongrass syrup, cucumber and lime topped off with soda.

Bread and olive oil

Having decided to have a range of the share plates among four of us and plenty of chatter, we first dived into the complimentary sourdough bread and olive oil.

La Luna goat’s cheese, roasted baby beets, glazed pecans

For cheese lovers, there are cheese plate selections as well as the Holy Goat La Luna cheese in the share plate section of the menu.

Divine in its warmed, melted state atop toasted bread, the La Luna goat's cheese – some of our country's finest – was the absolute star while the salad of baby golden and red beets, frisee and other leaves, and sweetly glazed pecan nuts was extremely well matched.

Flash fried dusted baby prawns, jalapeño mayonnaise

We adored the deep fried school prawns in the short moments they survived; a bowl full of crisp, golden and well-seasoned, shell-on crustaceans, served with deep fried herb leaves and sliced chilli alongside a bitey jalapeño mayonnaise.

Devoured in their whole, crisp state with a squeeze of lime, school prawns done well like this are just about my favourite seafood starter.

Crispy cased Berkshire pig jowls, truffle mash

The pig jowl dish sounded too interesting to ignore, served as two crisp rolls split in half encasing pulled meat from Berkshire pigs' cheeks.

The "spring rolls" were oily, though considering a fatty cut of pig that's then deep fried, I shouldn't have expected any less.

Crispy cased Berkshire pig jowls, truffle mash

The truffle mash was a comfort, despite being a bit odd as part of a share plate. Indeed, something more refreshing to cut through the richness of the pork jowl may have reduced the dish's sense of gluttony.

Chilli salt & pepper squid, black ink, finger lime aioli

Café del Mar's jaw-dropper rendition of Sydney's favourite salt and pepper squid was impressive in both appearance and taste.

Chilli salt & pepper squid, black ink

Inky black on the surface, it was a bit of a scary proposition but the tender pieces of squid were anything but. The squid was livened up with sliced red chillies in a salt and pepper seasoning, with zingy finger lime aioli served alongside.

Chick pea and cumin crusted quail, shaved baby fennel, blood orange

The quail dish presented one plump quartered bird, deep fried in a chick pea and cumin batter.

Like a really fancy take on KFC, the medium-rare cooked quail was served on a sprightly salad of shaved baby fennel, blood orange segments and parsley; making for a fantastically fresh and moreish dish that was perfect for sharing between four.

Café del Mar-tini

We ended our lunch session with drinks in the sun, with my choice of the Café del Mar-tini serving well as a sweet dessert too.

Featuring Ciroc coconut vodka, pineapple, basil and lime, it was like a clean, fresh take on a piña colada with just as much sweetness as the original.

Outdoor balcony bar

With a DJ at the far end of the outdoor balcony, the music noticeably picked up in volume at about 2pm when Sunday Sessions commenced, with a less chilled and much more made/dressed-up crowd taking over the balcony.

Conversation became impossible at this point, especially when seated directly beneath an outdoor speaker, and people watching/gawking took over, which was a pretty chilled out way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Café del Mar Sydney front entrance

There are plans in train to open Café del Mar venues at other waterfront locations around Australia, but in the meantime, Café del Mar Sydney is the sunset, chill-out place to be.

Food, booze and shoes dined at Café del Mar Sydney with credit, with thanks to Agency G.