Japanese street food at Jap's Table

The idea of street food combines convenient and tasty eats, the great outdoors, hopefully reasonable pricing and a sprinkling of dust/germs/pollution from said streets.

It is quite literally street food at Jap's Table, with part of the menu cooked and eaten on the Chippendale footpath one sunny weekend lunch.

Cooking yakitori on the footpath at Jap's Table, Abercrombie Street, Chippendale

Jap's Table offers Japanese yakitori grilled chicken on a skewer, as well as a smattering of other Japanese highlights of sushi and ramen.

The sweet, smoky smells of the charcoal grill attracted quite a few looks from both passing pedestrians and cars.

Japanese soft drinks

The milky Calpis soft drink is a must-have for some with its subdued sweetness, while the Suntory branded C.C. Lemon is much like any lemon squash.

Negi toro maki sushi roll

As we waited for our hot food orders I tried out one of the pre-made sushi rolls, kept in a fridge displayed near the restaurant entrance.

The negi toro roll comprised a filling of minced raw toro tuna belly mixed with shallots, and wasn't bad but I could have used a touch of soy sauce which wasn't to be found.

Yokohama ramen

They had two varieties of ramen on offer featuring different broths: pork stock for the Yokohama version and chicken stock for the Tokyo version.

The ramen was pretty fair sized with the Yokohama one topped with Japanese style chashu roast pork, half a soft boiled egg, spinach, sliced shallots and two sheets of nori seaweed.

The soup was decidedly tasty and porky while the noodles were on the softer side of al dente, with chilli paste additions were available on the side.

Yakitori grill and chef

The main game for me was the yakitori which was being grilled under a watchful eye. Every flip on the grill or dunk into the sweet, soy-based sauce looked simple enough but I'm sure was a practised art.

Yakitori grill 

In addition to skewered yakitori options, the menu featured a yakitori don that has grilled chunks of chicken on a bowl of rice - chicken and rice, Japanese style.

(From top) Chicken liver, thigh and skin yakitori

Our yakitori order arrived all at once on the one plate: skewers of chicken thigh, liver and skin, suitably charred and saucy, straight off the grill.

The thigh, juicy with crunchy outer bits, was easy to love. The liver was overcooked, making it difficult for me (not a huge liver lover) to stomach.

I had high hopes for the chicken skin, which appeared as squares of skin folded and skewered, pretty much like they do in Japan. The texture was more rubbery than crisp like rendered skin would be; enjoyable for a little to start with but then completely and overwhelmingly too fatty.

Jap's Table is certainly waving the flag for street food in Sydney, and I can't wait to see it and the Sydney street food movement evolve.

Opera on Sydney Harbour: Carmen - A Spanish feast for the senses

From memory I've only been to the opera once before, at the Sydney Opera House, so its not surprising that my knowledge of the fine art is limited.

But even then, I've had two iconic arias stuck in my head since seeing Carmen in this year's Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour at Mrs Macquarie's Point; surprisingly, one tune that most people would actually know.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Carmen at Fleet Steps, Mrs. Macquarie's Point, Sydney

It's a night at the opera like no other - it's completely outdoors and the stage is indeed, in the harbour.

The Opera on Sydney Harbour is an Opera Australia initiative aiming to bring opera to a broader audience in a more accessible arena.

Indeed, there's nothing stuffy about having a stage sitting in shimmering Sydney Harbour at what looks like a precariously sloping angle, with ferries passing behind and the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge just over yonder.

The setting for Carmen

For its second year running, Opera on Sydney Harbour is showing much-loved and passion-fuelled Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet, telling the love triangle story of passionate gypsy, a smitten soldier and a toreador bullfighter.

The stage from the Southern Terrace

Despite the looming dark clouds, there's an air of excitement all round the Fleet Steps area, which is completely taken over for the show.

My extended stroll through the Botanic Gardens sees me arrive at the red carpet a little flustered, but greeted by the varied array of dining options all by Fresh Catering.

Adina Garden Bar

As part of bringing the opera to the masses, Fresh Catering is again taking charge of the onsite food and beverage options, and goodness, are there options.

They've strived to cover any taste and any budget with an on-theme Spanish touch, and food outlets located conveniently in every direction and area.

Adina Garden Bar food offerings

Near the entry the Adina Garden Bar was serving spicy chorizo off the grill, simply in a roll with peppers, rocket and aioli.

Southern Terrace

At the elevated Southern Terrace I was drawn in by the smell of pastry from generously-sized empanadas and a selection of self-serve cold dishes and snacks like terrine, potato salad and antipasto plates.

Cold food options at the Southern Terrace

View from the Southern Terrace

Food offerings from the Sparkling Wine Bar

A number of Sparkling Wine Bars dotted around near the stage front had lush picnic style options including natural oysters, olives and chicken on brioche rolls.

The Northern Cantina

Hungry members of the audience would be found at the northern end of the area where a purpose-built three-storey structure housed three separate areas, all looking directly at Sydney's most famous view.

The Northern Cantina

There was plenty on at the Northern Cantina, ranging from bocadillo rolls and salads and plenty of dessert options to go with beers and wines.

There was also the upstairs Northern Terrace offering more substantial eats: a huge range of tapas-style share plates and a specialty paella station.

Platinum Lounge

But for real decadence it has to be the exclusive, ticket-only Platinum Lounge where we were treated to a three-course meal, cooked to order, with table service, matching Tyrrell's wines and that view.

The Platinum Lounge dining area

Confit salmon with a salad of broad beans, spiced almonds and horseradish creme with asparagus and flowers

There are a few options per course and the confit salmon caught my attention as a entreé, served with a colourful salad of baby beetroot, broad beans, asparagus, radish and crunchy spiced almonds.

Heirloom tomato salad with broad beans, spiced almonds and horseradish creme with asparagus and flowers

The vegetarian entreé was much the same, with halved heirloom tomatoes replacing the salmon.

Pyrenees lamb rump with potato catalana, roasted Brussels sprouts
with mojo sauce and shaved manchego cheese

To mains I couldn't pass up the lamb rump, served tenderly pink with a herb-green mojo sauce, while the accompaniments of roasted Brussels sprouts and scalloped roasted potatoes were executed perfectly.

Chocolate and orange tart with hazelnut praline

Dessert was no after-thought in the Platinum Lounge with three options to please any diner. The chocolate offering was a Jaffa-like chocolate and orange tart, served with hazelnut praline and decadent chocolate and orange mousse.

Seasonal fruit plate with kaffir lime syrup and orange sorbet

The healthy option was a seasonal fruit plate served with the tempting sounds of a kaffir lime syrup and blood orange sorbet.

Selection of Spanish cheese with quince, muscatel and crackers

The cheese plate got my pick, with segments of a particularly pungent blue cheese and a full-flavoured hard cheese amid the lavosh, crackers, bread stick, quince paste and dried muscatels.

The poncho-wearing audience

While we were squirelled away in the Platinum Lounge, the looming clouds had become showers but as an outdoor event, the show goes on unless it becomes dangerous for the performers or audience.

So, the hundreds in the crowd donned the sponsor's blue ponchos en masse and became a spectacle itself, watching and listening through the pitter-patter on the rather efficient plastic coverings.

Milijana Nikolic as Carmen (Photo by James Morgan)Image from a different night - courtesy of Opera Australia

James Clayton as toreador Escamillo (Photo by James Morgan)
Image from a different night - courtesy of Opera Australia

The night's show started in the rain and was called to a halt temporarily as the rain got heavy, but came back bravely to finish late but in full flourish, fireworks and all.

In spite of the rain, and in fact, maybe because of it, my second experience at the opera was an unforgettably enjoyable one - and I can't wait to see what Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will be doing next year.

See more photos on my Facebook page. Carmen runs from 22 March to 12 April 2013 - more details of the show and dining packages here.

Food, booze and shoes attended Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Carmen as a guest of Opera Australia.

Fun new grits at The Abercrombie

A favourite of university students and workers from neighbouring construction sites, The Abercrombie in Broadway is part of the Drink N Dine group of pubs and boasts a new menu of food to keep any dude happy.

It's an old pub done new, Drink N Dine style, with the slightest Scottish influence within the dark and still dingy main pub bar and the light- and people-filled beer garden with loads of seating.

One kilo of chicken wings at The Abercrombie, Broadway

Group executive chef Jamie Thomas sure has been busy with great specials and new menu items across all the venues - it was The Abercrombie's $10 Friday special from 6-10pm on a one kilogram bucket of chicken wings that got me.

My visions of a large tin bucket were way off though: one kilogram is a lot smaller than I was imagining and I probably could have polished off the basket of crisp, greasy, cornflake-crumbed mid wings and drumettes myself with the mild, orange-tinted 'Red Eye' mayonnaise.

Mac and cheese balls with spiced ketchup

I wasn't really sure what to expect from macaroni and cheese balls, but I suppose if you can make arancini balls from rice, there's no reason pasta can't be used in the same fashion. I was surprised that macaroni can be moulded to such perfectly spherical shapes.

Mac & cheese ball innards 

The pasta balls are best devoured straight-from-the-oil hot and heavily dunked in the accompanying tomato sauce. When hot, the cheese strings from every bite of the soft pasta, invoking immediate carb, cheese and naughtiness overload.

Chicken Caesar salad with bacon, lettuce, queso cheese and ranch dressing

I thought I'd lighten the load with a salad, which ended up being gigantic and having more chicken, bacon strips and corn chips than a 'healthy' dish really should.

Add ranch dressing and grated queso cheese and you can pretty much cancel out any goodness from the cos lettuce or kernels of grilled corn.

Mexican dahl taco with green chilli yoghurt and sweet potato

There was slight redemption in the vegetarian taco option with a Mexican-spiced dry lentil dahl, served in a soft taco with red cabbage, shavings of sweet potato and quite the refreshing, not-spicy chilli yoghurt.

Korean short rib taco with slaw and sesame mayo

The beef short rib taco was a definite winner: tender pulled short rib cooked in Korean chilli bean paste on a bed of red cabbage slaw. Coriander leaves and a flavoured mayonnaise were the icing on the cake of an impressive fusion taco.

Reuben Dog with mustard, sauerkraut and dill pickle relish, served with chips

The Reuben Dog is new to the menu of 'dawgs' and is described as a Reuben sandwich inside a hot dog.

Other than the lack of corned beef - although it's a pretty decent frankfurt encased in the white roll - the tang of both the sauerkraut and lurid green dill pickle relish hinted at a Reuben, while the crinkle cut potato chips were pure nostalgia in a paper cup.

Deep fried Golden Gaytime

There was going to be a dessert order of The Abercrombie's infamous deep fried Golden Gaytime ice cream regardless of how stuffed we were.

As if the original caramel/vanilla ice cream pop with chocolate and biscuit crumb coating isn't already awesome perfection, this version is battered, crumbed and deep fried as a whole, served with a fanned strawberry and drizzled with syrup.

Inside the deep fried Golden Gaytime

Personally, I think perfection can be left well alone, but for those inclined, dig in quick as the ice cream is on a melting path; perhaps made too sweet with the addition of syrup but itwas certainly a novel dessert that had to be ordered and shared.

The Abercrombie beer garden

The beer garden didn't empty much over the course of the night, with happy hour jugs keeping things rolling. There was a lot of food out in the beer garden too, proving that fun food, or grits, go a long way.

Food, booze and shoes dined as a guest of The Abercrombie, with thanks to Folke.