Good old days of sushi

When the phrase 'comfort food' comes up I tend to think of hearty, warming meals that are almost English in their nature. Maybe I see it as an English term although really it should be any food that is personally comforting. It would be food that makes me feel safe, and not in a hygiene sense. I'm not really sure that I have a definitive list of comfort foods but odd as it may sound, sushi is one of them.

Perhaps not so much the sushi rolls that can be hit and miss on quality, but freshly made sushi from a restaurant usually hits the spot. In some ways it's a bit of a shame because a visit to a Japanese restaurant is no longer a special affair, notable exclusions aside. But fear not, I shall not be bored in safe hands, just comfortable.

There are a tonne of Japanese restaurants in Sydney, and especially loads in Chinatown. Sometimes it's difficult to know which ones are of superior quality, which ones have certain menu items, which ones are pricey, which ones are a diamonds in the rough. One of the restaurants I used to regularly frequent with friends is Yumei in the arcade by Capitol Theatre.

In the times since we've been going there, essentially everything has changed. First, I think, the name changed. Then the refurbishment. This time, after a half year hiatus at least, the menus have changed, in terms of content and appearance. They're much prettier and correspondingly more expensive.

Yumei also has those waiter-attention-seeking doorbell contraptions which I still find so impersonal but so efficient. Our drinks orders are away within seconds but back shortly as two of the ordered items aren't available. Sometimes the well-trodden path is just more reliable.

I cherish the communal dining culture of many Asian societies, which can be such fun when among close friends and family because you're well aware of others' preferences and so forth. Admittedly a little dangerous when among not so familiar dining colleagues. Anyway, tonight I'm after a bit of a red meat iron fix before giving blood later this week. Another diner is after sushi and another is after a light feed with sashimi. Easy.

We begin with edamame, which are warm and flecked with salt flakes but the shells are a little on the soggy side - not that it should really matter but I wonder if this is a function of cooking time or ingredient freshness. My iron fix comes in the form of the beef tataki.

Beef tataki from Yumei, Haymarket

The pretty presentation did not last long. Almost immediately the lemon is squeezed over everything, the beef slices submerged into the sauce and the centre garnish tasted - it actually turns out to be thinly sliced raw onion rather than the radish I was expecting. A good portion of the edges of the beef are cooked through leaving the centre red raw. I find the beef a little too thick and a little overcooked thus a touch chewy, and the ponzu dressing a little too mild in flavour. Disappointed but chock full of iron, I suppose. And then comes our array of sushi and sashimi - a platter and two roll selections.

Sakura sushi and sashimi platter

The boat platter looks a little light on cargo, which unfortunately look less interesting than their wooden carrier vessel. There is a small but fresh and tasty gathering of salmon, tuna and kingfish sashimi slices on the far side; nigiri of salmon, octopus, kingfish and cooked prawn; and a few pieces of a salmon hosomaki (thin rolls). It's pretty basic and uninspired but I can't complain about the freshness.

Tasmanian futomaki (top) and spicy tuna futomaki (bottom)

Tasmanian futomaki (salmon and avocado)

The thicker futomaki are much more interesting and enticing. The unusually named Tasmanian roll is your basic salmon and avocado roll masquerading as an Aussie state, topped with some additional salmon, superbly unripe avocado and a few pearls of not-so-fresh tasting salmon roe. The spicy tuna roll, however, is not involved in a masquarade of any sort - it is spicy! The raw tuna in the roll is coated in a very spicy red bean paste and rolled up with slivers of cucumber. Again, fellow diners regard my tastebuds as sensitive and seem surprised that the sushi is hot. Again, I'm laughing.

Even after our table is cleared, the staff happily allow us to remain chatting and laughing possibly a little loudly. Granted it was a quiet Wednesday night for them, but we talked our way into the night's darkness and almost felt as though it was the good ol' days. Except we used to eat ourselves to the point of being stuffed. So in a way this night's experience is better; however with the plethora of competing establishments for our seemingly recession-proof dining dollars I'm not sure we'll be returning anytime soon. I only wonder what will be different the next time.

Ox celebrations continue

Another night, another celebration. I feel like I'm doing Chinese New Year proper this year - with week long celebrations and the like. I'm not complaining though, other than the blister-inducing curse that is new heels.

Onto more pleasant thoughts of a dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel ballroom the night following the twilight parade, essentially to promote the hometown of those 500+ performers flown in from China. I tend to forget the sheer size of China when thinking travel destinations, with just major cities - like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou - and tourist sites - like Xian and Guilin - sticking in mind. Henan Province is in central China and home to the Shaolin Temple and other things I'm told by promotional videos and speeches that I now don't recall.

But thank goodness for high-quality hors d'oeuvres, which you can usually count on a five-star hotel for. An avocado and lobster tart had me tottering around chasing the waiter about the pre-drinks lobby area. In a pre-made minature tart casing a coriander-spiked avocado mixture propped up two scrumptious pieces of lobster - a mouthful that went decadently well with a glass or three of sparkling white wine. I could live on a diet like that.

There was also a very substantial and minced pork-packed dumpling in a thin wheat flour pastry; sliced lavash rolls of smoked salmon and deep fried king prawns floating about the lobby in abundance. This made a bit more sense as the welcome speeches went well over at least 20 minutes after seating. Timing is always a little difficult at these types of events. Personally I prefer not to have a performance during a meal, but don't mind speeches; however I don't think this goes down well with the important, official types.

Alternate drop entrees arrive in the nick of time, before I can have a whinge about being starved and trying to locate the nearest Maccas. They both sound a little unusual on the menu but I'm happy to have scored the lighter-looking option.

Salad of duck rillettes with pickled cucumber and citrus salsa
from Shangri-La Hotel banquets, Sydney

The bits of savoury duck are chilled and simply no match for roast duck, in western or Chinese styles. The meat was a little gamey but matched well with the bits of orange in the salsa. The salad was overall lacking, needed a dressing or sauce to heighten the greens. Pickled cucumber slices were nice but a bit out of place.

The other entree looked extremely heavy and rich, and certainly not a typical summer dish. I found it most odd that there was a strongly cheese-featured dish for a predominantly Chinese turnout. Maybe I'm basing that on outdated stereotypes - perhaps sheep's milk cheese is big in China. And on oddities, the orange napkins in a red and yellow/gold themed room seem to clash in my slightly colour blind opinion, but anyway.

Braised veal loin with porcini and taleggio cheese

The small block of veal was melt-in-your-mouth succulent and infused with flavour. The taleggio was surprisingly not too rich nor creamy, judged from my one mouthful, and I didn't see a mushroom but I think the that's what the jus was based on.

Throw in a few more speeches, a signing of a memorandum and other official bits and pieces before mains arrive. At about the same time, performing students of the Shaolin Temple also hit the stage, quite literally, with swords, spears and other weapons of kung-fu mastery, making it all but impossible for me to even glance at my fish main. Luckily it stayed hot through to the end of the performance, where animal-styled kung-fu entertained and kept the room in awe.

Seared blue cod and cod brandade with celeriac dauphinoise,
foamed shellfish broth and Thai asparagus

The cod was quite substantial as a dish; a thick, meaty fillet. The brandade spread over the top of the fillet was a bit starchy and reminiscent of mash, but probably more like a very potato-ey bacalao (Spanish cod croquettes). Not a fan of the flavour of celeriac, even masquerading as a dauphinoise, but always a fan of asparagus. The "foamed shellfish broth" was more like a thick, cream sauce without really a hint of seafood flavour, but nicely accompanying the fish anyway.

The alternate main was a less interesting sounding and looking "corn fed breast of chicken with rosemary and roasted garlic pomme fondant and Provencal vegetables". Chicken with mash and vegies, anyone?

The red colour theme kept through to the dessert too, intentional or not. Lucky and prosperous indeed for those lucky door prize winners, taking home artworks and imitation relics. My lucky table number 18 also hosted a lucky winner, but I had no luck in trying to like and enjoy the dessert that followed.

Framboise chocolate cake with raspberry puree

While it looked pretty, even despite my attempted artful drizzle of raspberry puree, the cake was a bit of a letdown. More stodgy than fudgey, the cake was like a poor, freezer version of mud cake. The raspberry puree didn't improve it much but I was most content with my thin dark chocolate cigar. Then tea and coffee arrived and I had even more reason to be content.

Handmade chocolates

The plate of chocolates promised delectability and did not disappoint. I had the dark chocolate cup, which housed a lemony filling and topped with a swirl of hazelnut praline, and the red ball - a red sugar coated, strawberry filled sphere of white chocolate sweetness.

Lingering awhile as people dashed home for whatever one does on a Monday night, my companion and I make the most of the organiser's elected beverage package and finally, but not lastly, make our way out into gale-forced winds home. As luck would have it I have my hair down, but at least a non-floaty skirt so still have some dignity as my hair style enters a completely different realm.

Inner views of Chinese New Year

And the festivities continue still. As Sydney Festival comes to an end I do hope that there will be other festivals throughout the year to keep me entertained - well, at least throughtout the rest of summer. In the meantime Chinese New Year festivities are doing the job nicely, with food and seemingly endless local government-sponsored affairs. Any chance to learn a little more, to get a view into the inner workings and to be merry with others is fine by me.

Now tell me, how many chances would one get to see the kitchen of a Chinese BBQ shop? Before retreating in any disgust or fear, I'd say fairly few. As part of the Chinese New Year Festival, the Haymarket Chamber of Commerce ran free historical and cultural tours of Chinatown. As much an educational experience as culinary (it ends with a yum cha option), the drawcard for me was the opportunity to enter the kitchen of one of the most popular Chinese BBQ shops in Sydney's Chinatown - they were the only one with queues of dedicated customers on Chinese New Year's Eve.

I admit that I was a little trepidatious about seeing the kitchen; afterall, I don't want future eating experiences to be potentially ruined. But I can proudly say that I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with what I saw. Take heed, the following pictures are not for the vegetarians among us.

Roast duck, char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) and roast pork are the main items I see home from these stores and it is these items that feature in the kitchen this day. Upon descending a steep set of stairs to the kitchen, I am greeted by stainless steel, white tiles and this to my right.

This little piggy didn't quite make it to the market...

I can only presume that the other (top) half of this little piggy had become that stunning centrepiece of Chinese New Year celebration offerings that is the roast suckling pig. I am repulsed and drooling simultaneously at the thought. Elsewhere in the kitchen were preparations of all stages for roast ducks - the overall process of which is more complicated than just sticking the bird in the oven we're told. Recipe secrets were not shared but it was nonetheless intriguing to see parts of the preparation process, from white-pink bird to the golden, glazed versions in the display window.

Ducks in preparation

Ducks soaking and drying in their marinade
(Similarities to the fake tan process?)

Other festivity at this time was the twilight parade through Sydney streets for the new year. Some ingenious thinkers among us had planned to camp out at a spot to catch the parade that provided not only seating, but air conditioning, drinks and atmosphere in spades. A bar on one of the streets that the parade would pass - clever indeed. And steering away from the sauv blanc affair for a night found us in the capable hands of a very decent Mudgee drop while waiting for the parade.

Chain of Fire sauvignon blanc semillon from JB's Hotel, Haymarket

The parade itself was pretty impressive, perhaps helped along by the not too fruity, not too dry wine and the cool breeze on another balmy summer evening. Some select imagery below but a most congenial and festive atmosphere by the roadside barricades.

2009 - year of the ox

A young, hot pink lion

Henan Province (China) performers

Henan Province performers in the parade

Shaolin Temple performers

That's the spirit!

Marching band

Fireworks in Tumbalong Park

Late night snacks in Chinatown of the quick-and-easy, eat-on-the-go variety should be more plentiful, I think. Anyway, piping hot custard puffs aren't too bad, nor pricey, if you don't scald the tongue on the first mouthful.

Custard puffs from Emperor's Garden, Haymarket

The custard is thick, hot and gooey but not egg-y like the type you get in egg tarts. The pastry is also hot and holds the custard well while not being too oily or overbearing. A dollar gets you four of these hotties so they're made for sharing really. Happy Chinese New Year all!

Money doesn't grow on trees, but it seems red packets do!