Philippine Food Festival in Cafe Mix @ Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

October - Good Food Month is the best yet worst month for a foodie. With an influx in food deals and events, it is hard to choose which events you want to go to. As part of Good Food Month myself and a few bloggers were invited to the launch of the Philippine Food Festival. 

The Philippine Food Festival involves a lunch ($48 pp, 12-230pm) or dinner ($75pp, 6-10.30pm)  buffet option at Cafe Mix inside the Shangri-La Hotel. Bringing the tastes of Philippines to Australian shores, by actually have 2 chefs from the Philippines cooking up a storm. The buffet has a salad bar, dessert bar, bain maries filled with food (mostly meat based), and a halo halo station! Available from the 1st - 15th October 2013.

Roasted meats

Banana leaf grilled fish

Pork knuckle cooked in sweet soy sauce

Crispy pork Belly

Seared ox tail in peanut sauce

Bain Maries!

Rice noodle with smoked fish and shrimp sauce

Seared mussles in ginger broth

Chef making pork sisig

Ox Tripe & ox feet menudo

Pork with tomato based sauce and capsicums

Grouper sour broth with miso

Grilled blue marlin with anatto oil

Squid with chilli and coconut milk

Salad bar

Salad bar

Plate 1: All meats, no greens

Plate 2

My aim was to try as many components as possible, yet still have room for dessert! As you can see from the photos, Filipino food isn't very vegetarian friendly. However, for all the non vegetarians our there, Philippine Food Festival is a great way to taste the flavours of the Philippines. 

My favourite of all the dishes was the mussels and pork sisig. The pork sisig had amazing fresh flavours, with a kick of spice. It was also topped with a bit of Japanese mayonnaise, which finished it perfectly. This was my first time eating Filipino food, and I find it extremely hard to describe the flavours of Philippines. It doesn't have the distinct spice of thai food or nuttiness of Malaysian food. Filipino food is filled with flavour, sauciness and overall delicious. I know that lacks description, but hopefully the photos do it justice. Now onto desserts!

Meringue Roulade filled with vanilla custard

Vanilla sponge layered with cream and mixed fruit

Glutinous rice topped with raw sugar

Glutinous rice with chocolate

Leche Flan

Ube pudding

Young coconut with pine jelly, fresh fruit and 

mixed fruit with cream and condensed milk

Halo Halo station

Desserts!

Halo Halo with fruit, jellies and ice cream!

All the desserts were delicious! The various glutinous rice dishes were unique in there own way. The leche flan was fantastic, it had a perfect balance of egginess and sweetness. The meringue roulande with vanilla custard was delectable. A soft meringue texture, with vanilla custard yet a crisp top layer, need to find out how to replicate such a dessert. Ube pudding was pefect,  I wish I wasn't so full so I could have gone for another plate of that alone.

Halo halo is a popular Filipino dessert consisting of shaved ice, evaporated milk and other toppings of your choice (as if you are picking toppings for froyo). It is traditionally presented in a cup, but I wanted a bowl to fill it up. It can be an acquired concept, but delicious in every way.

The Philippine Food Festival was a great way to experience the flavours of Philippines. The buffet means a fulfilling dining experience, and the desserts alone are a reason to have a taste. 

Good food, good times!

Palings @ The Ivy, Sydney

Not everything about The Ivy has to be considered expensive. Until the end of August (Monday-Friday), Palings at The Ivy offers $35 for 2 courses, with a beer or wine. You are able to pick from the salads, mains and desserts. The deal is available for all of lunch, however for dinner it is only available between 6-7pm (with a slight leeway to 8pm).

Palings is located at the back of level one, furthest away from the entrance. I went with my family, so we shared a lot of the dishes which allowed us to get a combination of salads, mains and desserts.

Sauté of mushrooms, walnuts, peas, broad beans, 

pickled onions, sesame yoghurt dressing 

A lovely warm salad to start of the night. All the components accompanied each other well, however, I found the pickled onions to become overpowering over time. 

Watercress, smoked trout and coriander with soft egg, ricotta, toasted almond and pumpkin seed 

Another lovely fresh salad! The smoked trout with egg and watercress reminded me of something you eat for brunch! There was a hint of spice in the dressing as well.

Rangers Valley rump steak, spinach, fries, paris butter (300g grain fed) 

The rump steak was cooked to right degree for all those who ordered it. It was a great serving size for the price we were paying for dinner. 

Friday Roast - Pork belly with apple sauce 

I opted for the roast of the day, because we can never say no to pork belly right? The serving size was more than I expected. There was also the layer of crispy pork skin! The roasted vegetables was a great side. Perfect for a cold winter night.

Strawberry mascarpone

Dessert! We ended up sharing 2 desserts, but it seems like I didn't take a photo of the other dessert which was cookie and peanut butter ice cream sandwich. The desserts are provided by Lorraines Patisserie, which is located downstairs from the Ivy. The strawberry mascarpone was DELICIOUS! The layers of strawberry and mascarpone cream were delectable. Not exactly sure what the cake layers were made from, but the top was blow torched, so I think it may have been meringue or almond based. Either way, the slight caramelisation added the extra oomph.

Palings was a great place to dine, and we went on a Friday night, where there was a lively atmosphere all around. You are able to make reservations for the deal! 

Good food, good times!

MakMak @ Newtown

Finally, MakMak have created a retail store! This happened after originally being a pop-up store, and has now become a permanent resident of Newtown. MakMak was named the best macaron in Sydney, by a blind taste test conducted by 3 of Sydney's best chefs (Time Out Sydney Article). They provide exceptional flavours, with their current Botanicals Collection that is inspired by flowers, herbs and plants. Each macarons costs $3.00 each, but if you get more they become cheaper. I purchased 12 for $32.

Flavours (from top left corner):

Rhubarb & Rose: This was one of my favourite macaron flavours. There was a lovely balance of sweetness with the tartness of the rhubarb jelly centre.  

Passionfruit, Orange & Lemon Myrtle: I do enjoy my citrus flavours, but this was filled with so much flavour that it was a bit overwhelming for me. Lucky I was enjoying it with a cup of tea, which helped with the intensity of the macaron. 

Apricot & Elderflower: The taste of Autumn was definitely encased in this macaron. There were lovely pieces of apricot with the apricot ganache which made all the difference. 

Peanut butter & Belgian chocolate: Another one of my favourite macarons. It was like snickers in a macaron, but better! It was more so a peanut and chocolate, than actual peanut butter. Too good to eat slow.

Pistachio: It is a classic macaron, that can't fail (when bought of course). A great rendition of a classic.

Peppermint & Dark Belgian chocolate: Another favourite! I love things mint, and this is something to add to all things mint. A lovely balance with peppermint and chocolate. I was eating it slow to savour it all.

Salted Caramel: I was actually a bit disappointed with this one. The shell was crunchier than the others, and not enough of a salted taste. Then again, maybe I received an odd one of the bunch.

Raspberries & Cream: Gotta love raspberries! It was a lovely balance between white chocolate and raspberries. 

Smoked Vanilla & Pecan Praline: This was an interesting macaron. I could, yet couldn't get the taste of the macaron. The nuttines of the pecan was definitely there though! 

Green Tea Latte: A different twist on the new phase of green tea flavoured macarons. There was a bit more of a sweetness to it. I loved how there was a little white love heart on the shell.

Strawberry, Vincotto & Pink Peppercorn: This was my least favourite. I found the pink peppercorn to be overpowering, along with the wine type taste. The flavours were conflicting, and just didn't work for me.

Bounty: Coconut all around! There was a coconut centre that was bound by ganache. The chocolate half shell gave the taste of the bounty chocolate bar.

Overall, MakMak macarons are a delight! There shells keep in perfect form and reminds me of those from Melbourne's La Belle Miette. The flavours are more subtle than competitors such as zumbo and baroque. However, they are definitely worthy of being Sydney's number 1 macaron.

Good food, good times!

Check out my reviews of the other top macarons:
Cafe Cre Asion: http://spoonfulsofgoodness.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/cafe-cre-asion-surry-hills.html
Adriano Zumbo: http://spoonfulsofgoodness.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/zumbaron-day-2012-adriano-patisserie.html

Laduree: http://spoonfulsofgoodness.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/laduree-sydney-westfield-level-3.html

Baroque: http://spoonfulsofgoodness.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/baroque-pantry-rocks-sydney.html

Ippudo Sydney @ Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Japanese food is one of my favourite cuisines. I have never had a bad Japanese experience, and ramen is something that I can never get sick of. So when I saw all the photos, hashtags and instagrams post of Ippudo, I just had to try it. Ippudo has been in Japan for almost 15 years, and started expanding internationally in 2008. Since, Ippudo Sydney opening in early December, it continues to be a craze amongst Sydney siders. 

Ippudo provides exceptional service, where once every customer enters the restaurant all the staff say irasshaimase! Quiet intimidating at first, but when you see the whole staff turn and greet incoming guests, it is quite amazing. Also, not all the staff are Japanese, which makes it even more fun and interesting.

Steamed buns with braised pork, lettuce and ippudo original sauce 

The infamous steamed buns are a definite must have. Everything about it is was amazing, the fresh crunchy lettuce, perfectly braised pork and the hint of spice.

Ippudo original tonkatsu broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, cabbage, black mushroom and shallots with flavoured egg

I thought I would allow my first Ippudo experience to stick to original and simple flavours, therefore tonkatsu ramen with the normal garnishes. It was such a clean tasting ramen. I loved the noodles used! The egg just makes the dish that much better!

Ippudo original tonkatsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and garlic oil. Served with thin noodles, pork belly, black mushroom and shallots.

This is what my friend ordered. It was very similar to my dish, but with an extra punch of flavour from the miso paste and garlic oil. 

Grilled Japanese eel on rice with original Kabayaki sauce

Kabayaki sauce is similar to a teriyaki but a bit more sweet and more sticky. It is sticky due to the heating process of the sugar and soy sauce. The sauce is traditionally the marinade on eel, and in this case was also in the rice. It was a lovely bowl of flavour.

Green tea lamington with red bean centre and green tea ice cream 

Dessert time! A Japanese twist on an Australian favourite. It wasn't as spongy as traditional lamington, but still had enough cake to be defined as a lamington. The middle layer of red bean helped with the sweetness of the green tea icing that surrounded the lamington. A great way to end the meal.

Black sesame pannacotta with creamy sauce 

The pannacotta was extremely interesting. Despite the use of black sesame, there was still a smooth texture. It was a tasty dessert, but started getting sickening (unless we were just too full and were struggling).

Good food, good times!

Cara & Co Restaurant @ Level 4, Westfield Sydney

We all love good food vouchers, so myself and a couple of friends were able to dine at the exquisite Cara & Co Restaurant. Cara & Co Restaurant is located inside the retail store Cara and Co, which is inside Westfield Sydney.

It feels really strange to walk into a retail store, and then into a restaurant. It is also surprising that the store doesn't smell like food. The restaurant décor is chic, yet has a feel of a 70s themed restaurant with the neutral colours of browns, blacks and beige. There were lovely artworks along the walls which made the restaurant quite quirky.

The reason I placed the image of the warm towels is because they first look like little mints, and then when water is place on them they become hand towels. I checked in using Foursquare and someone commented saying that they thought they were pre dining mints, so ate them hahah, a rookie mistake.

Anyways, now to the food. The vouchers allowed us to each choose an entree, main and dessert, but they provided an amuse bouche and a second dessert/post dining experience treat.

Complimentary bread with butter and black salt

Olive bread with capsicum jelly and bonito sauce 

Lovely little cylindrical parcels topped with a lovely flower. There was a strong olive taste which was counteracted by the sauce and capsicum jelly. It was a little teaser to what was on its way.

Four cuts of chicken, hazelnut crust, sherry sauce, 

apple pieces, pate and chicken crackle

I found this to be the best of the entrées. The four cuts of chicken were cooked perfectly and allowed to understand the different textures and tastes of the chicken. Chicken crackle is not as good as pork crackle, but continued to add the crunchy element to the dish. All the components worked extremely well with all the sauces.

Kingfish with beetroot, dill and sourdough crisps

Kingfish is a delicate fish with a subtle taste. When serving king fish, you don't want flavours that will overpower the fish, which is what the chefs did well. The dill was probably the strongest of all taste, but it provided that extra kick.

Veal tartare with watercress, aged cheese, cucumber and oyster pearls

This was not my cup of tea, the veal tartare was great, but the other components just didn't work for me. There was a lot of strong flavours, including the oyster pearls which were a bit too salty for my liking.

Veal fillet with crumb, tomato, asparagus, capers, peas and tuna foam sauce 

Everything on this dish was excellent, the veal was cooked to a medium-rare, and the crumb tasted of cracked popcorn kernels. All the vegetables perfectly accompanied the veal. The down side to this dish was the tuna foam sauce. It had the taste of the ocean, and wasn't pleasant to the palate. A would have preferred a simple potato puree and brown sauce to complement the veal.

Lamb's neck with pisatchio crumb and cauliflower, brocletti, kholrabi and anchovy 

This was my friends main dish, and the dish I wish I ordered. The lamb's neck with crumb was delectable, and all the vegetables worked well. The lamb was full of flavour, and the sauce was different to the tuna foam sauce (which was great!).

Summer berries with coconut pannacotta, coconut and herb ice cream, berry sherbet, fruit tuille and rum sauce

The desserts weren't on the menu, so we went by how they sounded. Originally this dish didn't sound that great, but when it was brought out I was envious of my friend. The dish had SUMMER written all over it. The fresh colours, and summery tastes had your taste buds dancing. Every component had a refreshing taste, and all fresh summer berries were exquisite.

Chilli sorbet with lemon jelly, apple pieces, lemon cream, sugar crunch and crumble

The chilli sorbet was a great pick me up with a punch of chilli right at the end. Crunchy pieces of apple and the crumble against the soft creams and sorbet allowed a texture filled spoonful of goodness. This dish didn't quite call out summer, but it did call out tastes of Autumn.

Madeleines and mini chocolates 

After dessert, we were provided with madeleines and mini chocolates to end the meal. 

Cara & Co Restaurant is a great place to dine, with excellent food and good service. The serving sizes of the dishes are generous and filled with flavour. Each dish is presented delicately, expressing beauty in the dish. It is a perfect place for a birthday lunch or an intimate dinner.

Good food, good times!