'Criniti's' Darling Harbour Review.

Hey Nibblers!

          As I mentioned in my 'Banh Bong Lan' post, my Mummy just recently turned 50! To celebrate, Mum wanted something with a good atmosphere and she loves the weekly Darling Harbour fireworks so I chose 'Criniti's' at Darling Harbour. I've eaten here about two times but I can't remember much of the experience so it was great to come in with no expectations. Mum also wanted to try those 1M pizzas 'Criniti's' offers so may as well use her birthday to try it. I know she loves the view so I booked about three weeks in advanced and requested a table next to the window for the view. They delivered and gave us a table outside with a great view of the harbour and heaters around us so, those Autumn chills were not felt at all. So far so good, Criniti's!

Criniti's Darling Harbour
Where: Level 2, Harbourside Shopping Centre, Darling Harbour 2000    Website: http://www.crinitis.com.au/about.html
         

We were able to sit at a table on their balcony area, overlooking the harbour.

          For our entree/ appetizer we ordered the 'Calamari Fritti,' ($19.90). On the menu, the dish is described as a crispy salt and pepper calamari with rocket and balsamic dressing. Every time I see salt and pepper calamari, I just have to have it. Presentation wise, it was good. The lemon they had on the plate had a mesh cover to stop seeds from falling which is a nice touch. Portion size was decent but when it came to taste, the calamari was salty. It was perfectly crispy and cooked however, after a couple of pieces, the salt took over.

Calamari Fritti ($19.90) - Overall great looking dish but, too salty.

              The second appetizer was at my brother, Richard's request. He's not a huge fan of Italian cuisine so I made sure he picked a dish that appealed to him. He chose the 'Wood fired sausages' ($18.90) a 'wood fired pork and pepper sausage, parmigiano, rocket, cannellini served with Italian bread.' I liked the presentation of this dish. The rustic look and how we're able to see all the components in this dish was appealing. In terms of taste, nothing amazing. It was a pretty damn good sausage though. I love everything sausage so, a bit bias on my side. But it didn't leave an oily taste in my mouth afterwards which is good, makes it feel less fatty than it is. The rest of the components was so, so. Nothing spectacular apart from this dish apart from the fun presentation.

'Wood fired sausages' ($18.90) - great presentation but, it stops there.

         
           For our main, we ordered the 'Gnocchi ai quattro formaggi' ($22.90), 'home-made gnocchi with gorgonzalo, parmigiano, mozzarella, scamorza, cream and parsley.' I love gnocchi and I loved this gnocchi. It is really cheesy but if you ordered this without reading the description and complained, it's all on you. I think it's great as a sharing dish but, not as a main for one. The mixture of all the cheeses work well and give a very pungent taste so, if you're not a fan of cheese, don't go for this one. I loved the floral plate they displayed the gnocchi in. Would love a plate like this for myself.

'Gnocchi ai quattro formaggi' ($22.90) - for the cheese lovers

            The next main we ordered was the 'Linguine alla scampi' ($32.90) 'Western Australia Scampi, pomodora, pachino sugo, olive oil, chilli, parsley in a red garlic sauce.' I loved the presentation of this dish. Having the scampi on display, still in it's shell just made the dish feel put together, fresh and reminded me of a dish I would receive on a holiday at the beach. The linguine was al dente and every strand was well coated in the garlic oil which was delicious. It was just a light dish that worked well in between the heavy dishes. While the scampi was not enough for the six of us to share, have a hint of it was enough to take you to paradise.

Linguine alla scampi ($32.90) - simple and light.

          Lastly, the 1M pizza. We were allowed to choose three flavours and being a carnivorous family, I tried to choose meaty toppings. We chose 'Azzuri,' (proscuitto, bufala, mushrooms, artichokes, semi-dried tomatoes, basil and ricotta), 'Minchia,' (ham, pancetta, salame, capsicum, mushroom, mozzarella, olives and red onion) and 'Padrino,' (chicken, advocado, mozzarella and semi sun-dried tomatoes.)

           

From left to right: 'Padrina' ($28.50) , 'Azzuri' ($32.50) and 'Minchia.' ($29.50) Prices based on 30cm offerings so our 1M pizza cost $90.50 altogether.

          I felt all the topics were great but there a quite a few topics that you could choose from to satisfy your own tastebuds. I felt the 'Minchia' topic had a generous serving of meats but didn't have enough sauce on the base which made it a tad salty.

          The 'Azzuri' section of the pizza was delicious. I love proscuitto and basil and with the dollops of ricotta, it was perfect. They were quite generous with the proscuitto too which is a plus for what you pay for it anyway.

          My least favourite was 'Padrina.' They weren't generous at all with the chicken/ advocado toppings and no stand out from this one.

With my main men. My brother, Richard and boyfriend, Kevin. Views from our table.

             We couldn't finish all the pizza, so asked to take it away. They gave us our own pizza box which I like so, don't be scared to ask if you don't finish it!

Criniti's take-away box

Staff took a while to grab our bill so Kevin decorate the box

         All in all, service was pretty good at the start through to the finish, However, they took a while to clear finished plates and they did take a while with bills and such. We couldn't wait much longer as we wanted to head off to Vivid Sydney afterwards so, I had to walk up to a waiter myself. 

         In terms of price range, it's not the cheapest dinner. All up it was $226.10 including drinks for six people which isn't too bad but, in terms of taste and proportions I feel it is over-priced for what it is. It has a great atmosphere if you're prepared and book in advanced and know roughly what you want to order as it might be hard to order when they're busy. I think Criniti's is good for group dinners but not so much for an intimate gathering. My parents mostly loved our table and setting and they liked the overall experience with the pasta and 1M long pizzas but would not be a top place on their list nor mine. 

        Now, for shots from Vivid Sydney. The light festival is still on until the 10th of June so, if you still haven't been and are a sucker for pretty lights you should schedule for a lovely evening out. Expect crowds though!

Crowds at Darling Harbour waiting for weekly fireworks with my Mumma (The Birthday Girl).

The Contemporary Art Museum - cubed

Peached lights

The lovely Opera House

What are you looking at?

One of my favourite light projections of the night - Cadmans Cottage

         For more information about Vivid Sydney check out their website here: http://www.vividsydney.com/

Hope you all had an amazing weekend!

         Nibble Away,

                  Jo x.

How to: Banh Bong Lan (Vanilla Sponge Cake)

Hey Nibblers!

       On Friday, my amazing mum turned 50! She's my inspiration when it comes to cooking. She loves to experiment and always tries to perfect her recipe if she makes the tiniest mistake. She mostly cooks Vietnamese cuisine as that's our background which is great because that way, I've learnt to cook some traditional dishes myself. One of her favourite cakes is the 'Vanilla Sponge Cake' or in Vietnamese translation, 'Banh Bong Lan.' She makes it almost every other week to give to my relatives and is always telling me to learn to make it. I didn't. But, it's only because I wanted to surprise her on her birthday!

        I took it a step further and decorated the cake in one of her other favorite desserts, profiteroles (I'll be sure to post a recipe for these in the future) and had nuts covered on the side. It didn't turn out as symmetrical and neat as I wanted it to. But, the taste was all there. And, she was surprised so win-win situation. I was also time constricted as I had to rush home from work and only had 2hr 1/2min to do the 'banh bong lan' component, the icing for the nuts to stick, the custard, the melting of chocolate and profiteroles casing. My dedication to finish in time override my hunger so, I even skipped dinner.

Mum's cake with the 'Banh Bong Lan' sponge bottom

        The popularity surrounding 'Banh Bong Lanh' lies in how light and fluffy the sponge is. It's all in the technique and so, I failed with Mum's cake last night. The flavours were all there and it did rise a fair amount but, the oil in the batter did not mix in well so, it had a thick layer of thick cake when I cut the cake open. Mum said it took her a couple of tries to make it perfect but, it all comes down to technique/patience. So, since I sort of failed, I re-did it this morning with Mum's supervision but, in muffin form because it's less cooking time. The cake version has the exact same recipe just in a different tin.
        So, let's break it down and take it one step at a time.

How to: Banh Bong Lan (Vanilla Sponge Cake)

What you need: 

- 6 eggs
- 140g of white sugar (doesn't need to be caster)
- 180g of self- raising flour
- 1/2 tsp. of cream of tartar
- 1 Tbs. Vanilla extract or 1/2 Tbs. vanilla sugar
- 90ml of canola oil
- 90ml of milk
        Note: This makes one standard round cake tin, standard bundt tin or 12 large muffins
                          P.s. For muffin form, it's best to use muffin paper (cafe styled) so these babies have space to rise. You can find these papers pre-fold at local supermarkets or simply cut squares out of some baking paper and folding them to make four edges to fit in a standard muffin tin.
                  For large cake form pre-heat oven to 160 degrees celcius and bake for 45-50min
                  For muffin form pre-heat oven to 180 degrees and bake for 20min

How to: (Pictures below show this recipe but doubled in quantity as Mum wanted me to make 24 muffins)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Separate egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and egg yolks in another
3. Beat egg whites on high using an electric mixer for 30 seconds before adding 2/3 of the sugar into the bowl.
4. Continue to beat until egg whites for about 7 mins or until the egg peaks are able to hold their shape

Beating egg whites on high

Until they form peaks/ hold their shape

5. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, the rest of the sugar to egg yolk and beat using the same electric beater on high for about 5 mins or until mixture turns from the deep orange to a light yellow/beige colour

From bright orange yolk to yellow/ beige in colour

6. Add oil and milk into a large mixing bowl

Oil and milk in a large bowl

7. Transfer egg yolk mixture into large mixing bowl filled with oil and milk
8. Fold egg yolk mixture, oil and milk
          Note: Try and fold/ separate as much oil as you can throughout the mixture. Most of it won't disappear until you the rest of the ingredients so, don't stress
9. Add a large ladle full of the egg whites into the large mixing bowl spreading it evenly across the surface and then using a wooden spatula, fold it a couple of times

Ladle dollop of egg whites

10. Sift a thin layer of the flour into the mixture, spreading it evenly across the surface (To prevent lumps in mixture) and then folding it in a couple of times
          Note: Oil may have sunken to the bottom of the bowl so be sure to scoop and fold to make sure there's no oily bits left (it'll leave a thick layer of dough looking bit in your cake). If you see a patch of oil add some flour and keep folding/scooping the area to spread the oil. It'll take time so keep adding flour/ egg whites while taking care of those nasty oil blobs.

Using a normal sift or one like this can help your arm tire less. It also distributes even amounts of flour and allows for flour dispensing direction control

11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until all the egg whites and flour has been well combined.
         Note: It is a long process but the end results are worth it. Be sure to fold gently to minimise the loss of air from the mixture
                  The end mixture should be the texture between say Ski yoghurt you find in supermarkets and greek yogurt sold at health food stores. The super runny bits, may indicate oil has not yet been combined well.

Mixture well combined

12. Scoop mixture in a measuring jug to make it easier to pop into muffin tins

Makes it easier to pour mixture in evenly

13. Pour mixture to the brim of muffin casings
13. Pop into pre-heated oven for 20 minutes

Beautifully risen at 16 minutes

3 minutes in

14. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and serve

They'll rise a lot in the oven but as they cool, the deflate a cm or so

Ready to eat!

Success! Light, fluffy and delicious

Happy Birthday Mum! <3

           We've just come back from Mum's birthday dinner at 'Criniti's' Darling Harbour which I'll be doing a review on soon. 'Vivid' Sydney is also in full swing at the moment so it was a great post-dinner activity. 'Vivid' is a light, music and ideas festival running from 24th of May to the 10th of June. So, if you find yourself in the city/ Circular Quay side have a look around.
       

Snap shot from Vivid Sydney

           Hope you all have an amazing week.
     
Nibble away,
         Jo x.

Meat Wine & Co. Review

Hey Nibblers!
       
           A couple of weeks ago, my amazing bestie, Lily turned 20. She wanted to have steak so we opted to try 'Meat Wine & Co.' There were 7 in our dinner group and we had reservations so there was no wait to get in.

Meat Wine & Co.
Where: L1, 31 Wheat Rd, IMAX Theatre Complex, Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour   Website: http://themeatandwineco.com/locations/australia/nsw/darling-harbour

           When we arrived, there was quite a bustle. People were chatting away and the atmosphere was great for a catch-up with friends or a night for romance.
            For our entree, we ordered the 'Tasting Plate' which consisted of 'Szechuan calamari and nam jim sauce, bruschetta, Louisiana chicken wings and Portugese prawns served with a cabbage, capsicum and brown rice pilaf.'
            The calamari was delicious. Crispy and flavoursome! I definitely wanted some more.
            The bruschetta was nothing special. They were very generous with their tomato and cheese but, nothing special where it would be a must.
            The chicken wings were surprising good. I thought they may have been dry inside because the pieces were small. However, it packed a heap of flavour and were moist, perfectly cooked inside.
            The prawns were my favourite starter. The nam jim sauce they cooked the prawns in was divine. It was spicy but not enough to overtake your taste buds. The prawns were cooked to perfection and I would definitely order this again.

Tasting Plate ($55 AUD)

         We also wanted some greens on the side so, we ordered the Meat Wine & Co. salad that consisted of avocado, sliced biltong, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red capsicum, mixed lettuce with a sweet ginger, garlic , citrus dressing.

           For what we paid, I don't think it was worth it at all. The portion was tiny and the avocado looked great for presentation but were hard as rock and weren't ripe enough to eat. The dressing didn't taste as it was described. It more was a citrus and oil dressing with no huge hint of the ginger or garlic flavours. Would probably pass on this salad.

The MWC Salad ($19 AUD)

             For the mains, the girls all ordered the 300g Rump which came with a side of chips and optional side sauce. I didn't go for a side sauce for my Rump but, I did try the mushroom sauce and it wasn't bad. I won't say it was brilliant and a must but, it ties in well with the steak. 

             The rump was so juicy and moist. Cooked to the perfect medium - rare as I had asked them too and the grilled marks were fabulous.

             The side of chips was just as dazzling. The potato just melted in your mouth and the crisp outside added to whole experience.

Rump with a side of chips ($27 AUD) + Mushroom sauce ($4 AUD)

               The boys on the other hand shared three dishes. I didn't try much of it but, presentation was clean and inviting. The first dish was the 400g New York Monte Dry-Aged with a side of creamy garlic sauce. I didn't try the steak but when I saw it being cut into, it was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. The grill marks were amazing and chips were great. What I did try was the creamy garlic sauce. I'm a sucker when it comes to garlic flavoured dishes and this was one of them. It was delicious and had the texture of custard. The garlic flavour was pungent which is what you want.

400g NY Dry ($46 AUD) + Creamy Garlic ($4 AUD)

            Next was the 'Marinated Chicken Skewer.' I loved the presentation of this dish. And that pretty much summed up the 'wow' factor of this dish. Again, the flavours were there but it wasn't amazing enough to the point I would want to come back for the skewer. I say stick to the steaks.

Marinated Chicken Skewer ($29 AUD) served with a side of brown rice pilaf.

            The last dish they ordered was the full rack of pork ribs. This looked delicious! I had a rib and it was pretty good. The bbq marinate was sweet and salty at the same time which I loved. The meat was moist and easily peeled away from the bone which is what we want. I do have to say that 'Hurricane's Grill' ribs are better. Their portions are larger, and they're more generous on the marinade which leaves you with sticky, licking fingers.

Full rack of ribs and chips included ($54 AUD)

          Lastly, I want to make one comment on their drinks. There was a tomato juice ordered that night and if you love tomato paste you should order this because that's exactly what it tasted like. Drinking spaghetti. The pineapple juice on the other hand tasted like pineapples and was refreshing.

Tomato and Pineapple juice ($4.50 AUD)

          All in all, it was a good experience however, next time I would probably just stick to the prawns, steaks and creamy garlic sauce. 

          It was still a lovely 20th celebration and we spent the rest of the night singing our lungs out. Lily, the amazing bestie has also just started her own fashion blog. We recently just went to 'Fashion Weekend' together and took some great shots of her outfits. She also does quick posts on her outfits, nail colours and other bits and bobs. So, if you're interested click this link to her blog: http://startwelve.blogspot.com.au/ <3

          Hope you're all having an amazing week!

Nibble away,

Jo x.