YAY: Jasmin Indian Restaurant

I just embarked on my very first trip to South Australia. I spent most of my time in Adelaide, and one day at Kangaroo Island, both of which were exemplary! I may make a blog post about my trip, so look out!
Jasmin is located on Hindmarsh Square, smack bang in the heart of the City. The main dining area is located underground, with the alternative of dining alfresco (not recommended in the hot Adelaide summer). The restaurant had a fairly good atmosphere, with the decor sophisticated yet refined. Service was excellent, with staff promptly addressing our demands. I found it slightly peculiar that there was a lack of Indian staff or the distinct aromas of Indian food, but nonetheless, that didn't really compromise on the restaurant's authenticity.

Vegetable Pakoras

For entree, we ordered the Vegetable Pakoras. It is described to be "Bite size pieces of in-season vegetables crisp fried in a light batter". I was actually expecting actual vegetables to be coated in a tempura-like batter and fried. However, it ended up being a ball-like shape, with no whole vegetables but finely shredded vegetables incorporated with the batter. Despite the differences in the perceived description and the actuality, it was absolutely delicious. It was served with a spicy sauce which brilliantly complimented the dish. The pakoras were almost reminiscent of the Indian South African dish of chilli bites, fried droplets which are made from chickpeas, spices and selected vegetables.

Chicken Masala

For mains, I opted for the Chicken Masala, a boneless mild chicken curry. Hands down, this is probably the best Indian dish I have ever eaten. But then again, my experiences with Indian food have mostly been restricted to the food courts of suburban Sydney (Westfield Burwood does amazing mango chicken). Anyway, the chicken was absolutely tender and the choice of spices truly did create an impeccable flavour. The dish (as with all mains), was served with a portion of basmati rice (which was not like your standard serving of rice at your Indian takeaway). We also ordered a side of Garlic Naan which was the best naan I have ever eaten, and Kachumber, a cucumber, tomato and onion salad served in a lemon dressing which was absolutely divine.

Rice

Kachumber Salad

Overall, my dining experience was nothing short of spectacular, and I can safely say that Jasmin is by far, my favourite Indian restaurant (sorry Indian @ Westfield Burwood). If I ever return to Adelaide, I will make sure to book a table there. I will also have to try their Gulab Jamun, which I couldn't try because I was so full :(






Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
About: 
31 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8223 7837

YAY: Mosaic

Mosaic is located in The Westin Hotel Sydney. Hotel restaurants are generally terrible and I always try to avoid them. However, The Westin as a very special place, since my sister is holding her wedding there! So my family and her fiancee's family went on a combined dinner at the restaurant in early July.

Caesar Salad Chicken

Arriving at the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by polite waiters who took our coats and offered us drinks. We were served bread and butter, which I shouldn't really judge on! For entree, I chose to have the Caesar Salad Chicken with Croutons, Three Year Aged Parmesan and Pancetta Chips. I know, highly unimaginative, but I found the salad to be quite pleasant. The Pancetta Chips and Crouton were both in an elongated shape, which was quite unconventional and which I found to be quite pleasing. The chicken was tender and delicious, and the aged Parmesan was a nice addition. Dressing was pretty standard. I did, however, find the hidden anchovies to be quite displeasing!

Beef Tenderloin

For main course, I had the Beef Tenderloin with Tobinambour Croquette, Small Vegetables and Watercress. It also had a foamy sauce of which I could not identify but regardless, was delicious. The beef , which I ordered as medium,was cooked to perfection and the small vegetables were balanced and complimented the protein very well. I was slightly disappointed that I was given only one tobinambour croquette because it was absolutely divine :(. Overall, a cohesive and well planned dish which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

So far, my meal was rather enjoyable, but dessert told a different story. Greedy and desperate to try as many desserts as possible, I ordered the Mosaic Dessert Trilogy, consisting of a Mango Gratin, Chocolate Pudding and Blackcurrant Ice Cream. I knew from the beginning that the dish would not be cohesive but would allow me to try a variety of desserts. This expectation was met, as I did not enjoy any of the desserts. The mango gratin was terrible as it was extremely sour. The chocolate pudding and blackcurrant ice cream were mediocre at best. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Mosaic. Entree was good, main was superb but dessert was disappointing. But I look forward to eating there again, particularly when they presumably cater for my sister's wedding!

                                 

Mosaic Trilogy

Food: 7/10

Service: 9/10 

Ambience: 6/10 

Value: 6/10  

About: 

The Westin

1 Martin Place

Sydney

(02) 8223 1110

NAY: Kazbah Balmain

Lovely Ambiance

Hey guys, it has been a while since a made a post here. Fortunately, for you drama seekers, my new season of blogging is on a low note. Okay, so today I went to Kazbah, an Arabian but generally Moroccan restaurant in Balmain. It was cold and wet, so on entering the restaurant, I was extremely pleased with the warm atmosphere. It was filled to the brink, and we had to wait for 15 minutes because our table wasn't ready. This did not irritate me at this stage.

Tabouli

Putrid Sausages

We ordered 2 Mezzes, the first being the Merguez, Ma’aneek, Sucuk, Chorizo Sausages and the Rocket, Walnut & Quinoa Tabouli. They got our order for the Tabouli wrong and gave us Rocket and Halloumi (which is understandable). This was quickly replaced. It had a wonderful flavour, among one of my favourite Taboulis. It had quite a nice tang to it and the quinoa was a nice substitute for the usual wheat. Now the sausages. Oh dear. There were 4 sausages and 3 of them were just putrid. The Merguez was just burnt and had a strong aftertaste whilst the Ma'aneek and Sucuk were just inedible. The only good sausage was the chorizo (ironically, the only one which is not Arabian). The pickles and Lebanese bread were just mediocre. Not impressive at all.

Linguine... Authenticity? 

Yummy Tagine

Following this, all I was looking forward to was the main. I ordered the Chicken, Chermoula, Lima Beans, Potatoes, Green Olives Tagine which was alright I suppose. The highlight of the dish was the cous cous which was fluffy and delish. The whole dish was just a tad dry, owing to the limited amount of sauce provided and I would have preferred my olives to be pitted. My cousin had the Harissa King Prawns, Squid Ink Linguine, Feta, Chakchouka, Baby Spinach which she said was nice. However, she couldn't get over the disgusting aftertaste left by those putrid sausages. Our waiter was very nice, however, he was not attentive at all and always forgot our requests. If there was something nice I could say about the place, then its that their toilets are FRICKIN amazing. I mean, they have like a little day bed in there!

Food: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Value: 5/10
About: 379 Darling St  Balmain NSW 2041
(02) 9555 7067

YAY: Guzman Y Gomez

(See my Boxing Day Sale post to understand...)

Alright, so we were getting pretty hungry, so we decided to eat at Guzman Y Gomez. Filip wanted to have snags, but the line was too long, so we decided to eat here! We both had the Chicken Guerrero Burrito (Rice, Black Beans, Cheese, Salsa and Chicken in a tortilla). I had one without cheese (I have discussed my hatred of cheese in previous posts!) Filip payed for me just out of convenience =]. It was virtually impossible to find a table in Westfield so we decided to head to the steps outside Myer. I have eaten at GYG many times before, and this experience was no different. The burritos had the same yummy taste as always. This was Filip's first time having a burrito, and he said it was "different" and "not what he expected". Yeah, it is different, and that's why I like it. It's not like those cheap ones like by Old El Paso. The view of feet as we ate just added to the ambience! (said no one. EVER)

Me :DD

Filip! :D

Food:7/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: ... N/A
About: Shop 5008, Level 5, Westfield Sydney Food Court
188 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000
(02) 9191 0902

YAY: Lucky Tsotsi Shebeen & Bar

Awesome Artwork!

Woo, my first blog post! LOL. Anyway, on Sunday, 9th December, I went on an outing with my cousin to Luna Park. We had heaps of fun! Anyway, the real highlight of my trip was going to this restaurant. It's a South African restaurant located in the quaint suburb of Darlinghurst. A shebeen is a makeshift bar, generally located in the poor townships in Africa. The decor of the restaurant really matched this.


Alright so we were getting really hungry and so we decided with no hesitation. So initially we ordered the Sipho's Durban Samoosas. It was basically curry puff with curried vegetable inside. It was served with Mrs Balls Chutney (which is a product of SA) and minted yoghurt. When it came out, it looked rather ordinary in appearance and looked like the ones you would find in cheap Asian buffets. HOWEVER, I was blown away by my first bite, it tasted like no samosa I had ever eaten before. The chutney and minted yoghurt accompanied the samoosas perfectly! I was so hesitant to share the last one with my cousin :]. Shortly after, our next dish arrived, the Cheesy Garlic Roll. Generally, I despise cheesy stuff, but this was actually quite nice and was a great side dish!

Sipho's Durban Samoosas ($9.90)

Cheesy Garlic Roll ($3.90)

Bakgat Bunny Chow ($15.90)

So we on a high at this point in time. The food was just so wonderful. We did not think the experience could get any better, but it did! Out came the most creative thing I have ever seen. Curry in hollowed out bread. Known as "Bunny Chow", it originates from the Indian population of Durban, South Africa and is the nations answer to fast food! The one we had was a Chicken Curry served with sambals and minted yoghurt and chutney. BEWARE: It is pretty hot. But otherwise, it was simply D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!



What an experience. The food was just delicious, the ambience was damn right quirky and the service was just incredible. The waiter always had a smile on his face and was just friendly!

Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
About: 245 Oxford St Darlinghurst, NSW.
(02) 8354 1306
(My first post, would probably get more stricter as I progress with this blog)