All-you-can-eat ribs. It’s such a beautiful concept that it almost makes me tear up at the thought.

Tender, succulent crescents of meat that slips effortlessly off the bone. The finger licking goodness of the slightly sticky sweetness of the flavourful sauce. As much as your stomach will allow, and then a little more.

I’ve been hankering for these all-I-can-eat ribs from Cafe Ish, ever since I’d first heard about them while on a holiday in Malaysia.

It’s odd to have a craving for such a thing in a country that is known for its depth and breadth of excellent food, but I did. So once a Sydney food blogger outing was organised by Richard, there was no question that I would jump at the chance.

I was the first of our party of ten food bloggers to arrive at their Campbell St restaurant. Having been directed to our table, I sat down and waited with eager anticipation for the rest of the party to arrive, as well as what lay ahead.

Cafe Ish is not only an embodiment of their owner/operator couple of Ai & Josh, but there’s a certain element of yin and yang that seems apparent to me. Not so much in polar opposites exactly but with regards to contrasting elements in union, often in harmony with each other.

For instance, Ai and Josh are of Japanese and Australian heritage respectively. Their food incorporates elements from the rugged Australian outback with the refined cuisine of the Japanese, and vice versa. Though their individual character are as distinct as night and day, their service is complementary.

The rest of the party arrive and we commence with pre-dinner drinks.

Oz Geisha is an elegant looking cocktail that’s an original recipe of Ai’s.

Summer Time Ale, a wonderful beer selected by Josh, is served in the bottle with a stubby holder. I imagine this was his idea as well.

A stubby holder, for those that are unaware, is an insulating sheath (often neoprene) that keeps the beer from exchanging heat with hands or the surrounding environment.

You could almost be forgiven for passing on the side dishes and going straight for the all you can eat ribs. There are certain rules of thumb of making the most out of your all you can eat dining experience (one of which is to skip the filler, especially if it costs you extra) which exists for a reason.

However, were you to do so, you’d be missing out on some rather nice starters and accompaniments. Take for instance the Cabbage ($5), served with a wattleseed miso mayo.

Yeah, that’s right. Cabbage. If you’ve just cocked an eyebrow, I know. I thought the same thing when I’d heard a few people from our dining party speak so highly of it. However, once you try it out for yourself, you’ll understand.

Firstly, it works as a stand-alone dish. The fresh, crisp leaves of cabbage works so well with the umami packed flavour & saltiness of the miso mayo. It also serves as a textural contrast, as well as something of a palate cleanser, to help balance out the rich sweetness of the ribs.

Other sides such as the Chili Edamame Beans ($6), and Fries ($6) served with wasabi mayo, are worth due consideration as they’re both great as well.

The commendable warm up act takes its leave and slide towards the wings as they make way for the main act to takes centre stage.

There are two sets of ribs on offer, both of which are prepared in the same fashion. Blue gum smoked, braised in a marinade of soy, sake, mirin & ginger, & finished with a garnish of fresh coriander, chilis, sesame seeds & shallots.

The Pork Ribs are really good, with the sweetness of the meat really coming through. They’re up there with some of the best I’ve had in Sydney. However, they pale in comparison to the beef ribs.

The Beef Ribs are for me, and will likely be for many others, the reason that you not only come for the all-you-can-eat-ribs the first time around, but the reason you keep coming back for more.

These ribs are incredible! To say that the beef ribs are moreish is something of an understatement. They almost demand gluttony. Why?

A high degree of meat-bone-ratio so there’s more meat for less effort. The flavour, though made in the same way as the pork ribs, is more savoury and has more apparent flavour to it, as if it absorbed more of the braising marinade.

While on flavour, the beef ribs remind me very much of the Korean dish jang-jorim, beef braised in a flavourful soy-based broth. As such, I very much felt the need for a bowl of white rice and miss its presence from the menu.

I’m not the only one, as a number of people on the table felt the same way. Though to be fair, they, like I, were all Asian.

As much as I wax lyrical about these ribs in the key of gluttony, a measure of judgement should be exercised. Not only to save yourself from eating your way to nausea or perhaps worse, but for those that are fiscally sensitive, there is a charge of $50/Kg for excessive waste if your demand far exceeds your capacity.

We take a little breather after our rib rampage to allow our stomachs to settle enough to fit in a bite or two of dessert. Unfortunately, I’d not noted prices so apologies for that. A web presence with a menu would have helped though *hint* *hint*.

Lemon Delicious, served with a scoop of ice cream, is the embodiment of truth in advertising as it is, as its name implies, both lemony and delicious.

The soft, pudding-like consistency with its slightly sour taste and delightful citrus aroma is so moreish that you can’t help but keep coming back for more.

The Chocolate Gateau, served with a scoop of wattleseed ice cream and a smear of umeboshi, a salty sour preserved plum of Japanese origin is nice. Ai presented the dish with some pride, and it’s something she should be proud of.

The umeboshi smear on the other hand I could have done without. I’m appreciative that it was presented separate to the cake as it would have lessened the experience for me otherwise. Never been a fan of umeboshi.

The Wattleseed Creme Brulee, served with anko sweet red beans on the side, is almost a fantastic dessert.

The creme brulee is an excellent execution of this dish. The burned sugar crust actually has some substance to it, shattering into shards when its surface is breached. The wattleseed custard beneath is barely set and is somewhat like silken tofu. I much prefer it this way over firmer interpretations of this dish.

However, the red beans on the side feel to me as either a lack of confidence in its acceptance by not incorporating it into the creme brulee itself, or something of an afterthought.

I would have much preferred it either be added as a paste/sauce at the bottom of the creme brulee or left off the dish entirely. It otherwise detracts from the greatness of the creme brulee, which is able to stand on its own merits.

All in all, a fantastic dinner and one of the best all-you-can-eat experiences I’ve had in quite a while.

All you can eat ribs are $35 per person, available only on Wednesday evenings. There is a time limit of 90 mins from when the first bowl of ribs hits the table. A charge of $50/Kg applies for excessive waste of ribs. All drinks, side dishes and desserts are charged separately. They are neither all-you-can-eat, nor inclusive of the $35 charge.

Cafe Ish
82 Campbell St, Surry Hills.
(02) 9281 1688

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Note: Cafe Ish is no longer located on Albion St, Surry Hills.

Dim lights of orange and yellow cast rays of warmth, drawing forth a sense of comfort on an otherwise frigid winter’s evening. Lights, that barely give form to sophisticated cocktails and diners a like, provide an intimate mood of romance, elegance & class.

A party of five gathers around a small table, some of whom are old friends. The transformation from stranger to acquaintance takes place as introductions are made and pleasantries exchanged over martinis and aperitifs. A moment passes. Before long, an escort directs us to a booth. Positions are taken around a square table. A listless anticipation builds, as we await the first course of the tasting menu at Tokonoma.

Tokonoma Shochu Lounge and Bar, on the surface, looks much like any other modern, sophisticated lounge bars that can be found in the Sydney CBD district. However, delve a little deeper and you’ll soon realise that there are a number of things that sets this place apart from the others. The devil, as always, is in the detail.

As the name may give away to some, Tokonoma, as contemporary as its presentation and ambiance may be, is very much Japanese-inspired at its heart. From the extensive range of sake and shochu; Asian twists to contemporary cocktails, such as the Apple and Yuzu Martini pictured the opening image; to the rather comprehensive menu of Japanese food items, served in small portions much as one may expect from any izakaya in Japan.

The first round of dishes from the tasting menu makes its way to our table.

maguro no miso taru taru – A tartar of tuna with baby shiso leaves and a barley miso dressing is light and rather refreshing. This was paired with sweet potato crisps, which wasn’t on the official tasting menu but provided a nice crunchy contrast in texture.

watari-gani kara-age – Deep fried soft shell crab cooked in the same style as chicken karaage was delightfully crunchy and moist, without being all that greasy. This was paired with a wasabi mayonnaise dipping sauce, which provides some fragrant heat.

gyu niku no tataki – Beef tataki, seared briefly on the outside leaving its centre deliciously rare, is complemented with pickled onions, mizuna (a Japanese green with a peppery taste) & garlic chips.

After a small break, another round of dishes were presented.

omakase zushi – This can be interpreted loosely as “chef’s selection of sushi”, an assortment of sushi that I presume is dependant of the availability of produce and the whims of the chef on the day.

Two styles of sushi are presented – maki (the sushi rolls) and nigiri (the ah… other ones). The seafood in the sushi is quite fresh, and the sushi overall are quite good. It’s much like sushi you can find at most decent sushi restaurants in Sydney.

piri kara dofu to abogado – Cubes of deep fried tofu are garnished with an avocado salsa and barley miso. Despite being deep fried, the tofu is rather soft and delicate. However, the avocado salsa didn’t quite work for me. Not that it was bad. I just didn’t find it all that interesting paired with the tofu.

A third round of dishes are presented. By this stage the pace of eating slows somewhat, due mostly to the moderate volume of rice in the previous course acting as filler. However, this was the last place we should be slowing down, as a couple of the best dishes of the evening surfaced during this course.

ami yaki ro-su niku to wafu sauce – For me, by far and away the best dish of the whole tasting menu. The scotch fillet steak, served with wafu sauce & garlic crisps, has a smokey flavour & a moist, meaty texture. The taste is more reminiscent of a steak house than one I would have expected from a Japanese restaurant, not that I’m at all complaining. This one is something I will certainly be back for.

hotate no jalapeno amazu zoe – If my research is right, scallops are grilled robata style (a Japanese style of open charcoal grilling on sticks), topped with sweet pickled apple & jalapeno garlic.

The scallop I had was cooked to perfection, with the sweetness and acidity of the garnish serving as a delightful complement. Though it may be due to my chili-tolerant palate, but I didn’t notice any of the jalepeno’s spiciness.

zucchini no wafu yaki – Grilled zucchini skewers served with wafu sauce and toasted sesame seeds was firm and sweet but otherwise nothing special.

shiro miso – Miso soup, made using shiro miso (white miso) paste is accompanied with spring onion, tofu and wakame seaweed. As a miso soup, it’s was pretty so-so, lacking any real umami punch to it.

However, the one thing I found interesting about it was that it was served at the very end of the course. Almost like a palate cleanser for the dessert course to come, though I don’t know if that was the intent. As someone who is use to having miso soup served at the very beginning of a meal, as is tradition, this was quite a weird experience.

We come to the end of the tasting menu with the dessert course. Listed on the menu simply as dessert plate, an assortment of various desserts and fruit are served on a platter of ice.

Just after the dessert plate was presented, the head chef Regan Porteous spared a few moments from his busy kitchen for a bit of a meet-and-greet, which soon turned into an impromptu Q&A session. As a Kiwi by birth i.e. from New Zealand, I found it rather surprising how much respect and attention to detail was paid to stay as true to the Japanese roots of the dishes as was possible.

Sure, there were some fusionesque detours but they were pretty infrequent and minor. Which is why I couldn’t help but feel somewhat let down by the dessert.

With all the effort and attention to detail with the meal up until this point, the dessert course was decidedly contemporary in nature. There was very little attempt, in my mind, to incorporate Asian elements to the desserts, let alone Japanese ones. Though, having said that, one thing I wasn’t disappointed with was how some of the dessert items tasted.

The fruit-filled spring rolls served with creme anglaise were great, with its crunchy exterior and sweet filling. Unfortunately, what fruit, I cannot recall.

The creme brulee shames a number that I have had in the past. It actually has a crunchy toffee crust, one that requires a bit of force to breech.

The chocolate fondant (pictured in the previous image) is rich with its molten chocolate core.

Assorted fruit are a sweet, refreshing change to the richness of the other desserts.

All in all, the tasting menu ($70 per person, with a minimum of 2 persons; drinks not included), was a good meal in a very classy establishment. The service was professional and attentive. The ambiance is fantastic, something that needs to be experienced first hand to fully appreciate. It’s a good place to spend time with close friends. It’s even better as a destination for a romantic night out.

Between the food, company and ambiance, it was quite an enjoyable evening.

Dined at Tokonoma courtesy of Leigh from Mark Communications.

Tokonoma Shochu Lounge & Bar
490 Crown St, Surry Hills
Ph: (02) 9357 6100
Tues – Sat, 5:30pm to 12:00am

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Billy, from the food blog A Table For Two and Masterchef Australia auditionee, recently conducted his first photography workshop, held in a private function room at the MuMu Grill. His skills when it comes to food photography within the Sydney food blogging community is a class above the rest, as demonstrated on his food blog on a weekly basis.

With ever a keen interest to expand my knowledge and experience in photography, when the opportunity to learn from someone with his photographic prowess came around, there was little hesitation in my mind to take up such an offer.

We take out places on a long table dressed in white; a platform that serves a multitude of purposes. Shooting surface, white balance reference, classroom desk, writing surface and dining table.

Throughout the workshop, Billy works through the class methodically and patiently, ever mindful of the mix of camera gear (from a basic compact point-and-shoot to pro level DSLRs), as well as differences in skill levels.

The class covers the basics of photography (exposure, white balance, composition etc.), some key aspects of processing the photos as well as dealing with SEO (search engine optimisation) and copyright. The pace of the class was very much informed by the attendees, skipping over the bits that we knew or were able to easily pick up from the handouts provided.

There were many an opportunity to put what we learned into practice, as food from the MuMu Grill kitchen was brought out from time to time for us to share amongst ourselves.

House Baked Bread and Dips. In hindsight, I probably should have checked with the MuMu Grill staff about what exactly was served, rather than relying on the menu handout to provide that info after the fact.

For now, it was freshly baked Catalan-style bread served along side a flavourful tomato based dip and one that seemed to be a chicken-based one. Then again, it could have been anything, as many things taste like chicken.

Olive Selection. The large green marinated olives were the ones most coveted, due to their pleasant meatiness and buttery flavour.

Jamon Serrano 15 Months & Catalan Bread. The freshly baked Catalan bread once again, this time served with a delightful 15 month cured Serrano Jamon. Quite nice as they may be on their own, slap two pieces together and you get a finger sandwich fit for a king! Or hungry photography students.

Grilled Chorizo with Eggplant Relish. This dish was initially introduced with the more European usage of the word eggplant, namely aubergine. Once the waiter observed a number of blank stares, he switched back to the more commonly used term, adding a smile and what I believed to be a bit of a forced inflection in his tone.

The chorizo were delightfully smokey. Though the eggplant was rather flavourful, the pastiness of it wasn’t to my liking when paired with the spicy sausage.

Asparagus with Blanched Toasted Almonds and Lemon. This was quite a good dish and one of my favourites of the starter dishes. The asparagus is cooked just to tender, still with a bit of bite to it. The toasted almonds adds a nice textural contrast.

In spite of their only being a few food bloggers in attendance, during the workshop everyone was a food blogger in spirit. The ritual that we food bloggers are accustomed to were quickly adopted by the other class participants, with things running far smoother than what I would have otherwise anticipated.

Food arrives. Ready cameras. Take a few photos. Wait til there is a pause in photography to reposition the food. Take a few more photos. Wait for the all clear, to ensure that everyone is done with shooting. Dig into the food. Rinse & repeat.

T-Bone Tagliatta with Duck Fat Potatoes. This is what I would probably now consider to be one of MuMu Grill’s signature dishes, considering the frequency that this appears on the menu whenever I’ve dined at the restaurant.

With good reason too. The steak is juicy and flavoursome, cooked to a wonderful rare or medium depending on which piece you get. The accompanying duck fat potatoes are sublime.

The duck fat roasted potatoes are rich in flavour, have a nicely crunchy exterior, with a soft, fluffy interior. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better way to serve roasted potatoes than in this fashion.

Steamed asparagus was also meant to come with this dish but we didn’t end up getting it in the end for some reason.

Dessert Selection. This menu item turned out to be a tasting platter of four different desserts, as well as being THE most challenging dish to shoot, from the point of view of setting up a nice composition.

Clockwise from the top-left, Chocolate Raspberry Mole Tart (served with ice cream and a shard of marbled chocolate), Brown Sugar Pavlova with Pineapple and Passionfruit, Fruit Salad, & Gingerbread & Mascarpone Sandwich.

The fruit salad in isolation was a rather sad affair, being little more than straight fruit pieces without any syrup. However, as all the other desserts were rather rich, sweet or both, some found it to be a welcome foil to balance out the other desserts. Others left it entirely untouched.

I left the workshop a little more knowledgeable and a little less hungry, with much to chew over. Though there was much I already knew, the few things I did learn had either given me a deeper understanding of what I’d already known or directions to consider to further develop my skills and streamline the pipeline I use to process photos for this blog. From that perspective, and the fact that the class is catered, it was well worth my time and the modest investment of $85 (at the time of this post).

Though there are no further workshop sessions that are currently scheduled, if you have an interest in improving your photography, I’d suggest signing up to a class when the opportunity presents itself. Keep an eye on the A Table For Two blog or follow Billy on Twitter for future workshop dates.

MuMu Grill
70-76 Alexander St
Crows Nest NSW 2065
(02) 9460 6877

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When dining out with friends, do you find that you often order dishes to share amongst the group, or order individual dishes for each person to enjoy on their own? When faced with a plate of these fantastic lamb cutlets from Sahara, I wouldn’t blame you if you’d wanted these all to yourself.

For me, despite how fantastic these may be, sharing is by far and away the preferred option. Perhaps that’s due to my Asian heritage, where the concept of communal eating is as integral to life as breathing. However, when five succulent & smokey lamb cutlets are to be shared amongst six food bloggers (none of whom are vegetarian), you find yourself caught in what I refer to as the “yum cha dilemma”.

At yum cha, you’re often faced with the situation where there are an insufficient or uneven number of dumplings or portions to be shared equally. The question is, do you order more? Cut up & divide the portions evenly? Choose to fore go your portion in an act of self sacrifice? Or does it come down to a wild-west-like showdown of the quick and the dead unfed?

However, that was towards the end of the meal. As is often the case, the meal began with drinks.

Turkish Apple Tea ($3). A couple of the ladies ordered these glasses of fruity sweet elixir. Though, be warned – the apple tea was served really hot! A few minutes were required before the glasses could even be handled, let alone be drunk from.

Mezze Dips Platter ($14.90). As with a lot of Turkish restaurants, the meal often begins with bread and dips. In the case, wedges of pide were served with three dips, namely the ubiquitous hommus and baba ganoush, as well as a creamy spinach dip.

Though the particular dips they serve are not specified explicitly on the menu, there is meant to be a beetroot dip in place of the spinach dip that normally accompanies this dish. There was some disappointment over the lack of beetroot dip. However, the spinach one sufficed as a replacement.

Diablo Chili Garlic Prawns ($16.90). I imagine this dish was ordered in part due to its rather impressive name. Unfortunately it did not deliver, whether it be with what should have been the devilish heat of the chili (diablo is Spanish for devil), or the impact of the garlic (or rather lack thereof). The true devil was not in the dish itself, but in the marketing of this dish through its name.

To be fair, aside from the lack of any real punch, this dish wasn’t too bad. The prawns were cooked just right and there was plenty of mild, tomato sauce to dip the wedges of pide into. However, there aren’t a lot of prawns to go around, so the asking price might seem steep for some.

Kusbasi Shish ($22.90). Normally this plate of charcoal grilled chunks of lamb backstrap marinated in herb & spices, served with salad, pilaf rice, pide and aioli would be a worthy dish for one. However, due to our sharing-is-caring nature, this meal for one became a shared platter. It was as if it were always meant to be consumed in this fashion.

The lamb was quite nice. Tender, flavourful & delightfully smokey.

Adana Shish ($21.90). You can be forgiven for feeling a moment of deja vu. However, if you look closer, you should notice that aside from the otherwise identical fixing for this dish, namely the salad, rice, pide bread and aioli (if you can even make it out!), instead of the pieces of lamb backstrap, the Adana Shish consists of spiced lamb mince cooked in long, sausage-like forms.

The darkened regions on the Adana Shish are wonderfully crispy, smokey and flavourful. The meat is juicier than the Kasbasi Shish, with its juices soaking into the bed of pide below. A piece of pide that was much sought after.

Lamb Cutlets ($26.90). Thyme marinated tender cutlets of lamb served with garlic mash and seasonal vegetables (carrots and broccoli in this case).

Now we approach our dilemma; a catalyst for conversation. “Had we known beforehand that five cutlets were to be served, we surely would have ordered a sixth”, we’d lament. However, by then it was too late.

In the end we decided to evenly divide the cutlets amongst the six of us, the responsibilities of which, as with the knife, were placed firmly into the hands of Minh. As for the arcs of bone with the tastiest remnants of the meat still clinging to its frame? A showdown of the quick and the unfed :)

Dondurma ($11). Traditionally a “chewy” ice cream, a property due to two of its ingredients, salep and mastic, this chocolate flavoured dessert lacked any real chewiness to it. It pales in comparison to ones that can be found at places such as Mado Cafe in Auburn.

Thankfully, this was the only dondurma we ordered. Actually, this was the only dessert we ordered, with the intention of sharing this small challis amongst the six of us.

“Why”, might you ask?

Dinner at Sahara was merely the prequel. We knew that more food was to come. Food that we were eagerly anticipating prior to our dinner. Food that we couldn’t wait to get to afterwards.

With our hunger sufficiently satisfied, we pushed onwards to what I would certainly consider to be the main event of the evening. The details of which, unfortunately, will have to wait for another post.

Sahara (Parramatta)
218 Argyle St, Parramatta (cnr of Argyle & Marsden St)
(02) 9687 7898
10am til late, 7 days.

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There is a Czech proverb that goes “A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure”. There was opportunity for plenty of both fine beers and thoroughness at a special beer appreciation dinner held at the MuMu Grill, owned and operated by Head Chef Craig MacIndoe.

Craig had invited a number of bloggers, as well as some twitter followers and some regulars to this dining experience. Various courses of food were served with matching beers in the same way that one may serve food with a matching wine. However, there was a little more to this dinner than just food & beer.

Dan Hampton is something of a beer snob. A self professed one at that. He, along with his business partner Graham, heads a company, and in some ways a movement, that encourages others to become beer snobs as well. Strangely enough, this company is called Beer Snobs.

The mission of Beer Snobs is not as bad as it may seem. The term “beer snob” in this case is something of a misnomer in my mind. It is true that there is the air of appreciation for a higher standard of beer. However, this appreciation is done without an elitist, condescending or negative view on cheap, mainstream commercial beers. It instead focuses on awareness and promotion of the breadth and depth of a range of good quality beers that may otherwise go unnoticed by the mainstream public.

The dinner is conducted very much like a wine tasting dinner. The selection of glasses, traditionally used for the service of wines, evokes the notion that a good quality beer could be appreciated in very much the same way one would with a bottle or glass of fine wine.

The evening began with a Moo Brew Hefeweizen, served in a glass one might expect to be used for a sparkling wine. This was paired with a smooth tartare of Grass fed Angus Pure Beef served on cruets. No images of the tartare. However, if you can imagine what a mound of minced beef on a thin slice of crusty bread would look like, you’re most of the way there.

The next course featured a Murray’s Pilsner. A little too bitter for my tastes but still a nice beer. This was paired with a platter of 18 month Jamon Serrano, some divine ox heart tomatoes fresh out of the garden of one of Craig’s providers, and some freshly baked focaccia-like bread. This made for one killer ham & tomato sandwich!

18 month Jamon Serrano. What more needs to be said? :)

Dan gauges the level of beer “snobbery” around the room by posing a hypothetical situation in a pub whereby a person within a group of friends offers to buy a round of beers.

1. Would you reject low quality commercial beers in favour of good quality ones? (Beer Snob, Level 1)
2. Would you go against the status quo order of cheap, commercial beer when someone buys a round, by requesting a good quality beer instead? (Beer Snob, Level 2)
3. If your request was ignored and you’re given the commercial beer, would you refuse to drink it and instead head over to the bar to order the beer you were actually after? (Beer Snob, Level 3)

The above is not word-for-word, but it should give you some means to gauge your own level of beer snobbery at home :)

Moving onto the next course, the Marston’s Oyster Stout was served with, oddly enough, oysters. Classic poor man’s fare back in ye old England, well so I’ve been told.

Two types of oysters are served au naturel – the briny Pacific Oysters on the left and the creamy Sydney Rock Oysters on the right. For those that dislike having their oysters in this fashion (or dislike oysters altogether), a small bowl Craig’s BBQ sauce is provided to mask any unwanted oyster flavours. Perhaps any oyster flavours at all, depending on the quantity used.

A concept that we’re introduced to at the beginning of the dinner is that of the Three C’s – colour, clarity & carbonation. This is essentially a classification system, a means by which to identify & distinguish the visual characteristics of beers from each other.

For this course, Pigs Fly Pale Ale is served with slow roasted Bangalow Sweet pork cooked in beer, along with cannellini beans & crispy fried sage leaves coated in a tempura batter.

All the elements work well in this dish. The pork, as its brand name implies, is sweet, as well as being very juicy, tender & full of flavour. The cannelli beans pair well with the pork, whilst the sage leaves are a thing of beauty. Though they work well with the other elements of this dish, the sage leaves are so good on their own that I could easily see myself snacking over a bowl full of these with a glass of beer in hand.

There is a certain ritual to appreciating a beer in the Beer Snob way beyond the Three C’s. You swirl the beer around in the glass as you would with a red wine. Then three sniffs are taken to discern the aromatic characteristics of the beer. Afterwards, a sip of the beer is taken, which must be swallowed in order to appreciate all aspects of the beer’s flavour & bitter notes.

This ritual gives a sense that beers should be appreciated to the same degree as fine wines. That it too has discernable characteristics, and a depth of flavours and aroma beyond bitter & yeasty.

Having completed the wonderful roasted pork dish, with its equally nice matching beer, I’d felt that this was the height of the evenings meal. That this was as good as it was going to get.

How oh-so-wrong I was…

Garlic & rosemary Angus pure T-Bone steak served tagliata style with a side of roasted potatoes cooked with duck fat, paired with a Knapstein Reserve Ale, was by far and away one of the most noteworthy and memorable preparations of steak and potatoes I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Not just that evening. I mean ever. As great as the previous pork dish was, by comparison it seemed little more than something to keep the mouth occupied and the hunger sated until this dish was served.

The steak was cooked to a wonderful medium; flavourful, juicy & perfectly seasoned. The duck fat roasted potatoes were prepared just right. A little crispy on the outside. Soft and fluffy on the inside. The duck fat adding a sublime richness to the potatoes without being greasy. This is a dish I will certainly look to have when I am next at the MuMu Grill. Note, not if. When. It’s that good.

As we proceed through our beer education (or re-education, depending on your point of view), there are a few key lessons to be learned. For instance, that by drinking the beer straight out of the bottle, you are only able to taste about 10% of what the beer has to offer. The beer needs to be poured into a glass in order to be truly appreciated for its flavour. It doesn’t specifically have to be a wine glass, though beers such as the Hefeweiser benefit from being served in a sparkling wine glass due to their high degree of carbonation.

If dishes had feelings, I’d feel sorry for the beer braised cuttlefish, & chorizo salad, paired with a Red Emperor Amber Ale. This South East Asian/Spanish fusion salad did not fare well as the dish that followed immediately after the seriously impressive tagliata. Partly because of how good the previous dish was. Partly due to the fact that it was a lighter dish that would have likely had been better appreciated if it was served a few places sooner.

Having said that, the cuttlefish was braised long enough to be tender to the bite. The chorizo brought with it a wonderful spicy/smokey note, whilst the predominately cabbage-based salad served not only as a textural contrast but also as a medium to cut through the richness of the chorizo.

We end this fabulous dining experience with a dessert of a sour cherry chocolate tart served with a hazelnut gelato. This is paired with a Moo Brew Dark Ale, something that I’m hesitant to refer to as a dessert beer. It’s not a dessert beer in the same sense that a wine may be classified as a dessert wine due to its sweetness. It’s more due to its aromatic characteristics and flavours, which are predominately of chocolate and cherry. Complementary flavours to the dessert itself.

It may seem counter intuitive to have beer with dessert but in this case it works.

The tart itself is nice, & the hazelnut gelato works well with the hazelnuts scattered within the tart. There’s no “oh my god this is so good!” moment. Then again, there was nothing that I disliked about it either.

All in all, this was a fabulous dining experience. It wasn’t just about enjoying a great meal. It was also the education about, and the appreciation for, a series of fine beers. That there is more to beer than bitterness, yeasty notes and a buzz. That it could have such depth, and could be appreciated to a similar degree as fine wines. That being a beer snob isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

From time to time, the MuMu Grill, in conjunction with Beer Snobs, will be holding these beer appreciation dinners. Check out the Events section of the MuMu Grill website to see when the next session will be held.

MuMu Grill
70-76 Alexander St
Crows Nest NSW 2065
(02) 9460 6877

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Beer Snobs
Dan
0410 071 454
Dan@beersnobs.com.au

Graham
0410 071 018
graham@beersnobs.com.au

the heart of food dined courtesty of Craig MacIndoe and the MuMu Grill.

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