A gastronomical experience at Nobu, Melbourne

Nobu is one of the most recognised brands of Japanese restaurants. I was delighted to have been invited to the one in Melbourne which is at Crown Entertainment Complex. Over looking the southern banks of the Yarra River, Nobu Melbourne offers a stunning view inside and out. River stones suspended in mid air, cherry blossom adorned ceilings, burnished woods, and rich hues create an ambiance of elegance and refinement.

The food was absolutely divine......................

The fish is one of his signature dishes and it was awesome.

Another signature dish.

Yet another signature dish.

And all the desserts were to die for. :)

http://www.noburestaurants.com/

Yum Cha and Bubble Tea

Yum cha, also known as Ban ming, is a dining experience which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes. Yum cha in Cantonese literally means "drink tea".
 In the US and UK, the phrase dim sum is often used in place of yum cha; in Cantonese, dim sum refers to the wide range of small dishes, whereas yum cha, or "drinking tea", refers to the entire dining experience.

Recently in Melbourne, I had an amazing Yum Cha experience with my friend Meherangiz and her sister-in-law Layla.

Dim sum is a varied range of small dishes (a concept similar to tapas) eaten for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea, as part of the yum cha dining experience. Dishes are usually steamed or fried and may be savoury or sweet. They include steamed buns such as char siu baau, assorted dumplings, sui mai, and rice noodle rolls, which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Typical desserts include egg tarts, sai mai lo (tapioca pudding) and mango pudding. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge, and soups.

The dim sum are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. The restaurant we went to served in 3s which suited us perfectly! The servers wheel the dim sum trolleys around and customers have to pick from the selection. The server then marks the order on a stamping card on the table.

After yum cha, we went to a place where they served "bubble tea" which is a Taiwanese innovation. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit (or fruit syrup) and/or milk. Ice blended versions of the drink are also available, usually in fruit flavors. Bubble teas usually contain small tapioca balls or pearls called "boba". Pearls made of jelly are also available in many places. These teas are shaken to mix the ingredients, creating a foam on the top of some varieties, hence the name.

Pictures of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

Sydney………………….what an experience!

From Adelaide, post the Routes conference, I flew to Sydney and stayed at the Shangri La hotel, courtesy New South Wales Tourism. I had an executive room on the 34th floor and had an awesome view of the Opera House and Circular Quay.

The awesome view from my room at the Shangri La.

The next day, we were invited to undertake a familiarization trip of Sydney airport. We were a group of airlines – Air China, Royal Brunei, Malaysian Airlines and of course Kingfisher Airlines. The last time I flew through Sydney Airport, it was not at all impressive and to be honest did not create an impression. However, they have now refurbished it and it looks great with a large variety of retail options. They have the only Lonely Planet store in the duty free area and for travel aficionados like myself, it is a haven. They also have a Godiva chocolate shop where one can not only pick up the awesome Godiva chocolates but can also have a hot or cold chocolate drink. Colleen Phillips and Peter Smith did a fantastic job explaining the history of the airport and the recent renovation / refurbishment plans.

After the tour of the airport, we went to the harbor – Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont. We were to sail on an ex Americas Cup racing yacht chartered by the Kookaburra Group. http://www.kookaburragroup.com.au/site/charter

Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont

The Americas Cup Racing Yacht

Before we set sail, we had a picnic lunch, catered from Manjits. http://www.manjits.com.au/

The menu:
- Smokey chicken tikka (boneless spring chicken fillet marinated overnight and cooked in the tandoori oven over charcoal to obtain a smokey flavour)
- Seekh Rampuri (lamb and kangaroo mince with onions, green spices, pressed on skewer and smoke roasted over charcoal)
- Cocktail Samosa (short pastry pockets filled with vegetables and spices)
- Stuffed paranthas (wholemeal bread stuffed with spiced vegetables)
- Papadums, mixed pickles and dips

We were joined by Hans (Sydney Airport), Daniel (Moscow Domodedovo Airport), Christina (Munich Airport) and Rebecca. After signing documentation relieving the organizers of any liability in case of any untoward incidents and a short briefing, we set sail. The harbour sail started from Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, we then sailed towards the Harbour Bridge. Then we stopped between Admiralty house and Kirribilli house and decided to hoist the head sail. Hans and Anne helped the crew with it. Near Taronga Zoo we decided to do the ‘fast sail’. So the crew, assisted by Hans, Amol, Anne and some of the Chinese airport guys, brought the head sail down and hoisted the main sail. Then they hoisted the head sail yet again. We cruised past Port Jackson and Cremorne Point & Point Piper.

View of Sydney's CBD

The Skipper giving us a briefing

The iconic Opera House

The main sail going up..............

....... & the main sail going down.

There were quite a few sailors out on the water as it was a beautiful day. I was told that on the weekends, it tends to get so crowded that there are quite a few collisions! The steamers (famous Sydney ones painted yellow and green) always have the right of way. We passed a large tanker who beeped five times twice. We continued cruising towards Middle Head where on the right hand side was the male only nudist beach. Of course we were too far off to check out the men, though Christina tried her luck using her camera zoom lens!

Anne, Christina and myself

Daniel, Hans, Amol and Ignatius from MH with me

Not too long after that, we turned around and sailed back. We brought the sails down near Luna Park.

Me with Luna Park, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House in the background

Here is a basic map with pink circles indicating where we went.

We then had just about enough time to return to our hotel and freshen up before we headed to Cafe Sydney at the old Customs House for dinner. Cafe Sydney is one of the top restaurants in the city and the view of the Harbour Bridge is awesome. The food was excellent and so was the wine.

Menu from Café Sydney – http://www.cafesydney.com/

Appetiser

- ½ dozen oysters freshly shucked on ice with shallot and caramelised cabernet vinegar

- peppered wagyu carpaccio with celeriac remoulade, parsley and lemon dressing (my choice)

- tomato with buffalo mozzarella, pesto, aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil

Main Courses

- Peppered beef tenderloin with Swiss brown mushroom, baby spinach, béarnaise and jus

- Tandoori roasted ocean trout with spiced cauliflower salad, eggplant chutney, buffalo yoghurt raita (my choice)

- Spinach gnocchi with zucchini flower, truss tomato, chilli and Persian fetta

Desserts
- Dark chocolate pave with malt ice cream and orange caramel sauce (my choice)

- Coconut panna cotta with coconut sorbet and poached strawberry

- Individual cheese plate with semi hard cheese, white mould, fresh dates and soda walnut bread

Wines
- 2009 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon – Margaret River, WA
- 2006 Peter Lehmann “The Futures” – Barossa Valley, SA

Some of the amazing people I met on this trip...

Christina (Munich), Anne Glover (NSW Government), Anne (SYD), Nigel (SYD),

Leena (Royal Brunei), Ian Cameron (NSW Tourism), Myself, Amol (SYD), Hans (SYD),

Ignatius (Malaysian Airlines) and Colleen (SYD)

Amol and I

I had an awesome day and the memories of it will stay with me forever. I would like to thank Sydney Airport and the NSW Tourism for a wonderful time. Thank you Hans, Amol, Anne, Ian and all the others who made the day special. A big thank you to Anne for her excellent organisational skills.

Beautiful Anne