All hail Matt Preston

I really adore Matt Preston. Only he could review Noma, named as one of the Top 5 restaurants in the world, and recalling one particularly memorable course, says "Damn, it's good, in a 'rolling in the trough' sort of way".

Prest is best.

Grease is the Word

I would like to preface this post with a self imposed "I told you so". As a rare diner at McDonald's, I found myself strangely allured by promises of real Angus beef, how Maccas is so committed to making their burgers taste great and murmurs of how it tasted distinctly un-Maccas like... With hope in my heart and a desire to believe in the power of good over evil, Junior and I headed off to meet Angus in his new home of the Golden Arches.

Uh... how you say... er... FAIL!

I know, I know- I have already done the "I told you so's"- let's move on.

Working as a team, Junior and I ordered a Mighty Angus and a Grand Angus each to sample the flavours of both Angus cousins.

I foolishly opted for the Grand Angus, thinking that the "gourmet" salad would be a nice inclusion to my meal. The "gourmet" lettuce must've been running out the door this particular day, as it was replaced by the dependable but limp iceberg understudy. It was also disconcerting when I picked the burger up to take my first bite and grease trickled down my hand. All I could smell was that distinct Maccas fake cheese before I even took the first bite. Lo and behold, it was all I could taste for the remainder of the meal and for hours afterwards. Hmmmph!

It was only then did I recall my colleague Browny, telling me about the time he ate an unmelted piece of that orange plastic they call cheese at Maccas and not only was he nearly sick, he tried to eat raw onion in the hope that its pungency would overpower the evil cheese but alas, the evil cheese proved too powerful and it lingered for days.

Junior's Mighty Angus, sans anything green, avec caramelised onion was a marginally better effort but I suspect this was due to only having one slice of the cheesus vomitus whereas my Grand (and I do use these terms very loosely) was lucky enough to have two.

So kids what have we learnt from this experience? You can never trust Maccas for anything except a guaranteed greasy meal that will repeat on you for days to come.

I also learnt that I should know better than to fall for gimmicky marketing even if the top bun does fall on a cute and jaunty angle.

Grand? Mighty? Why yes, if these words precede DISAPPOINTMENT.

Bang Bang...

OK, I am the first to admit that I am not the most demure and shy person around the traps however, I wasn't brought up by a pack of wild wolves and therefore know how to behave when in a dining establishment. Yes, we have all experienced a time where we've had a few too many bubbles and started to laugh hysterically at nothing in particular but that usually happens on a weekend, with a crowd of equally drunk, loud and hysterical friends and in a venue where the general level of noise is an equaliser for the decibels exuding from your corner of the universe.

Try telling that to Miss Squawk-a-Lot and her band of very merry men and a camper than Christmas, David Brent doppelganger. Clearly a bunch of social misfits that individually would have no friends on Facebook therefore decided to band together, a la Revenge of the Nerds and rise against the cool kids by being uber loud and talking over each other with gusto.

I have enjoyed the ambience of Il Baretto a number of times and whilst it can get noisy from chatter, it usually is a din of conversation that is audible but not pronounced.

I took Junior to Il Baretto for the first time last night as I knew he would love the Duck Ragu Papardelle and enjoy a nice romantic dinner out on a Thursday.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly staff and seated straight away, on a lovely table near the back of the restaurant. Normally I enjoy a nice red with my Italian but the unseasonally balmy 25+ degrees and my selfish decision to have the Spaghetti alla Vongole led me to bring a Zilzie Rose 2006 along for the ride.

Everything was going along swimmingly until Miss Squawk-a-Lot and pals turned up, with their glass shattering guffaws. When the first thing they did was ask for a bottle opener for their Coronas by shouting at the waiter, in case he was hearing impaired, I gave Junior that knowing look of "Holy crap. If these bogans keep it up, I am going to stab the nearest one with my fork- after I finish my delicious meal for fear of ruining the experience (interestingly it would've been Campy David Brent)." He responded with an oft seen "Holy crap. Must eat quickly and leave before there is violence."

Anyway, Junior and I did our darndest to enjoy our dinner which was accompanied by a lovely rocket & parmesan salad, with fresh, peppery rocket leaves; crumbly, salty parmesan and dotted with slivers of sun-dried tomatoes. The rocket and dressing were divine but to be honest 2 shavings of parmesan is not enough for a $9.50 salad.

My Spaghetti alla Vongole has all the right flavours going on, onion, garlic and chilli coating the al dente pasta perfectly but the vongole were a little on the small side (I know they're supposed to be small but the size of a Tic Tac probably is a little too small) and to be honest, I did experience moments of grit. Overall the flavours were enjoyable so it wasn't a complete loss.

Junior's Duck Ragu on the other hand was rich and flavoursome, perfectly paired with the ribbons of papardelle. I am glad he chose that dish as his introduction to Il Baretto.

I would still recommend Il Baretto for the masses despite an overall disappointing experience as I have been there previously and really enjoyed myself. As for the menu, I would suggest sticking with the staple menu (with the exception of the Duck Ragu) to ensure the likelihood of a more consistent dining experience.

And as for Squawky and Friends, forget Il Baretto, just pass me a Beretta...

Il Baretto

496 Bourke Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

(02) 9361 6163

A food blog worth reading

I really like Jill Dupleix. I find her food writing to be down to earth and approachable whilst being very knowledgeable- certainly something to aspire to.

Her latest post talks about Eating With Your Eyes which is something I feel very strongly about. Being a Savour-Tooth, I have a great appreciation for the joy that desserts, pastries and sweets can bring through pure aesthetics. I remember the first time I visited Brunetti in Carlton and how I was swept away by the vibrancy of the sweet morsels on display. So much so that I try to visit it at least once whenever I am down in Melbourne, much to my Father's delight as I always bring him back a treat.

Put Brunetti on the list of foodie places to visit on your next trip to Melbourne and make sure you head to the one in Carlton for an original and authentic experience:

Brunetti Carlton
194 - 204 Faraday Street
Carlton Vic 3053
Phone: (03) 9347 2801
www.brunetti.com.au

Good Food Guide Awards 2010

The Good Food Guide award winners were announced last night and as usual there was some controversy with the dishing out of hats (or in some cases the taking away). Biggest shock of the evening was Claude's demotion from 3 hats to 2.

Check out the live blog chat with the editors Joanna Savill and Simon Thomsen. Simon and I rarely see eye to eye and I think the exchange below from today's live blog chat is a good example of why.

"Mark - September 08, 2009 12:40 PM Suprised to see Yoshii drop to 1 hat. I was there the other night and the quality was great. I think it still deserves 2 hats.

Simon says: Fair enough. We didn't this year Mark, but you keep eating there."

In fact what it sounds like Simon is really saying is: "Yeah you keep eating there and get back in your box."

Come on Simon. I think Mark is entitled to an opinion and surely you know that any list of winners of any sort will attract controversy. Sheesh!

An Unexpected (and Unwelcomed) Moroccan Party in my Mouth

I know that may seem like a rather absurd title with dodgy connetations but that is exactly what I got at Bourke Street Bakery.

Having excitedly read Good Living's review of the Top 3 Sausage Rolls (for more info see previous posts), I convinced Junior to join me in sampling the flaky pastry goodness, starting with Bourke Street Bakery in Marrickville.

As we had many an errand to run during the day, we weren't able to get their until early afternoon. I pretty much figured that the selection may be limited as a result but remained hopeful. I spotted the lead singer from Faker sitting on a table outside, talking rather animatedly to his coffee companion but what really struck me was the fact that he looked like he needed a really good wash. Perhaps that is a rock star thing...

Anyway as we entered, I noticed there were only a few pies and two kinds of sausage rolls left. I was keen to try the Lamb & Harissa as well as the Pork & Fennel on Random Pear's recommendation and that's exactly what they had so I took it as a sign. FYI- the ones with poppyseeds on top are the Lamb & Harissa.

Excitedly Junior and I tucked into the Lamb & Harissa ones and WHOA NELLY... All of a sudden we found guest ingredients exploding in our mouths and like people who gatecrash parties, ended up taking over the party and ruining it for everyone else.

HMMMMPH!

I just want to get it clear upfront that I don't expect for every single ingredient to be listed in a description when they are base flavours such as onion, garlic et al but this was pushing the friendship. Almonds and currants are exotic enough to warrant a mention and if anything to act as a warning for those like myself who do not enjoy currants of any kind... especially currants who jump out of sausage roll screaming SURPRISE with sparklers and party poppers. I am sure there are foodies who would fall over themselves at this Moroccan gem and rightfully so but I was not given the chance to choose. Miffed? You betcha!

Thankfully we heeded Random Pear's advice and shared the Pork & Fennel number (doubly thankful the sausage roll excursion ended on a good note). Great pastry and a delightful combination of sweet pork with aniseed notes from the fennel. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Would certainly return to try out more flavours and perhaps a pie as well but make sure you enquire about the ingredients in your baked good... Once bitten and all that...

Bourke Street Bakery

2 Mitchell Street

Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 9569 3225