Good Wok - Good Soup
Good Wok - 587 King Street
Newtown
I haven’t spotted anything out of the ordinary or a speciality on
the menu, it’s all the usual stuff you’d expect, mongolian beef,
cashew chicken and all that but it was the bbq wonton noodle soup
that I’ve gone back for. It definitley isn’t the
best I’ve ever had but Good Wok’s version is the type of soup
you go to when you’re stomach is compleltey empty and you need to
fill it with carbs, hot broth, meat and vegetables.
The soup has a good chicken and vegetable stock, fresh bbq pork and
some very fresh vegetables including perfectly cooked brocolli.
Even I struggle to get mine tender-crisp but this was pretty much
perfect not to mention generously served.
Good Wok - BBQ Pork Wonton Noodle
Soup
Good Wok Chinese Food
Ph: 02 9565 2175
587 King Street
Newtown
They don’t do delivery but do take phone orders, it’s cash only
too.
Balls, Meat and Tarts
Hot Guy and the Dykes on
Bikes
Marching Boys - Mardi Gras
'08
For the balls, who else could I turn to
except Jamie Oliver? I took
his spiced doughnut recipe and to simplify things I made doughnut
balls instead of the traditional shape. I was pretty happy the way
they turned out, very light and puffed into almost perfect spheres
when they fried. It took a little bit of time and effort but they
were great. The dough was so soft and silky it was a pleasure to
work with, particularly because I was worried that it'd even turn
out. I don't usually have any milk in my house and I forgot to get
some at the store so I took a gamble and watered down some plain
yoghurt. It seemed to do the trick.
Doughnut Balls
As for the meat I stopped at Hudson Meats and picked up some
moroccan lamb burgers, american bbq ribs and some honey soy chicken
drummetts. I hope I didn't smoke out my neighbors too much. There
were a few other people having bbq's so I don't think it really
mattered.
Moroccan Lamb Burger
Then there was the tart, a very simple
tomato and cheese tart using ready made puff pastry. It took all of
5 minutes prep time and 12 minutes to cook. Using two sheets of
puff pastry, I used one as a base and cut thumb width strips from a
second one and used those as an edge, two layers worked just about
right. Once the sides were built up I grated in some mozzarella and
parmesan, layered with sliced tomato and seasoned with salt, pepper
and a bit of dried oregano. Popped in the oven for 12 minutes and
it was done. I think it tasted better when it was cold and looked
like it'd have held up well for a picnic.
Tomato and Mozarella Tart
Manly Grill - One of the best cheeseburgers in Sydney
The thing that, as always, makes it for me is the
demeanor of the staff, if it's not service with a smile, it's
not service. Sure, may be it had more to do with the beautiful day
or the incredible shirtless scenery walking past every 3 seconds
(which in all honesty is why I went to Manly instead of Newtown)
than it did with me but who cares, it makes a difference. These
people smiled and they genuinely seemed happy to take my order.
Which brings us to the menu. Manly grill prides it self on the two
things that any restaurant in this sort of location should, it's
seafood and it's beef. While it was the perfect day for seafood
such as their enormous $120 seafood platter which is well worth the
money from what I could see around me. It would serve 2 Americans,
or 4 normal people. I opted for a plain and simple cheeseburger,
served with shoestring fries and homemade coleslaw.
What I got though was far from a standard cheeseburger, it was
simple, just the basics, but that's what you want from a
cheeseburger. The beef on this thing was fantastic. 200 day grain
fed Black Angus from the
Southern
Highlands. No wonder it tasted good. There was a little surpise
with the buns too, they were char grilled like the burger, the
underside had thick and dark scorched lines which gave a much
appreciated smokey flavour that, I'm guessing, came from a charcoal
grill given the unique taste. As for the sides, the fries were
expertly cooked, pale yet hot and crispy. No sign of McCain, and
the coleslaw was very high quality if a little limp from being
under a heat lamp a fraction too long (or the 30°C sunshine).
This is a good quality restaurant, in a top location, so do expect
to pay for what you get, unlike some other restaurants on this
strip. For my burger, two pepsi max and a bottle of perrier, the
bill came to a fraction over $35.00
Food, 8/10 - I'd have liked a small salad in place
of the large quantity of fries, otherwise, it was
extraordinary
Service, 8.5/10 - Always a smile, always attentive
and efficient
Value, 8/10 - Perhaps a touch over priced for a
cheeseburger
Location, 8.5/10 - Hard to beat in Manly
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Coffee, Steak, Garden Salad and Beer some how work well in one meal
The general gist of the recipes went along the lines of grinding coffee with any combination of chili, coriander seeds, mustard seeds. fennel, salt, pepper, oregano and anything else you've got in your spice draw.
I used a broken up Illy
coffee pod, maldon sea salt, cinnamon, black pepper, mustard
seeds, coriander seeds and dried oregano. After I ground the spices
I drizzled the steak in olive oil and coated it with the spices and
grilled until medium rare. I tossed together a quick garden salad
with an olive oil and whole grain mustard.
On the side I had a Monteith's
Summer Ale, from New Zealand, which is a quite nice summer ale
that's got a lovely ginger kick to it which in turn leaves a nice
warmth on the palate. The bottle suggests a wedge of lime that
gives it a little bit heavier than a Corona mouthfeel and taste, but it also
suggests an orange segment. Damn I wish I had an orange to try this
with. All round, a great beer that's something different from the
rest and well worth a try.
BBQ Corn and Bean Salad
Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad - Serves
2 as a main, 4 as a side
2 ears fresh corn, unhusked, or
1¼ cups cooked corn kernels
½ cup shelled edamame
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup small-diced red bell pepper (capsicum)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ teaspoons finely chopped or grated ginger
⅛
teaspoon salt
⅛
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Soak fresh corn in cold water about 30 minutes.
Heat grill on high. Grill corn in husk, 10 to 15 minutes, turning
once.
Let cool. Remove husks. Cut corn from cob into a bowl; combine with
remaining ingredients.
Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Eva Solo Grill - R2D2 and C3PO's love child
The first thing you notice about the Eva Solo Grill is it's striking resemblance to R2D2 and C3PO's love child. The entire thing is made from stainless steel, meaning it'll stand up to anything and last forever and it's quite well designed too. One of the side panels can be easily pulled off to revealing the ashtray and under that there is enough storage space for all it's accessories and everything you need to grill with, except the dome lid. The flat lid that comes with the grill standard can be used as a side table when not otherwise covering the grill when you purchase the optional 'legs'. I've found them surprisingly useful.
After a little practice cooking with charcoal, you can turn out
some excellent meals. I've made everything from simple burgers, bbq
prawns, a leg of lamb and even a few pizzas (with a pizza stone
sitting on the grill bars). There aren't many downsides to this
gorgeous piece of equipment, but there are some to keep in mind. It
comes in two sizes, of course I got the large one, but it feels a
little bit of overkill when I'm only cooking for 1-2 people,
sometimes even 3 seems a little much depending what's on the menu.
At the same time, with a few friends over, the smaller one would
have made cooking something like the leg of lamb almost impossible.
I'd still recommend going for the larger one. The only other draw
back has to be said. The price. The basic
grill is AUD$2300, and that just includes the grill and the
lid. Everything else is an expensive optional extra, expensive even
in the context of already having paid $2.3k for it. Heck, the dome
lid alone is nearly $400. I'm sure you can get it much cheaper in
the US or Europe, closer to the manufacturer and with a larger
market. With the optional accessories, and not including the
matching bbq utensils, you're looking at an investment of over
$3000... The utensils will add about another $400.
Since the average bbq's life span is 5 years and this one is
expected to literally last a life time, the cost per year, even
over just 20 years is only $150 which starts to look more
realistic.
If you're looking for a bit of the Eva Solo style with out that
price tag you might want to think about the table top grill. It's
made with white porceline and stainless steel inserts. For the
times when I'm cooking for 1-2 or just need that bbq flavour on
something, I think I might just get that too! :)
BBQ Prawns
