180 gram grain-fed wagyu beef (marble score 9+) with Amayaki Sauce

The design is modern and simple, which allows diners to pay proper attention to the experienced sushi chefs who work their magic from an open kitchen. The star attraction, however, is a 32 metre sushi bar which wraps around the kitchen, while small tables line the periphery of the restaurant space.

Miso marinated Atlantic Salmon grilled in charcoal with home-made pickled vegetables

On a Friday night, the 120-seat restaurant is packed, with a small queue waiting at the door. Both the food and beverage menus cover all the bases – from fruity cocktails and wine-by-the-glass to soba duck soup and yakitori. The “coco-lico” cocktail is a sweet mix of coconut syrup, pineapple, kaffir lime leaf and Malibu while the “flamingo rose” will woo any martini-lovers. The dynamite roll comes highly recommended, filled with raw tuna and topped with sesame seeds and a chilli Japanese spice as does the duck skin roll which is doused in a sweet plum sauce and filled with creamy avocado. However, it is the 48-hour cooked pork belly, which is then charcoal-grilled on the robata, that steals the show. It only takes one dish to solidify a restaurant’s place in the foodie scene and Niji’s pork belly does just that. And did I mention, I’m not a huge pork fan?

Anna Lisle

Read more about Niji Sushi Bar here

The VIP launch event delivered 120 dishes, in 120 minutes

The VIP launch event delivered 120 dishes, in 120 minutes, leaving 120 guests with 120 stomachs to find. A live cooking demonstration also invited guests to compete against each other by trying their ‘steady’ hand at the tricky art of wrapping a Chinese dumpling. (It’s more difficult that you think!) The best looking dumpling won a copy of the The Eights’ Healthy Option Chinese Cookbook and dining vouchers to last the best part of a month. Proudly, Best Restaurants’ very own Scott Winter won the first prize for the best wrapped dumpling.

Best Restaurants’ Scott Winter, winner of “the best wrapped dumpling”, with Henry Tang, Chairman of Zilver Group

YOUR chance to win!

Best Restaurants have 8 copies of the Healthy Option Chinese Cookbook  to giveaway. Simple Like Us on facebook and post on our page your favourite yum cha dish! Follow this link to our facebook page.

For more about The Eight click here

Crown Towers Melbourne

At a gala awards ceremony held last night at Kuala Lumpur’s Shangri- La Hotel, the luxurious Crown Towers was recipient of the prestigious ‘Australia’s Best Hotel’ award, cementing a reputation for outstanding accommodation offerings in Melbourne, while Crown Metropol Perth was named ‘Best Hotel Renovation for Australia’. The awards further Crown Resorts international acclaim as the hotels of choice for sophisticated travellers and are a testament to the group’s upstanding service and stylish accommodation offerings in both Melbourne and Perth.

Conservatory at Crown Melbourne

General Manager of Crown Towers, Melbourne Andrew Cairns accepted both awards on behalf of Crown Resorts, stating “This international recognition is a great step moving forward for Crown Resorts.” He continued, “We will continue to thrive and show our commitment to offering our guests the best accommodation and truly memorable hotel experiences.

Crown Spa is one of Australia’s most exclusive and sophisticated day spas

The International Hotel Awards are held annually to recognise the leaders in the hotel industry and hospitality across the globe.

For more information on Crown Towers click here

Dining in China has to be prefaced by the  Chinese concept of eating and their obsession with food. In Chinese society the concept of eating is really an obsession with consuming food. This originates from the many periods in the nations history where there were very few feasts but rather a common occurrence of famine. Even in the mid 1950′s, brought about by the so called Great Leap Forward, instigated by Mao Ze Dong, the country experienced a famine which took some 80 million lives. This concept of possibly going hungry has placed food on top of the social agenda . Consuming food takes many forms, from street side eating to the ubiquitous banquet.

The Chinese banquet is the ultimate expression of consuming food, mixing business with pleasure and is a means to show off in front of your peers. All grand Chinese restaurants consist of common dining areas along with many private dining rooms. Obviously the private dining room is where the obsession with consuming food and the whole gamut of social intimacy and table manners are best displayed.

Before we enter the room it is important to note that the starting time for such an event is usually quite early, generally about 6.00pm. The reason for such timing is because it usually takes place after yet another long winded business meeting where everybody talks at the same time and nobody listens. The private room usually sits about a dozen persons, it may have a small serving pantry and an en-suit toilet. Most likely it is an internal room with no windows, after all you would not want to be distracted by the gourmandising delights that will soon be presented.

The food to be served is not ordered by the individual but rather by the host, this allows him to be seen excessively generous and a man of fine taste…..it’s really a way of showing off.

Chinese banquet

Ok let’s eat! The first presentation, designed to stimulate the appetite, is usually rock hard peanuts, marvellous  for dislodging the fillings in the teeth, along with delightfully pungent small dried fish. This offering clearly establishes that better tasting food is to come. A continuous barrage of dishes follow, one after the other, none necessarily better than the last. Before describing some of the variety of dishes it is important to acknowledge that Chinese cuisine is extremely varied. The food is regional  and ranges from extremely hot spicy food in the south to bland tasteless vegetables in the north, the exception to these regional dishes is pork…..it’s in every banquet! Mao Ze Dong, a lover of spicy food is quoted as saying ” you cannot be a revolutionary if you cannot eat chilli “. Mind you he would not have felt the heat of the food as he never brushed his teeth, he just rinsed them with tea!

So here come the courses. There is a saying that in China that they eat anything that moves and if it doesn’t you give it a little push. You are served many courses on a continuous basis ranging from spicy bits of meat to vegetables to curried eggs. There are so many dishes that if you find one that is somewhat edible make sure you put a rubber door stop on the large glass lazy susan as it may be the only dish that is worth eating. The food may range from deer antlers to stir fried snake to turtle soup to fried scorpion and fish that have such big bones you have to suck the flesh for fear of swallowing them.

One of my memorable meals was the snake degustation menu in Beijing in 1995. The waiter came with a live snake which he proceeded to stretch in front of us before cutting its throat, then dexterously pouring the blood into our cups of Mao Tai. More about the booze later. Ok, that’s pre dinner drinks! First course, crispy fried snake skin, brittle and tasteless. Second course, wok stir fried snake meat, bland …a bit like crocodile actually. Third course, soup served from a big bowl as it contains the whole snake skeleton. Sweets….you would never guess…yup , yummy fried scorpion. Where the hell was the rice? You don’t get rice in Chinese fine dining …rice is food for poor people !

Fine food is served with fine wines. The two types of drinks, apart from Sprite and Coke, are a poor representation of local red wines such as Great Wall, Dynasty and Changyu. A  5 liter De Bortoli cask tastes better! The other drink is a white spirit, either Mao Tai or Feng Chew. Both are served tepid and taste a lot like Shouchu, the Japanese spirit which is alternately used for disinfecting floors in hospitals.

On one occasion, at a private lunch, I was served deer penis essence wine. I was told that its better than Viagra and a lot cheaper. The trouble is you have to drink it seven days in a row to achieve the desired result. Drinks are served in very small doses and there has been many a time where I gripped the waiters wrist to get a decent glass of wine from him. You don’t drink unless you continuously raise your cup in toast to any likely victim. This goes on all night, it is like prescribed medicine taken regularly.

Now that we have dealt with the menu we need to consider table manners….. what’s that? It is most acceptable to spit the fish bones or other bits directly on the table cloth, it is most acceptable to dash the tea leaves on the carpet when you want to refresh your cup. Eating with your mouth open is a sign to your fellow diners that you are really enjoying the food and is also a compliment to your host! After playing around with your food, which mum always admonished you for doing, the grand sense of relief is the arrival of plates full of cut fruit such as oranges and watermelon. You then know that the dinner will finish in five minutes flat,..you can race up to your hotel room and have that Kit Kat or Mars Bar and the mini bottle of Johnny Walker that you have been dreaming about whilst you were graciously treated to another ……….Fine Dining Experience In China.

Paul Tavuzzi

Shanghai,October 22 ,2012

PS I munched on a takeaway burger while I was writing this .

Jemaa el- Fnaa spice market

The highlight for Yolanda was dinner in one of Morocco’s most popular restaurants, Maison MK. It was Yolanda’s birthday and her partner had organized a surprise in the private dining room, surrounded by exotic Moroccan paintings and candles. From the website, it looks amazing, with a Moroccan den centred right in the middle of the courtyard with design pots and a large papier-mâché smoking camel however, Yolanda assures us, it’s even more beautiful in real life.

Pictures sent to us show the colourful markets, snake charmers, donkey carts and silver stalls.

Maison MK is popular for exotic afternoon teas and Moroccan pastries, however, they recently launched Gastro MK – where guests enjoy a French fusion five-course tasting menu. Yolanda’s dinner began with sunset aperitifs on the panoramic rooftop terrace, watching the sunset over Marrakech as the whole city turns a golden colour. Moroccan chef Omar El Ouahssoussie took over the kitchen from British chef Andrew West (ex-Gordon Ramsay’s at Claridge’s) and has created a tasting menu which includes dishes such as filet mignon tagine and refreshing takes on local ingredients, including fig tiramisu.

Dinner began with sunset aperitifs on the panoramic rooftop terrace

We are all envious here in Sydney, however I think the next best thing for us here at the office is to book in at Afous Restaurant in Mosman. Afous owner Omar is from Marrakech so we can pretend that we, too, are in Morocco, enjoying a fish tajine and cous cous, minus the snake charmers and donkeys!

Read more about Maison MK here

Read more about Afous here

Escargots de bourgogne

The room is open plan, with dining at one end and the pub at the other. The bistro area blends shabby-chic with Parisian-class, with round marble tables, shiny cushioned chairs and stripy brushed velvet banquets in muted tones of green, gold, red and blue. White, lettered wall tiles give a scrabble-style effect, with words like ‘Napolean’ and ‘Croque Madame’ hidden across.

Confit de canard

It may be called Le Pub but there isn’t an ounce of pub grubbiness on the menu. The salad au fois grois is textural perfection, with julienne green apple, sticky shards of honeycomb and toasted hazelnuts hidden amongst a tumble of red sorrel leaves, dressed with creamy micro-shavings of fois gras. The menu presents French classics that are served with a modern twist. Take the twice-cooked confit duck leg, for example, while the flavours stay true to a classic duck a l’orange, the dish is served with pretty salad of micro herbs and dehydrated mandarin segments. The collet d’agneau, an equally-attractive dish of lamb neck, cauliflower puree and pea salad, arrives sprinkled with a herb quinoa crumb.

Collet d’agneau

A heady glass of Louis Latour Pinot Noir Aloxe from Burgundy comes highly recommended. A dainty board of petite fours is perfect to linger over, featuring oozy caramel chocolates, house-made honeycomb and, Francophiles will be delighted to discover, Caramac bars.

Aside from providing a truly satisfying power-lunch, Le Pub also makes a convenient post-work date destination – dim lighting and dark wooden floorboards maintain a moodily romantic, old-school atmosphere.

Read more about Le Pub here 

Cocktails and beverages were created by Crane Bar Restaurant’s resident mixologist Thiago Santos

The food lived up to the venue’s design with a selection of Japanese dishes impressing the crowds including barramundi in white soy, crispy chicken karaage and Crane’s legendary spicy prawn rolls. Executive Chef Taichi Ito stole the show, however, when he transformed a 50kg whole, fresh Tuna into bite sized servings of the highest-quality sashimi.

Co-owners Sarah Budge and David Fedele

With two large bars, two DJ booths, a private VIP or meeting room, a sashimi bar and an open kitchen, Crane is great for a range of functions and events. And with a 24-hour license, Crane has become a favourite late-night dining haunt for Sydney’s socialites and A-listers.

Read more about Crane here

The fitout is (refreshingly) not over-the-top

Historic botanist Gerard Fothergill, who was said to have spent the declining years of his life at the Kirribilli Street site, is the restaurant’s namesake and the inspiration behind the venue’s design. Thus, it’s only fitting that guests perch at wooden tables amongst pot plants while spindly ferns hang from ceiling – it’s unique without being over-the-top (how refreshing). The drinks list also takes cues from its botanical theme with cocktails themed “Mexican garden” and “The Pacific Isles” while the menu delivers a global spin with everything from sliders and pizza to tacos and pork knuckle.

Salt and pepper squid

As the saying goes, when you have your finger in too many pies, you often can’t do them all well. The Botanist is the exception. Not only does it successfully function as a bar and a restaurant but it also manages to skip between Mexican, Italian, Asian and Modern Australian. Tacos, at 4 for $20, are not only value-for-money but are generously filled with marinated beef strips and onion relish. A vibrant bowl of Szechuan prawns would rival any Thai dish from the ever-popular Stir Crazy down the road while a classic, salt and pepper squid, is tender and lightly crisp.

The drinks list also takes cues from its botanical theme with cocktails themed “Mexican garden” and “The Pacific Isles”

The Botanist is exactly what the doctor ordered for the North Shore – upbeat music, great food and a buzzy atmosphere. In fact, this place may be even worth traipsing over the bridge.

Anna Lisle

Read more about The Botanist here

Seared beef carpaccio, truffled beef tartare and reggiano shavings

There’s a relaxed vibe at THH with the space effortlessly designed and sparsely decorated, with bare white walls and worn timber flooring. It’s the sort of place you could easily stay at for a few hours on a leisurely weekend lunch. Downstairs, a dimly-lit cellar houses a private dining area and one of Melbourne’s most extensive wine collections north of the river.

Home cooking coupled with refined restaurant technique ensures Lilai’s reputation is upheld

The simplicity in the dining room lets the food speak for itself. A contemporary version of home cooking coupled with refined restaurant technique ensures Lilai’s reputation is upheld. Start with the chickpea battered oysters, served in the shell, on a bed of pickled fennel. Crisp on the outside and with the essence of the sea still packed inside, the flavours are clean and approachable, as is the plate of paper-thin bresaola that follows – piled with beef tartar and parmesan shavings. Larger courses see pumpkin and ricotta stuffed generously into silky ravioli and a robust osso bucco utilises saffron-laced risotto Milanese to soak up the remnants of sauce.

Snapper fillet, lemon spinach and puttanesca sauce

To end, you can’t go wrong with the tiramisu or fluffy bomboloni, but for something more contemporary, try the coconut pannacotta with pineapple salsa looking very 50 shades of white in it’s frosted glass.

A relaxed ambience, good food and quality wine set the Town Hall Hotel apart in Fitzroy, a place you could easily keep returning to, especially for more of those oysters.

Aphrodite Vlahos

Read more about Town Hall Hotel here

Celebrating the best chefs in Asia with lunch hosted at Singapore’s Pollen

Australia’s Attica takes home the Highest New Entry award, sponsored by LesConcierges.com, making its debut on the list at no.21, which also makes it the recipient of the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Australasia award.

 S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World 2012 – Noma, Copenhagen

Sydney also makes it mark on the list with Peter Gilmore’s restaurant Quay, coming it at no. 48 for the fifth consecutive year. Australian-born chef David Thompson’s Nahm in Bangkok is ranked at no.32 while another Aussie, Brett Graham, comes in at no.13 for Notting Hill restaurant, The Ledbury.

For the full list, go here