Review: Via Napoli, Lane Cove

It all started when we got the Good Food Under $30 guide. Browsing through, K was drawn to the Best Pizza in Sydney title - he has a soft spot for pizza in his heart. But it was in Lane Cove... not somewhere that we ever go to, and not exactly somewhere close either. So it was relegated to the back of our minds but not really forgotten.

It then came to a head when K opened up facebook one day and saw picture after picture of one metre long pizza gloriousness from Via Napoli. A friend of his was there, and immediately K had food envy. Before I knew it, the guy who never makes any plans or any dinner bookings emailed me to tell me that we had a dinner reservation at Via Napoli later that week on a Friday night - and at 6.30 no less. K never finishes work that early, so I knew he meant business.

Via Napoli is famous for its metre long pizza, a novelty really. I researched online and called out for recommendations from others on twitter, and all bar one person told me that the pizzas were awesome. I was intrigued most by Grab Your Fork's post on Via Napoli - especially her recommendations for the pizza with broccoli and pork sausage. I desperately wanted to try the buffalo mozzarella, but alas, being pregnant, it was out of the question for me... especially with my food nazi husband lurking over my shoulder.

Via Napoli is located on the corner on Longueville Road and Austin St. It is a bustling location that is packed to the rafters with couples, families, boisterous groups, a million staff zipping about and hoards of customers there to pick up their takeaway pizzas. We were seated quickly by the very efficient staff, but we seemed to have gotten the worst seats in the house: indoors, near the pizza oven where we could see the action but unfortunately right in front of the doorway where the waiters were constantly coming in and out. The amount of times my chair got bumped, and the amount of times I was dodging pizzas and food being delivered, or standing up to let people in and out completely diminished my dining experience. This is a restaurant that is squeezing every little bit of space they have, but the table we were sitting at really shouldn't have been a table at all... if you can, when you book ask for a table in the covered outdoor area which seemed to be much more pleasant!

K, my MIL and I decided to not waste our precious stomach space with any entrees or pastas, we were here for the pizza and nothing but the pizza. We quickly decided on a half metre pizza (as we thought the full metre would be stretching things) with two toppings: the eggplant and the broccoli & pork sausage. We also ordered a side salad of beans, omitting the olive oil dressing, and told ourselves that we were saving space for dessert - I had spied ricotta cheesecake on the menu and I wanted to try it!

For such a busy restaurant, service was very efficient and we soon had our food. The salad was lovely, even without the dressing, and I ate most of it as I was starving and didn't want to wait for the pizza. The pizza arrived and barely fit on our table, we had to eat with our plates tucked under the pizza board which was elevated and the water bottle on the floor. That said, once I bit into the broccoli and pork sausage pizza, nearly all was forgiven and forgotten - but not quite. Grab Your Fork's recommendation, once again, was a good one - the bitterness of the broccoli somehow went so well on the pizza, especially with the pork sausage. The crust of the pizza was a delight, puffy, charred at the bottom from the wood fired oven, I could have eaten it for days!

The other half of our pizza, the eggplant, was not as tasty - unfortunately the eggplant had resulted in the base of the pizza becoming incredibly soggy. I'm someone who likes to hold my pizza with my hands to bite into, and it just was not possible with the soggy base. If I was to go to Via Napoli again, I wouldn't be ordering this pizza.

K and the MIL were still a little hungry after we demolished the pizza, and were also suffering food envy from seeing the proscuitto, rocket and parmesan pizza from a neighbouring table, so they ordered a 13 inch round pizza. This pizza, I am told, held up much better than the other two as most of the ingredients were added after the base was cooked, so the base was crispier and tastier. It looked delicious and by this stage, I was cranky as I was constantly getting bumped into AND I had delicious proscuitto sitting right in front of me that I couldn't eat!

For dessert we ordered the tiramisu and the ricotta cheesecake. I didn't try the tiramisu but was told that it was decent but nothing flash - it was described as tasting "cheesier" than what was expected. I ate the ricotta cheesecake - it was not as good as Papa's (but really, that is a very high standard!) but still delicious, especially with the coulis that accompanied it.

Our salad, half metre pizza, 13 inch pizza and two desserts came to a total of $91 - just over $30 per head, but that was probably a mistake we made in ordering - we should've just ordered the one metre pizza! If you have more than 2 people, definitely go for the one metre and pick your pizza toppings carefully to avoid the soggy base. The pizza was delicious, and I see why the restaurant is so popular. As to whether I'd go back - yes, if I never sat right at the door ever again!

thesuzchef x

Via Napoli
141 Longueville Road, Lane Cove
Ph: (02) 9428 3297

Review: Green Peppercorn, Fairfield

I first heard of Green Peppercorn when it won the Best New Restaurant for SMH's Under $30 Good Food Guide. It was awarded three hats and, of course, with such accolades I was intrigued, especially when I read that it wasn't just another Thai restaurant but a Laotian / Thai one. However, Fairfield isn't a place I ventured out to much (actually, at all). My readers may know that a few months ago I was lucky enough to be one of 6 food bloggers invited on a foodie tour of Fairfield, hosted by Thang Ngo of Noodlies and sponsored by the Fairfield City Council. One that occasion, GP was our final stop and wow - the food we sampled just blew me away.

Fast forward a few months later and I was looking for a family friendly venue to have lunch on Mothers Day that wouldn't try to impose on me a set menu. My brother in law has 2 kids under the age of 3, so we were a little restrained in our options - and GP crossed my mind. Unfortunately we couldn't make a reservation as they only take bookings for Mondays through to Wednesdays, but I had a grand plan of arriving early to secure a coveted table - and my plan was clearly not unique as it seemed like half of all the other families in Sydney thought the same!

We arrived at 11.40am knowing that the restaurant wouldn't open until 12, and within 5 minutes after our arrival, a queue of about 6 other families have formed behind us. When the restaurant saw the crowd, they opened a little early to start seating people, and in no time the restaurant was full to the brim with a crowd waiting for the next available table. This place is insanely popular - imagine Mamak lines but with a much larger restaurant!

Being located inside the Fairfield Hotel seems like a strange place, but the large space is fitted out beautifully. The kids all love the tuktuk that sits inside the restaurant (a cool touch) and the space is filled with fancy but functional furniture.

I was in charge of ordering and quickly made my choices. We had a fantastic waiter who made some helpful suggestions, balanced out the types of dishes we chose and made sure we ordered just the right amount of food. Service was prompt and so efficient, there were always a large number of wait staff around to meet any need.

Our Mother's Day feast was made up as follows:

Laotian papaya salad

The papaya salad hit the table first & it was a fabulous way to start the meal as it was fresh, light & had gorgeous texture with the crunchy papaya. The dressing was pungent & packed a lot of heat, and we had even ordered it mild - so be warned!

Grilled ox tongue

I'm not particularly a huge fan of ox tongue but K and his brother were angling for this dish. I had a piece and thought it was chewy, but the boys seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Lao sausage

These are the sausages that the owner of GP's dad makes by hand every week, over 100kg worth! They are made with love and family history behind them, and were fantastic. Juicy to start, dipped into the spicy sauce that accompanied them, one piece each was just enough.

Red duck curry

I love my red duck curry, I order it every time I go to a Thai restaurant, and this one is without a doubt the best one I have ever tasted. Straight away I could tell it would be good from the duck I saw - lots of it, crispy skinned, not fatty and with generous amounts of meat. The duck was quality and the curry sauce followed suit. Studded with small bunches of green peppercorn, lychee and pineapple, it was the perfect curry sauce to drown your rice with.

Banana flower salad with chicken

I had no idea what this dish was or would be, but boy am I glad I ordered it. The texture of the banana flower is hard to describe: shredded thinly, it held some crunch and not much flavour on its own but teamed with the coconut cream dressing, it was unlike anything I had ever had before - in a good way!

Crispy skinned fish & green mango / apple salad

And this was the highlight of the meal. The waiter had told us it was big and boy he was not exaggerating. A generously sized whole snapper had been filleted, portioned and deep fried before being rearranged on the plate to resemble the whole fish. It was served with a mountain of green apple salad which was dressed in mint leaves, coriander, fried shallots and chilli and lime juice. The menu lists the dish as ordinarily being served with green mango, but notes green apple when mango is not in season.

I had expected a whole deep fried fish so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they had thoughtfully filleted the fish and removed any pesky bones. My mother in law marvelled at how the fish was so fresh, and I absolutely loved the salad. It was a gorgeous dish and one I would definitely order again.

It was a fabulous meal, every dish was delicious and fresh and made with love and care. This is a family run operation, and it shows in the service and the food. I was heartbroken that my favourite dessert, the deep fried ice cream, wasn't available that day as they had sold out from the night prior and the new batch had not yet set enough to withstand deep frying! But alas, I will be back, and the ice cream better be available then!

The whole meal came to a cheap as chips total of $124.60 for 5 adults & a toddler with an enormous appetite - the value is just ridiculous and makes it clear why GP were awarded three hats in the Best Under $30 awards!

thesuzchef x

Green Peppercorn
1 Hamilton Road, Fairfield
Ph: (02) 9724 7842

Lemon, Olive Oil & Almond Meal Cake

Thou shall not bake on Monday nights. 

That should be a rule. Baking on Mondays just seems to be some kind of insanity. I did and it seemed to be going so well until my cake fell apart as I was turning it out. A cake I wanted to give away. A cake that, for once, wasn't just for me - so it actually mattered what it looked like. This has never really happened to me before, so the profanities that dropped from my lips when it did... That's a few Hail Mary's I'm sure!

I wanted to make something pretty and to be enjoyed with a cup of tea for my mother in law as she is due to leave the country in a few days. She always enjoys eating my baked goods, but this visit I haven't made much for her as I've been too tired to cook much in my third trimester. It was my last chance I suppose, so I took advantage of my quiet Monday night and spurt of energy to whip together a morning tea cake incorporating all of her typical specifications: citrus, not too sweet and as healthy as possible.

I made this cake with olive oil instead of butter, cut down on the sugar and then substituted some almond meal for flour to give it some density but also to hold in some moisture. It's one of those super simple one bowl mix and pour recipes that I adore, and apart from it falling apart as I turned it out of the tin, it was pretty much spot on perfect for what I wanted.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease a bundt tin very very well!
2. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients before making a well in the middle.
3. Add all the wet ingredients and, using a whisk, mix together until well combined.
4. Pour into the bundt tin and rap sharply on the counter to burst any air bubbles before putting in the oven.
5. Bake for 40 mins. A skewer should come out clean at this stage. If not, return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin. While the cake is still hot, use a butter knife to gently edge the sides of the cake away from the tin. Turn it out onto a wire rack whilst praying that it won't fall apart!
7. Leave to cool completely, or enjoy warm with a cup of tea!

Oops...

As my mother in law isn't much of an icing fan I didn't ice the cake but left as is. However, for my personal preference, I would drizzle with a lemon icing or at least dust with icing sugar - it would look better from a presentation point of view anyhow!

Review: 4 Fourteen, Surry Hills

The first time I ate at 4 Fourteen was when it just opened. I think it was the first week and I was there with dear friend GA. We sat up at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, Colin Fassnidge was right in front of us, and we had a marvellous meal - we ate until we were bursting and then merrily rolled (thankfully downhill) back to GA's place.

My second visit was just this weekend, a little more than a year later, and prompted by my mother in law (MIL) and her obsession with My Kitchen Rules. She's been in Australia for the past 6 weeks, and when MKR was still on TV, she watched it religiously. We had taken her to eat at Four in Hand on her previous visits to Sydney, and she continues to rate it as her best meal in Sydney, so for Mothers Day, K and I decided to take her to 4 Fourteen - Colin's other restaurant, and a place she had seen on TV as the MKR eliminated contestants battled it out to get back into the main game.

We arrived on the Saturday night for dinner, and the place was just as I remembered it - laid back, filled with happy chatty people, with service brisk and efficient. We gave the MIL carte blanche to order as she saw fit, and she opted for two main share plates rather than for an assortment of small ones: the roast pork and the ginger and liquorice beef brisket, with a side of orange and ginger carrots, served with a cumin and yoghurt dressing which we asked to be kept aside. It seemed that before we even blinked, the food was descending upon our table. Whilst I applaud the promptness of service, a part of me was also noting that clearly none of the dishes were made to order - perhaps plated to order, but not cooked to order.

The roast pork arrived first, and the beef brisket shortly thereafter. The pork was cut from the belly, with fatty strips about a centimetre thick under the crackling. They were served with smoked kipfler potatoes (I loved the smokiness!), stewed rhubarb and sauteed kale. I had high expectations for the roast pork, as it is my favourite dish from Four in Hand, and whilst this was good, it was not near the mind blowing experience that I had at Four in Hand. The pork was quite fatty, the crackling was not as crisp as I would have liked it to be, and as good as the smoked potatoes were... my heart yearned for the colcannon.

The ginger and liquorice beef brisket, served in a gorgeous heavy cast iron pot, was beautifully presented. Accompanying the incredibly tender brisket was fried bread and pickled vegetables - and it was a wonderful combination. I really enjoyed this dish, which surprised me as I'm not a huge red meat eater and I was also apprehensive about the liquorice, but the brisket was so soft and so tender and beautifully paired with the crisp and vinegary baby vegetables. And the fried bread. Oh my God, the fried bread. So damn good!

Our waitress had recommended the side of the orange and ginger carrots, which was served with a cumin and yoghurt dressing. We asked for the yoghurt to be served on the side as we were a little unsure as to the combination but we really shouldn't have doubted it - we were all spooning the yoghurt dressing all over our carrots, they really made the carrots a winner. K remarked "these don't taste like carrots as all!" as he was digging into them - and I agreed. They were roasted until soft, and they were so delicious that I would have been happy eating the entire serving by myself.

We didn't have dessert at 4 Fourteen, opting instead to walk 5 minutes down to Crown St to introduce my MIL to the joys of Messina. For K and I, we love Four in Hand so much that we still prefer that over 4 Fourteen, and for my MIL she thought the same - although I think she got a kick out of eating at a place that she had seen on TV!

Happy Mothers Day everyone, hope you all showed your love to the mum's around you!

thesuzchef x

4 Fourteen
http://www.4fourteen.com.au/
414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills (entrance on Fitzroy St)

Review: Moo Gourmet Burgers, Newtown

When my mother in law comes to visit, she always wants to eat non-Asian food - food that she can't access easily, or authentically, in Hong Kong where she lives. For a petite lady, she has an incredible appetite - this is something that I have known for years, but even I was shocked and impressed when she neatly and without fuss tucked away the biggest burger I had laid my eyes on. She, a little size 6 lady, ate this:

The tower that is the Big Moo!

 Let's go back to the beginning. It was a nice sunny day and we were looking for some lunch time options. My mother in law wanted some Western food and so we ventured to Newtown for an early lunch, settling on Moo Gourmet Burger, and it was a good thing we got there early as it became insanely busy later on!


When I looked at the menu, all I wanted was the bacon and cheese fries, so I ordered a mini cheeseburger instead of a normal sized one. Special K went for the Black & White burger, and the MIL  went all out and ordered the Big Moo which had 100% Angus beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, pineapple, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, egg and tomato relish. Service was a little slow despite the restaurant only being half full but since it was an early lunch, we were ok with it.

The MIL's Big Moo burger arrived first and my God it was enormous. What was immediately evident was the quality of the ingredients - the bacon was quality, the egg perfectly cooked so that when she pressed down on the burger to squish it so it would fit in her mouth, the yolk exploded and oozed. The size of the thing didn't deter my MIL at all, she quietly went about her business, speaking little as she neatly put the burger away and showed it who was boss. K and I were stunned and amazed and slightly intimidated all at the same time!

The Black & White burger

K especially enjoyed his Black & White burger, he was starving after a long cycle in the morning and so demolished it in no time. He remarked on the quality of the ingredients as well, and when he was done with the burger, he started fighting me over the bacon and cheese fries which were incredibly cheesy! My only complaint with the fries were that I wish the bacon had been chopped smaller (big chunks were weird) and fried to a crisp, because that's how I love my bacon!

Hot chips are my weakness...

I was the only one at the table that wasn't too sold on my burger. The mini cheeseburger was nice, but I didn't think it was anything special. I also had issues with the bun, as I prefer softer style buns on my burgers, and this one was especially hard. I also thought that the bread-burger patty ratio was a bit too much in the bread camp for my liking.

Mini cheeseburger

Despite the reputation of the Moo-shakes, we didn't have any shakes as we were saving our sweet tooth and any precious tummy space for a visit to The Pie Tin around the corner afterwards. The Moo-teaser definitely caught my eye though, so I'll have to go back to try it!

thesuzchef x

Moo Gourmet Burgers
https://www.moogourmetburgers.com.au/
Located in Bondi, Coogee, Newtown, Manly & Crows Nest