I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so

I went to a work farewell for two of my work mates, Anushya and Zoya on Friday night, who have left Sydenham Library for full time work elsewhere. For something different we went to a Japanese restaurant in Moonee Ponds. Now, those of you who know me well are probably giggling away at the thought of me going to a Japanese restaurant!

Guess what? I actually really liked it!

After the initial scare of the appetiser (pictured) which resembled something you would see after a cat was sick (it was actually pickled beef, capsicum and zucchini) all was well.... And for those of you who are thinking 'So I guess you did not eat the appetiser' - WRONG! Quite a few people refused to try it, but I was feeling brave and experimental, so away I went!

For me, whenever someone said Japanese food, my mind always just assumed it would have been very similar to Chinese, had lots of fish (or even worse a little bit of humpback) and drenched in all different kinds of flavours. Japanese food I found seems to follow a very similar philosophy to Japanese interior design, where everything is minimalist and actually very simple. There was also a lot of 'non-fish' items on the menu. For example I had miso chicken, which was grilled chicken marinated in a very simple non-dominating marinate served with some plain sort of vegies.

So if you are ever looking to give Japanese a try I highly recommend the Koo Japanese Restaurant in Moonee Ponds.

A Whine

Well most people use their blogs to whine, so I have decided to do a wine post!

Just for something new I thought I would share some of my favourite wines. As those of you who know me well will know, I am not that adventurous! Thus my selection is rather short, and restricted to my favourite wine makers - Brown Brothers.

My most favourite is a sparkling red called Cienna.

The official Browns Brothers website described this wine as:
Cienna & Cabernet is a light wine with a vibrant ruby red colour and aromas
of fresh raspberries and red currants. With fruit sweetness on the palate it is
soft and juicy with a refreshing spritzig finish. A sip of this wine reminds you
of summer berries in a glass, while the mixture of good natural acidity and
combined fruit sweetness leaves a refreshing sensation in the mouth.

I like Cienna because it is a very sweet wine (I am a sweet tooth after all) and I think if your not really a wine person, this is the ideal wine for you as it doesn't have that strong wine taste.

My other favourites are all white wines. The first of these, which is probably the one I drink most at home apart from Cienna is Crouchen Riesling. This is a more serious wine and goes very nicely with dinner, and I find is most capable of leaving me with the wonderful winey head feel!
The Browns Brothers website describes it as:
The 2007 vintage is a pale straw colour with youthful green tinges. The nose is lifted with aromas of passionfruit, ripe pear and peach. The aromas follow through to the palate which is mouth filling with natural grape sweetness and a crisp balancing finish. This wine should be served chilled and enjoyed when young and fresh.
To cut the crap and just give it a simple description. Nice - crisp and more grown-up than my other favourites.

My last two favourites are very similar. They are Moscato and Lexia. Both of these are very sweet wines (the kind you don't really have to have with food). Served chilled they are very refreshing. Moscato is described as:
This current release is a light straw colour with some youthful green tinges, while the nose is lifted with aromas of musk and freshly crushed grapes. In the mouth the wine is alive with a vibrant and mouth filling sherbet flavour. A wine of universal appeal, the retained carbon dioxide gives a mild frizzante effect resulting in a lively and fresh wine.
The Lexia is described as:
The 2006 Lexia is fresh, crisp and clean leaving the mouth ready for another glass. This late harvest wine is great with laksa and other spicy dishes. It’s also a great match with a platter of washed rind cheese served with slices of fresh pear.

All of these wines are available from most bottle shops (I go to Dan Murphy's to take advantage of the discounts you get when you buy it by the case). For more details on Browns Brothers wines you can visit their website at www.brownbrothers.com.au

No More Steak - Never Ever!

Saturday night we went out for one of Seans friends birthdays to Rockpool at Crown. I had my suspicions from the start that this was going to be an 'interesting' evening.

For entree I had Duck Ragu (or something like that). For starters I don't eat duck, plus it tasted very strong and smelt horrible, so I didn't eat that.

For mains I had some Wagyu steak, which I ordered well done. When the waitress brought it out it was dripping with blood. I had fears that the meat would possibly start mooing at me it was so uncooked. I sent the steak back, then 2 minutes later they bought it back, slightly cooked on the outside, still mooshy with blood on the inside. anyway I ate some of the outer layer of steak and had a carrot as a side (the carrot was very nice).

Don't ask me what I had for dessert (Sean ordered it). It was some pastry thingy with a sort of creamy hazelnut filling. It was nice, but by that point I was so over the whole place I couldn't really be bothered eating it so I left most of that too.

so if you are looking at going to the Rockpool, my advice - run in the other direction! It was horrible. I could have known from the foul stench as soon as you walk in (I think it was the smell of the meat they have hanging near the entrance).

After dinner Sean and his friends then decided to go for drinks at some bar at Crown. At the bar they had some sheila singing who was pretty good (the best part of the evening). Therefore I got to zone out and listed to the music, as the conversation wasn't much. When Sean goes out with his friends the conversations has as much depth as a babies paddling pool. If your not talking about what brand names you own, or how rich you are, it's just not worth talking about.

I have vowed after Saturday that if I ever have a birthday dinner, if you don't want to come - just say so! I will completely understand if you don't want to go to either all you can eat, or McDonalds for dinner!

On Sunday I had a lazy recovery day. Watched a couple of movies on TV, did my ironing and just generally bludged most of the day, so it was a nice recharger for the start of the new week.

So far we have no plans for this weekend, which is good, as being school holidays I am sure I am going to feel buggered by the end of the week.

Anyway, better go!