back with the gang

Two weeks ago, Malc & I received an email from Dr Reiko saying that her & Stef will be in Sydney and wanted to know if we were free for dinner. Early last week, we got an email from Dr Miwa saying she will also be in town. What fantastic timing, our old Canberra gang (minus Dr Shogo & Peter-san) were in town . . . and it's definitely a good excuse for a celebration.

Dr Malc consulted his tastebuds and they decided that the venue for dinner will be Viva Goa (2 Scott Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009 ph +61 2-9566 1311). Viva Goa is one of our old favourites in Pyrmont, but we have not been back for awhile because it's not really that exciting to have only 2 people eating because we can't really order more than 2 dishes and we miss out on all the other choices on the menu. So with a big group, we can now sample more dishes.

So after a some catching up, we studied the menu and with a lot of prodding from our waiter, we decided on a banquet meal of 3 appetisers and 4 main meals.

For appetisers, we selected: (1) galinha arambol (herb and spice crusted chicken morsels and sweet and sour yoghurt; (2) parco empregado (roast pork belly in a spiced star anise & shrimp paste; (3) panjim panrolls (semolina crumbed vegetable panrolls with tomato relish, light garlic sour cream and coconut chutney. The picture of the dishes on the right also shows Dr Reiko, Dr Miwa and Stef's fingers making the peace sign especially for Dr Shogo. The plate was cleaned out in record time as we enjoyed the pleasant mixutre of spices and texture of the entree plate.

Then came our main dishes, I'm copying the descriptions off the menu as they were quite spot on.(1)Paneer & peas caldeen (fragrant mild yellow delicate coconut, tomato and tangy kokum curry, tempered with mustard seeds & curry leaves; (2) okra amotik (red, hot & sour, spicy tamarind curry); (3) chicken peri-peri (chilli garlic paste, dervied from the peri-peri chilli; (4)sorpotel (roast, finely-diced port, simmered in a rich chilli, pepper & garlic sauce, with a dash of cashew feni).

And then finally, after several previous visits of ending our meals with the mains because we were too full . . . we made it to dessert. We shared among us 3 fantastic desserts (1) pudim de banana (warm caramelised banana, palm sugar & fresh coconut pudding with vanilla ice cream; (2) ale belle (date & fresh coconut filled, sweet fennel pancake with ginger preserve and vanilla ice cream; and after reminding our waiter (he forgot to put the order in), Dr Miwa's dessert choice of orange & coriander sorbet.

We were all pleasantly full when we left the restaurant and it was great to catch up again with the Canberra gang.

thousand dollars dinner

Tonight, Malc & I spent an evening with the movers and shakers of Sydney for the Fire and Flood Benefit at the Astral Restaurant (Level 17, Star City Casino, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009 ph + 61 2 9777 9000). The dinner was hosted by members of the Australian Football Team: Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer to benefit the bushfire victims in Victoria and the flood victims in Queensland.

Malc receive the invitation to this event through work and we found out later that the tickets were $1,000 per head, I was so glad we were not paying. However, Sean Connolly is a world famous chef, and we were very excited to see and taste a $1,000 dinner.

When we got to Star City, we were herded into the Astral Bar for pre-dinner drinks where guests could mingle and make small talk. I found myself standing next to National Coach Pim Verbeek, and then across from me was was Harry Kewell . . . the football fan in me was surely having a good time.

Then on to dinner. Looking at the menu, I was a little bit disappointed, there were only 4 courses and they were not really extra special. Malc had to remind me, the $1,000 is really for the benefit and not for the meal . . . oh well.

The meal started with an amuse bouche of gold leaf quail egg with oscietra caviar. The quail egg was perfectly gooey inside and heightened the salty-savoury taste of the caviar.

Next came the entree of lobster raviolo with ginger & treacle beurre blanc. This was the highlight the meal, the dumpling held tender big chunks of sweet lobster and the butter sauce permeated the raviolo.

In between entree and main were some entertainment numbers and speeches from politicians and from an emergency service office who witnessed the flooding in Queensland firsthand. The guests also used it as an opportunity to meet, chat and take photos of the high profile sports persons who were at benefit. Malc went up to Ian Thorpe for an autograph for my cousin who is a big fan.

Then the main meal of slow roasted Angus beef tenderloin was served. This was one of the best roasts I have ever had. The meat was perfectly aged and each bite melted in the mouth.



After the mains, more entertainment, mingling and speeches followed. I went and searched for Lucas Neill, Mark Schwarzer and Tim Cahill for photos and autographs. They were really nice and gracious with their time.

Then came the dessert of chocolate and orange tart. I was so excited with the dessert I forgot to take a photo of it. It tasted like a cheese cake-like chocolate tart.

After dessert was a spirited auction of sports memorabilia and experiences. With the auction starting at $5,000, Malc & I were happy to just be observers to the bidding

The Benefit raised $250,000 (and counting), congratulations to Lucas, Mark & Tim.