Wednesday 16 January 2013

Watch out Wonka

It may not be a store filled with candy, but Lux bite better start to watch out for their own Slugworth because anyone who's any one would want to be sending in their own spies to try and get there hands on the creations that are showcased.

You can't say no to an offering of cakes or macarons, and if you can then you have a lot of self control. A warm afternoon lead me here with a friend and our eyes were opened and excitement set in, like a child in a lolly shop wondering what they could buy with their 50c. Well it may not be 50c but the cakes and macarons only make you desire all things indulgent.

It was suggested to us to go all out, and sure if someones telling us to do it why not go for it. A tea set for 2 will set you back about $48.00 and believe me, it's worth every penny. Each bite of this delicious deal takes you on a journey to places of decadence.

We start with 2 of their gourmet finger sandwiches, one being a Bamboo charcoal brioche filled their housemade pork jerky, fresh cucumber and kewpie the other a finger sandwich filled with delicate mushrooms in a light sauce.

What was different was the Bamboo charcoal brioche, I've loved the traditional french sweet bread but this is a brand new level of enjoyment. Smokey hints and of course the black colour entices you to just get into it and enjoy it. A great artistic invention to make Lux bite stand out from the rest of the cafe's or cake shops in the Melbourne precinct.

From here we move onto our selection of macarons, a selection of any 4. My choice was the Peanut butter and Jelly and Pineapple, lemon and ginger. My friends Jaffa and Coffee.

These Macarons have the WOW factor! Even Adriano Zumbo (one of my inspirations in the culinary world) say these Macarons are good, and he's a master. A light crisp shell is filled with gorgeous silky and mind blowing centres. They are fresh and each mouthful makes  you close your eyes in enjoyment.

My Peanut butter and jelly was exquisite, not too sweat but so buttery and laid with a jelly piece. The Pineapple, lemon and ginger is a like a summers day or a ray of sunshine. Light beautiful flavours showcased and balanced perfectly. All 3 flavours are strong on their own but they have found their tri pod of a marriage and brought them perfectly together.

The selection of flavours are extraordinary. Sour strawberry, oreo, toast, bamboo and more. If you don't like cake well I think you should at least go in and get a macaron.

To finish off our tea set we got to indulge in 2 cakes of our choice. A Banoffee Opera was my top choice and a Meringue Madness was the next to follow.

The Banoffee Opera..... what can I say? Actually I will bring you insight from what my friend said after she watched me take that first mouthful. "Did your mouth just have an orgasm?" Well maybe it did, but I never kiss and tell.

Layers of silky shimmering banana ganache, salted caramel and hazelnut sponge with hints of cayenne pepper. The classic Opera cake has been re-created to bring something tremendous. On first bite their is light flavours of banana which is taken over by the salty caramel and perfectly finished with the chocolate and the cayenne pepper places hints of spice on the back of your throat.

The Meringue madness was light and delicate. To recall this I believe it to be a green tea base with a sour raspberry mousse in cased with light meringue. A fine choice for a summers day.

This was also accompanied by a choice of beverage of which the Orchid Vanilla is a very fine choice to set everything together perfectly. When did tea get so fancy? Large cups are bought to you with the bag on the side, and although you may think well it's just tea. Open your eyes and see the difference in this presentation to the cafe next door where they just plunk the bag in a pot and serve it. It's cute and sets the mood.

It's a place to go, perfect for that girls day afternoon or a tranquil bite. And as Lux bite mention....... Life's too short. Eat Dessert first. I hold them to that.


Lux Bite
38 Toorak Road
South Yarra
9867 5888
LuxBite on Urbanspoon



Monday 7 January 2013

Not so fastidious

Our evening was a little strange I have to say as we enter an evening of uncertainty and dabble in a world of fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Sure this could end up to be an amazing night filled with new flavours, but on the other hand we may be reminiscing a complete disaster.

Our evening at Dainty Sichuan did not start off gracefully and I sigh that I have to say that. I have walked past and smelt the amazing aromas as I walk to the South Yarra station heading home from work and always filled with diners.
The service this evening was the downer, as it was non existant. Not being able to catch a waiter who could explain how the menu worked was frustrating. More embarrassing is that we had to ask a siding table how it worked and what they suggested as it was difficult to even get another waiters attention.

So we used recommendations and just went with it. The evening was going to be a hope for the best kind of night and wing it.

Once a waiter was flagged we were able to order, and at least our evening picked up from there.

Green beans coated in golden flakes of garlic was a great fixture to fight off those vampires or colds. Strong garlic flavours coat each vibrant green bean.

The pork ribs were sensational, a sweet sticky sauce coats the ribs with the meat coming off the boan. Succulent flavours that melted in your mouth, you could eat a plate on your own. If you were unsure on what to have it would be easy just to have the ribs with rice and some beans. You'd be set for the night.

Fo something a little different and for all those corn lovers, try the cooked corn mix. Juicy corn kernels lightly coated and fried were sweet explosions. Almost like popcorn and corn on a cob combined together. Very light and a great vegetable component to your meat dishes.

Koh Pow Chicken was the dish of excellence. Tenderly cooked chicken pieces with chilli and peanuts. Similar to a satay but better.
Bursts of nuts flavour combined with the hints of chilli makes your tongue dance. A highly recommended dish for all.

The Hot pot is a unique way to eat and I have only seen this done at Dainty Sichuan. Choose a style of stock, choose your chilli power and then go crazy or keep it simple with your ingredients. 

Each ingredient comes out and you cook up your pot in the centre of the table. A great communal dish and great conversational point to the table. Ingredients such as beef and corriander balls, prawns, noodles, pumpkin, lotus root and more can be chosen.

As it cooks infront of you you can enjoy this soup dish with rice or by itself. I would suggest to grab a bit of spice as the stock needs a bit of kick. Alternatively you could choose items from the list that are a strong flavour that will enhance your stock more.

We grabbed just the small size stock and I have to say it was huge. 5 people couldn't finish it off so that's saying something.

Our evening was great for socialising and I would have to say the bigger the table the better you will be and the more flavours you can experience. I enjoyed my company and the food, so my night had a pretty good ending. I just hoped for a little more service to my night but hey it wasn't the most terrible night. I left with a full tummy and a smile on my face, so I'm content.


Dainty Sichuan
176 Toorak Road
South Yarra
9078 1686

Dainty Sichuan on Urbanspoon