Tag Archives: Sydney North

by dk | August 9, 2012

The Rice Den, Chatswood

Its been nearly a year since we last reviewed The Rice Den. I’ve been back several times this year with other friends and it hasn’t changed much, but when we heard that their specials menu recently got a revamp, we had to return as a team to try some new dishes!

Just to refresh your memory about this place – The Rice Den is near the Victoria Ave intersection near Chatswood Chase shopping centre. It features a range of Asian flavours including Chinese, Japanese and Thai and infuses this with modern Australian cuisine. Tonight we get the opportunity to speak to the owner Roy, who has been in the food industry for about 10 years now. He tells us his story about how The Rice Den has managed to succeed in the busy Chatswood food scene, how he has incorporated his experiences with Asian cuisine into the menu and his foray into social media by interacting with his customers. For a restaurant in Chatswood, its good to know that he’s embracing the digital age to build customer engagement and loyalty, something that a lot of Asian restaurants are lagging behind in.

Chilli Jam Roasted Duck Wok Tossed

Tonight we choose all our dishes off the specials menu (except the rice dish). There are faint chalk smudges underneath the writing suggesting that this menu changes periodically. To start us off, we get the chilli jam duck. This consists of big pieces of duck breast with chilli jam sauce and hints of basil. I find there are moments when this is quite spicy, especially if you eat the chilli seeds, so watch out if you can’t handle spiciness!

“Lamb you Long time” with Black Pepper Sauce & Seasonal Veges

Next up is the lamb dish called “Lamb you Long time”, which has a humorous name thanks to a dish-naming competition for The Rice Den’s Facebook fans. Usually lamb cutlets have big chunks of fat attached to them but this dish doesn’t have too much, leaving me with big meaty fillets. The lamb is also well cooked with a black pepper sauce which matches the meat very well.

Spiders Nest (soft shell crab with tamarind, seasonal veges & egg noodles)

The Spiders Nest comes next which consists of a bed of crunchy noodles mixed with assorted vegetables and fried soft shell crab, drizzled with a sweet tamarind sauce. The crispy noodles are delicious with the sauce which is a mix of sweet and spicy flavours. Scattered within the vegetables are also juicy lychee and pineapple pieces which are very refreshing. The soft shell crab is also very meaty and not too oily – a delicious dish.

Garlic & Shallot (Jasmine rice infused with fried fresh garlic and shallots)

Our last savoury dish is a garlic and shallot fried rice. This is a simple stir fried rice which is surprisingly light and fluffy. There are good hints of garlic flavours, very similar to the garlic rice at The Tall Lemongrass but just without the overload of oil. The crispy fried onions scattered throughout the rice also adds a crunchy textural element.

Black n’ White Sticky Rice with Vanilla Ice Cream

And now to our favourite time of the meal – dessert! We opt for the sticky rice which is served with ice cream and whipped cream on top along with ‘The Rice Den’ written on the side in caramel sauce. At first glance, it looks disturbingly like a discoloured burger pattie given the shape. Thankfully it tastes nothing like that; the sticky rice is hot which goes very well with the cold ice cream. The caramel sauce also adds some extra sweetness, although I don’t think it needs any. Who knew that ice cream and rice could work!

Just like every other time I’ve been here, tonight I am very satisfied by my meal. The Rice Den is one of the few restaurants who can do great Asian fusion food with interesting combinations that taste fantastic. And a plus is that it is affordable too! If you’re looking for a change from the typical Chinese fare that clutters Chatswood (but still want Asian food), The Rice Den is a good way to start.

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All mains were in the $15 – $25 price range. Dessert was $10 – $15
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of The Rice Den

The Rice Den
3/77 Archer Street, Chatswood
(02) 9411 2001

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Not Bread Alone, Crows Nest

This little cafe is my favourite in the foodie heaven of Crows Nest, it is tucked away from the main strip of cafes so that only locals know it and it always delivers with fantastically friendly service. The cafe itself is breezy and laidback, with wooden tables that are mostly outdoors but it has a nice and intimate vibe, with heaters blazing in winter and classic 90s love songs playing in the background.

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Filed under Cafe, Crows Nest

Tagged as Cafe, Crows Nest, Not Bread Alone, Sydney North

by dk | August 12, 2011

The Rice Den, Chatswood

Upon a recent gloomy rainy week in Sydney, we decided to plan our end of year Europe trip (early 2012 should hold Europe posts) and what better way to kickstart that than to discuss it over lunch!

The choice of today was The Rice Den in Chatswood, a place I had been to previously and was so impressed by that we needed to visit again to review it.

The Rice Den is a relatively new and small restaurant hidden in the heart of Chatswood. It is just off the main road (near the cnr Archer and Victoria St) about a minute walk from Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre and is highly reminiscent of those hidden gems that you find in Surry Hills/Paddington. The inside is decorated modernly; it is painted black with concrete floors, wooden furnishings and wooden beams and glass shards cover the walls. The counter is covered with old Asian movie posters, giving it some extra old-school Asian character.

The restaurant itself is a combination of modern Fusion-Asian cuisines, with dishes holding influences from Australia, China, Japan and Thailand.

School Prawn Stack (Crunchy school prawns stacked and served with fresh lime and aioli) – $12

We start our meal off with an entree selection of the School Prawn Stack. Served quite promptly, the prawns were meaty, juicy and crunchy; everything you would expect. Combined with some freshly squeezed lime and aioli, the combination of sour and creamy just took it to perfection. I must make a note that their aioli is absolutely divine, extremely creamy and with a perfect balance of garlic. After a while however, this bowl of prawns got a bit boring as the taste of crunchy shells starting filling our palate. I suggest that this bowl be shared in a large group rather than a small group as it is best savoured in small portions.

Stir Fried Chilli Basil Crocodile (A traditional asian delicacy that packs a punch with fresh sliced chilli, crushed garlic, crispy basil leaves and wok tossed in our five spice seasoning) – $17

The two mains we ordered included soft shell crab and crocodile. The crocodile was well flavoured in terms of chilli and basil and was creamy and not at all spicy. In all honesty, it tasted exactly like pork (albeit slightly more tender) and wasn’t reminiscent of the last time I had crocodile. The plate itself is quite large and the snow peas and capscicum were cooked to an extent of being halfway between crunchy and mushy (thankfully, I like my vegetables soft). However, the ratio of meat to vegetables was quite low and by the end of it, the plate was left with a giant pile of bamboo shoots, basil leaves and an assortment of vegetables and only looked half eaten.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab (Lightly battered soft shell crabs with a julienne of spring onions, sweet soy, chilli mayonnaise and sprinkled with tobiko) – $16

The crab was artfully presented with lashings of chilli mayo and sweet soy sauce, garnished with shredded spring onion and some flying fish roe. That unmistakeable smell of freshly fried crispy crab wafted towards us as the waiter set down the dish. It did not disappoint; it was lightly crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, nicely complemented by the mix of the two sauces accompanying it. There was some leftover aioli left over from our School Prawn Stack and so we tried the crab with aioli and were pleasantly surprised that the aioli added an amazing hit of garlic to the crispy soft shell crab which we probably preferred over the sweet soy sauce.

The only issue Yvn had with the crab was that the servings were so generous that she could not finish the dish alone and needed me to help her out in polishing it off, no complaints here! There was the equivalent of two whole soft shell crabs on that dish, which is more than is usually served for a crispy soft shell crab dish in our experience.

Fried Ice Cream (Green Tea/Vanilla) – $6

Our favourite course of any meal, DESSERT! Opting for fried ice cream in both green tea and vanilla, two beautiful large scoops of ice cream covered in crumbed batter on a plate with the words “The Rice Den” written in chocolate syrup was presented to us. One plate was accompanied with strawberry syrup and the other with caramel. The servings of ice cream were quite big compared to other restaurants’ fried ice creams which was favourable as really, who doesn’t love more ice cream! The green tea was more bitter than sweet suggesting that it was home-made ice cream with real green tea, but combined with the flavoured syrup and battered coating, the bitterness was soon offset. The vanilla was extremely creamy vanilla (and yes, I can tell you it is NOT home brand ice cream ) and both of them were still hard to the core, making it difficult for us to break is apart, which is good since you would not want your ice cream to melt when being fried.

Overall, The Rice Den served up a good selection of Asian-infused dishes. The restaurant is small, quiet and not too busy and is a refreshing surprise to the rest of the overpopulated Chatswood where you will encounter difficulty finding seats at the majority of restaurants during the lunch rush. Its boutique style and finesse makes it a place you should definitely stop by if in the local area.

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The Rice Den
3/77 Archer Street, Chatswood
(02) 9411 2001

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Filed under Chatswood, Chinese, Fusion, Japanese, Thai

Tagged as Chatswood, Fusion, Japanese, Sydney North, The Rice Den

by Excuse Me Waiter | August 12, 2011

Waqu, Crows Nest

As one of the more reasonably priced degustation menus in Sydney, Waqu is popular among the lovers of Japanese fusion cuisine and has consistently hit the mark every time I have been there over the past 3 years. The stylish dimmed lighting adds just enough atmosphere and the polished wooden interior feels modern and elegant, reflecting the style of the food that they serve.

There is no longer an a la carte option on the menu and this time around, I’m trying out their Autumn Menu, since they change their set degustation menu between seasons. Waqu’s signature dish was the amazingly tasty spicy soft shell crab taco, which was a constant through all the menu changes in the past, but has mysteriously been left off the new Autumn menu. While I was apprehensive about whether its replacement dish would live up to that standard, it was a refreshing change to try something different in the first course.

The 6 courses for $60 pp:

1. Amuse: Soy milk chawan-mushi, ricotta zucchini flower tempura & prawn, frittata, tonnato sauce

The presentation of the food was very clean and the zucchini flower tempura was satisfyingly crunchy, matching well with the accompanying sauce. The chawan-mushi was deliciously smooth and warming, however the Japanese mushrooms which covered it were slightly too salty and the lone prawn accompanying the zucchini tempura was also too salty for my liking.

2. Soup: Scallop mousse in kaffir lime soup with tapioca, fried leek and kaffir lime leaf

The soup was very light and there was no apparant kaffir lime taste. The scallop mousse was appetising when mixed with the sprig of fried leek and the little tapioca balls floating around the soup added a dash of chewy texture to keep things from being too bland.

3. Sashimi: Cured ocean trout, pink grapefruit ginger mousse, ocean trout ravigote tartare

I have always found ocean trout to be very similar to salmon and this dish tasted a lot like smoked salmon but with a zesty twist when mixed with the grapefruit mousse. The fish was fresh and the salsa-like chopped vegetables on the side were surprisingly tasty and complemented the fish nicely. There was also a small mound of beetroot salt on the side, which I dipped part of the trout into and it added a welcome extra layer of savoury goodness to the flavour of the fish.

4. Entree: Mussel & Clam Risotto and Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek Apple Tatin

My friend ordered the mussel and clam risotto and it was heavenly, with the juices from the shellfish being infused in the rice. Although I wanted to order the same dish since it sounded so good from the menu, I decided to go for variety and try out the other option of wagyu which was presented interestingly as a layered tart – pastry on the bottom, braised beef cheek in the middle layer and caramelised apple on the top. It was an odd medley of sweet and savoury flavours, finished with the texture of crumble from the pastry but not bad overall although I preferred the risotto. The highlight of the wagyu dish was the airy wasabi meringue accompanying it, which tasted almost like wasabi flavoured crackers.

5. Main: Roasted duck breast, sauteed artichoke and shiitake, artichoke foam, prosciutto crumb

The duck was tender and soft, with just the right amount of spice but the most interesting part of the dish was the artichoke foam, which was a froth of bubbles and felt almost like scented air when you tasted it. Underneath the foam rested the artichoke and shiitake which were nice and fresh, and beneath the deepfried pastry basket holding the artichoke was a scatter of prosciutto crumbs which tasted like flakes of dried prosciutto mixed with sea salt. Very tasty!

6. Dessert: Persimmon three way: granita, green tea infused compote and almond tart

Persimmon is also known as fuyu fruit and it is not a fruit which I commonly see being used in desserts when dining out, but the chef did a good job with this dessert. The flavour of the fruit wasn’t very strong throughout the three different components of the dessert but the dessert itself was delicious, particularly the green tea infused compote which tasted like ice cream.

Service: The service is as per usual polite Japanese standards but the explanations of the dishes can get a bit garbled with their accents…although they always finish with a smile. The wait between dishes wasn’t too bad earlier on in the night before the restaurant started getting packed, after which there was quite a lag between our mains and the serving of our dessert.

Verdict: Classy, understated fusion Japanese degustation which ticks most of my boxes and leaves you wanting to lick your plate clean for certain courses. Great value for money for a 6 course degustation and even more so with an Entertainment book discount which brings the price down to $45 per person.

Definitely will be coming back for more later, even without the spicy soft shell crab taco on the menu anymore…although I hope they will be bringing it back one day because it was literally mouthwateringly tasty.

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Waqu
308 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest NSW 2065
(02) 9906 7736
Open Tue-Thu,Sun 6pm-10:30pm; Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm