There’s a restaurant in Crows Nest that rather bafflingly (to me), is called Pinnocchio Chinese Restaurant. Either it’s an Italian/Chinese fusion restaurant, or.. I can’t even imagine what the other reason behind it’s name would be.

Excellent Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Carlingford, is another intriguingly named restaurant that either sets itself up for ridicule and failure, or perhaps it manages to surprise by delivering as much as it promises. I enter, indulging in the former, and come away praising it for being more of the latter.

There are two reasons to go to this restaurant, but the service isn’t one of them. If you want the cliched example of a Chinese restaurant with bad service, Excellent Chinese Seafood Restaurant would probably make it into the dictionary. During this visit, plates are thrown down onto the table with such angry determination that I feel as though the waiter is about to shout at us any second; for daring to enter the establishment, or for bringing noisy kids (the 7 yr old is showing me magic tricks by forcing me to shut my eyes while she hides the pink napkins behind her back).

So if not for the service, the first reason to visit would be to have the Vermicelli Crab Hotpot, which this restaurant is apparently famous for. It is a deviation from the salt and pepper norm that my family usually loves and as salt and pepper is my favourite way to eat crab, I was initially sceptical of anything that would mask the crab in such a large mound of vermicelli noodles. As it turns out, Vermicelli Hotpot could now well be my second favourite way to have crab. The sauce is delicious, the noodles moreish, and the crab is of course, juicy and very well cooked.

On this my second visit, we accompany the crab with salt and pepper squid, salt and pepper fish (did I mention I like salt and pepper?), garlic stir-fried kangkung, tofu pockets stuffed with mushroom, fried pipis and sizzling beef (there are two things my brother must have when in a Chinese restaurant : Crab and beef; surf and turf) – All of which are either very good, or excellent (as it were).

Then comes the second reason to visit Excellent Chinese Seafood Restaurant : the deep fried ice-cream at the end of the meal. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll love these crumbed boulders that they serve here. I say boulders, because they’re the biggest versions of d.f.i.c I’ve ever encountered. Positively planetary. Lucky you get a fork and spoon with this dessert, or it would be like trying to excavate your way out of an icy situation armed with only a toothpick.

If you don’t like fried ice-cream, well, there’s still that one reason to visit this restaurant, and let me assure you, it’s a very worthwhile (possibly, excellent) reason indeed!

Excellent Chinese Seafood Restaurant
Carlingford Rd (cnr Carlingford Rd & Rembrandt St)
Carlingford 2118

I suppose I should start by mentioning that I used to work here. Hence the copious amount of attention and the freebies of some of their signature dishes. I also don’t often eat in places I work in, as I find it hard to judge the food; already biased as I would be, especially after having had such close contact with it, behind the scenes. Additionally, you spend so much time when you’re in the restaurant talking to everyone you work with, it feels like you’re already working on what’s meant to be a day off!

At the behest of B, we decided to treat a special guest who was staying with us, to a dinner at Aria Restaurant, to celebrate his birthday. Nothing quite beats Aria for amazing views, in an environment that is formal yet calm and very comfortable.

What of the food? It was a selection of some of their signature dishes that blew me away the very first time I ate at Aria, and that still really impresses me to this day. Peking duck consomme is rich and earthy in appearance, with a clear and bright punch of flavour. The scampi wrapped in Brik pastry, served with gremolata is a deceptively simple dish that manages to be both teeth-shatteringly crisp and unbelievably juicy at the same time. How was it?, the fabulous Guiseppe enquired as he cleared away our empty plates. I shut my eyes for a moment. Guiseppe, it was unbelievable. You really need to be sitting at the table, in front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, eating this perfect piece of scampi, to understand why it has been such a longstanding dish on the menu. It really doesn’t taste the same when you’re standing in the hot and sweaty kitchen, chewing on a scrap of one fried an hour ago, that was bartered by the hot entrees guy for a spoonful of ice-cream.

Aria Restaurant
1 Macquarie Street
East Circular Quay
Sydney 2000

The cook, the dentist, the doctor and her daughter met up at Austin’s mom’s place. Thank goodness no one told Peter Greenaway or it could have ended differently. As it stands, a good time was had by all.

This year, and the last, has thus far been marked by the increased presence of children in the lives of friends. While I’m not in the least bit interested in being that way inclined, I’m happy to rejoice in the choice others have made to procreate and gladly accept invitations to baby viewings for assorted cheek pinchings (of the infant sort) and photo snappings. (Also, I have to admit, I love buying baby clothes. Some of the outfits are so colourful and cute, I wish they came in adult size as well).

The rumour of cake convinced me that it would be wise to contribute something a little more healthy to this particular gathering, so I assembled some take-home packs of home made muesli bars. Perhaps there was also a bit of the subliminal in my choice of baked treats, as these were my school friends, and muesli bars always remind me of the wrapped Uncle Toby’s bars in my lunchbox.

The doctor’s daughter bemourned the lack of chocolate in these muesli bars. The original recipe, an AWW classic (mine below is an adaptation of), calls for 2 tablespoons of choc chips scattered on top before baking, which you can do if you wish to desecrate a snack that is otherwise half way to being relatively healthy.

(Jaime, this one is for you…)

Apricot and Cranberry Muesli Bars :

125g unsalted butter
110g brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey (I used a strong flavoured honey from Tasmania)
200g rolled oats
40g pepitas
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
40g chopped dried apricots
30g dried cranberries
1 tablespoon banana or raspberry powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste (or 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped)

Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking pan.

Combine butter, sugar and honey in a pan and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla paste and banana or raspberry powder if using.

In a bowl, combine the oats, pepitas, cinnamon, apricots and cranberries. Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture. Mix well. Press this mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake at 160’C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting into squares or rectangles.

[Note: The beauty about these muesli bars is you can customise them according to your prefered fillings. Substitute the same amount of apricot and cranberries for something else such as raisins, dates etc, use nuts instead of pepitas or even omit the spice altogether – it’s entirely up to you! It’s such a quick, fun and easy snack to make that I’ve decided to submit it as my contribution to Mansi’s Game Night.]