Absynthe Restaurant Review

Finally it was the 16th of July on the calendar, which meant it was our long awaited date night. We had made the reservation for Absynthe over 2 months ago and we were very excited to be having a culinary night to remember.

Apart from the fact that weather was crappy and we were still recovering from our trip physically and finically, we pepped each other up by getting all dolled up, having a sneak peek at the menu online (so we could chat about the menu options on the way) and then we hopped in the car to go to our long awaited reservation.

We arrived at Q1, our original plan was to use our annual passes and go up to the Sky Deck and have a drink and watch the sunset however we decided against that as the sun had been setting at like 5pm. Luckily we didn't go as when we were waiting for the lift in the basement there was a sign saying it was closed for a private function, so my advise if you are planning on a trip up to the Sky Deck ring in advance.

Walking through the doors we waited to be seated, scoping the joint out i noticed it was fairly modern and sterile with some artwork on the walls, no candles  or white table cloths. Once we were seated i knew we had a problem already, we were seated in between to other tables maybe 45cm each side of us which is MY PET HATE. Why your thinking??? Well i am the biggest eaves dropper in the world, i cannot concentrate on my own conversation and i feel the need to whisper.

We were handed the Menu and Wine List. Reading Meyjittes Boughenout story we were very excited to being eating at the restaurant of a two Michelin star chef. First our beverages for the evening Sparkling Water $8.00 and Maven Sauvignon Blanc $70.00 (it was the only Sav Blanc from NZ we could find).  Returning with our vino they waiter asked for our order, now we love a little bit of a chit chat with the waiter so we asked him for any recommendations- very surprisingly he didn't have any. Our puzzled faces must have prompted him to continue talking and he then elaborated by asking us what we like to eat. We said we are happy to try anything once and he then replied with the Lamb Cutlets are good, Horn was very pleased to hear that as he loves Lamb, however there were no Lamb Cutlets on the menu only Lamb Shanks. After some thought we decided on the below.

Now at one of the most expensive fine dining restaurants on the Gold Coast would you expect the full silver service? When our meals where placed in front of us that was it, no "tonight you have ordered the blah blah with blah blah, try eating it in this order blah blah, enjoy your meal." Is it to much to ask for the waiter who's job it is to explain these foriegn dishes to us?

Dinner Roll Complimentary 

The roll was warm, yummy and probably the highlight of my meal- WHOOPIE!!!

Cauliflower Veloute, Vanilla Croutons, Olive Bubbles &
Pan Fried Scallops $32.00

I ordered the Scallops, as i have explained in past posts i love Scallops and normally always order them however after this experince i may rethink that. The Scallops were as small as a ten cent piece and there was only 4. The roe had been removed but the connector duct was still on- so as small as the Scallop was i had to cut a 1/4 off so i didn't eat the chewy bit. There were two Olive bubbles and they were amazing and exciting, i could have eaten a whole plate of just them (they were very similar to the Corn Puree Bubbles at Room81) Vanilla Croutons were OK nothing special and the Cauliflower Veloute was mediocre a little oily and way to much poured into the bowl it ruined the presentation of the dish, if the Scallops had of been big and juicy it probably would have been fine.

Lightly Cured Ocean Trout, White Chocolate
Cannelloni, Shellfish Broth to Drink,
Pomegranate Reduction & Wasabi Ice-Cream  $28.50

Horn had the Trout, he said it was fine nothing to write home about. The presentation was lovely with great colours however all the ingredients that were on the menu did not come out on the plate.

Crispy Skin Pan Fried Barramundi, Lobster Bisque,
Sliced Potatoes & Baby Carrot $45.00

Now i don't normally order Fish when i am out but since i have never tried Lobster Bisque before and we were at a french restaurant i thought what better place to try it. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! This was by far they worst meal i have ever eaten in my life. The Barramundi skin was so thick and chewy it was making me sick and i am not sure because i have never eaten scales before but that i swear it still had scales on it, it was so bad that i actually had to remove the skin from my mouth. The Lobster Bisque was oily, transparent and tasteless and to top it off Baby Carrot was stone cold.

Twice Cooked Maryland Duck Breast, Orange &
Spice Glaze with Artichoke and Sweet Potato $43.00

Horn liked his Duck, he said it was juicy, cooked well but very small, the glaze didn't have any punch and looked bland the plate. Now I don't believe in sending food back to the kitchen because i am too scared of what they may do to it but I will (if asked) explain what was wrong (which is hardly ever). I didn't even eat a 1/4 of my mini meal and the waiter simply asked if i was done and took the plate away.

After that we were asked if we would like dessert (we had previously decided not to stay) we politely declined. Once we declined we were basically invisible, we had to ask for our glasses to be filled (we pretty much sculled so we could get the hell out of there.) I was dying to have a dessert from this place, i had been drooling over the photos for days but because of the horrible experience we wanted to leave A-SAP and refused to give them an extra $25 for a dessert that would be small and possibly not worth it.

The Bill

Not only was this the biggest disappointment ever, it also cost and arm and maybe half a leg to experience it. It only adds to my theory that food needs to look as good as it tastes and taste even better than it looks! We ended up having dessert somewhere else and it saved our night.

Every ones experiences are different maybe they were having an off night? Who knows....

Score 4/10

donna hay "a cooks guide" caramel slice

This dish was not EASY first time round because i am dyslexic and cannot read instructions. I wanted to make long slices not squares so i changed tins but i didn't not change the baking times. So instead of my deep dish square tin i used a long rectangle thin flan tin... I baked it for the same amount of time and came out with this chewy caramel biscuit, it surprisingly tasted nice but was no caramel slice (haha that rhymed). So instead of wasting it i cut it up and gave it to Horn to take to work and give to his apprentices. As i had promised my friend Broni i was bringing Caramel Slice over the next day i had to have another go, so i got up bright and early and went to the shops and had a re take on an old classic and they were perfect. What a great combination chocolate and caramel is, plus i love licking the sweetened condensed milk can even if it is dangerous!

1 Cup Plain Flour, Sifted
1/2 Desiccated Coconut
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
125g Butter, Melted

Caramel Filling
1/3 Cup Golden Syrup
125g Butter, Chopped
2 x 395g Sweetened Condensed Milk

Chocolate Topping
200g Dark Chocolate, Chopped
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil

"the donna hay way":
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 180degrees. Place the flour, coconut, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well to combine. Using the back of a spoon, press into the base of a lightly greased 0cmx30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 20-25mins or until golden.
Step 2:
While the base is cooking, make the caramel filling. Place the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring continuously, or until butter has melted and caramel has thickened slightly. Pour over the cooked base and bake for 20minutes or until golden. Refrigerate until cold.
Step 3:
To make the chocolate topping, place the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel mixture and refrigerate for 30minutes or until firm. Makes 15
Cooks Tips:
When cutting slices with a chocolate topping or soft and sticky fillings , dip your knife into hot water and dry with a tea towel before slicing. The warm knife will then make a clean cut and ensure neat slices.

Caramel Slice, the finished product- Yum

Lady Dash says:

Making this yummy morning or afternoon tea treat brought back so many memories of the school tuck-shop and made me think about how lucky my future children will be when mummy is making these and they don't have to wait in massive lines at the school tuck-shop! I also chucked it in the freezer a few times to hurry up the process because i was running late, it didn't seem to affect it in any way. Remember- WATCH WATCH WATCH your caramel, it can go from good to bad in less than a minute, and i also made 16 slices and trimmed the edges before slicing to make them even, i also ate all those little chewy bits on the end (shhhh). The final verdict So apart from Horn, My Brother, The Business Partner and the Apprentices, Broni and her staff- I also popped over to our neighbours and gave them and their children some. Everyone agreed- YUM!

Lady Dash Score 8/10

cashew & chilli beef stir fry" the donna hay way"

I actually made this dish before we left for our trip and told myself when i was having a down day i would blog about it, who was i kidding- i was in the USA and every 5 days i change locations as if i was going to have a down day!!!!

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
3 Long Red Chillies, Sliced
4 Garlic Cloves, Sliced
300g Beef Eye Fillet, Sliced
Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
150g Green Beans, Trimmed
1/2 Cup Roasted Unsalted Cashew Nuts
1/2 Cup Basil Leaves
Steamed Jasmine Rice, To Serve

"the donna hay way":
Heat a frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the oil, chilli, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until chilli is crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute or until sealed. Add the chilli mixture and beans and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Roughly chop half the cashews, add whole and chopped nuts to the pan and toss to combine. Place on serving plates and top with basil. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Serves 2.

Cashew & Chilli Beef Stir Fry

Lady Dash says:

I liked this dish but the boys didn't care for it much. Horn had about 2 litres of OJ with it as it was far to hot for him, (if you cannot handle the heat i would recommend deseeding and deveining the chillies).  My brother put heaps of soy sauce on it because he said it needed some more liquid/flavour. I also changed from rice to udon noodles but only because we had rice the night before and i was trying to mix it up. Not sure if i would make this dish again as it wasn't a hit with everyone.

Lady Dash Score 6/10 

Boys 4/10

lady dash is back

What an AMAZING experience the last 5 weeks have been, we ventured to the USA bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for a fun filled and food filled adventure. We visited so many different places, made so many memories and ATE ATE ATE so much (i put on 2 kilos and my darling husband 7kgs, I think his love for burgers got the better of him).

Over the next few months i will be blogging about the different states, restaurants, hotels, people, shows and whatever else i can think of to share with you. I will also be getting back into the kitchen to continue the "donna hay way" challenge with an extra bonus- my special gift pack from donna hay which includes all of the complete home-bake mixes plus my own creations.

I want to see what you have been up too, so share your latest creations or your holiday stories. xxx

standby brownies "the donna hay way"

Sorry its been a while i have been busy packing and running around for the big trip.... Yesterday was a miserable day on the Gold Coast- cold, wet and windy!!! So i of course was craving something warm and chocolatey so i flipped through fast, fresh, simple looking for the standby brownies i saw a couple of weeks ago on the show. I didn't feel like going any where so i was stoked when i had all the simple ingredients for these delicious brownies.

150g Butter
1 1/4 cups Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Plain Flour

"the donna hay way":

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the butter, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter has melted. Spoon into a bowl and add the vanilla extract and eggs, whisking well. Sift the flour over the mixture and whisk to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 20cm- square cake tin lined with non stick baking paper. Bake for 30-35mins or until centre is just set. Cool in tin and cut into squares to serve. Makes 16.

Standby Brownies

Lady Dash says:

I followed everything donna hay said to a tee and these brownies are so fast, so simple and so YUMMMM. When i have children i will be whipping these up all the time for after school treats, the aroma in the house when they were cooking was mouthwatering and homey who wouldn't want to come home to that? I served the brownies warm with raspberries and ice-cream. Score 8/10 it would have been a 9 but i think it needed some hot fudge hehehe.

Room81 Restaurant Review

My husband and I love going out for dinner, we normally try and get out of the house once or twice a week and have a good meal and a drink together so no one has to cook or clean. 
I would have to say that the multi award winning Room81 located in Broadbeach at the Sofitel is our current favourite place to dine. It has a beautiful intimate setting, tremendous service and a french inspired menu.

Last last time we visited Room81 i decided to take some pics on my iPhone so i could add it to my blog (it was about a month ago but as say the saying goes- Rome wasn't built in a day and I am doing it know). 

When we enter we were greeted with "bonjour, welcome to Rom81" and we immediately feel a million miles away, now seated at our intimate table with flickering red tea light candles we are handed our menus. I was so excited to see that the menu had changed, i also get extra excited because they stock my favourite wine The Hill by Scotchmans Hill, so no need for the wine list or a taste test just fill her up baby and load her with ice. Still excited about the menu change Horn and I were going back and forth asking each other what we are having (my trick to ordering the perfect meal is to work backwards so i flipped to the desserts). Working my way through the pages i decide on having two entrees and a dessert, our waiter brings over some complimentary freshly baked rolls with butter and takes our orders. 

The best thing about Room81 is all the little extras you get, such as Amuse bouche and a Pre dessert. The Amuse bouche tonight is a bite size duck liver pate, Horn and I both smother it on another roll and devour it quickly. Next up Oysters, Horn loves them i still cant really get my head around them but i normally give one a go to taste the flavour  tonight i gave it a miss and Horn gobbled them all down saying the little bursts of Lime were amazing.

Oysters
Lime finger caviar
6 for $21

Entree:
Next up were our entrees, I was so caught up in the moment i forgot to take a picture. 
I had Kingfish- seared yellow tail kingfish, anchovy sauce vierge, wasabi jelly, soy vinaigrette (gf) $19

Horn had the Room81 Signature Entrée Pork- slow cooked pork belly, braised pork roundel, apple & vanilla gel, spiced apples, fried quail egg, cabernet sauvignon jus (gf) $22. 
Within minutes our beautiful little entrees had been demolished, my Kingfish was delicate and light the perfect was to start a meal while Horns pork was an indulgent treat.

Main:

I love scallops, so i find it very hard to not order them when they are on a menu, and the fact that they had changed sealed the deal. WOW WOW WOW take a look at this picture perfect plate yes you are seeing correctly that is popcorn, truffled popcorn and it was superb.... The scallops were cooked to perfection with their beautiful caramelisation but the star of the plate was the corn puree, which is the little yellow blobs. Now i really cant explain this properly in words as you have to experince it for your self but when you cut the little blob or put the whole thing in your mouth it pops and a silky warm corn soup covers your tongue, it was magic and like a real bogan I was like babe you have to try this.

Main

Pan seared scallops, chorizo sausage, corn puree, 

truffled honey popcorn, squid ink pastry, lemon butter jus

$24

I also forgot to take a pic of Horn's roasted lamb loin, lamb leg rilette, caramelized sweetbreads, red wine paste, roasted vegetable mille feuille, thyme & garlic jus (gf) $42

.

Pre Dessert
Pineapple Pannacotta
with Pineapple Jelly & Pineapple Granita
Complimentary 

Now to the desserts the catch is with the Pre dessert you only get it if you order a dessert, so half the time you don't need it as they are just enough if you don't have a sweet tooth. I had eaten all mine before horn had even picked his up and the look on his face was priceless- i was like what its good!!! The souffle and fondant speak for themselves they are to die for, i actually went to a restaurant last week that had cloned the signature dish and it was no where near as spectacular. 

Dessert

Raspberry soufflé 

with white chocolate sauce, white chocolate ice cream (gf)

$18

Dessert du Jour (Chef's Special)

Chocolate fondant with

vanilla ice-cream and chocolate ganache

$17

If you haven't yet been to Room81, i strongly recommend a little romantic dinner for two or if you are single get a bunch of the girls to get all dolled up have a cocktail in the lounge bar and then sit eat, drink and savour this special venue in the heart of Broadbeach.

exciting news for the "donna hay way" challenge

I have been dying to let this out all day, on my way out today an email popped up on my phone, i first thought it was an eblast from donna hay about her new magazine being released next week but i noticed it was from a boys name, not donna hay.

I quickly opened up the email and began reading, I immediately started shaking with nerves, excitement and fear. I thought oh my god what have i done i am in serious trouble here donna hay is suing me or something how am I going to explain this to Horn he is going to kill me blah blah blah, instead it was the most flattering generous email from the marketing and pr manger for donna hay. He was writing to tell me that they know about my blog and they are impressed yes that what i said IMPRESSED with what they have seen so far. I didn't even read the email properly to be honest and starting pacing around the house freaking out being like oh my god, oh my god, oh my god who can i call? I have to tell some one..... So i called my husband who was excited for me but didn't really get it, so i also called my good friend fizzle out who i thought would definitely appreciate and be super excited and guess what, she was.

So i guess you wondering what happened ok i will tell you...

donna hay and her team would very generously like to offer me a complimentary sample of her new range of baking mixes which includes Macarons, Brownies and Cupcakes to try!!!!!

How amazing is that??? After one week of blogging my new food idol has found out about me....

I am still shaking with excitement and i cant wait for my package to arrive and share with you all.