Ms. Jazz Reviews: Der Raum, Melbourne

*waves* Has it been so long since my last entry?! Time passes by too quickly. It doesnt help that the entry i took 1 week to write with much effort did not autosaved itself and end up wiping out all my effort (and my time)

Prior to my Melbourne Trip last week, i've tried to explore more eateries, bars, clubs so my activities of the week evolved around eat, drink, drunk, hangover, eat .. u'd get my drift :)

One of the particular bar with a cutting edge that inspired me is Der Raum @ Richmond. Voted Cocktail bar of the year at the Australia Bartender Awards, No. 12 in the world's 50 best bars by Drinks International, and Austrlia's 10 most influential bar by Australian Bartender Magazine in 2010, Der Raum's ("The room" in german) credentials are endless and indeed impressive.

What differs this bar among the rest is their emphasis on quality drinks. To ensure their commitment in quality, Der Raum adopted a closed door policy with priority access provided by their membership holders. Don't expect seeing big signages at the door. It's not a place where you can walk by and discover, and this just further elevated the exclusivity of the bar.

Der Raum doesnt occupy a very large area, the room was dimly lit with not many sitting tables. Might as well, as the real showcase occupies the centerstage of the room, where spirit bottles were hanged above the bartender's head with bungy cords. It was definitely visually attractive watching the bartenders utilizing those liquors to make those innovative cocktails. (almost like an artform). Their cocktails are bound to please even the pickiest drinkers.

And if you think degustation menu only applies for food, think again. Der Raum provides an interesting 5 course menu (drinks that is) for those who couldn't make up their minds. "Tourist Route" its called, and with AUD80, this degustation will set to bring you through a collection of their popular drinks, from Arrival, Pharmacy, Teachers Tripple, Captain Blackbeer, and Departure. And For those who wishes a more hardcore journey, you should opted for the "Tour De Force" (AUD140) comprising of 8 course expansive cocktail selection.

1/ Spirits hanging above bartender's head with bungy cords

2/ Fancy some "zombie"? Rum, fresh tropical fruit, and flaming caramelized passionfruit 

Bartender making our drinks with sheer concentration

Pharmacy - Pear and Roasted Capsicum Gin with Sweet Italian Bitters. The brilliant part? Citrus pill, to pop into your mouth after all the "medicine". A light concotion that's a women pleaser

Our drinks waiting to be served *rubs hand in glee*

Fuck the Surpreme: Der Raum Kummel, Cognac, Citrus, and Champagne.

One should stay abid to the law, because if you dont, u'd get this- a nasty mixture

El Moroccan Blazer, Hennessy VS Cognac, Sweet Port, Flamed Lime & Pineapple. Yummay!

Death in the Afternoon, Spiced Absinthe, Champagne, Rosemary

Sayer au Champagne, Champagne, Grand Marnier, Maraschino, Vanilla

El Pozolero- Mezcal, Italian Vermouth, Citrus, Mole Bitters, and Maple Stewed plum

Bees Knees: Tanquerey Gin, Pressed lemon and Nitro honey nest. Another pleasing drink for the ladies

Ms Jazz n Crazieapple <3

If you can only visit one bar when you're in Melbourne, Look no further than DER RAUM.

Der Raum

438, Church St,

Richmond, (corner of Chuch n Swan St)

Melbourne, Australia

Open at 5pm-10pm daily

03-94280055

http://www.derraum.com.au/ for more information.

Crazieapple talks: Coffee

The Augustdiners love our coffee like how we love our clothes (and bags and shoes) ♥♥♥ *grin*

Coffee is like the petrol in my body, it keeps me running and doing my  daily routines. It's like  my daily dosage to keep me out and about. But a BAD coffee gives me a bad head start for the day, it makes me upset that i can't even enjoy a cup of good coffee and i'll feel demotivated for the rest of the day.

Everyone's expectations of a "good" coffee are pretty subjective as individual coffee drinkers have different preferences in flavor and body and type of coffee. 

Personally, i like my coffee to have a rich aroma, carrying slight bitterness, heavy, full-bodied mouth feel that lingers in your mouth after drinking it, silky foam to top my latte, of course, pretty coffee art adds on more brownie points!! Often, i like to sprinkle some sugar as a habit. Somehow i feel that it kinda brings out the coffee aroma better. Well, that's just my two cents. 

They even invented a machine to draw latte art!! Can someone scream "COOL"??

I've decided to put together some coffee knowledge to share with all you coffee lovers out there.. It's about time that we be educated more on what we love!! =)


The different types of coffee (and many more):

Single: single shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.

Double: double shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.

Quad-shot: four shots of espresso in a small mug, bigger than a demitasse.

Affogato: Espresso served over gelato. Traditionally served over vanilla gelato.

Allongé: similar to an Americano, except that hot water is not added to already made espresso, instead, more water is put through the ground beans as the shot is made. This results in a more complex and stronger drink.

Café Latte: espresso + hot milk - equal parts. Milk is poured over the espresso and preserving the order of the espresso going into the cup first is very important.

Café Mocha: café latte + chocolate - equal parts.

Cappuccino: espresso + hot milk + milk foam - equal parts.(topped with cocoa powder or non-traditional cinnamon).

Chai Latte - chai tea + hot milk (no espresso involved)! Chai in the U.S., is traditionally a blend of black tea, honey, vanilla, and spices usually to be served with milk (hot or cold). The word chai means tea in Hindi.

Corretto: coffee with a shot of liquor, usually grappa or brandy.

Flat White: (Australia and New Zealand) One-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.

Kennedy: a cup of coffee with three shots of espresso in it.

Lungo: more water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste.

Macchiatto: espresso + milk foam - equal parts.

Latte Macchiato: Essentially an inverted cafè latte, with the espresso poured on top of the milk.

Caramel Latte Macchiato: The milk is vanilla flavored and caramel is drizzled over the top of the foam. This is the form of macchiato popularized by the U.S. specialty and boutique coffee shops.

Mochaccino: cappuccino + chocolate syrup - equal parts.

Flavour
A high quality coffee has high acidity giving it pronounced flavors often described as nutty, spicy, fruity, mellow, chocolaty, caramel, wine, floral, tangy or smoky, depending on the bean and roast. Lower quality coffees have less desirable flavors, often described as watery, chemically, muddy, rubbery or tasting like medicine. Low quality coffee often lack acidity, giving it an overall flat taste.

Milk
I have a friend who used to work as a barista commented on how a lot of other baristas always get it wrong when it comes to heating up the milk, they tend to overdo it. Burnt milk can really detract the coffee's quality and it's the most common mistakes that many baristas make. Texture of the milk has to be dense, silky and full-bodied. Common mistakes are overheating the milk, over or under aerating it and not grooming it enough. (Grooming is fine-tuning it to remove excess air and bubbles before it’s poured). 
We always complain that "the coffee is not hot enough", truth is, a good cup of coffees is NOT meant to be mouth-burning hot. 


 

My voted Best coffee for the moment is: Skinny Latte at Las Chicas

Best take-away coffee- convenient + good: is from Seven Seeds

SO, how do you like your coffee and where do you get it from? =)

Crazieapple reviews: Jacques Reymond (Melbourne)

Jacques Reymond, like the Hermes of all designer bags, is one of the Top Fine Dining Restaurant in Melbourne.

Being one of the only two restaurants that bagged the Three Chef hat award by The Age Good Food Guide for more than 5 consecutive years, there is no questioning as to how excellent the food was. And just when you thought that the journey ends at great food, Jacques Reymond even won the Sevice Excellence Award 2010.

I wasn't sure how i'd story-tell my experience in appropriate words for fear that my "England" dictionary has never been extensive. but if anyone ask, my answer would be:

"Jacques Reymond is THE BEST restaurant i've ever been"

Being situated off the main road of Williams Rd, we had a lil' trouble finding our way into their private parking and ended up parking my car by the roadside behind the mansion, in the housing area. What's more pathetic was that i had to fecth my "so-called date" to our dinner.. Definitely NOT impressive, but hey.. who's complaining when you have a free meal?? hehe =P

Before stepping into the vintage-looking door, i was feeling a little intimidated by the seriousness of the place.. It was as though you don't know what to expect- pictures flashed into my mind were: armoured statues jus like the ones in horror movies/ tom and jerry shows or moving eyes from the painting on the wall.. haha

The greeting door

Boy was i wrong. We were greeted by the staff and maitre'd, we are made to feel instantly welcomed. Everything was done so seamlessly, meticulously and effortlessly with the fine balance between being attentive without being too in-your-face.

 Our journey of  gastrnomy was kicked start with cheese puff, also known as Gougères.. They were light and sprightly and somewhat addictive!!It's like putting a fluff of cloud into your mouth.. Ummm... *im craving for it now*

We ordered the desgustation menu for 2 as i've heard much raving on it.. i'm a sucker for degustation menus, especially when it was an 8 course meal!! *glutton mode on*

Lemongrass, spinach and rock lobster soup (served in a shot glass), fragrant Tiger prawn, and sweet potato and turmeric ice-cream...

The rule of thumb when it comes to eating a platter like this is to start from your left hand side.. 

The shot was smooth, prawn was fabulously juicy and sweet, ice cream was refreshing and refined despite the intimidating inclusive of the ingredient- tumeric.. My first thought goes to: sweet potato tumeric ice-cream??

My date big brother.. The one who pampers me with lots of fine dining experience..

Driver of the night

 Sandwich of spanner crab, mirin and fresh wasabi jelly, lacquered Petuna ocean trout, black bean and sweetcorn dressing

Like most fine cuisine, chefs tend to incorporate a touch of asian-ness in most of their food nowadays.. Agree?? 

Unfortunately, the ocean trout that was served on my plate was a tad bit too dry and overcooked. The wasabi jelly was refreshing but lack of wasabi taste, as though it is made out of the ordinary "agar-agar" (jelly) mix

Wild Barramundi, almond and bush pepper caramel, yoghurt and black garlic, kaffir lime and lemongrass espuma (it really just means foam)

I reckon this dish is excellently executed!! Love how the foam slowly dissolve into the fish (i'm easily amused like that =P) I like how the crispiness of the caramel topped with the soft and flake-y barramundi. 

Pekin duck (No spelling mistakes here), and Harvey bay scallop, peking juices, spiced marshmallow like a crepe, tempura enoki mushrooms, ginger sesame and pandan oil

Not quite sure how should one incorporate the "marshmallow" into the whole savoury meal, pretty intriguing i must say. However, the pekin(g) duck was cooked to its perfection!! Though it's not the typical way of cooking, slightly raw, (served like a medium cooked beef), i love the tenderness and the juicyness of it!! 

Highland venison like a warm carpaccio, horseradish mustard dressing, butternut pumpkin with honey and bitter chocolate beignet

The venison meat was too chewy, hard to bite through.. If you're gonna serve a carpaccio as your dish, shouldn't the meat be more thinly sliced?? I guess if it is done as it should, we wouldn't have the issue of tearing the meat apart like a carnivor right? And i thought the butternut pumpkin with honey was a little out of place.. Since when has it become a must for every fine dine dish to be paired with something sweet? 

Unfortunately, not what i was drinking that night... Oh, Dom... My loveee!!

 Western plains suckling pig and tamarind, celeriac and bitter almond, dashi apple veil, dancing bonito flakes and rosella chutney salad, cavalo nero

Sadly, my bonito flakes weren't dancing and there was no crackling of how a suckling pig should have.. But the meat was cooked to perfection. Juicy yet tender. The tamarind sauce was definitely a compliment to the meat!! 

It's a surprise how down-to-earth a chef as famous as Jacques would come around and greet his customers himself and concern about our opinions on his magical work.. Definitely make you feel so welcomed and home.

Pacific Rim martini of pineapple, passionfruit and banana, liquorice ice cream and honeycomb

The only thing that was stopping me from swiping the glass clean was the inappropriateness of the usage of the dessert spoon/ the way this dessert was presented. It was impossible to stick your big fat spoon down the narrow glass.. I was this close to sticking my fingers in to get that last bit of pineapple!! =(

Millefeuilles of chocolate: white chocolate mousse, pure Caribbean chilli ice cream, dark chocolate mousse and praline ice cream

I LOVEEEEEEEEE DARK CHOCOLATE!!!!! But didn't even realise that there was actually a "chili" ice cream among them.. *failed tastebud!!*

Petit fours to sum up our fantabulous dining experience in Jacques Reymond

I definitely enjoyed my experience in Jacques Reymond. It was almost close to faultless with a few tiny misses. Service was perfect and attentive. It really takes a real 3 chef hat to give you such professional service. Food was outstanding and is an art in presentation. Defintely takes a pro to put them together!! 

If anyone would take me out on a date *hint*, this is definitely on top of my list!!

Jacques Reymond
78 Williams Rd
Prahran VIC 3181
Telephone: 03 9525 2178

Opening Hours:
Lunch Thur-Fri: 12:00pm-1.30pm
Dinner Tues-Sat: 6:30pm-9:30pm

Crazieapple is back and reviewing: Carousel (Melbourne)

 Being single and beautiful means you'll get asked out for dates a lot. (Just kidding!! =P)

 Having the privilege of studying in Aussie means having the opportunity of having a nice sceneric view while having breakfast/lunch, enjoying the breeze, having a beer, chilling out with your date mates.

Carousel, a modern and stylish cafe, is situated in the perfect location, overlooking the serene Alberk Park Lake. Nothing about this cafe doens't scream "Perfect date place!!!" (well, unless you're going out with a date from hell)

The cafe offers an all day breakfast, lunch or even snack. The outdoor deck where we sat on is almost the perfect spot one could get. The pic below is what i eat my lunch to:

. 

 

J-E-A-L-O-U-S already? hehe 

One of the reason why i haven't been updating Augustdiners (apart from being lazy), is because i lost my camera in an unfortunate event.. =( unless you guys wanna hurt your eyes with bad quality food photos, i'll be updating alot less frequent, and try to leech on Chowvi's pro DSL.. hehe

Pics from this post are by courtesy of Chowvi:

Testing out my professional photo-taking skills.. i would say i'm doing a pretty good job!! haha make him look so cool rightt?? haha (he's actually quite lame in real life!! hahahahaha JK!)

 Chow's Duck Pie with a salad of roated celeriac, toasted hazelnuts, beetroot, frisee, rocket, radicchio and quince vinegar dressing

 When i asked, his verdict was: "Very Good!! Different from normal pies.. Best eaten while listening to the song below:"

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand

Erm... yea.. told you my friend is weird.. -.-''

Moving on to my meal,

Sparkling water for a start and double latte for the weirdo.. haha

I need to cut down on my caffeine intakes whenever i can afford to, since it's exam period.. I should let my body off on caffeine on weekends..

 

I ordered the infamous Carousel Burger, consist of beef hamburger, cheddar, caramelized onion, bacon, butter lettuce, tomato, fried egg, pesto aioli, garden salad and pickles. The combination of all the ingredients is like a burst of all heavenly flavour; the sinful greasy bacon, cheese, with a mix of salad n pickles.. It was messy to eat but nonetheless, a favourite pick!! Love how the hamburger doesn't taste too processed (much like McDs). Not recommended for girls on a date, not a pretty sight eating this!! hehe

This is definitely a recommended choice to those who wants for pay carousel a visit!!

 

 

Time to whip out your sunnies!! 

Happy and Satisfied Patrons

After meal, i conveniently took out my lecture notes and started revising there.. We don't wanna waste no nice weather, keeping myself at home and rot with my books, do we? hehe

Oh, and a lil' beer doesn't hurt right?? =)

Surprisingly much more productive because someone confiscated my phone and refused to talk to me.. When there's no other distractions to turn to, you'll automatically turn to your books.. haha

Chow's very artistic (konon-nye) shot. For more of his "arts", you can check out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chowvi/

I loved everything about Carousel on this beautiful day!! The sun, the breeze, the food is superb, perfect view to cleanse your eyes, friendly (not to mention hot ) waiter... Definitely a hot spot to hang out!!

Ratings:

Food: 8/10 

(unfortunately, i heard the breakfast was nothing to rave about)

Service: 8/10 

(cashier even addressed Chow by his surname when he paid the bills: "thank you Mr Thian". Doesn't this kinda service normally happen in Business classes?)

Ambience:10/10

(nothing to complain unless it rains and ruin the sceneric)

Overall: 8.5/10

Carousel

22 Aughtie Drive
Albert Park Lake VIC 3205
(03) 8646 6000

Crazieapple Reviews: Kobe Jones (Melbourne)

Kobe Jones is an option of Japanese food if you prefer a more modern take with innovative dishes and unique tastes. The extensive menu offers a wide range of options including a selection of Kobe Jones signature dishes which are an absolute must.

Prepare to salivate as you scroll down: (Don't say i didn't warn you!! hehe)

Sashimi Platter- chef's selection of sashimi inclusive of kingfish, yellow tail, oyster, scallop, salmon, snapper.

This platter of sashimi was fresh and melts in your mouth.. If only it wasn't 64aud, i'd gobble down the entire platter to myself!!! Too Heavenly~~ ♥ ♥ ♥

 

NUMBER ONE SPECIAL- 21aud

two pieces of crab salad with avocado wrapped in kingfish and baked with our secret sauce 

(additional pieces 10.0 each) 

I know, i know.. The price is ridiculous. 10 aud for one fish-ball sized dish?? Who are they kidding?

But the rich creamy special sauce was explosively scrumptious, the ball just burst in your mouth and you jizz in your pants. That's scientifically proven!! I wanna know what's in their DAMN SECRET SAUCE!!!! Better ask Nooei for secret recipe since he used to work there.. =P

Wagyu Tenderloin Tataki - 39aud
seared and chilled, served rare with garlic, ginger and ponzu sauce.

The beef was lightly seared on the outside, left very rare inside, thinly sliced and drizzled with a citrus soy sauce. Texture was perfecto!!! Too Sensational...

Green Tea Salmon (32 aud) 

warmed six hour cold smoked seared smoke salmon, marinated in green tea, served with nori cream and wasabi mash

It was a pretty ordinary dish as the salmon has little (almost none) green tea taste.. but wasabi mash was quite interesting..

Baked Dynamite Scallops- 33aud 

Spicy Hot! Scallops baked on a bed of rice in Kobe Jones secret sauce with fresh chili sauce and sprinkled with tuna flakes

Photos might not do justice to this dish. It look like some messed up pile of crap.. But it's far from the truth.. It was an explosion of flavor, sweet secret sauce with a fiery burst in your mouth. It was flavorful and addictive really..

Spider Roll- 31 aud

Cruncy soft shell crab with avocado, crab salad and cucumber with smelt roe sprinkle

Super California Roll- 27 aud

Tamago, crab salad, avocado and cucumber roll, layered unagi and smell roe

Love their sushi, fresh and rich in flavor. 

It's important how the sauce does not outshine the taste of sushi itself, which is in my opinion, how a good sushi should be. Dont you reckon? I'd be damned to eat a soggy sushi filled with taste of the sauce. It's almost as good as eating soy sauce congee..

Tenderloin Amiyaki grilled ansd sliced, served with wasabi mash, stir fried capsicum and amiyaki sauce.

 The meat is tender and soft, medium cooked. It's almost a perfection until you look at the price- 41aud. FML.. Good things in life do come with extortionate price, dont they?? Paid 41dollars for something that wasn't even a quarter filling..

Next up,

Dynamite Roll- 21aud

Almost similar with the baked dynamite scallop with same sauce plus extra mayo. The sauce was so addictive that the boys took over the leftover sauce for their plain rice..

Happy Belated Birthday Matt!! Happy Sweet 16!! (still 16 after 5 years... -.-)

My gluttony love ♥

Group picture of the satisfied diners 

It's not my first time visiting Kobe Jones. And despite most of the reviews that are not favouring this restaurant, Kobe Jones has never disappointed me before.. Love the ambience, service might not be perfect but it was good. I mean, who wouldn't wanna please a party of 12 with the total bill of up to 1k aud!! haha

Ratings:

Food: 8.5/10

 Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Overall: 8/10

(If you have extra money to splurge at the end of the month, or that extra weight in your wallet is your excess baggage you wanna get rid of, this is the place to go!! hehe)