tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10186234605117682692009-07-01T16:16:28.982+10:00Food, Wining and Dining in Melbourne, Australia. Restaurant reviews, in season food, recipes, hospitality stories. Food nerd.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.auBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-15595978310277470832009-06-27T14:45:00.005+10:002009-07-01T14:17:24.508+10:00

I keep starting and restarting this post; how do I describe the food at Coda that actually informs a diner more thoroughly than what I was before we visited?I thought about what we ate and when, how we ate it, and then thought about the house named roll and how it essentially sums up the Coda palate:'Coda roll, crisp parcel of bone marrow, ginger, shiitake mushroom and rice paddy herb'Essentially

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-83751090860947362312009-06-05T15:24:00.003+10:002009-06-06T15:12:42.098+10:00

A few years ago I learnt the difference the hard why. But since then I haven't seen the offending (when firm) acorn shaped persimmon that often.I'm still cautious though whenever I buy one of these vanillian scented beauties.The acorn shaped style on the left should be soft and a deep orange orange colour when its jellied flesh is ready to be spooned out.The tomato shaped style on the right

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-9517841587550039232009-06-04T23:00:00.000+10:002009-06-04T23:14:02.028+10:00

Still in catchup mode, I started this last week before my weekend in NZ...Tonight I headed out for dinner with a girlfriend, we had no real plans but a short list of possibilities. It was too early for our first choice, Coda (due to open properly next week; soft opening from tomorrow) so The Deanery, Robin Wickens new-ish haunt, it was.So yes, I wasn't in the head space for it but its certainly

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-41233486041645035752009-05-24T11:30:00.005+10:002009-05-24T11:46:12.154+10:00

Could this be Melbourne's last tomato? Being strictly of the seasonal food camp, it has greatly amused me that my tiny courtyard garden has proven to be so unseasonal this year. When everyone else was experiencing bumper crops of tomatoes, my heirloom bushes barely had a flower and the fruit that did eventuate died in our desert like heat wave of 40+ degree temperatures. And now when I should

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-30567419452170295082009-05-18T23:52:00.001+10:002009-05-19T01:37:42.345+10:00

Amnesty PostThis will be the last of my catch-up posts but I think the best. Hutong was on our must dine list whilst in Hong Kong in July last year; Sichuan food as good as it gets apparently. Didn't need to know anymore apart from the instruction to have a pre-dinner cocktail at Aqua on the floor above.High attention to detail tables, beautifully lit.Ornate flatware that has me flipping it to

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-14182706355371672622009-05-01T09:26:00.003+10:002009-05-01T09:26:01.528+10:00

I wrote this the week after my brush with reality tv, the program airing this week may put all the pieces together...I’m not very good, at not being very good at something.So much so, that as I lay in the recovery position (okay catching up on sleep) in my bed after the craziests of weeks, I could not help but think (okay dream) about how poorly I did at my one chance… it wasn’t that hard. Use

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-21951747165412776592009-04-30T23:50:00.004+10:002009-05-01T00:07:07.751+10:00

Amnesty PostI make this salad quite often but it has been maing a more regular appearance at my house, as PDC is training like a mad man for up coming half marathons. Lots of healthy protein, low GI, fresh and tastes amazing. All the boxes are ticked.My Tuna and Bean Salad1 tin sliced (or at least chunky) tuna - the fancy bottled preserved tuna I brought last week at Mediterranean Wholesalers is

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-8898089132758929092009-04-19T17:22:00.002+10:002009-04-19T17:24:08.757+10:00

So, just as I post about Amnesty Week, a client calls and says theyhave a big job for me.Fantastic. The catch is, they need it finished in less than a week...I like a challenge. I agree. But poor Amnesty week will need to become Amnesty fortnight, just asClaire is doing. Will be back soon!

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-61519466686161782912009-04-13T10:03:00.002+10:002009-04-13T10:03:01.418+10:00

Amnesty Week Post -written 14th January 2009Lets stop and smell the Australian culinary 'roses' for a moment...And reflect on how lucky we are in Melbourne, and Australia, in general.We have richly diverse cultural backgrounds that has given us an incredible choice of dining options, something that I never give much thought to until I am overseas on holiday and eating the same food everyday.I do

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-12383193702595677792009-04-12T12:18:00.006+10:002009-04-12T12:44:17.824+10:00

My non-stick pan is no longer non-stick which means that a quick brekkie at home of eggs on toast, ends up in a mess of egg glued pan.Keen for some eggs without the mess (or the queues on Easter weekend) I decided to bake some just like I order at a number of cafes around Melbourne.Baked eggs with double smoked ham, potato and fennelI made this from leftovers in my fridge, if you intend to do the

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-13498752714425556592009-04-11T23:45:00.004+10:002009-04-12T00:07:43.707+10:00

I've had a bit of a busy few... well, months.Eating with Jack has suffered, Twitter has flourished. The immediate satisfaction of tweets has nothing but increased my guilt in lack of quality posts. I think about them, photograph then, even mostly write them; just don't publish them.Well in an effort to alleviate my continued avoidance of EwJ, due to the post that I 'should' be finishing first, I

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-43212487751592875282009-04-05T06:00:00.004+10:002009-04-05T06:06:20.832+10:00

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-39974282714331065992009-03-21T23:32:00.008+11:002009-04-30T22:26:01.869+10:00

Part 3 - If you haven’t worked it out by my absence, no I haven’t been last minute invited back into the reality tv fold, I’m just a little bored with it. I keep twisting and contorting my words; what is the meaning of all this? What is it really about?Well I still don’t know, and quite frankly I’m bored with it. I couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time right now torturing myself recounting

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-34232888595476042102009-03-11T00:42:00.003+11:002009-03-11T00:58:32.868+11:00

Five easy steps to chip success1. take these gorgeous, addictive potatoes and boil too many a couple of days earlier2. crush then with the palm of your hand, until they look all arty like this3. drizzle with olive oil, heaps of Murry River salt, pepper and some thyme from the garden4. bake on 220C until they are golden brown, crunchy on the outside and a creamy, fluffyness on the inside5. try not

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-6299324681761073852009-02-26T00:32:00.005+11:002009-02-26T00:49:00.094+11:00

Latest update to Good food equals love, bad food equals...?Warning this is a long one so settle in, there will now have to be part three as well.Day 3- TuesdayBreakfast was more structured this morning and the tables where the food was stashed in stainless steel trays the day before, are now neat buffet warmers in a row.I eat as much as I can of the provided scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast,

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-85559466204735672752009-02-22T14:55:00.006+11:002009-02-25T21:42:32.827+11:00

Last week would probably count as one of the craziest of my life, up there with packing my belongings in my car and driving across Australia with a guy I’d only known for a few months… luckily 11 years later he ended up becoming my Permanent Dining Companion –PDC. So I got a good thing out of that craziness, but I am still trying to figure out what good thing I got out of last week… and trust me

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-41281085944631108852009-02-19T17:39:00.005+11:002009-02-19T18:32:13.960+11:00

In the spirit of the Slow Food Gastronomica Trivia night on Monday -that I unfortunately missed- I stumbled across a very interesting piece of produce at the market today.I had no idea what it was, do you??PS No, its not a frazzled underdeveloped tomato (like the ones in my garden!) or a fancy Thai eggplant...Please leave guesses in the comments!

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-61131836616997705172009-02-16T16:16:00.003+11:002009-02-16T16:33:52.730+11:00

A very exciting idea has just popped into my inbox, that I just love and hope you do as well...Handmade Help is looking for contributions to a cook book that they are putting together in aid of the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.They are looking for contributors, people with recipes to share. As a food blogger this is something I have lots of and the ability to shout it from my proverbial blog 'roof

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-38047714486830755202009-02-14T22:38:00.003+11:002009-02-14T22:43:59.353+11:00

Missing in action, but now recovered...Full news to come on Monday with some fun Sydney based food stories to share.Now if only I had time to make it to Universal; bugger Bodega and Spice I am will have to do... with guest appearances by some of the most inspiring food people I have meet in a while.

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-83379946231218514032009-01-31T16:07:00.006+11:002009-02-03T22:35:20.810+11:00

If you have the patience of a saint these macarons from Noisette, could be the best available retail in Melbourne.You see, the problem is that a macaron needs time after being filled (I can't remember the time 'rule') but enough time for the filling to meet with the shell and they become one. The outer shell is the gentle crunch and then the base of the little disk is moistened by the filling,

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-68193013610997970372009-01-29T23:10:00.008+11:002009-01-29T23:56:57.922+11:00

So what to cook when you don't want to cook?What about a hot smoked trout salad. This is some of my 'lazy' cooking, a bit of an assembly job really but done with a balanced, kick your taste buds into gear flavours. A just can't bear to eat dull, boring food. Life's too short.Whole foods are an important part of what I eat day to day but like all other normal people I have a soft spot (visible at

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-5089096082820571692009-01-28T10:10:00.008+11:002009-01-28T11:59:08.611+11:00

You may remember my Dish of the Month from October, a crumbed Spanish anchovy on a disc of impeccable fresh curd from MoVida Next Door.Even after writing about it late last year, I couldn't stop thinking about making the cheese myself, it sounded so easy but I knew, as it is with things like this, it's all in the technique.If I was going to be able to make it I'd need a good mentor and I knew

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-14719486255934651302009-01-20T11:00:00.000+11:002009-01-20T11:00:00.224+11:00

I used to always buy New Scientist magazine but slowly over the years replaced it with food mags, and more food mags. Something caught my attention in the first edition of the new year and I purchased a copy - my first for years.Flicking yesterday I came across my favourite section, The Last Word were readers can write in and ask questions about "everyday phenomena". One particularly had me

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-27418845789423424512009-01-19T16:29:00.003+11:002009-01-19T16:48:16.092+11:00

If you haven't already heard, Duncan, Sarah and Thanh have organised a bit of a barbie and get together for local food bloggers.You can read all of the details here, let us know if your coming and make first dibs of what food you will be bring to share. I'm making some Thai style fish cakes with a knock-your-socks-off dipping sauce.So don't be shy, if you have a food blog and are up for a chat,

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1018623460511768269.post-84720588591738478472009-01-14T10:03:00.002+11:002009-01-14T14:58:11.292+11:00

A friend is heading off to Hong Kong soon and I was ranting wax-lyrical about of food places that must be visited.The friend politely retorted but "I didn't read about this on your blog..., or did I miss it?" Well I was put in my place, yes, caught out in my own blog back log.So in an effort to validate my recommendations - and thinking about this I really should post a list of Paris and

Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16097430040613398754eatingwithjack@optusnet.com.au4