Easy Tiger!

The power of 3. Jarrod Hudson, Suzanne Tyzack & Simon Hall make a magical team at the funky new space Easy Tiger on Smith Street. We know Jarrod & Suze way back from our years in Sydney where we were introduced to the amazing Giant Steps & Sexton line up from the Yarra as well as the WA Little Creatures Pale Ale. There were many other fun times, doughnuts & laughs along the way. We worked with Jarrod at various large scale catering events, all stinted at Hugos and then I spent time working with him at Dragonfly in Surry Hills. Anyway, back to the beer ..... So, a pint of Little Creatures seemed fitting to kick start our night.



We managed to slip out to the tiny kitchen window to say HI before sitting down for our chefs selection banquet. The kitchen team are humming away, busy before the nights service truly begins, all meticulously checking and stocking up their prep. Oysters are being shucked to order, and I am pleased that they feature on our first plate for the evening - with a little red nam jim that packs a punch and then a watermelon ma hor. Ma hor is a great way to kick the taste buds off on tonights journey, a sweet cube of watermelon topped with a sticky peanut, chicken, pork & prawn paste with fresh coriander and a single slice of red chilli julienne.



The next dish was blow-your-Mr-Sock-off amazing! Jarrod has a phenomenal palate, but also a vivid imagination. This dish showcases everything we love about Jarrod's cooking. Slices of plump kingfish sit on a tarted up white miso paste, with little clouds of crispy rice, slightly pickled cucumber rainbows & wasabi flying fish roe. WOW!



Some little crispy bean curd parcels filled with something which I don't quite remember were a delight. Whatever was inside I can asure you was delicious which was complimented by the black vinegar dipping sauce.



I added a cup of dtom kha gai, 'cause I just love my soups ... This was a fine example of the chicken, coconut & galangal version although I had just one problem with it ... there wasn't enough!



The smoked trout salad is another of my favorites, juicy flakes of smokey ocean trout are delicately resting on a roasted coconut, herb & peanut salad with a sticky palm sugar dressing and a little surprise of popping pomegranate seeds.



Yellow curry of duck is rich yet still remains vibrant with the fresh chilli, baby corn & Thai basil.



A bowl of rice with a son in law egg is just what the curry needs... Son in law eggs fried to a crispy coating with a gooey yolk busting out through to mix with the tamarind & palm sugar dressing & crispy fried shallots is heavenly.



Another little gem appears from the Yarra in the form of a pink moscato. The Innocent Bystander pink bubbles make for 2 very nice glasses of pre-dessert wine.



Dessert comes in the form of monsieur truffe chocolate & pandanus leaf dumplings with melon & salted coconut cream. These are one of my favorite Thai street snacks, but they have certainly been pimped up here at Easy Tiger. The beautiful green dumplings pop with the rich chocolate center and are disguised amongst some perfectly spherical melon balls. The salted coconut cream is elevated by the addition of little basil seeds and some baby leaf basil. We also get a slice of ice-cream slice which has a very tropical feel to it with the passion, coconut & vanilla.



Espresso to finish is served in a beautiful double-walled glass with cubes of pure cane sugar in another little double-walled glass, just so pretty.



A fantastic meal on a beautiful night in Melbourne ... It was all a bit of a blur by the end of the night considering our earlier tipple at Madam Brussels but delightful.




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Easy Tiger
96 Smith St.
Collingwood
VIC Australia 3066
+61 (0)3 9417 2373

Tuesday–Sunday 6pm-late
Sunday night is banquet night

Chasing up lunch at Cumulus Inc. with Degustation at Cutler & Co. - first day in Melbourne

After our flying visit to Cumulus Inc. and a quick taxi across town we found ourselves standing in front of Cutler & Co. in Fitzroy. I had booked us a table, but upon entering they can't seem to find our reservation. We are asked to take a seat at the bar, and of course oblige. A quick scan of the Aperitif menu and we have a Campari with fresh pink grapefruit juice and an Aperol with fresh blood orange juice on our table.



We are quite happy at the bar while they appear to be sorting out the little mishap with our booking. They are all super-friendly, and in just minutes we are ushered away to a lovely table in the main dining room, a staff member following with a tray and the components of our drinks. We are given menus and the wine list upon sitting ... even though we are still quite full from our very late visit to Cumulus Inc we still decide on the Degustation. Fresh baked, warm bread rolls arrive at the table along with a couple of fresh shucked oysters to kick off the dinner.



Little appetizers just keep on coming, including little toasts with smoked trout & pickled onions, soy roasted pumpkin seeds, marinated olives & a little pot of 'just-like-Mum's' French onion dip with baby radishes. The palate is certainly awakened, and we are ready to eat.



Cured Kingfish with avocado, octopus & pickled cucumber is very clean. The sprinkling of the Japanese-esque furikake seasoning really elevate the subtle flavors.



The Heirloom carrots with shanklish, pistachio & radish is a vibrant & exciting vegetable dish. The creamy shanklish curd cheese is hidden in nice little surprise pockets under the carrots. The pistachios are crushed with some other seasons, like a very mild dukkah spice. The carrots are raw shaves, braised and roasted.



We swap our soup course for the wood grilled lambs tongue, sweetbreads, smoked egg, celeriac & anchovy - and are very glad we did! Very nice combination ...



I was very excited by the sound of this dish. Poached chicken, foie gras parfait, sprouts, quinoa & prune - but was a little disappointed when it arrived. The chicken was fine, but really needed something like a rich foie gras to elevate it - we both found the parfait tasted like a chicken liver pate, and had none of that foie gras richness we were yearning .... the crisp quinoa was the star of that plate for me.



There are several words that will always excite me on a menu... and two of them happen to be Sucking & Pig. Unfortunately, after this dinner, I lost a bit of that excitement:( I don't know if it's the fact that we were one of the last tables eating and the food was a bit rushed, but we have had better suckling pig on the street side in Vietnam and even at yum cha. The meat was dry and the skin lacked any sort of crackle. Which makes me forget anything else about the dish .....



Perhaps the pastry chef wasn't in such a rush to get home, as the next few courses start to make up for it. The first little pre-dessert, crisp tuille cones with a creamy piped apple sorbet nicely washes out the dry pork remains in my mouth.



The dessert of violet ice-cream, chocolate ganache and sour cherry is sophisticated and full of surprises. The sponge cake, the crumbles, the honeycomb like crack and just a really pleasant combination of flavors. A glass of sauternes is the perfect night cap.

It's been a big first day in Melbourne, we've seen & eaten a lot starting off with a Cumulus Inc. and Cutler & Co. double up starts this trip off on a roll.




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Cutler & Co.
55-57 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy Melbourne 3065
T: +61 (0)3 9419 4888

Checking in & checking out our first taste of Morocco

Ah, there really is nothing like a long, warm shower after your travels. The day had been long, and we had journeyed on everything from train, petit taxi and ocean liner inter-country ferry. Down in the lobby of Riad Fes Yamanda we are offered some mint tea and little cookies on arrival, this I could really get used to. Then we were asked if we would like to eat in the Riad tonight - it sounded perfect, not having to venture far on our first night. We came down just after 7pm, and were ushered into a little room, with a table set just for the 2 of us.



We start the meal as you do in Morocco, with a selection of little salads. There were a few little crisp pastries that were filled with a spiced vegetable mix, a Zucchini Zalouk which is cooked with onions, tomato & spice, carrots with orange & orange blossom water and a smokey eggplant. All delicious!



A basket of Moroccan bread is placed on the table which acts as a perfect eating implement to just scoop the salads up. The bread is still warm, has a nice touch of salt and light as air with a very generous coating of yellow corn meal which gives a great crunch.



We share 2 mains, the first a classic Chicken Tagine with olives and preserved lemon. As the lid is lifted, a subtle aroma fills the air - spice, the smell of roasted chicken but most prominent the salt and citrus smell of the preserved lemon.



The pastilla is a flaky pastry that is said to have originated around Fes, so it was no surprise we also chose that. This was a great introduction ... although traditionally made with pigeon, this version is made with chicken, almonds, egg & spice all filled in a light flaky pastry. A dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon give this a perfect savory and sweet combination.



Dessert is a plate of sliced apples in a rich orange reduction that seems to have a smidgen of saffron. Toasted almonds add a nice bit of crunch.



Ah, the mint tea. This stuff is amazing. Gunpowder tea with so much fresh mint it's almost busting the side of the teapot, and a few cubes of sugar. It's poured from great height to aerate and mix the tea. Some little cookies on the side as well.



What a lovely first dinner in Morocco. We are heading to bed early as we are meeting with a guide at 8:30am to venture into the craziness that is the Fes Medina.

BBQ at Northfield Lodge

We heard about the BBQ event taking place at North Field lodge and were quick to call up and reserve our spot. But still it seems, a bit late, as we missed out on sitting outside and doing the bbq'ing for ourselves ...



We were comfortable inside, and had Rob in the kitchen, doing all the bbq'ing for us.



After everyone is seated, we start with a bowl of soup ...



and then a plate of salad.



Then the meat starts rolling on out ... first some thinly sliced pork cooked to a nice char;



a variety of meats on sticks are next to hit the table, always a winner.



Fair chunks of grilled beef are next to follow,



then some little weiners and grilled onions.



We even get treated to a bit of kangaroo meat. Nice and juicy, still pink in the centre.



Before finishing off a fine summer Niseko BBQ with a banana split.



North Field Lodge
Izumikyo No.2 83-76 Aza-Yamada,
Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun,
Hokkaido, Japan, 044-0081

T: +81 136 226 675
E-Mail: info@north-field.jp