Have to say that I’ve been really enjoying our BBQ.  I love cooking everything on it, from steaks to hamburgers to salmon.  Nothing beats the charry smokey flavours from the grill and best of all, it doesn’t stink out the house!  I’ve been trying various recipes, and some of the best I’ve used [...]]]>

Have to say that I’ve been really enjoying our BBQ.  I love cooking everything on it, from steaks to hamburgers to salmon.  Nothing beats the charry smokey flavours from the grill and best of all, it doesn’t stink out the house!  I’ve been trying various recipes, and some of the best I’ve used have come from the BBQ Pit Boys, a US website dedicated to the art of BBQ.  As much as BBQ is a huge Aussie tradition, I reckon the Americans take it to another level, with their rubs, marinades, moppin’ sauces and hickory wood chips.  What I love about the BBQ Pit Boys is that each recipe is explained in a youtube video by a dude resembling a member of ZZ Top, with a slow American drawl and old time grillin’ music in the background.

Here I tried their basic BBQ spare ribs recipe, with beautiful spare ribs that we bought from Grasser Pork during the Melbourne Showground Farmer’s Market.  You will need:

Ingredients:
Pork Spare Ribs (we used a couple of short American racks)
Your favorite Dry Rub
Basting (Moppin’) Sauce
Wood chunks or chips for added flavor (optional)

You can use store-bought rubs and sauces, but I had a go at making my own.

Dry Rub

• Sugar, half a cup
• Paprika, 2 tablespoons
• Coarse salt, quarter of a cup
• Coarse pepper, half a tablespoon
• Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder, half a tablespoon
• Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon

Mix well in a bowl.

BBQ Sauce

• Ketchup, 2 cups
• Apple vinegar cider, half a cup
• Sugar, 2 tablespoons
• Garlic powder, half a tablespoon
• Celery seed, 1 teaspoon
• Ground cumin, 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder, 1 teaspoon
• Cayenne pepper, half a tablespoon
• Coarse salt, 1 tbs
• Water, quarter of a cup

Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes until the consistency that you prefer.

Method

Preheat your grill to 225-250f (120C).  I used a gas BBQ, but being purists, the BBQ pit boys use coals.

Coat the ribs with the dry rub.  Make sure to apply to all parts.  For max flavour, allow to marinade for one hour.
Allow ribs to come to room temperature just before placing on the BBQ.

Cut ribs into smaller portions to save space on the grill.  The idea then is to stack the ribs one on top of another, and then alternate each stack at the bottom to ensure all ribs get some char from the grill.

You can place a mopping sauce pan on the grill to keep it warm if you intend to baste your ribs.

BBQ with a closed grill lid for about 3-4 hours, depending on the size of the ribs.  If you’re using coals, you can add some hickory wood chips into the coals for some extra smoky flavour.

Mop with the BBQ sauce several times and slowly baste the ribs on all sides.  You need a low heat for this, as most sauces contain sugar and will burn at higher heat.

Remove the racks when the ribs pull apart easily and with some meat still attached to the bone.  Use a meat cleaver to cut the ribs up before serving.

Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce and sides.  Here we had corn and mash potato, but a ‘slaw would probably be a more traditional side.

I was perversely excited when I heard that KFC were releasing their Double Down burger today. Universally panned by nutrition and health experts for its ridiculously high kilojoule and sodium content, nevertheless I could not resist the sweet siren song of the Colonel. Thus, my like-minded colleague and I decided that [...]]]>

Photo by Ainsley

I was perversely excited when I heard that KFC were releasing their Double Down burger today. Universally panned by nutrition and health experts for its ridiculously high kilojoule and sodium content, nevertheless I could not resist the sweet siren song of the Colonel. Thus, my like-minded colleague and I decided that we just had to have one for lunch!

Known in the States as the Double Down, the term “burger” is a falsehood, as there are actually no buns. Instead, two chicken fillets are filled with two slices of cheese, two rashes of bacon and smothered in special BBQ sauce. Double down baby!

We approached the Bourke Street KFC with the giddy anticipation of a red carpet premiere. There was a long line, and we wondered whether everyone was there for The Double as well. We ordered, got our bounty and eagerly raced back to the office.

The testosterone-fuelled packaging included the slogan “It’s Mantime!” as well as the Mars symbol. Gripping the spot where it usefully said “Rip here to unleash him”, I did indeed rip to unveil the BDDB (Big Double Dirty
Bird)

Biting into the “burger”, it was calorific heaven! But then again, it had been artificially engineered to be. The fillets were much like you would get in their chicken fillet burgers. The plastic cheese was shiny and melty. And the sauce was of the variety that you would happily drink a bucket of. I did not experience any of the overt oiliness or saltiness that some others have written about, though I’m sure that I’m definitely getting my money’s worth in these two things. I polished it off rapidly, then chased it down with a Pepsi for good measure.

Was proud of the fact that I had KFC a) whilst at work and b) not hung over. Now excuse me whilst I go have a shower.

When it comes to cuisines in Coburg, what readily springs to your mind, dear reader?  Lebanese?  Check.  Turkish?  Tick.  Kebab joints?  Present.  Shanghainese?  Err, say what?  However, strange as it may be, a little place called [...]]]> 3/51 Waterfield Street, Coburg
Phone (03) 9354 0294
( Show on map )

When it comes to cuisines in Coburg, what readily springs to your mind, dear reader?  Lebanese?  Check.  Turkish?  Tick.  Kebab joints?  Present.  Shanghainese?  Err, say what?  However, strange as it may be, a little place called Wang Wang Dumpling is serving up magnificent Shanghainese fare in an otherwise Arabic culinary zone.  Located in Coburg central, next to the very fine Al Alamy Lebanese grocer/cafe, look out for the sunny, smiley logo of this cheap and cheerful eatery.

A plate of fried Shanghainese vegetarian noodles kicked off proceedings.  The handmade noodles were very tasty – springy and soft.  They were accompanied by cloud ear and button mushrooms, carrots and bok choy.  The dish had great wok hei and went down a treat.

Wang Wang’s house made chilli oil adds a fiery kick to any dish.  The chilli was seriously good, so much so that mum asked to buy some after our meal!

The house specialty of Shanghai dumplings come with a variety of fillings.  We ordered both the pork and vegetarian pot sticker dumplings.  Wang Wang’s version is smaller than  other Shanghainese paces, but they were damn tasty!  The pork dumplings were succulent, with a perfect casing that was not too gluggy.  On a previous visit, I’ve also tried the steamed pork dumplings and they were very good as well.

The vego dumplings had a tasty filling consisting (possibly) of mushroom, chive, tofu, carrot, and onion.

More noodles, and this time we sampled the soup version of their Tan Tan Noodles.  Topped with chopped peanuts and pork mince, the noodles swam in a spicy chilli oil broth.  So spicy, yet tasty!

Another noodle dish we tried was a very tasty pork and preserved vegetable soup noodle. It had long shards of bamboo shoot, and bobbed with little green soy beans.

A plate of fried taro cakes finished off our meal.  They were crispy and crunchy, not too oily and filled with a deliciously sweet yam paste.

I can’t wait to go back and try their other dishes, like their fried chicken and Shanghainese cold dishes, some of which are on display at the front of the restaurant.  The prices are also ridiculously cheap; all of the above cost less than $50!!  So hop on the number 19 tram up Sydney Road, or take the train to Coburg station.  Wang Wang is not just a displaced Chinese restaurant.  The food is seriously good enough to warrant a trip up north.

OK, so I read that Duck Duck Goose in QV was doing a Kyushu style ramen in the white side of the restaurant (drool).  Furthermore, it boosted of a stock that’s been cooked for 16 [...]]]> 31-37 Artemis Lane QV, Melbourne
Phone 03 9040 2000
( Show on map )

OK, so I read that Duck Duck Goose in QV was doing a Kyushu style ramen in the white side of the restaurant (drool).  Furthermore, it boosted of a stock that’s been cooked for 16 hours (double drool).  So naturally I had to go check it out immediately.

DDG has always been a bit of a hit and miss for me.  They do a really tasty and great value teriyaki salmon with rice (which Mellie loves), and pretty good fried won tons.  However, DDG lacks direction in the food for mine, adopting a mish-mash pan-Asian style that crosses from Hong Kong to Malaysia before detouring to Vietnam and Japan.  The result is that not all of it works; a jack-of-all-trades means you’re a master of none.

So it was with the ramen ($18).  It arrived with all the requisite components of Kyushu (or Hakata) ramen: a white broth, whitish charshu, thin yellow noodles, spring onions, and bean sprouts.  However, alarm bells sounded when looking at the thinness of the broth and the lack of visible fat.

One sip confirm my suspicions.  The broth had an OK not-too-porky taste, but was far too weak, bland and watery, with no real depth of flavour that a broth that’s been cooking for 16 hours ought to have.  Strange.  If they had meant for the customer to season the broth themselves, then where were the traditional accompaniments for Hakata ramen, such as crushed garlic, beni shoga (pickled ginger) and spicy pickled mustard greens (karashi takana)?

Which brings me to the noodles.  They were way overcooked and were gluggy and doughy.  They were edible but not much more than that.

All of this is a shame because the charshu is actually very very tasty.  In fact, I would rank it as one of the best charshu’s in Melbourne.  You get a generous amount, and they were sliced perfectly with just the right amount of fat.  They literally just melted in your mouth.  Such a shame that the rest of the dish was not up to scratch.

I really want to like DDG.  They have a very interesting concept, the restaurant looks great and they have very flexible hours.  However, I wish they would not try to be a jack-of-all trades as, for something like ramen, it is a fatal mistake as great noodles take specialised dedication to achieve a truly great flavour.

Ah, Pearl Meat.  The delicacy that is harvested from the pearl oyster after it has finished its pearl producing life (what a way to go!).  Found in the warmer waters of [...]]]> Pinctada Cable Beach Resort
10 Murray Road, Cable Beach
Phone (08) 9193 8388
( Show on map )

Ah, Pearl Meat.  The delicacy that is harvested from the pearl oyster after it has finished its pearl producing life (what a way to go!).  Found in the warmer waters of northern Australia, the small annual harvests means that this prized treat fetches at least $100 a kilogram, and even more in Asia.  Ever since arriving at Broome, I have wanted to try it.  Would it live up to the hype?  Is it just a snob food with a high price tag?  Well, we got our wish to try some Pearl Meat when we dined at Selene Brasserie on the night of our one-year wedding anniversary.

Selene Brasserie is part of the stunning 5-star Pinctada Cable Beach Resort.  Like most restaurants in Broome, the beautiful dining space is open to the outdoors, taking advantage of the cool night breezes whilst offering glorious and, dare I say romantic, views of the sunset.  Check out the view from our table in the first pic.

Greg Malouf, of MoMo fame, consulted on Selene’s menu and it shows: from the delicious breads that were offered with dukkah and olive oil, to the spices and Middle Eastern touches on the entrees and mains.  The dishes lived up to the restaurant’s name, being more Brasserie-style than fine dining, though quality and presentation were right up there with the best.  Prices were decidedly non-Brasserie but were on a par with other Broome resort eateries.

For entrees, we obviously ordered the Spiced Pearl Meat ($33), accompanied by Ceduna Oysters ($27.50/4).  Sorry for the dark pics; the lighting wasn’t the best.  The oysters were nice, baked in the shell with cheese and spinach.  They were tasty without being outstanding.  But my God, the pearl meat!  Thinly sliced and marinated in a delicious spice mix, it was then simply seared in a hot pan for a few seconds, imparting a glorious char.  I find it hard to describe the flavour, which is very unique.  Visually, it resembled scallops.  Texturally, it was delicate, like flash fried calamari.  Flavour-wise, it bore some resemblance to abalone, but cleaner and without the gaminess.  It was truly delicious, and simply one of the best things I’ve ever had in my life.  It had such depth of flavour that the taste just kept on keeping on in my mouth.  I wanted to order another serve!

Alas, we had to move on to mains.  Simplicity is again the key to the choices; local fish could be had grilled, baked or as fish and chips.  We both chose grilled fish – Mellie went the gold band snapper ($42) and I opted for the barramundi ($41).  Again, the Malouf touches were evident, with light spices augmenting the fresh flavours of the fish.  With produce this good, you don’t need to muck around too much with it.

Accompanying our mains were a fresh Butter Lettuce Salad ($15) and beautiful fried potatoes with haloumi and thyme ($9.50).

For dessert, Mellie chose the Meyer Lemon Cake ($18.50), which she really enjoyed. The little mushroom meringue was a little on the dry side though.

Being a stickler for soft desserts, I couldn’t resist the date panacotta ($18.50), which was perfect in consistency and texture, and delicate in flavour.  It was accompanied by a tasty little cake (forgot the flavour) and the Persian fairy floss was a nice touch.

Service throughout was friendly and professional.  All up, it was a memorable meal and a fantastic way to celebrate one year of marital bliss and, for that, I highly recommend Selene Brasserie.  I will also remember that pearl meat for a long while yet, and now cannot wait until I get the chance to sample it again (Flower Drum has it – anyone keen?).