Sugar Rush 2015: Lobby Lounge, Shangri-La Hotel

Yesterday was a day significant for many reasons – it was Mini-human’s 2^nd birthday; it was Monsieur Poisson’s and my 6^th wedding anniversary (yes, our son’s birth happened to coincide); it was our first date night out since Mini-Human came along...aaand it is also a proper (albeit possibly short-lived) return to blogging because I’M BACK SUGAR-HITTING, BABY!! More on that later.

Sugar Hit 2013: Lobby Lounge, Shangri-La Hotel

It’s mid-October but there’s still plenty of time to get your Sugar Hit on, people! Coz it definitely ain’t over until this pregnant lady pops heh.

Shangri-La have returned in fine form this year after a few years of being lost in sugar wilderness, with a dessert plate designed by Anna Polyviou and described elaborately as “Milk chocolate delice; passionfruit curd, grue cacao crunch, salted caramel, roast hazelnut, honey thyme pear; strawberries ‘n’ crème graffiti lollipop”. Paired with Brown Brothers’ Orange Flora & Muscat, the drink is kindly swapped for ice tea, hot chocolate, coffee and tea for myself as well as several driving parties in our group.

Sugar Hit 2013: Gallery Tea Lounge, Sheraton on the Park

The first thing you notice about Sheraton’s Sugar Hit is that it is a very generous serve. If it is allowed, then this is definitely a dessert to be shared.

Sugar Hit 2013: Glass Brasserie

What do you know, October has come around which means Good Food Month and I’m almost at the end of growing this mini human. While I’m most looking forward to motherhood, my current freer status means that there is still time to indulge in Sugar Hits! And while I’m glad that Good Food Month has reverted to its much easier-to-remember former name, it’s a shame that Sugar Hits has taken on the new moniker of Let’s Do Dessert – why change what we know and love?

First cab off the rank for Monsieur Poisson and I this year is Glass Brasserie, with its enticingly-described offering of “Chocolate dêlice with peanut butter ice-cream and salted caramel popcorn”.

Sugar Hit 2012: Intercontinental

Intercontinental is a hotel the husband and I have visited every year without fail for Sugar Hit. This vouches for two things – one is that it has consistently participated year after year and, two, that what is offered has a good track record of being to our liking. Over the years we have seen a progressive evolution from an assiette plate to a single dessert of central focus, and it was good to see the place full of dessert-goers too!

Sugar Hit 2012: Sheraton on the Park

What is wrong with you, Sydney? Where is your love for all things sweet and the month of Crave Sydney International Food Festival?! I ask this because when we set foot into Sheraton’s Gallery Tea Lounge there is no one there. Not a single soul – no patrons, no staff – and on a Saturday night.

Sugar Hit 2012: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

How could you resist a Sugar Hit billed as:

“A chocolate dessert feast with opera slice, chocolate and cocoa nibs tartlet, chocolate macaroon, chocolate mousse and a chocolate éclair.”

Sofitel have not participated in Sugar Hits for a good 5 years now, but Monsieur Poisson cannot stop raving about when they last did – it was a Lenôtre gateau opéra. So with Sofitel reappearing on the menu this year, it was chosen mainly because Monsieur Poisson and Mistress both love gateau opera. We made our way to Sofitel as a group of four, and this is when things started to get a little unusual.

Sugar Hit 2012: Azuma

Today being the first day of October means that another year’s Crave Sydney International Food Festival is upon us. A whole month of food-related events are ahead and personally it equates to that time of year when I indulge in way too many Sugar Hits.

Azuma has always been mysterious in its Sugar Hit offerings, only ever describing theirs as an “East meets West Dessert Tasting Plate”. This year is no different and, while their signature bento box presentation remains, its contents are for you to discover. But, here is a preview...

Served with a choice of either Brown Brothers’ Cienna Rosso or a special in-house blend of Japanese green tea, the former has the appearance of sparkling Ribena and, as noted by Tina, smells of strawberries. It’s very easy to drink, in a girly alcopop kind of way.

101 uses for a portable induction plate

When I was sent the New Wave Induction Plate by Kitchenware Direct, my mind went into overdrive thinking of all the things I could do with it – which is exactly how I am when considering a product for purchase. For we all have those kitchen appliances which we buy under the guise of “using it all the time” and “oh, it would save so much effort!” and then, guiltily, use but a few times before they’re retired to a top shelf or back cupboard pretty much never to see the light of day again.

There are some task-specific appliances which, when used frequently, totally make the purchase worth your while (eg. ice-cream maker), and there are other appliances which can offer a myriad of purposes like this portable induction plate which can completely redeem itself in the purchase stakes.

M&M’s World, London

Monsieur Poisson’s cousin had suggested a few sights and touristy things for us to see and do on our short trip of London. In amongst places and names being bandied about there was one I heard loud and clear – M&M’s World (M&M’s World, M&M’s World...*echo echo echo*).

A French weekend in London

Another free weekend in Europe makes for another mini-escapade across the continent. Our trip to London felt more “legitimate” than our weekend to Paris – we had to pass through customs, show our passports and leave the EU – however it had less of a tourist focus as it was also planned as an opportunity to catch up with Monsieur Poisson’s cousin whom we’d not seen in almost two years. It would also be the first time in two weeks where we’d once again be located in an English-speaking city.

An unplanned trip to Munich

Food bloggers are planners. When food bloggers go on holidays, they pride themselves in researching places to eat and formulating strategies in order to best cover the gustatory highlights of the area of visit. Reservations are made where permitted, forming the rigid pillars of an eating schedule, with less formal dining slotted in at remaining times.

All that forethought is thrown out the window when you find yourself booking tickets to Munich only a week ahead of departure (and getting suitably excited as you’ve never been to Europe before – yay!), and there are more pressing issues as taking an extended work lunch break to get to a bank to make sure you have some Euros up your sleeve before you go.

Monsieur Poisson recently started a new job with a German firm which requires its employees to visit head office to get a better feel of main operations as well as to meet members of their overseas team. As accommodation and his flights are provided, coupled with a normally tough manager being sympathetic and granting me leave, I jumped at the opportunity to tag along.

The husband’s company flies all of its employees business class (not just upper management, ha!) which meant I sat separately in economy on both legs of the journey here. With business tickets costing 3.5 times the price of economy, the choice of potentially having more spending, and eating, money was definitely more attractive. So what does the luxury of a business class ticket buy you?

A chocolate cream cake for Mum

For years and years Mum kept saying that the cakes I made weren’t light enough. Turns out it’s because she prefers the spongier texture and subtler flavour of Asian bakery cakes, rather than those with a cakier crumb which I enjoy. So with it being Mum’s birthday – well, one of her birthdays, depending on whether she chooses to celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar or the Chinese Lunar one – and an appropriately timed post from Vondelicious, I decided to give baking one those Asian-style cakes a try.

Random Eats

So things have been a little quiet around here – and with good reason – as other parts of my life have been hurtling ahead at full speed. I am now an expert in getting quotes for minor home renovations and dealing with tradespeople, most of whom do turn up at agreed times. My mother has moved from our family home into a more manageable smaller place, and said family home is now listed for sale. *sniffle*

Taste of Sydney 2012

While torrential rains of the past week caused dams to overflow and threatened to make this year’s Taste of Sydney into a Woodstock/Glastonbury, the sun has at least shown its face enough to sufficiently dry things up at Centennial Park to allow this market stall-style restaurant festival to proceed following the cancellation of the initial Thursday evening session.

Ormeggio: “Aperitivo Stuzzichini Sciatt” (8 Crowns)

Oliver Brown, Chatswood

Chatswood has long lacked late night dining and dessert options. When Mamak opened a year ago there were high hopes that it would keep similar hours to its Chinatown original, but sadly that has still yet to become reality.

Sugar Hit 2011: Azuma Kushiyaki

This is Azuma Kushiyaki’s third year participating in Crave Sydney International Food Festival’s Sugar Hits with its offering named ‘East meets West Dessert Tasting Plate’ as in years past. With no description other than that, it is one of several locations taking the mysterious angle with the dessert they are serving up. However if you’ve tried their Sugar Hits previously, then you will recognise the signature stacked bento presentation.

Sugar Hit 2011: Sheraton on the Park

This year Sheraton on the Park is offering their Sugar Hit – another mysterious no-namer – on Thursday through to Saturday evenings only, which serves to only make the popular venue choice busier than ever. This is especially apparent when we drop in on a Friday where plenty of people wander over from the Night Noodle Markets.

Sugar Hit 2011: Shangri-La

In recent years, the description of Sugar Hit desserts at some venues has become increasingly mysterious. “Your choice from our dessert menu” or “As uniquely designed by our pastry chef” don’t offer any insights for diners who are trying to decide where to go. If you want to grab people’s attention then you really need to advertise what’s on offer.

However curiosity got the better of Monsieur Poisson and I with Shangri-La’s Sugar Hit billed as ‘Indulge in a specially designed dessert’. We’ve had good experiences there in years past – well, perhaps not so much last year – and thought we’d take a leap of faith into the unknown. We later discover through the hotel’s dining website that the Sugar Hit is a ‘chocolate tapas plate’ and that they are being offered from 7pm each evening instead of the usual 9pm. Something to note for those wanting to attempt a Sugar Hit crawl.

The Sugar Hit is presented as a platter of six miniature desserts – chocolate bavarois, whisky candy bar, chocolate and cherry tart, pistachio slice, gâteau opéra and macaron – along with a glass of Brown Brothers Cienna with berry notes which work most well with chocolate flavours. The serving is most certainly sizeable and, we discover, comprised of a selection of desserts offered as part of Shangri-La’s chocolate high tea which takes place from 1-5pm on weekends.

I start with the pistachio slice as I expect it to be the least sweet. Its green foundation of pistachio sponge upholds a white chocolate and rice pudding bavarois and green pistachio glaze. Whilst the flavours are subtle and not overly sugary, I am a little put off by the greenness and the little bits of rice. I am biased, however, as admittedly I am not a fan of rice pudding to start with.

The lemon and white chocolate macaron is much less sugary than I expect and fragrant with lemon flavour. It has a pleasant chewy texture and marshmallow-like filling. The chocolate cherry tart in comparison is much heavier with its thick chocolate filling but the slightly tart cherry offers some relief.

The chocolate bavarois turns out to be my favourite with its smooth, mousse-like chocolate filling bound by jaconde sponge. The mini-pipette of raspberry coulis adds a bit of fun but the dessert is complete in taste even without its inclusion.

We find the gâteau opera a little dry, perhaps from sitting in the chilled display cabinet, but it does have a balance of chocolate versus coffee flavours. The whisky candy bar is saved until last due to its perceived richness but surprises us by being only rich in texture, and not too sweet in taste fortunately. A few chocolate-coated rice krispies adorn the top of a chocolate fudge square which sits on a rice crispy base with texture a lot like a Crunch bar. The chocolate has a hint of bitterness with a note of warmth at the end from the whisky, but it's the crispy base which wins me over.

Definitely a Sugar Hit which delivers good value but I still long for the days when the bulk of venues would offer up a dessert designed exclusively for Sugar Hit purposes only.

Shangri-La

176 Cumberland St, The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9250 6123

happy eating!

Sugar Hit 2011: Sydney Harbour Marriott & InterContinental

October has come around once again and, apart from Christmas paraphernalia popping up in department stores (some since early September!), it also means the Crave Sydney International Food Festival is upon us. For Monsieur Poisson and I it means another year of Sugar Hit desserts, but we have both promised ourselves to take things a little easier than last year where we racked up a mammoth ten Sugar Hits – our most ever!

Sugar Hit desserts are offered at participating venues throughout October with a glass of Brown Brothers dessert wine for $20 from 9-11pm – some only on certain nights of the week so make sure you check before rocking up.

Sydney Harbour Marriott

Although we don’t spot anyone having the Sugar Hit when we arrive at 9pm, we were told when making our reservation that it would be a full house that night. The thing to take note of is that places often have a limited number of desserts prepared for each night and that once they’re sold out then that’s it.

The Sugar Hit here is billed as ‘A chocolate tasting including milk chocolate and hazelnut tower, white chocolate mousse and rich mud cake’. The ‘tower’ appears not so much as a tower as a slice of gelatine-set mousse on a chocolate brownie base and adorned with a puffed rice crunch. The white chocolate mousse is smooth and not overly rich nor creamy. Supported by a thin disc of sponge underneath, it is bound by a dark chocolate woven “basket” which has echoes of last year’s Shangri-La Sugar Hit. The mud cake is rich and dense but the least sugary of the three components, and rounds off the chocolate theme nicely. Served with a glass of Brown Brothers Moscato, the overall presentation of this Sugar Hit has me thinking of portions of desserts from a hotel buffet assembled together on a plate. The swirls decorating the plate are a plus point however, being raspberry coulis rather than a flavoured gel.

I’ve ordered a pot of Earl Grey on the side which, at only $5.50, is the popular hotel choice of Ronnefeldt and is elaborately presented on a silver tray with milk, honey, rock sugar and two bite-sized coconut cookies!

InterContinental

Sugar Hits at the InterContinental have consistently impressed both Monsieur Poisson and myself so we keep coming back year after year. It’s a popular choice as we spot two medium-sized groups of Sugar Hit goers as we are taken to our seats. When the dessert is placed down in front of us, we notice it is very similar in composition and presentation to last year’s.

The description of ‘Home-made pistachio and bitter chocolate vacherin with blood orange custard’ doesn’t actually prepare me for the elaborate layered chocolate slice with which we’re presented. Interspersed with windows of blood orange jelly and custard, the chocolate slice is flanked by a blood orange, chocolate ganache macaron perched on a strip of fruit jelly. I don’t detect any discernible pistachio, meringue, nor bitterness about the chocolate, however the whole dessert comes together well as a subtle and balanced interpretation of the classic jaffa flavour combination. No in-your-face orange here.

As for taking it easier this year, Monsieur Poisson and I have decided to share a Sugar Hit at each place we visit rather than consuming one each. This doesn’t stop him from ordering an affogato though!

Sydney Harbour Marriott

30 Pitt St, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9259 7279

InterContinental Sydney

117 Macquarie St (entrance cnr of Bridge St & Phillip St), Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9240 1396

happy eating!