Cabramatta, so close to home but it seems half a world away. A recent visit (with some lovely ladies) saw us picking our way through bustling streets, down tiny alleys lined with fabric shops, pre-prepared take-away food, fruit and vegetable shops with their produce beautifully laid out, and butchers shops selling the all the parts of the beast. Oh, and there was much eating, of course.

Early lunch at Bau Truong, Cabramatta

Adventurous ordering, and not just pointing randomly at the menu, saw us order crispy sticky rice (top image) with such a satisfying chew that there was a chopstick war over the last slivers. Ca ri de or goat curry is a creamy stew, spiced with almost indian flavours and a few large chunks of tender goat. I never knew that this kind of a dish was Vietnamese, and I can’t help but drink the liquid that remains.

The food here is almost Vietnam cheap and so fresh. The advice is to eat anywhere there is a line, or just come to do some grocery shopping. That is what my travel agent recommended, anyway.

I know what you’re thinking, and the answer: No, Cabramatta may be little Vietnam but Sydney-siders don’t need the expertise of a travel agent to come and visit. Just jump on a train and soon enough you’ll be in the heart of the closest thing we’ve got to the hustle and bustle of downtown Ha Noi. 

Announcement

I require a travel agent because I am actually going to Ha Noi. Not just visiting either, I’m moving there, for a time. Packing up all my worldly belongings (what an emotional rollercoaster that is), and soon enough I’ll be hopping a plane to start an amazing adventure.

What does that mean for Pikelet & Pie? Minimal interruptions, I hope. I will have access to a full kitchen that barely gets used (Hi PMum!), and this blog will continue chugging along with perhaps a slightly more Vietnamese bent. Right now I am working hard getting organised to go, and ever-so sadly packing up all my cookbooks, crockery and equipment. To be entirely honest, I’m finding this the most difficult part right now – what do you mean I have to stop cooking? I’ve got so many recipes that I want to test, ingredients to use up, but time is running short.

Before I leave I have a some special posts that I hope to produce plus I’m visiting the farm which is wonderful inspiration, but unfortunately has very limited internet (but I’m sure that an internet-less week won’t kill me, right?).

Oh and I almost forgot, I am doing a countdown on my other blog, days til I leave. I will continue writing less food related content there, so check it out!

I have some jetsetting months ahead of me, first to visit family in Australia as I only have a one way ticket so I don’t know when I’ll be back again. Then I’ve a few weeks in Malaysia, then some months in Vietnam. I am excited, terrified, and hungry, and this little excursion to Cabramatta only whet my appetite for more.

If you have any tips (dining or otherwise) for Brisbane, Malaysia or Vietnam I would love to hear them. Or, if you think I should visit a certain place in Malaysia, let me know.

Here’s to new adventures further afield!

Event has sold out!

Join three of Sydney’s food bloggers for a four-course dinner somewhere in Sydney. The Food Blog, Pikelet and Pie and Forque share the food and seasonal produce they love. Secret dinners are based on a unique concept that creates a different, more intimate dynamic between the hosts, guests and venue. The diners share a meal with friends and strangers somewhere known to them only hours before the event.

Cost: $65, BYO wine to share
When: Sat Oct 24, Sat Oct 31*
Where: that’s… a secret
To Book: Send an email with your name, phone number and number of guests (maximum 4, or 2 per SMH subscriber) to secretdinner@thefoodblog.com.au. Spots are limited and your reservation will be confirmed via return email.

*The secret dinner on October 31 is a special event for Sydney Morning Herald subscribers. Please mention your herald subscriber number when reserving places (maximum of 2) for this event.

What is a secret dinner? I had a vague idea of amateurs running a popup restaurant, one night only at an undisclosed location much like a dance party only with less sweat and more eating. Though really I never had much of a reason to consider it though until my friend Fouad decided to host one. 

The thought of throwing a 5 course dinner party for 30 people is exciting at first even for one with no commercial experience. But soon enough the enormity of the task will have you breaking out in a cold sweat, freaking out at the mere mention of ‘dinner’ and increasingly find you curled in the feotal position, rocking backwards and forwards, as the date of impending doom draws near. Fortunately this didn’t happen to the mastermind of our operation, as he is skilled in the dark arts of organisation and delegation. Most everything would be pre-prepared on the day, leaving only a few items to be cooked for service. Trish was to take the first entree, Matt (whose restaurant we took over) would do the last main, and dessert was mine. Furthermore, we were to use local, organic and ethical ingredients were possible in order to support local food producers, to gather awareness of great local products, as well as to ensure that the food on the night tasted top notch. 

In all honesty I was more than a little worried about this night. I had never tasted Fouad’s food before, never even met Trish and I had invited food bloggers. What was I thinking?

I had taken a major back seat in the organisation of this evening, such a gargantuan task with the actuality of the meal still looming ominously on the horizon. Fouad did a wonderful job and the location of our secret dinner turned out to be tiny, underground and chic Element Bistro on King Street in the city. Not only did we have a complete kitchen to work in, but a fully set up dining room as well. This secret location affords me a great opportunity, a night back in the kitchen, flash backs galore, here.

But this wasn’t like a regular night in a commercial kitchen, no way. For starters, there was no head honcho barking commands and checking every detail, we were on our own there. Most of us pitched in helped doing whatever the owner of the dish required to get the food out on time. Oh, another thing that was different, timing. In my restaurant experience there was always rules about timing, how long a person should wait for the bread for instance, and the length of time between finishing entrees and receiving mains was a particularly important pre-defined interval. These rules were fluid, though, and tinkered with at the whim of the restaurant manager upon getting a feel for the diners. We were very lucky to have the lovely Lainy and Eddie being out waitresses for the evening, but they were just helping out carrying and clearing (though they did much more than that, thank you ladies!) and had very little front of house experience.

I was worried about the timing of the courses having never had to judge the hunger of a room from the kitchen before, but it turned out that the fluidity of the food coming from the kitchen helped to enhance the dinner party vibe, as opposed to a staid restaurant meal. 

Preparing the tomatoes with buffala mozarella di bufala and oregano for Trish’s entree.

After a heart-stopping and gut wrenching hour before service, exacerbated by unpreparedness, the night began, guests arrived and Trish’s entree was served. Showcasing cheeses of the mediterranean, my favourite was the pickled beetroot round topped with creamy Grampa’s Dairy labneh and crowned with a crunch of toasted walnut.

Young Organic Lamb Shish Barak by Fouad (photo courtesy of Fouad)

Then came Fouad’s duo of dishes, both modern takes on traditional Lebanese dishes. Dumplings never fail to delight, but these crisp parcels full of cinnamon infused lamb and pine nuts were lifted to new heights by an amazing goats yoghurt sauce. While I was in the kitchen stuffing my face like a cook (standing by the deep frier, eating with my fingers out of metal bowls), rumour has it that there was plate licking happening in the dining room. I am dreaming about these dumplings, still, but I’m more in love with that tangy, garlicy yoghurt sauce. This was by far my favourite dish of the evening.

The moghrabbiyeh dish drenched in its intensly flavoured sauce seemed to be a hit, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was plate licking involved with this one too. I was just excited to be finally tasting moghrabbiyeh after hearing about it and searching for it for so long. 

Matt Barnett’s (Element Bistro) Beef and Bone Marrow with Sauce Soubise and Potato and Thyme Croquette

This was one of the only dishes I was able to sit down and eat after helping to plate up (yep, see that sauce messiness, that was me, sorry). Tender, smooth, crisp, fried, meaty and mellow all at the same time. This dish was different to the rest because it really was a restaurant meal, polished and considered. This time I wanted to lick the sweet onion soubise smear right from the bowl.

Next up it was the usual relax, one more glass of wine, chat with someone new, break before dessert. My sweet dish had been built up all through the night (thanks guys), and I knew I had a lot to live up to (I had to top dumplings for christ sake, dumplings!). But I remained calm as I had done throughout the night. Not relaxed and chilled because I was sure I was going to nail it, but a studied sort of calm, one that comes from constantly reminding oneself that there is no point in worrying about what you cannot change. My dessert was all pre-prepared so there was nothing that I could do about the flavour or consistency or of any of it, best just to enjoy myself (and have another glass of wine).

Chocolate and Orange Tile with Orange Blossom Panna Cotta and Pine Nut Praline

I was pretty busy throughout the night, so didn’t manage to take many photos, unfortunately, so here is one I prepared earlier. Rich, dense cake scented with orange, topped with a orange blossom pannacotta with pine nut praline. Oh yeah. Stay tuned for the recipe here soon.

All in all, a wonderful dinner and a great experience. A crazy idea made successful by raw talent, delicious local ingredients, and solid organisation. Congratulations Fouad, you did a wonderful job. Big thanks to Matt from Element Bistro for letting us take over his space, sully his kitchen and help us with such grace.

Would I do it again? Yes, with some better organisation, and guess what? We are! As a part of the Sydney International Food Festival we are hosting another Secret Dinner. 

Where? Well, that’s a secret.
When? 24th October.
Cost? tbd.
Interested? Let me know and I will keep you posted.

Contributors:
Fouad Kassab: www.thefoodblog.com.au
Patricia Lathourakis: www.forque.com.au
Matt Barnett: Element Bistro

Secret Dinner 01 was held at Element Bistro on Saturday the 25th of July, 2009. There were 30 guests who paid a contribution of $50 each to help cover room hire and raw materials.

Producers:
Chicken – John Meredith, Thirlmere Poultry, Supplier Vic’s Meats
Lamb – Organic Lamb from Young NSW, Supplier Dulwich Hill Gourmet Butcher
Black Pudding – Eumundi Smokehouse, Dulwich Hill
Beef – Banksia Beef
Cream – Green Valley Dairy Picton, Eveleigh Markets
Oranges – Eveleigh Markets, locally grown
Wine for Chicken Sauce – 2007 Robert Stein Gewurztraminer Mudgee
Eggs – Egganic, Eveleigh Markets
Buffalo feta and Buffalo mozzarella – Vanella QLD
Labneh – Grampa’s Dairy
Trish’s Olive Oil: Rich Glen Olive VIC (to order, contact Trish on plathourakis(at)gmail.com)
Fouad’s Olive Oil: Kiewa Estate Traditionally Pressed Verdale, Eveleigh Markets

It all started with a dash from the office to Restaurant Atelier in Glebe, with a rumble in my stomach that can only be sated by Pork. Actually, I lie. It started before then, with an invite from Stewart at Whiteworks and Mel from Fooderati to attend a Yuletide Feast Restaurant Atelier with Australian Pork. How could I say no?

This amazing pork extravaganza was accompanied by Piggs Peake wines in a delightful play on words. Now, I like wine as much as the next person, but I know almost nothing about it, past “Wow thats the kind of wine I wouldn’t mind drinking after a long day at work” vs “um, that one tastes like dead ants”. Furthermore, I don’t actively drink white wine, so this dinner was eye opening for me because I realised that white wine isn’t bad, and I actually quite enjoy it (or maybe it was that the Piggs Peake wines I tasted were of a much higher quality than I am used to). Big thumbs up to Piggs Peake, for letting me in on the white wine secret.

Wine, bread and delicious butter

Though, maybe a little thumbs down to me for drinking too much of that 2007 Sow Vignon Blanc (Hah, so pig-centric), and not eating enough of the melt in the mouth appetiser of Pork Neck Rillette, cornichon, green beans served in a Witlof Leaf as I was starved and a little tipsy by the time entrees were served (though the warm bread and butter did a wonderful job of tiding me over, and tasty to boot). 

Honey-Glazed Pork Hock with Roasted Apples

Grilled Pickled Loin of Pork with Celeriac Remoulade, Pulled Neck Salad with Crystal bay Prawns

This trio of beautifully presented entrees displayed both the deft touch of Restaurant Atelier chef Darren Templeman and the breadth of possibility when it comes to pork. My favourite was the pulled neck salad with Crystal Bay Prawn, light and rich at the same time and topped off with that brilliant perfectly cooked prawn. Divine.

It feels as though I’ve been surrounded by pork lately, what with my recent pork chop discovery and all this talk of swine flu and this video that F. found. Pig news everywhere, some of it scary, other parts delicious. Despite the threat of piglet flu the message is coming through loud and clear, sorry pigs it is perfectly fine to eat your delicious legs and ears and bellies because we can’t get sick from eating you.

Onto mains, and the hopes of many a food blogger at our table is dashed when there is nary a piece of crackling to be seen. Though, whimpers of discontent and quickly replaced with oohs and aahs (after the photos were finished and the eating commenced, of course) at the fork tender moisture infused (though I’m still not sure what that means) Murray Valley pork rack. The buttery kale and parsnip puree are wonderful accompaniments and made me wish for more.

To be honest, by this stage I’m a little porked out, though I could definitely watch that video again.

Poached Winter Fruits with Christmas Pudding Ice Cream.

As far as I know this was the only pork-less dish in the entire meal, unless some piglet got snuck in there somehow. This dish was strangely moreish, warming spices and poached fruits with cool ice cream, the chewy prunes were a winner in my book.

Thanks again to Stewart and Mel for the invite, and also for the goody bag complete with rack of Murray Valley moisture infused pork rack. I have cooked, watch out for the results here soon  

My dining companions for the evening were: Fooderati, Not Quite Nigella, Howard from eatshow&tell, Richard from Here Comes The Food , Karen from Citrus and Candy, Chocolatesuze, Billy from A Table For Two, Helen from Grab Your Fork and Shez from One More Bite. Keep an eye out for their upcoming pork creations too.

Restaurant Atelier
22 Glebe Point Road, Glebe