Oncore by Clare Smyth (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ★★★★★

It's been a long time since I went to a fine-dining restaurant that gave me goosebumps. The last one that gave me goosebumps when we were on the road was Restaurante Azurmendi in Basque Country back in January 2020. That was just before our bout with COVID-19, almost 3 years ago!

Oncore is one of the hardest reservations to get in Sydney right now and that's not a bit surprising considering it's currently tied with Quay and Tetsuya's for having the most hats (19) in the city.

New Zealand-born head chef Alan Stuart has an impressive pedigree with more than 15 years of experience working at some of the finest restaurants in the world including stops at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (where he met Clare Smyth), Eleven Madison Park, Restaurant Frantzen and of course, Core by Clare Smyth.

Following our hostess step by step, we were led into Oncore's main dining room and I just couldn't stop admiring this panoramic view.

There, we finally got the signal that this was our table for the night, with a jaw-dropping view of downtown Sydney right before our eyes. 

This is going to be a wonderful night and what an amazing start. 

The view is definitely taking my breath away and then I realize how much we have missed traveling around the world for culinary gems like Oncore. Thankfully, we are taking steps to getting our lives back together at last.

There were only two menus to choose from, "long" and "short" and needless to say, we didn't have to cast a vote on which one to go for.

Pea and mint gougère – Our first nibble of the night was gougère with pea purée and pea shoot, that came with a hint of mint. A very refreshing start.

Jellied eel, toasted seaweed and malt vinegar – Jellied eel was served on a shell made with toasted seaweed, before our server put the finishing touch on with a spray of malt vinegar. A dab of parsley jelly inside the shell added some herby notes to the mix. 

Smoked duck wing, orange and spices – Smoked crispy duck wings with burnt orange and spices served on a stick. Succulent, with some lovely smokiness.

Chicken liver parfait and madeira – A wafer-thin pastry was topped with madeira gel and smoke-infused chicken liver parfait.

The beautifully presented set of amuse bouche finally came to a close.

We were offered a slice of sourdough bread while we wait for our first starter. I could feel my heart pounding with anticipation.

Fraser Island spanner crab – It didn't take long for our first starter to arrive and it was a gorgeously plated salad of turnip with tomato water and basil oil. Mixed with the salad were spanner crab meat from Fraser Island, complemented brilliantly by some crunchy macadamia nuts.  

Almost too beautiful to eat.

'Potato and roe' – Chef Smyth's signature dish of 'Potato and roe' was next. 

The potato was slow-cooked for over six hours in kombu butter, then topped with herring and trout roes, tiny fermented salt and vinegar potato chips, shoots of sorrel, chives and rocket. A buttery seaweed beurre blanc provided the dish with a strong, sublime finish.

Asparagus 'tart' – The green asparagus from the Costantino Family was prepared in two ways.

The first serving of the dish came as an asparagus tart, elegantly plated with dabs of egg white, egg yolk and asparagus purée along with perilla flowers, capers, wild garlic and herbs. The second one was a much simpler version with the asparagus poached and served with a combination of lemon hollandaise and asparagus sauce. This was an asparagus lover's dream! 

Coral Trout – Our fish course was superbly cooked coral trout with Sydney rock oyster and pressed cucumber. We knew something was up when our server brought a large bowl of Chinese caviar over with a big smile on his face. 

Turned out the silky coral trout was waiting for the perfect icing on the cake with a scoop of caviar on top and a very intense oyster sauce was then slowly poured in to give the trout a burst of umami-rich flavors. 

Gundagai 5+ Lamb – Jelloman enjoyed the gamey lamb loin with celtuce, baby gem, black cardamon as her meat course. 

Duck breast – I wasn't in the mood for lamb tonight and fortunately for me, our server was kind enough to swap it with a dish of pan-seared duck breast. Just the perfect news for a duck lover like me!

I thought the duck meat was really well-executed with perfect texture, lean and tender. My only disappointment came from the skin which was not nearly crispy enough. The peach tart on the side with minced duck meat hidden inside was a pretty nice touch.

'Core Apple' – Pre-dessert was another work of art.

Like most palate cleansers, this one was more on the acidic side with the core of diced apple compote doing its thing to reset our palates.

Yarra Valley Strawberry – We know Christmas was right around the corner when our dessert landed in front of us. It's almost like a Christmas decoration.

Strawberry sorbet, basil cream, lemon meringue, lemon verbena, fresh strawberries, and mint leaves. I hope I didn't miss anything. A very busy dessert again with an artsy presentation, bringing a fruity and refreshing end to our meal.

Petite fours came with some British influence, starting with the mini date pie on the left. 

A variety of wine jelly.

We didn't want our night to end so fast but checking our watch, the journey that got us on the edge of our seats for much of the night (view, ambience and food) was already three hours long. Time to come back to earth and return home (hotel).

This meal at Oncore by Clare Smyth was our first overseas fine-dining experience since we were hit with the pandemic in 2020. A span of almost three years! We were so grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to set our travel plans in motion again. This was such a big part of our lives before COVID-19 and the thought of finally being able to travel for food again had us super excited about 2023.

Food Rating: 8.5/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Crown Sydney, Level 26/1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia

Closest Metro Station: Barangaroo

Tel: +61 2-8871-7171

Website: www.crownsydney.com.au/indulge/oncore-by-clare-smyth

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm (Thu - Sat), 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Wed - Sat)

La Lune Market (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ★★★☆☆

After a satisfying lunch in Burwood, we hung around the area a bit before hopping on a train that took us to Homebush, an up and coming area with lots of new property development projects. As there wasn't a whole lot to see in Homebush (except construction sites), it didn't take long for us to realize that it's time to move onto our next destination, North Strathfield.

North Strathfield is primarily a residential suburb and from what we've seen, it has its fair share of schools and tutoring centres. So, it took us by surprise when we ran into La Lune Market, a "coffee shop cum bakery and retail market" on our way to the train station.  

We love visiting markets and grocery shops so of course, we had to come in and take a look.

La Lune Market is much more than a market. It also doubles as a coffee shop with home brewed coffee, cake shop and more.

Bagels, scones, croissants, cinnamon rolls, even Portuguese egg tarts! I didn't expect to see them here!

Let's grab a seat outside first.

Tiramisu – The texture was really nice. Soft and airy, the way I like it. But the flavors were slightly off as if it's a vegan version of the real deal. A little disappointing especially considering the great texture.

Matcha basque cheesecake – La Lune's basque burnt cheesecake came in three different flavors, original, matcha and nutella.

I would have gone for the nutella flavor in a heartbeat but it was Jelloman's call and she got us the matcha. Not bad.

La Lune Market wasn't initially on my radar screen and I thought it was a great find in an area that we less expected a cozy coffee shop and cafe. Too bad we didn't have time to hang around here for too long cuz we have a very important meal happening in less than 2 hours. 

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1/13 George Street, North Strathfield NSW 2137, Australia

Closest Train Station: North Strathfield

Website: www.instagram.com/lalune.sydney

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 4:00pm (Mon - Fri), 8:00am - 4:00pm (Sat)

Kowloon Cafe Burwood 九龍冰室 (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ★★★☆☆

My quest for the best cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) in Sydney took us on a journey to Burwood this morning. I have heard mixed reviews on the Burwood neighborhood from different people. Some said it's the new Chinatown with friendly people; others cautioned me about the area. Well, let's find out.

Our first stop in Burwood was a stop at Kowloon Cafe (九龍冰室). They have a branch in Haymarket with limited seats but this is like a flagship restaurant that they have over here in the heart of Burwood. When local people talk about Kowloon Cafe, or "bing sutt" (冰室) in general, this is the one that immediately comes to mind.

The cafe was a lot smaller than I expected. Boy, I miss the Hong Kong style cafes in Vancouver. They were so spacious and very few times, we actually needed to wait for a table.

But I immediately felt in love with the food menu over here. This is what I am talking about when I think of a cha chaan teng! A food menu over 50 items and one can easily find a handful of dishes of interest.

Happy times!!! ✌

Iced milk tea (港式奶茶) – This was absolutely bursting with flavors. Smooth, creamy and flavorful. Much much better than the one served at Hong Kong Cafe (港夠味). The tea was strong there too, but it didn't have that full-bodied texture and flavor.

Baked rice with pork chop and cheese (焗豬扒飯) – One of the Hong Kong classics from the cha chaan tengs. The rice with egg, rich tomato sauce, and gooey cheese on top.

And of course, the seared pork chop. Pretty succulent. 

Stir-fried rice noodles with beef in black bean sauce (豉椒牛河) – The rice noodles came with pretty decent "wok hei (鑊氣)" and I like that thick black bean sauce tying everything together nicely. The only blemish was the beef which was pretty rubbery like the ones at Hong Kong Cafe (港夠味) the other day.

We were so happy to find some authentic Hong Kong food here in Burwood. It was a little far from where we were staying but since we didn't have much on our agenda this afternoon, it was totally worth venturing over. Now, time to get to know this neighborhood a bit more.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: 11a/27 Belmore Street, Burwood NSW 2134, Australia

Closest Train Station: Burwood

Tel: +61 2-9745-3888

Website: www.kowlooncafe.com.au

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 9:00pm daily

Kuro Bar & Dining (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ★★★★☆

For the past 30-something months, I have been thinking about what my first overseas fine-dining experience would be like when travel resumes. Where will I have this meal, with who and when? Finally, we got all the answers tonight.

When Jelloman and I bought our tickets to Sydney months ago, she already pinged her foodie friend Shining Knight who diligently organized tonight's dinner at Kuro Bar and Dining.

Kuro Bar and Dining is a Japanese fine-dining restaurant on Kent Street, just a stone's throw from Queen Victoria Building. The famed restaurant is helmed by Chef Taka Teramoto, formerly of Michelin-starred restaurants Restaurant Pages in Paris and Florilège in Tokyo. Only prix fixe menus are served at dinner time with a choice of main course (tonight between fish, duck and beef). 

Dishes at Kuro are served in small, bite-sized tapas style (except the main course). I've heard great things about this place from Shining Knight since we walked through those doors. Apart from the great plating techniques, he also told me how their cuisine focuses on ingredient-driven cooking and the masterful way that Chef Teramoto combines premium Japanese ingredients with French gastronomy techniques in his dishes. Now, that really got my attention.

Appellation Rock Oyster, Champagne shrub / Hokkaido scallop tartare, fingerlime, lemon myrtle – The raw oyster was a refreshing way to start the meal with, followed by the scallop tartare that came with some sharp acidity.

Caviar, turnip, ginger oil – Interesting marriage between caviar and turnip purée. Pretty bold move I would say.

Spanner crab, Japanese brioche – Spanner crab salad was served on top of a pillowy Japanese brioche. Tasty.

Kuro fried chicken, Ume, micro shiso – "Kuro" means black in Japanese so not surprisingly, one of the restaurant's signature dish was deep-fried boneless chicken with a charcoal-black batter. The chicken was very tender and juicy, but what I love most about this dish were the small dots of tart umeboshi purée on top providing the chicken fillet with a mix of sour, astringent and bitter flavor.

Kingfish ceviche, avocado, Takuan pickles – And why not a charcoal-black lavash?

There was a fair amount of acidity in the ceviche making this very appetizing. The lavash could have been a bit more crispy though.

Snapper sashimi, tomato, herb oil – The lovely acidity from the pickled tomatoes and herb oil seemed to bring out the best of the snapper sashimi.

Green asparagus, straciatella espuma, black pepper malt – The beauty of having a 13-course tasting menu was that even after seven dishes, there were still six more to go!

Green asparagus sliced into tiny strips, could be found under the straciatella espuma.

King prawn tempura crepe – A dish that I have been looking forward to, after Shining Knight prep me about it during Dish#1. Very lovely presentation.

This came with all sorts of garnish on top including condiments of green curry and coconut. And we were supposed to wrap the king prawn tempura up with the crepe. By far the best dish of the evening and I certainly won't mind having another one of this again.

Kagoshima Wagyu beef, tomato water, mochi rice risotto – It's that melt in your mouth kind of deliciousness from the wagyu beef carpaccio. The mochi rice risotto which came in this funny texture (in a good way), added a little cheesiness to the dish. 

Full blood Wagyu, Earl Grey pickled pumpkin – For main course, Jelloman had the charcoal grilled wagyu beef with a perfectly charred crust. She loves it~

Aged duck breast, spiced beetroot – I have been wanting to try some local duck since I touched down. The dry aged duck breast was chargrilled to absolute perfection. Perfect smokiness to go with the tender and juicy flesh. It was finished off brilliantly with spiced beetroot, endive and own jus. Second best dish of the night behind the king prawn tempura.

White chocolate, mango, passionfruit, mochi, saffron – Desserts were at least a notch down from the starters and mains. Meet my first dessert with white choc, fresh mango, mango ice-cream, passionfruit, sponge, mochi, crumbs and so on.

Amazon cacao chocolate mousse, coffee sauce – Silky chocolate mousse, coffee sauce and cacao nibs. That's thirteen right there. And I was so full!

It was almost 9:30pm when we gobbled up our final dessert. An amazing 2.5-hour journey of the senses through our palates. Special thanks to Shining Knight for organizing this delicious dinner and settling the bill. If someone had told me that my first fine-dining experience after the resumption of quarantine-free travel would be Japanese, I would tell him he's crazy. 

Food Rating: 7.2/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 368 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Closest Metro Station: Town Hall

Tel: +61 2-9262-1580

Website: www.kurosydney.com

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:30pm - 12:00am (Fri - Sat), 6:00pm - 11:30pm (Tue - Thu)