97 Darlinghurst Road
Kings Cross, Sydney, 2011
(02) 9816 4777
http://www.cococubano.com/
Man, we are amazing. We can commercialise and consume anything, including poverty and communist regimes. Z has mixed feelings about the Coco Cubano chain popping up around Sydney. On one hand, the franchise faux 1950s Cuban decor suggesting impoverished decadence, antique foreign furnishings, and revolutionary baristas in guerrilla greens, subversively preparing expressos and lattes for the freedom fighters dropping in to read their Dan Brown manifestos, check their insurgent emails on their iPhone2. or chat about the countermeasure tactics of Warney and Liz as they sit back and on display in the upholstered sitting room chairs in the breezeway is a textbook study in the postmodern oxymoron of seeking the authentic via the artificial in our disposable consumerist lives. You want the "Cuban" experience? Go to Kings Cross and smoke a cigar while you drink coffee out of a paper cup with a logo on it.
On the other hand, Z has a weakness for artifice and kitsch and loves little havens of fantasy escapism amongst the mundanities of urban colourless concrete, steel, and drab lemming-like hurriedness amongst the unsmiling masses. Tucked in at the back wooden tables, surrounded by pictures of a young strapping Che Guevara and farmers harvesting tobacco crops, reading her paperback Steinbeck, she can pretend for a little while that maybe she is in another country and another time. That is, if they would keep the rumba playing and not Rhianna on the house speakers.
But Z confesses she has a weakness now for a particular dish at Coco Cubano's. It is her nature to fixate on a single dish she likes at a cafe or restaurant and thus will return again and again to the eatery and constantly order that dish (such as the "Newtown" at Burgerlicious, the Chicken Pad Thai at Big Boy Thai 2). Today, she has journeyed to King Cross' version of Havana for her new fave - the Chicken Wrap. It's Sydney pricey at $11.90, since it's "designer" food and you are paying as much for the decor of the franchise as you are the food on your plate. But there is a reason Z keeps going back and ordering it. It's freakin' good!
The wrap is sizable, and toasted. The chicken is succulent and juicy. Z hasn't yet encountered a too dry serving, which can be the gamble you take when ordering chicken. Guacamole, fresh tomato, and rocket lettuce also fill the wrap, and it's brought warm to your corner where you have nestled yourself.
Twice, Z has given the chai latte a go but will not have it anymore, as it's too bitter and lacks the creamy sweet richness she likes. Even drowning it in sugar doesn't quite take the sting out of if.
The overall menu is quite varied, with pizza's, full brekkie fry ups, salads, cocktails, a range of alcoholic delights for those who imbibe, and decadent chocolates under glass to drool over. (Good thing the glass is there to stop the drool from coating the confections). Z knows she will need to drift from the Chicken Wrap one day, but even just thinking about how juicy and luscious the wrap tastes temps Z to go get her second one for today. The decor may be fake, but this dish is the real deal.
Ratings (out of 10)
Chicken Wrap : 10 for taste but 5 for expense. A treat to be had sparingly.
Chai Latte: 1
Overall: 7 It's a fun little place, even if you are an ideological hypocrite for eating there.
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Blue Plate Bar and Grill
Blue Plate Bar and Grill (Formerly South)
24 Young Street
Neutral Bay
9935 - 2942
http://www.blueplate.com.au/
(Reservations recommended)
Z decided she wanted to try Sydney's version of "authentic cajun food", so the trio headed north for South, only to discover South was now incorporated into the Blue Plate Bar and Grill, a short walk away. At least the menu still featured "Yankee favorites" for homesick North Americans. The native North Americans in the trio would be the judge of just how authentic said foods would be.
Z favoured New Orleans fare with a starter of gumbo ($15) and a main of jumbalya ($26). The gumbo came in a deep bowl and probably could have sufficed as a meal itself with a side salad and perhaps a slice of bread (although sadly, we didn't notice cornbread or hush puppies on the menu, which would have been appropriate side fare). As for authenticity, the gumbo was savory and spicy - a mix of okra, celery, chicken, sausage, shrimp, and spices, but lacked the thickness that distinguishes gumbo from soup. The jumbalya was overpriced for the size of the portion, and was too pasty. Real jumbalya is loose, not stuck together like a stiff risotto. Again, it was spicy but the flavor was too heavy on the tomato. Alas, the Aussies haven't quite done it the way they do back home.
D went for a Waldorf Salad for starter ($15), hoping to reawaken a taste memory of having sampled it before at a buffet in Canada, and cleared his plate in a matter of moments - the cool mix of apple, grapes, nuts, celery on lettuce, coated in a homemade mayonnaise hitting the spot. He followed with the waitress recommended Cajun Chicken ($24), grilled in spices, and accompanied by sweet corn on the cob, and mash potatoes. The chicken was well grilled but juicy, retaining a perfect flavor while the corn was equally juicy and delectable. D had no problems clearing his plate.
S started with good but unremarkable Guacamole Dip and chips, ($12) then wavered between the Crispy Duck and the Salmon ($25), before deciding on the fish. Her plate smelled wonderful as the thick, succulent slice of salmon sat atop a block of smoked wood, giving our whole table a faint scent of a warm cozy wood fire in the hearth of a cabin. It sent Canadian D right back into his childhood, while Z recalled rugged up American winters, defrosting herself in front of the fireplace. S also devoured her salmon, and sides of asparagus and rice. Happy plates all round for the Gastronauts!
Z's mouth was on fire, so some ice cream was in order, which evolved into ice cream with a side of pecan pie ($12) for Z and a shared apple pie ($12) and ice cream split between D and S. The Pecan pie was authentic, heavy on the corn syrup and sugar, richer than Richard Branson, while D was disappointed the apple pie was more "pie" than "apple". It resembled a small meat pie, with apple and some sultanas hiding inside. S also capped off with a decaf cappuccino.
Over all, it was satisfying, but also ridiculously expensive for the portion sizes and meals. American fare is not difficult to prepare, and certainly the North American contingent of our trio could do as well if not better than what we were served. We did like the decor of the Blue Plate Bar and Gill, which resembled more of a New York City high end restaurant, with its floor to high ceiling windows, chandeliers, and burgundy drapes and wallpaper, than a "bar and grill". Middle American fare being peddled at high end prices. The service was good and the waitstaff was attentive and in good spirits.
Go for the experience and atmosphere, but invite an American friend over to your house to cook for authenticity and savings.
Ratings: (out of 10)
Z= 5.5
S= 7
D= 7
24 Young Street
Neutral Bay
9935 - 2942
http://www.blueplate.com.au/
(Reservations recommended)
Z decided she wanted to try Sydney's version of "authentic cajun food", so the trio headed north for South, only to discover South was now incorporated into the Blue Plate Bar and Grill, a short walk away. At least the menu still featured "Yankee favorites" for homesick North Americans. The native North Americans in the trio would be the judge of just how authentic said foods would be.
Z favoured New Orleans fare with a starter of gumbo ($15) and a main of jumbalya ($26). The gumbo came in a deep bowl and probably could have sufficed as a meal itself with a side salad and perhaps a slice of bread (although sadly, we didn't notice cornbread or hush puppies on the menu, which would have been appropriate side fare). As for authenticity, the gumbo was savory and spicy - a mix of okra, celery, chicken, sausage, shrimp, and spices, but lacked the thickness that distinguishes gumbo from soup. The jumbalya was overpriced for the size of the portion, and was too pasty. Real jumbalya is loose, not stuck together like a stiff risotto. Again, it was spicy but the flavor was too heavy on the tomato. Alas, the Aussies haven't quite done it the way they do back home.
D went for a Waldorf Salad for starter ($15), hoping to reawaken a taste memory of having sampled it before at a buffet in Canada, and cleared his plate in a matter of moments - the cool mix of apple, grapes, nuts, celery on lettuce, coated in a homemade mayonnaise hitting the spot. He followed with the waitress recommended Cajun Chicken ($24), grilled in spices, and accompanied by sweet corn on the cob, and mash potatoes. The chicken was well grilled but juicy, retaining a perfect flavor while the corn was equally juicy and delectable. D had no problems clearing his plate.
S started with good but unremarkable Guacamole Dip and chips, ($12) then wavered between the Crispy Duck and the Salmon ($25), before deciding on the fish. Her plate smelled wonderful as the thick, succulent slice of salmon sat atop a block of smoked wood, giving our whole table a faint scent of a warm cozy wood fire in the hearth of a cabin. It sent Canadian D right back into his childhood, while Z recalled rugged up American winters, defrosting herself in front of the fireplace. S also devoured her salmon, and sides of asparagus and rice. Happy plates all round for the Gastronauts!
Z's mouth was on fire, so some ice cream was in order, which evolved into ice cream with a side of pecan pie ($12) for Z and a shared apple pie ($12) and ice cream split between D and S. The Pecan pie was authentic, heavy on the corn syrup and sugar, richer than Richard Branson, while D was disappointed the apple pie was more "pie" than "apple". It resembled a small meat pie, with apple and some sultanas hiding inside. S also capped off with a decaf cappuccino.
Over all, it was satisfying, but also ridiculously expensive for the portion sizes and meals. American fare is not difficult to prepare, and certainly the North American contingent of our trio could do as well if not better than what we were served. We did like the decor of the Blue Plate Bar and Gill, which resembled more of a New York City high end restaurant, with its floor to high ceiling windows, chandeliers, and burgundy drapes and wallpaper, than a "bar and grill". Middle American fare being peddled at high end prices. The service was good and the waitstaff was attentive and in good spirits.
Go for the experience and atmosphere, but invite an American friend over to your house to cook for authenticity and savings.
Ratings: (out of 10)
Z= 5.5
S= 7
D= 7
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