Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe, Sydney CBD

Located within 5 minutes from Bavarian Bier York Street and only a couple of blocks from The Lobo Plantation, Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe is not your average beer cafe. It didn't have the German beer garden gimmick that your would expect from Lowenbrau and Bavarian Bier Cafe, but it remains a favourite for those who know and love their beer especially with food pairings. It's funny that less than 2 months ago, I have never even heard of this joint until KT suggested this when we were too indecisive on where to go for dinner.

Beers! 

Considering the amount of drinks we've had that night, I forgot to note down the exact beers we've got that evening. Heh. The Marzen Lager beer that KT ordered was dark, intensely flavoured and slightly bitter. KT seemed to enjoy this alot since he ordered another (smaller) glass after this. My pick was one of the fruitier Bloody Wit which did have a citrus-like flavour that is light and easier to drink up compared to the rich, malty beers.

Charcuterie ($25.00)

We decided to get a charcuterie plate to share as an entree. Our platter consisted of cured meats (including salami, prosciutto and pastrami), olives, assorted veggies, whipped feta, pickles and bread though from looking at the current menu, this changes on a regular basis. We both enjoyed the platter especially the cured meats to the point where we nearly fought on who gets the last prosciutto and the last salami (I got the salami).

Lamb Brioche Burger with Chips ($25.00)

With all the cheap burger joints opening up around Sydney these days, we were stunned to see that this burger was $25...I mean it includes chips too but still. KT likes lamb so ended up going for this option. The burger itself was juicy with a pinkish colour in the middle and the rest of the compents matched well. I didn't get to try the burger but got my hands on the chips which were a winner for me. Thick, crispy and fluffy.

Barramundi Fillet ($32.00)

I decided to go for the slightly healthier seafood option. The Barramundi had that delicate crispy skin and the fillet was well cooked for my liking. The bisque had a rich and slightly creamy flavour but it worked well altogether. I did like how the menu shows which beers matched well with certain dishes such as the Summer Lager being an ideal pairing with this dish.

Since we had the charcuterie, the two main dishes and a few beers, it was no surprise that we got full quickly. While it didn't seem busy on a Thursday night, it still had that noisy vibe that you would expect at a usual Sydney CBD bar on a Friday night. Dishes were decent servings though it's a lot more expensive than we expected. It's ideal if you would like to have after work drinks or a birthday/special occasion gathering. Especially if you love your beer.

Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe
201 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9262 3303
http://www.redoak.com.au/
Mon-Sat: 11:00am - late

Six States of Beer [QLD] at The Oaks, Neutral Bay

It is no surprise that I do love a drink. Most types of drinks actually. Whether it's whisky, wine, vodka, gin and tonic or even beer depending on the occasion. While I do like to drink, I'm not much of an expert on beer so I was surprised to receive an invite to attend Six States of Beer at The Oaks in Neutral Bay. This is an ongoing series of events where it focuses on a selected range of craft beers made from the state and a themed degustation of matching dishes (previous events involved cheese, chocolate, pork and bites). This was the fifth installment of the Six States series which focused on beers from QLD and matching seafood dishes. It was hosted by the passionate beer expert, Kirrily Waldhorn with food being prepared by The Oaks' chef, Danny Russo.

Bighead - Burleigh Brewing Company

The Bighead was served to all diners on arrival. While this drink is a 100% natural, full-strength beer with loads of flavour, it also has zero carbs! With its smooth, balanced texture, this was easy to drink with any meal such as a pub lunch or dessert at a French restaurant.

Hef - Burleigh Brewing Company

Another beer from the same brewery was the Hef, an unfiltered wheat beer brewed from malted barley, malted wheat, water, hop and yeast. This was inspired by German wheat beer with its smooth, creamy texture and a slightly sweet banana and clove flavour. Out of all the beers I've tried, this was definitely my favourite of the bunch. 

Crab cake and Oaks slaw slider

The one dish I have been looking forward to the most out of this event was the crab cake slider. Been dreaming about getting my hands on crab cakes ever since watching it featured on numerous American food travel shows but been disappointed that this has been rare to find around Sydney. When it arrived packed inside a brioche bun, I was surprised that it wasn't in its crumbed form that I usually see in those aforementioned US food travel shows but was delighted at the healthier look of the shredded crab meat. These bite sized treats were fresh and delicious though also quite salty. Wouldn't mind trying more of this.  

Pale Ale - Four Hearts Brewing Company

This craft beer was an American pale ale with a passionfruit sweetness followed with a strong, deep and bitter malt flavour. You can also taste a bit of marmelade as you sip this beer. Apparently the bitterness is average for this type of drink so I didn't mind it at all. This is the first drink brewed by the Four Hearts Brewing Company, which will become an official brewery by the end of this year.

Crispy flash fried squid and school prawns served with squid ink aioli

This was accompanied by the crispy squid and school prawns with squid ink aioli. The squid was tender and juicy with a nicely crisp batter while the school prawns were crunchy and not too sharp so it was easy to pop in your mouth. This also came with a wedge of lime that gave a good flavour boost to this dish. 

Anzus Ipa - Fortitude Brewing Company

Unlike the pale ale, the Anzus Ipa had a very clean and light malt backbone by placing focus on the hops this time. By boosting the amount of hops in this beer, this gave the beer an earthy, piney and fruity aroma and flavour that is suitable for the Australian climate. It certainly helped in cooling down our tastebuds from the heat and spiciness of the following dish.

Whole baked snapper with Thai flavours, Asian greens and rice

And boy was this one intensely spicy fish!!! We were amazed at the size of the baked snapper when it arrived to our table. This was cooked with a Thai green curry to soften the fish and add a hint of creaminess to the overall dish. While the fish was well cooked and freshly made, the spiciness was close to the level that you can expect at Thai restaurants. Was so glad to have that beer to cool down that heat.  

For that extra hotness if you dare!

White chocolate and raspberry Pilsener - Bacchus Brewing

While it looked like a glass of cocktail or wine, this was actually beer! It was a strange but lovely mix of spicy Czech Pilsener with the flavour and aroma of raspberries and white chocolate. This was perfect for the final paired dish of the night.

White chocolate mousse with raspberries and sea salt snow

The night finished off with the equally matched white chocolate mousse with raspberries and sea salt snow, which had a creamy and milky taste mixed with...pureed scallops! There's even a hint of anchovy in this dish as well. Never expected seafood to show up in a dessert like this since I didn't even detect it as I tasted this dish but it was a nice surprise.

Beermosa

I rushed through this final drink because I had to leave pretty early (living in south west Sydney is a pain) but from what I tasted, this drink had that sweetness that I would expect from a citrus-based beverage with the added beer taste. Would like to get another one of this.  

Had a great time learning about various beers across Queensland and getting into the tasting experience where you explore your senses. As for the Oaks, there are heaps of decent quality dishes to try and lots of space to chill even on busy nights. The next and final Six States of Beer event for 2014 will focus on Beer vs Wine from SA. This will be held on Wednesday 10th December 2014. Tickets cost $60 + booking fee which is worth it for the four course plus drinks degustation experience.  

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined at The Oaks Hotel as a guest, courtesy of Wasamedia. Opinions are however, my own.

The Oaks Hotel
118 Military Road, Neutral Bay NSW 2089
(02) 9953 5515
http://www.oakshotel.com.au/
Mon-Wed: 10:00am - 12:00am
Thurs-Sat: 10:00am - 1:30am
Sun: 12:00pm - 12:00am

Moutai Store Opening Launch, Chinatown

A few weeks ago, I was kindly invited to attend the opening launch event for the Kweichou Moutai (aka Moutai) store. For those who immediately thought "What or who is Moutai?", this is actually the national drink for China whereby only the upper privileged class were able to afford drinking this mysterious spirit with a few of their oldest spirits costing you more than $5000! Despite the high price tag, it was fascinating to learn about the history of Moutai, how it was produced and exploring the many varieties of the liquor that were available inside the store.

But what's so special about Moutai that makes it so expensive? The first Moutai liquor was dated from as early as 135BC at an ancient town of Moutai in the Guizhou Province of China. It was made from sorghum, wheat and water that was distilled 9 times, filtrated 8 times, fermented 7 times then blended and matured - a complex production process which takes at least 5 years!

This results into an interestingly strong and complex aroma and taste of the liquor with over 155 different flavours and aromas in each drop. This ranges from wheat, grain, soy sauce, strawberries and even chocolate and caramel to name a few. You may only sense these flavours if you smell the aroma before saying "Gambei!" (cheers!) to your friends or family and enjoying the drink.

Outside the store, there was the usual welcome and good luck bouquets of flowers that you often see every time an Asian shop opens. Inside, there were friendly staff in traditional Chinese dress greeting guests with empty Moutai bottles used as decor for the ceiling.

There were three types of Moutai available for tasting on the night. Ended up trying them all. Personally I thought they all seemed very strong to me with a sensational after taste.

1. Moutai Flying Fairy (43% alcohol/vol - various sizes available) - the most popular in the range with its unique sorghum sauce flavour. Also available in 38% and 53% alc/vol.
2. Moutai Prince (53% alcohol/vol. 500mL) - lighter, mild and sweet with a shorter distillation period.
3. Moutai Shenzhou (53% alcohol/vol 700mL) - similar distribution as the Flying Fairy but sweeter. This was created to commemorate the launch of Shenzhou Manned Spacecraft.

L-R: Moutai Shenzhou, Moutai Flying Fairy, Moutai Prince

There were many other types of Moutai available on display at the store including the fruity Moutai Hanjiang, the highly prestigious Shenzhou Tianjiang, and the aged Moutai ranging from 15 to 80 years old!

We were all treated to Chinese finger food provided by the team at Golden Century Restaurant. Like wine, you can enjoy this drink when matched with Chinese dishes. 

During the night there were heaps of prizes for anyone who takes a random card out of a bowl full of lucky cards. Depending on the card you get you may win the Shenzhou Tianjiang Moutai - the highest quality of Shenzhou Moutai with an outstanding strong flavour with an elegant bottle. Which is what happened to me when I pulled my card out of the bowl. I was too shocked that I was unsure if I should accept because I didn't know who would enjoy this liquor. Luckily, the parents were pretty damn happy when they saw it. So were the mates. Might bring this to house parties later this year.

The Moutai liquor is perfect as gifts for special occasions whether it is a birthday, wedding or anniversary. If you end up receiving a gift of Moutai but not sure if you can finish it anytime soon, the staff kindly advised that Moutai gets better with age, which will be a perfect gift to share with you children and grandchildren!

Ganbei!

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie attended the launch event as a guest of Polkadot PR and Moutai Australia.

Kweichow Moutai
398 Sussex Street, Sydney
(02) 9212 2288
https://www.facebook.com/moutaiaustralia