Underwhelming dim sum

REVIEW: PING PONG

I felt uneasy as soon as I walked into Ping Pong on Great Marlborough Steet.  I couldn’t put my finger on the reason why, and being my first time dining in London, I decided to stay positive and give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt.

However, things did not start well.  Despite having made a reservation for lunch and there being only one table occupied, we were not allowed to take a seat until all of our party had arrived.  I can understand such a rule being enforced when a restaurant is full – but not when it is empty.   And by the time we did take our seats, we were greeted by a couple of surly waitresses.

Of course, being the first time since I have been in a Chinese restaurant since arriving in the UK, I would have forgiven this all for some well made dim sums.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.  The white doughy skins of the steamed dumplings (the har gau and chive dumplings) were far too thick and by the time that they arrived at the table, no longer steaming hot.  And by the time that I munched through the chewy skins, I was only disappointed to bite on, in respect of the har gau, skinny little prawns.

This was largely representative of much of the meal. The siew mai (pork dumplings) and the char siew pao (steamed pork buns) were better than average but underwhelming.  Probably the result of being spoilt by Chinese food in Sydney, I expect my siew mai to be bursting with juices and flavours, my pork buns to be fluffy and filled with rich barbeque pork.  The spring rolls were not crispy, but rather, much too dense and again arrived at the table lukewarm.  On a more positive note, I found the prawn toast to be quite tasty and novel, however, again it didn’t arrive hot with the result that the corners of the little triangle toasts had to be carefully negotiated inside eager mouths.

Yum cha needs to be served hot – so hot that you have to stop yourself from immediately tucking in so that you don’t burn the insides of your mouth.  What made this particularly unforgiveable, in my view, is that the food is brought to your table to order – not from trolleys that ply their way between the tables.  So there is really no reason why the food shouldn’t arriving steaming.

By the time we finished, the restaurant was largely full with a short line at the door.  So maybe there is something to be said for Ping Pong.  All that I know is that I will not be returning any time soon.

Details:

The Place: Ping Pong

Where: 45 Great Marlborough Street, Soho (they have a number of different restaurants in London)

Food: Yum cha

Tip: They do offer some interesting teas on the menu.

Butcher’s Bill: ₤17.50 per head on a Sunday all you can eat deal plus a few extra pounds for drinks.

Who should go: Anyone who hasn’t had yum cha in Sydney or Hong Kong.

One Indy too far

MOVIE REVIEW: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

The original Indiana Jones trilogy were the movies of my boyhood and whenever I have watched them since, they have reminded me so much of the type of films I loved as a kid. For this reason, it is difficult to review the latest instalment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, because, although there are strong glimpses of past glories, this film falls short of what fans of this franchise deserve.

The movie starts on a military base in the Nevada desert, with Indy having been kidnapped by cold war Soviets. Unfortunately, a military base in the middle of the US is not exactly an exotic location and Indy with his fedora, leather jackets and bull whip seemed a little out of place. The opening action sequence was okay but fell well short of the genius of Raiders, the outlandishness of Temple of Doom and the creativeness of the Last Crusade.

Set during the height of “reds under the bed”, Indy finds himself being suspected of communist sympathies (despite his war record and career as a spy – anyone a little confused?). On the outer, and about to abandon his professorship, he is approached by Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who needs Indy’s help to find the crystal skull. Have you ever heard of the crystal skull? Neither had I. And a significant portion of the film is spent explaining what the crystal skull is, who found it, why it is so important et cetera, et cetera.

The Soviets, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) are also after the crystal skull and Indy must battle his way through South America to claim his prize. However, it is not clear why Indiana sets off on this quest – unlike in the original trilogy, his motivations are not at all obvious. On his way, Indy is reunited with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) from Raiders – no surprises who the love interest is in this film. But what was disappointing was that winning the girl seemed all too easy for Indy – in fact, he didn’t have to do anything at all, just show up.

The only highlight for me was an excellent car chase scene set in the Peruvian rainforest. By the end, I was wishing for the final action sequences to be tidied up and cut shorter. For most of the film, there is little suspense or creativity in the ways the Indy gets himself out of trouble. Having the crew of heroes sail over the edges of three waterfalls safely and without any extra device is not fun at all. Next time they should just give Indy super-powers so the writers do not have to get creative.

It was nostalgic seeing Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, but there was something of the sparkle from the original trilogy that was missing. Although he resembled a much younger man, I found his performance to be tired. The women carried this instalment of Indiana Jones. Both Cate Blanchett and Karen Allen conveyed so much fun and warmth (or lack of warmth in Blanchett’s case) in their performances. Shia LaBeouf was a competent sidekick, although for much of the movie, his character, Mutt Williams, does not actually support Indy but fight his own battles.

Spielberg himself has said that Last Crusade was intended to be the last fim in the franchise. At the end, I asked myself whether Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a better “last fim” than Last Crusade. Unfortunately, my answer is “no”. The storyline and some of the performances just came off as a little lazy – as though putting Harrison Form in the fedora and jacket would be enough to please the public.

One Man’s Rating (out of 5):

Romance in the City

Making a booking at the Moonlight Cinema in Sydney’s Centennial Park is probably the most romantic thing I have done in a little while (I will let you judge if that is a good or bad thing). The first movie we planned to see eventually washed out (Elizabeth 2), so I decided upon the Darjeeling Limited – hoping that the wet Sydney summer would break for one February evening.The Darjeeling Limited reminded me so much of the India I experienced last summer. The director, Wes Craven, managed to communicate on the screen so many of the rich sights, sounds and smells (strangely enough) that I had both cursed and loved on the sub-continent (you have to experience India to understand what I mean).

The story is simple enough. Three brothers take a train trip across India after the death of their father. Each are as strange as the other: Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) is the oldest brother, who is actually more like a mother to Peter (Adrian Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman). Francis organised the trip and will do whatever it takes to ensure that everything goes to plan. This provides many of the laughs for the film, as Peter and Jack are no longer little brothers.  The movie is rich with symbolism, and having not watched many Wes Anderson movies in the past, I failed to understand some parts such as the Bill Murray scene at the beginning.

This isn’t meant to be a movie review, because I enjoyed spending the night with OP without having to worry about all the things which usually occupy my mind.  In other words, the timing, the setting and the weather was such that I could have watched any movie that night and enjoyed myself.

Just because its French…

MOVIE REVIEW: THE AGE OF MAN (AGE D’HOMME…MAINTENANT OU JAMAIS)

In The Age of Man (curiously, the “now or never” bit is not translated in the Australian title), Romain Duris plays Samuel, a man, who, in what appears to be the last days of his youth, is torn between the responsibility-less life of singledom and committing to his long-term girlfriend, the captivatingly gorgeous, Chloe, played by Aissa Maiga.

That pretty much sums up the whole movie and plot.

At its heart, the movie is about Samuel’s identity crisis – is he good enough to be a husband and father. Past generations of men went to war and created new arts, Samuel, on the other hand, is a film director (we don’t know if he is any good or not) who is more than happy being the assistant to Chloe (who I think is a photographer, although its not all that clear). His friends are all moving to new stages in their lives, getting married and having babies, although Samuel’s interactions with them don’t really shed any light on his current crisis.

It is difficult to describe what else happens in the movie because there is no real plot. Samuel inspects an apartment (although it appears that he is living in a perfectly good one) and briefly flirts with another prospective tenant played by Maria Jurado (?). However, apart from running into her again later in the movie, nothing really come of it all – no drama, no insight into any of the characters. Similarly, he takes his bicycle to get repaired and meets a colleague who has a new film idea, however, nothing at all follows from these events.

There is a particularly funny, and unsexy, love scene and a few other laugh-out-loud moments in the movie. However, much of the humour missed the mark for me (including the fart jokes). Montages interrupt the movie: Samuel fighting in no man’s land, Samuel’s conversations with an imaginery Leonardi Da Vinci and Samuel the caveman. However, each seem out of place, ridiculous and completely unfunny. Although the scenes with Leonardo give some insight into Samuel’s character, they are bizarre to the point of distraction.

The movie ends sweetly but predictably. Most critically, the ending bears almost no relationship to the 90 or so minutes that preceeded it. The words, unfortunately, which should end the title to this review are “doesn’t mean that its good”.

One Man’s Rating (out of 5):

Sushi me

REVIEW: SUSHI FUSION

OP and I have spent so many Saturdays at this place over the last few months, that I thought it was only fair that I share it with you all. We had tried a number of sushi trains in the Sydney CBD area, and eastern suburbs, but none really come close to Sushi Fusion in Randwick.

On Belmore Road, it is small enough so that you are close to the sushi-making action, but not so small that your dining neighbour is uncomfortably close. The staff are friendly despite being sometimes a little run off their feet with the lunch time trade. And the decor, although not particularly striking, feels clean and polished.

The food is what has brought us back week after week. The actual sushi menu is not particularly special – the ubiquitous selection of sushi. However, the fish is fresh and each little piece of sushi is made with care. Highlights for me are the crumbed calamari rolls with tartare sauce, raw tuna rolls coated in tempura flakes and the dainty raw salmon sushi.

For me, what set Sushi Fusion apart from a lot of other sushi places are its handrolls. You can choose between raw or cooked salmon and tuna, teriyaki chicken, scallops or prawn. Add cucumber or avocado as an extra filling, then select a sauce (mayonaisse, spicy mayo or teriayki). Your selection is rolled in rice and a crispy seaweed skin. It would be fair to say that OP and I visit Sushi Fusion more for its handrolls, than its actual sushi.

I have eaten at a number of sushi trains which would be more aptly described as sushi train wrecks. It is a relief and comfort to be able to sit down at Sushi Fusion and know that your meal will fall to chance.

Details:

The Place: Sushi Fusion

Where: 7 Belmore Road, Randwick

Food: Sushi

Tip: Try a handroll, or, if you feel like something warm, the udon soup.

Butcher’s Bill: About $32 for a quick lunch for two.

Who should go: Fans of Japanese food looking for a good sushi-train experience.

Doing fish well

REVIEW: GARFISH

The period which begins a couple of days before Christmas eve and ends a week into the new year is my favourite time of year.  This year, particularly, the summer heat has not burned too strong, making it much more enjoyable to be outdoors.

Last weekend, it was decided that lunch was to be spent in Crows Nest.  After wandering Alexander Street, we headed for Garfish as our hunger began to get the better of us. 

We had been to the Garfish at Kirribilli a few months ago, so I am able to say that the outdoor dining area at Crows Nest is the more pleasant spot on a hot summer’s day.  Most of the seating is under an awning (or perhaps verandah), whereas at Kirribilli, sun umbrellas provide most of the shade.  If you are planning a long lunch, this does make a difference as you won’t be sweating profusely by 4 o’clock.

The food was excellent.  A generously thick fillet of blue eye trevella in a light green curry sauce was very well prepared.  A properly grilled piece of fish is a joy in itself and the curry flavours were subtle enough that they did not overpower the fish. 

The snapper pie was impressive (I must find a recipe!) and, in my opinion, is a close second to the one prepared at the Boathouse.  That said, Garfish’s pie had a wonderfully homely feel – it reminded me a lot of the pies which my mum used to make – perhaps it was the brocolli.  My only complaint is that the pinches of sea salt on the pastry top were not really necessary – especially as there is salt at the table.  Another friend settled for the crab tagliolini – I can’t comment on it, as I didn’t try any, however, at least half of it was left on the plate which is usually a good measure of the fare.

Dessert at Garfish is a surprisingly simple affair.  Belgian waffles make up about half the offering.  I found my waffles too heavy – more like bagles.  The ice cream and oter assorted accompaniments were nice, but for the price you pay, I can’t profess to being a huge fan.  The affogato appeared to be the dessert of choice that afternoon, as I lost count of the number I saw leaving the kitchen.  And at our last visit to the Kirribilli Garfish, OP gave the raspberry and white chocolate tart high marks, so I will probably revert to this tried and tested performer next time.

The service was warm and friendly.  It was the same at Kirribilli, and Garfish are well served by their wait staff.  My only complaint was that the food took a little too long to come out, even factoring in the long lead time for the snapper pie.  It was little noticed, however, as we were so relaxed and happy with a whole afternoon to kill.

I can summarise my experiences at Garfish very succintly – Garfish does fish well.  The fish is the centrepiece, and the garnishes neither overpower nor take attention away from it.  I should have mentioned this above, but the salads (especially the baby spinish, fetta and beetroot) are great.  So a simply prepared piece of fish and a bowl of salad may be the way to go.  I can say, with little hesitation, that summer lunches at Garfish have become part of my annual tradition.

Details:

The Place: Garfish

Where: 6/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest (02 9966 0445) and 2/21 Broughton Street, Kirribilli (02 9922 4322)

Food: Seafood

Tip: Find out what the daily recommendations is.

Butcher’s Bill: About $65 per person – there were four of us – each had one main, 2 salads/sides to share, bottle of riesling, desserts and coffee.

Who should go: Anyone looking to relax with friends over a seafood lunch on a Sydney summer’s day.