As much as I love going to chef hatted restaurants it must be planned well in advance as it would firstly, make a dent in my bank account, and secondly, tend to be difficult to book on weekends. The latter being more applicable to restaurants in Sydney. So when DT and I had a mini weekend road trip to Canberra it was the perfect opportunity to sample one of the finest and with a $66 three-course lunch menu that sealed the deal for me. Courgette has been awarded one hat for the past 4 years so I was expecting great food.

I was thrown off by the decor but it really grew on me as it was a mish-mash of minimalist and grooviness. My favourite aspect was the funky apple green chairs which were comfortable to lounge in. So far, the most relaxed and casual atmosphere I've experienced for a fine dining establishment.

Three-course lunch menu

At $66 per person, it was $22 for each course which was incredibly affordable for the quality of food served.

Bread to start

The roll was so soft and and warm and layered with butter it was incredibly comforting to eat.

Light and creamy butter which melted instantly on contact with the warm bread provided.

Plating food is such an art that I truly admire and respect especially considering you would need to replicate it countless times. For my first course I had a beautifully presented liver parfait. I was puzzled at first as I thought the terms parfait and pate were interchangeable but apparently not although a pate becomes a parfait after it has been pushed through a sieve to remove all the lumpy bits. Compared to the thick texture of the pates found in my favourite pork banh mi the parfait was obviously a huge step ahead with its superior silky smooth and creamy consistency. Seriously, it just glided on effortlessly on the most buttery toasted slices of bread I had ever sank my teeth into. Saltiness from the chicken liver parfait and the sweetness from the quince onion jam countered each other to create the best spread.

Admittedly, I was too engulfed with my first course to properly taste DT's pick so I can only provide an inaccurate brief recollection. The cannelloni filling was a prawn mince of sorts which was subtle in flavour. The most memorable feature of the dish was the cannelloni itself which I deduce attained its yellow colour through the use of turmeric powder. The filling could get away from having strong flavours due to the yellow spice's characteristically aromatic and poignant earthiness. DT wasn't particularly fond of the dish and my summation would be that it was an interesting dish with a unique medley of flavours but didn't exactly work for me. 

Dutton Park ducks are grain-fed, free range Aylesbury-Peking ducks that are aged 9 to 10 weeks to produce a duck that is leaner and meatier. Although it was leaner, the process of confit enabled the flesh to become fall off the bone tender and hence easily shredded into appropriately sized mouthfuls.  A thick ring of parsnip puree complemented the meat perfectly with its light creaminess and mild saltiness. The highlight of the poultry was most predictably the skin which was fatty and melty and well seasoned. Overall, a solid dish but it didn't knock my socks off but I am partial to Peking roast duck which is tough to beat. 

The experimentation of flavours were bold and the tart kick from the Dijon mash added a new dimension of flavour that matched well with the protein. The beef fillet was cooked medium rare and while it was fairly tender and didn't require significant effort to chew the fact that the cut was quite thick prevented it from being more enjoyable. A gravy sauce would have been more suitable as opposed to the olive jam which didn't have the sustenance and rich flavour a gravy would have offered to pair with the beef. Courgette's plating is worth commending though as the lovely contrast of colours and the delicate flowers to add vibrancy were very aesthetically pleasing. DT did remark at the time that the arrangement of the sauces looked like the shape of a band-aid and I can't un-see that image.

It was essentially three desserts in one so there were certainly no complaints about that. I don't know where to begin as every element was pretty scrumptious. I suppose I'll start with the baked chocolate mousse that was dense, decadent and rich in chocolatey goodness. It was served warm which allowed it to be even more divine with small spoonfuls of delicious crunchy nutty ice cream. A thin and crisp batter which I would liken to a cinnamon doughnut in terms of appearance and taste encapsulated a ripened and gooey banana. It was so good, even DT couldn't help himself and kept stealing parts of my dessert.

Marvelled by large shards of chocolate and caramel upon a white chocolate cheesecake log, it was a delightful sight. However, in this case the dessert looked better than it tasted. The cheesecake had a wonderful texture but lacked in flavour because as far as white chocolate goes, I didn't detect much of it. I did like that it was rolled in toasted ground hazelnuts which added needed crunch against the soft and smooth texture of the cheesecake. The best part of the dessert was without a doubt the shards. Dark, white and milk chocolate, and sweet sweet caramel, I happily ate them all as DT had no desire to.

Courgette represented great value for money for being a chef hatted restaurant. It excelled in presentation but the dishes were hit or miss. The standout was the chicken liver parfait which was splendid and unlike anything I've ever had. I also really enjoyed the chocolate mousse with ice cream and banana fritter on the side. The confit duck and steak were above average. For a hatted restaurant I was expecting more of a wow factor but I wouldn't rule it out completely, it was still a lovely restaurant serving decent food with good service.

I was oblivious to the proximity of this little gem of an Italian restaurant to my house. A 5 minute drive led us to Gigino, situated on the corner of a tiny strip among a main road of residential buildings. There was no designated parking that we could find so you would have to resort to parking on the street.

Gigino provided a warm, casual and relaxed atmosphere to wind down and enjoy authentic Italian food. It was a rather small establishment though and I'm not sure how busy it can get, perhaps dinner would be more problematic and require waiting for a table. However, there appeared to be an adjoining bar behind the restaurant with more seats available. The bar boasted quite an extensive alcoholic beverage menu with 20 fancy cocktails to choose from. I will make it a mission to try one the next time I dine there for dinner.

So I should mention that I'm not the biggest fan of pizza. The combination of a rolled out piece of dough and a mountain of toppings was always too excessive for me to stomach without feeling incredibly guilty for stuffing myself and also getting a food baby in the process. However I have recently discovered that authentic Italian pizza is not meant to be overloaded with a variety of toppings and mounds of mozzarella cheese but kept much simpler and tame unlike the wild creations of Pizza Hut and Dominos with their thick pizza bases and oily cheese-filled crusts. 

Since DT and I visited Gigino on a Sunday we were able to order from the brunch menu selection which has different pizzas from their usual menu, foccacias and also some breakfast staples on offer such as toasted ciabatta, croissants and paninis. There were also two dessert pizzas (Nutella pizza and a roasted pear pizza) available for Sunday brunch which I was super duper tempted to try one of but figured it would be too much food for just two people so ultimately decided against it. Next time.

Colazione - Eggs, pomodorini, bacon, salami, sausage, mozzarella $19

I hope that the pizzas don't regularly take 40 minutes to come to the table, because that's how long we waited for ours. By the time it finally arrived I was pretty famished but I was delighted to see that the pizza was quite large in size and smelled so heavenly coming straight out from the oven. So I'll forgive them this time around.

The Colazione was my kind of pizza, from a cracked whole egg in the centre, to bacon, salami and sausage and the almighty mozzarella layered on a perfectly crisp and thin base, each slice was pure wonderment. I could have easily had it all to myself as despite it sounding heavy it was the exact opposite. Each slice went down easily and you won't be left overstuffed and feeling like you had just potentially clogged your arteries. I have come across pizzas that tasted bland but the Colazione was well-balanced in flavour, the three savoury meat components were offset with the slightly sweet and juicy pomodorini tomatoes and the oven-baked egg in the middle.

Foccacia Primavera - Mushrooms, grilled tomato, fried eggs & cheese $11

Pairing carbs with more carbs was the mood I was in and I had no regrets. Embarrassingly, it was the first time to delve into a foccacia. I didn't realise what I had been missing out on until then. It was toasted to deliver the crispest surface and was so spongey and soft inside. I savoured every bite of that flat bread and happily ate the top piece on its own. The bottom half adorned a fairly thick layer of melted mozzarella and slice upon slice of flavoursome grilled tomato and mushroom. The sunny side up fried egg was the pinnacle of it all and came with the mandatory golden runny yolk. It was almost perfect except that I would have preferred it to have just a hint of saltiness to it. However, I most certainly will be eating more foccacia in the future. 

How fortunate that Gigino is located dangerously close to my house. With a huge selection of specialty pizzas to choose from I'll need to drop by a good number of times to try them all. They also do takeaway so I know where I'll be getting my next takeout pizza. The only downer to my experience at Gigino was the wait for the food and I really hope it was a standalone event.

A dreary, rain-filled Saturday night warranted a visit to the recently opened Chefs Gallery at Little Saigon Plaza in Bankstown. While it was significantly smaller than the CBD branch, there was sufficient seating available but if you want to avoid waiting at all for a table I recommend heading in for an early dinner from 5pm.  DT and I arrived at 5:30pm and it was quite empty save for two occupied tables. Not sure what the crowds would be like at lunch time but I would suspect it to be similar.

The kitchen

Dera-uma is yet another Japanese eatery situated in Skyview Shopping Plaza and joins the likes of its sister restaurants, Oiden and Mappen. Dera-uma exclusively offers Tamago-Toji rice bowls and with so many different protein options to choose from you'll be hard-pressed to make a decision. In addition, they specialise in the mix and match of Japanese-style gourmet salads with the ability to choose from a selection of fillings, toppings and dressings.

Salad counter

The salad is prepared in front of you once you hand in your order form at the cashier.

Cashier and drinks area

Tempura

Left: Mugi-cha Right: Green tea

Wagyu beef salad with wasabi dressing

Curry and beef hamburger steak with cheese and ontama egg

Toji-chicken katsu bowl (regular) $7.50

Blaq Piq can be found a stone's throw from Cafe Cre Asion which is widely known for its premium quality matcha dessert creations and drinks. Blaq Piq was a stark contrast against the dull monochromatic buildings on Alberta Street with its vibrantly modern interior and adequate outdoor and indoor seating available.

DT and I visited on a Saturday at around 11am and the place was buzzing with people as expected but it wasn't necessary to wait for a table which earned a silent hooray from me. The service we received was quite prompt and attentive and no issues were experienced. 

The menu

For drinks, I went for the iced green tea latte as the weather was quite muggy and I wanted something cold to combat it. 

Iced green tea latte $6

My iced green tea latte was perfect, not too icy and full of matcha flavour. It was only very subtly sweetened so for the people who are not particularly fond of bitter green tea drinks it may not be enjoyed to the same extent.


Some sugar syrup was provided though which meant we were given the option to customise the sweetness to our liking and that was the point of difference from Cre Asion.

Twice cooked pork belly $17

The first thing I couldn't help but notice was the amount of salad relative to the slices of pork belly. With only three meagre slices I was already sceptical, especially considering the price. My thoughts on the dish may be considered unfairly harsh with the reason being that I dislike rocket due to its overpowering bitterness but truth be told, there was too much of it on the plate and no redeeming dressing to cut that bitterness and as a result lingered unpleasantly on my tastebuds. The pork belly itself was pretty underwhelming to say the least, it could have really done with more flavour and adding to that it was surprisingly dry despite it being slow-cooked so perhaps we caught the dish on one of its off-days. The couple of 63C eggs on the side was overly generous as I didn't think it went well with the pork belly, too many rich textures and not enough seasoning so it didn't bode well when there was also pumpkin puree making an appearance. I really don't have any good things to say about it and was left feeling severely disappointed.

Wagyu corned beef $18

At least this dish was executed well with a better balance of textures and flavours but not outstanding. The lotus buns were amazingly soft and pillowy though and noticeably sweet if compared to normal baos which worked in its favour with the tender and salty corned wagyu beef and further balanced out by the creamy pan-fried 63C egg and overflowing hollandaise sauce.

With my first bite I immediately likened it to the taste of a Bacon and Egg McMuffin but with a sweeter bun. I do enjoy McMuffins so it was most certainly a good thing for me. Although for the price we paid it would have been more acceptable if the serving was three buns instead of two.

Pandan buttermilk pancakes $16

After such a lacklustre experience from the pork belly the gorgeous and colourful presentation of these pandan pancakes was a welcoming sight and even more so since green is one of my favourite colours. Pictures of this dish have been popping up constantly on my social media and not only were they pretty to photograph and admire they were sure yummy too.

Pouring the salted coconut sugar syrup

The aroma of pandan that wafted through was apparent in the pancakes but not strong either. The pancakes were delightfully soft and fluffy and were sweetened by the delicious creamy coconut ice cream and the salted coconut sugar syrup which you can drizzle less or more of depending on your taste. The fruits served to add extra colour and sweetness in particular the mango cubes which were perfectly ripe. I also loved the nata de coco which had an addictive chewy texture to them.

I have mixed feelings about Blaq Piq but would consider giving it another chance to try out the other items on their menu. I would return for those pancakes and their matcha drinks though.