Rockpool was fantastic. It remained a total surprise for the Snook up until we actually walked in the place. He said he didn’t figure I’d take him there, since it’s, like, “the best restaurant in Sydney.” (I didn’t know that. I just picked it because I recognized the name and it had a good rating.) He had sashimi and baked kingfish; I had salad and a steak. They also just kept bringing us little appetizers, like delicious cold zucchini soup and these little savory dumplings. The waiters were excellent, and I even managed to get one to tell me the secret of their salad dressing: “palm sugar”. (Whatever that means.) We had fantastic wines with each course and I learned what a “sommelier” does (that’s my word for the day). Then dessert. I had the passionfruit soufflé and the Snook had the chocolate. He said, “This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted in my life.” It was a pricey evening (well over $100 US), but it was soooo worth it. If you’re ever in Sydney you should give it a try.
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Sorry to be so random, but I LOVE passionfruit. We always bring home some passionfruit butter (or is it more of a jam?) from Hawaii, and spread it on yummy food. Mike likes it on warm tortillas, while I prefer using it in a peanut butter sandwich.
Hey, randomness is good. As is passionfruit! I’d never had it until Mama Snook made me eat some last Christmas. Now I can’t get enough of it! Luckily you can get it everywhere here, even the fresh fruit.
Sydney sounds interesting…
I’m definitely going to have to visit that part of the world some day 🙂
I’m not too clear on the palm sugar thing either, Kris, but when Martha Stewart (you knew I’d work her in) had a trio of Australian chefs on her show a few months ago, one of them used it and said it was one of his key ingredients. It must be really hard to find in the States, because even Martha was unfamiliar with it, and that woman has about ten different types of salt in her kitchen!
And I’ve wanted to try passionfruit ever since your favorite gal Nigella spooned it all over a pavlova on her show. 🙂
You want me to send you a little can of passionfruit, Max? 🙂
We’re seriously going to reverse-engineer that salad dressing. It was like your basic vinaigrette, with olive oil and vinegar and lemon juice. But instead of being sour, it was really sweet and delicious. The palm sugar is the key sweetener, I guess.