La Société Bar & Café

It has been a while since I've had the chance to organize a large-ish group dining event, but finally, holiday season 2023, I had the opportunity, the first time post-Covid.  I had a work group of 35 to accommodate, with all the standard dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc).  Our biggest constraints were the date (we had no flexibility, and it fell *right* in the middle of busy December holiday season) and budget (fairly frugal).  When I started reaching out to restaurants months in advance, >50% were already booked, and another 30% were over budget (either due to F&B minimums or set menus with too high of a price point).  I had limited choices, and it took some effort, but I found a venue to bring my group to: La Société Bar & Café, a French restaurant located in the Hyatt.

This was my first visit to La Société, but it had been on my list for a while (in particular, for their duck liver mousse, their tarte flambeé, and other classic French dishes with great sauces (mmm, butter and cream!).  The restaurant was remarkably easy to work with, and it is clear they do large events all the time.  Securing our date was easy, group dining menus and options were clearly communicated, the service staff were adept at handling groups.  Definitely a good choice on these dimensions.

The logistics worked out well, but I'm not sure I'd go back with a large group myself.  The food was all fine but not great, a notch above standard wedding quality catering, but not particularly good.  The private room was nice as a space, but really quite loud.  Overall, I'd consider it a success, but would pick somewhere else in the future for a group.  I'm still interested in returning as a regular diner however to try the duck liver mousse and other desserts in particular. 

Private Room.

Our event was held in a large private room in the back, set with two long tables.

The tables were attractive marble, the chairs more comfortable than average.  The room had basically no noise dampening, which made it extraordinarily hard to hear even the people seated directly next to, or across from, each of us.  All hard surfaces - the floor, walls, ceiling, tables.  A nice space on some dimensions, but, wow, the noise level was extreme, and we were not a particularly noisy bunch.

La Société Classic Experience Menu. $98/pp.

Due to our budget constraints, we picked the least expensive group dining option available, the La Société Classic Experience.  

This menu offers a choice of two salads to start (but we had to pick one that everyone would get), a choice of 4 main dishes (we could pick 3 to offer), and a choice of three desserts (but again, we could only pick a single option). The printed menu came with the selections we had pre-chosen listed, along with our custom logo on top.  Salads, mains, and desserts were individually plated, the side dishes shared family style.  All dishes come from their regular menu.

Upgrades were available to this menu to offer a steak option ($15 pp for hanger or $20 for filet), or to add appetizers, but we did not add any of these things.  The "Signature Experience" is their next tier of menu, at $148 per person, that adds in more exciting starter choices, and additional course.

The restaurant handled our group very well.  There were enough servers to make sure our glasses were always refilled, be it with water or wine, and for those ordering cocktails, they were offered additional ones, or something else.  Plates were cleared efficiently between courses.  Service flowed fairly well, starting with drinks, then the bread and salad course soon after.  There was a slightly longer lag before main dishes and desserts than I'd prefer, but partially that was just because it was the end of a long day.  We had a few people leave before dessert, but the entire meal was completed in 2.5 hours.  Main dishes were served with specific silverware for each dish (e.g. sharp knife for those who ordered the pork chop, etc), and were brought out in quick succession, starting with the most common dish (pork), moving on to the next (chicken), and finishing with the vegetarian option, and then the side dishes.  I didn't see them get anyone's order wrong.

Here Figgy Figgy. $17.

"Brothers bond bourbon, fig shrub, lemon, tonic."

To get started, I ordered a cocktail off the regular menu.  I was drawn in by the bourbon and figs.  Others followed my lead and ordered the same.

It came attractively garnished with a full fig, and a sprig of ... rosemary?  It turned out more fruity than I was expecting.  I wanted to taste more bourbon, less fruit.  It was fine, and interesting, but, just not quite what I was looking for.  ***.

Interestingly, two of my co-workers who ordered the same had no fig garnish on theirs, so, consistency was a bit of an issue.

One65 Traditional Baguette / Salted French Butter. $8.

Our meal began with warm bread for the table, served soon after we had all ordered our drinks and settled in.

I was looking forward to the baguette, as One65 is well known for their quality French baked goods, but, my co-workers said it was sourdough, so I skipped it.  I still just don't like sourdough (such a bad San Franciscan!).

The presentation was lovely though, and it sounded nicely crusty as folks broke into it.

First: La Société Salad. $15.

"Radish, green apple, ricotta salata, tarragon-dijon vinaigrette."

Next up, served right after the bread, we all started with the exact same salad, their namesake salad.  It featured big uncut pieces of red leaf lettuce, a few tiny bits of radish, thinly sliced green apple, a bit of ricotta salata, and a vinaigrette.

Regular readers of my blog will know how I feel about vinaigrettes (can't stand them!), and I hoped it would come with dressing on the side, but alas, it came dressed.  I didn't want to be complicated and specifically ask for it on the side, but I wished I had.

The lettuce was crisp and fine, and I wished for far more radish and ricotta salata, and could do without the green apple, but the real issue for me was the dressing, as expected.  It did have a nice dijon tang, and wasn't necessarily overdressed, but, some pieces were pretty laden with it, and I just didn't care for it.  If you don't mind vinaigrette, I think this was a fine, basic salad, but for me it was a big "meh". 

** due to taste, probably a *** for most.

Acquerello Carnaroli Risotto. $29.

"Butternut squash, maitake mushroom, parmigiano reggiano."

Vegetarians had the token risotto dish.  It made me wish I liked risotto, as I do really like butternut squash, and the maitakes perched on top were so inviting.  The one vegetarian I asked said it was really good.

Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop. $39.

"Potato mille-feuille, spring onions, sauce charcutière."

The majority of the group went for the pork chop, which is one of La Société's most well reviewed dishes.  I was glad we were able to offer it to them, and I nearly went for it myself, having seen the photos and great reviews.  Plus, I was very drawn in to the sides.  But, although I like a few bites of pork from time to time, I'm not one to dig in to a big pork chop.  

I did get to try a bite, compliments of a co-worker who was willing to share.  I was impressed with the execution.  The pork was perfectly juicy, and really well seasoned.  It honestly didn't need the sauce, and I say this as a serious sauce person.  The sauce was fine, but tasted a bit basic.  The pork though, cooked beautifully.

I didn't get to try the potato mille-feuille, although it looked as great as I thought it would be, layers of super thin crispy potato, nor the spring onions, that looked expertly grilled.  Some diners got two portions of the spring onions, and others only one, so again, not entirely consistent.  The pork chops varied in size and thickness, although that is to be expected.

Overall, a very good dish, and everyone who got it seemed pleased.  Impressive to pull off at our group size.  **** on execution of the pork, ***+ overall as the sauce actually took it down a notch for me.

Pan Roasted Petrale Sole. $39.

"Leek cream, cauliflower mushroom, crispy kataifi, scallion oil."

Our set menu had the three choices of chicken, pork, or risotto, but I was able to order a pescatarian dish.

This dish didn't necessarily look very attractive, really quite beige, but the crispy kataifi on top were quite tasty, even if they made it look a bit messy.  They were crispy, starchy, and well seasoned.  I appreciated the salt level.  A touch annoying to eat politely with a fork, but my favorite part.

Under the mound of crispy was the fish.  A large piece, fairly mild white fish, petrale sole.  I found the texture a bit mushy, but that is generally how I feel about sole.  I'm never excited by it.  It wasn't fishy, and was seasoned fine.  

The sauce was leek cream, which seems like I'd adore it, but it had a flavor to it that I couldn't pinpoint, and didn't love.  Combined with the crispy things, it also made it overall a kinda heavy dish, which you don't expect from sole.

And finally, the cauliflower mushrooms, which I did really quite like.  Nicely sautéed, soft but with a bit of bite, and well seasoned.  And not a mushroom I see frequently anywhere really.

Overall, it was a fine dish, but not one I'd get again.  I was glad we had the additional sides, as it needed something like mashed potatoes to pair better with the sauce, and I really found myself wanting a lighter vegetable, and not just the mushrooms (even though I liked them).  ***.

Side: Pomme Purée. $12.

On the side we had classic pomme purée, or, you know, mashed potatoes.  The dish was attractively garnished with fresh chive and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was a totally acceptable version of mashed potatoes, a smooth style (pomme purée after all, not a rustic mash).  Thick but not gloopy.  Not particularly creamy, a bit rich, but, decent.  Reasonably well seasoned.  ***.

I also got a chance to try the pomme frittes, a special treat brought out for the birthday girl in our group (with a candle and everything!).  They were above average fries, a somewhat thick style, and really well seasoned.  In general, I found the salt level on everything quite appealing.  

Side: Seasonal Sautéed Vegetables. $12.

The seasonal vegetable side turned out to be just broccolini, one of my least favorite green vegetables, just because my cafe at work serves it all the time.  That said, they did a nice job with this, it was lightly smoky, had a bit of char, a touch of seasoning.  It was nicely crisp still, not too mushy.  About as good as broccolini will ever be for me.  Boring, but well executed.  ***.

Dessert: Classic Vanilla Bean Créme Brulée. $12.

"Fresh & preserved raspberries."

For group dining, we had to pick a single dessert for the group, from their selection of standard 3 desserts: classic créme brulée, warm apple tart tatin with vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate pot de créme.  As you may know, I have a label on my blog just for créme brulée, because I love it so much, but I actually advocated for the tart tatin, as I was really craving something like that.  I love a great warm dessert paired with cold ice cream.  But alas, I was overruled, and we went with the créme brulée, which truly was my second choice anyway, so I was still looking forward to it.

The créme brulée was solidly lackluster, but not bad exactly.  I think it was a decent *pudding*, and I do adore pudding, but, it wasn't a good créme brulée.  To start, the initial test of a créme brulée, the tap test.  As you can probably tell from the photo, this didn't have much of a beautiful bruléed top.  It was very very lightly torched, had no snap, and barely any caramelization.  It failed the tap test entirely.

The body of the créme brulée was smooth, creamy, well set.  Not grainy.  It lacked any particular flavor though, certainly no vanilla bean.  There were no visible specs either.  It was basically just a decent plain pudding, better than a Snack Pack certainly, but lacked any depth.

The fresh raspberries were fine, the bits of freeze dried raspberry were fine, and the mint garnish was really the most flavorful part.

So overall, yup, average pudding, not good créme brulée. **+.

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Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium, Sydney

Gyoza.  Beer.  Not really things I get excited for.  And yet in Sydney, a city where I have a very long list of places I'd love to try, or favorites I want to return to, I wound up at a place featuring those things: Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium.

"CELEBRATE LIKE YOU’RE IN JAPAN! Feast on our famous gyoza, share plates, cocktails and Japanese craft beer. Made for sharing with friends and family."

Harajuku is a chain of restaurants in Australia, with a few other locations.  The concept is basically gyoza, of all kinds, and definitely not the fillings (or toppings) you'd expect.  I guess they brew beer too.  Anyway, it wound up as a destination for my group of 17 when our original plan fell through, and we had no reservation, and a very limited budget, and needed to make something work.  And thus, this.

The positive thing I can say is that they managed to handle a walk in group of 17.  And it was pretty cheap.  But that is about all I have to say that was positive.  I did not enjoy the food, and would not return.

Setting

Harajuku Gyoza bills itself as a "Beer Stadium".  The do sorta have stadium seating, and they do have beer, but, the name implies a grandeur that this place does not have.

All ordering is done via tablets at the table, and dishes are fired as soon as you enter them (e.g. you don't put in your entire order and then submit), and come out haphazardly (e.g. if you order 2 of something, they may or may not come at the same time).  Besides delivering the dishes, service is essentially non-existent.  You even just take care of paying on the tablet when done, no human interaction.

Outside Seating.

Like many establishments in the Darling Quarter area, the restaurant has outdoor seating.  We were seated inside however, due to our large party size.  I failed to get a photo, but there is actual stadium seating, as in, different tiers.  We were on the ground floor, as were all other guests. 

Table Setting.

Tables were pre-set with plates, a small napkin, and disposable wooden chopsticks. 

No sharing utensils were brought out.  Dishes weren't cleared particularly quickly after we finished dining.  Like I said, basically, no service.

Drinks

Happy Hour went until 6pm, and we arrived at 5:55pm.  Great!  All happy hour drinks were $6.  The choices were a lager, some other beer, a cider, sparkling wine, sauvignon blanc, or pinot noir. 

A more extensive, and expensive, cocktail and beer menu was available, but we were being frugal, so only ordered from the happy hour list.  We had to fetch our own water jugs.

Happy Hour Pinot Noir. $6.

I went for the pinot.

It was boring, inoffensive, but not acidic nor tanic. No idea what it was.  The pour was *tiny* but, for $6, I guess that is expected? **+.

Sides / Shares

The entire menu is basically meant for sharing, but there are a few items called out as share plates to start with, including bao, ribs, spring rolls, chicken wings, chicken karaage, and more.

The group got a few fried carbs (fries, lotus chips), chicken wings, and a few vegetables I added on to our order, when I realized we were literally getting all carbs and fried food, and essentially no vegetables.  

Fries / Chips. $10.

I didn't try the fries, but people mostly seemed amused to try to eat fries with chopsticks.  Served with mayo.

Lotus Chips.

I didn't care about the fries, because I had eyes for something else.  Lotus chips! I got these because I love root veggie chips.  I hoped they'd be like the ones from my local favorite, Ume Burger.  These were available with regular or with shichimi salt, we opted for the later.

They were fine.  The shichimi salt was minimal, I didn't really taste much spice.  They were crispy.  Not too greasy.  Fine.  Not special, but not bad.  No better than what you could buy packaged though.

***.

Slaw with white sesame dressing. $8.

I wanted something light.  I wanted vegetables.  And I love slaw.  But somehow, this just wasn't very good.  It was literally just shredded cabbage.  With sesame seeds and some lightly flavored dressing.  Not even some shredded carrot, or even purple cabbage, to jazz it up.  Some corn, crispy wontons, anything would have helped it out.  It was extremely, extremely boring, and not particularly flavorful.  **+.

Chile, Garlic, Soy Edamame. $8.

I didn't try the edamame originally, as I wanted to fill my stomach with more interesting things, but as the meal went downhill and I realize I should have more protein, I finally went for them.  These are available in regular, spicy, or chile, garlic, soy versions, the later of which is what we got.

The edamame was actually pretty good, standard steamed edamame, but covered, absolutely covered, in a tasty spicy, garlicy sauce.  ***+.

Gyoza

The menu has more than a dozen gyoza, with a few more normal flavors like classic steamed pork gyoza, to truly crazy ones like fried cheeseburger, and everything in-between.  Most come with extensive toppings.   Some are poached, others grilled, and many deep fried.  All are available in portions of 5 or 8.

We order 7 different kinds.  For some reason, we skipped the basic pork gyoza, I think we all assumed someone had ordered them, but it turns out, we did not.  We got one of the chicken options, three vegetarian, two seafood, and of course the signature cheeseburger.  Of the ones I tried, only one was good, the rest were, well, not very good at all.

Classic Vegetable Gyoza Grilled (V). $14.

"Served grilled with ponzu sauce."

Vegetarians had three different options, we got all three.  

First up, the classic vegetable gyoza, with a green wrapper, and simple ponzu sauce.  They were steamed and then grilled (?) on one side (really, grilled? They looked just pan seared ...).  A nice light option, one of very few in that regard on the menu.

I didn't care for the filling, a very finely chopped pile of vegetable mush.  The wrapper flavor also didn't do it for me.  My second to last pick of the ones I tried, and I didn't want a second bite.  *+.

Shitake Mushroom Gyoza Grilled. (V) $19.

"Served grilled with ponzu sauce, tempura seaweed."

The slightly more unique vegetarian optoin was the shitake mushroom filled gyoza, again simply steamed/grilled, and served with ponzu, but these also had tempura seaweed on them.

These were a bit better, filled with minced mushroom, which was fine.  The wrapper was also fine.  Nothing special here, not really all that flavorful, but not offensive. **+.   

They ended up being my second favorite, because everything else was that much worse, but I didn't want a second bite of these either.

Crispy Mozzarella Gyoza (V). $19.

"Served crispy-fried with cheese dust and oregano."

The final vegetarian option was mozzarella cheese.  Yes, just filled with cheese.  And deep fried.  And coated with "cheese dust". 

I didn't try these, as I just wasn't in the mood for deep fried cheesy cheese, but people did seem to actually enjoy them. 

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Gyoza. $20.

"Served crispy-fried with buffalo and blue cheese sauce."

Continuing on the fried bar food theme was the fried buffalo chicken version.  Since I don't eat chicken, I didn't try these.  They had a blue cheese dipping sauce, mirroring chicken wing vibes.

The group also ordered actual chicken wings, which I failed to get a photo of, and no one seemed to like.  Most went unfinished.

There was another chicken option, poached lemongrass chicken gyoza, and another poultry option, also poached, with duck, but no one selected those.

Crispy Cheeseburger Gyoza. $19.

"Served crispy-fried with ketchup, mustard, pickles."

More fried heavy foods ... cheeseburger gyoza.  Now, these I was actually looking forward to.  I'm all for Asian fusion fried cheeseburger inspired foods.  The cheeseburger spring rolls at Ms. G's I truly adore.  I had such hope for these.

But ... those hopes were dashed within one bite.  They were fried, over fried it seemed.  Very dark, very greasy.  Not that you could really tell, as they were smothered in cheap ketchup, mustard, and relish.  I love sauces and toppings, but this was too much.  Inside was ground beef, which I guess was fine, but I didn't taste any cheese.  

These tasted like bad fried food, coated in too much generic condiments.  Nothing redeeming here. They ranked just barely above the vegetable ones, in third to last place, and again, didn't want a second bite.   *+.

Takoyaki Gyoza Grilled. $19.

"Served grilled with okonomi sauce, mayo, bonito flakes."

Moving into the seafood options, the first ones I had picked, takoyaki.  I love takoyaki, I love okonomiyaki, I thought these would be a star.

The dish arrived looking pretty good.  Yup, all the classic takoyaki/okonomiyaki toppings.  But much like the ketchup/mustard/relish from the cheeseburger ones, the sauces just were not good.  They seemed cheap.  The flavors fell flat, the okonomi sauce too salty, the mayo plain.  And there was too much of it, and I say this as someone who generally loads her okonomiyaki up with tons of sauces.  Kewpie mayo this was not, that much is for sure.

But they got worse with the insides.  I expected, well, takoyoaki.  Bits of octopus.  Some light chew, some gooeyness.  I honestly do not know what was inside of these.  It was entirely ground/minced.  It did not taste like seafood, although it was hard to taste anything beyond the sauces.  Catfood filled gyoza smothered in not good sauces.  Another fail.  I couldn't stomach a second bite of these.  The worst I tried.  *.

Prawn Gyoza Grilled. $20.

"Served grilled with ginger and spring onion dressing."

After all those fails, we finally had one that was ok.  Not amazing, not worth going there for, but, not awful.  Simple prawn gyoza, the same steamed/grilled style as the earlier vegetarian ones.  These were fairly large gyoza.

The wrappers were a good thickness.  They seemed fairly fresh.  Cooked well, not slimy, not stuck together.  The seared (or grilled?) edge was lightly crispy.  The filling was actually seasoned, simple minced prawn (not a juicy succulent whole prawn), and I think water chestnut, not too fishy.  The sauce seemed to just be ponzu, but they said it was ginger and spring onion "dressing".  Anyway.  Decently well made, nothing offensive about these.  Served nice and hot.  The only gyoza that I did not actively dislike, but again, they weren't actually particularly good.  ***.

The final seafood options are garlic butter crab, which sounds pretty good but we somehow failed to get, and an odd sounding open faced smoked salmon version.

Dessert

After a meal of such duds, you'd think I'd just give up, but ... you know me and dessert.  Plus, the dessert menu actually did sound good, in particular, had one unique dish I did want to try: air cheesecake!

Ferrero Rocher Gyoza. $10.

"Crispy gyoza filled with a whole Ferrero Rocher topped with chocolate and hazelnuts."

To please the crowd, I got the Ferrero Rocher gyoza, even though I wasn't going to have one due to caffeine at night.  I heard no reviews, so, sadly, I have nothing to share here about them.

Raindrop Cake. $6.

"Traditional Japanese Dessert. Clear Jelly served with Kinako Soy Bean Powder and Brown Sugar Syrup."

Ok, so I know raindrop cakes are a thing.  Not a thing I've had any interest in, but, I know some people find them unique and fun.  So, we got one.  It came with brown sugar syrup at the base, and soy powder.

The "cake" was literally just plain clear gelatin.  It wasn't sweet.  It wasn't flavored.  It wasn't anything.  Just, plain, absolutely plain, jello.  In a dome shape.  Did it look cool? I guess?  But, wow, a blob of nothing.

The brown sugar syrup was like what you'd get with boba.  Sorta thick, sorta sweet, and mostly just confused people.  They all thought it was soy sauce, but not quite savory enough.  The soy powder served to further confuse, as it was quite savory, and did taste of soy, although folks thought it was sesame.

No one actually liked this, but they were amused trying it.  That is, all but one guest, who I tried to warn that it wouldn't be good, and he immediately lunged for his water glass, and anything else left around, to taste something else.

**.

Rainbow Air Cheesecake.

The air cheesecake is certainly a signature item, and is available in several styles, mostly with just a different sauce to drizzle over, like matcha.  I went for the "rainbow" version, which was for Sydney Pride weekend.  This meant ... topped with 100s & 1000s, and served with the same brown sugar syrup as the other desserts.

So what is "air cheesecake"?  Well, basically, a mound of whipped cheesecake.  Sorta a hybrid between cheesecake and whipped cream.  Which, if you know me, you know is not something I'll complain about.  It was fairly light, it had reasonable cream cheese flavor, was lightly sweet.  "Is this just whipped sweetened cream cheese?", one of my co-workers asked.  I think yes, but again, that isn't a bad thing, although it got pretty one-note after a few bites.  

The 100s & 1000s added a nice crunch, but were minimal texture-wise.  I think something else crunchy/crispy would greatly enhance the eating experience.  The brown sugar syrup was the same as the previous dish, basically just like boba syrup.  Fine, but not something that really enhanced it.

I was happy to eat more than my own share of this, because I like creamy desserts and this wasn't bad, but, much like the prawn gyoza, I definitely wouldn't say its worth going there for.  ***.

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Fiorenzo, Orlando

I was recently in Orlando for a conference at the *massive* Orange County convention center, and had one opportunity to go out with my more direct work group, about 45 people (the conference had 30,000+ attendees, for reference). We were looking for a venue that could handle a group our size, could accommodate vegans, was reasonably priced, and nearby.  A tall order, particularly as we decided to do the dinner just the week before.  One member of our group took to organizing, and was about to lead us to Cheesecake Factory (which, don't get me wrong, has its hits), but it would require 15-20 minute cab rides, and I hoped to find something more easily accessible.   I did a super quick search, not having time to really devote to this, but also not wanting to step on toes of the person who stepped up to wrangle us, and one place did show up: Fiorenzo.  An Italian Steakhouse.

Fiorenzo is located in the Hyatt Regency, adjacent to the Convention Center, and actually, the site of many of our breakout sessions.  Location was as good as it could get, without being conference center catering on-site.  They also had a private room that could seat us.  Um, ok, yes, location, fantastic.  But what about the food?  Well, hmm, 4 stars on Yelp, and generally good reviews from regular diners and others who had been to events there alike.  Far above average for a hotel it seemed.  The menu sounded great too - all your steakhouse heavy hitters of course, including add-ons of scallops or foie gras (!), which I hadn't had in ages.  They also had a large Italian menu with pastas and flatbreads.  Again, all with good reviews.  And plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.  It sounded great.  That said, the steakhouse did have a fairly high price point, but ... they participate in an Orlando-wide program in September called Magical Dining, offering up 3 course menus for $40, with choices for each.  Now that sounded beyond perfect.  Location as close as can be, solid food, reasonable price?  We were in.

Fiorenzo was obviously adept at large receptions and groups, taking orders and delivering courses with ease.  I had to leave early because I had a meeting I couldn't miss, and when I mentioned this to my server, he prioritized my dishes - I got my first course first, I got my main course while others were finishing their starters, and he gave me my dessert to go, along with a container and takeout bag for my extra food.  Way above and beyond what I expected.  For a big group, service was really quite good, and they handled my special needs with ease.

The food was solidly lower end average, and what you'd expect from wedding or event sit down catering.  Nothing bad, nothing great, but the venue really was a great fit for our group.

Group Menu.

Because we had a large group, we were provided with a set menu.  We had no choice of starter or dessert.  For the main dish, we had a choice of florentine chicken, swordfish piccata, or wagyu beef bolognese.

Vegetarians and vegans had a separate, entirely vegan, menu - a different salad, choice of two entrees (veggies or vegan meatball), and vegan cheesecake.  The vegetarians who weren't vegans lamented their choices, I overheard several mentioning that they like cheese and cream!

I had thought we were going to be able to do do the special "Magical Dining" menu, which has 4 choices to start (two salads, a flatbread, or their signature meatball), 4 mains (including the chicken dish we had, but also their tasty looking bucatini carbonara), and two desserts (yes, salted caramel budino!!!), and I was quite looking forward to it.  That menu really does seem like quite a deal, priced at $40 per person, and all of the dishes are found on their regular menu, usually around $60 for those options.

Focaccia & Oil.

To get started, we were provided with baskets of focaccia & a pot of olive oil.  The olive oil looked decent quality, and I think there were two kinds of focaccia, one more plain, one herby.  Since I had just come from a reception with food, I skipped this.  No one else at the table commented on it, and only one person tried it.

Starter: Caesar Salad.

"Baby romaine | anchovy powder | roasted garlic ciabatta crouton | shaved parmesan | classic dressing."

For our first course, we had no choice. A Caesar salad it was.  I was a bit let down because, although I do like Caesar salad, I was eyeing the "Fiorenzo wedge" with marinated tomatoes, crispy panchetta, and more. That salad is also one of the several starter options on the Magical Dining menu, so I assumed we'd have that choice.  Alas, a regular Caesar it was for us.  The vegans/vegetarians had a much better looking salad, the "Market Salad", with more toppings: kalamata olives, baby heirloom tomatoes, shaved red onion, cucumber, white beans, and a balsamic dressing.

Anyway, the salad was ok.  I did like the use of baby romaine, that was a bit novel.  The lettuce was quite crisp and fresh. I didn't detect the anchovy powder, but the dressing did seem to have a slight fishiness to it (that I like, as I adore anchovies).  It wasn't tossed with dressing, rather, just drizzled, and wasn't over dressed.  The parmesan was parmesan.  The only thing that really stood out was the croutons, they actually were pretty good, nice garlic flavor, great crunch.  It was entirely unseasoned, and required copious amounts of pepper applied at the table (luckily, we had a pepper mill on the table).

I'd call this a solidly average Caesar salad, with slightly interesting base lettuce and croutons, and slightly annoying to eat given the large pieces and need to cut and distribute the dressing.  It left me really wanting for some shard red onion to contrast, and some juicy tomatoes.  But, yes, traditional Caesar it was.  ***.

The regular menu has this for $14, I'm not sure if it is a bigger portion there. 

Main: Swordfish Piccata? Or Seasonal Fish (Swordfish).

"Seasonal vegtables | Lemon caper butter sauce | Salsa verde." or maybe ... "Pea purée | peas | carrots."

I was a little surprised when my main dish showed up.  Yes, it was swordfish, but it sure did not look like any piccata I've ever seen.  Yes, it may have had "seasonal vegetables", but, where was the lemon caper butter sauce?  What about the salsa verde they mention?  There was none of either of these elements.

The regular menu, and the Magical Dining menu, both have a "Seasonal Fish", which I had been told was swordfish that day, served with pea puree, peas, and carrots.  My dish certainly had all of those things, and then more.  I'm not sure if our menu was wrong, or if they gave me the other dish to help with my speedy exit?  I left before the others got their mains, so, I didn't see if anyone else actually got piccata sauce.

Anyway.  This dish, much like the Caesar, was hovering right below average.  Basically what you'd expect at a wedding or banquet, better than on an airplane.  The fish was cooked ok, a bit dry, but, without any sauce (lemon caper butter as promised or otherwise), it was even more dry.  The thick pea puree didn't help, it made it eat very, well, dry.  Like the Caesar, it was also completely unseasoned, and quite bland.  I added as much salt and pepper as I could, to both the fish and puree, and all the vegetables.

Speaking of those vegetables ... yeah, they weren't very good.  More in line with cafeteria food - cubes of carrots and peas mostly, with a few bits of asparagus and a few tomatoes. The tomatoes were nice as they added a tiny pop of acidity.  Again, though, the vegetables were entirely unseasoned, and entirely dry.  They weren't too mushy, but certainly weren't particularly fresh and crisp.  More (any) seasoning needed, and, wow, this dish needed a sauce.

On top was a mound of soggy greens.  Watercress maybe?  But so wilted, so soggy.  Dressed in something I guess, but I didn't detect any flavor.  The greens were pretty off putting in their sogginess.

**+ for the overall dish, although the fish itself was fine (***).

The regular menu has the seasonal swordfish dish for $32, and it is also a Magical Dining option.

Dessert: Tiramisu.

"Espresso angalise | chocolate sable."

For dessert, I was really looking forward to their signature salted caramel budino, as I adore puddings, or perhaps the seasonal fruit croustade with ice cream, but alas, we had only one option: tiramisu.  I really thought we'd have the budino, even if on a set menu, as it is the one on their Magical Dining menu too.

Since I had to leave for a meeting, AND I avoid caffeine at night, I asked for mine to go.  The restaurant handled this request with ease, providing it to me before the others even were served their main dishes.  It wasn't mangled when I got it, but, apologizes, I took the photo after I got back to my hotel, and it clearly suffered.

The menu description made this sound slightly non-traditional, with espresso anglaise and chocolate sable ... what I got was really a standard tiramisu.  Espresso soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cream ... there were certainly no chocolate sable cookies to be found, and the cream didn't seem espresso flavored ...

That said, it was a good traditional tiramisu.  The cake layers were well soaked, the cream rich, the balance of components just right.  Above average tiramisu, but just nothing like our menu said.  ***+. 

The regular menu has a different version of the tiramisu, with "creamy mascarpone | chocolate "croutons" | coffee reduction." for $10, but that sounds even more deconstructed than what we had, so I'm quite curious what that one is like.

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Mumu, Sydney

I finally returned to Sydney in August 2022, after nearly 2.5 years away.  I was there with a large group for a business trip, but had the opportunity to arrange a dinner for a smaller group of 10 of us.  I was prepared to make a booking at Ms. G's, one of my favorite (and fun!) places in Sydney, as I knew they did a great banquet setup, but alas, our dinner was for a Monday night, and Ms. G's, like many other restaurants, is not open on Mondays.

I started doing a bit of research, and pretty quickly knew exactly where I wanted to take the group.  A new restaurant from the Merivale group, with Chef Dan Hong (of Ms. G's, Mr. Wong, etc) at the backing: Mumu.  Located right in the Ivy, it was close by the hotel, not far from of the office, and seemed unique and fun ... much like Ms. G's, although with an entirely different focus.  Banquet menus for groups, a private room, and, well, done deal.  I made my booking for the private room easily online.

The theme is Southeast Asian street food, and I did worry it would be a bit too adventurous for the group, but, I think most people enjoyed it.  I'll gladly return.

Setting

"This inner-city hang-out (set within the ivy precinct) is the perfect place to drink, dance, and burn the midnight oil."

The main restaurant is, um, vibrant.  The music is loud, the vibe is frantic, and the single, large room with open kitchen area really is a bit overwhelming.  Not a place for a relaxed, quiet date night.  But a place to get drawn in by interesting cuisine, and have a good time?  Absolutely.

Private Room.

My group had a private room (I think Mumu has two), which was perfect.  The private room could seat 14, we had 10, which fit very comfortably.  We were able to ask to have the music lowered in our room, which was easily accommodated, and the staff shut the barn door, to really isolate us.  Sure, we missed out on the vibe, but, for our group, as part of a work function, this was a better fit.

We were a bit ignored, but I think that may be just kinda standard Sydney service.  Sure, our food was brought to us when it was ready, everything was served hot, but, we weren't checked on throughout the meal, ordering additional drinks took proactive work on our part, and getting the bill at the end of the night only happened when we physically just got up and left.  So, not the best service, but when the staff were interacting with us, it was well received.  The handled allergies and dietary preferences nicely.

Cuisine

The menu at MuMu jumps all over southeast Asia, hitting Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Vietnam, in a playful way, somewhat focusing on street foods.

The regular menu at MuMu is broken into 4 savory categories, plus dessert: To Start (small, mostly individual, bites), Raw/Salad/Small Plates, Seafood & Meat, and Vegetables/Rice/Noodles.  Each category is fairly large, with a variety of cuisines featured.  One could easily eat a light, refreshing meal if they pleased, or could go carb heavy and focus on noodles and rice dishes, or go big and pick all spicy cuisine, etc.  The menu really lets you choose your own adventure.

Banquet Menu. $88/pp.

For groups, two banquet menus are available (required for groups of 10+).  "Groups" can be just two people, so the banquets really are accessible to all group sizes.  Both banquet menus are made up of 12 dishes, with the cheaper option priced at $88 per person, the more premium one at $148.  They share a number of the same dishes, but, the pricier option does include lobster, scallops, and larger desserts.  Both banquet menus draw entirely from the regular menu, no special dishes are offered just as part of the banquet.

For my group, I selected the cheaper of the banquets.  We had 10 diners, 3 of whom were vegetarian, plus another who doesn't eat red meat, and another pescatarian, so I reached out to the restaurant in advance to better understand our options, as the online menus didn't really have much for vegetarians.  I was pleased to find that they actually have vegetarian equivalents of nearly every dish, so my vegetarians would not be left out at all.   

Banquet Feast.

We had a lovely feast.  Themes throughout the meal were strong (but balanced!) flavors, tons of texture, and dishes that were just actually fun to eat.  I'd gladly return, and would love to try a la carte instead of banquet dining another time.  The banquet menu was very reasonably priced for a large amount of quality food.

To Start 

Our banquet menu contained only one item from the To Start section of the menu, but, it was probably the dish I was most excited for.  The betel leaves.  I have such a fondness for stuffed betel leaves, having discovered them at Longrain (also in Sydney) many years ago.  If Mumu's version was anything like my beloved betel leaves, I'd be happy and declare the meal a success, no matter what came next.  The regular menu also has other light, mostly single bite, offerings like oysters, prawn sashimi, grilled scallops on the half shell, and their version of a play on larb.  I'd love to try the grilled scallops sometime.

The betel leaves arrived first, slightly ahead of the next dishes. 

Betel Leaves.

"Sweet pork, dried shrimp, macadamia, salted lime, finger lime, ginger, scud chilli, lemongrass."

This is a classic Thai dish.

This was a new dish for most people, so I quickly gave a little description of how to eat these, and people slightly apprehensively dug in.  For the unfamiliar, the idea of rolling this thing up (yes, you DO eat the leaf!) and taking a big bite was a bit odd, but I assured them they'd want to take as big of a bite as possible, to try to get all the bits at once.

Mumu's version was decent.  The leaf was fresh and crisp, and the filling was a mix of all the flavors (sweet, sour, etc) and textures, that make this a generally good dish.  I didn't necessarily taste the distinct components, but, there were sour notes, crunchy bits, and it was enjoyable enough, although I somewhat wanted a sauce to dunk it into.  

A nice start to the menu, it somewhat prepared the palette for what was to come next.  I wouldn't really seek it out again though.  ***.  5th pick of the savories for me.

$7 each on the regular menu.  The vegetarian version had tofu in place of the pork/shrimp.

Raw, Salads and small plates

Next we move into more starters, and our menu had 4 from this category, about half of the restaurant's offerings.  I liked the lineup, although would love to try the grilled calamari too.

These all arrived just after the betel leaves, and our table was quickly full of share plates.

Prahok Ktis.

"Spicy pork and fermented fish dip, pea eggplants, seasonal crudités."

This is a Cambodian dish, one I wasn't familiar with previously, but, was very interested in trying.  I love fermented fish, I like spice, I love dips ... it sounded right up my alley.  It also kinda scared a lot of people, as it was just so different from anything they had ever had before.

I loved it.  The flavors were intense.  It was spicy.  It was funky.  It was creamy and it had bits of texture.  It excited my mouth in so many ways.  I couldn't get enough of it.

Dish of the night for me, although it didn't generally seem to be a crowd pleaser.  I think just a bit too odd for most folks?  Even better for me though, as I gladly took all the leftover.

****+.

Prahok Ktis: crudités.

I'll admit though that the crudités served with the dip were a bit strange.  Served on ice.  And rather precious looking.  The assortment was green beans, cucumbers, endive, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes, all a bit awkward to dunk.  And the ice presentation was just ... well, different.  The veggies were fresh and crisp, not much more to be said for them.

The dip worked with crudités, but I immediately got to thinking all the other ways I wanted to try it.  It was rich, and the flavor so intense, that I don't think just eating it by the spoonful would be great, but I could imagine filling a lettuce wrap with it and enjoying it that way.  Or stuffing into bread like a sandwich.  As a dip, it was fine, but I think it could be enjoyed so many ways. 

$24 on the regular menu.

The vegetarian option for this course was a collection of spicy sambals with krupuk, so they too had a spicy dip and thing to dip into it.  If I hadn't been so distracted by loving the fermented fish/pork version, I would have loved to try theirs too.

Salmon.

"Jalapeno nam jim, fried shallots, herbs, lemongrass, lime leaf."

A lighter offering, and one more friendly to most, was the raw salmon.  The salmon seemed fresh, had good firm and not chewy texture, and was diced in reasonable bite sized cubes.  I of course loved the crispy fried shallots on top.

People seemed to like this, it was easily finished.  I found it a bit boring, compared to the other dishes, but this is likely a good safe choice for many.

***.  6th pick for me.

$27 on the regular menu.  The vegetarian offering was the same thing, but with sweet corn instead of salmon.

Crispy Rice Salad.

"Herbs, green papaya, jellyfish, snake beans, chilli, peanuts, tamarind."

The final starter that came in this bunch was a crispy rice salad, that also confused most.  It looked like fried rice, but was cold.  But, most people really enjoyed it.

Like the betel leaf, this was a mix of many different textures and flavors.  For texture, there was crisp snake beans, fresh herbs, somewhat slimy shredded papaya and the jellyfish, and tons of additional crunch from the generous amount of peanuts on top.  And then of course the crispy rice.  Fresh and crunchy and really quite fun to eat.  There was a bit of spice to it too.

Some in the group were apprehensive about the jellyfish, but, it really wasn't scary in this form.  Yes, there were slimy bits, but you could pretend were just glass noodles instead of jellyfish, and be quite happy.  Everyone really liked how crispy the rice was.  

My third favorite of the savories, and a unique and enjoyable dish.  ***+.

$21 on the regular menu.  Vegetarians had a similar salad, with I think tofu instead of jellyfish.  Mumu has also served a version of this in the past with smoked pork instead of jellyfish.

DIY Sweet potato and school prawn fritters.

"Lettuce, herbs, pickles, dill nuoc cham."

Our last item from this section arrived 10 minutes after the others, which was good pacing.  We'd all gotten to sample and go back for more of the previous cold dishes, and then our first hot dish arrived.  The DIY fritters.

This one was another stretch for folks ... the servers told people how to eat it (take a lettuce wrap, add herbs, add a fritter, add pickled stuff, dunk in sauce), but it still seemed complicated.  Most people ended up just taking a fritter, not the lettuce wrap/herbs, and cutting it up and eating it with a fork and knife.  Which, is fine, but not quite what the restaurant was intending.

Anyway, the fritters were good.  Super crispy, freshly fried but not oily.  They were made up of shredded sweet potato and small whole prawns.  The sweet potato flavor was dominant, the prawns more just for crunch than any real flavor.  Basically, imagine ... hash browns but made with sweet potato, and deep fried.

DIY Sweet potato and school prawn fritters: Wrapped!

I did make mine into a wrap, with the fresh crisp lettuce wrapper, some assorted fresh herbs, a bit of the pickled stuff, and the nuoc cham.  It reminded me of Vietnamese imperial rolls in that way.  The fresh veggies did lighten it up, and the acid from the pickle also complimented the fried nature, but I think I probably would have liked it more as some of the others enjoyed it, just on its own, and actually, with some kind of aioli.

A satisfying dish and it was nice to have something crispy and fried at this point in the meal.  My fourth favorite bite of the meal.  ***+.

$24 on the regular menu.  The vegetarian version was basically identical, just sweet potato only, no prawns.

Seafood and Meat

Now we are getting into the main dishes, seafood and meat heavy.  We had one seafood (prawns), one meat (lamb), plus a chicken dish.   There was a lull of about 20 minutes after the fritters before the mains came out.

The full menu has additional seafood (grilled Murray cod, pipis, and grilled rock lobster), and more meat (pork spare ribs, grilled beef short ribs).  I'll admit that I wasn't really thrilled with the banquet offerings here - I loathe lamb, dislike chicken, and, of all the seafood dishes, the prawns would be my last choice.  The more expensive banquet did have lobster instead of prawns, pork spare ribs instead of chicken, and beef short ribs instead of lamb, all of which I'd definitely prefer, but, I also knew we'd have plenty of food with all the previous (and next) dishes, that I didn't bother substitute anything.

King Prawns.

"Wok-fried, chilli, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, brown butter."

First up, giant king prawns.

Ok, this was delicious.  I honestly didn't expect all that much from the dish, and yup, I knew it would be a pain to eat, but ... wowzer.  Fantastic.  I'm so glad I had it.

The prawn was incredibly juicy, succulent, and perfectly cooked.  The huge size made it eat more like lobster than any prawn I've ever had before, and honestly, I think it was likely the best prawn (or shrimp, etc) I've ever had.  Um, and better than most (any?) lobster I've had too.  They just nailed the preparation of this.

And then of course there was brown butter and fish sauce, and yes, this thing was most definitely very well coated (poached?) in brown butter.  It was infused throughout the whole shell.  A bit of kick from chilli, a bit of funk from the fish sauce, and, well, it was just perfect, at least to me.

Second favorite dish of the night, barely behind the fermented fish dip.  I think the former wins just due to the uniqueness, but this was very, very good.  ****+.

$40 for 4 on the regular menu, which seems entirely appropriate given how phenomenal it was.  Our vegetarian guests had an additional vegetable group in this dish's place, squash.

Crispy Skin Chicken.

"Lemongrass salsa, Vietnamese mint."

I don't like chicken, so I didn't bother try it, particularly when everyone said it was fairly lackluster.  "Its the kind of chicken that makes Julie not like chicken", is what one diner said. Most of the chicken went unfinished, definitely the least favorite dish for everyone.

$21 for a single piece, $39 for two, on the main menu.  The vegetarians had crispy fried tofu instead.

Lamb Cutlets.

"Angie Hong's marinated and grilled, chilli relish, lime."

I don't cafe for lamb either, so I also skipped the lamb, but everyone else really enjoyed it.  "The lamb is really good", was murmurer up and down the table.  Let's just say, multiple people were more than happy to claim mine.

$46 for 4 on the main menu.  The vegetarians had crispy eggplant in a black vinegar that looked pretty incredible, like ribs almost.  I wanted to try it, but alas, they kinda devoured that one.

Vegetables, Rice and Noodles

And finally, the veggies/rice/and noodles. Our menu had only one veggie and one rice dish, no noodles.  The regular menu has additional vegetarian offerings (such as crispy eggplant that I did actually want to try), other rice dishes, and several noodles.  Both banquets have the same offerings here.

Seasonal Asian Greens.

"Wok-fried, enoki mushrooms, garlic, fermented chilli."

Every banquet needs a token vegetable.  That is what this kinda felt like.  I think only two or three of us even tried it.  People just weren't excited for a random green vegetable.

I thought it was fine, good flavors from the sauce, but, it was just veggies.  Good to round out the meal I guess.  ***.

One of the cheaper dishes, $19 on the menu.

Nasi Goreng.

"Spanner crab, cuttlefish, garlic crackers, fried egg."

Suddenly, we were in Singapore!  Nasi goreng.  Or, as everyone at the table said, "oooh, fried rice!  With an egg on top!".  I'm not really a rice girl, but I tried it.  It was ... well, fried rice.  I wanted to steal some crab and cuttlefish from it, but I couldn't really find any, they were tiny little bits.  For me, this was just not my thing, but I did like the rice crackers.  

Everyone seemed hesitant to take the single egg (one for each platter of this, so we had several).  When they went entirely unclaimed at the end, I took one to try.  The egg was fascinating.  I'm not sure how they cooked it really, the white was kinda puffed up, and very fried on the bottom, making it almost liked a fried tofu puff if that makes any sense.  There was far more egg white than there should be for a single egg ... at least, it seemed that way.   Again, I don't understand how they did it.  The yolk was actually perfectly runny, I think people missed out by not cutting into this and letting it ooze all over the dish.

Multiple people offered to take the rice (but not the eggs!) home, so, it clearly was a crowd pleaser, even if not to me. **+.

A touch pricey at $34 on the regular menu, particularly given how little seafood it seemed to have.  The vegetarian version was the same, just with tofu instead of seafood.

Dessert

The $88 banquet menu normally comes with two desserts: watermelon and the "Bánh flan", the later of which actually sounds fabulous (it is a crème caramel, but served with coffee ice cream and coffee syrup), but since I avoid caffeine at night was a poor choice.  And, obviously, deathly watermelon allergy meant the watermelon was out.  I asked if we could swap to the desserts from the higher priced banquet menu (for a fee of course), both of which sounded great: pandan tres leches and a fun pine-lime coconut lychee sago soup?  Yes!  I'd even be happy with the other dessert option from the regular menu, durian ice cream, although I know that one can be a bit polarizing.

The desserts are normally $18 on the regular menu (or $8 for ice cream, $10 for watermelon).

The lag between our mains and dessert were substantial, nearly an hour (!).  Our main dishes were cleared, new plates brought out, more drinks ordered ... and we waited and waited.  One person decided to leave, they were just too exhausted to stay longer.  We waited some more.  Eventually the desserts came, and after being placed in front of us, we never saw our servers again (until we literally walked out, and they came after us to pay the bill of course).

Pandan Tres Leches Cake.

"Coconut, butterscotch, longan, macadamia."

I was excited for the tres leches, as I love pandan, but I honestly didn't taste any pandan in this.  It was a moist enough cake, and I liked the cream on top and the coconut and macadamia crumble, but, pandan it was not, and I also didn't find any butterscotch nor longan.

Fine, for a tres leches cake, but it lacked the southeast asian flair I was hoping for.  ***.

Pine-Lime Spliced Coconut Soup.

"Lychee, sago, jackfruit sorbet."

The second dessert was a better match for me.  A play on a pine-lime splice (classic Australian ice cream novelty item), crossed with an Asian style ice/coconut soup.

I liked this.  I actually didn't really find much sago, but there was lychee and jackfruit for sweetness and texture, refreshing shaved ice, citrus notes, and the jackfruit sorbet (which, really was just too sweet for me).

When I combined some of this with the whipped cream, macadamia, and coconut from from the tres leches, I had a pretty satisfying complete dessert.  On a hot day, I think this would be a real winner.

***.

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