Cool Mac - Kirribilli

Cool mac is a great japanese fusion cafe in Kirribilli that serves some amazingly tasty food. Home of what could be one of the best Udon’s on the North Shore (if not Sydney!). Very happy that you wife discovered and recommended we try this place - it’s fast become a favourite brunch spot.

Amazing Udon.

Situated in Kiribilli, Cool Mac is a little cafe that punches some solid japanese fusion dishes that make for an outstanding brunch.

One small thing you’ll note is that the interior space is kind of awkward.

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Menu (as of June 2019):

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Dengaku toast ($17.00)

eggplant, avocado, red miso, toast. (+ Onsen Egg, $2.50)

A japanese take on Avo toast, with amazing miso eggplant. I ordered this with the additional onsen egg (which comes on the side). I’ve had their previous menu ‘miso toast’ offering and knew it was amazing. This version, whilst lacking the meaty goodness of Charsu Pork (of the now discontinued menu item), was really tasty and good.

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Niku udon ($17.00)

soy braised wagyu beef, onsen egg, udon

(photo taken by my wife)

The udon at Cool Mac is a must try. It’s hard to explain how this unique wagyu udon has a perfect combination of flavours - but you’ll have to trust me. This is a perfect winter/autumn brunch meal option. Look around at the other tables and there is a good chance that you’ll spot it being enjoyed by other patrons.

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Mazesoba ($17.00)

dry ramen, soy braised stock to mix, pork belly, nori, egg, shallot, sesame

One of the special menu items that my wife occasionally orders - a dry ramen. I’m not a massive fan of dry ramen, I personally prefer the typical hot soupy version - but this dry ramen is always a hit with my wife. I guess it’s kind of like a japanese ramen/noodle version of a Korean bibimbap? you stir all the good items together and enjoy your tasty mixture.

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PRO:

• Udon is amazing

• All dishes tried are really tasty.

• Great coffee
  

CON:

• Limited seating space. Interior space could be reimagined for increased dining capacity.

• No highchairs for little ones (a new criteria that can make/break outings for parents).

• Parking can be a pain, as Kiribilli can be popular on weekends and decent parking zones are frequently taken.
  

OVERALL:

Cool mac is one of our regular places to go, and we are always happy to come back. Please do try the udon (or at least convince someone you are with to order it!)

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DETAILS:

Address = 2/34 Burton St, Kirribilli NSW 2061

Phone = (02) 9955 3087

Site: ‘Cool Mac’ Facebook Page

Map:

 

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccolini

I made this pasta last night and it was so good that I immediately had to share the recipe. My wife sent me a link and bought all the ingredients to make it - like a personalised Hello Fresh kit. It’s fairly quick and simple to make and yields a large amount of pasta.

Ingredients:

• .Orecchiette pasta, 500g

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (1 for cooking sausage, 4 for sauce)

• Italian sausages, removed from casings, 500g

• 5-10 garlic cloves, minced (or approx 2 tbsps worth)

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 bunch of broccolini (approx 2-3 cups worth), cut into small pieces

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes

• 3 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

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Method:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette pasta and cook according to package instructions (approx 10 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into pan and cook, breaking apart with a spoon (or kitchen scissors), until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any meat that might be stuck, until the broccoli is tender-crisp (approx 3-4 minutes).

5. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce. (Note: it will seem like a lot of oil & butter, but there is a large volume of pasta).

6. Drain the pasta well and add to pan. Stir through sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: you may need to adjust salt to taste).

7. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.

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Cooking the sausage

finished result (needed to add more chilli flakes!)

Pick your battles

One of my former bosses gave me a profound piece of advice that, over the years, has become increasingly valuable. It applies to not only the workplace but also in life - ‘pick your battles’. It's about knowing when to fight for something, and when to rethink your strategy. 

Photo by James Pond

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The concept is broken down into three aspects:

1. Can I win this fight?

This one is fairly simple - don't engage in battles you cannot win. Consider the situation, think about all the aspects, and be honest with yourselves - can you succeed? If not, then don't embark on a pointless endeavour.

I can share an example of this. I've had an instance in the past when there was going to be a change that impacted me, my department, my staff, and our area. I knew that this change was inevitable. It was coming from much higher up in the organisation than me or my boss and wasn't something we could change. There was no sense wasting time and energy fighting an unwinnable battle.

In this example I knew the best course of action was to not fight it, but to embrace the change. I was then able to look at the smaller details that I had control and influence over. I was never going to stop the change from happening - but I could mitigate and protect my staff.

2. Is it worth it?

Look at the battle and consider if you engage in it - will the result justify the efforts put in to win it? Instead of the common saying “the ends justify the means” look at the means and consider if the end is worth it. Do you feel passionately about it?

If you burn yourself out for two weeks on something, fighting a battle, and the end result is something small and trivial - did you really win? You could have used that time and effort doing something else.

3. If I win, what will be the outcome / impact?

This last one ties into the “is it worth it” concept a bit - but the idea is to consider the end impact and cost after the battle is over.

For example, if you proceed with a new project that had a limited benefit - but in the end, you ruin your good working relationship with another department because of how it impacts them, it may not be worth it. Did you have to call in all of your favours with a particular person to win? Did you really do what is best? Consider the end consequences.

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It applies to work and in life.

One thing that dawned on me As I considered this advice more is - this applies to life as well.

Think about the three aspects above and the idea of “picking your battles”. I am certain there are times in your life you can use those three criteria to help you decide when to fight and when to change tact.

Ben’s Beef Bulgogi (불고기)

Bulgogi is one of those simple Korean dishes that is easy to make, and serves as a basic introduction to Korean food. I personally would introduce people via Galbi Jjim, Kimchi Jjigae, or Korean BBQ - but Bulgogi is a good safe option for most people.

This is my recipe for Bulgogi - which is quick and simple to make, and yields leftovers. You may have/want to visit a Korean grocer/butcher for one or two items (you can ask the staff to help you citing the specific items).

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Ingredients:

• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced into slivers 

• 3 spring onions, chopped

• 5-6 cloves minced garlic

• 1/3 cup light soy sauce*

• 2 Tbs normal soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil*

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• ¼ tsp Korean red pepper flakes*

• 2 pinches black pepper

• 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds*

• 100g (or 1-2 cups) Shitake Mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 pack Enoki Mushrooms, sliced

• 500g of thinly sliced beef. (you can get this from a Korean butcher).*

• Vegetable oil (or rice bran oil).

*Korean Grocer:

The items marked with * are definitely going to be at a Korean grocer (with maybe the exception of the beef, you may need to look for thinly sliced beef - check Japanese grocers too!).

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Method:

1. Check beef, if it has excess blood or is partly frozen, place in a medium bowl and soak in water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, pepper, sesame seeds and stir, then add chopped ingredients; onions, green onions, mushrooms,

3. Add the sliced beef to the bowl and hand mix the beef with the bulgogi marinade for approximately 2 minutes. (Tip a food prep glove will help here).

4. If cooking the bulgogi immediately, allow the beef to soak in the bulgogi marinade for 15-30 minutes in the fridge before cooking. If you plan on cooking later, cover the bowl in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

5. To cook the bulgogi, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan.

6. Add half of the marinated bulgogi to the pan and cook in batches. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. The beef only needs about 3-4 minutes to cook. Watch the colour of the meat, once you no longer see raw/under cooked parts it'll only need about a minute more before you remove from heat. You need to be careful not to overcook.

7. Sample a small amount - you may want to adjust salt (via small amount of soy) or pepper.

8. Repeat this process with remaining batch.

9. Serve the bulgogi with steamed rice, topping with roasted sesame seeds

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Photo steps:

500g of thinly sliced beef

Soaking beef in water to remove excess blood

Bowl full of ingredients pre-beef

Hand mixing

Ready to marinate in fridge

Cooking on high heat, watching meat to see when raw parts brown

Almost immediately after meat is all brown, remove from heat and serve (remember not to over cook!)

Bonus photo - a completed Korean feast (additional Kimchis and Seaweed/Kim)

Firepop - Haymarket

You may have had lamb skewers before, but I bet you haven't had ones this good! New kid on the block ‘Firepop’ stands out in the hustle of Chinatown’s Friday night marketplace with a fantastic stall, fresh and high quality meat, and eye-catching signage. The brand and chain are fairly new on the scene - but already delighting people with their made to order flame cooked (hot coal BBQ) lamb skewers which are known as “pops”.

Note: They are currently only available on Friday nights between 4:00pm - 11:00pm.

The stall stands out on Little Hay Street among the generic stock standard ‘food stall’ neighbours.

Each pop (skewer) is made to order - which means a wait but the pay off is ‘'fresh off the flame’ lamb

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Disclaimer: In the spirit of honesty, and since it’s not likely to ever happen again, I should disclose that I am friends with the owners Ray & Alina. You may think this may be a biased review then, but if you knew me, that actually means I’m more likely to over-correct and be a harsher judge.

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MENU:

(Note: There are currently only two options to choose from, so I’ll let their promotional handout cover these).

“The OG”" ($3.95 for 1, or $14.95 for 5)

Signature lamb skewer with lamb rack cap fat pieces (trust me - order this)

The OG is the signature dish and frankly star of the show. The main difference between it and the slim is that the OG has pieces of lamb fat in between the lamb meat pieces. If you are a little put off, or questioning that, may I immediately interject and say - try it. The lamb is high quality and in larger pieces than I would have expected. The fat was a perfect complement and just super tasty. The spices and fact it comes hot off the flame is just amazing.

You get a choice of spice level; no chilli, mild, or extra hot.

• No chilli is your basic skewer, no real spice heat.

• Mild is exactly what it should be, a nice kick, but not too hot or spicy. (These are my fav)

• Extra hot is for the fans of spice. I didn’t actually try these, but my wife who is a chilli fan said these were her fav.

The OG was literally the only thing I ordered - and I ordered 20 of them to share with my wife.

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The Slim OG ($12.95 for 3)

Lean lamb pop (no fat pieces)

The slim is the alternate option on the menu lacking the fat pieces of the normal OG. I didn’t get a chance to try these, I am a mega fan of the original OG.

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Takeaway!

Now, obviously the pops are best enjoyed immediately, and it’s hard to resist tucking in them, but I was actually sent in by my wife to collect these and bring them home. I got my order to go and was given the neat carry holder as each cup holds 5 pops. I’ll later mention that these carriers are not great for car travel - which may be a problem only for me.

The last remaining pop after we feasted on them at home.

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Special details - Eco-friendly and uniquely designed.

One thing I really love about Firepop is the specific brand and little attentions to detail. Their message is great, their social media accounts (Instagram @firepopaustralia) are giving insight into who they are, and lots of little things make it special.

The cups are fully recyclable, including the lids.

The grill has been custom made, he entire unit is built in a special way that emits no smoke out of the stall, and everything is cooked with sustainable “black pearl” coal from QLD that is generated from nut production. It’s these little details that blew me away.

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PROS:

• Highly moreish.

• Big, juicy, fresh pieces of flame cooked lamb are exactly as good as it sounds

• Amazing stand/stall that opens and collapses into a deployable display.

CONS:

• Limited menu, locations, and times - but that’s because it’s so new (and I know they’ll launch a proper location at some point).

• There is a wait for the cooking process.

• Takeaway paper handles do not survive driving in a car and ordering excessive amounts is tricky to manage (but I made it home intact - though there was a moment where I had to quickly move half into my car’s cup holders).

OVERALL:

I’m super excited about Firepop and highly recommend that anyone that is in Haymarket on a Friday night (or nearby) make a beeline for Little Hay Street between 4-11pm and get some! I wish them all the best, and can’t wait to see what happens next for them.

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Details:

Address: Little Hay Street, Haymarket (approx. #9 Little Hay Street - see map below).

When? Friday nights, 4:00pm - 11:00pm.

Site: Facebook Page / Instagram @firepopaustralia

MAP: