It’s not like we get to Epping very often. But someone on Gumtree was selling some Krosno glasses that I hoped would complete our set, and they’ve stopped selling them at Myers. They were the right model but … shrunk. A little smaller than our other glasses. Oh well. Maybe we’ll serve the negronis in them to our smaller guests.
But anyways. We’d heard Epping could have good Asian food, and a quick look on Zomato and BCD Tofu House had the highest ratings close to where we parked. So, why not? After finding a recipe for Fire Chicken with Mozzarella Cheese, I’m very into Korean food at the moment, so this seemed appropriate.
And it seemed super authentic with Korean families and couples and staff. Sadly though, to my uneducated tongue, the food was good, but didn’t rock my world.
The banchan, the selection of side dishes, was delicious. I ordered the specialty of the house, tofu, soft and silky, in a spicy soup, and served with rice in a hot stone bowl so it got a nice crust on the bottom.
Husband had bibimbap and said he’s had better. So, this confuses me. It wasn’t bad by any means, and since I had the specialty of the house (and husband had a classic Korean dish), I don’t think it’s that we didn’t order the right dishes.
My sense is that I don’t have a big enough appreciation for this home-style cooking and even though I could tell the tofu was delicious, it’s not something I’d crave (not like Korean Fire Chicken). Maybe we’ll have to stick with Korean Fried Chicken instead.
My husband and I have dined at many top restaurants from around the world and this experience was up with the very best.
It was more than a meal. It was an experience and an education. And how to meld, seamlessly, the experience of fine dining with, say, the outback? Damper that you grilled yourself: magic!
The focus was on Australian produce and so there were flavours and ingredients I’d never tried before. Crocodile lardo and boab on top of these sweet shrimp? Wow.
The food was surprising but always tasty.
At one point, a Scottish fellow served us a course, kneeling down for a short chat and joke.
I was ridiculously amused by this dish, because not only was it sensationally delicious, but it is called ‘tongue in cheek’, the tongue being lamb, and the cheek being leatherjacket. God, I love a good joke. I reckon I can make my own version of this with beef cheek and beef tongue…
We were also delighted that the bread dough was proofing in a glass bell jar, on the table, as we sat down. They whisked it away before the first course, and returned it baked.
I think I missed taking a photo of the razorfish, a sort of triangular shaped clam. I love trying unfamiliar foods!
Speaking of which, Moreton Bay bugs in green ants… It was yummy. I didn’t think about the ants.
The envelope contained both the food menu and the wine pairing I chose (local, interesting Australian wines: delightful, it was the cheapest option, actually).
But there were two lovely dessert courses at the restaurant before then.
We may just have to make a special trip to Adelaide some time to see Orana in its native habitat. It was an outstanding night at an outstanding restaurant.
If anyone reads my reviews regularly, they’ll know that I love latte art. I love it. Coffee in Australia is generally great. Coffee in Sydney is generally superb (I’d guess it is in all capital cities). Because the quality is so high, I find it disappointing not to get latte art.
It’s not just that it amuses and delights me. It’s that when someone is good at latte art, they’re guaranteed to also make a great coffee. And 2.0 Coffee Co delivered in spades. Hurrah. There were reasons that the coffee might not be as good as it was. Movie sequels can be hit or miss, so the 2.0 name made me wonder. I’m also not totally sold on the menu on the TV screen, though it is easy to read, and people were engaging with it.
But not only was the latte art great, the coffee was really, really delicious. I’ll be back (and in fact, when I posted this review, I forgot that I had been here in 2017 for breakfast. Here’s that 
