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Masterchef does not lie. Discuss.
For the third year running, Masterchef has occupied the 7.30pm timeslot of the average Joe's daily planner, bringing infinite joy to millions of food junkies, soapie fans and aspire-to-be-chefs. Every weeknight for the past few months, we have watched George, Gary and Matt Preston gorging dishes and dishes of prettily arranged goodness-know-how-many-elements-of-food (like some elaborately named piece of pork). We have grown to love and hate a cast of Australian caricatures, such as: Kate, that middle-aged woman who goes 'blah blah blah' every epsiode and that you would be embarrassed to be seen around with, poor failwhale Dani, that cute little Indian man Kumar (I've never seen him in action as I only joined the Masterchef craze in the last few weeks, but man I love Kumar), and Ellie, who my friend remarked was unattractive because "she has a really large forehead".
But more importantly for wannabe food lovers, is the fact that Masterchef introduces Australian and world famous chefs that no one has ever heard of, but because of this very show, has now gained celebrity status. Matt Moran is an example that comes to mind. Adriano Zumbo is another. Call me stupid, but I had never even heard of a macaron until Season 1 of Masterchef.
Despite its extremely lame puns and oh god that really annoying Kate (henceforth known as 'really annoying Kate'), and the fact that it sandwiched
Renovators in the middle of it's finale (Um, what.), I have decided that Masterchef does not lie. It can't, right? Not if Matt Moran and crazy Adriano Zumbo and the-grandma-that-everyone-wants Maggie Beer are in it.
And so, in the final masterclass of 2011, when that really annoying Kate was invited to learn from sushi guru Shaun Presland of Sake Resaturant and Bar (the largest Sake Bar in Australia), the boyfriend decided to take me there for a farewell dinner before he embarks on a two-week journey to Spain.
Ladies and gentlemen, Masterchef does not lie for the very simple reason that Sake was the best Japanese restaurant that I (once a tourist in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka) have ever been to.
Here are some badly taken photos that do not do the dishes we had any justice:
The Master Flight: Which was basically what really annoying Kate had to prepare on Masterchef, but only with sake. While the boyfriend would not stop paying compliments to the alcohol, I could not stop admiring how the three sakes were lined up perfectly by our waiter and the lovely design of the accompanying descriptions. This is not just any alcohol, the descriptions imply. You have to appreciate the taste. And I did, until I started to feel the effects of the sake (which, what do you know, were the same effects as alcohol). Nonetheless, their sake was very light and fruity, and complemented the food beautifully.
Oysters (Entree): The theme of the night was freshness. I'm not the biggest fan of seafood but after diplomatically sharing the oysters with the boyfriend (stupid sharing), I desperately wanted an encore.
Sushi set: What appeared to be a deceptively generic choice turned out to be a palette of mindblowing tastes. They tasted like how you have always imagined sushi would taste like. Each piece of raw fish had the right amount of freshness, texture, taste and rice. Even the tuna nigiri had us gobsmacked - it had real seaweed. Not that plasticky stuff that can't be torn apart by your poor teeth.
Tempura: Another generic choice but oh. my. god. (1) Advocado. (2) Real bread crumbs in the sauce. Even the asparagus seemed to taste 110% better than normal asparagus. My only complaint was that the fish tempura had soft bones in it which pricked and prodded my gums as I chewed. But hey. Maybe that's how fish tempura is meant to be. If Masterchef recommends Sake, Sake must be right and I, the customer who cooks two-minute noodles, must be wrong.
Dessert Bento: Hold your unicorns, everyone, because the green stuff there that you see is green apple fairy floss. The boyfriend was giddy like a five year old.
Chocolate fondant: For all of you out there who are battling problems - be it uni or broken hearts, this fondant will melt your troubles right away. When I took a bite of this fondant I almost forgot that the boyfriend was about to leave the country in a few days. I want to do naughty things to this fondant. Don't judge me. You would too if you tasted it. Accompanying the fondant is sesame icecream and sesame biscuit, which went surprisingly well with it.
Sake is a pretty high-class fine-dining place so it does get a bit pricey, but it was such a worthwhile experience and I would definitely go again. Do make a reservation before you go as it gets quite busy.
Masterchef never lies people. It never lies.
12 Argyle Street
The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000
