I published this review at the EATABILITY Food Guide for Sydney Restaurants and Atom, the owner of the restaurant was dedicated enough to reply.
Below is a copy of my Review:
You last reviewed this venue on 19 August 2009
Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 8
We dined last Saturday night. It was my first dining experience at Atom's but my partner's second. Its almost unfair rocking up to a restaurant which has had so much hype either real or perceived due to very high consistent reviews here at the eatability guide, and friends previous experiences. Atom did not disappoint.
The Miang Goong was the standout for me, even though it was a humble entree. I would have been satisfied eating several servings of this all night. The young waiters were very friendly, helpful, courteous and diligent as they topped up my wine all evening. It was refreshing to hear the waiter explain the specials menu in depth, but, unfortunately, it was difficult to understand all the words. In the end we just nodded and accepted we could at least read the specials board.
Just before we tasted the Miang Goong, the waiter explained we should also eat the Betal Leaves, but we interpreted it as not to eat them, so we didn't. The waiter who cleared our plates said we should have eaten the leaves. So I took the liberty of ordering a second serving and this time we ate the leaves.
I couldn't fault the sincerity of the waiters, and their genuine friendliness. If we could have understood them a little more I'd have been tempted to score them 10 for the service.
The level of ambient noise also contributed to, perhaps, not understanding what the waiters said. Its quite overpowering at the best of times, but is indicative of the packed house and the petite restaurant. The tables are a little bit close together, but it didn't seem to bother us, as we were there predominantly for the food.
I'm also tempted to give the food a perfect 10, because it tasted so good, was fresh, hot and addictive. I over-ate because it was that good. We also had the Moneybags entree and they were hot, fresh and crisp, with a lovely fragrant dipping sauce. They were intricate little bags but scrumptious, I could have devoured them all lol.
My favourite main of the night was the Massaman curry. Best Massaman I've tasted. If I had to fault anything it was the size of the serving. I expected more beef and potatoes, but it seemed to be a little sparse in its ratio to sauce. It wasn't a huge issue, as we had went overboard and ordered 3 mains and 3 entrees but if we had ordered 2 mains, we would have been fighting over the Massaman. Particularly, if we have a party of 4, it would be difficult dividing it between all of us.
The only other thing although very minor was that the waiter brought us a brand new pot of steamed rice, without asking us if we wanted another. It was just assumed, and we were so full at that point and all our meals were pretty much eaten.
I am hoping to attend Saturday week, with a party of four, and I hope the Massaman is a little more generous. We also ordered the Chicken Cashew nut, and it was top notch. This is our most favoured Thai dish historically, and we have had pretty good serves at other restaurants. It was very very fresh at Atoms. Although I think this dish is a lot more difficult not to master. So we didn't notice a huge disparity between other restaurants.
The most noticeable factor with Atom's food was the freshness of ingredients. We went out on a limb with the Choo Chee Barramundi fillet, which was nice, had some good heat from the curry, but was a tad bland for my tastes. The coconut and sweetness of the basil and the fragrance of the lime didn't appear to penetrate the sauce as hoped.
The fish was cooked to pefection. However, in hindsight I wished I had ordered the barramundi in a different sauce, perhaps, a little sweeter. I have a feeling the curry took away from the natural sweetness of the fish. It would have been lovely in the mango salad offered in the Thai salads menu.
I would rate the Massaman 9/10 instead of 10 because of the small portion size. The chicken and Cashew a 9/10. The Choo Chee a 7. The Miang Gong an 11/10 yes it was that good, despite our misunderstanding with the Betal Leaves lol.
I'd have to say that overall I don't think I've appreciated every entree and main meal consistency as much as I did at Atom. I am so impressed I can't wait trying some of the other dishes. Such as the Duck, perhaps, in the salad or the lychee and pineapple curry. We wished we had ordered the Fresh coconut prawns served in a real coconut.
What I would like to try is Atom's Chef's degustation. I don't recall seeing a degustation menu, but I have so much trust in the food, I bet the Chef could give a better sample of all his masterpieces that would flow, and give a good representation of his best work.
There wasn't much of a dessert menu, and we would love to try something for dessert next time which was truly reflective of the culture and indicative of the mastery of the chef. Rather than have to go across the road for Gelato lol.
We failed to pick up a menu when we left, and would like an opportunity to look at the set banquets before we arrive in a couple of weeks time. Perhaps, Atom could email us their menu. If you could supply us with an email, we could email you and have you attach it. We would very much appreciate it.
This has been one of the most significant culinary experiences I've had for a while. I have no doubt Atom could end up becoming my new favourite restaurant. As long as you guys don't skimp on the beef in the Massaman lol.
I would like to meet the chef next time we dine too. Is Atom the name of the owner or just the restaurant name? I would sure like to commend him in person for such a high quality of food. Cheers and Thanks
Owner's response:
Wow... I am so grateful for your comment here, the time and effort you have put in in writing this for us, and in such details. It is so informative as well as encouraging, in particular, your comments about the dishes. I hope we could turn your idea of a degustation into a reality soon. With desserts as well, we should work on something more exciting and new.
Please do email us: atomthai@gmail.com, and we would be obliged to email you our menus and, I would love to welcome you personally at the restaurant again.
I am one of the waiters you mentioned, and I remember you and your partner from last Saturday. I am also the owner of the restaurant, and designed most of the dishes - wearing many hats. Nevertheless, I will introduce you to some of my chefs next time when you visit us, I am sure they would really appreciate your comments/encouragement.
Thanks again for your review, and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Atom
Further email from Atom regarding our next dining experience there:
Hi, Gavin,
Thanks again for your review. I really appreciate it. I do rely to all the reviews, as people like yourself have put in the effort in commenting on our food/service, and providing feedback, the least we could do is to reply as a way of showing our appreciation.
Here attached is a couple of menus for your consideration, including the banquet menu, you are most welcome to swap some of the dishes on the banquet menu.
A few signature dishes, would be the crispy pork: pork belly slow cooked first, and fried, then stir fried with chilli and basil. Tamarind duck, which I think you will like, sliced duck breast on a bed of steamed greens with sweet and sour tamarind sauce on the top, we also have a softshell crab dish, softshell crab lightly battered, and fried, then stir fried with curry powder/coconut milk/egg york, and last but not least there is either steamed whole snapper or fried whole snapper (with a choice of three-flavoured sauce - sweet/sour/spicy, garlic/pepper sauce and choo chee sauce, which you had last time).
p.s., I will remember some extra beef/potatoes in the Massaman for you. :-)
We shall prepare some special dessert for the night - let it be a nice surprise.
Look forward to seeing you soon.
Cheers,
Atom
Atom's opinions on wine with Thai:
Gavin, I have to confess that I am not a wine expert, although love to have a glass with my meal. Indeed, beer is one that is most popular with Thai dishes, and Thai whisky is good too :-), I guess we don't usually have wines with our meals back in Thailand, although, I personally like Cab Sauv (with curries) and Sauvignon Blanc, some rosé goes well with some lighter dishes. I think.
In accordance with my previous scoring criteria here are the scores:
To keep within my own marking criteria here are the scores:
Entrees: 10/10
Mains: 18/20
Desserts: N/A
Ambience: 2/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 35/40 excluding dessert menu.
Currently weighted for food in the absence of dessert
Total: 44/50
Stay tuned for dessert scores. Desserts to be available
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Cheesy pull-apart bread
This is one of my favourite recipes!!!
Pretty simple to make, but there is a proving process which can take several hrs, but if made before time, makes a great snack, breakfast, or appetiser.
For those who love Haloumi like me, its the perfect bread recipe.
Heres the first process, the yogurt bread recipe.
310 g (10 1⁄2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (1 1/2 cups)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried yeast
50 ml (2 fl oz) warm water
150 g (5 oz) plain yoghurt (~ 3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
I used some greek style yogurt.
And used some dried yeast satchels. You can buy 12 satchels per pack, and you can use them in making all sorts of doughs. I use them for making pizza bases from scratch.
I used whisk together a satchel or 2 with the sugar until combined and add to the mix.
Some pizza recipes call for letting the yeast and sugar sit for 8 mins...However this recipe just said to mix together without waiting.
Once this proves and doubles in size, then follow the cheesy bread recipe:
100 g (3 1⁄2 oz) haloumi, grated
50 g (2 oz) parmesan, grated
1 teaspoon dried mint
Olive oil
I buy the Lemos premium haloumi, and since it comes in 180g portions, I DOUBLE the recipe.
Since the bread is so yummy lol thats not an issue, because the standard recipe is not enough LOL I actually added 20g of cheddar to make up the deficit, but i suppose u can do what u like lol.
Ive tried both ways and it was equally tasty.
I used fresh mint for the recipe.
I prefer pecorino cheese rather than parmesan, but you can use what u like.
Just note, once you combine the cheesy bread ingedients to the dough, let it prove again together on ur baking tray before baking until they double in size. Else you will get smaller and less fluffier cheesy rolls.
The recipe suggest ur HOTTEST oven, but these days our ovens are too bloody hot, especially the one I have lol. I found that 200 deg cel. was a good temp. If you go too much higher the breads brown way too quickly on top and you could burn them, while the centres arent cooked.
I cooked about 25 mins on 200 deg. If unsure if they are cooked, pull off a roll and tap the bottom, and a HOLLOW sound indicates they are cooked.
The end result leaves a very crispy cheesy top, and a glorious fluffy interior mmm.
once they cool and if eaten next day, you will lose that crispy top. They are better warmed up in the microwave. They are very tasty either way, but its best to enjoy them straight from the oven with that crispy top lol.
Pretty simple to make, but there is a proving process which can take several hrs, but if made before time, makes a great snack, breakfast, or appetiser.
For those who love Haloumi like me, its the perfect bread recipe.
Heres the first process, the yogurt bread recipe.
310 g (10 1⁄2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (1 1/2 cups)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried yeast
50 ml (2 fl oz) warm water
150 g (5 oz) plain yoghurt (~ 3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
I used some greek style yogurt.
And used some dried yeast satchels. You can buy 12 satchels per pack, and you can use them in making all sorts of doughs. I use them for making pizza bases from scratch.
I used whisk together a satchel or 2 with the sugar until combined and add to the mix.
Some pizza recipes call for letting the yeast and sugar sit for 8 mins...However this recipe just said to mix together without waiting.
Once this proves and doubles in size, then follow the cheesy bread recipe:
100 g (3 1⁄2 oz) haloumi, grated
50 g (2 oz) parmesan, grated
1 teaspoon dried mint
Olive oil
I buy the Lemos premium haloumi, and since it comes in 180g portions, I DOUBLE the recipe.
Since the bread is so yummy lol thats not an issue, because the standard recipe is not enough LOL I actually added 20g of cheddar to make up the deficit, but i suppose u can do what u like lol.
Ive tried both ways and it was equally tasty.
I used fresh mint for the recipe.
I prefer pecorino cheese rather than parmesan, but you can use what u like.
Just note, once you combine the cheesy bread ingedients to the dough, let it prove again together on ur baking tray before baking until they double in size. Else you will get smaller and less fluffier cheesy rolls.
The recipe suggest ur HOTTEST oven, but these days our ovens are too bloody hot, especially the one I have lol. I found that 200 deg cel. was a good temp. If you go too much higher the breads brown way too quickly on top and you could burn them, while the centres arent cooked.
I cooked about 25 mins on 200 deg. If unsure if they are cooked, pull off a roll and tap the bottom, and a HOLLOW sound indicates they are cooked.
The end result leaves a very crispy cheesy top, and a glorious fluffy interior mmm.
once they cool and if eaten next day, you will lose that crispy top. They are better warmed up in the microwave. They are very tasty either way, but its best to enjoy them straight from the oven with that crispy top lol.
Middle East version of Sang Choy Bow / Ladies' Fingers
I found this fantastic recipe for the filling for Ladies' Fingers from a Lebanese restaurant called "Abla's" in Victoria. see website:
A rather simple recipe with some key spices.
Many homus recipes call for Sumac as a garnish. Im really fond of it.
For the minced lamb. The first time I used some lamb loin strips from wollies. They may have been rib fillets im not too sure, but they were long cylindrical morsels. Without a mincer i just diced them finely and they worked great. I wouldnt use bought lamb mince unless you know a good butcher lol. You want lean lamb without a lot of fat.
We've since snaffled a Kenwood attachment mincer for the mix master and minced the lamb and that worked just as well if not better and much quicker. I wouldnt attempt this recipe for the lettuce leaves filling unless you used good quality lamb.
The recipe suggests using this filling and rolling it in filo pastry and making Ladies' Fingers or Cigars as I would call them lol.
However I thought the filling was so tasty that it would make a great substitute for the traditional chinese Sang Choy Bow filling in lettuce leaves.
Sure enough it tasted so good in cos lettuce leaves.
I modified the recipe slightly, adding a clove of garlic, and using eshallots instead of onion.
I also added some English spinach into the mix. It gave it more colour.
While these lettuce leaved satchels are scrumptious by themselves and a great entree, I found that Feta really went well with the mix. However personally I wanted something slightly more refreshing with it. So a nice crispy hot and cold salad really did the trick, and I turned it into a main course.
Hot and Cold salad:
The only reason I went for this combination is that I really love zucchini and eggplant, and I wanted these ingredients in my salad. I also thought the crunch of snow peas would be great. Sugar snap peas would be great too.
In a fry pan, with olive oil and quickly fried some zucchini and eggplant until slightly golden on either side and remove and drained. Then I added some red capsicum julienned with the snow peas and very quickly and removed.
I set aside and just cut up some cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, and Fetta cheese.
I have trialed making some Pomegranate molasses. 4 cups of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1 lemon, reduced down to 1 cup. Although i found it slightly TOO viscous similar to the syrup used for the baklava.
I think the tart and sweetness of pomegranate juice to be sensational and would go terrific for a vinegarette for this salad.
Since I was pushed for time and just adlibing and basically lazy lol I just added some pomegranate and cranberry juice i had, and added some lemon juice, sugar with some dijon mustard. It really tasted good in the salad and supported the lamb filled lettuce leaves perfectly.
What I would like to trial would be to make them to the original recipe for Ladies' Fingers and make a Pomegranate molasses dipping sauce. It would substitute duck sauce and spring rolls lol A middle eastern twist.
Ideally when in season, using fresh pomegranate seeds would be the best for the salad.
I have to say though in many of the new recipes ive tried recently this lamb filling is one of the best tasting combinations ive tried.
A rather simple recipe with some key spices.
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g coursely minced lean lamb
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sumac
Many homus recipes call for Sumac as a garnish. Im really fond of it.
For the minced lamb. The first time I used some lamb loin strips from wollies. They may have been rib fillets im not too sure, but they were long cylindrical morsels. Without a mincer i just diced them finely and they worked great. I wouldnt use bought lamb mince unless you know a good butcher lol. You want lean lamb without a lot of fat.
We've since snaffled a Kenwood attachment mincer for the mix master and minced the lamb and that worked just as well if not better and much quicker. I wouldnt attempt this recipe for the lettuce leaves filling unless you used good quality lamb.
The recipe suggests using this filling and rolling it in filo pastry and making Ladies' Fingers or Cigars as I would call them lol.
However I thought the filling was so tasty that it would make a great substitute for the traditional chinese Sang Choy Bow filling in lettuce leaves.
Sure enough it tasted so good in cos lettuce leaves.
I modified the recipe slightly, adding a clove of garlic, and using eshallots instead of onion.
I also added some English spinach into the mix. It gave it more colour.
While these lettuce leaved satchels are scrumptious by themselves and a great entree, I found that Feta really went well with the mix. However personally I wanted something slightly more refreshing with it. So a nice crispy hot and cold salad really did the trick, and I turned it into a main course.
Hot and Cold salad:
The only reason I went for this combination is that I really love zucchini and eggplant, and I wanted these ingredients in my salad. I also thought the crunch of snow peas would be great. Sugar snap peas would be great too.
In a fry pan, with olive oil and quickly fried some zucchini and eggplant until slightly golden on either side and remove and drained. Then I added some red capsicum julienned with the snow peas and very quickly and removed.
I set aside and just cut up some cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, and Fetta cheese.
I have trialed making some Pomegranate molasses. 4 cups of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1 lemon, reduced down to 1 cup. Although i found it slightly TOO viscous similar to the syrup used for the baklava.
I think the tart and sweetness of pomegranate juice to be sensational and would go terrific for a vinegarette for this salad.
Since I was pushed for time and just adlibing and basically lazy lol I just added some pomegranate and cranberry juice i had, and added some lemon juice, sugar with some dijon mustard. It really tasted good in the salad and supported the lamb filled lettuce leaves perfectly.
What I would like to trial would be to make them to the original recipe for Ladies' Fingers and make a Pomegranate molasses dipping sauce. It would substitute duck sauce and spring rolls lol A middle eastern twist.
Ideally when in season, using fresh pomegranate seeds would be the best for the salad.
I have to say though in many of the new recipes ive tried recently this lamb filling is one of the best tasting combinations ive tried.
Baklava - Pistachio
This recipe promised so much, and being an AVID pistachio lover, I was very excited lol.
There is a flaw in the recipe I believe.
They suggested boiling the sugar syrup for 15-20 mins until it becomes slightly viscous.
I think thats rather vague myself, and I boiled it for 14 mins and it just became somewhat thick, or gluey or syrupy. But in my opinion this is too far long to be boiling it lol.
Some Toffee recipes suggest 7-10 mins.
When i added the juice of one lemon to the syrup, and the orange water etc. It didnt seem that viscous at all. It seemed perfect consistency to be drizzling over and into the baklava which had just been baked. Unfortunately it turned hard like toffee. Even after the lemon was added.
It seemed to soak into the baklava ok but once it cooled, it went far too hard.
It was almost like I had made pistachio brittle lol.
It tasted good lol But for me a little too sickly.
I think the recipe made far too much syrup for the baklava.
I also prolly made a mistake by putting it into the fridge after it had cooled, this would harden up the syrup as well.
Im not even sure what the texture of good Baklava is supposed to be after it has cooled, but I gather its supposed to be a lot more moist, and certainly not remotely as brittle as what mine turned out.
Its such a large batch as well. Pistachios are not cheap either. Im not even convinced Filo is the best way to go here. If we want to create separate layers of pastry, I would agree with filo, but if you only wanted bottom and top, perhaps puff would be feasible.
In any case I would make a much smaller version in terms of surface area, and experiment with the syrup to your taste requirements.
Its definitely a recipe to pursue further. But It needs to be modified for better results.
The recipe also calls for some ingredients which can be difficult to buy. Supermarkets wont have them. That being Orange flower water and Rose flower water. I found these for about 3-4 dollars each at a health food store.
Heres the recipe from SBS Food Safari
Im not convinced whether just plain pistachios is the best way to go.
Perhaps some kind of combination of fruit and nuts. Pistachio and Fig maybe.
You can also use walnuts, pecans, or any nut u like really.
Maybe an apple and walnut Baklava.
There is a flaw in the recipe I believe.
They suggested boiling the sugar syrup for 15-20 mins until it becomes slightly viscous.
I think thats rather vague myself, and I boiled it for 14 mins and it just became somewhat thick, or gluey or syrupy. But in my opinion this is too far long to be boiling it lol.
Some Toffee recipes suggest 7-10 mins.
When i added the juice of one lemon to the syrup, and the orange water etc. It didnt seem that viscous at all. It seemed perfect consistency to be drizzling over and into the baklava which had just been baked. Unfortunately it turned hard like toffee. Even after the lemon was added.
It seemed to soak into the baklava ok but once it cooled, it went far too hard.
It was almost like I had made pistachio brittle lol.
It tasted good lol But for me a little too sickly.
I think the recipe made far too much syrup for the baklava.
I also prolly made a mistake by putting it into the fridge after it had cooled, this would harden up the syrup as well.
Im not even sure what the texture of good Baklava is supposed to be after it has cooled, but I gather its supposed to be a lot more moist, and certainly not remotely as brittle as what mine turned out.
Its such a large batch as well. Pistachios are not cheap either. Im not even convinced Filo is the best way to go here. If we want to create separate layers of pastry, I would agree with filo, but if you only wanted bottom and top, perhaps puff would be feasible.
In any case I would make a much smaller version in terms of surface area, and experiment with the syrup to your taste requirements.
Its definitely a recipe to pursue further. But It needs to be modified for better results.
The recipe also calls for some ingredients which can be difficult to buy. Supermarkets wont have them. That being Orange flower water and Rose flower water. I found these for about 3-4 dollars each at a health food store.
Heres the recipe from SBS Food Safari
Im not convinced whether just plain pistachios is the best way to go.
Perhaps some kind of combination of fruit and nuts. Pistachio and Fig maybe.
You can also use walnuts, pecans, or any nut u like really.
Maybe an apple and walnut Baklava.
Puff Vs Filo - Spanakopita recipe link
Recently I worked with Filo pastry for the first time.
I made a Pistachio Baklava and a Spanakopita.
At the supermarkets, Woolies was out of Filo, and only sold one brand.
Coles had it in good supply.
Apparently some brands Refer to a SAVOURY puff and a DESSERT puff pastry.
I dont know if the savoury version is similar to the Filo, but as far as ive read "Filo" is Greek and distinctive by very thin sheets of pastry, which you need to layer together yourself, by buttering or oiling each layer and sticking them together...Very painstaking for the first time.
I did get the hang of it second time around, but you must make sure its FULLY thawed out at room temperature!!!
Lots suggest using a damp towel to place over the Filo you havent used, while your buttering the current sheet, but be very careful how wet ur towel is. Personally, I dont think you need to dampen the towel at all. It doesnt dry out enough to worry, and all the damp towel achieved for me, was to make the filo TOO moist to work with. It actually absorbed the moisture so much that it made subsequent sheets stick together and more tedious to work with.
Some recipes suggest mixing 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil together...
I found that I used far too much butter. Even though i layered each sheet with THIN equal amounts of butter, i think i could have left some gaps in between to reduce the amount of butter, perhaps just enough to stick around the perimeter and maybe some columns or rows.
With the Spanakopita recipe, it was suggested that you fix 20 layers together for the top and bottom of the pie. Basically its just a Greek name for a spinach and cheese pie in filo pastry.
It was rather rich for me and would make a better lunch, but personally I wasnt thrilled about it, and wouldnt make it again.
I found the recipe from SBS Food Safari.
I made a Pistachio Baklava and a Spanakopita.
At the supermarkets, Woolies was out of Filo, and only sold one brand.
Coles had it in good supply.
Apparently some brands Refer to a SAVOURY puff and a DESSERT puff pastry.
I dont know if the savoury version is similar to the Filo, but as far as ive read "Filo" is Greek and distinctive by very thin sheets of pastry, which you need to layer together yourself, by buttering or oiling each layer and sticking them together...Very painstaking for the first time.
I did get the hang of it second time around, but you must make sure its FULLY thawed out at room temperature!!!
Lots suggest using a damp towel to place over the Filo you havent used, while your buttering the current sheet, but be very careful how wet ur towel is. Personally, I dont think you need to dampen the towel at all. It doesnt dry out enough to worry, and all the damp towel achieved for me, was to make the filo TOO moist to work with. It actually absorbed the moisture so much that it made subsequent sheets stick together and more tedious to work with.
Some recipes suggest mixing 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil together...
I found that I used far too much butter. Even though i layered each sheet with THIN equal amounts of butter, i think i could have left some gaps in between to reduce the amount of butter, perhaps just enough to stick around the perimeter and maybe some columns or rows.
With the Spanakopita recipe, it was suggested that you fix 20 layers together for the top and bottom of the pie. Basically its just a Greek name for a spinach and cheese pie in filo pastry.
It was rather rich for me and would make a better lunch, but personally I wasnt thrilled about it, and wouldnt make it again.
I found the recipe from SBS Food Safari.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
