I want to eat there, but not off a set menu.
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Good luck. They release bookings in 3 month blocks. Last time my wife tried to book it was all gone within 10 mins.
They also don’t offer a la carte
It was very meh when I ate there. Not bad by any means, but not very impressive considering the hype.
I dont care about what others say about Firedoor. I have seen so many reviews over the last couple of years. Some are incredibly positive, some are incredibly damning. Some are “meh”, some are “I had a wonderful time”.
I don’t read or listen to reviews of venues anymore. I’ve been to SO many places that have been absolutely panned by critics (both actual, and self employed) as well as people I trust, but I have thoroughly enjoyed. Ive also been to highly respected venues that have had rave reviews that I haven’t enjoyed.
If I dont enjoy it, you know what, I might not go again. Or maybe I will. That’s a decision for Future Ben.
The best bit about being a grown up is that I can go wherever I want, regardless of what people say.
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Im taking you’re not married?
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(Laughs in the doghouse)
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Been wanting to get back into cooking for a while now (sadly with kids, it’s mostly quick easy dishes that the kids wont be fussy over…). So I’m taking on the challenge that @Hybrid posted earlier in the thread, and will be trying to do a dish each week.
Having thrown a dart at a world map (and having hit basically all the worlds oceans and seas 100 times…) I’ve landed on the former Portugese African colony of Guinea-Bissau.
Despite the country being a mere speck on that African Atlantic coast, some early research shows some strong Portugese influences, and a healthy amount of seafood. Like most third world countries they have a large dependence on rice, and something called millett - which is apparently kind of like couscous? They also have a large export economy of peanuts & cashews, something which I don’t mind in cooking. I’ve whittled it down to 3 possible dishes, but all 3 sound good
I’ve got 3 dishes I can choose from - but if you know of another Guinea-Bissauan dish, feel free to let me know.
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Camarões à Guineense (Prawns with Cucumber and Onion) This is pretty simple, and could probably pass for an entree. It’s Prawns cooked in onion, cucumber and season with Lemon juice salt and chilli flakes.
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Cafriela de Frango (Grilled Chicken with Chili, Garlic, Lemon, and Onion) This is a dish which I can clearly see a Portugese influence shining through. Chicken marinated in lemon juice, onion, garlic and chilli. Basically grill the chicken (outdoor charcoal if you can) and serve with rice. The recipe I found says to serve it with garlicky green beans, but I doubt thats authentic.
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** Caldo de Mancarra (Chicken and Peanut Stew)**
This is apparently the national dish. Typically made using fish or prawns, a few recipes call for chicken. Marinated grilled chicken (or prawns) finished off by simmering in a penut and tomato sauce. Served with rice.
Other options included Abacate com Tuna, which is a Tuna dish with avacados, and Moqueca de Peixe a nice sounding fish stew.
But yeah, keen to give it a crack, and of course I’ll bring you along for the ride on here.
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Geez all of those sound pretty good to be honest. Great concept. The national dish might be the way to go for “authenticity” but the grilled chicken would taste pretty bloody good imho
Go the chicken. Don’t want to cook something shit and ruin your enthusiasm.
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jhmmm
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Botswana FTW
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I really like Portuguese food. Second only to Basque region cooking in my personal opinion. Portuguese influences in African foods certainly rock my boat so I may explore it further. …
You can’t just express that interest without declaring yourself for PCC or Silvas.
Portuguese custard tarts are one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Finding somewhere outside of Portugal or Spain that makes the perfect Portuguese custard tart is one of life’s great task’s…
Cafe Lisboa in South Brisbane is the nearest place I’ve come across outside the Iberian Peninsula that does…
If you’re Sydney based, Tuga Pastries on McEvoy St in Alexandria does pretty good tarts. Probably the best I’ve had.
So I’ve decided I’m going to make 2 of those 3 dishes.
Caldo de Mancarra (Chicken and Peanut Stew) & Camarões à Guineense (Prawns with Cucumber and Onion).
Decided since I dont eat Prawns all that often, I’ll make that dish first. On the base of it, its a very simple dish, and could even be an entree. I’ve turned it into a late lunch/early dinner. It’s very simple to prepare, and actually would make for an awesome midweek quick and easy meal.
You’ll need:
- 1 brown onion (I used some left over frozen pre-cut onions as I wanted to get rid of them).
- 1 chilli (ALDI only had Cayenne chilli. Cayenne for me is a very mild heat, but Thai red or Birds eye/Pirri Pirri chilli would work well and give it a bit more oomph)
- 1 Cucumber (julienned)
- 1/2 cup fish/seafood or chicken stock (ALDI didnt have fish stock, so used a chicken stock cube
- Lemon Juice (1 whole lemon, or do like me and use lemon juice in a bottle $3 instead of a bag of sad looking lemons for $8…) If using lemon juice from a bottle, just eyeball what you think will do. A “healthy” squirt.
- Olive oil
- Prawns (Aldi only had prepackaged frozen)
- Salt and Pepper.
Sautee your onions off in the oil with a good pinch of sault until they turns translucent, then chuck in your cucumber. Let those mingle for a couple of minutes. If using frozen prawns, chuck those in now as they’ll need a few minutes extra. Once those have started turning pink, add in your chilli (or chilli powder) and cook off for a couple more minutes. Once your prawns (if frozen) are 3/4 cooked add in your stock, lemon juice and check for seasoning. Bring the heat up (if using fresh prawns, nows a good time to throw those in). Simmer on high until your prawns are cooked, and the liquid has reduced to your liking.
Serve over white rice (I use Basmati), and enjoy.
I love prawns, and its a really light and easy dish to enjoy. The sauce is light and zesty and you get a nice warmth from the chilli. The addition of some garlic would do a lot as well for the flavour. The Cucumber surprisingly works. It’s not a massive flavour but melts in with the onion. It’s kinda like that first time your order a Gin and Tonic with cucumber. It surprises you with how it adds to the flavour. You don’t really cook cucumber, but it retains that fresh mouthfeel one gets with it.
It’s simple, but the flavours aren’t complex or challenging. A good light summer meal, and probably appropriate for a West African Atlantic climate.
Will make the chicken and penut stew later on in the week. But glad I made that, and will remember it for the warmer months.
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Tuga have improved. When they started out they were often too runny. Sweet Belem is still the daddy and they have the benefit of having a fantastic range of other Portuguese pastries including the chouriço bread.
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That shop and Lazar’s butcher not far down the road are the 2 things I miss the most about Sydney.
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