and finally, the top ten: les premiers dix

I know it has been a while but it really has taken me this long to sort out my top ten. And I feel I need to post this now, before I think too much about it, again.

So here it is : my perfect ten course meal.

1. Bistro Felix's Gruyere Souffle. 
As far as one dish goes, this packs a mean punch. It is pillow soft, cheesy goodness with baked cheese sauce and a souffle so fluffy it just melts away. Highly recommended. Your greedy eyes tell you you can finish it - your stomach will tell you otherwise. Listen to the latter.

2. BarRaval's Carpacho Barraval (Beef Carpaccio) served with garlic toast. 
Barcelona's BarRaval provided without debate the best meal of my time there. The grey goose came filled in a large glass, with our very own soda maker. The huevos estralados; chorizo, potato and runny egg, was a close contender but this dish won out for its freshness: quality beef, sliced envelope thin; garlic compote; the best spanish olive oil one could find; and the perfectly toasted baguettes. A dream meal.

Beef Carpacho, BarRaval

3. Aria's Peking Duck Consomme with duck dumpling and asian mushrooms.

Peking Duck Consomme, Aria

This dish is so much more complex than it looks, and the flavour of the consomme really surprised me. At Aria's degustation only two things stood out for me - this consomme, and the mango pavlova. The dumpling is what I imagine a soft, juicy peking duck to be like if it came in dumpling form, and the consomme was so clear that I feel sorry for the poor chef cooking it for hours and constantly skimming it. Perfect on a cold night like tonight.

 4. Paul's Famous Hamburgers' Special Burger with special sauce, cooked onions, chips with extra chicken salt and a 2L bottle of pineapple crush. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, you can not have lived until you have had this. The "Special" is the bacon and egg burger, and the special sauce is aioli. Order it with the cooked onions and you won't be left with Paul's breath the following morning - I am very proud/embarrassed to share with you that it took many, maaaany Paul's burgers for me to work this out. A burger is not the same without the crispy chips with extra chicken salt. Ask nicely enough and they will let you sprinkle your own outside. And of course - slam it down with the legendary cold, refreshing and chunky pineapple crush. I have tried replicating this at home to no avail, and at around $7 for a 2L jug it is the best value ever. Yes, I have found other burgers just as delicious but nothing comes near Paul's - its unrateable.

Paul's special burger

Pineapple crush

5. Oink's Hog Roast Roll with crackling. 

Oink hog

If you ever find yourself in grey, overcast Edinburgh, make your way to Oink and be greeted by this - lunch :). Hog Roast Rolls are served on small, soft dinner buns and come with/without crackling and four options - the only four you will ever need: apple sauce. sage and onion relish. chilli relish. haggis. I had mine with cracking, apple sauce and sage and onion relish, which tasted like stuffing. While Haggis definitely isn't my thing, my travelling companions ordered it and were pleasantly surprised. I have also just read that the pigs are raised on the owners farm in Berwick - one of the most beautiful places in Scotland and a mere hour or two away from Edinburgh.

granita

To quench the thirst of a hog roast roll, the only choice would be the lemon granitas of Amalfi/Sorrento, Italy. I die.

6. Quay's White Nectarine Snow Egg

Since making an apperance on last year's Masterchef, the Snow Egg has become arguably Australia's most recognised and highly sought after dessert. Only two top restaurants have completely taken my breath away with every single component of its degustation menu, and Quay is one of them. Sepia is the other. The Snow egg is a poached meringue "egg" with a "yolk" of flavoured ice-cream, coated in a crunchy praline maltose shell that sits on a bet of white nectarine granita and white nectarine "fool". Cracking it open to discover its hidden surprise could be one of the best moments of my life. I was given a voucher for Quay (and even a surprise booking!) for my birthday this year and it is absolutely the best gift of my life. Thank you. 

Quay's snow egg

Inside the snow egg

 7. Maze's Peanut Butter and Cherry Jam Sandwich with tonka bean cream and dehydrated cherries

Maze's peanut butter cherry sandwich

I know when I have had a killer meal when I am at the end of a 3, 5, or even 10 course meal, and I am so inquisitive about their other dessert options that I find the stomach space to order it. After a three course meal at Gordon Ramsay's Maze in London, I was a very lucky girl. It was an early dinner on a week night and we were seated right in front of the "private dining room" which was empty, and provided me with a perfect view into the glass windowed-kitchen to discover that magic really does exist. How do I explain this? Peanut brittle that was buttery and broke with a sharp crack. Cherry Jam ice cream that was slightly tart and a perfect marriage with the salty peanut. And the tonka bean cream and dehydrated cherries, fused together to have the best. ever. party. in. my. mouth. I miss this dessert. 

8. Bodega's Banana Split with cream flan, dulce de leche ice cream, ginger biscuit and banana

Not your average banana split, this dessert knocks your socks off and keeps you needing more. The "banana" is in the form of a banana marshmallow (in the background), served like a "smore". Its smokey flavour melds with the peanuts, the cream flan, the biscuit and the ice cream. Each component has an element of brilliance but when its powers combine, it becomes the Captain Planet of all desserts.

Bodega's Banana Split

 9. Sepia's Chocolate Forest Floor with Soft Chocolate, Lavender Cream, Hazelnut cream, Sour Cherry Sorbet, Licorice, Green tea moss
As they set this dish down you are transcended to the type of forest floor that would be present in Elvandar meets Willy Wonka. Bliss. It is recommended that you mix it all up to have a taste of everything in each bite. Give in to your inner child and do it. So many textures, so many flavours, so much love for Mr Benn and his team. eff. my. life.


Perfectly matched with a Greek coffee frappe... one can dream :) 

Sepia's Choc forest floor

Greek coffee frappe

10. Pastricceria Papa's Ricotta Cannoli

PSP's ricotta cannoli

PSP is truly the only place to get your cannoli fix from, and one cannot deviate from this nor can one match it. The cannoli shells are so fresh and crunchy, the ricotta is smooth and perfectly seasoned, and at $2.50 a pop (don't waste your time on the minis - large large LARGE!!!) I walk out with my wallet much lighter than before. There is a reason why PSP's display is 5 metres long. There is a reason why every italian family in a 20km radius lines up non stop. Be a good sydney sider and find the crowd, and jump in. (I only say that because I have learnt that Melbournites never, ever line up. Silly if you ask me...)

egg tarts

 And no 10 course meal is complete without a petit four: an egg tart from either Emperor's Garden in Chinatown, Zilver's chinese restaurant or Sky phoenix. Why these three? Because their egg tarts are served warm and coupled with gorgeous flaky pastry - not that short crust rubbish.

And there is, very difficulty, my top ten. I must confess that even while typing I have added and removed about four different dishes... and I end this at 10.40pm starving and in desperate need of anything.

xx emmsy