MEET have had to delay the opening of their new Darby Street restaurant. It will now launch early next month. In the meantime, the restaurant's two head chefs - Rafael Tonon and Nicholas Writer - have decided to launch something called the MXXT experiment in Honeysuckle as a preview of what's to come.
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For the remainder of the month they will be experimenting with a new shared plate menu and trying out some exciting dishes from 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Their popular Churrasco will still run Thursday to Sunday as normal in Honeysuckle until the new venue opens. Phone 4929 2676 to book.
A snapshot of the new menu? Kingfish crostini with chilli, lemon oil and chives; crudo of Wagyu beef with smoked crème fraiche, truffled dwarf peaches and sorrel; and crudo of razor prawns with cos hearts, peas and chicken consommé. This could be interesting.
New additions
The revamped Lake Macquarie Fair at Mount Hutton has expanded its food options significantly. In addition to the newly-opened Pizza Inn and Panda Noodle is Sugar Rush Dessert Bar and Another Burger Joint, which is described as "a Japanese take on western burgers, wings and hot dogs" and has a licensed bar.
Japanese tour
Susuru Ramen & Gyoza on Newcastle's King Street has introduced the first in a series of specials known as the "Ramen Flavours of Japan Series". Diners will, Susuru's Glen Peacock said, be taken on a ramen tour around the 47 prefectures of Japan.
"Generally, Tonkotsu is the primary flavour of the southern parts of Japan while up north Miso-flavoured ramen are popular," he explained. "On the main island of Honshu, Shoyu ramen is the main type. However, there are a myriad of local variations and head chef Chris Schofield has taken up the challenge to provide Novocastrians with a taste of these."
First ramen off the rank is the Nagoya Taiwan Ramen from Aichi Prefecture.
"Originating in Nagoya in the 1970s, Taiwan Ramen was created by a Taiwanese chef and based on tantanmen style ramen with a chicken and soy broth topped with stir-fried pork, garlic, chilli and garlic chives," Peacock said. "It gained popularity during the 1980s and can now be found all over central Japan. We have put our own spin on this classic regional ramen as we begin our tour."
The ramen is available in three different heat settings: "Mild", made with chilli bean paste; "Spicy", with added house chilli oil; and "What were you thinking?!"", with a scoop of Carolina reaper paste from Morisset's The Chilli Factory.
Home cook shines
Warners Bay home cook and mother of four Steph de Sousa has been impressing the judges - including guest judge Rick Stein on Sunday night - with her inventive cooking on season 10 of MasterChef Australia. Stein, commenting on her roasted marrowbone and pine nut pudding, said: "If you see it on my menu, I promise to give you credit." Her patatas bravas with crispy whitebait and aioli also finished in the top five and she narrowly missed out on an immunity pin.
One to watch
The girls at Floozy Coffee Roasters are opening a shop in Newcastle - perhaps this week?
Surf and turf
Beach Fest takes over Dixon Park at Merewether this Saturday, May 25. Bring a rug and some friends and enjoy a variety of food offerings, live music and that ocean view. It's on 4pm until 8pm.
Beers at Belmont
The Belmont Beers, Blues & BBQ festival makes its debut this Saturday, May 25, at Belmont South Foreshore Reserve. Lake Macquarie City Council's arts, culture and tourism manager, Jacqui Hemsley, said the festival "grew from a desire to grow Lake Macquarie's night time economy".
"We want to demonstrate how we are capable of hosting top-quality, community-friendly events after dark," she said. "We settled on Belmont foreshore for the venue because it had the right mix of attributes - it has a fantastic lakeside setting, parking and public transport is close by and it has an excellent capacity for large events. Further to that, we wanted to activate the site and deliver a type of event we haven't seen before in eastern Lake Macquarie."
The council's draft Event and Festival Strategy, currently on public exhibition, calls for the council to deliver at least 20 signature events each year. Belmont Beers, Blues & BBQ is, she says, a step in that direction.
"We've secured a wide range of craft brewers and distillers, including Murray's Craft Brewing Co, Canberra's BentSpoke Brewing Co and Victorian award-winner Grand Ridge Brewery. The line-up also features Twisted Sister Craft Ciders, Apple Truck Cider, The Farmer's Wife Distillery and Black Gate Distillery. Some of the region's top barbecue exponents will be cooking up a storm, including Ranga's Barbecue, Smokin Hot 'n Saucy, The Crafty Pit, Piggy Smalls Barbecue and Miss Mabel's."
As for the tunes, there's The Greg Bryce Blues Band, Catfish Soup, Bondi Cigars and Kevin Borich. Tickets to the Belmont Beers, Blues & BBQ festival (5pm to 11pm) are $50 and include two food and two beer tastings, along with a souvenir cup. Go to lakemac.com.au/belmontbbb for bookings, information and updates. This is an over-18 event.
DIY burgers
Newcastle's Star Hotel has introduced a $12 Do It Yourself burger night on Tuesdays from 5.30pm. No, you don't have to cook it yourself but you do get to choose from more than 20 toppings after deciding on beef, chicken or mushroom.
