When I was about seventeen years old, I was having lunch at a camp, and I'd just started eating a meat pie when a friend sat down by me with a pie also. She got up after about a minute - for seconds.
I stared in disbelief at my barely half-eaten Four 'n' Twenty (or Black and Gold frozen variety, more likely), and I'm no slowbie, but I watched her demolish a second one BEFORE I HAD FINISHED MY FIRST. I have never seen anything like it before or since, and I now have a great amount of respect for this gastronaut and eating powerhouse who also believes that sometimes to gain full enjoyment from a meal one must eat great amounts as fast as possible.
I was pleased then when she organised a girls night last month to Shou Sumiyaki, a Japanese char-grill restaurant, where you order raw meat and vegies and cook them yourself on the char-grill in the middle of the table. As you can imagine, it was quite a novelty.
So when the fourth Friday of August rolled around and World Food dinner of the Fantastical Five hadn't been organised, I dug out the little business card from the back pocket of my dressy jeans, glad that our waiter had been so studious in following their marketing strategy upon our gaggly exit.
I booked us in the mysterious-looking back section, where you take your shoes off and sit at floor level (but not on the floor. Don't try to understand).
The food is fresh and there are numerous cuts to choose from of wagyu beef, chicken and pork, as well as a variety of seafood... but portions are very small (100g), so you really need to order a couple of main dishes, and even then you wouldn't call it a hearty meal.
Being able to cook lamb cutlets yourself to perfection and eat them straight off the grill was excellent, and the ox tongue entree was delicious - but I discovered that wasabi paste, or whatever it was, is not to be used like mustard. The sinus clearing of a lifetime.
I thought it was worth going for the Japanese dining experience and just the pure novelty factor. But after second time round I've gotta say, there's something to be said for paying someone else your hard-earned to do the cooking for you on a Friday night.
Shou Sumiyaki - Sake Bar & Grill
160 Lt Bourke St
Melbourne
9654 3933
$15-$25 main
Shou Sumiyaki
Mish-Mashed
Mish-Mash Dinner was, in my opinion, nothing short of mashtacular.
After a trip to the Salvos, we emerged as Kung Fu Master, Pregnant Lady, Aussie Cricketer, Neo of the Matrix and 70's Bride. Yeah, I couldn't find any kind of jumpsuit or a puffy-sleeved taffeta hilarity, but I made do with a $5 Seventies number with long sleeves that zip up at the wrists. It actually looked a lot like my mum's wedding dress.
Dinner, being an unknown five-course affair, panned out as follows::
First course: entree - prawns
Second course: dessert - fruit flan
Third course: dessert - triple chocolate semifreddo
Fourth course: dessert - fruit salad and cream
Fifth course: dessert - triple layer chocolate cake
The entree was my contribution because I just knew, KNEW there were going to be at minimum four desserts, and while the idea filled me with glee, it also made me feel ill. I'd been wanting to try out this recipe for ages and it was easy and enjoyed:
Prawns with Chilli and Lime Mayo and Pistachio Dukkah
Serves 4-6 as an entree
1-2kg prawns, tails intact
I cup good quality whole egg mayo
I lime
I small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
I packet pistachio dukkah (Middle Eastern nut and spice mix. Some Safeways stock it, otherwise you can make your own)
Saute prawns for 5 mins in oil and a little garlic.
Mix mayo with chilli and juice of the lime.
To eat: dip prawn first in mayo then in dukkah.
Now, let me just dwell on my husband's triple chocolate semifreddo for a moment. To get a sense of this dessert, imagine the best, most expensive chocolate ice cream you've ever had, then imagine throwing that ice cream away in disgust after tasting this semifreddo because it's ten times more rich and creamy and mmmm .... Semifreddo Genius.
To top off the meal, the icing on the cake was a delightful cake, with icing. The thoughtful friend who made it chose it because it was sweet, rich and layered, to match my personality. Right? I thought so.
Finally, it was time for the Supergame, which lasted a whole 15 minutes or so before being abandoned for some absurd, vigorous conversation. I clearly couldn't keep up, as I fell into a bloated slumber in my bridal finery and was woken a couple of hours later to say goodbye to my guests. Hey, a wedding day can really take it out of a girl!