Pilu at Freshwater

Pilu photo's for february!

2010-02-12T12:02:00.008+11:00

In sardinia they roast some of their meat with mirto leaves, to give a disinctive flavor, and it just so happens we have a mirto bush in the garden at pilu. We folded the spatchcock in half with a couple of mirto branches inside and roasted it. Its quite tasty.

This is a newish addition to our menu, its a veal tenderloin, with herb crumbed porcini, porcini cream, and a basil scented jus.

We changed the presentation a little for the lamb rump, giving it an assortment of baby vegetables, with a monica and fregola jus. Monica is a sardinian wine.

Below we poached some white figs in prosecco, saffron, basil and vanilla, and served them simply with some mascarpone and poaching syrup.

Crudo of crystal bay prawns, tomato gel, bottarga and baby tarragon.

This is our pan fried mulloway, which is on the menu now. Its served with fennel puree, black olive and baby asparagus. Oh, and a fennel crisp.

One of our popular wedding items. Slow cooked beef fillet with crispy kipfler potatoes, truffle mustard and olive dressing.

Another wedding dish, ravioli's with qld spanner crab, golden tomato and grape tomato sauces.

Seared kingfish, with ciccoria and confied young garlic.

This is one of Ian, our sous chefs creations. Its assorted summer fruits, poached and served with a bellini sorbet.

The Seafood school at the fish markets had a grand reopening a couple of months ago, after a full refurbishment. Pilu and a few other restaurants were invited to do some canapes for the night.

Veal involtini, hazelnut and jerusalem artichoke puree and slow cooked spring onion.

Oven baked caramelized yellow peach with vanilla gelato and roasted almonds.

This is Tom. He was one of our long term employee's and has moved on. He's now working at A Tavola. Good luck mate!

Trecce pasta. Which just means platted in italian. Takes a while to make though.

Trecce with tomatoes, vongole and bottarga.

Welcome to a new year!!

2010-01-14T20:07:00.006+11:00

This is a almond and corbezzolo honey semi freddo,with fresh berries and tuilles.

A tray of semi dried grape tomatoes, dressed with garlic, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.

Chicken terrine, accompanied by duck liver pate, cornichons, sardinian artichokes, pickled fennel and truffled dwarf peaches. This has been on the menu over summer.

John dory.

Duck tortelli's, dressed with black olive, pommegranate and duck jus.

Burrata is a soft mozzerella style cheese with a creamy center. We serve it with pancetta, heirloom tomatoes, a little rocket and bruschetta.

School prawns, fried with olives, rosemary, garlic and chilli.

Claire di lune oyster, caviar and chive creme fraiche.

I had never made a pasta with figs before, and we'd been getting some awesome white figs, i happened to be reading Pasta sfoglia and they had a pasta with figs. I changed it a little by putting roasted walnuts and saffron fettucine. It came out pretty good.

Poached rhubarb tart.

Smoked duck breast is one of my favorite things, and here its served with pan fried kipfler potato gnocchi and fennel puree.

Its been a while so.......

2009-09-12T20:59:00.006+10:00

I finally found some time to gather up the new photo's that i had taken over the past couple of months. This is Maccarones di busa, with pork ragu. The Pasta is made by rolling the dough on a nitting needle or small rod.

Twice roasted duck, with artichokes and poached quince.

Veal backstrap wrapped in coppa, broad beans, and purple potato chips.

Duck consomme, with a fine julienne of veg and duck tortellini's.

This is a crudo (raw) of kingfish, that was a entree for another recent wine dinner. It was garnished with blood orange segments, baby herbs and verjuice.

Roasted Duck breast and confit leg, chestnut and jerusalem artichoke puree, purple potatoes and crisp. Glazed with mogolio.

Chicken terrine, pickled fennel, and crispy artichokes.

Trio of chocolate, consisting of a chocolate zippulas, a chocolate parfait and a coffee and chocolate creme tartlet.

Pan seared purple congo potato gnocchi, fresh broad beans, marjoram and gorgonzola.

Fillet of banksia beef, with cavolo nero and stuffed globe artichokes.

Spanner crab agnolotti's with fresh golden cherry and grape tomato sauce, drizzled with basil oil.

Southern Italian Wine Dinner

2009-05-29T23:03:00.005+10:00

Each course was matched with two great wines from different parts of southern italy. Matching the food to each region the different wines came from, for each course. It all started with assigini's of, Claire di lune oyster, with herbs, prosecco and echallots. Arancini filled with pork ragu, and a zucchini flower filled with smoked eel.

Then it was a seafood salad, marinated in lemon, olive oil, parsley and chilli.

For the pasta course we hand made orecchiette, with a lamb ragu, spinach, chilli, and grated baked ricotta.

For main course it was a duo of roasted meats. Giovanni's suckling pig, and slow cooked baby goat wrapped in pancetta. They were accompannied by a slice of eggplant parmagiana.

For dessert there was cannoli filled with ricotta, mascarpone, and candied zest, etc. Served with saffron and almond praline gelato and orange syrup.

Petit fours consisted of some traditional sardinian sweets. Torrone ( or nougat) and pardulas.

April Updates.

2009-04-14T23:32:00.005+10:00

For this months update, i've been using a nikon d50. So my photo's should be a little better than the usual camera phone photo's.

This is a combination of pork terrine and seared scallops, with crispy ears, salsa rossa and fennel puree.

An addition to the suckling pig dish, we've started making our own pork sausages to accompany it.

Our first batch!!

Fettucine with ox tail ragu, and gremolata.
For easter in sardinia they make this pastry called "Pardulas" . We have been serving it with sheeps milk gelato and stuffed baked pear.
Spatchcock coated with truffle mustard and breadcrumbs made from carta di musica.
One of our original dishes, prawns with fregola.

Deboned lamb leg and shoulder, stuffed with fregola, fennel, and herbs. Served with roasted pine mushrooms.

New stuff this month

2009-02-18T22:26:00.005+11:00

I've been trying out a few different pasta flavours lately. These are chocolate tortelli!

An old favourite is back on the menu! Spaghettini with vongole and bottarga. A sardinian classic.

Rolling out chocolate pasta dough.

Pistachio semifreddo with brandy snaps, strawberries with zabaglione.

White and yellow peaches with basil seeds and ricotta, honey tuille.

Chocolate fettucine, tossed with poached pears, anglaise and shavings of dark chocolate.

Spinach ravioli, filled with beetroot puree, goats cheese and thyme. Topped with burnt hazelnut butter and beetroot glaze.

Sardinian ravioli's...
Getting better with more practice!

Roasted blue eye trevella, peppers done " piedmontese style" and basil oil.

Rolled veal accompanied by baby fennel gratin and mirto jus.

Josef, loading up the van at the markets.

Our weekly trip. A full van of fresh ingredients to play with!

Saffron and beetroot fettucine, with squid, chives and smoked eel.

We've been lucky enough to get a good variety of tomatoes this summer, including; Kumato, black Russian, ox heart, green zebra, yellow grapes, love bites, just to name a few.

Poached white nectarine, almond biscuits and sweetened ricotta.
Sugar cured king salmon with baby herbs, fennel and bottarga. This is on our lunch special at the moment.

Yaye, we made it through xmas!

2009-01-19T10:43:00.004+11:00

We won the cup!!

Trio of baby corella pears, one is baked and filled with sultana's and almonds, and next to it is a banana, date and honey gelato. Next one is poached in mirto, and the last in poached in Bracetto, and accompanied by a quenelle of sweetened ricotta.

Slow cooked pork rack, with ciccoria, and cherries.

Brock brought in a emu egg for us to cook.........

It was HUGE, and fed all the staff at lunch!

Crispy skinned barra, with a sardinian style baked eggplant, and basil oil.

Construction on the new aqua fresca cafe has begun!

Bumble bee tortelli's. Saffron and squid ink, with bug tails and pea puree inside. Drizzled with crustaecean oil.

Finally we've started making traditional shaped sardinian culingiones. They take a little more time to make though.

But they are tasty with burnt butter and truffle paste!

This is an entree of yellow fin tuna eschabeche, with wild rocket almonds and parsley.

A couple of quick ones.

2008-12-03T01:43:00.003+11:00

Salad of smoked duck breast, with baby cos and witlof, jerusalem artichoke dressing.

Crispy spinach, porcini and mascarpone rotolo. With sage, caper butter sauce and pecorino.

We don't usually do seafood platters, but we made this impromptu one for some overseas guests recently.

A selection of the new wedding menu desserts.

Mixed tomato salad with baby basil.

Hats Off! A trip to catalonia

2008-12-03T01:13:00.003+11:00

During good food month, a select few restaurants around sydney were involved in the hats off dinners. It was one night that the chefs could try there hands at a different cuisine. We decided on catalonia.
The dinner started with salt cod fritters.

Then moved to spanish ham and melon.

Giovanni, getting into the spirit!

Third course was kingfish escabeche, with tomato bread

Then onto seared scallops on a white bean puree, white anchovie salsa

Five courses in we got to pork belly, slow confied in lard. Served with wild mushroom ragu.

Lobster Catalan style!

And finally....... Creme Catalan!

Finally some new pics!

2008-11-01T21:53:00.005+11:00

This is a new menu item. Seared scallops, wrapped in sage and pancetta on fennel puree, and tomato and white anchovy salsa.

These are some fresh porcini mushrooms, which we herb crusted and pan fried, served with a little salsa verde.

Kingfish crudo, salad of blood orange, shaved fennel and radish.

Fresh local lobster, served "Catalan style".

99% of all our pasta's are made at pilu, this one is a squid ink rigatoni, with prawns, baby occy, squid and scallops. semi dried tomato and shredded basil sauce.

Baked ricotta and poached pear tartlet, with mirto rosso gelato.

Caramelized white peaches, deglazed with moscato and served with mango gelato.

Saffron gnocchetti sardi, hand cut pork sausage meat, baby spinach and aged balsamic.

In action. Staff meal at pilu!

Notice all chefs are long gone! haha.

Pan fried garfish with sauted white asparagus, baby leeks and sea urchin butter.

Mango ravioli's filled with passionfruit curd. Mango gelato and lemon balm.

Ulladulla swordfish, with pommegranate dressing, globe artichokes, grilled baby asparagus and witlof.

Tonnarelli with crispy prosciutto, porcini and pecorino.

Thats offal, Mitch's leaving!

2008-08-27T00:54:00.007+10:00

Mitch has been at pilu for over a year, but has moved on to Danny Russo's new Beresford hotel.

We wish him all the best!

MMMnnnn, fresh blood and intestines.

The Blood sausage mix.

Me, getting messy.

The final product. Blood sausage, with kipfler puree, baked quince, mandarin mustard fruits and saba jus.

Rolled and poached spatchcock.

Wall of fame!

Oven roasted Ruby snapper, baby veg and saffron broth.

Baked honey pear, filled with sultana's and pistachio's, served with vanilla bean gelato and a sesame cone.

Prawn flower?

A nice simple chargrilled calamari, tossed in a garlic, fennel herb, lemon zest, and chilli dressing.

Humpty Doo Barramundi fillet, on pencil leeks, golden beets and broad beans. Served with a Anice( like Pernod) cream reduction.

Fregola "Rice" pudding, with poached cherries and cherry glaze.

Charred W.A. Marron, with bottarga butter, and hand cut chips.
Lamb rack, stuffed artichoke and ligurian olive dressing.

A long needed update!

2008-07-09T00:49:00.006+10:00

Giovanni, hard at work on a saturday night.

Zuppa galurese. A Sardinian bread pudding. Consisting of, lamb stock, mint, pecorino and of course, bread.

A before shot of a 1 kg black angus rib eye steak.

Now, Ready to eat, for two to share !

Pan seared swordfish, with assorted saute seasonal vegatables.

Swordfish with roasted orange peppers, crispy pancetta, chives and squid ink dressing.

Oven Roasted Hapuka, sitting on fresh peas, new season broad beans, baby zuchinni and a fennnel cream.

Potato gnocchi, with a fresh ox heart tomato sauce, yellow fin tuna pieces and pesto.

Truffled egg pappardelle, porcini's , pancetta and parsley.

Pea and ham soup. shaved bottarga and poached king prawns.

Vermentino poached honey pear, with ginger-caramel gelato and sesame wafer.

Winter roast veg!

Assigini! Cream of celeriac soup, and gorgonzola carta di musica crustini.

Squid ink fettucine , marron tail and dill.

Pan seared Blue eye, on saute white asparagus, with fennel puree and a tomato and chive dressing.

Rolled pork fillet, accompanied by eggplant caponata, made for a friend recently.

Risotto of squid, fennel and bottarga.

Happy Mother's day and goodbye Shige and Adrian!

2008-05-15T00:22:00.005+10:00

Mother's day special: crab & scallop ravioli's with marron tail, and marron & prawn sauce

Veal involtini's filled with cavolo nero and buffalo mozzarella, wrapped in prosciutto.

These 2 guys have been a major part of the kitchen team at Pilu for a long time, they have now moved on to bigger and better things. Good luck boys! We'll miss you both.

Banana and panettone and butter pudding with mirto ice cream.

Gnocchi with Rouget.

Seared kingfish with a salad of golden beets , fennel and baby asparagus.

Winter is Here!

2008-05-04T23:01:00.005+10:00

Octopus marinated in lemon, herbs and extra virgin olive oil, on a canellini bean puree.
Grilled Yellow fin tuna fillet, on top of baby asparagus. Shaved fennel, parsley and diced tomato salad for garnish.

Bottarga and sardinian artichoke salad.

A croquembouche one of our pastry chefs made for a wedding.

Lycee's and strawberry's in between puff pastry.

Sardine fillets and mussels, with stracci, tomato and fennel.

Crisy pancetta wrapped black figs, with charred ridicchio, and a gorgonzola-mascarpone and truffle honey dressing. Roasted walnuts for garnish.

Potato gnocchi, with marron bisque and chives

Potato gnocchi with slow cooked wild boar, butter roasted chestnuts and shaved pecorino.

Casarecce pasta with seared scallops black cabbage and sea urchin.

Charred swordfish, garnished with braised baby cos, peas, echallots and pancetta.

Bbq'd baby occy, on top of a borlotti bean puree with balsamic and chilli.

A nice pheasant dish, roasted on the bone with saffron potatoes and cavolo nero.

Shredded confit of duck leg salad. Roasted golden beets, echallots with treviso.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T11:42:00.005+11:00

We've been doing a few weddings lately, these are our new antipasto plates: Fried zucchini flower filled with goats cheese, smoked duck breast with hazelnut dressing, chargrilled baby occy, house cured Tasmanian saltwater charr, San Daniele prosciutto, and a baked black fig filled with gorgonzola wrapped in pancetta, drizzled with truffle honey!!
Above and below. These are a bit old, photo's of Tetsuya's staff christmas party 07.

One of Giovanni's signatures. Saffron malloreddus with vongole and bottarga.
Potato gnocchi, with crispy pancetta, gorgonzola mascarpone and marjoram.
John dory,wrapped in prosciutto with pencil leeks and stuffed baby peppers.
Above and below! black and white Tagliollini,with south australian sea urchin, and qld spanner crab meat.

A special course made for Tetsuya recently.
Looks a bit like Pork fillet sushi?
Our dish for the NSW wine week. Veal backstrap, studded with garlic and rosemary, wrapped in coppa and roasted. Accompanied by a root vegetables and fregola ragu

Last week at pilu

2008-03-17T23:47:00.003+11:00

This is Noa! our first pilu baby! From proud parents josef and janina.

Welcome to summer at pilu

2008-03-16T23:24:00.004+11:00

Suckling pig risotto, calvados apples and crispy skin
The author of this blog, in a recent japanese magazine! ( I only got to do it though because giovanni was away!)
Tasmanian saltwater Charr, house cured, with roasted beets and creme fraiche
Barramundi, charred japanese eggplants baby leeks and salsa rossa

Squid ink ravioli's with mussels and vongole in a prawn broth
Mini antipasto. Grilled marron tail with bottarga butter, claire de lune oyster with blood orange and bitters sorbet, and cured charr with lemon mascarpone

Some more photo's

2008-02-18T00:37:00.002+11:00

Fresh black figs, stuffed with gorgonzola dolce, wrapped in pancetta and baked. On asparagus tips and a hazelnut dressing.
Squid ink ravioli's filled with marron and scallops, served with nut brown butter, walnuts and crispy celery leaves.
Same, same, but different!
These are Zippula's, a Sardinian festival dessert, but filled with cherries. With grappa and cherry sauce and vanilla mascarpone!

Happy Valentines! A couple of dishes from the night.

2008-02-15T01:02:00.002+11:00

Giovanni, running the pass!
First course was a pane e casu, followed by a choice of a half dozen claire de lune oysters, or a buffalo mozzarella, black fig, radicchio and green asparagus salad. (shown)
Third course was potato ravioli's or tagliolinni, with spanner crab and grape tomatoes.
Forth course. A choice of snapper fillet with baby spinach, green olives and vernaccia, or suckling pig or slow roasted beef fillet with potato gratin and truffle butter.
And lastly, a dessert plate each! A heart shaped seadus! A poached peach tartlet, and an amedei milk chocolate semifreddo..........

Some new menu bits and specials!

2008-02-15T00:39:00.004+11:00

One of the sardinian waiters mother, gave us a lesson on how to make real sardinian potato ravioli's.
Assagini. Fresh pea and pancetta soup.
Saffron pasta and zucchini flowers.
Spanner crab and prawn ravioli's, with roasted hazelnuts, burnt butter and chives.
Mitch, grating Australian and Sardinian bottarga for pasta.
Our new menu addition! A 400g dry aged Beef rib eye!
Fritto misto....
Ravioli's and grilled marron, with a prawn bisque.

2008-01-21T19:04:00.001+11:00

Zuzana!
Saffron pappardelle with enoki mushrooms crispy guanciale and treviso.
Josef, with a cheeky grin.
Blue eye, on a bed of pea puree and fried eggplants. Garnished with a white anchovie.

2008-01-12T20:14:00.000+11:00

Profiteroles, with toasted almonds and Amedei chocolate
Sardinian crumbed scampi tails, eggplant puree and pumpkin seed oil.
Squid ink tortelloni, filled with spanner crab meat and sitting on a fresh grape tomato sauce
Calamari ripieni
Chargrilled Swordfish, chicpea puree and a roast garlic and parsley dressing
Pannacotta's ready for a wedding!

2007-12-22T23:47:00.000+11:00

Tortellini with roast pumpkin,ameretti biscuits and marjoram. Nut brown butter, pinenuts and sultanas.
Grade 4/5 Waygu beef, served with mixed mushrooms

Pane frattau, a Sardinian speciality!

Ian's Pineapple ravioli,filled with orange curd. Served with roast pineapple gelato and cripy pineapple chip.

The Boss............

Beef carpaccio, marinated in red mirto, shaved grana, rocket and sliced dwarf truffled peaches.

Some of this weeks additions!

2007-11-08T23:07:00.000+11:00

White asparagus with a fried duck egg, truffle honey and marjoram
Vongole and fregola soup
Squid ink gnocchetti, with mussels, grape tomatoes and fresh peas
Vitello tonnato

Our trip to Maclay Valley pig and rabbit farms

2007-11-08T22:49:00.001+11:00

A very young rabbit!

What we've been doing at Pilu recently!

2007-11-07T23:28:00.000+11:00

Braised Maclay valley rabbit, with fresh mirto leaves
Wedding canapes
Our signature dish! Suckling pig
Voytek, hard at work!
Some of our chefs, Shige (near) and Mitch (far)
The final product!
Blue swimmer crab ravioli's for a wedding!
Pane e casu, sardinian crisp bread and pecorino cheese
Milk chocolate semifreddo, with chocolate sorbet and pistachio tuille
Rigatoni,with pork and porcini ragu

Stuffed and roasted quail with glazed figs
Vine ripened tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and black forest ham
Shige making fresh gnocchi
Pescatore! (below) Crispy skinned blue eye (above)

The start of Pilu's blog!

2007-10-22T22:24:00.000+10:00