Sydney with Scoot: Quarter Twenty One Cooking Class

Touchdown! On my first day after arriving in Sydney via Scoot, we checked into Amora Hotel Jamison, located at 11 Jamison Street. The hotel is located in Sydney CBD area, within walking distance from the Wynyard CityRail Station. I felt a pang of nostalgia as the first hotel I stayed in Sydney during my honeymoon trip was in the same vicinity.

The hotel is obviously popular with business travelers, with many major offices nearby. For the casual travelers, the city central is a good base to travel out to all of Sydney’s major attractions and entertainment options, thanks to the well-connected transport networks.

Once we checked in, we were chauffeured in style via Astra Limousines to a Cooking Class with chef, Michael Robinson at Quarter Twenty One Cookery School, located at level 5, shop 5018, Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre.

Quarter Twenty One restaurant is a modern European restaurant by chef Justin North and his wife, Georgia, with ex Bécasse head chef Michael Robinson at the helm.

Michael’s cooking style is uncomplicated produce driven food, deeply rooted in his European training and technique. As a cooking teacher, Michael is friendly and unassuming, patiently going through the ingredient and techniques with cooking amateurs like me, item by item. Meet Michael:

Quarter Twenty One also offers a retail shop selling premium ingredients and take home meals, on top of a cooking school to refine home cuisine skills. We took time to explore around around:

The first dish we were taught to prepare was the Salad of Heirloom Carrots with Goats’ Curd, Hazelnut and Cocoa.

Before learning this dish, I never knew there were so many kinds of carrots – golf ball, Dutch, purple, white and yellow:

Due to time constraint, chef Michael did most of the work, including slicing up the carrots and preparing the various sauces and condiments from scratch. We were tasked with plating the carrots and other final ingredients in whatever artistic manner we like:

After preparing the entree, we moved on to the main: Roast and Braise Suckling Pork Leg, Caramelised Scampi and Wild Mushrooms.

For this dish, we got busy preparing a large stuffed pasta each. The hard part is to ensure the filling is wrapped securely without any air bubbles inside the pasta. This prevents the stuffed pasta from “exploding” when cooked.

While watching our teacher delicately prepare the scampi, mushrooms and veggies, I could not wait to sink my teeth into the main course, tantalised by the sight and smell of the freshest ingredient.

After stuffing ourselves with the main course, we were brought on a kitchen tour and also took a peek at the next-door adjoining restaurant:

To round up the day, we were treated to a freshly made chocolate fondant for dessert.  The ladies all went gaga over the lush, warm chocolate lava, consumed with spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

For me, I find it interesting to get involved preparing your own fine dining meal, learning the recipe as the items are served one-by-one. Great experience!

To find out more about Quarter Twenty One cooking class, retail store and restaurant, visit their official website. For foodies, consider enrolling in a cooking class for a different dining experience when you are in Sydney. 🙂

Read my other Sydney with Scoot blog posts:

Scooting to Sydney with HTC One X on Instagram

New Singapore Low-Cost Carrier Scoot launched its Worldwide Inaugural Flight from Singapore to Sydney

Alvinology is Going On Scoot’s Inaugural Flight to Sydney, Australia!