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Six rockstar meals

On November 18, 2011 in dinner, food, food blog, restaurants, reviews, Sydney

Do you suffer from food envy when eating out? It’s a common affliction that affects the best of us – particularly indecisive Librans like me. What’s even worse than food envy is encountering a dish that’s simply too good to eat. Art on a plate, if you like. Today’s post is a celebration of six restaurant dishes that blew me away.

1. Prawn cocktail at Doyle’s, Watson’s Bay

My sister ordered this dish at a family lunch at Doyles earlier this year. Truth be told, I had a serious case of food envy when I saw the dish emerge from the kitchen. Simple, fresh and oh-so-Aussie. There may be too much fried food on the menu, but the Sydney institution of Doyles does a mean prawn cocktail. Oh so fitting for a civilised lunch on a sparkly summer’s day. And did I mention the view? It’s to-die-for.

prawn cocktail at Doyles

prawn cocktail at Doyles

2. Duck liver pate at The Commons, Darlinghurst

The Commons is one of those places I could just keep going back to. Its cosy interior has just the right mix of coolness and comfort factor that I look for in a watering hole. What’s more, it has a fabulous restaurant that dishes up some of the best seasonal produce around. On my last visit there, we demolished some duck liver pate (they gave me sliced apple instead of bread) and a whole baked rainbow trout stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella.  Needless to say, I fell into a foodie coma.

Duck liver pate with cornichons

Duck liver pate with cornichons at The Commons, Sydney

3.  Snapper and chocolate sphere at Gastro Park, Potts Point

The name might get the thumbs down, but Gastro Park takes Sydney restaurant food to a whole new level with its arty interpretations of scaled snapper with smoked potato puree, calamari crackling and ink sauce. Their chocolate, honeycomb, mandarin sphere, cookies and cream is an orgasm on a plate.

Snapper at Gastro Park

Snapper at Gastro Park

4. Oysters and honey vodka at Food Society, Darlinghurst

Sydney needs more places like Food Society – a little piece of Eastern Europe in the heart of Darlinghurst. I went there with four friends a couple of weeks ago and tucked into their share menu. The best value food I’ve had in ages at $46 each. The stand outs were the Pacific oysters with lemon ice and trout roe washed down with a smooth glass of honey vodka. You simply must try it. Oh, and all dishes served with bread or crackers can be gluten-free on request.

Pacific oysters with lemon ice and trout roe

Pacific oysters with lemon ice and trout roe at Food Society, Darlinghurst

Honey vodka at Food Society, Darlinghurst

Honey vodka at Food Society, Darlinghurst

5. Dessert plate at Toko, Surry Hills

Toko is one of my favourite restaurants and bars. It might be hard to get a table, but their gyoza are to-die-for and the mood lighting does wonders for my wrinkles. And I love their dessert plate. It’s not gluten-free, but the presentation is spot on. Love.

Dessert platter at Toko, Surry Hills

Dessert platter at Toko, Surry Hills

6. Chocolate fondue and martinis at The Victoria Room, Darlinghurst

Stepping inside Sydney’s plush Victoria Room transports me to a rich gentleman’s club in Bombay. It’s like having dinner at a very rich person’s house. I can imagine someone like Winston Churchill kicking back here with a cigar and Scotch in hand.

Their chocolate fondue and martinis for two is the best $70 you’ll ever spend. Just don’t make the mistake of eating dinner beforehand like we did. The servings are as generous as Santa Claus’s stomach. A warm bowl of molten dark chocolate is surrounded by pieces of Turkish Delight, candied orange, fresh fruit, banana fritters and banana bread. This is hedonism at its best and makes for a great date night.

Chocolate fondue martinis at The Victoria Room

Chocolate fondue martinis at The Victoria Room

 

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Beach Burrito Co.

On September 15, 2011 in Bondi, brunch, food, lunch, Mexican, restaurants, reviews, spicy, spicy food, Sydney

Truth be told, one of the best perks about being a Sydneysider is the amazing variety of cuisine up for grabs. From Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Lebanese and Thai, this sprawling city has the global palate covered. Not surprising when you consider half our residents were born overseas. My only gripe is most cuisines tend to belong to specific suburbs making them a bit unaccessible if you don’t fancy journeying across the city.

Petersham, for example, is home to some of Sydney’s best Greek and Portuguese food, while Five Dock and Leichhardt in the west could be mistaken for Italy.  Chinatown dishes up some of the tastiest Chinese food this side of China while Cabramatta in Sydney’s south-west is the heartland of Vietnamese food.

Sydney’s east has a smattering of interesting cuisines up its sleeve, including some amazing Israeli food and a bar called The Rum Diaries which transports me to Cuba every time I step foot inside its funky doors. The east is also home to a little piece of Mexico by the name of Beach Burrito Co..

Burrito from Bondi Burrito Co.

Burrito from Bondi Burrito Co.

On our maiden voyage to Beach Burrito Co., Paul and I rocked up to their North Bondi premises, smack bang opposite the beach. They are also located in Coogee and Cronulla. An afternoon spent kicking back at this colourful cafe watching the world go by with a frozen Margarita in one hand and a chipotle chicken burrito in the other is my idea of a good time. Even if you’re not on holidays (which half of Bondi seems to permanently be on), it’s easy to pretend you are thanks to the ever-present holiday vibe that permeates the air.

There’s all manners of Mexicana food on the menu here – fajitas, quesadillas, tacos, taquitos, nachos, but Paul and I couldn’t look past the house speciality - burritos. I opted for a chipotle chicken burrito while Paul’s ordered a green chilli pig. We weren’t disappointed. The servings were seriously super-sized and the fillings were really fresh and generous. Not bad for $12.95 a pop. My tortilla was filled to the brim with chargrilled chicken, Mexican rice, black beans, blended cheese, smokey salsa, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, coriander, spanish onion and garlic tossed in lemon juice and salt). Paul loved his too – slow roasted pork cooked in green chillies and spices then pulled apart, mexican rice, black beans, blended cheese, green chilli salsa, sour cream and shredded cabbage.

And here’s a bit of useless trivia for you. According to Old El Paso, the name ‘burrito’ translates as ‘little donkey’ and is thought to refer to the folded end of the tortilla, which looks a bit like a donkey’s ear. So, there you go!

I’ve heard the salads are the best thing on the menu (served in crispy tortilla bowls), so I’ll be sure to try that next time. And good news for coeliacs and gluten-sensitive people is they have gluten-free goodies on offer in the shape of corn tacos. Brilliant.

Beach Burrito Co.
252 Campbell Pde
Ph: 9130 7123

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Fig Tree Byron Bay

On May 18, 2011 in Byron Bay, organic, recipes, restaurants

Do you believe in love at first sight? That lightening bolt moment when two worlds collide and you recognise the love of your life? Some people see fireworks while others recount stories of birds suddenly appearing, knees trembling and cherubs flying. Whatever the case, love at first sight happens in an instant and there can be no denying the feelings of intoxication that accompany it.

As the saying goes, love finds you when you least expect it. This was certainly the case for me. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was minding my own business as I walked up a private road on the outskirts of Byron. Unbeknown to me, I was about to meet “The One” – the one who I had been looking for all my life, the one who I couldn’t live without.

As I reached the top of the road, I arrived at a restaurant called Fig Tree. You wouldn’t know from its unassuming appearance, but this restaurant has the all the makings of a chef’s hat contender. The moment I stepped inside, it hit me like a tonne of wontons that I had indeed found “The One”. I had found my perfect restaurant match.

Fig Tree is hard to fault. The only mishap was mixing up our booking, but I’ll let them off the hook since they made room for us at the last minute and treated us to “the best seat in the house”. Bless them! Being brought up by a mother who is somewhat obsessed by views, I seem to have inherited a similar inclination for “good outlooks” when eating out. It’s all about the view, you see. As I sat perched on my chair and gazed out towards the sunny Byron hinterland, it occurred to me that Mum would give this view her seal of approval.

All the ingredients at Fig Tree are spot on – from the seasonal and artistically presented food, to the attentive and down-to-earth service, to the reasonable price to the scenic location, to the beautiful old fig tree that sits on the hill. For me, it was like coming home – to a home that cooked the most delicious and creative food imaginable. The lovely chefs even catered for my food sensitivities by keeping all the dairy separate and offering me a dairy-free dessert. This was without me even making a fuss – they just picked up on something I asked about one of the sauces. They also treated us to complimentary champagne for our anniversary. Every part of the six-course degustation was like music in my mouth. To be honest, I enjoyed it more than Tetsuya’s degustation. Yes, it’s true! Not bad for $65 a head.

Fig Tree dishes up a Farmers’ Market menu every Thursday evening using the freshest local and organic produce from the fabulous Byron Bay Farmers’ Markets. The four-course menu is $45; the six-course tasting menu is $65. What a bargain. I highly recommend that you hotfoot it there ASAP. You’ll love it.

Fig Tree Restaurant & Rooms
4 Sunrise Lane, Ewingsdale NSW 2481
Phone: (02) 66 847 273
Email:[email protected]

So, tell me readers, do you have a restaurant that stole your heart the moment you lay eyes on it?

 

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Nielsen Park Cafe Sydney

On April 11, 2011 in breakfast, brunch, cafes, restaurants, reviews, Sydney

If you could only eat one course for the rest of your life, what would it be? Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert? For me, breakfast is the clear winner. Not only does it offer both sweet and savoury options, but it can be eaten at any time of day (yes, I have been known to eat cornflakes for dinner), and you get to wash it all down with an English breakfast tea or a cappucino. What’s not to love?

As luck would have it, Food Crush was invited to review Nielsen Park Cafe’s breakfast menu on the weekend. Located in Vaucluse, the cafe comes in the shape of a charming heritage house sitting atop a grassy park overlooking Sydney’s sparkling harbour. Boats bob, children play, seaplanes soar and ferries chug as happy cafe goers sip on flat whites and watch the passing parade in this sunny corner of Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Clifton Gardens is just a hop, skip and a jump across the harbour, while Manly beckons in the distance.

Nielsen Park Cafe

Nielsen Park Cafe

As we were shown to our alfresco table, I contemplated what planet I was on when I decided it was a good idea to deck myself out in winter woollens on this warm Autumn morning. I did my best to ignore the bikini clad passers-by as I ordered a soy cappacino and removed my scarf and cardigan. Wardrobe malfunction, tick.

But enough about my outfit. Back to the cafe. This place dishes up eye candy in spades. In fact, I would go as far as to say it offers Sydney’s most stunning water view. Where else can you gaze over the beach (which happens to be framed by a giant Moreton Bay Fig tree) whilst munching on homestyle granola and picturing your dream wedding (yes, I am a sad case)? It reminded me a bit of a smaller version of Balmoral Beach with less people and better (and free) parking.

But what about the food? While the menu is good, the view is the star attraction. I found it to a bit slim on options for the fussy eaters among us who don’t eat gluten or dairy. This is no-fuss, no-nonsense breakfast fare. All up, there are six dishes (which is heaven for indecisive Librans like me). Eggs are a big-ticket item as they comprise half the menu. The other dishes include granola with mixed berry compote, mint and yoghurt ($11); fresh seasonal fruits with natural yoghurt and ligurian organic honey ($11); and toasted sourdough with your choice of topping ($9).

Soy cappacino at Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

Soy cappacino at Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

I ordered poached eggs on toasted sourdough with sides of roasted tomato and smoked salmon ($21.50). I was a good girl and gave my toast to Paul. Whenever I order poached eggs, they come out hard, so you can imagine my joy at poking the eggs with my knife and seeing the orange yolk running all over the plate. Perfection! These aren’t just normal eggs, by the way. They are Kangaroo Island free-range eggs, i.e. eggs from happy chickens. That makes me happy.

Poached eggs at Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

Poached eggs at Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

I don’t consider myself a coffee connoisseur, so I asked Paul what he thought of the coffee. He thought it was strong and good, so I guess that gives it the golden seal of approval. He ordered scrambled eggs on sourdough ($13.50) which he said were great. I didn’t try them myself, but they smelt scrummy.

Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

Nielsen Park Cafe, Sydney

So, there you have it. Food Crush gives Nielsen Park Cafe the thumbs up. Just don’t make the mistake that I made and go there without your cossie. After all, there’s plenty of juice left in the Autumn sun and the harbour is still nice and warm. Just be sure to swim within the shark net!

Nielsen Park Cafe
Greycliffe Avenue
Vaucluse, Sydney
Ph: (02) 9337 7333
Open from 8am, 7 days a week.

Looking for more cafe ideas around the eastern suburbs? Check out my review of Savta at Bondi Junction.

 

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Pony Dining at Neutral Bay

On January 12, 2011 in recipes, restaurants, reviews, Sydney

North Shore locals released a communal sigh of relief when Firefly wine and tapas bar opened its funky doors in 2008. The area has long been starved of anywhere decent to eat with locals having to resort to local Thai or Japanese restaurants for a meal out. Finally, the “North Snore” is getting its groove on as other wine bars and restaurants start sprouting up around the area.

One such example is Pony Dining (the cousin of Pony at The Rocks) which opened late last year. Lo and behold, this uber cool establishment is giving local north shore punters a good injection of the type of hospitality they would normally trek across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to find.

Duck liver parfait, toasted sourdough baguette, cornichon

Duck liver parfait, toasted sourdough baguette, cornichons

Seared sirloin – soy, lime, chilli and lemongrass dressing

Seared sirloin – soy, lime, chilli and lemongrass dressing

Tucking into seared sirloin with soy, lime, chilli and lemongrass dressing at Pony Dining

Tucking into seared sirloin with soy, lime, chilli and lemongrass dressing at Pony Dining

My sister and I took Mum to Pony for her birthday dinner in December. What struck me the most, apart from the all-male (and rather handsome) kitchen and wait staff, was its extraordinary ceiling installation with five kilometres of timber slats that undulates through the long lean space, encapsulating a private dining room, the main dining room, a cocktail bar and a lounge area. Yet another great date restaurant!

Steamed edamame, murray river pink salt

Steamed edamame, murray river pink salt

The menu is as friendly as the staff with everything from tapas, goodies from the wood-fired grill, entrees, mains and sides. We stuck with the tapas menu on this occasion, but I’m keen to go back and try the spinach and potato gnocchi with woodside goats curd, kalamata olives and pine nuts.

Blanched asparagus, salted ricotta, pine nuts, salsa verde, lemon

Blanched asparagus, salted ricotta, pine nuts, salsa verde, lemon

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Pony Neutral Bay
No 2, 19 – 25 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay NSW 2089
T. 02 9904 3400; [email protected]

If you like the sound of Pony Dining, you might also like The Public Dining Room at Balmoral Beach.

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