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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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Small Bar Tour

On October 21, 2011 in bars, reviews, Sydney

The rivalry that exists between Sydney and Melbourne is no secret. Both have tickets on themselves as being the superior city, but truth be told, both have their merits. Where one excels in beaches (Sydney), the other triumphs in exceptional cafe culture (Melbourne). Indeed, you’d have the perfect city if you combined the best bits of the two; as you would have the perfect man if you were to combine George Clooney’s face with Brad Pitt’s body and Ewan McGregor’s sexy Scottish accent. But I digress.

Cafe culture isn’t the only thing Melbourne has down pat. Great shopping, a happening arts scene and a plethora of “too-cool-for-school” wine bars are also among its talents. In fact, Sydney has long been the poor cousin of its southern neighbour when it comes to bars imbued with charm, cosiness and a certain “je ne sais quo”. Until now.

Thanks to the relaxation of liquor licensing laws (that have made it next to impossible for most mere mortals to set up a small bar), the average Joe can now set up shop for $500. This is a bit cheaper than the $100k it used to cost. Since August 2008, around 30 new small bars have sprouted up in the centre of the city. The result? Sydneysiders are happy as pigs in mud.

By their very nature, small bars are small and hidden away in the most unlikely places. Some are “holes-in-the-wall” while others are so inconspicuous they don’t even have signs out the front. To help open the lid of this new and hidden culture I took matters into my own hands and signed up for a Small Bar Tour.

First stop on the tour is Stitch. Truth be told, I am running late, so I only see the outside of this blink-and-you-miss it bar. Located at 61 York Street, Sydney, it describes itself as small enough to fit between the stitches of your pocket. Cute. They only have two areas that can be reserved for larger groups. ‘The Cell’ can fit six to eight people at the table and the ‘Side Room’ can fit 10 – 12. Both rooms can be booked from Monday to Saturday, excluding Friday. Could be good for a soiree. Bigger or smaller bookings can be accommodated on Saturdays.

Next stop on our wee bar crawl is Since I Left You.

Since I Left You

Since I Left You

Named after The Avalanches’ song of the same name, Since I Left You is tucked away on Sydney’s Kent Street. It’s the realisation of a lifelong dream for co-owners, Nick and Elvis. Together, they spent five months refurbing what used to be a cloakroom for an upstairs office.

“It’s a strange phenomenon, but apart from a few main streets, the city is pretty much ghost town after hours,” says Nick. “I see small bars as an essential part of breathing life back into the the Sydney CBD, after all small bars are the cafes of the night.

“There’s so much history in the city, and sadly most of it is completely overlooked by a lot of people. Small bars are perfect for occupying and celebrating all those forgotten, out-of-the-way spaces just like what we’ve done.” I couldn’t agree more.

Nick tells me their Tutti Frutti cocktail is one of their more popular drinks and I can see why – it’s a peach, mango, and strawberry daiquiri topped with crushed Fruit Tingles.  Did someone say yum?!
Tutti Frutti cocktail

Tutti Frutti cocktail

Next stop on the small bar tour is Grasshopper. There’s lots to love about this place; a thriving bar-cum-restaurant in an alleyway at the back of George Street. One of the things I love the most is the warm welcome that greets me at the front door. A rarity in a city that has lost the plot when it comes to good service. Milk crates adorn the alleyway at the front of the that used to be a dumping ground for surrounding offices.

Drinks are served in beakers.  The menu is deliberately short and sharp – there’s 10 cocktails to choose from. I highly recommend number 33 – a winning combo of honey and ginger rice wine with lemon, mint and lemonade. Aye carumba!

We jump in a cab to get to the fourth and best stop of our whirlwind bar crawl. Crown Street’s Shady Pines Saloon is so cool it doesn’t have a sign. You’d be forgiven for walking straight past if it weren’t for the queue of thirsty bar goers lining up out front.

Shady Pines Saloon

Shady Pines Saloon

Don’t judge a book by its cover because behind its non-descript exterior is a funky bar that would be right at home in Tribeca, NYC. The thing that wins me over (besides their Whisky Apple) is the obvious lack of door lists and attitudes – everyone is welcome at Shady Pines. Just be prepared to queue.

Shady Pines Saloon

Shady Pines Saloon

We now move a hop, skip and a jump away to Sydney’s new mecca of small bars and eating houses – Burton Street. We visit three bars along this strip, including the likes of 13b Cafe & Cocktail Bar and Pocket. But special mention must go to The Commons Local Eating House.

The entrance to The Commons Local Eating House

The entrance to The Commons Local Eating House

This place oozes charm and warmth thanks to the combination of soft lighting, hand-chipped sandstone walls and friendly staff. I feel like I am in someone’s house as I walk down the ancient staircase to the cosy basement below. In fact, I love it so much I’m going back for dinner tonight! They have a farmhouse taste-of-the-season menu that sounds right up my alley as well as duck liver pate with cornichons that looks too good to miss.

Duck liver pate and cornichons at The Commons.

Duck liver pate and cornichons at The Commons.

I simply must eat this next time I go there. It would be rude not to. Thanks to the website for the photos

Run by the City of Sydney, the Small Bar Tour takes in eight bars, in and around the CBD and Surry Hills. It goes for about two hours and costs $75. Included in the cost are two cocktails and a cab ride. As it’s a small bar tour, the groups are also small limited to 12 people tops. For more info on the wee bar crawl, contact Small Bar Tours.

Amy’s Cookbook was a guest of Destination NSW as part of Crave Sydney celebrations.

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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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Trio Bondi

On June 17, 2011 in Bondi, breakfast, brunch, Sydney

Don’t you just love an all-day breakfast? Being able to rock up to a cafe at your convenience and hoe into a big bowl of toasted granola or a plate of poached eggs with smoked salmon? They say brekky is the most important meal of the day, so it seems a shame to stop serving it at lunchtime. I’m a big proponent of the all-day breakfast. It’s like a celebration of sorts… not to mention great for people who like a sleep in, but don’t want to miss out on their big brekky and long black.

Have you heard of Trio Cafè at Bondi? It’s on Campbell Parade (up the hill, a safe distance from the feral part). I would go as far as saying they serve the best breakfast in Sydney. You see, breakfast is their specialty.  They serve it all day long and absolutely excel in it. I’m yet to see a more creative and diverse brekky menu. For indecisive Librans like me, deciding what to order can be as hard as making the perfect pastry.

I’m talking shakshuka; cinnamon and vanilla scented French toast; corn fritters with warm smoky tomato chutney, bacon, goat’s cheese and roquette; fresh seasonal fruit plate served with passionfruit yoghurt; chargrilled banana bread with caramelized bananas, strawberries and vanilla mascarpone. There is nothing predictable about this menu. Ten points for originality.

 

I can’t go past the mango lime buttermilk pancakes served with strawberries, lemon curd and double cream when I go to Trio. I usually ask for an entrée serving which they happily oblige to. My only other wish would be for them to serve wheat-free pancakes like the ones I whip up at home. Food always tastes better when it’s cooked for you, don’t you think?

I can’t go past the mango lime buttermilk pancakes served with strawberries, lemon curd and double cream when I go to Trio. I usually ask for an entrée serving which they happily oblige to. My only other wish would be for them to serve wheat-free pancakes like the ones I whip up at home. Food always tastes better when it’s cooked for you, don’t you think?

Apart from the food, the other standout about Trio Cafè is the service. It has the best service of any Sydney cafè I’ve been to. The staff always greet you with a big smile and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. I don’t know about you, but I think this is a rarity in Sydney. It’s down-to-earth and welcoming and that suits me to a tea.

They only use free-range eggs in their cooking – something that I often worry about when I’m eating out. The selection of breads on offer are enough to make any baker proud – sourdough, carrot sourdough (yeast-free), rye black russian, multigrain, pugliese (Italian rye), olive sourdough, turkish, wholemeal, white, english muffin, gluten-free multigrain.

The downside? The prices are steeper than most breakfast menus, but you’re paying for the location (Bondi Beach views) and the quality. If you’re planning on going on a weekend, I recommend calling in advance to reserve a table as I’m not the only person who loves this place.

I’m yet to try their dinner menu, but Trio also dishes up dinner Wednesday through to Sunday. If it’s anything like their brekky menu, it’s bound to please.

Trio Café

56 Campbell Parade

Bondi Beach

NSW 2026

Ph. 9365 6044

So, tell me, what’s your favourite cafe? I’d love to hear all about it. Just fill out the comment box below.
 


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Bondi Farmers Market

On May 27, 2011 in Bondi, farmers market, free range, gluten-free, organic, Sydney

Something wonderful has happened in my neck of the woods. They’ve started a farmers market at the local public school every Saturday. It’s called Bondi Farmers Market and it’s an absolute blessing to supermarket-fatigued consumers like me who have been crying out for more seasonal, diverse and fresh produce.

I lost touch with the seasons during my early adulthood when supermarket chains started messing with the seasons by selling produce all year round. Great for convenience, but quite disastrous for one’s taste buds. My palate has taken a good thrashing in the process. Like many Aussies, I’ve become accustomed to flavourless tomatoes, floury carrots and less than average apples.

It’s a sad state of affairs when you have to consult Wikipedia to check what’s in season. When you can buy pineapples in winter and apples in summer, you can hardly blame us for losing touch. As for biodiversity, well don’t even get me started on that topic. Did you know, for example, there’s such a thing as purple and white carrots? In Bill Bryson’s book, “At Home”, he talks about the plenteous amount of produce available during Victorian times. He says, “Of apples alone, there were, almost unbelievably, more than 2000 varieties to choose from – Worcester pearmain, Beauty of Bath, Cox’s orange pippin and so on in long and poetic vein”. Begs the question, what exactly are we missing out on as modern-day consumers?

The fruit and veg you see on your supermarket shelves merely scratch the surface of what’s dished up by Mother Nature. All in the name of ease of transport and economic efficiency.  In a similar vein to the sea and tree change movement which saw city slickers run for the hills in search of a better quality of life, many urban dwellers are turning their backs on the supermarkets in favour of better quality produce. This is where farmers markets come into play.

You wouldn’t believe my delight at discovering the Bondi Farmers Market. Running every Saturday from 9am til 1pm, the market is brimming with fresh seasonal fruit and veg, organically grown meat and poultry, just picked flowers, artisan breads, homemade jams, farmstead cheeses, seafood, olive oils, and herbs and spices. With a promise to be open rain, hail or shine, the markets are a fantastic way to get your weekend groove on. Everything sold is made with love, and by the people who grow or make it. Think seasonal fruit and veg.

I was like a crazed woman kid in a lolly shop as I made my way around the market and chatted with the lovely stallholders. Such a refreshing change from the anonymity and soullessness of supermarket shopping. The ladies from the Haweksbury’s Willowbrae Chevre Cheese gave me a quick lesson on the different varieties of kale (so pretty it could almost double as a bunch of flowers) as well as stunning purple and white carrots. Who knew there was such a thing?! Oh, and they had baskets of beautiful fresh herbs for $3 a bunch.

Kale

The prettiest kale I've ever seen.

Purple carrots

Purple and white carrots from Willowbrae Chevre Cheese.

Kale from Willowbrae Chevre Cheese.

Kale from Willowbrae Chevre Cheese.

It’s fair to say that Addiction Food whip up the best brownies on the planet. They’ll even tell you that on their website, and it’s true. Better still, they’re wheat, egg and dairy-free which is perfect for a girl like me. It tasted just like a normal brownie. I am going to try to replicate it in my kitchen, so stay tuned for that.

Brownie from Addiction Food

A wheat, egg and dairy-free brownie from Addiction Food.

Paddy the Baker specialises in traditional Irish breads. I don’t think their soda bread would be as good as Paul’s wheat and yeast-free variety, but who am I to judge?! I’ll be sure to post Paul’s amazing recipe soon, so keep your eyes out for that.

Traditional Irish breads from Paddy the Baker

Traditional Irish breads from Paddy the Baker

The lovely Jonathan from Stockman’s Ridge Wines in Orange gave me a quick 101 on what constitutes a perfect pinot gris as I snuck a taste of their 2008 Rider Shiraz and 2009 Outlaw Shiraz (both of which won bronze medals at the Sydney Royal Wine Show).

 

Stockman's Ridge Wines

Stockman's Ridge Wines

 

Stockman's Ridge Wines

Stockman's Ridge Wines

I couldn’t resist a taste test of Red Delicious and Ginger Snap tea from The Rabbit Hole organic tea bar. I made an impulse purchase of a Bodum Tea for One cup so I can be civilised and sip tea at my desk throughout the day at work.

 

Red Delicious and Ginger Snap tea by The Rabbit Hole

Red Delicious and Ginger Snap tea by The Rabbit Hole

One of the most impressive stalls in terms of produce and variety was Field to Feast. You may have read about them on Not Quite Nigella. I plan to do my weekly grocery shop here every Saturday from now on. The stall was a kaleidoscope of green with fresh herbs, lettuces and vibrant veggies generously sprawled across the counter. They had containers filled to the brim with unusual chilli varieties which I can never find at the green grocer – Scotch Bonnets and the like. Then there were tubs of miniature light green zucchini and a stunning display of pumpkins fit for a Halloween party.

 

Field to Feast produce at Bondi Farmers Market

Field to Feast dishes up the freshest and most interesting produce around.

 

Vicki from La Pizza Cucina told me a great story about how she ate the best pizza of her life in Venice and decided when she got back to Australia that she simply had to replicate the pizza and turn it into a business. They sell gluten-free bases without toppings, so I might have to grab some next time I’m there.  If you can’t make it to the markets, you can find La Pizza Cucina at David Jones Food Halls and other gourmet food stores.

 

La Pizza Cucina's most popular pizza is the Margheurita.

La Pizza Cucina's most popular pizza is the Margheurita.

I’m looking forward to buying some wooden chopping boards from Simon at Byron Bay Boards so I can channel Jamie Oliver at my next dinner party and serve food on them. They’ve been seen on Masterchef with Maggie Beer, so I figure they must be good. They say you can look after your wooden chopping boards by rubbing them with grape or vegetable oil.

The Apple Man makes the long trip from Batlow to see his shiny Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples. I can feel apple muffins, apple pie and apple cake recipes coming on. Wheat-free, of course.

The Apple Man

The Apple Man

The Apple Man

The Apple Man sells crunchy apples from Batlow, NSW.

Another stall to check out is Farmer Jo natural muesli. I haven’t tried it yet, but there’s a wheat-free variety that I have my eye on. Food writer, Kate Gibbs gives Farmer Jo a good wrap on her blog. It has some of the funkiest packaging I’ve seen in a while.

Farmer Jo muesli

Farmer Jo muesli

I couldn’t possibly wrap up this post without doing a quick shout out to:

  • the organic macadamia stall ($9.50 a pack)
  • gluten-free Black Angus sausages from Spring Lamb Beef for $10 a kilo
  • the dairy-free, handmade choccie by Jiradan Organics
  •  the man who sells fresh local strawberries
  • Old Man’s Gully sausage sizzle
  • Mirrool Creek pasture-fed lamb
  • the spatchcocks from down south
  • the exquisite exotic mushrooms from the Southern Highlands
  • Popes Free Range Eggs for $8 a carton

Bondi Farmers Market

Bondi Beach Public School (On Campbell Parade) Bondi Beach 2026
Open 9am-1pm every Saturday

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