Cafe Mix (Shangri La Hotel) - The Rocks, NSW 28/08/10

I spent most of today suffering from too too too too many wines while out with my friends last night at a Trivia night hosted by a drag queen! So today I slothed around the hotel and slept and watched TV. It was great. By the time dinner crept around I decided I didn't want to make any more effort than putting on some "going out" clothes and heading down to the hotel restaurant - Cafe Mix - for their Saturday night buffet. This post is going to be brief because let's be honest - a buffet is a buffet is a buffet. There are winners and there are losers. And this was the case.

The losers were the hot meals. Very Asian centric - but quite bland. The winners were the gorgeous fresh seafood and the dessert bar! Here are the desserts I demolished - with glee!

Sugarcane - Surry Hills, NSW 24/08/10

After a successful night of lovely food on Friday night Broni and I decided we should again venture out and taste some of what Sydney has to offer. This time it was her pick - Sugarcane. To be honest I hadn't heard of it but Broni found it in the Entertainment Book and suggested it - so off we went. I walked there from work and if I hadn't had the address programmed into my iPhone I probably would never have found it. It has a really understated storefront with frosted glass and minimal signage - which adds to its appeal. An intimate 50 seater, it was a fairly quiet night so the food and drink came quickly.

While we caught up on the gossip of the last few days over our first glass of wine the waiter suggested some Salt and Pepper Squid - and it was so good (as was the wine) that I completely forgot to photograph it. My bad! Broni reminded me when the mains came out.

Stir fried crispy soy duck with snow peas, shallot and black beans

Crispy skin chicken with blood plum sauce and shallot

Pork Belly
(apologies this isn't clearly listed on their website - I will update when I can!!)

Stir fried green vegetables.

It pains me to admit it but the pork belly was the loser of the night. The duck was sweet and perfectly cooked - and the "Crispy Chin Chicken" (it's hard to say right Broni??) was just like a super fancy Lemon Chicken and soooo tasty. Even the stir fried vegetables (which I was CRAVING) were so mouth-wateringly good!!

Sugarcane is totally a return-to venue and would be great for a small group dinner. Meals are perfect for sharing and there are so many great things to try on the menu. The staff were friendly and as I said - there was no delay in food arriving (or drinks being replenished).

Opera Bar - Sydney, NSW 22/08/10

What to do on a Sunday in Sydney with no plans? Apart from general sulkiness and homesickness that I had to combat quickly! Walk around town and find a quiet place to have a drink and read a book. The Opera Bar proved to be the perfect place. Who wouldn't want to sit in the sun right along Sydney Harbour and read a book with a nice cool beverage!

I spent about 2 hours in solitude, enjoying my book before my two knights-in-shining-armour turned up for lunch! Kyle and Mick are always a welcome addition to any dining experience. It was a perfect afternoon for a boozey lunch!

Opera Bar Tasting Plate (for 2)

tempura prawns with wasabi mayonnaise; smoked salmon cigars with roe & pickled cucumber; baked Woodside Charleston brie with sourdough; globe artichokes with caponata; parma ham & melon; roasted tomato soup with croutons; beef stroganoff pies

Antipasto Plate for 2

baked ricotta; cured meats; roasted capsicum; grissini

Salt & pepper squid, green papaya salad

The food was fantastic! (As was the booze!!) The tasting platter for 2 is probably not enough for 2 people as a meal but too much for 1 person! We did well sharing the 2 platters and the squid between the 3 of us. The food arrived quickly but the only downside of the meal was that it took them FOREVER to clear away all the plates. To be fair it was a really busy afternoon but it made it difficult to sit back and relax with so many dirty plates piled up around you. But we managed :)

Sydney Good Food Guide Finalists

The Sydney Morning Herald has announced its finalists for the Sydney Good Food Guide - so here they are - with a few new additions to the places I *NEED* to eat!

Restaurant of the Year

Rockpool

Est.

Marque

Quay

Bentley

Best New Restaurant

Ad Lib

Manly Pavilion

Ormeggio

Sake

Berta

Emperor's Puffs - Haymarket, NSW 21/08/10

Every now and then you find out about a food sensation that if you weren't in the know - you'd walk right past. And Emperor's Puffs is just that delicacy. Lucky for me I have Des to clue me in on the "Supreme Nutrions Snack" as their sign advertises. This delightfully light and fluffy doughy puff filled with custard is addictive. And at 4 for $1 - it is so possible to accidentally over indulge. But if you go to Chinatown and don't have one (or 12) more fool you!

East Ocean (YUM CHA) - Haymarket, NSW 21/08/10

Home of "Amazing Rice" also does Yum Cha! As any self respecting Chinese restaurant in a bustling Chinatown should! So with my East Ocean buddies (Des and Janelle) we added it our itinerary for a big day out of fun and frivolity. The food was as always fantastic. We were tucked away in a bit of a hard place for the trolleys of food to swing by us often but Easy Ocean allow you to order as well - which mean food comes to your table en masse. So be careful how much you order.

Yum Cha is so popular they have to bring the cooking outside the kitchen.

Steamed BBQ Pork Buns

Roast Duck

Pan Fried Pork Buns

Salt & Pepper King Prawns

Mango Pancakes!!!

Bistro Lilly - Sydney, NSW 20/08/10

I got a lovely surprise this week when I discovered an *old* school friend from Brisbane who has been living in Melbourne has recently moved to Sydney. Also being new to town she is excited to be trying out fancy and famous restaurants with me - so I have a partner in crime! Another one. We decided Friday was our first night out - and settled on Bistro Lilly. I'd read about it a few times and saw it listed on the Qantas Frequent Flyer points page - so of course my interest was piqued.
We decided on a very decadent Friday night degustation menu - with matching wines! And it was fantastic. I've never done the matching wines with a degustation before - it was so nice to have a new glass of wine to come by without ordering them. So here is our delicious meal and accompanying wines.

Amuse Bouche

For the life of me I cannot remember what it was (other than it had cauliflower in it)

Grandin Classique Brut
Loire Valley France

Pan-seared Canadian scallops, sweet corn puree, boudin noir
2008 Leeuwin Estate “Art Series” Riesling
Margaret River WA

Truffled Duck liver pate, dark cherry vinegar, red onion relish and baguette

2008 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley Vic

Granita

120 day aged grain fed beef fillet with foie gras ravioli, sauteed spinach, shiraz
2006 Hartz Barn “General Store” Shiraz
Barossa Valley SA

Maple Creme Brulee with vanilla confit banana

Torbreck “The Bothie”
Barossa Valley SA

Bistro Lilly was quiet for what I would expect of a Friday night so the wait staff were very attentive. The ambiance was great - intimate but we weren't frowned upon for our animated (and occasionally loud) stories. The degustation menu was so reasonably priced at $69 - with matching wines for $36. $105 for a 5 courses and wine - Yes please!!

Rockpool Bar and Grill - Sydney, NSW 18/08/10

Last week I gave Neil Perry's Spice Temple a go. And it was great. Tonight on my way home from work in search of food I decided to see if I could get a table at another Neil Perry establishment Rockpool Bar & Grill. And I managed to get one.

Let me start by saying the restaurant itself is beautiful. Set in foyer level of an 1930 Art Deco building there is marble and dark wood everywhere. It's like being a part of a great black and white movie. I didn't feel too out of place as a solo diner - there seemed to be lots of groups of "work dinners" going on - so I think they probably empathised. The staff were attentive without being nagging and my waitress was very forthcoming with suggestions of the house specialties and wines she'd recently tasted - neither of which were the most expensive on the menu as sometimes happens.
Four Tastes of the Sea

Tuna, scampi, salmon and kingfish - each with individual condiments.

Wagyu topside - with bearnaise sauce.

Kipfler potatoes sauteed with Wagyu fat and Rosemary.

The Steak and potatoes defeated me. I am ashamed to admit but I could not get through it. The steak was so tender and flavourful and the potatoes were crisp but I could not eat it all. This is why you need to go to these restaurants with friends - so they can pick up your slack.

Rockpool Bar and Grill - I will be back - there is so much more on your menu I want to try. And your big brother Rockpool - I will get there too!

Iiza - Newtown, NSW 17/08/10

I love Japanese food. I cannot get enough. So when I met my friends Kyle and Mick and their friend Nessa for a few drinks and then dinner last night in Newtown and we decided on Japanese I was overjoyed! We'd toyed with the idea of Thai but faced with the prospect of deciding between the 2354894 Thai restaurants in King St we opted for Iiza - a Japanese restaurant between 2 Thai restaurants. And we discovered it was a rose (possibly between two thorns).

We decided on plates and plates and plates of food to share - from just about every section of the menu.

Deluxe Chef's Selection Sashimi Plate

How amazing does this look? On top of the amazing presentation the sashimi was all beautiful!

Gyoza
Tasty tasty gyoza - and that sauce had a bit of a kick!

Camembert Tempura

While not *strictly* traditional Japanese it was light and flavoursome and I would definitely go for seconds.

Nasu Dengaku
Sliced eggplant topped with Japanese dengaku miso.

Serve me up eggplant like this and I will eat it every day!

Spider Rolls
Softshell crab sushi.
Soooooo freaking amazing. I love softshell crab.

Teriyaki Duck.

Not quite the "lucky duck" that was done 2 ways but very, very delicious.

Yakiniku Wagyu Beef

Amazingly tender beef - so flavoursome but still light. The reason I love Japanese food.


So you would think after all that food we'd ditch dessert. Don't be silly! We were prepared to give the dessert a menu and each ordered something different so we could give them all a try.

Fondant au chocolat.

Again - not so traditionally Japanese but very rich and creamy.

Kokutou Brulee

Creme brulee with Japanese brown sugar.
It didn't taste all that different to any other creme brulee - so that meant it was delish!

Green tea ice-cream

* According to Mick "You can really taste the wasabi"

Annin Tofu

Very almondy - very nice.

It was a great little cafe style Japanese restaurant with really friendly staff. I must admit in part I ordered to the brulee to hear the strongly accented Japanese waitress say it!

Mick's tip of the evening - use the men's room there is a bidet! Not a permanent one but a nifty one that's attached to the side of the toilet bowl. He was so intrigued by it that he checked the ladies room to see if we had one too. Ripped off. We didn't.

Garden Court (Sofitel Wentworth) - Sydney, NSW 16/08/10

After a long working day on Monday and checking into my new hotel on Monday night I really couldn't be bothered going further than the hotel restaurant for dinner. Sometimes this can be hit and miss. I figured the Sofitel with all it's faux French behaviour was at least worth my while so I headed on down to Garden Court.Apart from the absolute douche bag who was sitting at the table beside me (and who I very nearly launched my knife at) the ambiance was quite nice. Dimly lit but not enough that it was difficult to read your menu or see your plate in front of you. Eating alone I ordered my meals quickly and waited for the entree to arrive. Not long had I been sitting there but the waiter arrived with an amuse bouche. An amuse bouche (for those who don't watch cooking programs as religiously as I do) is a single bite-sized hors d'oeuvre. Or as I have seen the most commonly a shot size glass of soup. And that was the case at Garden Court.

Carrot with ginger and kafir lime.

Super tasty - I wanted more. Maybe not a full serving of it but if I was out to dinner with someone else and they didn't want theirs - I'd take one for the team.


Yamba prawn wrapped in Spanish jambon cru
Kifpler potato, green bean, kalamata olives, red onion, boiled quail egg, herb dressing

To be honest the parts of this dish that *weren't* the prawns wrapped in jambon were the best. Disappointing.

Braised Bundawarrah pork belly
Caramelised apples, parsnip puree and chips, natural jus

I LOVE pork belly. If I found a good pork belly I would shout it from the rooftops. This was not worth shouting about. The pork belly was dry and the crackling was chewy. The parsnip *chips* were shards of parsnip - and lethally sharp.

I'm not lining up to eat at the Garden Court again. The staff were snooty, the other patrons obnoxious and the food all around disappointing. On the upside their beds are comfy :)

Bills - Surry Hills, NSW 13/08/10 & 14/08/10

Of all the restaurants in all the suburbs of inner Sydney two separate groups of friends arrange for me to go to Bills this weekend. Far be it for me to say No - I've always wanted to go there. And I hoped to spot Bill. But alas no white pants wearing Bill to be seen.

Bills is quite a small venue and dimly lit so my pics of the meals from dinner did not come out at all - damn lack if iPhone 4. Two weeks time and my life with be different. So you will have to make do without.

We had an interesting mixture of vegetarians and carnivores so there was lots of the menu sampled. Here's what was consumed:

Marinated mixed olives
Semolina-crusted calamari with lemon, parsley, green beans and fennel
Ricotta and taleggio dumpling with roast pumpkin, brown butter and vincotto
Spiced sweet potato, chickpea and fetta pie with a simple green salad
Coq au vin with roast eschallots, mushrooms and curly kale
Herb and parmesan crumbed veal with creamed potato, crisp sage and lemon
Braised cos, sugar snaps and snowpeas
Brocolini, chilli and roasted garlic
Creamed potatoes

I had the coq au vin which was delish - but the winner was the creamed potatoes. I'd go back there JUST for a bowl of the creamed potatoes.

Everyone's meals were just as tasty with the only unpleasant incident when Susie accidentally (and somewhat skillfully) shot Rachel in the eye with a sugar snap. Dangerous vegetables. Then came dessert:

Ginger biscuit ice-cream sandwich with butterscotch sauce
Gnocchi Sophia

The gnocchi sophia was a sweet gnocchi with quince - and was light and tasty.

Brunch today did not disappoint either. I had heard amazing things about Bills' brunches and he did not let me down. Breakfasts can be so easily ruined and I am aware that my expectations are set pretty high (with my favourite breakfast to date being the Cinema Cafe's Potato Rosti with hollandaise) but I might have a new favourite.

Sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach and bacon

I could have had 2 plates full it was that good. Sure I would have rolled home but it would have been worth it! Super yummy.

The service at Bills was great last night but a little lacking today. And Bill passes on the 1% credit card surcharge so make sure you pay cash if you can. But otherwise - I will be back. Can I have the fritters with a side of creamed potatoes please!

Spice Temple - Sydney, NSW 10/08/10

What Australian isn't familiar with Neil Perry? And if you aren't - I don't want to know you! Forever I have wanted to go to Rockpool (his flagship restaurant) and while I haven't made it yet I made it to one of his other restaurants last night.Spice Temple sit inconspicuously beside Rockpool Bar and Grill and apart from the beautifully computer animated door art showing you the entrance you might miss it. Then down some very steep and narrow stairs you go do a dimly lit hideaway. We had a short wait for our table (partially due to one more in out party than anticipated) but were kept satiated with some spiced popcorn - very tasty.
When we got to our table the adventure began. So much exciting sounding food, some interest over dishes that need to be ordered 24 hours in advance and a little fear of the items that were written in RED - meaning HOT.

Our only entree (just enough to give us a taste): Northern Style Lamb and fennel dumplings.

Hot, sweet and sour numbing Pork

Not as hot as the name (and red print) suggested - very moreish.

Stir fried greens with Garlic
I could eat veges done like this for the rest of my life.


Stir fried cumin lamb with steamed bread pockets.

Ben suggested these were like Asian hot pockets. Tara said they tasted Mexican. I think they were YUM!

Hot and numbing crispy duck

My favourite dish of the night. I might love duck a bit these days.

Banana, chocolate and peanut sesame ball with banana ice cream.

(Much LOL accompanied this one when the waiter was telling me I had to attack the balls with my hand and rip them apart)

Mango pudding with condensed milk chantilly.

The mango pudding was rich and creamy - but the chantilly was probably just a bit too thick on top.


Warm pineapple cake with caramel cream.

Now I swear that when the waiter put this in front of Danny he said "Some kind of a pudding" like he had NO idea what it was. He probably said "some pineapple pudding" but that isn't as funny.


I totally want to go to Spice Temple again. I'd love to do their banquet - or at least try some of the crazier things on the menu that my partners-in-crime weren't so keen for! Any takers??

Guillaume at Bennelong - Bennelong Point, NSW 09/08/10

Talk about kismet. Fate. Serendipity. The date I started my new job in Sydney was also the date that Kevin Smith played at the Opera House. 2 nights only. Sydney only. Now I LOVE Kevin Smith. I love his movies, follow his blogs and despite the giant size of the man currently would probably still marry him - if he wasn't so damn in love with his wife. Which I must say adds to the appeal. So to celebrate my new job we decided that we would make a crazy mix of an evening - the filth of a night of Q&As with Kevin Smith teamed with the fine dining experiences of a meal at Guillaume at Bennelong.
Now I will admit my initial attraction to Guillaume was the head chef/owner Guillaume Brahimi. Saucy and French - not just how I like my food :) But would you believe I cannot find a single picture of him now that does him justice. I think the accent helps and that can't be portrayed in a picture. The food I'd seen him prepare on Masterchef also drew me to it. As well as the price of their pre-theatre menu.
I literally had to run out the door right on 5pm to get there in time for our 5:30pm sitting (7pm show). But it was worth the bad impression on my first day (I got there early OK!!!) and the brisk walking in heels.
Des, Janelle and I all ordered different entrees and a none of us were disappointed.

I enjoyed: SCALLOPS gently sealed and served with Jerusalem artichoke puree, Shitake mushrooms and chicken jus

Janelle tucked into: ATLANTIC SALMON twice cold smoked in house served with creme fraiche and toasted brioche.

Des raved about: BLUE SWIMMER CRAB on a bed of avocado with cucumber, coriander and capsicum coulis


WAGYU BEEF DAUBE with carrots, leeks, fennel, speck and croutons on a bed of celeriac puree.

Janelle proclaimed this "as good as Vanuatu steak" which is apparently the best steak that anyone has ever possibly eaten.


DUCK CONFIT served with lentils, turnips, spring onion and a herb vinaigrette.

Des and I both had the duck. It was THE crispiest duck skin ever "Like Duck Crackling" So so good. I preferred the sliced breast - Des liked the duck on the bone.

Green beans with Pesto

VANILLA BEAN CREME BRULEE with banana peanuts and toffee

I think both Des and Janelle and decided on this one BEFORE looking at anything else on the menu. I had a crack at it with my spoon - that was one crunchy sugar crust on top!

CHOCOLATE AND MACADAMIA NUT PARFAIT with cherry sauce.

I clearly LOVE chocolate but I'm not normally fussed on cherries. Apart from Cherry Ripes. The tartness of the cherry sauce was a perfect accompaniment for the rich chocolate parfait. And contrary to everything you think you know about parfaits - parfaits don't always have layers. Sorry Donkey.

I would totally go back to Guillaume at Bennelong again. $78 for a 3 course meal was sensational. The food was moreish. The staff were attentive without being pestering. The only thing I can say badly about it was the butter was too hard!