I said I’d go back to Varga Bar to try their food menu and today was the day, or at least I thought it was. It was time for brunch, around 1030, 11 and I wanted a bit of breakfast, salmon eggs benedict to be exact but they were out of smoked salmon. Okay fine, I’ll just have ham. Sorry, out of that too? Not to worry, I can understand how difficult it is to find either of those two things in Newtown. The Deli is all of 2 minutes walk away, not to mention all of the other delicatessens and heck, even the IGA on King Street has both.

I ended up with a sandwich. Luckily it was tasty but given it was a bacon sandwich ($10), a little light on the bacon.

Bacon, Avocado, Tomato and Lettuce on Sourdough @ Varga Bar

Tags:Newtown, Bacon, Sandwich, Avocado, Review, Café

I had to go back to Sydney early from my New Zealand trip so I can sit an exam and since I hadn’t had any luck finding the quite space I needed to read the text books I’d lugged around with me thus far I booked myself two days in Harbour View room at the Hilton Auckland (I got a good deal at wotif). The hotel itself is smaller than I thought and felt cramped every time I walked through the lobby but the rest of the hotel is quite spacious. The room I was in had a very large marble bathroom with separate bath and shower, the rest of the room contained a king size bed, 32” LCD TV and DVD player and a desk. Then there was the balcony - the same size as the room itself! The only complaint with it is that even though there are double sliding doors opening on to it, there was a concrete pillar in the middle of them making getting outside a little awkward and blocked the view from inside.

I hadn’t had breakfast that morning so once I settled into the room, opened all the draws and flicked all the light switches I had a look at the room service menu. There was all of the standard fare you get at the Hilton plus the specialised items from the hotels restaurant. I ordered the Nasi Goreng, just a light meal. Presented well, the rice moulded in a bowl and turned out into the plate with a fried egg across the top, tomato and cucumber slices fanned around the edge and individual bowls of chili paste, soy and dried fish so they could all be added to taste, a single large prawn cracker and three small chicken satay skewers to the side. Flavour wise it was more subtle than I’m used to, all of the flavours were balanced so it was a clearly deliberate choice and it certainly wasn’t bland per se but I could see a lot of people thinking it was.

The second night I stayed I went to White, the hotel’s restaurant with Italian chef Cristiano De Martin running the show. You can see his European training and years of dedicated practice in the way every dish was executed, starting with the produce then preparation and cooking then finally the presentation. De Martin’s dedication to his food extends to joint venture called Homegrown with NZ primary producers to source the best ingredients. I can’t see any losers here, especially as I get presented with my first course.

Starting off with Heart of the Desert saffron infused carrot soup with parsley foam it’s not surprising De Martin highlights one of his Homegrown partners in Heart of the Desert saffron. Who knew that NZ can grow it given 90% of the world production is from Iran? The soup itself was good blending the more complex earthier kiwi saffron standing up against fresh sweet carrots. The parsley foam was wispy and delicate adding a level of texture and evening out the parsley flavour so that no mouthful could ever be overpowed with a herb than can taste like grass if you get a mouthful of it unexpectedly.

Contrasting the soup’s delicate flavour profile is the Northland kingfish carpaccio, spiced shallots with citrus and sesame dressing and mini coriander leaves hitting you with an incredible burst starting out with the lime that is made palatable with the shallots, coriander and sesame on the finish. Without any one of these the dish wouldn’t balance but here all of the flavours are inline leaving you with the amazingly fresh kingfish carpaccio. The mouthfeel of the slightly oily kingfish sliced paper thin and served raw as it melds itself with the rest of the flavours creating one of those moments you sit up and pay attention to what you’re eating.

I love duck and I eat it quite often but until now I hadn’t actually had the chance to make or try tea smoked duck. I made tea smoked snapper a few weeks ago as a trial before I give it ago on duck. Now I’ve got a gold standard to aim for. A salad of tea smoked duck resting on crisp filo pastry, pistachio, celery and grapes with a blueberry and riesling verjus dressing was a familiar yet different taste. Smoking the duck adds a soft undertone to each bite that while you can tell it is there, at no point does it distract you from the duck itself or any other ingredient. Pistachio as a nut has an odd flavour that wouldn’t have worked if the duck wasn’t smoked. A lesser chef would have either used hazelnut that I think would have enhanced the smoke and overpowered the rest of the salad or blanched almods simply for texture. The filo pastry was disappointing, it seemed more like a layer of cardboard where I was expecting the salad to be perched on top of individual layers of delicate filo. Did you notice something missing in the picture? When I was served the dish I thought it was odd but there isn’t a black/purple drizzle across the top. I’m not sure how they did it, but blueberry skin wasn’t in the ingredient list for the dressing so it’s is perfectly clear. The two black half circles are grapes.

Scallops are tender pillows of shellfish that have a sweeter meat than crayfish. Their intense flavour, despite that they’re physically delicate, means they can carry other strong flavours and De Martin picked almost a surf and turf with Spirits Bay scallops seared with crispy pancetta, apple pureé and a snow pea salad with cabernet sauvignon vinegar glaze. Even before the plate lands you can smell the pancetta and the bacon instinct kicks in and your nose is in the air trying to breathe it all in. The pancetta releases so much of it’s flavour as it’s friend in the pan next to the scallops that they seem to soak it up like a sponge. The drizzle of glaze on the plate was incredibly intense and perfect for cutting through the pancetta’s fat so you can reclaim the scallop’s individuality.

The Assistant Manager (who did an amazing job all night) disagreed with the chef on his choice of wine for a number of dishes and I either saw her point or agreed completely. This time I only saw her point. She gave me some of the listed wine, a Cloudy Bay ‘08 Sauvignon Blanc, and the wine she thought was best, a Brancott ‘07 Sauvignon Blanc, both from the Malborough. I’m sorry to say I wouldn’t have said either were a perfect match but then I can’t say what would have been either. The Cloudy Bay was good at balancing the glaze and pancetta but destroyed the apple and scallop where as the Brancott was obliterated by the fat. Given the focus of this dish was scallops, not pancetta I’d have erred on the side of caution and taken the Bancott as the manager suggested.

A Kaffir Lime sorbet broke the meal. It tasted like the only possible way you could have that much lime flavour in a that glass was if someone froze and blended the lime itself. It had such a fresh taste to it, probably enhanced by the fact it was frozen, but it could have easily been the smell of a fresh picked lime. My guess is it was probably oil from the skin being sprayed in to and incorporated with the mix.






The headline of the show for an international hotel in NZ was of course the Hawke’s Bay lamb loin roasted with garden herbs, parsnip créme and crisps, manuka smoked olives, lemon and Te Arai Extra Virgin emulsion. The lamb was cooked a touch longer than I’d have liked but within tolerances for medium-rare so it did benefit from the olive oil and parsnip mash for moistness. That’s not to say it wasn’t full of flavour; I’d say the kiwi’s have made a good go at it. Infact given the better farming and grazing weather in NZ for the past few years, their lambs might just be better than the Australians. For now. Picking up some of the smoked olives with the lamb made for a nice way to extend the otherwise limited range of flavours on the plate, the parsnips and olive oil seemed to take on a new life. Half way through I’d ran out and wished there were more, olives, not parsnip.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the names of the two cheeses served on this course but they seemed along the lines of a mature cheddar and a firmer white mould cheese along the lines of a costello perhaps? As I was dining alone, I think I received a hastily cut down portion. There was just simply not enough cheese to try all of the condiments with at least one cheese, there weren’t even enough wafers. Still, it was nice for a course designed to transition your palette from red meat to dessert.




Of course, at the end of any meal you can’t go past dessert and what a dessert. The menu called for a chef’s selection and I don’t think there was anything left he hadn’t selected. When this course came up I was offered an extra glass of wine because there had been ‘an issue’ in the kitchen and I would have to wait an extra 10 minutes or so. What I think it was is that they couldn’t figure out how to present a dessert platter that’s designed for two people to a single person when most of the items are either slivers anyway or single units. Half a scoop of ice-cream anyone? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that if there were two people that I would have been disappointed with the portion size, there are four separate desserts for heavens sake but to cut them down further would have been unsightly. Which is why I got a dessert platter for two! It goes without saying that every single one of these desserts were delicious and flavour packed. No surprises in the taste, they were almost concentrated in their own flavour. So clockwise from the back we’ve got an apple galette topped with vanilla ice cream, vanilla panna-cotta with raspberry compote, lemon cheesecake, dark chocolate hazelnut torte with a scoop of hazelnut ice-cream.


I ordered an espresso to go with the petit four which was basically a sphere of pear and cream that finished the meal as I sat and waited for it to move itself below my centre of gravity and chatted to an Australian couple that also had the degustation whom asked me how I enjoyed it and gave them my Red Whisk business card so they can come and look at the pictures. My sincerest apologies have to go to them for the delay in posting this article.

All in all, I really quite enjoyed visiting (and not as their guest, this was fully funded by The Red Whisk). Next time I visit Auckland I’m going to have to stay at the Hilton again. As far as international standards go the Hilton here is above the average. Sure there are some things that could be done better but they’re probably not going to be picked up or worried over by your average consumer. As for the restaurant, the service of the assistant manager scored herself a very generous tip for her friendly yet professional service keeping the person dining alone who didn’t bring a book to read company, her generosity in pouring wine and offering not only and alternative to the listed wines, but both!



Hilton Auckland and White Restaurant
Princess Wharf. 147 Quay Street
Auckland. 1010
NEW ZEALAND

Tags:Degustation, Hilton, Auckland, New Zealand, Review, Restaurant, Wine, Fish, Soup, Scallops, Duck, Dessert

The point of the trip to New Zealand this year was to celebrate my mother's 50th birthday, so while my Aunts little monkeys were at school we took a trip out to one of NZ's top rated wineries, Mills Reef, in the Bay of Plenty region not far from Tauranga in the town of Bethlehem.

Mills Reef is hardly a stable but if the attitude of the staff on the restaurant is anything to go by then jebus himself was born here and it was our privilege to be on sacred ground but more on that in a minute. Going along Moffat Road and seeing the grounds appear before you is impressive with manicured lawns and rows of trees all leading up to the main building and it's own formal gardens but this is a working site. All of the processing, bottling and distribution happen here even though all of the grapes are bought and shipped from the not so far away Hawks Bay.

As you walk up from the car park the first door on the left is the tasting room so we went there first. As a tip for those visiting a winery with it's own restaurant, here's a good place to try a sip of a few things before you try and match them to your lunch and give you a chance to mull over which bottles you pick up.

Mills Reef Winery, 143 Moffat Road, Bethlahem New Zealand

In the tasting room we met Ken, the cellar manager who ever so patiently walked my family through not only their range but the tasting process (lightest and brightest to heaviest and darkest). From what I could tell all of the prices for the wine were quite reasonable where as the souvenirs had souvenir prices.

After a few uhms and ahs we took a price list and headed for the empty restaurant. There was a choice of the outdoor terrace or inside a dining/function room. The enormous main dining room was having the air-conditioning replaced before summer. Not to worry because ir was spring after all and we chose a table on the terrace in the shade. Just like everyone else did but being outside the noise wasn't an issue and the tables were well spaced anyway. After the stop-off in the tasting room I picked my entrée and main based on their recommended wines and everyone else chose the recommended glass. I wanted to see how they stood up to good quality food and thankfully what came out of the kitchen was great. Luckily I was really only interest in their red wine because the restaurants fish order hadn't arrived to meet the demand of their predominantly fish based menu.

Going around the table my mother had their seafood trio and the Pinot Gris, a slight alteration due to the lack of fish she had a king prawn, scallops and a piece of salmon; my brother had the oysters and my aunt had the bread and dukka which surprised me. For such a simple sounding entrée the chef added a bit of flair throwing in a couple of different types of cibatta and more than just a simple dukka, there was some great avocado oil, tapenade and homemade pesto too. I had the chicken liver paté with truffles crostini and the Cab Melot, or at least that's what I ordered. Instead I got garlic crostini that worked very well and I wouldn't have had any complaints if only I hadn't ordered truffles. That and if I didn't have to wait 10 minutes and actually need to get up from by seat, walk through a construction site and find the wait staff and ask them for our wine. Even though there were a few people in the restaurant by that stage I find it hard to believe a winery restaurant forgot to bring the wine.


Seafood Trio - Prawn, Salmon and Scallop


Cibatta with Dukka, Avocado Oil, Tapenade and Pesto


Chicken Liver and Cognac Paté and Fig Jam with Garlic Crostini

Main course ran smoother, Mum had the strawberry and asparagus salad with Kaimai Brie and a glass of the Sav Blanc which was tasty and exploration in vegetarian texture more than flavour, my brother had two giant lamb shanks that were cut above the knee and were so tender the meat would have literally fallen off the bone if he'd picked it up washed down with the Cab Sav. The meat was good quality lamb but seemed a little bland on it's own and relied in the jus to carry it. Mind you I only picked at his leftovers, so the most of the meat could have been fine. My Aunts Cajun chicken Caesar salad was generous, well seasoned. I had the lamb fillet that was cooked to a perfect pink with a blue cheese and pear salad with a walderberry jus, much like my favourite duck salad. The lamb itself seemed under seasoned but balanced out with some cracked pepper and the jus. The Merlot Malbec was a perfect match.


Asparagus, Strawberry, Avocado and Kaimai Brie


Warm Lamb Fillet, Watercress and Baby Spinach Salad with Pear, Cashew, Kikorangi Blue and Walderberry Syrup


Lamb Shanks Braised with Wholegrain Mustard on Green Pea and Potato Mash

Dessert. Only mother and I had dessert, her with the mandarin and cinnamon spring rolls which looked delicious and I had the 'ode to the lemon' which was a set of three lemon desserts starting with a lemon curd in a bitter chocolate case the size of a patty-pan, a lemon cremé brûlée in an espresso cup and a scoop of lemon ice cream in a parfait glass. All of which matched brilliantly in their own way to the riesling ice wine. If only it was delivered with the course. As the waitress walked off I called out "um, and our wine?" She flicked her nose up and walked off in acknowledgement. I waited. I waited. Again I got up and asked for my wine yet again. The excuse was they were waiting for the others coffee to be made before they bought out all of the drinks. Pity my ice cream had melted and my crem brule was cold by the time it arrived.

The location, food and wine at Mills Reef are nothing to complain about but the attitude and service of the restaurant wait staff really left more a lot to be desired.


Nectarine and Honey Spring Rolls rolled in Cinnamon Sugar served with Blueberry Syrup and Vanilla Ice Cream


Burnt Lemon Curd, Lemon Crem Brule and Lemon Ice Cream

Tags:Salad, Chicken, Lamb, Lamb Shanks, Paté, Prawns, Scallops, Lemon, Ice Cream, New Zealand, Wine, Review, Restaurant, Travel

The lunchtimes of the IT Consultant tends to run along the lines of starting off at a new client, asking where the best place to have lunch is and going there every single day for the six weeks you’re on the job. Sometimes it’s hit and miss but sometimes you get lucky.

Peppermill Café, Milsons Point

At a recent contract I went out myself and failed miserably picking the Kirribilli Village Café and Restaurant. I tried their steak sandwich and it was just awful, chewy, tasteless and very overpriced. $25 off for the sandwich and a coffee. That’s when I asked. The team I was working with and I went around the corner to The Peppermill Café in Milsons Point, their coffee is a little to be desired considering it’s Campos Coffee, but it almost always seemed burnt but the service and food was always pretty good.

The first day I went I was recommended their regular special, a chicken and leek pie. Not what I expected in the presentation department but it was tasty. An individual baking dish with mashed potato on the bottom, a regular chicken and leek filling and a square of golden puff pastry balanced across the top. Almost every day since then I went to Peppermill for either lunch or breakfast, often for both. When I had breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea, I’d pick up a smoked salmon, ricotta and avocado croissant, the combination of the soft buttery pastry and the oily smokiness of the salmon was a winner.

Smoked Salmon Croissant @ Peppermill Café, Milsons Point

They serve an all day breakfast here, and the majority of the menu was based around breakfast but almost as often as I’d see someone have a burger I saw someone else have either the pancakes or french toast, both served with either bacon and maple syrup or a mixed berry compote. Delicious stuff and well worth a try if you want a bit of extra energy before hitting either the Kirribilli or North Sydney Markets one weekend (I worked weekends too). The beef burger is nice, standard fare, but the chicken burger was the winner, chicken, bacon, avocado. Damn tasty.

It’s also licensed and they won’t pass judgement if you have a Bloody Mary on a Monday!

Chicken & Bacon Burger @ Peppermill Café, Milsons Point

The Peppermill Café
30 Glenn Street, Milsons Point (map)

Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm
Saturday and Sunday 8am - 4pm

T: (02) 9954 1444
F: (02) 9954 1444
www.thepeppermillcafe.com.au

Tags:Coffee, Restaurant, Review, Chicken, Burgers, North Sydney, Milsons Point, Croissant, Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Bacon

A little while a go my neighbours recomended a chinese take-away down King Street called Good Wok (587 King Street, Newtown). I’ve always seen a couple of people in it but dismissed it as a cheap dodgey little store that I would end up with the squirts. As it turns out, it’s clean, very clean. Sure it’s got wood panneling, vinyl covered chairs and laminate tables but it’s tasty stuff. A few times this past week I’ve been running much later than I’d have liked to get home so I’ve stopped in and picked up something on the way or had something there.

Good Wok - 587 King Street Newtown

I haven’t spotted anything out of the ordinary or a speciality on the menu, it’s all the usual stuff you’d expect, mongolian beef, cashew chicken and all that but it was the bbq wonton noodle soup that I’ve gone back for. It definitley isn’t the best I’ve ever had but Good Wok’s version is the type of soup you go to when you’re stomach is compleltey empty and you need to fill it with carbs, hot broth, meat and vegetables.

The soup has a good chicken and vegetable stock, fresh bbq pork and some very fresh vegetables including perfectly cooked brocolli. Even I struggle to get mine tender-crisp but this was pretty much perfect not to mention generously served.

Good Wok - BBQ Pork Wonton Noodle Soup

Good Wok Chinese Food
Ph: 02 9565 2175
587 King Street
Newtown

They don’t do delivery but do take phone orders, it’s cash only too.

Tags:Noodles, Wonton, Soup, Asian, BBQ, Newtown, Restaurant, Review

What big pieces of cake you have! Varga, the norse word for wolf ordanes that little corner café just off King Street, on the corner of Wilson Street and Erskineville Road. I’ve seen this place for years, walking past the unassuming frontage but hiding a secret. Seeing the queue of people at the take-away window and the full tables and thought it’s either just got a great location (which it does) or something really special is going on inside. Turns out it’s probably both and then some.

Varga Bar Espresso. Corner of Wilson St and Erskineville Road, Newtown

I went there today with a friend of mine that I have’t seen in years because we’re both too goddamn lazy to meet up but we managed today. He’s very punctual though, when he said he was running approximatley 12 minutes late, he was exactly 12 minutes late. Good work. At least it gave me extra time to get some descent location shots of the outside and plenty of time to check out the hot blond barrista and the clientelé.

The thing that surprised me here, wasn’t so much the fact that what we were served was fantastic, but it was creative. I’ve tried a lot of cafés in Newtown but this was the first time I’ve seen a honeycomb and belgian chocolate affogato (espresso with a scoop of ice cream) on a menu and the cakes we had were delicious and well presented. I had the banana cake, unfortunately a little dry in places but delicious none the less. The other cake, the chocolate and raspberry mousse cake was denser than you’d expect, more cakey than moussey, but the affogato. Smooth, sweet, delicious with goopy melted chocolate in the bottom of the glass topped with a sprinkle of violet crumble.

Honeycomb and Chocolate Affogato and Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cake

I’m going to have to come back and try out the food menu.

Tags:Restaurant, Review, Café

I’ve been known to on occasion have a thing for gingers, more often than not it’s ended in more than disaster but one day I’ll get it right. Tonight, one of them was more than satisfying and I think even my mother would approve.

About to be eaten ginger

The wonderful people at Gingerbread Folk make organic, free range gingerbread people, house kits, flowers, christmas decorations and custom made gingers for special and corporate events. Keeping the environmentaly concious theme they even package their individual bloodnuts in compostable plastic!

As they’re made of all natural ingredients there aren’t any preservatives in them so don’t expect to keep these for months on end like you can with commercial ginger bread (next christmas, check the expiary date on the gingerbread in supermarkets, it can keep for years, that can’t be good). Lucky they’re tasty and beg to be gobbled.

Tags:Ginger, Gingerbread Man, Organic, Cake, Cookies

For a good 8 months now I’ve been a regular customer of Box Fresh, a company I came across while in Hudson Meats one day. Every week I get a present delivered to my front door, a weighty box crammed full of the freshest fruit and vegetables that Sydney’s wholesale markets have to offer.

The first thing you notice once you’ve moved the box into the kitchen isn’t the volume of food, the convenience or even the value for money, it’s the sweet smell that almost overwhelmes you as you break the seal on the box and lift the lid. It really is amazing stuff in there. As you can see below you can get everything from a whole rockmelon, an egg plant, green beans, sugar snap peas and a bag of baby spinach, salad leaves and a whole lot more.

Box Fresh Delivery

I’ve done a comparison and even if you disreguard the fact that this is restaurant quality food, you can’t get this amount of food for less than the $49 expecially if you want it delivered. Coles Online for example was $95! On top of the fruit and veg, you can also pick up a good selection of cheese, jams and even a meat tray from Hudson meat. Give them a go.

This weeks box had all sorts of fun stuff:
Vine ripened tomatoes
Broccoli
Green Beans
Potatoes
Red Onion
Brown Onion
Avocado
Ginger
Green Chilli
Garlic
Corriander
Mint
Parsley
Carrots
Field Mushrooms
Egg Plant
Sugar Snap Peas
Baby Spinach
Mixed Salad Leaves
Red Capsicum
Kiwi Fruit
Carela Pears
Fuji Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Rockmelon
Lemon

Tags:Box Fresh, Review, Purveyor, Vegetables

I don't think anyone ever really, or vary rarely, plans to go to a specific restaurant in Newtown (save the one or two places where you actually have to book). Everyone else just wanders up and down King Street soaking up the atmosphere until they see something that catches their eye like a heaving plate of prawns or a luscious piece of beef being served to someone else through the window.
So after meeting some wonderful company at the station we began walking up the eastern side of King Street until we started to realise that we were almost of restaurants. Just at that point we were standing next to The Dumpling King (194 King Street, Newtown). Declaring my love for dumplings we headed in, sat down and went over the menu looking for some rare and tasty dumplings I'd never heard of before. Bitterly disappointed given the name of the place there were only four dumplings! Northern Meat Style, steamed or pan fried, and Vegetable Dumpling, steamed or pan fried. How can you call yourself the Dumpling King if you only have two types of dumplings?! We decided to order the shallot pancake and the meat bun and of course, both types of dumplings - steamed.
 

You won’t find many dumplings at The Dumpling King (194 King Street, Newtown)

Twenty minutes later the pancake (that I don't think had even met a shallot) arrived along with the pan fried flavourless northern meat buns. Chewing through those and washing them down with some weak green tea (from a bag) we sat and chatted. Pleasant and engaging conversation, thankfully, which made the next forty-five minutes waiting for our dumplings bearable.
Eventually, after physically getting up and asking the wait-staff that had ignored us since we ordered where the rest of our meal was, two steamer baskets turned up with an excuse that the Dumpling King had run out of dumplings and he had to make them fresh! Two things are wrong with that, one - the DUMPLING KING ran out of dumplings; and two - if he did have some on hand they wouldn't have been fresh! I know I'm probably arguing for two different sides here, do I want fresh dumplings or do I want quick service but that's not the point. We weren't the only table that didn't get their meals, I noticed two or three other tables having to stop the wait-staff and ask where their food was.
At the end of the night, I have to admit the dumplings were actually quite nice, but the experience was terrible with poor service and a promise of a plethora of dumplings that just don't exist. The rest of the menu looked quite uninspired and with the variety available on King Street I'm not going to be in any hurry to visit the illegitimate Dumpling King again. I'd rather go to Happy Chef.

Tags:Dumpling, Newtown, Review, Restaurant

Not really knowing what to call this whitebait fritter is really what I thought when I first saw this presented to my table at The Union in Newtown. Now this place is my local and I eat here reasonably regularly - infact I’m typing and posting this just minutes after I ate the meal, which in it’s own right feels a little too close to comic book man from The Simpsons logging on to the internet within moments to register his disgust for the new Itchy and Scratchy episode with Poochy.

I was expecting something a lot more like a pancake with little tiny fish heads sticking out perfectly crispy waiting for me to cunch. What I got was little brown deep fried sea-poops on a soggy salad. Although, the beetroot relish on top was just delicious. There are plenty of better whitebait fritter recipes out there.

What’s going on at The Union? This place used to be known for it’s top class pub food. The last time I ordered fish here it was obviously a frozen fish fillet because it was still hard and cold in the centre. Their regular menu is rock solid - I guess it must just be the specials.

Little brown sea-poos with beetroot relish

Food, 6/10 - Good but the standards are slipping
Service, 8/10 - Can’t complain here
Coffee, 0/10 - There is an espresso machine, but this is a pub. Have a beer
Value, 6.5/10 - Pricey for pub food but better than the competition
Location, 9/10 - Full of good intentioned locals

Tags:Newtown, Whitebait

Meeting John for dinner tonight I had a hankering for some seafood, nothing special mind, just a nice piece of salmon or some scallops, but when we ended up at Splash on King Street in Newtown we ended up going all out and picking the hot and cold platter for two (or even three). The rest of the menu wasn’t very inspiring, nothing you couldn’t find at every other seafood restaurant in Sydney.

Splash @ 226 King Street, Newtown

Now while the decor of the restaurant is a fairly dark but modern I can’t help but feel that this is a second home to those who work here with little touches making it feel more like someone’s living room - the framed boxing memorabilia coming from the eldest son and the bright sea-life painting coming from his mother insisting “these will look lovely.” The feel of being in someone else’s house is reinforced with the clumsy but well intentioned younger sister waitress, the always looking busy but not really older sister waitress, then there’s the eldest muscle bound pony-tailed brother who sits intimidatingly behind the bar only to rush off outside or to the kitchen every time his mobile phone beeps or rings. I always got the feeling that I was imposing being there and even more so when I asked for another drink.

At least the food was good quality with more than a substantial serving, three people or two hungrier people than us could have finished it with a bit more effort, we struggled to get through half of the a pile of chips, bbq baby octopus, pickled octopus, lightly battered and fried prawns, cold cooked prawns, fresh oysters, scallop mornay, smoked salmon and the whole crab. We didn’t even touch the salad.

Hot and Cold Seafood Plater for Two @ Splash Newtown

Food, 6.5/10 - Everything was there, but it wasn’t original by any means
Service, 5/10 - I felt like I was imposing on them being there, it seemed everyone had better things to do
Value, 7/10 - For what we got, the $100 bill was fair for quality seafood in Sydney
Location, 9/10 - Heart of King Street

Tags:Newtown, Seafood, European, Mediterranean, Cyprus

This morning, day two of my short break between contracts was a little more relaxed. A little. I still didn’t get to sleep in, I had to head into an interview with my new employer at 9am (went well) and the rest of the day was dedicated to preparing everything for my housewarming this weekend.

After I got back from the meeting I headed off to the Victoria’s Basement outlet in Alexandria with a pit-stop at a little café I’d spotted once before that seemed a little odd out on it’s own on an otherwise desolate strip of Mitchell Road.

I took a gamble and went for the salmon egg benedict roll, an unusual presentation in itself but buoyed by the fact that it looked delicious. Tasted good too! The only thing I was annoyed with was the poached egg was hard, not runny at all - but then, given that it was obviously meant to be eaten by people with a well defined palate with out any time it made sense. I won’t mind stopping in again one weekend and picking up a quiche or something else to see how that goes. Stay tuned.

Salmon Egg Benedict Roll @ La Cachette Alexandria

With the exception of the coffee (burnt and bitter, what a surprise there), I was pleasantly surprised. Stop by if you’re going past the area and peckish.

Food, 7/10 - Better than you’d expect for what looks like a workman’s lunch-bar
Service, 4/10 - The girl was training and seemed lost
Coffee, 0/10 - It was undrinkable
Value, 6.5/10 - $10.50 for a brea-roll and a coffee, but what a bread-roll
Location, 4/10 - In the middle of nowhere

Tags:Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Coffee, Alexandria, Bread, Breakfast

In 1867 His Royal Highness Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh was shot in the back while on a picnic in Contarf, which is probably why a pub named after him was built miles away in Enmore in 1876. Well, actually it probably had a bit more to do with the near-by Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, which was built with memorial funds after his assasination attempt (the hospital, not the pub). A little ironic building a hospital since the guy that shot him was hung.

Affie, as he was known by his family was so called because he was affable, easy to talk to and that sense really has been instilled at The Duke. Given it’s prime location meters away from the Enmore Theatre everyone comes here for a beer and a meal before a show ( The Presets drew me here Monday night). If you’re planning on eating get here early because the place fills up fast. On freezing cold nights like last night, the roaring open fire helps too!

I’ve been here a few times, and the place isn’t cheap but the food is good and usually pretty high quality with some very generous servings. I had the mixed grill this time around, sausages, minute steak, bacon and lamb cutlets on chips with sauce of your choice, pepper, mushroom etc, all for the princley sum (get it?) of $17.50. It is just pub food here, steaks, burgers and the good old chicken parma that a friend had, looking equally as delicious and priced.

Mixed Grill @ The Duke, Enmore

Food, 7/10 - Better than most pubs and everything you’d expect on a classic pub menu board
Service, 8/10 - For a pub, you can’t complain - they were happy and friendly
Coffee, 10/10 - Because it was made with hopps and barley and served by the pint
Value, 7/10 - Tough one, but for the location and the generous servings it gets a couple extra points
Location, 9/10 - If you’re going to the Enmore it’s ideal

The Duke of Edinburgh
148 Enmore Road, Enmore NSW 2042
P: 02 9519 1935
F: 02 9557 1381
W: http://www.duke-hotel.com/

Tags:Pub, Enmore, Duke, Mixed Grill, Steak, Sausage, Fries, Lamb, Bacon, Chicken

Bill Granger is someone I would aspire to be like, studying art and working as a waiter he discovered and grew his passion for food and now he’s gotten pretty well rich doing something he loves, with out selling out.

Bills - 359 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Bills second restaurant in Surry Hills opened 12 years ago and has been going strong ever since, full to the brim from opening till the end of brunch, easing off through the day and picking up again for dinner. It’s a great place to come despite it’s incredibly short menu, one of the shortest in Sydney with usually ony a dozen items to choose from, most of which are staples that are always there such as the sweetcorn fritters with guacamole and the chicken club sandwich, which is what I had today. Now this isn’t your typical three tier sandwich, it’s a chibata roll with roast tomato, baked chicken thigh, roquett and a light spread of dijonaise. It is delicious, but for $17.50 you’d want it to be. Don’t count on the coffee, it’s always just a little burnt.

Club Sandwich and Herbed Fries - Bills, 359 Crown Street, Surry HIlls

If you’re after better coffee and cheaper sweet corn fritters (also $17.50) try Lemon Twist a little further south on Crown Street.

Tags:Surry Hills, Restaurant, Chicken, Bacon, Review

This Saturday after pulling a monster of a 21 hour shift at work (hope you’re enjoying the Commonwealth Bank’s new phone banking system by the way) I woke up with a couple hours sleep and went to enjoy some pleasant company and to staid my sleep-deprived cravings for fat and sugar. John and I agreed to meet at Corelli’s, a café just south of Newtown Station on the King Street side. He’s mentioned it once or twice as we’ve walked past together and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out, there was a bit of justification for it.

Corelli's Café - 352 King Street, Newtown

Being the heart of Newtown it manages to still have that feel of Bohemia about it, which is odd because Arcangelo Corelli was Italian not Slavic; nor was he gypsy. In fact he was long dead before the French even coined the phrase. The point though, is that Corelli’s has that aire of real Newtown about it with it’s cramped tables, mismatched paintwork and staff that will get around to taking your order when they’ve stopped day-dreaming as they watch the foot traffic.

As for the food, the menu seemed skewed towards breakfast, proven by dinner there tonight with my pick of the menu being the bangers and mash (not too bad but simple as it should be). For that breakfast though John had the generously portioned eggs benedict with an obviously not store-bought hollandaise sauce. You could tell it was made with fresh egg and lemon.

Eggs Benedict @ Corelli's Newtown

To satisfy the need for sugar and fat though I couldn’t turn up the made-to-order Belgian waffles with strawberry and rhubarb compote, maple syrup and fresh cream. Good lord it hit the spot — then stomped around on it for a while. The waffles themselves were light and fluffy with just enough sugary-caramelised crispiness, balanced with the sweet and tart compote and the lusciousness of the cream. I think John’s arse clenched when he tasted some! Are you reading this John? :P

Waffles with Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote @ Corelli's Newtown

Tags:Restaurant, Review, Newtown, Breakfast, Sausages, Rubarb, Eggs Benedict, Waffles

I guess the irony can't be lost that I'm sitting on a train at 9am (when I'm meant to be at work) and this being the first time I've had a chance to write a post about a croissant I had for breakfast a couple of weeks ago when I missed even the 9am train. It had to be one of the sorriest excuses of a ham and cheese croissant that I've ever had the pleasure of eating. The outside was nice and golden crispy but the ham and cheese on the inside were both quite cold with out even the slightest signs of being melted. The coffee was just as good. Surprisingly they do still have a small queue for the take-away window every morning but I guess when Café Acoustica is the only place you can get a coffee within a 5 minute walk within any direction of the train station then you've pretty much got the bad coffee market cornered.

Missed Train Croissant. Cold, unmleted cheese. Damn.

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Tags:Breakfast, Croissant, Ham, Cheese, Late, Review

Today is the Queen’s Birthday public holiday in Australia (except WA) and I bet she had a lavish breakfast in bed served on a silver tea tray with delicatley poached eggs, toast soliders and a pot of tea to celebrate.

This little black duck though had to walk for hours around the centre of Adelaide CBD to find somewhere that was open and serving breakfast.

Scoozi - Big Breakfast

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Tags:Adelaide, Breakfast, Review, Restaurant

When I get run into the ground at my day job I try and get away for the weekend to relax and unwind and this weekend saw me wing it to Melbourne and land at the Sofitel. I've written before about my less than five-star experiences in Brisbane with the Accor owned company but the Melbourne version has a much better track record. The rooms are well fitted out, complete with dvd players, surround sound and an iPod connection controlled by the touch-screen remote next to the bed and then there is the club lounge which is in a world of it's own. How many hotels have a fireplace on the 35th floor?

On the nights I was there the lounge was mostly quiet, perfect for a book and a gin and tonic and enjoying the open bar and evening canapés or the sweeter petit fours of an evening with a hot chocolate. Some company would have been nice too.

Sofitel Melbourne Club Lounge

Breakfast is a hybrid buffet and à la carte, having scrambled eggs, bacon fruit and cereal on the bar and a slightly changing menu of a 'big breakfast', eggs benedict etc. I'd highly recommend the ricotta hotcakes.

Pine Nut and Honey Ricotta Hotcakes @ Sofitel Club Lounge, Melbourne