Swell Restaurant is said to be one of Matt Moran’s favourite breakfast spots. Coming highly recommended by the man himself, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it a whirl.
Set against the beautiful Bronte Beach, on a beautiful day it is the perfect spot to grab a decent breakfast or brunch, soak in the atmosphere without too much damage to the hip pocket. It is a popular spot, so best to book ahead and watch out for parking. It is either extortionate or a nightmare!
We begin with the truffle poached eggs which arrive plump and pulsing at the middle. The dish has the indelible scent of truffles and is served with pieces of wafer thin prosciutto, adding a lovely crunch and saltiness to the creaminess of the yolk. The sourdough is as it should having texture and crunch – positively moorish.
The smoked salmon, avocado, spanish onion & rocket on toast is like a deconstructed sandwich and is splayed out for all to see. Every element is extremely fresh, well balanced and as it should.
Welcome to Swell Restaurant, a beautiful beach breakfast spot.
6 comments | posted in Breakfast
Guillaume Brahimi has had a formidable career to date. Born in Paris, his star was on the rise taking on various roles at three michelin restaurants.
Moving to Australia, Guillaume earns a record breaking two chef hats within 6 months of opening his restaurant Pond. He is later invited to turn around Bilson’s at Circular Quay (now Quay) with no chef hats and 11/20 rating, remarkably taking Bilson’s to receive the coveted three chef hats.
In 2001, Guillaume is awarded the highly sought after contract to take over the restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. Within a year of its debut, it is recognised as one of the top 50 new restaurants in the world. The restaurant has a long list of accolades under its belt. Awarded year in and year out, it reaches the pinnacle (three chef hats) and today sits as a two chef hat restaurant with a 17/20 rating.
With his culinary prowess set against the backdrop of the most breathtaking views of our iconic foreshore. It is hard to believe that Guillaume at Bennelong is not on anyone’s hit list. This may be more the case than ever before, now that the space for the restaurant is up for tender with rumours that it may transform it into a cheap eats venue.
That said, I was able to pay Guillaume a visit for my birthday before any major overhaul thanks to my sister – agirlhastoeat.
We decide to go ahead with the al la carte menu (4 courses for $150) available after 8pm. Prior to this, the pre-theatre menu is offered between 6pm-8pm. (2 courses for $72 & 3 courses for $89).
Our night begins with a pumpkin velouté – filled with lovely air pockets it is light and fluffy. The piece of seared foie gras tucked inside make it lovely, fatty & rich. On top, there are tiny sprinkles of candied ginger. You know it’s good when your caught scraping from the bottom.
The royale with pea, speck, croutons & truffle makes me gush with fervour. Underneath the surface is a pea puree reworked into a pea custard. The texture is a pure anomaly with its smooth, gooey yet firm shape.
The textural play continues with the crunchy croutons contrasted with the stick-to-your-teeth chewy cubes of speck tangled in a nest of greens. Finished with truffle oil, the experience in each mouthful is magnificent.
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10 comments | tags: best restaurants in Sydney, Best Steak in Sydney, food porn, food porn nation, Guillaume at Bennelong, Guillaume Brahimi, Sydney Hatted Restaurants, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Restaurant, Sydney restaurants, three chef hats, two chef hats | posted in French, Hatted Restaurants, Modern Australian
I’m a regular here and this is easily one of my favourite lunch spots around work. Every time I walk in I’m greeted with a, “Ciao bella” and if I’m lucky enough I will get a kiss on the cheek, breathing an Italian charm into the place. Even if I’m walking along the street and they spot me, it is still ciao bella time.
Serving up outstanding dishes with quality ingredients, everything is reasonable priced and well-portioned. I would go so much as to say that they serve the best Italian in the CBD. It is best to book or come in just at 12 to beat the lunch rush. Otherwise, get your food to go and they’ll knock off a couple of dollars. Somewhere between the $2-$4 dollar mark.
The lunch menu is organised by antipasto, panini, salads and pastas, where you can order your choice of pasta and sauce. The menu is waited on by super charged energizer bunny staff who hop, skin and leap around you efficiently. Their full-of-life personalities are so infectious that it can’t help but always seem to brighten up my day.
More often than not, I will order the linguine boscaiola ($16.50). It is the ultimate, served with pancetta, mushrooms, caramelised onions in a cream sauce. The use of pancetta and caramelised onion add another dimension to this favourite. The pancetta creates a lovely smokiness and chewiness while the caramelised onions carries a sweetness into this savoury dish.
The side of parmesan is served in a generous bowl, so you can sprinkle as much or as little as you like. Most places tend to serve you pittance and I think this tiny detail makes such a difference to the experience and taste of your meal, especially when the parmesan is of such a high quality.
Garlic bread ($5.50) is beautifully fragrant and crusty, it is the perfect contraption for dipping, especially into somebody else’s plate!
Linguine with peas, pancetta, garlic, chilli & truss tomatoes ($16.50) is not for the faint hearted. It packs a bit of a kick and is full of flavour with the chilli and garlic. Again, the sauce takes on a delicious smokiness with the use of pancetta. This is so stunning, it’s hard to think I am on my lunch break. Shouldn’t I be at a food court somewhere?
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13 comments | tags: Italian, Sydney CBD, Sydney Lunch Spots, Sydney restaurants | posted in Italian
I’ve never had osso bucco before. So, with a shiny new pressure cooker, I decided to give it a whirl and I was amazed at the results.
Now… I’m in love with my pressure cooker and with this recipe! Just perfect for the colder months.
The result is fork tender melt in your mouth meat served with a beautifully rich and flavoursome sauce.The best bit is all in that marrow – sucking out that rich gooey goodness. Delish.
If that’s too sickly for you, each mouthful will still bring warmth and comfort in every bite. This meal will not disappoint, I guarantee it. 
Source:
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1 kilo thick veal slices of osso bucco (1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
Method:
Season the veal shanks, heat oil in a pan and sear the veal until brown. Avoid crowding the pan and sear the veal in batches if necessary. When the veal is finished browning, set aside and rest on a plate.
Whilst the veal is browning, saute all the vegetables and tomato paste in the pressure cooker and season. When the vegetables have softened, add chicken stock and wine. Give it a good stir, scrapping the bottom for any bits and bring to a high heat. Once this is heated through, add the veal shanks to the pot and ensure they are tucked into the mixture as much as possible.
Add the rosemary, bay leaves and top with the canned tomatoes. Ensure that you do not stir this through to avoid the diced tomatoes catching at the bottom. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 30 min. After 30 min let the pressure come down naturally for 10-15 min. When the time is up, release any pressure left in the pot and voila!
Serve with a side of mashed potatoes/polenta, tuck in and enjoy!
Alternatives:
- If you don’t have a pressure cooker. Add an extra cup of chicken stock to a heavy based pot with a lid. Bring the ingredients to the boil and cover the lid. Place the pot into the oven at 180 degrees for 2 hours.
- You can substitute the veal w beef shanks, chuck steak, lamb or chicken. It will still taste great!
11 comments | tags: food porn, food porn nation, italian recipes, osso bucco recipe, Recipes | posted in Italian, Recipes
Ippudo has quickly become to what some would consider as legend. Conquering the likes of New York, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai. Ippudo has firmly found its place in Sydney’s Westfield. Since its opening it has quickly drawn in the crowds and cult following with its signature ramen and pork buns.
Ippudo specialises in Tonkostu ramen and offers up 3 variations of this:
- Akamaru shinaji (above): the recipe is 25 years old and includes miso, garlic oil, pork belly, black mushrooms, bean sprouts and shallots – the Tonkotsu broth is slow cooked with pork bones to add extra depth of flavour
- Shiromaru motoaji: Tonkotsu broth served with Hakata ultra thin noodles and includes pork loin, black mushrooms, cabbage & shallots
- Karaka men: Tonkotsu broth with Hakata wavy noodles and includes spicy miso paste with ground pork
You can also specify the firmness of your noodles from “soft, medium or firm”. Which is funny because as a child I loved them soggy but as I have gotten older, I have graduated up to medium and now firm. I love a firm texture! They recommend having it firm but I wonder, how do you like your ramen?
Having tried 2 out of 3 Ramen’s at Ippudo, the Akamaru with flavoured egg ($18) is my absolute favourite. I love the intensity and richness of the broth and every bowl of Ramen always comes down to the broth.
The broth comes positively gleaming with richness and flavour. I am so impatient I quickly go in for the dive and I completely immersed in it. It is sensational.
I also love the fragrant hints of garlic oil and the option to swirl the miso paste into your broth. To do so, lifts the broth to the highest order. My ramen is firm, adding texture and bite contrasting nicely with the fork tender pork belly that melts. The addition of flavoured egg is luxuriant, oozing its way out. Soft, rich and plump.
The ippudo pork buns ($4) are so delicious, every mouthful is just as delicious as the next. The buns are super soft, the pork is spicy, fatty and tender. Setting itself apart from the creaminess of Japanese kewpie mayo and crisp lettuce leaves. Reminds me a lot of the famous Momofuku pork buns.
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14 comments | tags: best japanese food, Chashu Ramen, food porn, food porn nation, Japanese Food, japanese food in cbd, Ramen, Sydney Restaurant, Tonkostu Ramen, Westfield Sydney CBD | posted in Japanese, Ramen
The Rook is the newest venture from the Keystone Group and is responsible for likes of The Loft, Cargo Bar & Bungalow 8. It is considered the latest Rooftop bar to hit Sydney. Well… ‘ish’. There is an open bit, some windows (some plastic-ky ones) and hopes to make the rooftop retractable.
It appears to be loosely based on London’s Burger and Lobster concept, where the menu is limited to burgers and lobsters. Word of mouth is that the food isn’t The Rook’s strong suit. Its a great place to have an after work drink, draws on a buzzy crowd, bangs out some good tunes but appears to fall short on the food front. Remaining positive, I am keen to find out for myself.
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The lobster roll ($25) comes positively jammed packed. The lobster filling includes additions of potato, corn, mayo, onion, jalapenos and bears a strong likeness to a potato salad. Unfortunately, it was under seasoned and missing a bit of punch. Yet the flavours were strong enough to overwhelm the delicate lobster.
Being one who likes to “eat with their eyes” I found that I would have also preferred the lobster in larger chunks. I really wanted to see the hero of dish and then, I wanted to be able to feel it when I tasted it.
Truffle fries quickly make for good munching. Yet the truffle flavour is lost on me very quickly and appears to be only lightly doused. They smell and taste delicious at first but unfortunately the wonderful aroma quickly subsides. The side of tomato salsa quickly comes to the rescue. It’s smokey, tangy, acidic and quite intense. Delicious as it may be it doesn’t quite make up for the absence of that beautiful truffle.
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5 comments | tags: Burger and Lobster, food porn, food porn nation, keystone group, lobster, lobster roll, Sydney restaurants, The Rook | posted in Lobster, Seafood
Gnome is located just moments away from the main hustle and bustle of Crown St. It’s a great spot for breakfast, brunch & lunch. It operates as a cafe by day and wine bar by night. So you can wine and dine on Wednesday to Saturday nights if you fancy.
Food is cheap and cheerful, which is great given that the produce is locally sourced, sustainable and organic but it comes without the price tag. Staff are switched on and personable in their approach, that when you order your next round of coffee, they remember your coffee order to the letter - no questions asked. You really can’t go wrong.
Brazil takes on the ocean trout sandwich ($12). Served with capers, dill, mascarpone & watercress. At $12, I am really impressed with the quality of ingredients and serving size of the sandwich not only in its entirety but also with the generous helpings of ocean trout and subsequent fillings.
I opt for the ultimate self destruction and take on the super grilled cheese ($12). It’s stuffed with cheddar, gruyere, buffalo mozarella & prosciutto. The cheeses are fit for purpose and are served at melting point. Again, at $12 I more than impressed with the variety and quality of cheeses. And more so, at the amount of it that is served.
So much so, that the sandwich had this pulsing white buffalo centre, which I had to squeeze and pop open. Which was pretty spectactular. And to top it all off, there are these beautiful prosciutto layers on top that blends remarkably well. Adding a meaty saltiness against all the other creamy and crunchy textures of the cheese and bread.
Welcome to Gnome Espresso & Winebar, for a great little find.
7 comments | tags: food porn, food porn nation, photos of food, pictures of food, restaurants, Restaurants in Surry Hills, sandwiches, super grilled cheese sandwich, Surry Hill Restaurants, Surry Hills | posted in Breakfast, Cafe, Sandwiches, Wine Bar
Ingredients:
1.5 mud crab
400g egg noodles
A knob of ginger (cut into shards)
6 cloves of garlic (crushed and roughly chopped)
5 stems of shallots (cut lengthways)
salt
white pepper (2 teaspoons)
brown sugar (2 teaspoons)
1 cup chicken stock
Chinese rice wine
1 cup corn flour mixed with warm water
soy sauce
peanut oil
How to prepare the crab
The easiest way is to ask your fish monger to slice the crab into quarters for you, which is what I do. This totally beats having to do this yourself. Also ask them to crack the claws. This ensures that the heat seeps through the claws and even cooking time. You will need to cut the the legs (little legs of four) on each side in half. This will ensure everything cooks consistently.
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8 comments | tags: Chinese Cooking, Mud Crab, Mud crab with ginger and shallot sauce, Recipes | posted in Chinese, Recipes, Seafood
After a 17 month restoration project the Gowings building has been resuscitated back to life with the QT Hotel – a hotel, spa, bar and restaurant. Inside you will find the Gowings Bar and Grill – a European style brasserie serving up seafood, steaks, woodfired meats and rotisserie fowl. Try and time your visit for Friday at lunch for the pinot and suckling pig special, if you can.
Located between the historical Gowings building and the State Theatre, the Bar & Grill has that staged New York Broadway feel to it. Walk on in and you will taken by the slab of tuna hanging by its tail cut wide open and red raw. Hello… fish bits.
With its extensive menu, it is difficult to decide what to eat and what to forego. Everything looks like a win and equally very expensive. $38 schnitzel anyone?
For her entree Ms G takes on the hot spanner crab cakes ($19). I’m given a taste and already I’m hit with food envy. It’s the combination of the beautiful crumbs, fleshy crab pieces and the creamy aioli that I would happily come back for.
Sydney Rock Oysters ($5 each)
I’m always a sucker for steak tartare ($29) but I found myself slightly disappointed. There is no questioning the quality of the ingredients but it wasn’t the traditional steak tartare I had in mind. It was far more creamier and lacked the tang and pep I was hoping for. The shoestring fries, surprisingly came out as the hero of this dish.
Tartare of Yellowfin Tuna ($18)
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11 comments | tags: food, food porn, food porn nation, Gowings Bar and Grill, new york broadway, photos of food, pictures of food, restaurants, sauteed mushrooms, Sydney restaurants, sydney rock oysters, tuna nicoise salad | posted in Grill, Steakhouse
What immediately strikes you about Newmarket Hotel is the impressive use of space. Its industrial urban chic contrasted with a cosy panache.
The space is divided between pub-come-bar-come-restaurant. The decor blends and overlaps one another and its the unmistakable change in scenery that marks the separation.
Pub/bar-goers linger around the front courtyard either in park tables or high tables tops. Venture further inside and you will find serious diners located firmly in proper tables and chairs.
The blended approach also takes shape in the menu. It promises a taste of latin, southern and californian influences. The menu reads so well that you wonder if you’re ever going to get out of there without ordering everything that’s on there! Uttering words like truffles, low and slow, 36 months matured and garlic chips. Everything reads deliciously that I just want to eat their words!
The bone marrow taco is unctuous. A gooey buttery mush with the chimichurra playing a helping hand in intensifying the flavours. I had it ‘with’ and ‘without’ the taco and preferred the marrow on its own. It didn’t require any meddling with the robust flavours of the spicy bbq brisket. It was simply gorgeous on its own. However at ($24) for three, our individual marrow piece came out on the smaller side and was no larger than an inch.
A healthy portion of the field mushrooms ($9) melded beautifully with the drizzled dollops of jalapeno crema and crunchy garlic chips. Both added texture, salty and umami notes to this earthy dish.
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8 comments | tags: Melbourne Restaurants, Newmarket Hotel, Restaurants in St Kilda, St Kilda | posted in American, Mexican, Wine Bar
For any food lover, a visit to Melbourne always deserves a pilgrimage to the mecca for foodies – Queen Victoria Markets.
Deep down it is like any market, with stall owners bellowing out their best price, urging you to buy, buy, buy!
But unlike no other, everything is all within reach, bringing together a massive hub of fresh meat, seafood, fruit, veges, delicatessens and desserts. It is so delicious to look at, the sight of it rarely gets old.
Like all my visits to Melbourne, I always come back to the Bratwurst Shop & Co.
You know it, I know it, everybody knows it.
Even Anthony Bourdain knows it. It is that good.
With the sure fire signs of a popular eatery. The human frenzy swarming in front of the counter is something to manoeuvre with. Get your pointy elbows out, move with haste and make way to the front.
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4 comments | tags: anthony bourdain, Bratwurst, Bratwurst Shop & Co, Cheese Bratwurst, food, food porn, food porn nation, photos of food, pictures of food, Places to Eat in Melbourne, Queen Victoria Markets, restaurants, Sydney Food Blog | posted in Cheap Eats, Hot Dogs, Melbourne Eats
Chinese NYE is always spent with family/friends gorging on copious amounts of food to ring in the new year. Kind of what I like to think of as a Chinese version of Christmas! You have your traditional items served at dinner to symbolise good luck, good health and prosperity. On the night, you must have chicken and fish, to symbolise prosperity and long uncut noodles as a symbol of longevity/long life.
With a small gathering of four, I thought I would do a quick post of what I served up last night.
Firstly, we tucked into some soy chicken. Chicken should be served whole to symbolise family wholeness and completeness. I bought this soy chicken from Emperor’s Garden BBQ and I think it is one of the best Chinese BBQ places you can find.
The chicken is deliciously salty and sweet. The flesh is tender and moistened with a touch of sweet soy that seeps to the bottom which I tend to reuse for basting.
I managed to prepare 3 kilos of mud crab with a lot of blood sweat and tears. I served it up with egg noodles and a ginger and shallot sauce.This was my first time serving it up and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised on the results, that I just have to share the recipe! I just loved how the noodles slurp up the sauce!
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10 comments | tags: Chinese BBQ, Chinese New Year, egg noodles, Emperors Garden BBQ, food, Mud crab with ginger and shallot sauce, photos of food, pictures of food, Snapper, Year of the Snake | posted in Chinese
On my way home from the office one afternoon, I find myself deep in discussion with my cab driver around food.
He’s originally from Lebanon and it’s not long until I beg him to tell me where to find the best lebanese food in Sydney. I insisted I wanted the real deal, the stuff that you would find back at home and throughout the Middle East. As my most vivid memories of the Middle East were of how spellbinding the food was.
So… with pen in hand, note pad on my lap. I furiously took notes and made a list.
Al Aseel was one of the restaurants that came out on top.
We are greeted with a traditional serving of pickled vegetables, olives and lebanese breads. I didn’t have the gumption to manhandle the pickled chilli’s but enjoyed the pickled turnip and olives. I was however, disappointed to find that the bread wasn’t served warm. A few moments on the grill wouldn’t have hurt.
In the mixed entree platter you will find:
Falafel, ladies fingers (homemade pastry filled with cheese, mince meat and parsley), sambousek (pastry pocket stuffed with spiced meat) and fried kibbe (spicy minced meat stuffed inside a tasty blend of kibbe and crushed wheat).
I’m not wild about kibbe, so I kindly ask if I could swap it for the spinach triangle and I am glad that I did. The ladies fingers, falafel and spinach triangle were the highlight.
Served with a side of tahini sauce, the falafel comes out piping hot. My impatiences gets the better of me and I’m lip wrestling between bite and blow. Piercing through the crunchy shell reveals the fluffy steamy green centre. The tahini is nice enough but already I am cheating on it with the robust baba ghanouj. (Pictured below).
But that’s what I love about Lebanese food. Cheating’s ok and you can always mix and match.
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7 comments | posted in Lebanese
In the heart of the CBD, we find ourselves tucked away in one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney – Pendolino.
Awarded a “One Hat’ out of a possible Three Hats from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, I am always shell shocked as to why Pendolino is only given the one.
Being the veteran that I am, I became quite vocal of what we should order. I go in and advocate that we must try the beef carpaccio and the hand made ravioli with burnt butter sage sauce.
The first thing that immediately impresses upon you is the beautiful scent of truffles when the beef carpaccio is placed in front you. To taste every single morsel of flesh is phenomenal with its melt in your mouth texture. It is so tender it doesn’t even require so much as a chew, only a gentle slip into your mouth. The aromatic notes of the truffle, the saltiness of the testun barola cheese and soft crunch of the rocket cress deliver a delicious and sensory overload.
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This is a dish I simply can not do without. The hand made ravioli is expertly tended to and made to perfection. Resulting in the perfect thinness of pasta that is tightly wrapped around a delicious filling of spinach, parmigiano reggiano, gruyere, buffalo mozzarella.
The filling is beautifully plump and strikes the perfect balance between the mixture of cheese and the burnt butter and sage sauce. And the experience of the buttered sage leaves disintegrating along the roof of your tongue feels incredible.
entree size
My sister chose the black squid ink risotto with grilled baby squid, micro chard and fermented anchovy sauce. Despite its delightful good looks, we found the dish was over-seasoned. I was advised this was due to the fermented anchovy sauce. Or the addition of parmesan, perhaps? Considered sacrilege of any Italian seafood dish, somehow this worked like magic.
Against all odds, I rather enjoyed this dish and the workmanship was beyond question. Risotto was al dente and the sauce deliciously creamy if you could move past the salt. I personally didn’t mind the salty touch but it seems that my sister couldn’t quite get past it herself.
main size
The chitarra spaghetti with barramundi and wild prawns was a simple yet satisfying dish. The delicate flavours of the chilli, capers, garlic and pinto grigio allowed the inherent seafood flavours to come through. Perfect if you are after a straight shooter.
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7 comments | tags: CBD Restaurants, good food guide, Italian food, Italian Restaurants in Sydney, One Hat, One Hat Restaurant, Pendolino, photos of food, pictures of food, Strand Arcade, Sydney restaurants, the strand arcade | posted in Hatted Restaurants, Italian
As part of the Sydney Festival, Justin Hemmes (Merivale Group) has partnered with Sydney’s Opera House to secure the iconic hot spot to bring us this cool little pop up restaurant-come-bar.
From the 4th – 28th January, Dan Hong (Mr Wong’s & Ms G’s) will be overseeing the venture where he will be dishing up a selection of the el loco menu along our beautiful Sydney shores. With a slight surcharge included… Que?
The hot dog revealed a delicious grilled pork frankfurt nestled away in between a soft doughy bun.
Smothered in blinding amounts of cheese, I was unable to detail the other additions. It was only with each bite that brought the discovery of the pickled jalapenos, mayo and salsa. I even felt a slab of butter!
Unfortunately, the tacos were less successful. The beef tacos distinctively boasted of Asian rather than Mexican flavours which was subtle and kind of… not what I had in mind. Beef in black bean anyone?
In my surprise taco, they served up kidneys which I probably wouldn’t have ordered if it wasn’t a surprise. The battle was already lost before it even begun. Kidneys were served hard and rubbery, which wasn’t very palatable.
This raging heap of delicious mess just so happens to be the el loco salad. Concealed by the crispy pile of the cheesy tortilla top, there is a gorgeous salad underneath boasting fresh flavours of avocado, lettuce, spring onions, radish and salsa coated with a tangy lime dressing. In fact, I enjoyed the salad so much I practically cheated on the tortilla right in front of it.
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12 comments | tags: Cheap eat, Dan Hong, Justin Hemmes, merivale, merivale group, Mexican, Mexican food in Sydney, Opera House, Sydney Cheap Eats, Sydney Opera House | posted in Cheap Eats, Hot Dogs, Mexican
