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Swine & Co, Sydney CBD

Posted: June 2, 2014 in Meat Lovers, Modern Australian, Sydney CBD, Sydney City
Tags: Bobby Taylor, restaurants in sydney, Suckling Pig, Swine & Co, Urban Purveyor Group

Swine & Co. is brought to you by the Urban Purveyor Group. The master minds better known for Saké Restaurant & Bar, Ananas Bar & Brasserie, The Cut Bar & Grill, The Argyle, The Lowenbrau and Bavarian Bier Café.

The name Swine & Co really provides the basis and inpsiration behind the menu. Expect to see pork, pork and more pork. A glorified Mr Crackles, the menu is full of gusto, serving up crispy pig’s tail ($19), black pudding ($22) & lamb brains ($15). There’s more pork to be had with their mains of pork belly ($34) or suckling pig ($40) with a promise of that quintessential crackling. You can even eyeball that beautiful little piggy spit roasting away before you decide to take it or leave it. Even though, it should be mandatory. For lunch time only, they have a deli menu serving up more deliciousness with pork belly rolls ($12), reubens ($14) & a sinful concoction of prosciutto, provolone jaffles with truffle butter ($11).

But today. I fully intend to get porked.

Black pudding with Hervey Bay scallops, foie gras, lime caviar and a quinoa crisp ($22)

Guillaume at Bennelong – The Last Supper

Posted: March 3, 2014 in Circular Quay, French, Hatted Restaurants, Modern Australian, Sydney City
Tags: Bennelong Room, Guillaume, Guillaume at Bennelong, Guillaume Brahimi, Stokehouse, Stokehouse by Bennelong, Sydney best restaurant, Sydney Opera House, two hat restaurant, Van Haandel Group

Since publishing this post, Stokehouse have announced 11 March 2014, that they have pulled out of the Bennelong project and will not occupy the Sydney Opera House site.

Guillaume at Bennelong sadly closed its doors to the public on the 31st December 2013, after making the controversial decision not to renew the tender with the Sydney Opera House. The announcement of this news was almost as heartbreaking as the thought that the venue would be turned into a bistro style restaurant and cafe. To the disappointment of onlookers, it was widely known that the Sydney Opera House insisted on creating a venue that was more accessible to the public. However, all is not lost. Guillaume Brahimi is currently renovating his new restaurant in Paddington, for a late April to early May opening. It will be named Guillaume, taking over the Darcy’s restaurant site and is said to be a more relaxed dining experience than its Bennelong self.

It will be interesting to see the Stokehouse by Bennelong, with the Van Haandel Group securing a 10 year lease. Opening day is set for May 2014, where the venue will see a two tier site with casual dining on the upper level and a more sophisticated two hat dining experience on the ground level.

I wanted to visit Guillaume at Bennelong one last time before it was all over. You can read about my first visit here. Today, we sat down to 4 courses for $150.

Buns and Balls, Kings Cross

Posted: February 6, 2014 in Burgers, Meatballs, Potts Point, Sydney City
Tags: Bondi Pizza, Buns and Balls, Burgers, Gary Linz, Kings Cross, Krispy Kreme, Meatballs, Oporto, Potts Point, Restaurants in Potts Point

If the name doesn’t grab you by the buns let alone by the balls, then surely the food and booze will. Buns and Balls is located just under Hugo’s Bar and Lounge on Bayswater Road and is headed up by Gary Linz, founder and owner of Opporto and Bondi Pizza. The new venue brings a cool and casual atmosphere to what some might consider as a bit of divey end of town. Here you can knock down a few cocktails, chink your wine glasses, grab some buns and balls around the loungey outdoor area,or you can take it inside to where the pool table or foosball is at.

Since publishing this post Buns and Balls have announced that they have closed and will be reopening in the Eastern Suburbs due to the new licensing laws.

The Dining Room, The Park Hyatt

Posted: February 3, 2014 in French, Modern Australian, Sydney City, The Rocks
Tags: best restaurants in Sydney, Franck Detrait, French, Modern Australian, Paris, Park Hyatt, Sydney, Sydney City, Sydney Food Blog, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Vendome

The Dining Room located inside the Park Hyatt is situated underneath one of Sydney’s most prime landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The restaurant itself is also perched right in front of the Sydney Opera House and offers up the most spectacular views of the harbour. The decor is as breath taking as the views, creating a warm, intimate and modern setting. Since October 2013, the menu has been headed up by newly appointed Head Chef Franck Detrait and undoubtedly showcases the hallmarks of his culinary experience back in France. Including his notable stint at one michelin star Vendôme in Paris. Mains are roughly at the $40 mark, making the $95 for a tasting menu exceptional value for 6 courses. This includes three entrees, two mains and one dessert from the menu.

Wok On Inn, The Rocks

Posted: January 23, 2014 in Cheap Eats, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian, Mongolian, Singaporean, Sydney City, Thai, The Rocks
Tags: Ankur Sehgal, The Rocks, Wok On Inn

It’s a gorgeous day in Sydney and I find myself with founder of Wok On Inn and with the two lovely ladies from 6DC PR (Sara and Julie). All have accompanied me to show off Wok On Inn’s latest venue at the Rocks, tucked away just a hop, skip and away from the Lowenbrau. I have to admit I’m feeling quite inspired when I meet Ankur Sehgal, founder and owner of the Wok On Inn franchise. He shares with me his vision and what sets Wok On Inn apart. “It’s all about dishing up street food that’s authentic, bold and affordable”, he says. Wok On Inn is just like any street food you would find back in Asia. There’s no MSG, meat is chemical free or grass fed and they pride themselves on using the freshest highest quality ingredients. It is about being as real as it comes, with its hawker stands, outdoor communal seating and help-it-yourself cutlery. What makes it even better is that Wok On Inn represents 8 different flavours across 8 different regions. That’s Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Mongolian & Korean. Ankur (Owner) has also made every effort to preserve each origins inherent traditional flavours by going in so far as to create their very own authentic Asian sauces from each country of origin. All made with locally sourced ingredients.

We order three dishes to share. The Pad Thai, Bangkok Noodles and Uncle’s Drunken Noodles ($12.95 each) but during lunch this is ($9.95 ) with a can of drink/water but even at full prices it is still much cheaper than my local!

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine, Chinatown

Posted: November 19, 2013 in Chinatown, Chinese, Seafood, Sydney City
Tags: Bao, Cantonese food, Char Siu Bao, Chinatown, Chinese food in Sydney, Louise Kwok, Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine, peking duck, Peking Duck Bao, Pork Bao, pork buns

Just when Dixon st couldn’t get any better it graces us with a delicious Hong Kong style eatery serving up Cantonese food in a casual ‘dai pai dong‘ setting. It’s hard not get too excited while you wait outside with the pork bun enshrined capsules, glistening BBQ ducks and live seafood tanks looking sweetly at you.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine has a great mix of value and deliciousness. Atmosphere is buzzy, service incredibly warm and friendly. I’m just so used to it hard and fast, so I’m a little dumbfounded at how pleasant it all is.

What’s hot on everyone’s lips? The baos of course. With their variety of char siu ($7 for two), pork (siu yuk – $8) or Peking duck ($8). In fact, Old Hong Kong Town appears to be one of the better places serving up value for money Peking duck – half duck ($35) or whole duck ($65) with a second course of san choi bao.

Ucello, The Ivy, Sydney

Posted: October 29, 2013 in Italian, Lunch, Sydney CBD, Sydney City
Tags: David Lovett, Italian Restaurants, Ivy, Merivale Restaurants, Sydney restaurants, Uccello

Uccello is tucked away on Level 4 of the Ivy and overlooks the Ivy Pool, which I find weird as I have never really seen this with my very own eyes in broad daylight. Think Pacha. It’s a great spot if you are wanting to make the most of the great sunny weather and make use of a city slicking roof top pool. You can eat, eat, eat and let it all hang out. Minus the itsy bitsy teeny weeny.

Headed up by David Lovett, the menu promises an authentic Italian experience, with a less is more approach. It focusing on good quality produce and it shows. The seafood is incredibly fresh, the pasta is hand-made and flavours are subtle yet tasty enough to make each and every dish truly sing.

The highlight of meal, apart from eating all this gorgeous food was seeing Karl Stefanovic in the flesh. I have a massive man crush on him! You really have to love a man that can make you LOL in the morning when you have your cranky pants on and panda eyes are in full swing!

Devon Cafe’s Truffle Season

Posted: August 31, 2013 in Breakfast, Brunch, Cafe, Lunch, Surry Hills, Sydney City
Tags: Best Cafes in Sydney, black truffles, Cafes in Surry Hills, Derek and Noni, Devon Cafe, Devonshire Street, Ex-Guillaume Chefs, food porn, food porn nation, Jacqui Ektoros, photos of food, pictures of food, Sydney Cafes, Sydney Food Blog, The Ultimate Toastie, Truffle Carbonara, Truffle Season, Truffles, Ultimate Toastie, Zach Tan, Zacharay Tan

During the truffle season, Devon Cafe has been serving up truffle specials on their weekend menu, most notably their luxuriant ‘ultimate toastie’. A toasted sourdough served with grilled mixed mushrooms, melted fontina cheese, fried egg that is topped with lashings of black truffles. As if it wasn’t already popular enough, this ‘toastie’ gained incredible notoriety after a SMH review. Lines quickly began snaking it’s way down Devonshire street and disappointing customers by selling out by 10am.

I’m back at Devon Cafe and I’m here to get my last bit of truffles before the season is out. This is my second visit to date (see previous post) and I am have been dying to taste my way through their truffled treats.

Chur Burger, Surry Hills

Posted: August 25, 2013 in Burgers, Cheap Eats, Surry Hills, Sydney City
Tags: Albion Street, Chur, Chur Burger, food porn, food porn nation, photos of food, pictures of food, Restaurant Review, Surry Hills, Sydney Food Blog, Warren Turnball

Chur Burger is all the rage now. It’s Kiwi ‘as’ and serves up drunks and chups with delicious sides and milkshakes. It’s biggest drawcard? That $10 price tag. Which is a big one considering the burgers are made fresh to order sizzling and flipped right in front of you.

If you’re anything like me and were perhaps none the wise. Chur is slang for awesome in NZ and so far the place lives up to the name.

During one of our lunch hours, I was invited to join Tina (bitemeshowme) and Simon (theheartoffood) for a quick bite.

Ramen Ikkyu, Sussex Centre, Chinatown

Posted: July 29, 2013 in Cheap Eats, Chinatown, Japanese, Ramen, Sydney City
Tags: chef haru, Chef Haru Inukai, Chinatown, Ikkyu Shoyu Ramen, Paitan Broth, Ramen, ramen ikkyu, Sussex Centre, sussex street, Sydney Food Blog

We’ve all gone a bit ramen mad. Myself included. So it should be no surprise that I find myself at Ramen Ikkyu like the rest of the other mad hatters. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this place with us ramenites counting down the days until its launch, ready to dive in and test the waters.

It is now 4 weeks since its opening day and the aim of the game is to sell 150 bowls of ramen a day. If they sell out then they shut up shop. No matter what time of day it is. Noodles are hand made by Chef Haru himself and are aged for 2 days. Hurrahh… While their signature broth is prepared in 160 litre pots filled with chicken and pork bones – referred to as their paitan broth.

To back track, Chef Haru Inukai started serving ramen as a lunch special back when he was the Head Chef of BlancHaru. The ramen special was so popular it caught on to the likes of fellow ramen lover Chef Dan Hong who notably sung its praises. It was no sooner that the public caught on to the cult of BlancHaru’s ramen that there were lines forging its way down Elizabeth Bay Road. It was then Chef Haru decided to give it all up and go all guns blazing to open up his very own ramen house.