Miss Chu has taken Sydney by storm, this isn’t new news.  We can’t seem to get enough of her.  The original store is a hole in the wall on the Corner of Bourke & William Streets in Darlinghurst.  Since the opening of that first store, Miss Chu’s cuisine can be found in three other locations in Sydney and two in Melbourne.  She is doing something right.

Even though I have heard her food is great, I wasn’t excited enough to go out of my way to pay one of her establishments a visit.  Why?  I just couldn’t get excited over something I make all the time at home, rice paper rolls.  It was a visit of a close girl-friend to Sydney that finally got me to Miss Chu’s.  She really wanted to go and I was happy to join her.

Staff at Bondi are friendly and helpful.  If it is a nice day try and secure an outside table, inside is a little dreary.  They have traditional rice paper rolls, but mix it up with non Vietnamese fillings as well.

Beside rolls you can order a choice of steamed dumplings, deep fried spring rolls, warm vermicelli salads, stir-fry dishes, salads and soups. Read more →

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Finally when somebody asks me where to eat in The Shire, there won’t be any deep thought or hesitation on my answer.  It is elementary my dear Watson, Alphabet St.

Located at the beach end of the Kingsway, the restaurant offers views over Dunningham Park, pedestrian concourse and the beach.  A group of us had organised to have a lazy Sunday lunch.  Three of my friends weren’t familiar at all with Cronulla and I was thrilled that it was a gorgeously sunny Autumn day.  If you are going to show off part of your hood, you want it to shine in all its glory.

Alphabet St opened up in Cronulla at the end of 2012, but a restaurant opening isn’t an unusual affair.  What excited me about this particular opening was that Joe Natale and his partner Oriana were behind it.  If their names don’t ring a bell they use to own the popular Rambutan on Oxford St in Darlinghurst.   You will also find ex-Rambutan Chef, Tiw Rakarin, in the kitchen.The restaurant has a modern urban vibe.  Timber box frames on the stark walls representing buildings.  Washed concrete floors giving a pavement feel.  Unclad ceilings with drop down lights representing street lights.  A wall of green behind the bar and astro turf on the balcony is the greenery in the urban sprawl of Alphabet St.  Which just happens to be named after the Prince song ‘Alphabet Street’. Read more →

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The Mahjong room is operated by Hong Kong born William Hui along with former Red Lantern Manager Drew Kohing.  William opened the Mahjong Room with Erika Chan back in 2002, and has been on my  ‘to do’ list for a very long time now.  Mainly to head there on the last Saturday of the month for their popular mahjong lessons which are accompanied with yum cha.  You would think I would have gotten there by now!

My recent visit to the Mahjong Room didn’t see me partaking in a game or two.  Instead I visited to try their new Open Rice Open Table menu.

“Open rice” means to start a meal in Cantonese.  “Open table” is a popular Chinese term which translates as opening up a table for mahjong.  An addictive tile game played in China for thousands of years.  And from what I have seen can end up being quite noisy and a lot of fun. Read more →

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Some of you may remember the Three Chefs & a Pig Dinners that happened late last year and January this year.  Three chefs, from three different restaurants, Restaurant Atelier, Bishop Sessa and Lochiel House, cooking up a pork degustation, they were simply delicious.  We attended the first two dinners but couldn’t attend the third at Lochiel House.

It was a week night and Lochiel House is just shy of a two hour drive from where we live.  Even though from our place it is a bit of a hike, that wasn’t going to deter me from visiting on a weekend.  A leisurely Sunday lunch was booked and we escaped to the country for a day.

Lochiel House is a gorgeous heritage cottage built in the 1820′s.  Located at Kurrajong Heights in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.  A pretty cottage garden out the front and a massive organic kitchen garden out the back, it would be the envy of any chef.  Cosy inside with fireplaces, but if it is a lovely sunny day, I suggest sitting out back in the courtyard.  Enjoy the garden, and the birds and butterflies it attracts. Read more →

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When Tara from VegeTARAian gave a shout-out for those interested to come along to a vegetarian degustation I put my hand up pretty promptly. I asked both Mac and Josh if they would like to come along.  Josh gave an instant excited ‘yes’ and I received an instant ‘not bloody likely’ from Mac.  Consequently two, not three places were booked to attend.

The Saturday of the degustation rolled around.  Josh looked like death warmed up on the lounge and was in the process of hacking up his second lung.   The first one was successfully hacked up earlier that morning.  He wasn’t going to be joining me that evening.

I needed to find a solution to this problem as I didn’t want to cancel a place at the 11th hour.  I knew this degustation was being specifically prepared for our group.  Phone a friend?  I could of, but I knew the ones I would of roped in already had plans.  My last hope, persuade Mac to come along.

We are no strangers to dining at Restaurant Atelier , we really do enjoy the food and service.  Even then, this was a hard sell.  After an initial ‘no’, to a ‘do I have to’.  I pulled out the ‘I am sure Darren (chef & owner of Restaurant Atelier) will slip you some meat’, I ended up finally with an, ‘okay, if I have to’.  Phew, mission accomplished. Read more →

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Just Pure Bistro, or just Jpb for those in the know, is Swissôtel Sydney’s signature restaurant.  Executive Chef Tseng has created something a little special in the heart of Sydney.  A restaurant that is both sustainable and reasonably priced.  Well, I think that’s special for a ‘hotel’ restaurant.

Tseng has a ‘straight from the farm to hotel’ attitude with his menu.  Ingredients are organic, locally grown and sourced in NSW as much as possible.  Pork from Byron Bay, extra virgin olive oil for the Megalong Valley and organic honey straight from their roof top.

Honey from the roof top?  Yes, Swissôtel Sydney has their own bee hives, which they lovingly call ‘The Buzz Factory’.  There are four hives which are home to 200,000 bees.  The bees spend Spring and Summer feeding on the nectar and pollen in Sydney’s Hyde Park.  To ensure the bees don’t go without, bee-friendly plants such as lavender, rosemary and basil are positioned close the hives at other times of the year.  The honey produced is used in daily in the food and beverage menu, breakfast, honey inspired desserts and cocktails. Read more →

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What is so extreme about N2?  Well, they just happen to make their gelato using liquid Nitrogen.  Not a new concept and has been around for a while.  The first time I came across this method was on a trip to New York a few years ago.

Why make gelato with liquid Nitrogen?  Liquid Nitrogen freezes the liquid gelato 10 times quicker than a conventional gelato batch maker.  This results in finer ice particles and leaves you with a very smooth creamy gelato.

What also makes N2 stand out from the crowd is your gelato order is made fresh for you.  Fresh herbs, aromatics and other ingredients can be added at the last moment, giving the customer the freshest gelato in town.

N2 is decked out like a chemistry lab crossed with a kitchen.  There are beakers containing the gelato ingredients, funky coloured Kitchen Aids lining the steel bench and a giant caged vat of liquid Nitrogen safely out of the way of the action. Read more →

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Concrete Blonde had been on my ‘to eat’ list for quite a while.  So when an invitation was extended by Concrete Blonde’s PR representative, Wassamedia, to attend a Sunday Jazz lunch with other bloggers, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

On Sundays, Executive Chef Ian Oakes, has designed the perfect menu to accompany the smooth sounds of Jazz in the ‘balcony’ area of this sleek restaurant.  The menu is great value, 2 courses $40/3 courses $48.  It’s location on the 1st floor allows you to capture those soft cooling summer breezes while busy Bayswater Road bustles away below.   With the three piece Jazz band playing away in the background, order some cocktails, and have a very enjoyable afternoon indeed. Read more →

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I believe most have experienced, or if not, have heard of a Chinese hot pot.  An affair where raw ingredients are placed in a communal steaming pot of soup base.  Each to pick and choose their desired ingredients to be added.  Then the process of diving your chopsticks into the bubbling cauldron in the centre of the table, and chance upon your desired ingredient.  Or fight over that last prawn/scallop/piece of beef.  Communal dining at its best, and lot of fun.

ipot offers Chinese hot pot with a twist.  No need to share as everyone has their own individual pot.  No arguing on the soup base or ingredients, yet maintaining the communal eating/cooking experience.  Definitely a unique hot pot dining experience in Sydney.

Dining at ipot is a fun and entertaining experience.  Firstly choose from one of seven soup bases; Canton, Chinese Herbal, Hot & Spicy, Seafood, Mushroom, Ox Tail & Tomato or Japanese Miso.  Then select from a vast range of the freshest local produce and high quality imported ingredients; meat, seafood, vegetables, noodles, rice, tofu and much more.  If undecided on what to order just ask the helpful staff, they’re more than happy to offer suggestions. Read more →

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