Pilu at Freshwater, Moore Road, Harbord

Pilu at Freshwater, Moore Road, Harbord
Saturday 29 April, 2006

My first impression of Pilu at Freshwater is the breathtaking location. Located directly on the beach at Freshwater, it offers uninterrupted views of the ocean and on a beautiful day it reminds you how lucky we are to live in Sydney. As you drive all the way down Moore Road to the beach you arrive in a public carpark (forget about getting a park here in summer) where the payment options are $14 all day or $4 per hour and they only accept coins. Seriously, who carries around that much coinage??? There is street parking further away and I would definitely opt for this next time.

The restaurant is in a heritage listed building, was known as Freshwater for many, many years and was a local institution. Now, the head chef is Giovanni Pilu, the restaurant has had a name change and the offers italian fare with a sardinian focus.

I arrived early and decided to check out the surroundings, the restaurant is a series of rooms and offers large brick terraces which would be perfect for a cocktail party. I found the restrooms and was about the enter when a male staff member came out. I hesitated as I thought I must have accidently walked into the men's. He smiled and asked if I was looking for the female restroom. I answered yes and he indicated I was in the right place. OK then...I entered only to walk in on a female staff member re-dressing. I won't speculate as to what was happening but ....what the@*!

My friends arrived and we had a good laugh about my experience. Our waiter (neither of the two I had encountered earlier in the restroom) was unfortunately a tad over enthusiastic and almost ordered everything for us, which I found very annoying. For example, OK ladies how about we start with some champagne and a starter of sardinian bread?

That said, we did decide to start with the Pane e casu - Crispy Sardinian bread, Pecorino Sardo and olives. The menu is in italian with the english translation underneath and everything looked sensational. The starter was served with a stack of bread, four small chunks of pecorino and a dish of olives. Too light on the pecorino...but still delicious.

We opted to share some entrees - Gamberoni al pomodorino leggermente piccante e fregola - Sauteed prawns with fregola, tomato and chilli and also the Calamari ripieni - lightly battered grilled calarmari with lemon. Both dishes were light, the flavours were divine and we could have easily eaten servings twice the size - the food was that good.

Fortunately we had a break between entree and main. My lunch buddies ordered Sella di agnello con broccolini, fregola e olive Bosane - Lamb rump with broccolini, fregola and Bosane olives and two of us ordered the Porcetto arrosto con pinzimonio -Oven roasted suckling pig with crudites of seasonal vegetables.

The suckling pig was the best meal I have enjoyed in ages. It was slow roasted for several hours and menu states that availability may be limited. Without sounding too over enthusiastic (like our waiter) - it was exquisite. The meat fell off the bone and the serving included huge cracking pieces too. Wow! It was also served with stewed baby apples.

The food is hard to fault and I would go back in a heartbeat to enjoy the suckling pig. The service annoyed me and our waiter needed to relax however the location and setting are beautiful and I would highly recommend lunch so that you can take in the stunning views.

Pilu at Freshwater - Moore Road, Harbord - (02) 9938 3331

http://www.piluatfreshwater.com.au/

3 degrees, QV Square, Cnr Lonsdale & Swanson Sts, Melbourne

3 degrees, QV Square, Cnr Lonsdale & Swanston Sts, Melbourne
Friday 28 April, 2006

QV Square is a massive complex in the heart of Melbourne surrounded by office buildings. The food court downstairs is impressive with a selection of great offerings e.g. noodle bars, japanese, italian etc and there are also large retail stores such as Harvey Norman Domayne, Big W, Australia Post. For a first time visitor, QV Square appears to have it all.

Today, our Melbourne colleagues took us to 3 degrees - it was a gorgeous day and the temperature was quite mild so we opted to sit outside. 3 degrees has a great vantage point looking out across QV Square and has the feel of a pub and the menu offerings of a cafe.

The menu is varied with burgers, pastas, noodles and salads. As we were on a tight schedule, we needed to order quickly, however finding a staff member to take our order proved a tad difficult. This continued for sometime but when we did order the staff were pleasant and apologised for the delay.

I opted for the beef lasagna and my colleagues chose the burgers, noodles and lamb salad. The meals took ages to arrive but when they did, everything looked great. The servings are huge - my lasagne was good, not great and the beef burgers were not cooked through so the meat was very pink in the middle.

If we had more time I think 3 degrees would be a great place to enjoy a few drinks and a meal. Today, the place was packed, so it is clearly a popular destination, but I wasn't overly impressed with the food.

3 degrees - QV Square, Cnr Lonsdale & Swanson Sts, Melbourne - (03) 9639 6766

http://www.3degrees.com.au/

Roxanne Restaurant & Bar, Glebe Point Road, Glebe

Roxanne Restaurant & Bar, Glebe Point Road, Glebe
Monday 24 April, 2006

The opening night of a restaurant can be an exciting affair or a disaster waiting to happen. Tonight's experience was a blend of the two.

Roxanne is the 'fine dining' sister of Well Connected (a little further down Glebe Point Road) and has a plush red velvet interior, groovy chandeliers & green leather lounges. The look is Moulin Rouge. When we asked about the origin of the name, our waiter admitted he thought it might be from the Sting song and he laughed as he relayed the experience of standing out on the street corner with the red lights of the restaurant behind him - how ironic.

The menu has an asian influence and we decided to share seafood spring rolls with chilli sauce and sea salt king prawns and squid for starters. This was served promptly however they forgot to provide us with cutlery and side plates. After tucking in with our hands they finally delivered the cutlery but no plates. Despite this, the entrees were great, in particular the seafood spring rolls and the chilli sauce was more like chilli jam - thick, spicy and delicious.

Our mains took a lot longer to arrive and I ordered the pork belly and scallop with purple basil and coriander salad. My Glebe buddies ordered the King prawn and scallop risotto with slow roasted tomato and spicy napoli sauce; Duck curry with chestnut, capsicum, and dry lychee served on rice; and Crab meat omlette with XO sauce with green vegetables on rice. No complaints with the food, we all enjoyed our mains, the duck curry had a serious kick to it, the prawn and scallop risotto was delicious and the crab omlette was very tasty and didn't need so much rice served with it. Even though the Pork Belly was the smallest portion and looked very small in comparison to the other dishes, it was more than substantial.

The restaurant filled to about 75% capacity over the course of the evening and the owner made an effort to speak with each table, which was a nice touch. We all decided to splurge and try dessert which were displayed in a glass cabinet at the bar. I tried the tiramisu cheesecake and my Glebe buddies chose the Whisky truffle; Lemon & lime tart and Sticky date pudding. By far the best choice was the Whisky truffle.

The staff were well meaning on this opening night but have a long way to go - there were lots of teething issues and I'm sure these will be addressed over time e.g. our main meals were served at 5 minute intervals, we waited far too long for our mains, our dessert and the bill, and our waiter seemed very overwhelmed with the task of serving restaurant patrons and at one point walked away from the table mid sentence as he had been called to the kitchen.

Roxanne offers good food at reasonable prices - none of the mains were over $20 and all of the desserts were $7 each. Very, very good prices and I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other menu options.

Roxanne restaurant & bar - 39 Glebe Point Road, Glebe - (02) 9552 6087

Brew, Harrington Street, The Rocks

Brew, Harrington Street, The Rocks
Monday 24 April, 2006

Brew is located behind my office building and has become a trusty favourite for coffee, breakfast and lunch. You can always get a table, the service is good and the menu offerings are always very tasty.

Today I was meeting an old friend for lunch - it was a quiet day in the city as almost 75% of the office had taken the day off to enjoy a four day weekend. Thank goodness Brew was open.

The lunch menu is made up of a range of open sandwiches, salads, risottos etc. I decided to try the beef burger and my lunch buddy chose the fish & chips. The food was served promptly and the beef burger was served with roasted marinated vegetables and the burger bun was served with an thick, chunky avocado spread. The meat pattie was still pink in the middle which is OK as I like mine medium rare. The fish & chips arrived at the table with a bright yellow batter - it did look strange but my lunch buddy described it as a pumpkin tasting batter.

The lunch offerings range from $10 - 25 - don't tell too many people about Brew, it's a great place and it should just be our secret.

Brew - 121 Harrington Street, The Rocks - (02) 9251 1577

Arthouse Blue, Bent Street, Moore Park

Arthouse Blue, Bent Street, Moore Park
Sunday 23 April, 2006

On our way to the Swans second home game (and second loss) we decided to have brunch at Fox Studios..or is it the Fox Entertainment Precinct ...or the Entertainment Quarter. I don't know I can't keep up.

The shops open around 10am on a Sunday and the markets were on, so you'd imagine there would be a lot of options for brunch. Wrong. There were three options - Bayswiss, Unleash Books & Cafe and Arthouse Blue. The others food options open around midday for the lunch crowd.

We chose Arthouse Blue and settled in their outdoor eating space - a raised platform covered by umbrellas. It was the only option in direct sunlight at this time of day. We weren't alone and within 20 minutes the entire outdoor section was full with Swans supporters including a few guys from the AFL commentary team e.g. Dermot Brereten and another TV personality Rex Hunt.

The staff were a little too eager and tried to take our order before we'd even looked at the menus. Not to worry we ordered drinks first. The menu had a variety of omlettes and egg dishes. We both went straight for the eggs benedict.

See the picture? That's what I think of when I see eggs benedict on a menu. What was delivered to our table was very different. The eggs benedict arrived on one piece of turkish bread with thin sliced ham then two poached eggs placed on top covered in a sauce (not hollandaise) and coated in what initially looked like cinnamon or nutmeg but was paprika. Whilst it looked kind of interesting it tasted strange. The coffee was average too.

Hopefully the Entertainment Quarter will encourage some of their other retailers to open for the brunch crowd.

Arthouse Blue - Shop 215, Bent Street, Moore Park - (02) 9331 4166

http://www.entertainmentquarter.com.au/

http://www.jamaicablue.com.au/online/JBsplash.asp

Meals with Steph, Camperdown, Sydney

Meals with Steph, Camperdown, Sydney
Saturday 22 April, 2006

Another foodie, Steph (from Meals with Steph - not me...seriously) invited a small group of us over for dinner to experience her Guinness beef stew and Toblerone mousse. Never one to turn down a free meal, especially a home cooked meal I gladly accepted.

We were invited into her great open plan apartment and greeted with pesto stuffed olives and a cheese plate. Steph had recently purchased a cooker and shared the joys of this contraption as she put the finishing touches to our meal. The guinness beef stew had been simmering away since 10am that morning so I was salivating as I imagined how tender the meat would be.

We moved to the dining table which was set with fabulous black & white placemats and matching serviettes. The table setting included a centrepiece that looked very modern and included reminders of the Christmas and Easter seasons.

Steph included carrots, mushrooms and onions in her stew and served it on a bed of crushed chat potatoes. Yum! I can categorically say that this was one of the nicest meals I have enjoyed for a while - the beef stew was tender and rich and it's real comfort food. Perfect for the cooler months.

Then we paused for a while before tucking into dessert - toblerone mousse. Well, for all you chocoholics out there have I got a dessert for you. This is the most decadent, rich dessert I have ever tried - Steph served it in a martini glass with a ginger biscuit on top. Wow! As much as I consider myself to be a chocoholic - I couldn't get through this dessert - a few mouthfuls was all I could manage, but gee it tasted good.

Now, to all my friends reading this, please don't think I will be writing up your home cooked meals when you invite me over - this was a one off. Steph has included each recipe on her food blog - so check it out.

Meals with Steph - Camperdown, Sydney

http://www.mealswithsteph.blogspot.com/

Cargo Bar, King Street Wharf, Sydney

Cargo Bar, King Street Wharf, Sydney
Thursday 20 April, 2006

I'm a goose - I was meeting a friend at Cargo Bar for dinner and walked to Bungalow 8 - what the! The ridiculous thing is that I didn't realise until I walked inside and noticed the Bungalow 8 logo etc. It took me a moment to realise where Cargo Bar was and then I walked to the other end of King St Wharf to see the same decor, bar layout etc - it was like deja vu or maybe all these places are just carbon copies of each other........

Cargo Bar also has several screens hanging from the ceiling playing Fashion TV - I can tell you the latest men's fashion off the catwalks in Milan.... black pants and white t-shirts. Wow - what will they think of next.

We sat outside as it was a balmy night and it wasn't overly busy - there were plenty of free tables and the staff were efficient in clearing away plates and glasses. The tables are strewn with menus and you order and pay at the bar. They offer a wide variety of ribs, schnitzels, pies, salads and gourmet pizzas and it was tough choice but we decided to share a Peking Duck, shallots, sesame, bok choy, mushroom & plum sauce pizza and Roasted Chorizo Sausage with hot salami, caramelized onions and olives pizza.

Within 10 minutes the pizzas arrived. They looked great - the peking duck was piled high with duck and it was tender but it was lacking plum sauce so tasted a little dry. The roasted chorizo was delicious with a kick offered by the hot salami.

For $14.50 each the small pizzas are definitely enough for one and the best part of sharing is that you get to try something else (particularly good when you order the dud meal).

By 8pm the music was turned up and you could barely have a conversation. This is fine for a nightclub but for a lounge bar where people are primarily talking and eating it's a bit much.

Cargo Bar - The Esplanade, King Street Wharf, Sydney - (02) 9262 1777

http://www.cargobar.com.au/

Awaba Cafe, The Esplanade, Balmoral

Awaba Cafe, The Esplanade, Balmoral
Monday 17 April, 2006

Easter Monday is a great day to catch up with friends, go for a long walk (to walk off all those long weekend meals) and soak up the sun. A friend from The Shire was coming over the bridge for lunch so I suggested Balmoral and, in particular, Awaba cafe.

Awaba has a great corner spot on The Esplanade but it attracts the wind - so when the windows aren't pulled across it's cold and windy inside - the view however is gorgeous. Awaba doesn't take lunch bookings until the morning of the day you are planning to visit, so I rang at 7.30am to book in for lunch - what is that about? How hard is it to take a booking a few days/ weeks beforehand???

Anyway, we arrived and waited at the counter to get someone's attention. I gave the staff member our booking details and in front of us he had a go at no-one in particular for giving away our table. Then he motioned for us to take another table with a wave - seriously, the service here is a joke and we hadn't even ordered...

It took about 10 minutes for someone to deliver menus and we had to continually ask for service during the course of our lunch. The menu is concise and there are specials listed on the whiteboard at the rear of the cafe along with the wine list. I decided on the roast chicken with pumpkin, olives and rocket. My lunch buddy selected the crisp duck & bok choy salad with snowpeas and coriander-honey dressing. Our waiter asked if we'd like some bread, so we ordered some plain bread and a bottle of the Ashbrook verdelho.

The wind was getting far too cold at this point so a few tables including ours, requested the windows be pulled across. This made a dramatic difference to the temperature inside. While we waited for our meals the maitre'd arrived at the table to re-arrange our wine and mineral water bottles and move the salt/ pepper shakers - I don't know what for.



The meals arrived and looked great - my roast chicken was divine but the pumpkin was under cooked and our side of plain bread was stale. My lunch buddies crisp duck was served luke warm but the salad was cold.

Overall, the meals were pretty average. When our waiter came by we informed her that the bread was stale and she responded with, 'well, yes - we couldn't get a fresh delivery today as it's a Public Holiday'. OK then....

We requested the bill and thankfully they didn't include the bread (but it would have been nice of them to acknowledge this and communicate it in person). What a disappointment - I won't be returning - there are far too many great places in Balmoral to return to.

Awaba Cafe - 67 The Esplanade, Balmoral - (02) 9969 2104

http://www.awabacafe.com.au/

The Point Hotel, Harris Street, Pyrmont

The Point Hotel, Harris Street, Pyrmont
Sunday 16 April, 2006

Last November, The Point Hotel won the AHA Award for Excellence in the category of "Best Hotel Bistro". I remember visiting The Point for dinner several years ago - the food was good but they packed 20 of us onto a table for 10 - it was ridiculous.

Anyway, I have been meaning to come back to The Point for a long, lazy lunch. With some friends up from Melbourne for the Easter long weekend, The Point seemed like a good location. On a great day, the bistro spills out onto the back terrace and they have plenty of umbrellas to provide shade.

Today the bistro wasn't too busy, they had reserved us a table inside even though it was a spectacular day outside. So we asked if we could move outside under an umbrella. No problem.

The menu is a mix of pastas, steaks, burgers, fish & chips, salads and chicken. There is something for everyone. I think the staff were bored as we were asked for our order several times before we were ready. They were attentive in some respects but we had to ask for a wine list.

I ordered the Beef and cheese burger with caramelised onions, tomato, lettuce, aioli and fries. My lunch buddies ordered Beer battered fish and chips with rocket, lemon and tartare sauce and 2 x corn fritters with salad.

They didn't return for our drinks order until our meals were delivered. We ordered a bottle of the Foresters Semillion/ Sav Blanc and our waiter returned after 5 minutes to say she couldn't deliver the wine because of licensing arrangements so we would have to order it ourselves at the pub bar at the front of the hotel. Surely, she could have told us this earlier and preferably before our meals had been delivered and mine sat there going cold while I went to the front bar and ordered the wine....

The food was average and my aioli came to the table as tomato sauce. What the!@*!There were so many little things that the staff did wrong and after we ordered dessert the icing on the cake was the waiter returning saying he wanted to go home and needed to balance the till, so could we pay now?

The desserts were good - we ordered 3 x chocolate fondant with yoghurt ice cream and the duo of gelato (it was rum and raisin & apple pie ice cream) but the overall experience was pretty average. Pyrmont now has 1 - 2 hr parking on every street from 9am - 9pm every day and some streets enforce this over 24 hrs, so be prepared if you are planning to drive.

The Point Hotel - 59 Harris Street, Pyrmont - (02) 9660-1908

http://www.thepointhotel.com.au/

Buddha Belly, Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills

Buddha Belly, Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills
Saturday 15 April, 2006

I love this location - set amongst a Japanese imperial garden and the larger grounds of the Palmland nursery - Buddha Belly is a great place to enjoy breakfast, coffee, lunch etc. It feels like you are miles out of Sydney (and you are) sitting in a Balinese house.

This morning I was meeting some friends there for breakfast. It was packed with cars spilt out onto the main road and further up the gravel driveway to Fish Works. Thankfully, it didn't feel too packed inside. The interior is a series of Balinese houses with no walls and wooden tables and chairs looking out to the Japanese garden.

The staff are friendly and efficient and the breakfast offerings are very good - I enjoyed the Buddha belly bacon and egg roll with hollandaise and capsicum, chilli relish and my breakfast buddies enjoyed their Poached eggs with hollandaise on sourdough toast, Fruit bread with ricotta & honey and Buttermilk pancakes with berry compote, and ice cream. Nothing is over $10.

They also offer a great selection of juices and I loved the Chilli Queen - Pineapple, carrot, chilli and coriander. It had just the right amount of kick to wake me up at 10am on a Saturday morning.

Buddha Belly is also open for dinner and I think my next visit will be to sample their $45.00 per person for two courses or $55.00 per person for three courses menu.

Buddha Belly - 327 Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills - (02) 9450 1504

http://www.thebuddhabelly.com/index.html

Australian Hotel, Cumberland Street, The Rocks

Australian Hotel, Cumberland Street, The Rocks
Wednesday 12 April, 2006

Today was a great day and lunch was icing on the cake. I joined a group of work buddies at the Australian Hotel to try out their famous gourmet pizza selections.

The Australian Hotel occupies a great corner site on Cumberland St and was built in 1913 - its licence has been in continual use since the early 1800's. On this very warm day we were lucky to secure a table outside facing East in the shade - tables facing West were in direct sunlight.

You order and pay inside and we did so as a group and received one table number. Drinks are ordered at the bar. Despite ordering together our meals arrived at different times. I was keen to try something unique so shared the Salt water crocodile pizza - marinated with fresh Thai herbs and served on spicy coconut cream with Asian greens and the Spicy chorizo sausage pizza - hot salami, kalamatta olives and caramelized onions.

The staff were efficient once we all received our meals but I was really disappointed with the crocodile - it is such a bland meat and the combination of thai herbs and spicy coconut cream with asian greens did nothing for it. I actually enjoyed the crocodile meat on its own. The pizza base was overcooked making it rock hard and too crispy.

The spicy chorizo sausage pizza, on the other hand, was sensational. It was spicy, stacked high with chorizo, salami, olives and onions and tasted just right.

The Australian Hotel is great location for lunch - the tables are large with bench seats and if you are planning a function - check out their rooftop space.

Australian Hotel - 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks - (02) 9247 2229

http://www.australianheritagehotel.com/

Mirabelle, Alfred Street, Circular Quay

Mirabelle, Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Monday 10 April, 2006

I've walked past this cafe/ restaurant several times and even worked in the AMP Building but never made it inside Mirabelle. Looking for a lunch destination at the Quay, Mirabelle sprang to mind.

Mirabelle is an elegant looking space - the restaurant sits within the foyer of the AMP Building and has fabulous lighting and plush seating. It shares it's name with one of London's most exclusive restaurants however this is not intentional and there is no tie between the two. The symbols on the windows and the text used for the name are gorgeous.

I arrived at Mirabelle just before my lunch buddy. It was probably 50% full and it was almost impossible to secure the attention of a staff member to obtain a menu...and, believe me, I tried.

The menu is largely pasta based - with entree and main serves of each dish available. You are served complimentary large crunchy bread rolls up front so we decided to order an entree size meal and share a salad.

I selected the mushroom risotto with peas and parmesan - it was absolutely delicious - the mushrooms were varied - portabello, shitake and button and I'm glad I selected the entree size. My lunch buddy chose the cannelloni in a creamy sauce and was really pleased with her selection. We shared a rocket, pear and parmesan salad - it was good but a little light on the pear and parmesan.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the food as much as I did. The service, however, is slow. Once we ordered it seemed to take forever for meals to arrive and the restaurant was still not full. For a city lunch spot this is not good enough, unless you have time for a long lunch. The bill came to $25 per person.

At present Mirabelle is only open for breakfast and lunch - I wish they would open for dinner.

Mirabelle - Shop 1, 33 Alfred Street, Circular Quay - (02) 9252 3553

http://www.mirabelle.com.au/

Maggie's at Potts Point, Macleay Street, Potts Point

Maggie's at Potts Point, Macleay Street, Potts Point
Sunday 9 April, 2006

After watching the Swans first home game of the season (and 2nd loss!) we decided to drive over to Pott Point and tuck into a grand meal at Maggie's. This institution is owned and run by one of the original founders of Una's. Maggie has created a restaurant that is true to her Austrian heritage.

The decor is a little tacky - wooden chairs and tables with hand painted images, paintings of Austrian royalty and terracotta floor tiles. We arrived for an early dinner and were welcomed like long lost friends. There were some dinner specials on offer and I couldn't go past the farmers plate - half a pork knuckle, pork loin, bratwurst, sour kraut and potato rosti - the size of the plate was enormous - the serving was easily enough for two. My swans buddy opted for the veal schnitzel with potato rosti and cabbage salad - again, the serving was huge and she received two massive peices of schnitzel on the plate. So big, in fact, they were almost hanging off the plate.

The food was delivered promptly and was really good - not usually a fan of sour kraut - I found this to be very tasty. A tub of mustard also arrived at the table that was the perfect accompaniment for the pork knuckle - yum! The value for money here is without question - a main meal is between $15 - 22 and you are served a monstrous meal. Bring your appetite!

Due to the size of the meals there was no way we could have entertained the thought of dessert - however I've been told they do a sensational traditional apple strudel. I'll be back...

Maggie's at Potts Point - 50 Macleay Street, Potts Point - (02) 9331 2226

Emma's on Liberty, Liberty Street, Enmore

Emma's on Liberty, Liberty Street, Enmore
Saturday 8 April, 2006

When I scored a car spot directly out the front of Emma's I was thrilled. Not knowing the area all that well I had visions of parking in some back street and getting lost. Thankfully, this was not the case.

Emma's is located in a residential area and is well sign posted - the cute looking terrace building is covered in fabulous cursive writing stating - Emma's on Liberty Lebanese restaurant. You can't miss it.

Entering Emma's can be a challenge - there is a 'door' on the corner that is not in use. The actual entrance is via a sliding door facing Liberty St. Once you know this it's fine and you can laugh at all the other guests arriving struggling to open the non 'door'.

On arrival for a friend's birthday dinner, we learnt that we were to be seated at the large communal table in the middle of the restaurant. Slight problem, there was a group of four still seated, enjoying their meal smack bang in the middle of the table. We sat around them occupying the rest of the table until they left and we could squeeze in the other birthday guests.

A pre-ordered banquet was definitely the best approach with a large group of friends. The food was slow to start but picked up over the course of the evening. We enjoyed plates of lebanese bread with traditional hummus, smokey baba ganouge and tabbouli, followed by a 'greek salad' with fried lebanese bread that is called fatouche, spicy chick pea salad (my favourite dish), falafel, lady fingers - filo pastry rolls filled with lamb, pine nuts and pomegranate molasses (delicious), lamb skewers (shish kebab) and fried potato coriander (hand cut potato cubes fried with Emma's own garlic paste and fresh coriander. The food was fresh and came in abundance. The let down was the lamb skewers, the meat was over cooked and dry - disappointing as I love lamb. The stand out dish was the chick pea salad - the chick peas were soft and cooked with a spiced crumbly cheese that gave it a fabulous flavour.

For $32 pp this was a great feast. Emma's is a family run business offering fresh, traditional lebanese fare at reasonable prices. They accept cash only i.e. no credit cards and are BYO ($2 corkage) - come prepared as the nearest bottle shop is a good 15 minutes walk away.

Tonight Emma's was packed to the rafters and whilst it was a cool evening outside, Emmas is steamy inside (there are fans but you must ask for them to be turned on) and be prepared to raise your voice - it's really noisy.

Emma's on Liberty - 59 Liberty Street, Enmore - (02) 9550 3458

Est, George Street, Sydney

Est, George Street, Sydney
Thursday 6 April, 2006

You know you are in for a great night when the birthday boy is a personal friend of Peter Doyle and John Hemmes.

Est was awarded three hats in the 2006 Good Food Guide and is worthy of four. The entire experience is hard to fault. From the minute we arrived, which was champagne night downstairs at Establishment, we knew the night was going to be special.

As you exit the lifts on the first floor, the staff are impeccable. They are courteous, discreet and seem to know what is going to happen before it does.

We indulged in a very fine champagne after being seated at a fabulous table near the huge front windows - the dining room is minimalist with crisp white tables cloths and cream chairs - the lighting is varied and it works. The entire look and feel is elegant.

We enjoyed our champagne as the restaurant filled with eager diners. The menu is concise and some items require explanation. As we perused the menus, Peter Doyle himself arrived at the table to express his birthday wishes - nice touch.

I didn't take long to decide what I was having - sashimi of king fish with salmon caviar for entree and pan roasted lamb rib eye, green peas, chanterelles, sauteed sweetbreads and rosemary for main. The birthday boy stayed true to his regular order of freshly shucked oysters from today's market and mignonette granita for entree and pan roasted lamb rib eye, green peas, chanterelles, sauteed sweetbreads and rosemary for main. The birthday buddies ordered grillade of prawns, scallops, calamari and asparagus, red chilli and almond salsa; freshly shucked oysters from today's market and mignonette granita for entree and a special request for one of the tasting menu options - raviolo of prawns on snow peas, lemongrass and shellfish vinaigrettes - they were happy to oblidge. For mains the birthday buddies selected the crisp skin john dory fillet and grilled white scallop, sauternes - carrot juice -oloroso emulsion and the grilled black angus fillet of beef, asparagus, portobello mushroom, roasted shallots and tarragon.

The food was exquisite - everything was cooked to perfection and beautifully presented. The wine, ordered by the birthday boy, was sensational - Scarborough chardonnay that we enjoyed all night. The white wine glasses were spectacular - large bulbous glasses that looked like you only had a small amount of wine in them.

After the mains were cleared we were provided with dessert menus - not a chance. However, some of the birthday buddies did indulge in the bittersweet valrhona chocolate torte, liqueur muscat jelly, hazelnut praline ice cream and the caramelised apples on pain d'epice, cinnamon ice cream, vanilla - caramel sauce. I had a mouthful of both and all I can say is WOW!

Est is a wonderful experience - the food, service and atmosphere are hard to fault. And....what a thrill to meet Peter Doyle

Est - L1, 252 George Street, Sydney - (02) 9240 3010

http://www.merivale.com/establishment

Saffron Thai @ The Brooklyn Hotel, George St, Sydney

Saffron Thai @ The Brooklyn Hotel, George St, Sydney
Monday 3 April, 2006

Located in the Brooklyn Hotel, Saffron Thai offers fast & fresh thai meals for the lunchtime crowd. There's a 10% discount on Monday & it's definitely the day to go - not necessarily for the discount (which for my meal totalled $1.45) but for the peace & quiet. Later in the week, The Brooklyn attracts large groups, so it's noticeably louder.

Saffron Thai has tables spread throughout the Brooklyn Hotel, from the main bar at the front to the glassed in area at the back. You order and pay at a dedicated station near the kitchen and then order & pay for your drinks at the bar.

The menu is varied with set items and weekly specials. This ranges from green curries, pad thai, stir fries and noodles. Today I indulged in the tamarind chicken with vegetables. It arrived quickly with a side dish of jasmine rice. Whilst, the servings are huge I didn't select a great dish - the tamarind chicken was like fried chicken with a sweet, sticky sauce.

The other issue is the meals arrive separately. So, if lunching with friends chances are you will be eating at different times. The staff are pleasant, however they clear the plates as soon as you are finished - this is a bug bear of mine. Plates should not be cleared until all guests have finished. I know....minor detail in the grand scheme of things.

It's fairly reasonable for a city lunch destination and I will definitely order something different on my next visit.

Saffron Thai @ The Brooklyn Hotel - Cnr George & Grosvenor Sts, Sydney - (02) 9247 6744

http://www.brooklynhotel.com.au/restaurant.html

BBQ King, Goulburn Street, Sydney

BBQ King, Goulburn Street, Sydney
Saturday 1 April, 2006

BBQ King is an institution - widely known for it's amazing food and the so-called hang out for chefs after midnight. It's not for the faint hearted - BBQ ducks hang by hooks in the shop front window and there is a regular sound of the machete slicing through something. The decor is also not for the faint hearted - it's simple, old and the rickety staircase to the first floor looks like it will collapse.

Why eat at BBQ King? It's all about the food. It's definitely not about the service or decor...

Tonight we were off to see the Chinese ballet, 'Raise the Red Lantern' at the Capitol Theatre. Deciding where to eat beforehand was easy...Chinatown. I called BBQ King to make a reservation on the day. On arrival they sent us upstairs to the rabbit warren of rooms that constitute the first floor. The staff upstairs were completely disengaged and couldn't care less if you were there to eat. Several attempts to gain somebody's attention led to one of the diners at another table taking matters into their own hands and going back to the front to speak with someone about getting some service. It's such a bizarre restaurant...for about 15 mins we couldn't find any staff then out of the woodwork appeared three staff at our beck and call. What the?@!

We ordered a feast - peking duck pancakes, then duck fried rice and grandmothers beancurd. A dinner of champions and everything was delicious.

The service is hopeless and they don't care - we watched the staff deliver the wrong meals to tables, drop dishes, retrieve wrong dishes and place them on the next table after the previous table had already tucked into them, take drinks orders and never deliver them..the list goes on.

This Sydney institution can only survive so long with such poor service. Whilst the food is great, it's not enough to keep you coming back.

BBQ King - 18-20 Goulburn Street, Sydney - (02) 9267 2586