The Dough Collective, Sydney CBD ($)

Address: Shop G5, 614 George Street, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9264 6608

Website: http://www.doughcollective.com.au

* * *

Reviewed by: Wicko

The Dough Collective is a new bakery located in the heart of the city at 614 George Street between the Metro Theatre and McDonald’s.

They have been open for one week, offering a twist to the usual bread experience.

The Dough Collective believes in providing higher quality breads compared to other bakeries through their unique production process.

I was invited with a group of food bloggers, to go behind the scenes into the kitchen and see how the professionals make their bread.

Upon arrival, I saw some cool bread displays on show, including a giant lobster!

When we went into the backroom I was amazed at how many bakers were in there, creating magic with their hands.

After learning more about the business I came to understand what it was the caused this bakery to stand above the rest. The business creates a much fresher product through many interesting techniques.

First and foremost, almost everything is handmade; the only step of the process where a machine is used would be the baking (obviously) and the kneading for some types of bread.

This kneading is kept to a minimum to ensure that the bread is not completely worked, as this causes the loss of air in the bread.

This in conjunction with the use of warm water when mixing the flour, ensures that the bread does not dry out, and cooks quickly, gives the bread its wonderful fluffiness.

The yeast used by the bakers is produced freshly on site from dried raisins which have been fermented with water for 9 days at 25.2 degrees.

This provides a flavour advantage, as the liquid is used (as opposed to dried yeast where much of the flavour in the yeast is lost from the liquid). It also results in a fresher product.

In the process of baking, no sugars or oils are used, except for in the sweet products such as the “chocolate surprise”.

Instead, they rely on quality products sourced from around the world, for example Belgian chocolate, and Italian parmesan.

The business runs on 2 hour time slots. This is to make their wide range of products (58-60) possible.

The bakers in the back would cook only a few kinds of bread in a two hour slot, as cooking all types, all day would be near impossible. Thus the breads that are out are fresher, and a wide variety available.

These shifts will soon be up on a sign out the front. They correspond to the time of the day, for example: sweeter breads during breakfast time or heavier and cheesier breads during lunch.

So we rolled our own bread for a minute or two. It looked like the easiest thing I could imagine while I watched the chef do it, however when it was my turn to rise to the challenge, I do not think I could’ve done worse!

When the tour was over we were shown around the front and introduced to their hot beverages.

The Dough Collective is aiming to providing a holistic experience through their provision of both food and drink.

The coffee is from Single Origin Roasters which is ethically sourced and environmentally sustainable. The quality of the coffee is such that to use it in your shop, you must go through a tough interview, which many businesses do not pass; this really elucidates the quality of the product.

I had a large long black with no sugar.  It was one of the best coffees I have had in a while, strong and flavoursome just as I like it.

As we left we were given bags to take home some bread (win!).

There was a wide variety to choose from, including sweet and savoury options and individual or family sized loaves.

Being a sweet tooth I decided to take home the “Chocolate surprise” which was a beautifully soft chocolate dough with a soft centre of liquid chocolate.

I also got my hands on the “Ham Pizza Toast”. This one would be a personal favourite out of the savouries. It seemed just like a loaf of bread with cheese on it from above, however I found out how wrong I was the first time I cut it. The centre was partly hollow, filled with a soft runny cheese and strips of ham. This perfectly complimented the crusty top.

The “Gourmet Hot Dog” (below, bottom left) was great, it contained Australian pork and mustard in a soft pastry.

Finally I tried the “sweet and savoury ring”. When I ate this I was so surprised. The combination of Belgian chocolate in a large, soft, ring, with cream cheese, and black kidney beans was amazing. I found it a great delight, due to its differentiation from the norm… and also because of the chocolate.

Overall, The Dough Collective was a great place to explore the different kinds of breads, learn how they are made and try some delicious coffee.

I enjoyed the experience and especially the variety and quality of breads available.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining, Sydney CBD ($$)

Address: Basement level, 82 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 8084 2505

Website: http://www.rabbitholebar.com.au/

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday -12.00 pm to late

Saturday- 4.00 pm to late

* * *

Pendulum Communications invited MC and I to Rabbit Hole Bar and Dining’s (RHBD) first birthday party, located underground on Elizabeth Street.

The entry

Celeb guests included Justine Schofield (of MasterChef and Everyday Gourmet fame), Nacho Pop, Sam McMillan and Brittany Cairns, while fellow food bloggers; Simon from Simon Food Favourites, Bob from Jugernauts, and Tina from Food, Booze and Shoes were also in attendance.

Atmosphere

RHBD has a very quaint almost 20’s feel to it with lots of neutral colours and old fashioned cartoons on the walls.

There are two bars: one in the main area, and one in another more intimate space around the corner.  

Main bar

We headed over after work, about 6.30pm and managed to find a table in the room to the left of the main bar area. 

This space had a bar in the middle and featured cushioned seats on one side of the wall and mismatched wooden chairs, large round barrels and stools around the rest of the space, some covered in white rabbit-like fur.

Smaller bar area

It was quite dark and the only light we had came from down lights, mirrors, sky lights and candles which added depth and brightened up the dark spaces.

The place has a quirky and private feel and features mysterious Alice in Wonderland-like accents such as rabbit-related cartoons, flowery cushions in contrast to the dark bar and seats, and “DRINK ME” worthy cocktail concoctions!

The music was quite relaxed and laid back and contributed to the “classy hipster” vibe.

Service

The staff were pretty attentive, walking around to collect empty glasses and to ask if we wanted another drink, and the bar staff were great at pouring the drinks, serving them up with flair and informing us of the ingredients.

Food

Owner Doug Laming has appointed a new chef, Jeremy Metivier who has worked in Michelin star restaurants and who is the driving force behind RHBD’s new French fine dining menu.

The menu included dishes such as:

• Goats Cheese and Beetroot Apples
• Scallops on Beetroot Shortbread with Mango and Beetroot Emulsions
• Mini Wagyu Sliders with Brie Cheese and house made Relish
• Slow Roasted Lamb with Artichoke Puree, Coriander and Wine Jelly
• Salmon Gravlax with Cucumber and Aloe Vera “Snow”
• Chocolate Skulls, with Firm Spicy Pirate Cream and Coconut Cake

Unfortunately, as MC and I were seated on one side, most of the food never made it past the crowd at the front of the room, so we only got to try 3 dishes.

One of the dishes we tried were the Goats Cheese and Beetroot Apples.  This dish was very elegantly presented on a bed of golden crumbs with glossy grapes and peppered balls of goats cheese covered in an almost waxy edible red coating.

The other savoury dish we tried was the Salmon Gravlax appetiser, mini versions of the salmon gravalax, cucumber lake, orange cream and aloe vera snow dish available from the dinner menu.

These were little morsels of heaven; perfectly sliced salmon with a green cucumber jelly, delicate edible decorations of orange, red and white and beautiful purple flowers to garnish.

An exquisite tasting dish which had a flavour that matched its appearance.

Finally, for dessert we enjoyed the Chocolate Skulls– spoons of a spicy custard-like cream with coconut cake rounds, chopped summer fruit and dark chocolate skills with a gold dusting.

These skulls were lit on fire, leaving the custard warm, the chocolate slightly melted and the on watchers in awe!

Overall, while we didn’t get much food to try, the menu looked quite appetising and the dishes that were on offer seemed to be different and well put together.  I can see how this place would appeal to the office works and corporates in the Martin Place and CBD area with its fine dining dishes and creative cocktails.

Drinks  

As RHBD is owned and run by Doug Laming, a “molecular mixologist” (read: awesome cocktail maker who uses physical and chemical modification of ingredients to create interesting drinks), it makes sense that he would put his skills on display and serve up an array of cocktails. 

Some of the cocktails we tried included:

• The Smoked Apple
• Breakfast Bouquet
• The White Cloud Above Mount Gay
• The Wood and Smoke
• You’ve Gone Nuts
• Stolen painkiller

Although we didn’t have much food, we did have a LOT of drinks!  We wanted to try one of each of the ones we saw so we ended up sharing quite a few between us.

First up was the Smoked Apple. It contained  torrontes and pomme verte layered agar apples, Ceylon tea infused cinnamon syrup, rhubarb butters and cloudy apple juice finished with fresh cider, smoked salt and some apple slices.

It was a pleasant looking dish, served in a short glass and while the smokey flavour wasn’t really to my liking, MC enjoyed the fresh flavours and boldness of the drink.

We then shared one of the sweetest drinks, the Breakfast Bouquet.

This drink has larios, gin, double creme de cassis, rose and strawberry jam, wild willow water, fresh lemon and a dash of rhubarb bitters.  It is a complex yet sweet looking cocktail which looked lovely, topped with a rose petal and blueberry.

As you drink the cocktail the scent of the rose petal wafts up and leaves you feeling as though you are walking through a field of roses!  Lame but true.

We also enjoyed a rum and marshmallow foam cocktail which was called the White Cloud Above Mount Gay.

Mount Gay extra old rum is shaken with black pepper, pineapple caramel, fresh lime and more pineapple, and is then poured over marshmallow foam which leaves a white cloud on top.

The drink is another sweet one which, after the previous sweet drinks, we found a little hard to swallow.  While it was interesting to watch it being made, I wasn’t a fan of it as it was a little too sweet.

The Wood and Smoke was an interesting cocktail which the menu says is made from ingredients including Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Laphroaig single malt whiskey, quassia (bark chips), barberry bark syrup, acid phosphate and bitters.

After shaking up a storm, the bartender pours the slightly cloudy drink over ice, where it settles and turns from creamy to clear.  A cinnamon stick is placed in the drink and is then set alight, giving a woody and smoky scent.

While I preferred the sweeter drinks, MC, a Jim Beam and Jack Daniels fan, enjoyed this smoky, cinnamon flavoured cocktail over the rest.

The You’ve Gone Nuts drink contains Sierra Millenario infused with tonka beans, and shaken with Disaronno amaretto, house-made peanut and cashew syrup and finished with walnut bitters.

The cocktail looks like it is full of lemon juice with a sugar rim but in actual fact, like the other cocktails, it was quite sweet rather than sour.

Finally, the Stolen Painkiller, a first for me, this powdered cocktail tasted like fizzy sherbert pops.  It contained powdered rum, pineapple, coconut and passionfruit powder and was served in half a passionfruit shell.

The interesting presentation and tangy sour taste was a great way to finish off our cocktail tasting and we enjoyed it, although one of the guys seated next to us wasn’t a fan!

Rating

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service-  6
• Food-   5 (what food?)
• Atmosphere- 7
• Value – 7

TCFB dined as a guest of Pendulum Communications and Rabbit Hole Bar & Dining.

 

Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst ($)

Address: 155 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW

Tel: (02) 8068 2832

Website: http://www.mrcrackles.com.au/

* * *

Atmosphere

One lunchtime KiwiKompanion and I decided to check out Mr Crackles after discovering it was really only a 10 minute walk from work.

When we finally got to the Oxford Street store, we found a small hole-in-the-wall takeaway joint with benches and stools lining the walls on both sides.

The large blackboard lists the interesting and exciting rolls on the menu including The Crackles Classic, The Sweet Pork, The Lamb, The Chicken Katsu and The Vego.

To the right is a glass cabinet with huge pieces of pork crackling which had us drooling!

Loud and distracting music was blaring from the speakers, and KiwiKompanion and I were not too keen on sitting around so we ended up ordering quickly and eating again small park.

Service

Service wasn’t anything amazing and we didn’t even find that the staffs were friendly or even helpful.  We ordered our food and waited about 5 minutes to receive our orders, which were called out to us by one of the staff members.

Food

I ordered The Crackles Classic and KiwiKompanion ordered The Lamb.

The Crackles Classic contains five spice pork belly with crispy crackling and Vietnamese salad. The pork was soft, juicy, tasty and had a delicious super crispy skin. I also enjoyed the crusty roll and the tangy mayonnaise in the coleslaw style salad. Delicious!

Crackles Classic, $12.00

KiwiKompanion’s lamb roll had rosemary and garlic infused lamb shoulder with caramelised onion, tahini  and spinach. She also enjoyed her roll and commented that the meat was soft and tender.

The Lamb, $12.00

Overall, the food was amazing and one of the top rolls I have ever had.

A great foodie experience that I highly recommend!

Rating

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service-  4
• Food-  7
• Atmosphere- 3.5
• Value – 7

Wok On Inn, The Rocks ($)

Address: 17/31 Playfair Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9247 8554

Website: http://www.wokoninn.com.au/

* * *

I visited Wok On Inn one evening after work to have dinner with the owner and “Chief Executive Noodle” Mr Ankur Sehgal.

Wok On Inn is a noodle bar specialising in Asian Street Food.

There are currently four stores: Balmain, Darlinghurst, The Rocks and Norwest, with four more to open soon in Sydney and Canberra.

Atmosphere

I got to the place around 6.20, a little early for our 6.30 start but Mr Sehgal was stuck in traffic anyway so I had a bit of time to look around and get a feel for the place before he arrived.

Wok On Inn is located close to Circular Quay, about a 5-10 minute walk from the station.

The Rocks restaurant is quite small, more of a takeaway/fast food restaurant.  However, it still has plenty of seating including long wooden benches with colourful stools, and metal tables and chairs in the middle of the area.

I visited on a Wednesday night and it wasn’t very busy, but there was a steady stream of people; either those who happened to smell the food as they walked past or those who walked over with confidence and familiarity.

Service

I seated myself at one of the large wooden benches.

It was a nice cool day so it was quite pleasant to sit outside, apart from the annoying seagull which patrolled the area walking up and down between the tables and staring diners down with its beady eyes (image below).

The seagull eventually even gained enough courage to jump onto the table and try to steal our food, despite my efforts to chase it away!

Ankur later informed me that this was a problem they faced in The Rocks store in particular, but that the other stores didn’t have this same issue.

While I waited I enjoyed reading the interesting information on the chopstick cups:

A friendly waitress asked if I wanted a drink while I waited (yes, as it was a very hot day!).

I was pleased to receive a chilled glass and cold can of solo, a nice touch which made my short wait more relaxing!

Overall, service throughout the meal was quite good.

It took less than 5-10 minutes for food to come out, staff were friendly and pleasant and as soon as diners left they cleared the plates (very efficient!), leaving nothing for the pesky seagulls!

Food

When Ankur arrived, I was pleased to find that he was very friendly and easy to talk to.

I liked the fact that he was passionate about good food and good service in all his restaurants, and that he was ambitious and committed to making Wok On Inn work in Australia.

Ankur informed me that he wanted to bring the authenticity of the Asian food in Asia, to Australia, without sacrificing on value.

He told me that the sauces they use are made in Asia because the ingredients are more authentic and you can get better onions, better chillis and more stronger flavours of spices in Asia than you could ever find in Australia.  The sauces he said, are snap frozen and sent to them for use in their dishes.

These pre-made sauces make the dishes much more authentic and the fact that they are already made means noodles can be prepared quickly and can be made to order within 10  – 12 minutes.  It also keeps costs down, allowing them to deliver any dish on the menu for under $14.00.

Ankur ordered a number of dishes for us to try.

I enjoyed a lovely round steamed Spicy Chicken Dumpling ($3.95 for 3) which was quite soft, tasty and juicy.  It was not as good as Din Tai Fung (not even close), but considering this is a noodle restaurant, it was quite good!

Chicken and Prawn Pad Thai, $13.95

First I tried the Pad Thai, a classic dish.

The dish was nicely presented, topped with beansprouts, crushed peanuts, a wedge of lemon and some parsley.

The noodles were delicious with a slightly sweet sauce and plenty of chicken and prawn.  A very tasty and satisfying dish and a great portion!

Bangkok Noodles, $12.95

Next up were Ankur’s favourite: Bangkok Noodles with chicken: basically hokkien noodles with a sweet pad prik khing sauce (see my review of Spice I Am for another Pad Prik Khing dish).

The sauce was delicious and you could really taste some strong lemongrass flavours and smell the kaffir lime.

Ankur told me that the dish was originally served with rice instead of noodles but they found that it was not selling so they decided to change it up a little and reinvent it by using noodles instead.

The idea obviously worked as the dish is now one of their top sellers!

Uncle’s Drunken Noodles, $13.95

Finally, we tried one of the other popular choices, Uncle’s Drunken Noodles.  Ankur told me that this was one of the famous dishes in Thailand, where it is made for drunk locals after a night out, with plenty of chilli and spice to awaken the senses.

The dish contains thai basil, homemade chilli paste, flat rice noodles, bamboo shoots (which I love), egg and (in our case), seafood.  It has quite a dry sauce, and is very very hot, a good one for those fiery spicelovers!

There was a lot of seafood in the dish and I thought the prawns were very nicely cooked, the calamari was not chewy or rubbery, and the vegetables were crunchy and tasted fresh.  Overall, a tasty dish, and yes, perfect for those late nights out!

Rating

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6
• Food- 8.75
• Ambience- 5
• Value – 8

Here’s a photo of Ankur with one of the lovely staff!

TCFB dined as a guest of Mr Seghur and Wok On Inn.

Criniti’s Darling Harbour, ($$)

Criniti’s, Darling Harbour

Address: Shop 461, 2-10 Darling Drive, Harbourside Shopping Centre,  Darling Harbour NSW 2000

Phone: 1300274 648

Website: http://www.crinitis.com.au/

* * *

A half day at work meant the colleagues and I headed over to Darling Harbour (via monorail) for a day of food, drinks and bonding!

The monorail ride over was something different and as I hadn’t been on a monorail in a while. I thought that it was a great way to get another view of Sydney and although windows and building facades blocked the view some of the way, there was a fantastic view of QVB and Darling Harbour from the monorail.

If only the windows were cleaner and didn’t have pictures on them, we could actually see out of them better to take photos!

I can see why they are planning to take the monorail down this year- there weren’t many people on, the tickets are a little pricey considering you could walk the distance in the same time (it is quite slow), and it is hard to take photos out the window when there are stickers and pictures on them blocking the view.

That said, I wish they would have added it on to a hop on hop off bus price and use it as a bigger tourist attraction as it is definitely a unique part of Sydney.

Atmosphere

After our monorail trip, we walked over the Pyrmont Bridge to Harbourside shopping Centre.

As always, Criniti’s restaurants are very well presented. The decor is fabulous, taking you to Italy with the large woodfired pizza ovens, exposed brickwork and football jerseys.

The gorgeous view of Darling Harbour

On this occasion we visited during the day and sat outside. I had only ever been to Criniti’s at night so it was interesting to see what the place looked like by day.

There was plenty of bright light coming in from the balcony and while the restaurant wasn’t anywhere near as busy as it is at night, there were still quite a few tables of people around us.

Service

Service wasn’t as good as during the night. We had 2 waiters look after our table during our meal and, as we all ordered drinks and food at different times, some taking longer to peruse the menu than others (guilty!), there was some confusion over who had ordered and who had not.

Overall however, they were pleasant and professional.

Food

We all ordered a variety of things.

I went for the Chicken Skewers with Lemon & Herb seasoning. They were served with three delicious sauces which tasted like aioli, chilli and prego. They also came with a fresh half a lemon (I love lemon and the fact that they weren’t stingy with it!), and a large basket of chips which was more than enough for me.

The chicken was juicy and well-seasoned; the meat had really absorbed all the flavour of the marinade. The charred capsicum and onions added some smokiness and the crispy chips definitely hit the spot!

Despite the fact that this dish cost $36.90, which is a fair bit for a casual lunch, there was plenty of chicken in the dish, it was well-cooked, the chips were perfectly crunchy and well salted, and the sauces and dish were presented nicely on the plate. Definitely work the money!

Others in the group ordered a variety of things including:

Beetroot, pumpkin, goats cheese and walnut salad with grilled chicken $19.90 + $9.90 for the chicken

Pizzas from $26.50

The Prego Burger, $21.90

Chicken Schnitzel with chips and salad $33.90

Grilled chicken with side salad, $29.90

The consensus was that Criniti’s had fantastic portions, delicious food, and great presentation. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we left there very full!

Cost

All of our meals + soft drinks came to about $310.

Rating

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6.5
• Food- 8.5
• Ambience- 6
• Value – 7.5

Barrafina, Wynyard ($$)

Address: Ground Floor, 2 Bligh Street Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9231 2551

Website: http://www.barrafina.com.au/barrafina-tapas-bar-location/

* * *

Barrafina tapas invited me and three guests to review the restaurant and try out their new menu.

I had been to Barrafina previously and while the food was tasty, service was quite disjointed and the portion sizes were not fantastic given the price.

This time around I was pleasantly surprised as our experience was much much better and we were impressed by how much things had changed.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere on this particular Wednesday was pretty good.

When we arrived around 6pm it was pretty quiet inside (outside was roaring with the sound of happy post-work diners). By the end of the evening however, the inside was packed out too and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The decor is quite cute, and hadn’t changed much since I last visited.

There is a lot of yellow, grey and white furniture, which gives the place a very modern and funky atmosphere. The cute illustrations on the wall add some character and remind you that you are in a Spanish restaurant as it features wines, seafood and guitars. My Mum and I really liked the quaint little plants on the windowsill, which added a little colour and life to the place. Overall it is a very nice restaurant with lovely modern decor and a busy atmosphere.

Service

Service was great despite the fact that they were pretty busy, it being a Thursday night.

Our lovely waitresses Camilla and Paloma gave us each a menu and brought out some drinks.

Paloma suggested about 8 plates for 4 people, but we ended up ordering a bit more than that as there were so many new dishes to try. For drinks I had just a diet coke, as they did not have lemon lime bitters.

Mum and Nos, who dined with MC and I, wanted fresh juices but they only had bottled ones, so they settled for bottled apple and orange juices. MC ordered Estrella Dam, a Spanish lager which was recommended by Camilla. Estrella Dam, $8.50

Food

Food at Barrafina had improved a lot since I last visited with MDS.

Last time, MDS and I thought the food was tasty but not very well presented.

This time around, presentation was excellent. Every dish was plated up with flair and attention to detail.

The food was cooked well and was colourful and appealing to the eye.

We were served portions of four items per dish as there were four of us dining that evening.  However, Paloma informed me that most dishes usually have about three items each- something to remember if you decide to dine there- 3 or 6 people would be ideal.

We started off with a light and refreshing dish, the Yellow Fin Tuna.  This was a seared piece of tuna, which was glossy and beautiful in the middle and just cooked on the outside.  The outside had a coating of spices which made it crunchy and salty. There was also a delicious white peach dressing and chilli vinaigrette, and an olive tapenade on top. We all loved this dish and it was a lovely light way to start off the meal.

Yellow Fin Tuna, $16.00

Next we enjoyed the Crisp Zucchini Flowers with Salted Cod Mayo.

Definitely the BEST zucchini flowers I have ever tasted, they were large, golden, crunchy and beautifully presented. The mayo was slightly fishy, but tasted a bit like aioli.

The zucchini stem was small and firm, yet cooked through, and the flowers were delicate and tasty.

Zucchini flowers, $11.00

We asked for the Yamba King Prawns with lemon, confit garlic, chilli and micro herbs ($22.00), which sounded delicious. Unfortunately, they were out of prawns so we had to order something else.

Paloma brought out the Octopus, but after seeing the large tentacles, none of us were keen to try it.  It was nothing to do with the dish, but I just couldn’t fathom putting those little suckers anywhere near my face! Octopus

We decided to swap it for the Queensland Scallops with Chorizo and Sweetcorn Puree. This was a much better option, which we all enjoyed.

The scallops were slightly tough, just slightly, but the crispy chorizo and sweet, chunky corn puree were great with it.

Nos, who doesn’t eat pork, simply ate the scallops with the corn puree, and commented that she loved the texture and taste of the puree.  Queensland Scallops, $24.00

Next up were the Crispy Moroccan Cigars with, sheep’s feta, and charred eggplant puree.

The cigars were very crunchy and had a creamy taste from the sheep feta and a smoky taste from the eggplant puree, which tasted like baba ghanouj.

This is a delicious and tasty dish that I think everyone would enjoy. Crispy Moroccan Cigars, $9.00

We then enjoyed the soft shell crab sliders. MDS and I had tried this previously but I liked them much much more this time.

The bread was sourdough and was soft and fresh. The crab wasn’t as crunchy as it could have been but was still delicious and salty, and I liked the addition of avocado. The harissa mayonnaise was tangy and sweet and the presentation was very cute. Soft Shell Crab Slider, $9.00 

We enjoyed the Jamon Serrano and Manchego Cheese Croquetas with Tomato Salsa. Jamon Serrano is a Spanish cured and salted ham, similar to prosciutto, but made from a different breed of pig.

The croquettes were crispy and golden, almost perfectly round, and very nicely presented.

We enjoyed the creamy taste of the manchego and the little pork bits inside the croquettes. Croquettas, $10

On the recommendation of Paloma we tried the Beetroot Salad, a salad of gold beetroots, Spanish goats cheese, hazelnuts, sherry vinaigrette and baby beetroot puree.

The salad was vibrant and rich in flavour. The golden beetroot was a sweet and pumpkin-like vegetable which was lovely with the light and fluffy puree and tangy vinaigrette. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sheep’s cheese but there wasn’t too much of it in the dish. Beetroot Salad, $13.00

We moved on to the Wagyu Hanger Steak, a 5+ marble score piece of juicy meat, served with seasoned salt and herbs.

The steak was cooked medium-well (my preference) and came out perfectly cooked, juicy and succulent. The meat was already salted and didn’t need any of the salt on the plate. Wagyu steak, $22.00

After this feast, we shared two desserts between the four of us.

First up was the White Chocolate Parfait with Pistachio and Berries.

The ice cream element of the parfait was delicious and creamy but didn’t taste strongly of white chocolate. The crunchy tuile on top was lovely and added a beautiful texture.

We enjoyed the (very fresh and in season) blueberries and the lovely berry sauce. White Chocolate Parfait, $9.00

Next up was the Lime and Mango Crema Catalana with Summer Fruit.

The dish was well presented and my Mum loved the little glass jars.

The lime and mango curd at the bottom was delicious and tangy, almost like passionfruit. The crema catalana, is basically creme brulee. It was creamy and rich, super decadent and perfect with fresh fruits. A lovely way to end the meal. Crema Catalan, $9.00

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 7
• Food- 8.75
• Ambience- 8
• Value –6.5

TCFB and guests dined as guests of Barrafina tapas, complimentary.

Makanai Sushi, Sydney CBD ($)

Address: 324 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Makani-Sushi/269321739784363

* * *

This cute little sushi train has an interesting take on Japanese. You can choose to either pick your own sushi rolls and order hot food to take away or eat in, or you can join in at the sushi train and choose plates of sushi and Japanese fried foods.

Atmosphere

I think the combination of dine-in and take-away is great for the busy Sydney CBD workers and the cute hot food hut by the door, full of fish sticks, teriyaki chicken and gyoza add to the Asian-inspired decor.

On Thursday around 1.30pm when my Kiwi Kolleague and I visited Makanai, the restaurant wasn’t too busy. There were only about 15 people eating in. There was however quite a large queue of people waiting to pay for their take-aways.

The gold and black decor and wooden tables around the room were a nice touch and I liked the overall look of the restaurant. The sushi rolls in the window are colourful and tempting and made me want to go in and try some of the food!

Service

We didn’t really have any service. We paid at the counter and found a table on the side (not at the sushi train) at which to eat our food.

Food

I ordered my favourites: salmon and avocado roll and chicken roll. The chicken roll was a little dry but the cucumber livened it up quite a bit. The salmon was delicious and there was plenty of fresh salmon in the roll. Perfect with the creamy avocado. The rolls were neatly wrapped and you could tell that the food was fresh from the slightly oil salmon and the green (not brown) avocado.

Kiwi Kolleague ordered chicken teriyaki and said she really enjoyed it.

I would like to come back some time and try out the sushi train and hot food as well!

Cost:

My rolls cost about $8.00.

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service-3
• Food-7.5
• Ambience-6.5
• Value –7

Three Williams, Redfern ($$)

Address: 613a Elizabeth Street Redfern NSW

Tel: (02) 9698 1111

Website: http://www.threewilliams.com/

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I was super excited to be invited for a menu tasting at Three Williams in Redfern, along with some of my fave food bloggers, Excuse Me Waiter, The Lamstock, Simon Food Favourites, VegeTARAian, Jugernauts, 84th and 3rd, Food is our Religion and Hillary and Dijon.

I’d heard a lot about the Three Williams and was keen to find out whether it lived up to my expectations.

Atmosphere

Three Williams is located in Redfern, in an area that is apparently “not in the dodgy part of Redfern,” I was told.

The easiest way to get there is to drive, and there is plenty of parking out the front.  MC kindly dropped me off right at the door of the cafe.

The cafe was busy but not quite full when I arrived at 9.30am for brunch.

By the time we left at 11.30 however, there was a steady stream of customers walking through the door and a serious queue forming of patient customers, waiting by the counter for a table.

The crowd at the Three Williams is a somewhat “messy cool” mix of mothers with screaming children, playing in the kids corner and trendy foodies casually enjoying a coffee and muesli.

The decor is simple and almost “warehousey” but still quite funky, with a mix of light wood and industrial grey paints.

Overall, the place oozes a trendy and hip vibe and is perfect for those looking for a quick, quality meal before heading out to the markets or going to explore the city.  That is, if you can get a table!

Service

Service during our tasting was quite good.

The staff were all polite and friendly but perhaps a little overwhelmed by the busy crowds and in particular, our fussy table of food bloggers!

This is what it is like to dine with food bloggers!

While I thought they did a great job with handling most of the orders, my Chai Latte did take a while to come out (I had to ask how it was going to remind them).

Overall however, service was quite good and I don’t have any major complaints.

Drinks

Upon our arrival we were served coffee and drinks.

There was a delicious jug of fresh OJ, which was sweet and bright orange, perfect for the warm weather.

Fresh Orange Juice, $5 a glass

The coffees were spot on. They were well presented and well made.

House Chai Latte, $5.00

We also enjoyed a delicious Pineapple and Mint Soda.

Pineapple and Mint Soda, $12.00 a jug

Some of the bloggers ordered the Peanut Butter Smoothie. I tried a little and oh my…. it was peanutty and creamy yet oddly (a little) bitter.  A strange mix of Reese’s Pieces and milkshake.

Peanut Caramel Shake, $6.00

I also noticed some other great items on the drink menu, including the Banana, Medjool Date and Walnut Praline Shake and Willie’s 100% Cacao Hot Chocolate.

Food

Chef Tim Bryan of Aria and Chiswick fame is the driving force behind the Three Williams menu.

To start off, we tried some items on the breakfast menu (available 7am until 3pm). VegeTARAian tried the Granola with Hibiscus Pear, a delicious combination of fruit toasted muesli with creamy yoghurt and a delicious deep red, sweet pear. I tried a little and absolutely loved the lightness of the yogurt and pear and the tasty, crunchy granola.  Perfect for the health conscious!

Granola with Hibiscus Pear, $12.00

The Spicy Smashed Beans with Avocado on Charred Toast was also delicious. The beans had the perfect amount of spice and were great combined with creamy avocado and crispy toast.  84th and 3rd also commented that she enjoyed this dish.

Spicy Smashed Beans with Avocado on Charred Toast, $13.00

The Merchant burger, chilli fried egg, crispy bacon, pickled slaw, ranch dressing on a warm brioche bun was an interesting idea but I have to admit that I couldn’t really taste any chilli in the egg, although I did enjoy the pickled slaw.

The Merchant, $12.00

The Poached Eggs, Marinated Bull Horn Peppers, Serrano Ham, Feta and Dukkah, on toast was quite tasty. The eggs were nicely poached (apparently in glad wrap from the lines on them), and the ham and peppers went really well with them, creating a nice balance of sweetness and saltiness.

Poached Eggs with Peppers, Ham, Feta and Dukkah, $16.00

To finish off the eggs feast, there was The Big William: bacon, fried eggs, nuremberg sausage, roma tomato, hash, onion relish.

Big William, $17.00

Of all the breakfast dishes, my favourite had to be the French Toast.  The brioche toast was crumbly, almost like a cake, and was drenched in a gooey maple syrup and topped with pecans.  The tangy yogurt and fresh blueberries and raspberries complemented it perfectly.

Brioche French Toast, $14.00

If all that wasn’t enough we then moved on to the BEST HOT CHIPS I HAVE EVER TASTED. Crunchy. Salty. Crisp. Golden. Soft. AMAZING. These chips are the chips dreams are made of.  If you like chips, these are the ish.

Beer battered chips with house aioli, $6.00

We also enjoyed some creamy and cheesy fish croquettes with lemon juice.

Fish Croquettes with Lemon and Aioli, $3 each

We then tried some of the Caramelised Cauliflower Tabouli, a mix of cauliflower, pomegranate, quinoa, walnuts and preserved lemon. We had this dish without chicken for the benefit of the vegetarians at the table with us.

Caramelised Cauliflower Tabouli, $13 or $15 with chicken

The final brunch meals before dessert were the Narnies. Sarnies but narnies. These are basically sandwiches made with naan bread.

While I didn’t really like the naan bread (I found it a little tough to chew and difficult to cut up), I did enjoy the fillings.

The prawn naanie was a fresh and light almost “prawn taco-like” combination of avocado, corn, lettuce and prawns.

Prawn, iceberg lettuce, avocado and aioli, $14.00

The fried tempeh narnie was pretty spicy and tasted a bit like the filling for my Sri Lankan tuna fish pastries. It contained carrot, asian pickled vegetables, sriracha, and lime mayo. The tempeh was quite interesting, unlike anything I have had before, and I learnt that it was made of fermented soybeans, pressed into a pattie.

Fried tempeh narnie, $12.00

Finally, the most delicious of them all, the glazed beef narnie. This delicious brisket, gherkin and chipotle narnie was tender, tangy and colourful. The beautiful glaze on the beef and the delicious sweet yet spicy chipotle were a match made in heaven.

Glazed beef narnie, $14.00

Already full, we moved on to desserts, savouring the crispy glazed Grapefruit Donuts and Chocolate Brownies.

Brownies and Donuts

The Donuts were quite average, but the Brownie was heaven. It was slightly crispy on the outside yet fudgey and rich on the inside, the perfect consistency.

Although some of the other bloggers were too full by this stage and too “chocolate-d out” I happily devoured my share of the Brownies (and perhaps a little more!).

Overall

Overall I loved the experience at Three Williams. The menu is so different to any I have seen before and the standout dishes for me- the french toast, the brownie and the hot chips were fantastic.

I would most certainly recommend giving this place ago if you are in the area!

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 6.5
• Food-  9
• Ambience-  7.75
• Value – 7.75

The TCFB dined as a guest of Wasamedia and the Three Williams.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine, Chinatown Sydney ($)

Address: 10A Dixon St Sydney, NSW

Tel: (02) 9426 4888

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Atmosphere

SenoritaLay, FitnessFanatic and I caught up at a popular restaurant in Chinatown, Old Town.

Located towards the Town Hall side of Dixon Street, it is opposite N2 Extreme Gelato (perfect for dessert afterwards).

SenoritaLay had been here before and had told us that it was pretty good.  Having done my research beforehand, I was looking forward to trying out the delicious BBQ Pork Buns and noodles on offer.

My first impression of Old Town was that it was a modern taken on a Chinese restaurant.  It was dimly lit, giving it an intimate feel, and had a glass cabinet of Asian sweets by the door and BBQ duck and pork hanging at the back of the restaurant.

As I got there before the others, I took a seat at one of the wooden tables (sort of like picnic tables), and ordered a Coconut Mango with QQ Jelly drink.

The drink look interesting with a white, orange and red concoction at the bottom and a thick orange mango puree on top.

It was cold and refreshing, perfect for this particularly hot day, and I liked the mix of milky and chewy jelly at the bottom.

Service

When the girls finally arrived, we had a look through the menu and found it a bit too difficult to decide on what to get.

Old Town has a lot of options to choose from, from yum cha style dishes to full plates of noodles, soups and stir-fries.

We each chose one dish to try, and soon ordered our meals.

While service was not particularly friendly (perhaps due to the language barrier?), it was quite fast.

Our food came out quickly, although not all at once.

Food

First up were the delicious BBQ Pork Buns and Peking Duck Buns ($6.80 for two).

The buns were soft, with that delicious almost uncooked dough that the Chinese seem to love so much.  The pork and duck was juicy and tender, well-presented and plentiful for the size of the buns.

The Green Beans came out next. With a delicious hit of spice, they were crunchy and fresh. Perfect to nibble on between bites of the other dishes.

Following the beans, we had a cool pancake-style dumpling – basically dumplings with batter poured around a pan to give a cool shape.

The dumplings were moist and tender and the pancake was crispy and crunchy, giving a perfect contrast.

The dish was quite nice, but I did not enjoy the sauce which was a little too sour for my liking. A simple soy would have been great.

We ordered the usual Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (my choice), and they did not disappoint.  There were three, perfect for sharing between our trio.

The buns were light and fluffy like clouds, and the filling was the typical sweet yet savoury BBQ pork mince. As always, I really enjoyed these Pork Buns and gobbled mine down!

Finally, FitnessFanatic’s noodles came out.  They were seafood egg noodles with prawn, shallots, onion and cabbage.

They were very oily and slippery- quite difficult to eat with chopsticks, and weren’t very flavoursome.  Despite this, the serving was generous and the seafood was cooked through.

Other dishes I have tried on subsequent occasions include:

Peking Duck Pancakes

BBQ Pork

Steamed Greens

Summary

Overall, not a bad experience and would come here again to try out some of the other dishes. Pretty good value for money as the meal ended up costing each of us about $25.

Rating:

I would rate my experience (out of 10):

• Service- 4.5
• Food- 7
• Ambience- 6
• Value – 7.5

Product Review: Moo Poo Tarts

Product: Moo Poo Tarts –  also known as Cow Dung Tarts, UFO Tarts, Cream Tarts, Cow Pat Tarts

Available at: Bamboo Lounge Cafe, 336 Sussex St Sydney

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/moopootart

Price: $2.50 each, $15.00 for a box of 6, $35 for a box of 16
For larger quantities visit http://www.facebook.com/moopootart to order.

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What is a “Moo Poo Tart?”

A Moo Poo Tart is basically a thin piece of browned cake topped with creamy yellow custard and fluffy meringue.

What is the story behind the Moo Poo Tart?

The Moo Poo Tart was created in 1955 when, in the small town of Sandakan in Malaysia a baker accidentally burnt a tray of his tarts.  As the tarts looked like cow poo, he named it “cow poo” (ngau si dui in Malasian).

They became very popular in Malaysia and are now very well known, but the original recipe no longer exists as the creator, Mr Fu Ah On never revealed the secret recipe and passed away suddenly from a heart attack, taking it with him.

The best Moo Poo Tarts are found in the town of Sandakan in Malaysia but Ms Davina Wong has tried to recreate the recipe in order to introduce Sydney-siders to the wonders of this Malaysian treat!

My review of the Moo Poo Tart

I was super excited when I was invited to taste these delicious tarts, with a box of 6 delivered to me at work, complimentary.

The tarts look really cute in the box, and travelled quite well in the container.

They are the perfect size for an afternoon bite and I think they would make an unusual but interesting gift or ice-breaker!

I was interested by the strange and unusual appearance of the tarts, with a muffin-top-like base, a very dark yellow centre, and white meringue around it.  My first taste of the tart revealed a combination of flavours and textures. The dense, sweet and thin cake contrasted well with the silky, rich custard and the light, fluffy meringue.

While the meringue part was a little flat compared to the pictures, it still tasted delicious and I enjoyed the unusual textures and flavours of the tart.  It was a strange mix between a cupcake, a lemon meringue tart and a custard tart, and I, along with the friends I shared it with at work, all enjoyed it.

I would give this new treat a go as it seems like something that will appeal to all sweet lovers!

Rating

I give the Moo Poo tart a 7.5/10.