I love that there’s a moody little rum distillery in Surry Hills. Who doesn’t need a rum distillery, after all?
I met up with my old flatmate for a drink, and the menu almost tempted us into dinner: another night. But the Caribbean and Latin American-inspired dishes look awfully tasty. The menu of drinks is extensive, with cocktails and wine and flights of rum and then pages and pages of rum choices. For some reason, the backdrop of the menu is all X’s, some upright and some on their side, and I almost thought I was losing my sight. To remedy this, we had a cocktail each, and then…
Because we were at Brix, we thought we should do a little taster. For only ten bucks, you can try a sip of their white and gold rum (and a carafe of water with which to dilute said rum). I thought they tasted like… rum. I am obviously not a connoisseur. But it would be good to try one of the higher-priced flights and see what I can figure out.
Trevor liked his cocktail. I LOVED my cocktail. It was called the Long But Fat Like Buddha, and had Brix gold rum, Benedictine, Cointreau, a Blackcurrant Tea Syrup, Fever Tea Tonic and a Malbec Float. It didn’t taste complicated, more just a bit complex, with a nice sweetness but not too sweet, and a certain body. The touch of red wine didn’t really taste much of red wine, more like a hint of mulled wine, as it touched the other sweet ingredients. Anyways, did I say I loved it? I’ll be back.
Mr. Mo’s, formerly at this location on Campbell Street, in Surry Hills, has moved down the street and around the corner. And so Bread ‘n’ More Bakery, specialising in Artisan Sourdough bread, has moved in. They apparently have a mothership in Matraville. I’ve always like a bakery so it was good to try it out on a quiet Sunday.
The interior is much the same, but the tables, which used to be too high, are now at a manageable level. You order at the counter, and they bring the food out to you. I couldn’t go by having a bacon and egg roll, which was perfectly acceptable.
The coffee wasn’t very pretty.
It’s a pleasant place to hang out. The service was pretty screwy while we were there; things took a long time to get to us. But then, to make up for it, the manager brought us over a delicious muffin. So, that shows promise in terms of customer service. It feels like they just need to find their groove.
It’s so hard to decide where to eat on Spice Alley! But our decision was made for us, somewhat, in that not everything is open on a Sunday night. For example, in this little complex of restaurants stacked on top of each other, in the Old Rum Store, Bistrot Gavroche was the only one open!
We were very happy with our discovery. A little taste of France right in Chippendale, the setting and decor are pretty charming (perfectly on a miserable blustery and wet night). The prices are a bit high. We had the mussels ($34) and quenelles of pike ($36). I seem to recall we split a bottle of wine.
The cheapest on the menu are $60, so that was a splurge but the wine was obviously so tasty we started to not care about prices! We didn’t have starters or desserts either, which made it a reasonable meal, and the green salad ($8) was perfectly dressed, and light.
Freddy loved his mussels, and I found the quenelles of fish a wonder. I didn’t quite know what to expect so this kind of fish cakes bathed in a rich crayfish sauce: yum.
Could this be the best brunch in Bondi? Or in Sydney? Parida Bondi is setting its aims high, and with a beautiful location and cosy but contemporary design, it’s a good place to find out. We arrived for a sneaky mid-week brunch (as it sounds very busy on the weekends) and were charmed by it.
I have to say that I love the name. Peter and Frida combined their names and the result sounds vaguely Latin or Brazilian and perfect for a beachside cafe. There’s loads of outdoors seating, but we thought we’d hide in a cozy corner.
I also liked the design. With a recent relaunch with a new fit out, chef and menu, the cafe feels new and it’s a very stylish building and design (as part of the Pacific complex); some of Bondi feels a bit rundown to me, but this felt sharp and contemporary.
I opted for the Baby Parida with rosti (potato balls), big chorizo croquettes and perfectly spherical eggs and I had bacon on the side. Beautifully presented (very sculptural), and very rich: my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I managed it, but probably should have ordered something lighter!
My better half went for the wittily named Paleo Escobar, with srichacha chili scrambled eggs, and found it delicious.
Also: bacon. And a perfectly sliced avocado. It was not only a paleo meal, but a keto meal, which we approve of.
Also, after consuming a very nice latte, I tried the matcha latte too! I love me a matcha latte.
I checked out the Makers and Shakers Market in Marrickville the other weekend: great stuff and fun vibes, and we looked for somewhere for brunch afterwards. Resisting the temptation of the multitude of cool Asian places on Marrickville Road, Kelby’s Cafe was obviously the most popular and possibly the hippest of the Western cafes. Apparently, they are soon to open a branch in Surry Hills too.
The food tasted as good as it looked. I had a breakfast with Middle Eastern flavours: dukkah, pita bread, some yummy shredded cheese.
My dining companions were happy with their BLT and French Toast, which was the most visual. All washed down with some good coffee, and we were happy to have been.
I got invited to the launch of the fifth Milky Lane in Coogee Beach the other day. It was fun. After succcessful branches in Bondi, Parramatta, Cronulla and the Gold Coast, this tells me they’ve got that formula down pretty well, and I would expect it to be a roaring success.
It specialises in American food: burgers, milkshakes, mac and cheese balls, that sort of stuff. Which is easily available at other chain restaurants in Sydney. So what makes the difference is a heavy emphasis on cocktails, served in various shades of sweet, including a Reese’s Peanut Butter Martini which wasn’t being served at the opening, but I would love to try.
My pal and I enjoyed free drinks and snacks, and people watching: the invited instagrammers couldn’t stop taking photos of themselves (that selfie pout!) And then, the bartender put on a show with fire. No kidding.
Push Play Media did a banging job of organising the launch. Loved the row of crazy cars balanced on an angle outside the restaurant for the night.
Leaving a memorial service for a writer acquaintance, I really wanted a coffee fix, and stumbled on this place. The name, the menu, the font used on the menu: it seems like a regular old humble Aussie cafe, and I found something comforting about that.
I liked the ambience, my coffee was perfectly fine, with, as you can see, some excellent latte art. Service was friendly. Seems like a solid place to hang out. But will Glebe favour the humble or are they catering to the hipsters these days? I’ll keep an eye open to see how it’s doing the next time I’m in the ‘hood.