Oh, indecision, indecision. Walked back from Sydney Theatre Company, where I saw a preview of Sydney Dance Company’s Orb (wow, looks great, I’m going on Tuesday), and couldn’t decide where to eat. Home Thai had a line up as always outside. I suddenly thought of wandering into the Dixon Food Court, and very nearly had the famous ramen noodles from Gumshara, but I’d had instant noodles for lunch, and thought: too many noodles.
So, this place caught my eye. I mean, it looked like it could be hit and miss but there were other customers, and I thought: why not? I opted for the Indonesia Special Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Khas). It took rather a long time, which I thought was a good thing, meaning they were making each component up fresh.
All in all, this was pretty delicious, homestyle cooking, a nice satay skewer, a fried egg that, when its yolk was broken, melded perfectly with the quite spicy fried rice. A few pieces of cucumber and a slice of tomato to contrast with the fried food, a few shrimp chips and a big chicken drumstick. Tasted like home cooking, humble, and way too much (look at that portion of rice). But quite delicious for something from a food court.
Although it seems that to be a slave to fashion is considered a bad thing, I find it pleasurable to stumble in somewhere and feel that you are in the midst of something buzzy and popular and… now. Located next to a few fancy furniture shops (Great Dane has beautiful stuff in it) and with no visible competition anywhere in sight, you head down into a rather vast basement space alive with activity, and with a casual thrown-together feel that could even be a pop-up bar or restaurant.
So, liked the space, liked the vibe. The food was fine; neither of us thought our dishes were outstanding but perhaps we chose the wrong things. My crab omelette was tasty and nicely presented. A solidly good dish. My pal’s take on an apple crumble was interesting with a lot of different elements, but he found that it looked more interesting than it tasted and the yoghurt base was a little monotonous by the end. Pretty as a picture though.
Still, well worth a visit I’d say, and you could go for a stroll on ever-changing Redfern Street afterwards.
I have three words for you: Italian. Yum. Cha.
Now, I don’t know who came up with the idea of Italian Yum Cha but it’s obviously marketing genius. I’d heard about them before coming here. Other friends I’ve mentioned to have heard about them too. In reality, what it translates to is the sleakest yum cha cart you’ve ever seen (marble!) with the day’s selection of yummy small plates. Some of them, you can grab on the spot; others, you just point to and they make it in the kitchen.
It only represents part of their menu, as you can also order proper pastas and other Italian delights, but it’s a really fun idea. And the thing is: it works. You can see and be tempted by yummy plates.
Love, love, loved the atmosphere; open and airy, casual and yet upmarket. The only thing is we wondered if they’re only open for lunch, how do they pay for such a nice place and so many staff and serving up such nice food?
Then what we liked the most was their version of a tiramisu. This is a must-try. A sort of rolled chocolate rum ball without the rum, but a bit dense and rich and… with the flavours of tiramisu. High recommendation. This is a really fun place to try (and probably more fun to sneak out and try on a weekday; I imagine it gets pretty busy here on a weekend).
It was an excellent suggestion of Darryl’s to head down to Stanley Street for brunch rather than our usual ‘hood. A few interesting places were open, and Bill and Tony’s was packed. We grabbed a table outside at this unfamiliar place (I think it’s been under new management for a year) and while I should have had the coffee, because of its name, I had an Irish breakfast tea. Sometimes lately coffee is jazzing me up, and not in a nice way.
In any case, Darryl said his poached eggs and avocado on toast was delicious, and I have to say my scrambled eggs, with asparagus and bacon, were pretty much perfect. Lots of butter on that toast. Everything perfectly composed. The cafe has a really humble feel but this was a perfect Sydney breakfast (so good that it made me think how mediocre my last breakfasts were at similar cafes). And next time, I really do have to try the coffee. I hear they do great latte art!
On a quick walk by Gou Sushi, this place looks stylish and fun; Haven’s coolness rubs off on it too. Haven had exactly zero out of four dishes on their lunch menu for vegetarians so we went next door. Between my perception of stylishness and the rave reviews on Zomato, I was expecting it to be pretty good!
There were NO vegetarian sushi on the conveyor belt. You had to order them… which was a bit difficult to get the attention of a waiter.
This little cafe attached to the City Crown Hotel has gone through a few different incarnations. Negus seems pretty new. Because I had already eaten, I have to turn over this review to Davy. He found their take on an eggs benedict (with a choice of pancetta or salmon) quite original, and he wavered in his opinion. The problem was that it wasn’t that hot, and would have benefited from being served at the right temperature. But he had to say it was pretty delicious, especially the little fried onion bits on top.
Shall I admit that the main reason that I stopped for coffee here, one Tuesday morning, is that it looked like it was close enough to the Pokemon Go gym at the Quaker Church for me to play a few rounds while sipping on a latte?
My large latte was perfectly fine. And I treated myself to a caramel slice. I think this is my kryptonite weakness of Australian baked goods. I like the caramel not too sweet, and I don’t mind whether the crust is crumbly (as this was) or firmer. But it’s a pretty good combo. We don’t have these in Canada.
I’m not sure how I haven’t managed to blog about the Paramount yet, as I’ve been here a number of times. Aside from the fact that it can get mighty crowded, what more to say about excellent coffee, friendly service and inventive and enticing menu items? All in an industrial chic atmosphere that manages to be both cool and cosy at the time time.
There’s always something slightly surprising on the menu. This morning, Saturday, 9:30am which beat the crowd, neither of us could go past the white blood sausage, baked eggs and labneh. Delicious. Surry Hills breakfast at its best…
