I love a restaurant in an unexpected place, and while I’d heard about this much-lauded restaurant in Marrickville, it was still a surprise to walk along a humble section of Addison Road to find this stylish fit-out among the other storefronts. We had a seat at the open window, lovely with the setting sun, ordered a bottle of Spinifex Vermentino (the cheapest wine on the menu, about $40, very drinkable), and settled in for a great dining experience.
I’m not sure we could find fault in anything. The food was interesting, flavourful and fresh, often with a texture or taste that surprised me in a good way. The service was warm, friendly and efficient. A bit of grilled fig, one with a slice of pork, the other without, was melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
A little cheese pastry number was like the nicest canapé you’ve had all week.
Grilled haloumi has its downmarket version, served at many a cafe in Sydney. But this wasn’t it. Grilled fruit, fresh herbs, long cucumber slices, and of course, perfectly done haloumi…
We had two other vegetarian dishes (the waiter patiently pointed out which dishes had no meat). I loved the grilled broccoli with labneh and dukkah and grilled grapes; my pal loved the brussel sprouts in a somewhat sweet sauce, not as charred and grilled as I like ’em but nice.
The dessert was the only thing that confounded us. Watermelon balls, ouzo sherbet, jelly and I think an almond custard. And a candied fruit and fresh grilled dill, I think. There was a lot going on, perhaps too much.
Yet all up, what fun. Loved this place. Will come back. I think it was $90 each, including the wine and a somewhat generous tip.
We were browsing carpets in PYD. Yup, we were.
We decided to go with a little less sugar and decadence this Saturday morning and so just had a palmier (which my family called ‘palm ears’ when I was growing up; I’m not sure whether they were joking or not) and a croissant.
Clocking in last year at #33 on the Top 50 restaurants in Latin America list, 
The service was exhuberant! The only fault was that they could have told us that we had ordered too much food. The steaks already come with sides, so many little interesting dishes, that the delicious empanada and grilled provolone we ordered as appetizers were unnecssary… and then only after I had mostly conquered the largest steak I had ever seen, larger than the size of my face, did he mention that people often split it between two of them.
In any case, the flavours were intense and delicious, and the atmosphere terrific and we ate far too much (and drank delicious Argentinean wine). Also, it’s easy enough to book online through their website. I’d say this is a must for meat-eating tourists!
Hmm. Coffee at 11am on a Saturday. In search of a little fuel in between the Max Dupain-inspired exhibit at the State Library and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Hilarious.
Happy D’s is a very happy place with a long, fake, ironic fishtank, a kick-arse neon sign and a good selection of drinks (wine, beer, sake and cocktails) and dumplings.
Hang out at the long counter after entering the humble, non-descript hole-in-the-wall sort of entrance.
Eat dumplings to your heart’s content, while drinking and chatting with friends. On a Thursday night, early, it was quiet enough for a good conversation but very obviously a cool place to be. We spent $30 each on dumplings and $40 each on booze!
I’m trying to eat less meat these days. It’s good to do so for the environment and for my health. But sausages are a weakness. I’ve wanted to try the Snag Stand many a time, but flashier fare has called in the Food Court of the Westfield CBD. But this was a perfect occasion to grab something quick and try it out (and this Food Court is turning into my go-to place to grab lunch after mid-morning meetings in the CBD, dentists appointments or Nespresso stock-ups).
Offering a wide range of different types of gourmet sausages, I opted for the ‘Toulouse’, a grilled pork, wine and garlic sausage, with sauteed onions and rosemary mushrooms and truffle aioli on a toasted brioche roll ($10.90).
Honestly, it was perfect. Savoury. Tasty. The right combos of texture. The aioli was delicious. Grilled and assembled on the spot, while I waited, freshly made.
Does this look like a restaurant to you? I think that’s definitely part of the charm of this breakfast and lunch eatery in the CBD right in the middle of Grosvernor Place across George Street from the cool new Ernst & Young building. It’s a very urban location with tables underneath glass parasols.
The menu seems to have changed from what’s up on Zomato at the moment: simpler and less Vietnamese inspired dishes. This left my vegetarian dining companion with only one option, a pea burger ($15.50), which was sort of a pea omelette. She thought she’d asked for steamed vegetables and got a rather large serving of luscious-looking roast vegetables. I was concerned for her but she said it was tasty.