Enter the Quaniverse

Here’s a fun, new concept in dining out in Sydney.

The thing is, it’s dining in. The website EatWith has been running now since 2012. I first heard about it while in Paris, and was very tempted to book in for a dinner but didn’t get around to it. The idea is that chefs invite you into their home. You get to read in advance what the menu will be, and you might be on your own or part of a small group of the people who can fit around the dining room table.

The concept has got a bit in common with AirBNB and would appeal to the same customers. If you’re visiting a city, or even dining in your own city, wouldn’t it be fun to see how people really live in the city, while meeting some new people and enjoying a terrific meal? It’s a personal experience, definitely different than talking about a restaurant that you found through the internet.

In Sydney, there are only two chefs doing this at the moment, and Jamie and his charming wife Daniela invited me to join them for their inaugural dinner. I brought two friends, Davy and Steve, and we met a trio of fun, young women. It was rather an international group that night, with Jamie from the UK, Daniela from Ecuador, and guests from Mexico, Argentina and Canada, and our local Australians. Here are our hosts! The food was delicious. So many tasty things on the starter plate (photo above)… though the tuna in ponzu dressing was a clear hit among the table.

I loved the main, ling cod on top of saffron potatoes, with prawns and roasted peanuts and spinach.

The dessert was luscious. A chocolate tart. Some dulce de leche. Raspberries and a raspberry curd.

We brought our own booze (and considering how much we drank, managed to maintain a surprisingly high level of decorum).

So, yup, I’d really recommend this as a fun thing to do with a group of friends, or work mates, your friends from the dog park or your running group, or to meet new folks. I’d also think it would be a particularly fun thing to do, as I said, for visitors to the Sydney and for those staying at AirBNBs in the neighbourhood.

Jamie’s going to be changing up the menu all the time. Next time might be curry night, and he explained he has a fondness for ‘home cooking’ but brought up to a restaurant standard. Actually, there was nothing home cooking about our meal; it was all very refined and skilled, but I do appreciate the concept of food that makes you feel like you’re at home, without pretention.

It’s easy to book online and to see the next dates and menus. The website is only charging in US dollars… So USD50 a person is equal to about $65, which for a meal of this quality was a steal. Give it a try and tell them Andy sent you.

Let’s make Sydney’s Laneways great! And with great cocktails and solid Italian food, Next Door is making a good start of it.

I like a bar and restaurant with a story, and the birth of Next Door involved wanting  to capitalise on the space next door to Made in Italy, and bring in some of the punters sitting eating pizza in the alley, into a small bar serving kick-arse cocktails. So, you get to benefit from a long-established kitchen, and kick back with a drink in a cosy, almost hidden atmosphere.

It’s in the right location too. Tucked away on York Lane behind Wynyard Station, I think they’ll be able to take advantage of the buzz that’s starting up around Barangaroo, and there are some interesting hotspots that are not so far away. You could make a night of it, really, start here, have another farther up the lane at the York Lane Bar (which looked cool, didn’t try it) and then perhaps head down Clarence Street to grab a whiskey at the Baxter Inn.

It’s also in a good location to grab a quick meal and cocktail before heading towards the Opera House or Sydney Theatre Company for a show, as even though there are a number of restaurants in those directions, I think there’s not that much choice among the good ones.

But I digress. A short selection of sensational cockatils is up for your delectation (though you could always ask for the classics) from bartender extraordinaire, Maurizio (with a great accent, you’ll feel you’re in Italy). We thought the ‘Southside of Sicily’ would be red because of the blood orange, but the blood orange liqueur is actually clear. Mixed with gin, lemon and mint with an orange twist, it was refreshing, subtle and really delicious.

I opted for the ‘Made at York Lane’ with rosemary-infused gin, aperol, fresh lemon and a sprig of rosemary. Also beautiful.

We took Maurizio’s suggestions for food. We were actually thinking of just going for the classic Margherita, and he suggested going for something more interesting. We loved the pizza, a Gamberi with prawns, oregano, parmesan, garlic and chili flakes. Thin crust, piping hot, just the right amount of cheese and spices and a prawn on every piece. The medium was just enough for the both of us, plus the pasta.

And then the pasta: the mamma mia sauce is apparently the favourite, and we could see why: italian sausage, mushrooms, fresh cream and chilli in a napoletana sauce. Rich but not too rich. We were going to have the spaghetti but got convinced to have the gnocchi, and wow: usually when I have gnocchi, though I love it, it’s just a bit heavy. You know? Aside from the extremely smart decision to split it between the both of us, these gnocchi were super light and delicate. It was really a top-notch dish.

Pasta and pizza, $18 each, and the cocktails, $16. A pretty good price point.

As I said (and have to use this joke now because the US Presidential elections will be over soon enough and hopefully Trump (and his slogans) consigned to the dustbin of history): let’s make Sydney’s laneways great.

I think the City of Sydney has done an amazing job of getting this going, and facilitating small bars to happen, but we’re still rather behind those cool laneways in Melbourne. I’ve tended to dine and drink in suburbs like Surry Hills or Potts Point rather than go to the CBD, but I’d be certainly happy to hang out more often in the CBD with cool little joints like this.

The gents at Next Door kindly shouted me and my husband for the meal and drinks, but the opinions in this review are mine.

Easy, tasty and inexpensive Mexican food. Perfect for a quick bite after a movie or to settle in and drink tequila with yer mates.

I’ve heard about this place for ages… but never had the chance to try it. I like me some Mexican food from time to time, and also heard they had tequila tasters… So, after seeing the better-than-expected Doctor Strange at the movie cinema in Westfields, the entrance to this restaurant, on top of the bar, The Eastern, was just a hop, skip and a jump away.

The menu is easy and we were informed that tacos were on for three bucks that night. Three bucks?! Add to that my Entertainment Book discount, and I’m glad I ordered an expensive tequila flight ($30 for 3 tiny serves of 15 ml each; and I wasn’t informed that there was a special flight for $20 that night…), as I was feeling a bit guilty about all the discounts.

So, plantain is an amazing fruit. Green bananas, kind of, but starchier. And cut thickly and deep fried is absolutely beautiful. Reminds me of Latin America every time. But these didn’t. They were cut too thinly, so basically tasted like potato crisps. Oh well.

The duck quesadillas were delicious, and the tacos, coming out on a specially designed taco, wooden taco holder thingmajig, were delicious. The tacos were soft, slightly green in colour, and tasty, and the fillings: chicken, soft-shelled crab and a delicious breaded vegetable of some sort, were great. Particularly for only three bucks.  

The waitresses appropriately have Latin American accents and one of them that we had was super charming. We loved her. The other was nice, but clueless. She brought me my ‘tequila journey’ and had absolutely no idea which one was which. $10 each for a tiny mouthful of tequila, and some sort of explanation would have been good.

All in all though, this was exactly what we wanted: quick, tasty and inexpensive, in a fun atmosphere. I’d come here instead of going to the food fair, particularly if you want something to drink!