Cafe XXII @ Pyrmont

This day was quite a long day full of celebrations, love, and lots of food. To celebrate our anniversary, the Man had prepared quite the day and he knows me too well, for it was a astronomical gastronomic day for us <3

First stop was lunch at Cafe XXII. The streets where this is located is beautiful with the sandstone bricked buildings and the sun shining through the green leaves. It was forcasted to rain but luckily, not a drop fell on the day.

Modern Australian food. They also open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday only and brunch on weekends. Apparently their menu changes every 2 days!

Kind of like a barn house.

I'm falling in love with Pyrmont..

Coffee. They do syrups here so the Man got a hazelnut latte. I had my daily cappuccino, which was much needed after a 6am start. The fern on top was so well done I was afraid to drink from it but the design stayed put even when it was half empty!

Shared entree. Calamari XXII. This was different to the conventional calamari rings which have thick crunchy coats. This was more lightly crusted on the outside. The calamari was the softest I've ever had with calamari, so soft that infants may be able to chew on it with ease. Very peppery, I like.

The main course.

Handmade gnocchi with burnt butter sage sauce with chargrilled prawns. As this dish came nearer to our table, we could smell the butter, sweet and delicious. The gnocchi was so soft as well, not chewy at all. The sage sauce is slightly sour but the butter itself is sweet so there's a mix of flavours.

The wagyu steak sandwich with caramelised onion, egg, bacon, cheese, rocket, tomato jam, mustard aioli on turkish & chips. The chips look ugly but they're big and crunchy. The corner of the steak had a lot of fat so I lobbed a huge chunk off :( Other than that, the sandwich was truly the bloke's meal with egg, bacon and cheese on top of the steak. The caramelised onion and tomato jam were sweet but what was unconventional about this dish was that it also had mustard aioli. It was tangy and nice but the flavours didn't really match well together.

I also wanted to try the grilled haloumi and sweet potato salad but that'll have to wait for another time. The staff were also very friendly and attentive, and if the food came out late, we didn't notice it because the day was great and full of happiness. Just the first course of the many courses to come and I was already satisfied, both mentally and gastronomically :)

Liu Rose Restaurant @ Concord

Our average Tuesday consists of hospital visits, work, work, and a late night meal. We normally eat around West Ryde and have tried most places around there. We wanted a bit of variation so we decided to conquer all the places at Concord. The first was Abhi's restaurant, the next on our list was Liu Rose restaurant!

The Ultimate in Chinese Cuisine! We'll see about that..

The menu is quite extensive. They even have crocodile!

The decor is very fancy in the traditional Chinese way. Red is supposed to be the colour to stimulate hunger. We were past starving by this stage.

For the rice.

The Liu Rose Flower - deep fried spheres made with prawn, pork, harm, mushroom, water chestnuts, and cabbage, served with sweet and sour sauce.

We were confused when we read 'spheres'. We thought it was a type of Chinese vegetable but when it came out, they were actual spheres (silly us).

We were salivating beyond human standards by the time this came out. We couldn't wait to dig in and impatiently took a bite. It was hot. It's a big crunchy ball full of a sticky combination of veggies and meat. It had a slightly salty flavour by itself and was served with sweet and sour sauce.

The rice!

Seasoned fillet chicken - marinated fillet chicken cooked with a very special sauce made of garlic, peanut paste, hoi sin, bbq rib sauce, rice wine and honey. Surrounded by deep fried spinach leaves and cashews.

Such a detailed description of the dish. The chicken marinade tasted like satay, nutty and sweet. I think it was a bit too sweet for my liking. The deep fried spinach was really nice! It was a good savoury accompaniment to the sweetness of the chicken. I love cashews in my Asian dishes, so crunchy and fun.

Flaming Pork Ribs - choice cuts of pork chop marinated and braised with garlic, ginger, onion, home made special sauce and wrapped in foil.

It's actually flaming!

The pork was juicy and chewy. The cuts were a bit uneven, some being way too big to chew so I gave these away to the Man :p The marinade was sweet and sour with a hint of bbq sauce.

This was enough for the two of us. Crazed by our hunger, we were about to order more when the elderly waiter told us this was more than enough.


Fortune cookies! I wonder what's in store for me..

Hmm.. A bit scary.

Stitch @ Wynyard

As you walk in through the closet-like doors of the entrance, you cant help but feel like you've ventured into modern day Narnia. With dark wooden decorations and dim lighting, it exudes a magical mood that's sure to get you in the right place for a drink or two. It's past 10 pm on a Saturday night and this little basement bar is quite full. They had a reserved spot at the back for a birthday party so a lot of people were standing around. We were walking out, resolving to go to Balcony Bar and try their cocktail of the month instead, when a staff ushers us towards a just emptied seats. The seats we got were a cubicle, cozy and comfy. It's in the corner so it's a teeny bit quieter than the rest of the bar.

Sort of feels like a pub as well. A friendly waiter came to our table and asked us what we preferred in a cocktail. He then recommended us each a cocktail.

My Strawberry Sling. Vodka based and sweet. You can taste the crushed strawberries as well as the basil leaf. It's topped with a bubbly for that bit of pop.


Pineapple Head. Sweet and sour. This drink is Bacardi based.

Elegantly Wasted. What a name! That was what we were planning to do on this rare occasion but sadly one of our friends had to call it an early night. This one was quite strong and tasted strongly of tequila. You can really taste the ginger beer though so it masks the foulness of tequila.

Our other friend ordered Monkey Magic which was topped with apple juice so was sweet and easy to drink. I thought their cocktails were quite strong and unlike Cafe Sydney's juice-like drinks, you can actually taste the alcohol it's based from. Still, it was lovely and refreshing and I would definitely come back to try the other ones.

We got a bit peckish.. The Pork Burger. It came with chunks of grilled potatoes, with little fried potatoes. Not sure if that was deliberate but it was still nice and savoury. The burger itself was very juicy, thick and slightly spicy. I don't really like coleslaw so I brushed it off but the BBQ provided enough flavour. If you need more, then there's a bottle of ketchup and mustard on the side.

Huge patty!

For my sweet tooths <3

Chocolate Brownie Waffles. My dear friend Mina, being the crazy chocoholic she is, had to get this as soon as she saw this. It was sort of like that time when we were walking past Monkey Magic and she wouldn't stop talking about the guava sorbet that was on the menu. We went back and had it.

Anyways, these waffles were very chocolaty, topped with vanilla bean ice cream and fairy floss! That was quite a unique but cute finish! They give a lot and my friend couldn't finish it.

Carmalised banana split served with caramel fudge, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and toasted coconut and pecans. I didn't get to try this one but my friend loved the grilled bananas.

They also have ice cream sandwiches for dessert! They also do lunch now from 12 pm and although they don't have much on the food menu, by what I've tried, their food is worth trying as well. Next time I'm at Wynyard around the evening, I'll drop by for a cocktail or two :)

Cafe Sydney @ Circular Quay

After our dine and wine experience at Asti Restaurant, we came to Circular Quay to try the Cocktail of the Month at Cafe Sydney. We didn't know the restaurant was on top of Custom House and was wandering around the area, confused and frustrated. We weren't in a hurry but my stomach certainly was even after that massive meal and Chambord is my ultimately favourite liqueur.

The restaurant exudes a sexy vibe with a scary opening in the middle that looks down to the lobby.

Their cocktail was called the Rhurbarb and Berry Sour. It consists of Chambord, rhubarb bitters and fresh pressed lemon juice. Sweet and sour, it was like a berry juice! I could have had more of this if it wasn't for the price.

The cocktail is a pretty pink with a creamy froth top. It is served with a kingfish, blood orange, avocado and ocean trout roe tart.

Pretty! but a strange combination of flavours.

The Sydney Squash for the Man who accidentally spilled his cocktail :( This one was very zesty and was made so well it didn't taste like alcohol at all. Maybe it was the wine I had before but everything was like juice! .

Asti Restaurant @ Pyrmont

Date night! It's been a while since we've gone on a date with all our workload and 21sts so I was super excited about this night. We also planned on going to the Cocktail of the Month at Cafe Sydney so double the excitement :) I've never heard of this place until my boyfriend mentioned it to me one day. Apparently it's been named after the chef so it must be good right?

Pyrmont always had that old, rustic feeling that I've always liked but it wasn't until this night that I actually wanted to move here. The little waterfront park in front of the restaurant is beautiful at sunset and you can see the Harbour Bridge to the right. There's another restaurant called Sugaroom on the bottom floor of one of the apartment buildings that I've seen often on coupon deals. I'll have to try this one next time with outdoor seats to enjoy the lovely pink hue of the setting sun.

The entrance is a bit confusing with two doors. The one on the right is the real entrance that leads into the bar. The staff are friendly and smiling as we walk in and although there aren't that many costumers, we didn't feel too awkward because we were seated at a more private location in the hallway. We both liked the design of the cutlery and the menu is like an old parchment. We were given a glass of Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. It was sweet but I thought it was more of a dessert bubbly than for a meal.

Our house wines - me, white for the snapper, and the Man, red for his lamb.

Complimentary bread with salted olive oil and drops of balsamic.

Entree. The presentation for both was beautiful. With the soup, they brought out a bowl of proscuitto and chestnuts and poured the soup into it. Shame I couldn't capture that!

Silky smooth chestnut soup, toasted brioche, proscuitto di parma, espelette chili cream. Oh this soup was silky and smooth indeed. It was so creamy and savoury with sweet chestnuts at the bottom of the soup. The toasted brioche felt like it was deep fried than toasted but it was still nice when dipped into the soup. There are bits of herbs that adds a zesty pang between spoonfuls of the cream soup. It tasted strongly of chestnuts and I loved this dish even more because I loooooove and have bagfuls of roasted chestnuts in winter.

Carpaccio of kingfish, compressed watermelon and huile vierge. The red against the white, what a lovely contrast of colour. Raw fish by itself can be a bit bland but the sweet sauce that covered this dish was beautiful. The thin slices of onions on top balance out the sweetness and goes well with the kingfish. The compressed watermelon is just watermelon in the shape of a cylinder and we thought it was a bit random but watermelon is watermelon, it's still yummy :)

Mains. Snapper and lamb.

Pan fried local snapper fillet, butternut squash puree, swiss brown mushrooms and baby leeks. This restaurant tends to use a lot of honey. The brown doodle across the plate is honey based as well as the smear of the pistachio with the pear dessert. Honey and snapper, I'm not too sure about this combination but the butternut squash, with its sweet and softness, was lovely.

I loved this dish better than mine! Rack of lamb off the bone wellington style with fresh peas and baby carrots. The lamb is so succulent and tender. My eyes went wide when I had my first bite. It's wrapped in crispy pastry giving it a fun sausage roll type of feeling to the dish. It's also served with sweet butternut squash puree. Definitely a must when you try this place!

Dessert!

Chocolate fondant served with raspberry sorbet. Normally I'm not a sorbet person but this raspberry sorbet was sweet and just the right amount of tang. It's placed over a mat of crushed pistachios. The chocolate fondant was a bit of a disappointment as it didn't ooze out and wasn't really warm. I did like the decoration though with the crushed raspberries sprinkled on the plate like rose petals.

Poached pear filled with pistachio cream served with vanilla bean gelato. It also comes with a cute meringue bird sitting on top of the vanilla gelato. The gelato was smooth and creamy. It tasted strongly of vanilla beans and instantly I fell in love with it. We switched our sorbets and gelatos as I was a creamy ice cream type while the Man preferred tangy sorbets. The pear was spiced so along with the sweetness of the pear itself, you can taste a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. The pistachio crumbs in the middle are sprinkled over honey so you can't taste the pistachio much.

This day has been full of unexpected surprises. Contagion was surprisingly good, although it made us both paranoid about handwashing, and this lovely little restaurant more than satisfied our hunger. I had a happy food baby as I walked out and off we went to our fourth course of the day!