Salmon and Bear @ Zetland

January 13, 2019January 20, 2019Leave a comment

Salmon and Bear is a a casual eatery in Zetland, Sydney, across the road from the East Village shopping precinct. You can park in the shopping centre for 2 hours for free and head to the restaurant care free.

It is a fish eatery which cooks the fish over charcoal in a Spanish Mimbrasa oven which gives the seafood a nice smokey flavour. This also gives you the sense of having your dinner at a campfire, and with the restaurant decor feeling like a log cabin, so it is very fitting.

As we sit to peruse the menu, we are pleased to find they have a drink list with red and white wine by the glass or bottle, bubbles, beers and cocktails including aperol spritzers and a few Gins with home made tea and lemonade. We ordered the gin cocktails, perfect on a hot summer evening and helped take the edge of the working day.

The menu listing Burgers and few classics. We begin with the trio of tacos; the sticky glazed salmon, crispy hoki NZ fish, and salt and pepper calamari, served on a soft corn tortilla with salsa verde, pickled pink onions and sriracha mayo. A good choice if you are after some variety.

We also decided to order something different and went for the salt and pepper tofu as it looked extremely appealing. Nice soft little flavoursome squares with a crisp fried outer crust, flavoured with salt, pepper, shallots and chili, this was also served with a ponzu dipping sauce.

One of their popular menu items is the Grizzly Plate ($27.95) for the original where you select a piece of fish (Ora King salmon, tuna, barramundi, hiramasa kingfish , or catch of the day) along with a choice of dipping sauce (salsa verde, peri peri, yogurt and dill, tartare or oyster and sesame) and any salads or side. For $32.95, you can add two sides. Sides include chips, mashed potato, coconut rice, sweet potato fries, corn salad, summer slaw, Asian greens or the garden salad.

We opted for the Hiramasa Kingfish, cooked beautifully with a Smokey flavour and crispy skin. The salsa verde was the sauce of choice, the charred corn and the roasted veg for sides. Whilst veggies can sometimes be just veggies, the veggies at salmon and bear are on another level. They were boiled, grilled and then finished off again the oven, giving them a beautiful caramelised charred flavour. Topped with a honey mustard dressing and almonds, these a must order as your side dish.

Poke seems to be the dish on everyone’s lips these days and thus we were happy to see this on the menu. For those not in the know, it is a rice and salad dish originating in Hawaii, topped with sashimi. It is a healthy and nourishing option. At Salmon and Bear, they have a few different options. Whether it be cubes of raw salmon, tuna, miso eggplant or the salt and pepper tofu, you can select your favourite . They are served atop salad or coconut rice, spring onions, avocado, seaweed and corn salsa, with a soy and sesame dressing or chilli and lemongrass, depending on your selection.

Finishing off the night, we had to have the dessert. Just as you might have in wood cabin by the fire, comfort food is always good. A soft gooey brownie served with vanilla ice cream is certainly in that category.

Salmon and Bear is fitting for the whole family as it has a casual vibe, reasonable prices and a menu with Cubs (or kids) choices.

The service was brilliant and the manager in particular was excellent, with her personable nature, thorough knowledge and efficient work ethic.

We really enjoyed all the food here and have been here a few times now, and will certainly be back.

We would like to thank the restaurant and staff for their hospitality and Spooning Australia and Food Shot Sydney for the invitation to dine.

https://salmonandbear.com.au

Three Blue Ducks @ Rosebery

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019Leave a comment

The Three Blue Ducks concept began in Bronte and they’ve since expanded with stores now in Byron Bay, Rosebery and Brisbane. They also host weddings and functions and you often see them at other events off site. With a big team of staff, you will note one of them is an ex-Masterchef contestant.

Stores vary in look and menu, however their approach is the same. We went to the Rosebery store which could be described as an open kitchen, large dining space and rustic decor. The store also sells some homely products like chopping boards, keep cups and cookbooks.

The restaurant group likes to use ethically sourced and organic produce and generally from local suppliers, ensuring the menu has fresh food, and as such the menu continues to evolve.

We were pleasantly greeted, taken to our table and perused the menu. Entrees, larger plates as well as the weekly sandwich special (this day was a smoked lamb) and even a bottomless brunch are on the menu. We were visiting mid week so unfortunately a bottomless brunch wasn’t on the cards for us, perhaps another time.

We ordered the oysters, which were beautiful. served with a shallot and red wine mignonette, the flavour was very refreshing. The lamb kofta was incredibly tasty, served on a spread of romesco, parsley and accompanied with a flatbread. This was a very good dish, but probably a little pricy at $19 for the size.

The other dining partners chose the poke bowl, with the addition of kingfish. A good serving, quite fishy with all the seafood and kingfish too, topped with a poached egg. Again, a lovely meal, but well above your typical price range for a poke bowl ($27).

We also had the wood roasted kingfish. Perfectly cooked, with a crispy skin and served with charred broccoli and a macadamia cream, pickled chilli and anchovy vinaigrette ($35). Flavours worked really well and the wood roasting enabled the natural fish flavour to be retained.

Other menu options include BBQ prawns, porchetta, sticky chicken, pumpkin salad and a buttermilk chicken burger (to name a few).

The bar has a range of boutique beers and ciders, cocktails and a wine list, as well as tea and coffee.

It is a lovely place to dine, staff are warm and welcoming and service was prompt. The food was extremely delicious, but it’s probably a little overpriced. We would recommend this for a special lunch. There’s a brunch menu too which we’d be keen to try at some point.

Three Blue Ducks

1/85 Dunning Ave, Rosebery NSW 2018, Australia

International Eats – Best of 2018

December 31, 2018December 31, 20181 Comment

This year, we were fortunate enough to have a few months off travelling the world. Whilst we primarily tried to do this on budget, we feel that travel is also about the whole experience, tasting local cuisine and restaurants. Thus we budgeted and kept some money aside for some top dining memories. We’ve arranged our highlights below in their respective countries.

Peru

Lima

The top of our dining experiences to date (ever) comes from none other than Centrale Restaurant, one of the top 10 restaurants in the world. It is a Gastronomy standout in South America, offering a 12 or 17 course dining experience. This place amazingly reflects Peru’s altitudes and microclimates on a plate. The entire menu was creative and flawless.

Astrid y Gaston made the list for the World’s Top 50 restaurants. Offering a tasting menu and ala carte menu, we chose the latter. We loved all the dishes, in particular, the chocolate dessert ball. A thin tempered chocolate ball, which, when cracked reveals a dessert full of beer ice cream, caramel and more surprises. You must pay this place a visit if in Peru.

Ollantaytambo

The highlight of our visit to Ollantaytambo was our visit to El Albergue and experiencing the Pacahamanca lunch. This was a farm to table experience, learning from the ground up, cooking the meats underground under heated rocks, producing a simple yet exquisite meal. Served with potatoes, salad and breads and we ate in the surrounds of the Andean snow covered mountains, it was fabulous all round.

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Argentina is known for a few things: futball, wine, steak and Dulce De Leche. We certainly experienced these things in spades.

La Cabrera is a steakhouse with a range of amazing meats at superb quality. Massive servings at inexpensive prices kept us going back for more. Accompanied by plenty of sides and red wine, it was easily one of our favourite places in Argentina.

Don Julio is another winner on the steak front. An upmarket steakhouse with the best steak we had in South America, maybe ever. The beef ribs were a tasty option, but the rib eye was out of this world. We could eat here everyday.

You absolutely have to visit the cafe Pani for their phenomenal dulce de leche desserts. The dulce de Leche cheesecake with Oreos is an absolute winner.

USA

New York

New York probably has some of the best restaurants and cafes going around. However, since we were only there for 2 nights, it’s a bit hard to see much at all. Milk bar is always a must visit for their birthday cake ice cream, but their alcoholic shakes (found at the Brooklyn store) are superb, in particular the “Russian” – cereal milk ice cream and vodka.

Dominique Ansel is also high on our list. A patisserie where people line our the doors all morning for their Cronuts, we preferred their frozen s’mores on a stick and chocolate chip cookie shot with milk.

You also can’t visit NYC without getting a Reuben sandwich on rye at Katz deli – loaded and filled to the brim. You’ll struggle to eat it size wise, but you will because it’s so damn tasty.

Ecuador

Galápagos Islands

Whilst you might not visit the Galápagos Islands for food, but being on the water, good food, in particular, the seafood is in abundance. On San Cristóbal, the Kioskito puerto lobo is a great local joint set up in a small hut and here you can try some tasty seafood including lobster. The langosta (lobster) is well priced between $15 and $20, for a whole lobster, depending on the flavours and toppings of the dish. The Langosta del marisco, which is lobster served in its shell with a seafood sauce containg fish, octopus and prawns is delicious.

Chile

Santiago

99 Restaurante – “I got 99 problems but this restaurant ain’t one”, especially if you’re dining here for lunch. Their three course lunch, which will set you back roughly AUD $25 is extraordinarily good value. The lunch menu consists of 6 items, you have the 6 item tasting menu or a half serve. We had the three dishes; a potato and yam foam, served with an egg yolk and crisps as well as the beef tongue and cheese sandwich/slider. For the main, we both opted for the papada de Cerdo y lentejas. This was essentially Jamon and lentils. The desserts were a standout including the peanut butter brownie nicely presented with a chocolate mouse and a sorbet and the Bavaroise frambuesa y marscapjone.

Hong Kong

Michelin star restaurants are all over Hong Kong, and many of them are at next to nothing prices. Try Yat Lok for their famous roasted duck, Tsim Tai Chi for their wonton noodle soup and Lee Kum Kee for snake soup with duck liver sausage and rice.

A Michelin star was also awarded to I love you dessert bar for their incredible Soufflé pancake. One of the most incredible pancakes we’ve ever had.

Whilst our Hong Kong experience was mostly on the inexpensive side, we also tried the other end of the spectrum. Whilst Mizunara the library has cocktails that will set you back over $50 a glass and almost every whiskey under the sun at similar prices, it’s definitely worth a visit. Winner of the World Championship Cocktail competition at the all world Open Cup of 2015, this cocktail was super impressive and thus making our best of list.

Hurricanes – waterfront venue @ Brighton Le Sands

December 30, 2018December 31, 2018Leave a comment

Hurricanes is a bar and grill famous for their ribs and BBQ meat selection. The Hurricanes menu is that popular, they have a number of venues around Sydney, including the original venue in Bondi, and newer venues in Chatswood, Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. They also have a stores in Qld and a couple of express stores around Sydney.

We visited Hurricanes at their Brighton Le Sands location. Brighton Le Sands is one of the lesser known waterfront dining areas in Sydney. Hurricanes has a prime spot there, right on the waters edge, boasting views of our historical Botany Bay. It also has views of the airport and aeronautical enthusiasts can enjoy watching the planes taking off and landing over the bay.

Hurricanes Brighton Le Sands is spacious venue with floor to ceiling glass to take advantage of the views. It is extremely large with plenty of tables, 2 bars and open plan so you could easily host a large party. We were informed they were booked up with 350 people for New Years Eve.

We arrived right on noon and it was just opening. We were promptly taken to our table, right at the windows with a lovely outlook. We perused the menu and staff updated us with the daily specials.

Hurricanes are famous for their ribs and steaks and they use a unique basting sauce to provide a lovely flavour to their meats. Meat cuts are all halal certified from their suppliers and can have no sauce upon request. They may not be known first and foremost as a seafood restaurant, but there’s plenty of seafood options too.

Our visit to Hurricane’s saw us try some of these seafood options, beginning with the scallops. Perfectly cooked, the scallops were served in the open shell, atop sweet potato purée, resembling the look of roe. We thoroughly enjoyed this start to the meal.

Following on from this, we ordered one of the specials, the grilled whole barramundi. It was soft and flaky, with the flesh falling from the bone. We enjoyed this with lemon and a side salad.

We couldn’t go past ordering a steak, which Hurricanes are notorious for. There’s numerous meats and cuts to select from. Whether it be the rump, strip stirloin, fillet tenderloin or T bone, you will find your perfect match. Wagyu, dry aged or long fed beef, Hurricanes sure know their meats. We went for the dry aged beef, aged for 21 days, served as a strip loin on the bone (400g), the flavour was lovely and it was cooked spot on to our request. Meats come with your choice of fries, salad or baked potato and you can order a sauce to accompany it.

Hurricanes also serve other main menu items like beef cheeks, lamb cutlets, pork knuckle, grilled chicken, burgers and more. If you are super hungry or a couple wanting to share a meal Hurricanes have a number of combo deals like steak and ribs or meat or seafood platters. There’s desserts and cocktails to top off your dining experience. The menu is certainly extremely approachable so we imagine it would satisfy any dining party.

We enjoyed our visit to Hurricanes Grill and would like to thank the restaurant and staff for their hospitality and Spooning Australia and Food Shot Sydney for the invitation to dine.

https://hurricanesgrill.com.au

95 The Grand Parade, Brighton-Le-Sands NSW 2216

Dining at Six Senses, Uluwatu

December 29, 2018January 1, 20191 Comment

If you are staying at the Six Senses or visiting The Bukit Peninsula or Uluwatu, this resort has a number of options for your dining pleasure. In keeping with their sustainable vision, ingredients are mostly sourced from their own private garden or local producers if needed. Thus, menus change seasonally according to what is available.

In terms of dining choices there is Rocka Restaurant which is open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is primarily an Indonesian restaurant for dinner, showcasing the authentic flavours of the Indonesian Archipelego. It has amazing views and you can sit inside or out. Rocka also host’s a ‘chef’s table’ on their small terrace, called ‘Rocka Edge’, where you can dine in a more intimate setting by the wine cellar and up close with the chef and special menu.

Crudo is a fusion of South America and Japan, with chefs following the Robatayaki philosophy, simply grilling the ingredients and adding light flavour of sea salt or sauce to enhance the natural flavours. Cliff Bar is as it sounds, set at the cliff, offerings panoramic views of Uluwatu, its beaches and the incredible sunset. The menu here runs until 7pm, serving sushi, salads, burgers and sandwiches and woodfire oven baked pizzas. There are plenty of cocktails on offer at each of the bars too. Cliff Bar will be even more perfect when their open air cinema comes to fruition.

If you’re keen to stay in for the night, then Rocka serves breakfast from 6:30 -10am in the Villa, Ala carte daily food ( a smaller selection of meals from a few of the restaurants) for the rest of the day and all night 11pm-6am.

You’ll also be please to note that free gelato and sorbet is on offer just outside Crudo restaurant and the boutique from 12 noon – 6pm. We are good authority on this being outstanding, with us trying guava, yoghurt and berries, coconut and you’ll be pleased to see salted caramel and rocky road making an appearance. Flavours change daily.

If you’ve got kids, there’s kids menus at each restaurant and in the villas as well.

Rocka Restaurant

We visited Rocka Restaurant upon arrival for a drink and a wonderful sambal demonstration, learning how to make different types of sambal such as sambal tomat, kacang, dabu dabu, nyuh, matah and embeh. These differ in the additions of chilli, tomato, sweet soy, shrimp paste, coriander and more.

Dinner

We returned for a dinner meal and were impressed by the food at Rocka. They have a number of mains from tuna to pork belly, roasted chicken, pork ribs, king prawns, Balinese pork sausage, baked duck and more. We selected the ‘Pepes Ikan’ or fish with green tomato, blimbing wuluah and Gado Gado – an Indonesian green bean salad. They are all super creative dishes with interesting flavours and showcasing proteins from different regions of the Indonesia. Your much loved Nasi Goreng is also on offer. If you are on a special diet, there are Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, sugar free options. There is also a special vegan menu.

Rocka restaurant also have western options if some of your party aren’t up for the International foods. These options include salads, sandwiches and burgers. Desserts are a mix of Indonesian and International options. They’ve got an amazing list of sodas and cocktails too, and they differ slightly bar to bar.

Tea and coffee is also on the menu, and the coffee is made using Tanamera medium roasters espresso blend, which is 100% organically sourced from Indonesia. We tried the espresso, cappuccino and a flat white – it was a nice light coffee flavour, complete with latte art.

Breakfast

The breakfast buffet is incredible. Everything is homemade – the pastries, granola, yoghurt, juices and even down to the Nutella. I’ve never seen anything like it. Starting fresh with fruits, homemade yoghurt; fruit yoghurt, fresh and also coconut. Add this to their house made granola, and you’ve got a great start. Moving onto the cold dishes, I was impressed to see a whole iberico jamon, cured meats and fish and these were brilliant.

The hot menu boasts sausages, an amazing beef brisket, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes and Indonesian specialties.

They make freshly baked pastries in house such as brioche and multi-grain breads, cinnamon scrolls and chocolate croissants. Gluten free and vegan selections are also available.

You can also order from the special made to order menu, including a crab omelette, huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, avocado on toast or any eggs to your liking.

The drinks were lovely and they have small juice hits like the ‘detox booster’, ‘trim and fit’ and ‘Kintamani’s tangerine’. For a thicker smoothie style, there’s a few more options for cleansing and resilience.

We were also recommended to do the floating breakfast where you are served your breakfast in a floating basket to enjoy in your infinity pool in the villa. This would be amazing for a very special occasion, coming at a 600 000 + price point per person.

Crudo

A mix of South American and Japanese influences, you will find tacos, ceviche’s, sushi, sashimi, udon and more. There’s quite a large vegan offering and plenty of dishes for those on a trim and fit wellness program. We enjoyed a smaller meal here, a few plates of sushi and tacos but there’s plenty of substantial dishes like steaks and a couple of sides if you’re hungrier.

Staff are absolutely delightful and are incredibly hospitable and do their best to provide you with amazing service. The dining space is sophisticated and has a wonderful outlook of the hotel and the sweeping views of the ocean.

Salamat Makan, or Bon Appetit.

https://www.sixsenses.com/resorts/uluwatu-bali/destination

Regent Place

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018Leave a comment

Regent Place, located right in the heart of the CBD, just off George St, offers a range of eateries and boutiques for you to enjoy.

We’ve been numerous times to try the different eateries, showcasing a multicultural flavour. On this occasion we visited to watch the Taiko performance, some brilliant drummers who were playing around the centre alongside a visit from Santa.

On the lowest level, level 9 you’ll find Assembly Bar and Restaurant, Daiso store, Nail art and more. We ate at Yakinuku Yokocho and had dessert from Fujimi Doriyaki and a pearl tea from Coco.

On level 10 you’ll find lots of dessert options such as Oh! Matcha by Chamona, Uncle Tetsu and Aqua S. But there’s also restaurants like the ever popular Chefs Gallery, Yakitori Yebisu, as well as some clothing stores too.

On level 11 is a medical level with a variety of practitioners to suits many needs.

As you can see, it’s really a one stop shop!

Below are some of our favourites!

Desserts

There’s plenty of places to enjoy some Asian inspired desserts. We enjoyed the Matcha ice cream with a mochi from Oh Matcha.

There’s also the famous sea salt ice cream at Aqua S! We have popped in just a few times. On this occasion we had the white chocolate macadamia and sea salt flavour. You can also get a range of exciting add ons like popping candy and fairy floss!

We also enjoyed some delicious Fujimi Doriyaki Japanese sweet pancakes that come with a variety of fillings; Nutella, red bean, peanut Nutella and many more, take your pick.

Coco Tea have arange of milk pearl based teas with heaps of flavours. We tried the Bubble ‘Gaga’. You can select your own amount of ice and sugar to your flavour preference. The flavour of it was passionfruit which was a nice change from a milk tea.

Restaurants

We love Chefs Gallery for dumplings! You can get sweet or savoury. We especially love the emoji custard dumplings! It’s always busy so you may need to line up, but it’s worth the wait.

Yakiniku Yokocho is a great little bbq place on the bottom level of Regent Place shopping centre. You may have to wait a little while for your table but you can browse the shops whilst you wait. It’s a touch screen order menu and with a good selection of meat and sides to cook yourself on the bbq grill in front of you. You receive an array of sauces to flavour your meat, though with such good quality meat, it isn’t really needed. We ordered a few sides and enjoyed the salad as well as some sashimi. You can order highball cocktails and also beers. A great little Japanese dinner location.

Yakitori Yebisu

When you’re in Japan, it’s a must to visit Izakaya to sample all the marvellous food it has to offer. It also gives you the opportunity to taste many different things when there are small plates to pick from. Yakitori Yebisu is a taste of Japan. Japanese memorabilia adorns the walls and it feels like you’re in Japan.

We begun with a wagyu hot pot, tender beef in a beautifully flavoured soup with vegetables and tofu. We also got some ramen to go with it. This was a great meal for a cold winters night. When you’re at an izakaya, you can’t go past yakitori – pork, seafood, chicken, your choice! We had some juicy chicken thigh, nicely seasoned.

There’s plenty more to eat, do and see – so be sure to check it out yourself

Regent Place

501 George St

Sydney NSW 2000

9am til late, 7 days a week

Cirrus Dining – waterfront delights

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018Leave a comment

Cirrus Dining, located on the waterfront of Barangaroo is one of those venues we’ve had on our list for a while now, and we finally made a visit. Cirrus is named after the cloud like apartment that sits above it. This restaurant is absolutely incredible and certainly deserves all the accolades it has received.

Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, you can sit inside or alfresco, enjoying views of our breathtaking harbour. A crisp and stylish place with minimal decor, yet it feels classy with its floor to ceiling glass.

The Chefs know upmarket dining, having experience from the Bentley, Monopole and Yellow restaurants. Chef Brent Savage has put together an array of seafood delights with incredible flavour combinations and the freshest selection of seafood, sustainably caught. Don’t fret, if you have a non seafood eater amongst you, there’s vegetarian and meat options as well.

The waitress informed us that the dishes at Cirrus were designed to be shared. As a party of 6, she recommended 6 entrees, 6 mains and 4 sides. We ordered one less main than her recommendation and we were extremely full. The meats were served in generous portions. We also shared 3 desserts.

We began with a few oysters, served with a vinaigrette and these were a beautiful start to our dining experience.

We shared a number of starters including their famous Ocean trout with smoked beetroot, pepperberry and toast. The smoked beetroot lay atop the ocean trout mixture, almost like a starfish and the texture was simply divine.

The small plate of raw Cobia (like a sashimi) with salted apple, turnip and sesame was quite refreshing.

We shared two plates of the roasted King Prawns and Koji Butter. These prawns were were beautifully cooked, and a generous lashing of the butter sauce.

We also really enjoyed the Fremantle octopus with kohlrabi and green chilli salsa. The octopus was super fresh, tender, with a nice crisp charred outer and topped with ribbons of kohlrabi.

Given Cirrus is primarily a seafood restaurant, we couldn’t go past having a number of fish for our mains. We enjoyed the the Hiramasa kingfish with grilled cucumber, buttermilk and mint. Nice and soft fish with a pleasant sauce.

The cone bay barramundi was also lovely and was presented with some beautiful coils of charred onions and watercress.

The roasted swordfish was another winner, served with fennel, buckwheat and bottarga.

The Grilled black angus rib eye, 500 g was a big serving, and served with kombu butter, a very good comfort choice to please the masses. We ordered it medium and it was perfectly cooked to our request.

The barbecued lamb neck may not be something you’d expect at a seafood restaurant but for the meat lovers amongst us, it is a brilliant dish.

We shared all the sides; chips and aioli, radicchio salad, an absolutely beautiful plate of grilled asparagus with fresh curd and black olive, as well as a lovely serve of zucchini with hazelnut, yoghurt and turmeric.

We were pretty full but wanted to try the desserts too, so we shared 3 between the group of 7. We tried the Coconut Sorbet with Kiwi Fruit and Black Cardamom Custard. We also tried the Rosemary Ice Cream with Hazelnut Granola and Rhubarb. Both were beautiful, nice and light.

The favourite of the group was the cream Cheese Parfait with Roasted Strawberries and Lovage.

As for the drinks, Sommelier Nick Hildebrandt has also organised a wide selection of wines, 500 from around the world where you can get advice on the best to pair with your food selection. We chose a bottle of Riesling, which was a lovely pairing.

All of this amongst 6 diners and including 3 bottles of wine and bread came to $130 each, which is pretty reasonable given the size of the servings and amount of food. If you’d prefer, the tasting menu is available for $110 each for the whole table, though we preferred to order so we could try a greater range of options.

We absolutely loved dining at Cirrus and can’t recommend it enough!

10/23 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW
Phone: (02) 9220 0111
Open 12pm-10pm 7 days a week
http://www.cirrusdining.com.au/

Be prepared for your mind to be blown, CBD welcomes the new Bopp & Tone!

November 19, 2018Leave a comment

The corner of Carrington & Wynyard street has gone through a rebirth with the arrival of Bopp & Tone, the new finance district’s restaurant and bar. Opening night was an opportunity to see the unveiling of the space as one of the city’s newest destination for after work drinks and dinner. Open spaces, natural light and an alfresco deck will play host to after work drinks and summer dinners with a menu of Mediterranean influence.

Image credit: Guy Davies
Share food is the name of the game here. Seafood dishes range from $26-$29 with whole fish options at seasonal market prices. You’ll find the same exotic sourcing in Wagyu Flank ($53), MB3 Rib Eye $46), MB2 Sirloin ($38) and a monstrous 1kg Brooklyn Valley Bistecca for $135! They pride themselves on offering a sustainable selection of produce while offering a high end experience in meal options of wood grill and charcoal oven. Accompaniments (Sides) at just $8-$10 add that extra richness to your meal.

Image credit: Guy Davies
The opening night was a showcase of dishes reminiscent of the A ‘La Carte menus and functions menus. The venue thriving at full potential with a feature piece grazing table, fresh seafood, wood fire opened and chargrilled meats as 300 palettes were delighted with the style of cooking one could expect in a full dining experience.

Image credit: Guy Davies

The wine list is in keeping with the theme with some of the most prominent vineyards at the forefront of sustainable production. The flare of Mediterranean seeps into their cocktail list also with some clever innovations. One stand out from opening night was their signature Raspberry Aperol spritz. The Aperol’s sugary undertones in sweetness from the citrus blended with the tart edge of the raspberry work well together.

Image credit: Guy Davies

Bopp & Tone promises to be a escape for locals and CBD workers this summer

Bopp & Tone

60 Carrington Street, Sydney 2000

Joseph Lloyd, Contributor.

Radley’s in the Met Centre

November 2, 2018November 2, 2018Leave a comment

Radley’s is a new bar and restaurant in the heart of the city, located in the Met Centre. It is a slick operation that is ready to cater to the masses. The set up is clean and modern, with an alfresco balcony and an outlook over the busy George St. Pop in for a coffee, they source their beans from coffee sensation Ona, the breakfast and lunch menu’s also look enticing. Visit at night to unwind after work, the menu is particularly geared for groups with some great value share platters.

The warm weather and daylight savings made it the perfect spot to enjoy a few after work beverages, with happy hour running from 4pm-7pm daily. The cocktail list loaded with classics; Manhattan’s, Cosmopolitan’s mojito’s and more. The wine list lined with quality, all wines rated higher than 90 points, there are a few quality beers on tap including the Panhead XPA and a variety of bottles to choose from.

A lot of thought has gone into this bar menu, it’s a very good drinking menu. There are plenty of great snacks to share including sweet potato fries, the finger lickin crispy Korean fried chicken, sweet potato fries, the haloumi fries are something special, as are the chips which they have perfected to a science.

For something more substantial there is the mac n cheese topped fried chicken and chipotle mayo to finish. This is unreal!

The sharing platters are great value $50 dollars to feed four, works out to $12.50 each. This platter includes the crazy good buttermilk fried chicken and Kim Chi sliders on a french milk bun, the prime rib tacos which are closer to burrito size, Radley’s perfectly cooked chips with chicken salt and nachos, loaded with cheese, guacamole, chuncky salsa and sour cream.

Having tuned their bar and restaurant skills in Singapore, they’re now bringing that experience to Sydney. Add this joint to your list of bar eats. Radley’s provides the ideal venue for a casual bite to eat and a few cheeky beverages.

Radley’s

273 George Street Shop MG 23, Sydney NSW 2000

Be a viking @ Mjolner

October 28, 2018Leave a comment

Back to one of our favourite bars, but this time it’s primarily for a feed. Mjolner is hidden downstairs off the busy Cleveland St Surry Hills, the only thing that gives it away is the 18+ sign out front. Mjolner is a Viking themed bar and restaurant. When we say viking themed, it’s not a tacky themed restaurant. Mjolner has a raw sophisticated Viking thing going on, the venue arranged as though it has come out of a carnivore and whisky lover’s dream.

The restaurant walls are dorned with viking weaponry and relics. The bar displays numerous types of alcohol, mainly whisky. Mjolner also has some of the coolest drinking vessels you will see anywhere. They have a whisky decanter called Mjolner (Thors hammer) and you can enjoy a beer out of a horn. The cutlery is also awesome, choose your weapon/steak knife before the meal. With a range bespoke knives with ornate wood and bone handles presented in a leather knife roll.

Food wise the Mjolner menu is a great match to the what the space is about. The menu has plenty of rustic and hearty options to choose from and well geared for sharing or group dining.

As a starting point, the venison tartare, a nicely seasoned raw meat dish served with crisp bread or the grilled butterflied prawns are both great options.

For mains, there are a few different proteins options, all very viking like and great for sharing; the whole fish or rotisserie grain fed chicken or a 900g rib eye on the bone. The 900g rib eye is a substantial chunk of meat and a great option to share. They appear to use the reverse sear technique, starting it in the oven then finished over the flame grill. This piece of meat topped with rosted bone and a super tasty bone marrow sauce, certainly a great looking and tasty meal.

Mjolner is a good choice, especially if a good drinks list is high on your agenda. The food is also of a good standard although more suitable to group dining or those that have a big appetite. To top it off the place is just cool, who doesn’t want to drink from a horn or choose a bespoke knife for their meal.

Mjolner

267 Cleveland St, Redfern NSW 2016

https://www.mjolner.com.au/

(02) 8646 4930

thewhereto

food | travel | lifestyle

Tag: cocktails