Thai Thae – Hurstville

April 12, 2019April 21, 2019Leave a comment

Only a short 2 min walk from Hurstville station is Thai Thae. A causal thai eatery with a huge kitchen and fully stocked bar.

Not your run of the mill thai restaurant, the menu boasts authentic thai with Bangkok street dishes, showcasing a huge menu of with interesting entree additions and also some chefs recommendations for the mains. If you’re coming with a group, they also have a few different banquets.

The head chef Nikon trained under the winner of Iron Chef Thailand, Chumpon Jangprai, so he certainly knows his flavour combinations.

For the entree we had curry puffs, as well as one of their signature dishes, one of our favourites was the duck larb, a lovely combo or shredded roast duck tossed with Larb served on Chinese cabbage. It had a nice flavour kick to it.

We also really liked the Roast Duck Curry and whole steamed barramundi with lime, chilli and ginger.

We ordered a few extra things including a green curry and satay stir fry! Both were generous serves.

Drinks wise, they do serve alcoholic drinks as well as a great range of mocktails and juices. We loved the lychee mocktail and virgin mojito.

We finished off with a rice pudding topped with strawberries.

The staff here were kept busy with lots of customers and were friendly in all interactions.

Thai Thae

1/33 Macmahon st, Hurstville 2220

(02) 8971 0797

Stanton and co turn 1

March 18, 2019March 19, 2019Leave a comment

Stanton & Co is a stunning new venue in a revived warehouse in The Cannery, Rosebery. The space has an industrial feel to it, and the team of designers took inspiration from New York’s Meatpacking District. You certainly get that vibe with its exposed brick walls and pipes, velvet chairs and deep cedar tables. It’s a huge space and can seat 240 guests, so it’s also perfect for an event. There’s a large bar, open kitchen and outdoor space to enjoy your dining experience.

We were lucky enough to attend celebrations for Stanton and CO’s first birthday with a bunch of foodies and we certainly had a great time.

Photo – supplied

The night kicked off with cocktails, wine and beer from Frenchies out in the spacious bar outside on the balcony of Stanton and Co. The ‘Bramberry cocktail’ with Roku Gin, yuzu juice and blackberries is a must try – very refreshing and a nice accompaniment to the food.

Photo – supplied

As we were at the first birthday, it was appropriate to to have a variety of party style food that could be shared canape style. We tried some beautiful oysters; both smoky and soy on arrival as well as the spanner crab mini taco, served with avocado and tobiko was super cute and a great little dish to share’.

Photo – supplied

We sat down and were kindly greeted by the staff who served drinks and started to bring out entrees. We shared a variety of small plates including the highlight – some deliciously crispy Jamon mozzarella croquettes with aioli.

We’re always fans of Salmon ceviche and the Stanton and Co. version was great, served with creme fraiche and potato crisps, this was a great starter. We can also thoroughly recommend the creamy Burrata, green tomato and salsa verde.

If you plan to visit, it’s great for a dinner date or a group catch because you can share with small, medium, or large plates. In particular, from the large plates, they have a twice-cooked chicken, slow cooked lamb shoulder, 800g dry aged T-bone, or what we tried: the absolutely incredible 1.2k pork knuckle. This was incredible. A moist inside, crispy crackle, served with seeded mustard.

Photo – supplied

If you’re ordering a meat to share, be sure to order some sides too – some charred seasonal vegetables, fried kipfler potatoes with spiced rosemary butter, shoestring fries and house mayo or like on our visit we had a super flavoursome and creamy truffled mash. Another highlight of the menu.

For our dessert, we were grateful to try the butterscotch mousse with cherries and banana ice cream. This was super nice and certainly would pair well with a dessert liquor. You can also order a number of other desserts, including chilled pineapple parfait, chocolate crumble, cheese plate or affogato. There’s even a dessert plate you can share.

Photo – supplied

We’d like to thank all staff at the venue for their hospitality and to original spin for the invitation

Opening hours

Wed-Fri 5pm-6pm for $1.50 oysters

Happy hour 4:30-6:30

Closed Monday & Tuesday

Wednesday to Saturday 12pm to late

Sunday from 12pm to 5pm

Stanton and co.

34 Morley Ave, Rosebery 2018

Level 1 of The Cannery

02 8339 0580

Dare cafe – delicious and responsible eating

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018Leave a comment

DARE is an acronym for delicious and responsible eating and the name behind the café on the strip of shops in Maroubra Junction. As the name suggests, the café produces delicious food, all made in house and they focus on using fresh ingredients from sustainable and ethical suppliers. You’ll be impressed as you walk in seeing all the fresh fruits, home-made granola, and freshly baked goods.

When we were there, they’d pulled some freshly baked mango bread (like banana bread, but using ingredients they had) and it smelt amazing. We tried the coconut dairy and gluten free cake made with almond meal which was so delicious and I’d go back for this time and time again. The brownies were also amazing.

The décor is rustic and decorated with eclectic items, mostly of the homewares/kitchen theme. The walls are painted with inspirational quotes which we quite liked.

The staff are delightful and so engaged when talking with us. We like that they think out of the box with their recipes, using what they have and even some crazy opening times of 6:03-3:06 and closing at 2:58. Gotta make things interesting huh!

We shared two dishes; a home baked and roasted granola, served with yoghurt, honey, milk and fresh seasonal fruit. Today the fruits were orange, strawberries, watermelon, dragonfruit, apple, pineapple and mango.

We also had the vegetarian shakshuka, served with spinach, eggs and a few slices of bread. Both were presented really nicely.

The coffee, using campos beans is great and they do some impressive latte art.

We enjoyed our visit to DARE and love that it fulfills our perspectives on eating.

765A Anzac Parade, Maroubra, Sydney

Bellbird – great food and even better value @ Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

November 11, 2018November 14, 2018Leave a comment

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre is located in a repurposed power station in the heart of Liverpool and is a cultural facility to showcase a range of exhibitions, theatre, music, performance and events. Although the place is not easy to find, we definitely recommend the trek there. There’s also a train station right on site so it’s easy for anyone to get to. This is our third visit specifically to visit the restaurant and we loved it just as much as our previous visits.

The Casula Powerhouse Arts restaurant is called “Bellbird dining and bar”, open 7 days a week from 10am – 3pm.

It is in a small kiosk area that looks like a small cafe, yet they’re pumping out fine dining inspired food from the kitchen, offering seasonal dining, using farm fresh ingredients, the restaurant is promoting sustainability, seasoning their foods with an array of the plentiful herbs and vegetables from their own garden.

Our visit this time was to celebrate my mother’s birthday and the whole family joined for a big lunch. We called and booked prior to visiting, since we had a big group. There was another large group there and the restaurant dealt well with so many guests.

Since our last visit, they’ve added an outdoor area with roof and covering so you get a nice bit of sun, whilst still being protected from the elements. Although the dining space is comfortable, we understand they’re also renovating it with new chairs and more.

The menu here is excellent, not only are the prices amazing, but this combined with beautiful plating and an amazing display of technique makes for a truly special dining experience.

On this visit we pretty much tried everything that was on offer:

The Chorizo, chickpea and Chimichuri dish was light and full of flavour.

Cured salmon pastrami, poached chicken with eggplant, pork belly and cabbage.

We loved the risotto and also the amazing fluffy gnocchi.

The okononiyaki fries as well as the lightly fried cauliflower were also a winner on the day and we also ordered a salad to cut through the heavy carbs.

One of our party is vegetarian and the menu was great for her, she could have the risotto, gnocchi and she also enjoyed a portobello mushroom and haloumi burger with fries.

We were at a birthday, so had to get desserts. We opted for a brownie, ice cream with poached pears, creme brûlée and a cheese platter. We were surprised with an amazing quince dish that all members of the party enjoyed.

With meals approximately $16-18 and $10-$12 desserts, even a $5 creme brûlée, it’s totally worth a visit. You won’t find good this good, this cheap, anywhere.

We love this restaurant, for its amazing food, lovely staff and great value.

Bellbird

1 Powerhouse Road, Casula NSW 2170

Mrs Jones – new cocktail bar and terrace

June 2, 2018June 2, 2018Leave a comment

Named after Jane Jones, a 19th century publican, this new restaurant and bar, Mrs Jones is a hidden gem, found in the upstairs precinct of the Orient Hotel in the Rocks Sydney. Accessed via Kendall Lane, walk upstairs and you’ll find yourself in a cocktail terrace and bar with high tables and lounges, you’ll certainly find this a comfortable and trendy place to hangout.

Above photos: papaya pr

Gone are the days of dancing on sticky floors, drinking and beer skolling, football watching and burger eating at this place. It is now a refashioned area, an eclectic and stylish space for a more sophisticated occasion, whether that be a few drinks or a meal in the dining area.

This is the newest launch by the Ryan’s Hotel Group, and they have done this with precision and style. We were lucky enough to experience some wonderful cocktail concoctions, wine and a three course menu in this beautiful new elegant dining area.

Chef Brad Copeland’s menu has a range of snacks and starters to enjoy with your drinks, or some larger dishes like salads and steaks. The food highlights Australian influences of lamb or kangaroo as well as some of your staple pub classics like burgers, schnitzels or Sunday roast.

We sampled a three course alternate meal for the launch lunch.The bruschetta, served atop two slices of sourdough with mixed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil, drizzled with oil. Refreshing and the perfect size for an entree.

I’m not normally a fan of eating Kanagroo but this was superb. Really nicely cooked at medium rare, served with rocket and melody tomato, hazelnuts and Persian fetta. It was lovely and lean and well seasoned.

For the mains, we received a large piece of pork belly which was juicy, served with boiled potatoes and beetroot. With some apple sauce and flavoured from the roasting juices.

34321845_10160521385900008_5783842727342899200_n

The pan fried barramundi came with broadbeans and a herbed salad topped with a parsley butter.

34342295_10160521344895008_4860704958074322944_n

We also shared some deliciously seasoned fries and rocket topped with Parmesan.

34132851_10160521386360008_8787565046814212096_n

But the chocolate brownie was the stellar performance on the day. A dark chocolate gooey brownie that was crispy on the outside and topped with double cream and honeycomb. It was outstanding and a must order!

We also had some Tasmanian brie, grapes and quince paste with lavosh.

34284569_10160521344490008_8006512917480472576_n

The food here is certainly much better than normally found at a pub! Quite nicely developed flavours and sophisticated plating.

34307681_10160520167750008_3770841995803623424_n (1)

Above photo: papaya pr

The cocktail menu boasts all your favourite classics. We sampled two awesome drinks prepared by mixologist Tommy Donnison, who has been in the industry for over 10 years. His creations included the Apple and Cinnamon Sour, which is a twist of a traditional whiskey sour and “The Mistress” (named for Mrs Jones) a twist of the traditional Tommy’s margarita. Don Julio, agave, lime and grapefruit soda – it was delicious! Perfectly mixed.