Urban Bites - a bit underwhelming

A few weeks ago, I went to meet my friend Margaret for brunch in Newtown. On this particular day, we were meeting for brunch at a cafe called Urban Bites in Newtown.  This is one of the many spots I've noted on a warm, sunny day, and had been jealous of the people actually eating there.  Today, it was my turn.  The forecast was particularly sneaky; when I got dressed, it read 23, so jeans were appropriate.  However, by the time I reached the midpoint, the temp. had shot up to 31 degrees and I was dying; having to call M to tell her I'd be delayed since I could barely function putting one foot in front of the other, let alone doing it quickly.  

I'm pretty used to the Sydney temps these days, but when you're not dressed for it (as in, wearing as little clothing as possible), it's a bit of an ordeal for a Newfie girl.  When I got to the resto, after downing about a litre of water, I noticed a canine a few feet away.  Normally, I'm not a fan of animals in restos (it's gross; am I wrong here?) but M and I agreed that this pathetic-looking pooch pretty much summed up how all of Sydney was feeling that day.

Margaret ended up ordering the Big Breakfast - I think - which consisted of bacon (back bacon) 2 eggs and (sourdough) toast for something ridiculous like $8.  This is a bargain, folks.  I also love how Aussies tend to add a grilled tomato to breakfast - that's my kinda garnish.  

Big Breakfast? 

I was feeling eggs and smoked salmon of some kind, so I went for the scramble with spinach.  It was delicious.  I felt like shoving the whole thing between those two slabs of Turkish toast and making an awesome sambo, but I erred on the side of conservative calories, and simply had my pile of eggs with a touch of toast. 

Smoked Salmon & Spinach Scramble
w/ Turkish Toast ($15-$17ish)

I also ordered a pretty good coffee - but one that ended up costing me about $6! Australians are serious about their java.  I once ordered an iced coffee and received a glass of the brew topped with about two scoops of vanilla ice cream.   I wanted cold coffee, not a calorie fix!  Anyway, on this occasion, I ended up with a frappucino-y type-thing, which sated my fix for both caffeine and a cold  drink -  though it wasn't wallet-friendly.

That being said, I recall my b-fast bill being about $24 for the eggs/java, so l likely won't head back to this spot again.  And in Sydney, why would you - when there are so many options for bfast right around the corner.

Countless options for bfast at the Clipper Cafe

Last week, I met my friend Margaret for brunch in Glebe. Margaret is a pal that I 'borrowed' from my sister - they met in Manhattan. Actually, Margaret is the wife that my sister 'borrowed' from her boyfriend's best friend.  Keep up people!  Anyhow, luckily for me, M now lives in Sydney as opposed to Manhattan, so I get to meet her sporadically to catch up; talk about life, food, fun and how much we both miss my sister.

Since we met up in her 'hood (Newtown) the last time, we decided to reunite in Glebe on this sunny Tuesday am.  We decided to go to the Clipper Cafe because: a) my gal pal Christine works there, and b) I wanted to introduce Mags to the amazingness that is La Banette.

When I arrived, M was already waiting patiently with her latte in hand, so we set about ordering some bfast.  Having already poured over many of Sydney's food blogs at images, I decided on the baked eggs Napoli while M decided on a panini sambo.

Baked Eggs Napoli w/ Chorizo & Mushroom

w/ Toasted Sourdogh ($10ish)

Sadly my gal Christine wasn't at work, however, one of her colleagues assisted me with my dilemma: Instead of having to choose between Chorizo and mushroom (pancetta was the other option), she suggested that I have 1/2 and 1/2!  And she didn't charge me extra either.    But seriously; this was such a fantastic dish - and such a creative one too.  The poached eggs (which were a little runny for my taste) were nestled deep within the tomato sauce, topped with a pile of the piquant sausage and tender 'shrooms.  There were even bits of halloomi cheese scattered about.  In all honesty, I haven't eaten this much in one sitting in a long time, but it was just so good - and not something I was going to get packed up as a takeaway.  And, who doesn't love to mop up the tomato sauce left at the finish?

Toasted Sandwich
w/fresh tomatos, pesto & Bocconcinni ($8)

I didn't try M's sambo (I had enough to deal with), but she did rave about the quality.  Looked delish, as did the Prosciutto, mushroom and Brie option.

And once we were finished, I took M over to La Banette where we ooo'd and aww'd over the precious baked goods.  Naught was had however - were were both ready to roll down GPR at this point after our uber satisfying and well-priced bfast at Clipper.  Return visits are soon to happen too, as ther were so many tantalizing options on that menu board. I should note too, that many of the items were vegetarian friendly. :)

Shellfish at Bar Reggio & I'm Angus Steakhouse

I was pretty excited to see my bestie when she visited me in Sydney last week.  She was in town on a conference, and we ended up having some great meals (and drinks) together.  Once such night was the one we went to Bar Reggio, a little Italian BYO in my work hood.  The boys in the office are quite familiar with the restos in this area, and when I asked if there was a good spot for BYO, they said that this was one of their favourites.   There would be quite the line up on a Friday night however, and they only take resos for large groups, so I headed over right after work to put my name down for a table for two.  The gyuy at the door said it would be 9pm for a table for two...it was 7:15.

Once M joined me, we set off to the bottleshop and picked up a couple bottles of wine. Of course, having already scanned the menu we knew that we would be having mussels and picked up a nice Riesling counteract the chili in the tomato sauce. In the meantime, while we waited for 9pm, we headed over to   Pocket Bar; a super cool little bar in Darlinghurst. PB was a great discovery, and I've been back to it several times since; with a funky interior and some serious cocktails, it's a great spot to catch up with friends.

My tab card...

When we got back to Bar Reggio there was still a serious wait, but it was well worth it.  The aromas wafting from the resto were intoxicating and quintessential for an Italian resto: sweet tomato sauce; yeasty bread dough and greasy cheese.  While we stood in the doorway, we watched one of the kitchen guys top a beautiful flatbread with a vibrant blend of fresh tomato and herbs - the bruschetta - which we ended up ordering as well.  

Mussels w/ chili & Napoli sauce

We were really pleased with the mussels.  Both M and I grew up in the Atlantic provinces in Canada, so seafood is very important to us, and we're pretty particular.  These suckers were fresh, plump and flavourful - and a generous serving too.  The sauce was certainly more-ish.  I found myself enjoying that to the same extent as I did the shellfish.  Unfortunately, by the time we got our bruschetta, the tomato topping wasn't quite as generous, but it was still delicious.  In fact, we ended up saving the broth from our muscles and spooning the bits of red pepper, tomato and onion onto the bruschetta base.  That was my idea.  I'm a genius.

Later in the week, we headed over to Cockle Bay in search of some oysters.  We ended up at I'm Angus Steakhouse at a table overlooking the boardwalk.  In that heat, a refreshing bevy was needed, and what better than a gin and tonic. As a side note - my favourite bevvy to beat the heat at home in Sydney is a tall glass of tonic water with a good squeeze of lemon and a generous handful of mint from the garden.  

Oysters Killpatrick ($20)

We ordered some oysters as a little snack before heading to the grocery store to get some ingredients for dinner.  We got 1/2 a dozen, and after debating over Natural and Killpatrick for a good while, we chose the Killpatrick; a topping of bacon and Worcestershire sauce.  The price wasn't too bad for oysters - especially in such a 'touristy' location.  They were Sydney Rock Oysters and the quality of the shellfish was top notch.  Beautiful oysters topped mysterious Worsh. sauce and salty bacon - we were some pretty happy gals.

The following am, I took a stroll over to the Botanical Gardens as my friend had mentioned that the rose garden was in full bloom.  My iPhone was full of flower shots afterward, but these are some of my faves.

A carnivore's dream at The Lane

After a very long work week, my housemate and I headed over to Sydney's swanky bar Establishment for some post-work drinks.  This is a beautiful space,  decked out with a creamy marble bar and matching colonial-type columns.   The drink menu is surprisingly affordable - I would even venture to say that I was disappointed by the quality of their wine list.  That being said, I was happy to indulge in a couple glasses of $8 Merivale-branded house bubbly, while my pal had (our) usual; a gin & tonic.  Merivale is the parent company of a slew of bars/restos in Sydney, including Establishment's adjacent fine dining resto; Est.

After a few glasses, my housemate and I headed over to The Lane in the CBD for a quick snack before heading out for...some more drinks.  Since we were both pretty new to the city's dining scene - and ravenous at this point - we ended up just walking around the corner and took a seat at the first spot whose menu was appetizing and still had a bit of life to it. Some spots in the CBD empty out at 7-8ish...

The Lane

Once seated at The Lane, we got a couple glasses of vino and put in an order for some snacks.  I'm not a huge meat eater anymore, tending to usually go for seafood option, but K and I compromised and ordered the Meat Plate - a selection of four cured meats, and the QLD King Prawns.

Meat Plate ($19.50)

The meat plate was pretty self explanatory; a plate of meat.  The selections were tasty though; San Daniele Prosciutto, Sopressata, Capacolla and Genoa Salami.  Don't get me wrong, I love a nice slice of salty, spicy Sopressata, but it was an enormous amount of salt, and I was guzzleling water for days afterward.  Well, to be honest, I guzzled a couple beers immediately afterward to quench my thirst.  The bread was super-nice though; uber soft, with a slight char on the outside.

QLD King Prawns ($16.9)

 BBQ-grilled w/ lemon and garlic butter, served w/ aioli

 

The King Prawns (I've been criticized by Aussies for calling them shrimp) were fantastic; a little messy, but well worth it.  The tender meat paired nicely with the garlicky aioli, and was further enhanced by the spicy dressed rocket garnish.  Also, they grilled their lemon wedge -  I love that.  Brooklyn Warehouse in Halifax does that.

Anywho, filled to the brim, my protein cup overflowed as we left The Lane and headed back down into the CBD towards our hood.  I'm happy that I spied this place, it's a nice spot to go for a pre-drink snack, and was still pretty hoppin' when we left at 10 pm.

Night Noodle Markets - part of Crave Sydney Food Festival!

I was thrilled to be in Sydney for one of it's most anticipated festivals; Crave Sydney food & wine festival.  During the month, there are a plethora of events, raging from cocktail events;  killer meal deals; food-based artwork and more.  I even managed to haul my ass out of bed for 'Breakfast on Bondi', an event that featured an Australian soprano accompanied by an orchestra while the sun rose.  It was pretty incredible.

But one of the main attractions for this event is the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park.  A longstanding tradition, this event runs until about 10 pm for two weeks in October and features noodles, dumplings, desserts and more.  The vibe here is so chill and jovial; it's an awesome spot to catch up with your nearest and dearest.

Crave Sydney Banners at the entrance to Hyde Park

Red Chinese paper lanterns lined the walkways 

and a multitude of coloured lights highlighted the trees

There are so many food options to choose from here.  Being at the 'noodle markets', I had to indulge and chose a vegetarian bowl of greasy chow mein noodles with vegetables ($9) from one of the many stalls.  I have to admit, that the noodles were simply 'ok', but at this event (to me) it's more about the atmosphere than the food.  It's about plonking yourself on a patch of grass and taking in the sights.  If you're lucky enough to score a table - even better.  And better still, the festival is BYO.   Score.

Vegetarian Noodle Bowl

Myself and my pal Christina in front of the tallest 

building in Sydney; the Westfield Tower

A panorama of the festival!

My go-to bakery is La Banette

A couple months ago, I discovered this little gem: La Banette, on Glebe Point Road.  It doesn't have a website, but thankfully, it does have a Yelp! page, where plenty of Yelpers have uploaded their own pics! 

On this particular occasion, I was dying for a nice savoury pastry, and had only a small amount of cash on me.  As I was trotting down GPR looking for that very specific bite, I remembered my friend (who works at the Clipper Cafe) mentioning this amazing French bakery next to her work, so I decided to take a peek.

What an incredible spot.  The bakery is open to the street and emits an intoxicating aroma of yeast, sugar and butter the likes of which I've never experienced.  The bread is stacked on wooden shelves behind the counter, while lovely petit fours, pies, palmiers and mereigues lay on display in their glass casings.  On top, are a variety of baskets holding olive breads, muffins , scrolls, croissants and this; the savoury cheese twist.

I bought my cheese twist (between $3.50-$4) and took a seat overloking the street adorned with this beautiful bundle of lilacs.  Lilacs will always have a special place for me because we have the most magical lilac tree in our backyard in Newfoundland.  The pastry had it all; savoury and sweet; buttery and cheesy; crispy and squidgy.  All good, all dangerous, and all making La Banette the logical choice to shop for baked goods/sweet treats of any kind.

Serious scramble at Citrus

On a sunny Saturday in September, I took myself out to brunch in Newtown, a 'hood within 15 minutes of Glebe.  Having the time to actually venture out of my area, I decided to trek over to King St. and have a seat at whichever cafe managed to grab my attention with their menu. It's a nice little walk from Glebe to Newtown, and I'd take the opportunity to walk around the pond in Victoria Park any day.

By the time I arrived in Newtown, I had worked up a nice appetite, so I was  set on finding a cafe to sate my hunger immediately. I was pretty specific in what I wanted; scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and was thrilled to find just the thing at Citrus for just $12.99.  I managed to score a table outside, but the resto looked quite pleasant as well.  My server brought out an icy-cold btl. of H20 and I immediately placed my order for a Long Black and my scrambled eggs.

These were absolutely delicious.  I have to give restos in Oz a big shout-out; they really know how to cook their eggs.  Of course, the breakfast culture in Sydney is much more prevalent than it is in Canada; you won't often find a resto that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I'm happy to have such a great selection here.  

The portion of the dish was huge, and I was full without even having touched the English muffin.  The eggs were so fluffy and creamy, while the smoked salmon was tender and fresh.  And since no meal is complete w/out a bit of fruit or veg, I was thrilled by the addition of a grilled tomato on each half.

Scrambled eggs, Smoked Samon &
Grilled Tomato on an English Muffin ($12,99)

And as if my delightful brunch wasn't enough on such a lovely day, I came home to find my housemates sunning themselves in the backyard with some cold, crisp James Squire beers.  I've tried their 50 Lashes, Four Wives and the Chancer, as well as an tasty brand called Little Creatures.  Uh-oh...I came to Oz to try wine, but I just might end up a bit of a beer hound....

Food flying high at the Flying Fajita Sisters

On one of the 'hotter' days in September, I arrived home to my housemate's news that: "We're going to The Flying Fajita Sisters for dinner.  You have 20 minutes to get ready."  Having trekked around the 'hood in the heat all day, I felt less than stellar, but with the thought of an icy cold, salty Margarita in my future, I pulled myself together...quickly.  

We met three of our pals for dinner at 7:30 and were seated at a little table in the garden.  The bonus about restos on GPR is the fact that many of them have an outdoor dining area hidden away in the back.  Most of us ordered a Margarita to start - mine being the classic; lime flavoured with a nice, salty rim.  I ordered it frozen as it goes down slightly less quickly that way. 

The Classic Frozen Margaritas ($13)

And..."when in Mexico"...we also ordered some shots of tequila.  Giving our sever a relative budget and saying "No way(!) to Jose", we asked that she excite our palate with something a little more exotic that the typical shots you'd get at a bar.  What she brought out was heavenly and we ended up with another round later in the night.  The tequila itself was sweet and luscious. With a honeyed texture and beautiful orange blossom notes, the shots were topped with a slice of orange dusted in a layer of cinnamon which brought out the liquid's sweet and slightly spicy notes.

Tequila ($8/shot)

My housemate ordered one of the daily specials: fish tacos.  Though the tacos featured grilled sea bass, the resto had run out and offered red snapper as an alternative. Served with a wedge of lime, citrus served to elevate the fish's flavour and add a nice zing to the dish.  Tender, flaky fish; chunky salsa; creamy guacamole; rich crema, and robust corn salsa were all on offer to be packaged up within the warm, soft flour tortillas.  

Fish Tacos ($18ish)

w/ guacamole, crema, green salad and corn salsa

I wasn't ravenous when we arrived so I ordered something small.  I'm always a sucker for specials because I know that they'll only be available for a limited time.  I decided on one of the other options listed that evening; taquitos filled with potato and chorizo sausage, topped with salsa verde, queso freso and served with a marinated tomato salad.  It was a great little meal: the crispy shell was wrapped around soft potato and spicy sausage; the salsa verde and crumbed cheese added a richness to the dish while the marinated tomato salad provided a touch of sweetness - and a great textural contrast as well.

Taquitos ($12)

 w/ potato, chorizo, salsa verde and queso fresco 

I will definitely be a repeat customer here.  The quality of the food was fantastic, the margaritas were 'just right' and the presentation was really nice for Mexican food - which can admittedly be a little sloppy.  Great service topped off the night.  Once we were all sorted, we headed down the street to The Little Guy - also on GPR, one of Sydney's 'small bars', and a laid-back spot that's perfect for a weeknight drink or a Sunday session.

A relaxing brunch at Cafe Otto

On the heels of a fairly traumatic night in our apartment, my housemate and I went out for a much needed nosh of breakfast at Cafe Otto on Glebe Point Road.  The circumstances are not important, but the fact was; we were stressed, sleep deprived and not at all in the mood to even consider making some eats, so we trekked out to this local neighborhood hot spot.

Unfortunately, my roomie has a slew of allergies - not even including her allergy to sulphates making it impossible for us to share a btl. of wine - but she's also allergic to eggs, so we have to look for restos that contain enough non-eggy items for her...and enough eggy items for me!

Cappuccino ($3.50)
And after the night we'd had - it was the best coffee I'd ever tasted..

We started with an order of onion rings; Kylie's genius idea.  These little babies were an tasty - and a great value for the plate at $6...They look a little sparse in this photo, but the order was a good size. The batter was super-thin and light, and they were served with an atomizer  on the side so that you could lightly spritz and evenly distribute the vinegar.  Again; genius!

Salt & Vinegar Onion Rings ($6.)

Kylie had (one of my favourite Aussie sammies) a BLAT; bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato. Look at this sammy!  Crusty bread, smooth avocado spread and thick, salty bacon made for a filling, multi-textured lunch. You know what they say: what's simple is best, and when the best quality ingredients are used, it results in a pretty great meal.

Bacon & Avocado Baguette ($7)

w/ tomato, lettuce & mayo

My omelette doesn't really look like much, but it was quality.  Chock-full of succulent salmon and creamy avocado, it had the most beautiful sauce of zingy cream cheese with lemon which melted all over the filling.  The side of was less than thrilling, but when the egg is so good, you don't really notice the token toast.

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Omelette ($16)

What a night; what a breakfast.  The meal certainly perked us up.  The trauma is long over at this point, but the meal has stayed with me and I've been having good ones at Cafe Otto ever since!

Veggie Burgers: Chickens Plus vs. Fish on Fire

In the last couple weeks, I've gone to Chickens Plus and Fish on Fire on Glebe Point Road - and at both, I've had veggie burgers!  I've just been in that kind of mood lately, although last week I did try a beef burger from CP ($5.50) and it was pretty tasty.

Anyhow, I do enjoy veggie burgers here in Oz.  I have to say that they're a bit different from ones that I'm used to in Canada but they're still quite good. As opposed to a bunch of beans, lentils and oats - like the ones I'm used to - these ones are filled with green peas, carrots and corn.  Pretty nutritious, actually. In the end, I prefer CP's offerings over that of FOF, and will probably stick with them from now on.  Another thing that I like about the burger culture here is the presence of beetroot and pineapple; two things that are rarely common in Canada.

The VB from CP is super substantial.  The patty is filling (and contains the ingredients listed above), but there are also several slices of beetroot and tomato, adding to its appeal.  The bun is a nice quality as well with the bread both soft and structured enough to carry the weight of the patty and toppings.  The burger comes with one sauce; I had "plenty" of mayo.

Chickens Plus Veggie Burger

w/ lettuce, tomato, beetroot, red onion 

& a sauce of your choice ($5.90)

  

I wasn't too keen on the VB at FOF.  Though, the patty had the same fillings as that of CP, it didn't have that well-packed consistency and was a bit sloppy.  It also only came with only a sauce and 'salad' as toppings, which was essentially lettuce and some red cabbage.  Finally, the bun really put me off; it was almost crusty on the outside, but had that gooey, uncooked taste within.  I can say though, that the $2 extra for the order of fries was well worth it, as they were super tasty.  

Fish on Fire Veggie Burger ( $4.50)

 Add fries for $2

I'm not saying that FOF isn't worth going to, but if you are on Glebe Point Road and looking for a Veggie Burger, I'd recommend Chickens Plus as the winner.  Both restos have many other choices, and I have enjoyed their fries as well.  FOF does have outdoor seating, however, which is much more appealing that CP's counter-style.  But if neither has the seating that you're looking for, the park across the road is a nice alternative to both!