Club Berowra
997 Pacific Highway,
Berowra, Sydney

Their steak deal has got to be one of the best in all Sydney and one that makes you look twice to check you read it right. We certainly did! Every Wednesday they offer two delicious steak dinners and a whole bottle of wine for only $42! Yes, you read it right. In many places that’s the price of the wine alone. Of course, if you’re flying solo the available deal then is almost as good. You get a meal and a glass of wine for just $22. This covers both single diners as well as groups with uneven numbers of guests.

The steaks are good ones too. It’s a 250gm sirloin cooked to order and served with sides of chips or mash and veggies or salad. Plus you also get your choice of sauce too.

We booked ahead as this deal is understandably popular. When we arrived our table was reserved and we then went to the counter to order. As expected, you make your choices of sides and sauce then as well as saying how you want your steak cooked - medium rare on this occasion for Sir, medium for M’Lady and medium for the Duchess who had shared this wonderful opportunity with us.

The steaks arrived promptly afterwards and they were all perfectly cooked to order with little flags in them saying the level of cooking.

The wine is such a bonus. We chose the red, which was a very tasty bottle of Tulloch 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Club Berowra is a mid sized club. The dining area though is a surprisingly decent size and they can fit quite a few patrons without crowding the tables together. It means you’re not sitting on top of your neighbours! It’s a pleasant simple room where the focus is on the food and service.

The two steak dinners and a bottle of wine is only on Wednesdays. They do have some other great deals though on other days. Right now in January 2025 they have a free bottle of wine when you order two meals in the same transaction. It’s yet another brilliant offering that’s also hugely popular. It makes a good night out so affordable without sacrificing quality!

We now keep an eye out for the deals here at Club Berowra. When they happen they’ll invariably be great and we want to get in early so we don’t miss out! Parking is always easy there too making the outing even simpler.

Urban Tadka Indian Restaurant
321 Mona Vale Road
Terrey Hills, Sydney

Urban Tadka is such a beautiful venue. You experience the wonderful ambience from the minute you arrive and then you go inside to even more. The decor is elegant with the room being adorned with various ornaments. It sets a great mood for what is to follow.

For drinks we each had a cocktail. It’s a great way to start a meal. Sirs was rum based, and Mlady’s had vodka and hints of lychee. They were both pretty drinks that we each thoroughly enjoyed.

The menu has a map of the world and there is also some history provided about the various dishes. You get a good understanding of the background and ingredients used. On to the amazing food and Samosas Two Way were our first dish. One was lamb Keema Matar and the other was shredded smoked chicken. Both were a lovely golden colour with a nicely crisped outside pastry. There was plenty of tasty filling inside with really good spices and the accompanying sauce complimented them so well. It was a lovely way to start our meal.

Vada Doi was next. This is a spiced fritter with beaten curd, mint and coriander, chutney, chilli, confit and dusted burnt cumin. Its history in the literature describes Vada Doi dating as far back as 500 BC. This dish had quite a bit going on with so many wonderful textures and amazing flavours. It was soft and so fresh and flavoursome.

We tried the Paneer Sigdi next which is charcoal cooked cottage cheese cubes with spiced yogurt marinate. It was delicately crisped outside with a lovely soft centre. It’s a nice light dish and you could taste the freshness of the bean sprouts.

Of course wine is available here and the list is good. Sir had a nice Tin Shed Shiraz and Mlady had a refreshing Rose.

The Palak Paneer - cottage cheese logs with fresh hand-cut English spinach - was another light soft dish. It had very delicate fresh flavours and was extremely moreish. It was appetisingly vibrant too.

We had two breads and the first was Chur Chur Dhaniya Parantha. It’s whole meal butter layered flaky bread with coriander. This went so well dipping it into our mains and soaking up those mouth-watering sauces.

Our second bread was Peshwari Shakkar Naan. This is a sweet plain flour bread with dried fruits and raw brown sugar. This was certainly a great bread. Again, you can use it to dip into the delicious sauces, or just eat it on its own as it’s so good.

From the ocean part of the menu we had the Jhinga Mango Moile. The pan seared prawns were perfectly cooked. They were nice and juicy and plump too. There was also tempered mango coconut purée and chestnut. What a great combination - prawns, mango and coconut. It had amazing flavours. The chestnut had a nice soft crunch and added another dimension. It was a beautifully balanced dish.

Chicken was our last main. The Murgh Magaz - Maari. This was a chicken fillet (it was so moist) coriander pods, Chur - Chur dhaniya Parantha. We loved the spiciness of this, and it had such a great sauce.

We did manage to fit it dessert. Dulce De Leche Gateau arrived first. This glorious dessert was on a choco-sable base with wattleseed cheesecake, dulce de leche insert, caramel glaze and cocoa nibs. The spoon just glided through revealing a scrumptious taste sensation and the base was soft with a nice crunch.

Our last dessert was the Malai Rabri sheer yakh, Gajrela. It had freshly grated carrots, full fat milk, sugar and ghee, cardamom powder, chopped nuts, in-house made thickened milk and saffron kulfi. It was topped with edible ‘silver’ - very impressive. It had so many taste sensations. The freshly grated carrots were warm and combined with the coolness of the thickened milk and saffron kulfi - balanced well together. A very nice tasting dessert.

The food at Urban Tadka is fresh with wonderful well balanced taste sensations. All the dishes were appetisingly and beautifully presented. Their menu showcases so many delicious dishes with so much to choose from.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Urban Tadka. Special Thank you to Inder (owner) for taking time from his busy schedule to chat with us. Thank you also to Rajib and Kunwar for looking after us. Big thanks to Jason from Spooning Australia for arranging this tasty visit.

ANGELO’S CABARITA
PRINCE EDWARD PARK
END OF PHILLIPS ST
CABARITA, SYDNEY

Location, Location Location! Angelo’s is situated in Prince Edward Park right by the water. It’s a sensational colonial looking venue with equally beautiful views out over the bay. With its light, airy spacious seating, it exudes a charming ambience. This is a stunning place that will impress on arrival and even more after trying their food and drinks!

We both started with cocktails - as you do on a special night out. Sir chose from the menu an Angelo’s - stoic Gin, orange curaçao, lemon, sugar and rosemary. Mlady chose her signature (not from the menu but available on request) Cosmopolitan. Both arrived beautifully presented and disappeared easily and tastily.

Commencing our meal, we had a serving of mixed freshly baked bread with balsamic and oil. It was a nice way to start our meal. There’s something about warm freshly made bread to get the taste buds tingling.

There were three entrees for us to try - and so we had all three! The first was Scallop Gratin - dill, lemon butter and almond meal. This was such a pretty dish with the scallops served resplendent in shells. The scallops were nice and plump and perfectly cooked with a delicate garnish. We loved these.

Tomato Burrata came next. Blistered farm fresh heirloom tomatoes, pesto, Burrata and herb oil. How appetising does Burrata look just sitting there waiting to be cut into and have that creamy goodness oozing. This was vibrant with fresh flavours that worked so well together. It was very tasty and moreish. We likened it to a refreshing palate cleanser as it did that and so much more.

Our last entree was grilled Yamba prawns XO sauce. These were chargrilled and brushed with Angelo’s homemade XO sauce. Chargrilled prawns are a favourite of Sirs. They were huge and beautifully presented with a wonderfully crisped outside with a soft juicy meaty centre. Angelo’s homemade XO sauce was lovely, not overpowering at all, and every ingredient complimented. This dish has a real wow factor in both appearance and flavours.

Moving onto wine, Sir had a lovely Biscardo Neropasso Rosso red. Mlady is getting into the Rose a lot lately, so she had a very nice G by Gilardi Rose. These both went very well with our meals.

We then shared two great Italian dishes. The first was pappardelle. This was tossed with blue swimmer crab meat, chunks of chorizo and baby spinach. The pappardelle was perfectly ‘al Dente’. The crab, chorizo, baby spinach and tomatoes added wonderful textures and flavours. This was yet another very nice, tasty dish with flavours that combined so well.

Gnocchi was next. It came served with slow cooked Wagyu brisket ragu (MS +4) and 30 month aged Parmigiano Reggio D.O. These beautifully light fluffy pillows were some of the fluffiest we have had and were in an incredible Ragu with a vibrant green garnish. It was wonderfully delicious and ticked all the boxes. This is yet another dish to definitely order

The first main dish was the Tassal Strahan Tasmanian salmon that was miso marinated and came with bok choy, Yuzu mayo, wasabi peas and roasted sesame dressing. Mlady loves salmon and she enjoyed this beautifully flavoured meal. The salmon was cooked perfectly. This was a vivid dish with the bok choy being a perfect accompaniment as well as a work of food art. It had delicate subtle flavours that went so well with the salmon.

Our last main was the 8-hour slow cooked beef rib that came served with broccoli, potato Dauphinoise, home dried Roma tomatoes and Merlot Jus. The beef rib was delicious and so tender with the Merlot Jus being the perfect accompaniment. The meat literally fell apart. We also loved the potato Dauphinois. It was like Filo pastry with its layers so thin and delicate yet with such great flavours and textures.

Sir quite likes having a dessert wine with his sweet finale to a meal, so he ordered a nice Botrytis that arrived almost glowing with its golden colours.

Dessert was next and we did fit it in - just. The chocolate fondant with vanilla bean gelato was incredible. It was nice and perfectly gooey - not solid at all inside. It was also not overpoweringly sweet and was just right. It was a nice light and very smooth dessert.

The tiramisu was divine. It was oh so soft and creamy with subtle silky flavours. A really yummy dessert. Good tiramisu is always a wonderful way to finish a meal and this was a great one.

The food at Angelo’s Cabarita is full of flavour, fresh and vibrant and with generous servings. Dishes were beautifully presented, and you certainly will not leave hungry.

They can also cater for functions and seat 115. It’s a wonderful lunch or dinner spot with killer views out over the water and amazing food to match.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Angelo’s Cabarita. A special thank you to Roberto for taking such great care of us on the night. Huge thank you to talented chef Nitin Dholam for his incredible creations and for also chatting with us at the end of our wonderful meal. Very special thanks to MJ from Beyond Media for arranging this delicious visit.

5th Earl Rosebery
Located inside The Cannery
34 Morley Ave
Rosebery, Sydney

Under new management for a little while, 5th Earl is located within the iconic and rusticly beautiful The Cannery situated in the heart of Rosebery. For history buffs, the Australian food manufacturer Rosella started canning their soup on this site in 1913. The venue itself is cosy and friendly with an industrial feel teamed with nods to nostalgia with the gorgeous coachlike light lanterns. There’s such a nice feel to 5th Earl. The good news for this daytime cafe is that they are now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. They offer a great new menu too and it’s somewhere well worth trying. Once you do, you’ll be hooked!

We both started our meal with a cocktail - as we often do. Mlady had a lovely Aperol Spritz and Sir chose a very nice classic Margarita. Both were vibrant, tasty and very good sized too! There’s a good range to choose from as well.

How good were the warm Sambucca olives! They were so moreish with their wonderful subtle aniseed Sambucca flavours. It was so hard to stop eating them - so we didn’t until they were all gone!

Next we had ciabatta with EVOO and balsamic glaze. The ciabatta was nice and soft and dipping it into the EVOO and balsamic glaze was another tasty way to start our meal. Then the burrata with heirloom tomatoes arrived and it was so fresh and vibrant. We fused together the ciabatta with the EVOO and balsamic glaze and the burrata and heirloom tomatoes, and what an incredible taste sensation it all was. They were all equally delicious by themselves and delicious combined all together.

The chargrilled octopus marinated with EVOO, lemon and parsley, served with chat potatoes, had such a really nice charred smoky bbq flavour. It was cooked perfectly soft and tender, and the chat potatoes were oh so good. The chat potatoes complemented the strikingly pretty octopus so well.

The Hiramasa Kingfish tartare with capers, finger cucumbers and crispy wonton wrappers was beautifully presented. We both love seafood, especially Mlady. This was a lovely refreshing dish where the capers were very well balanced and not overpowering. Scooping the Hiramasa Kingfish with all the other ingredients and eating it on the wonderfully crisp wonton wrappers made for a really nice soft crunch with an enlivening taste.

Sir had another drink and tried a mocktail mojito. This was such a nice Summery drink that he thoroughly enjoyed. This vibrant green fresh flavoured drink was perfect for the warm evening of our visit.

Sir loves a steak. He had the T-bone cooked your way - medium rare in his case. He had both the peppercorn and creamy mushroom sauce with it too. We were given steak knives to share it all, as you expect with a steak. The T-Bone was cooked perfectly and was full of flavour and so tender. As it turned out, we did not even need to use the steak knives to eat this delicious steak which is testament to just how beautifully soft and tender the meat was cooked. It was a big sized serving too, yet again, and beautifully presented, sliced and served on a wooden board and topped with a sprig of rosemary.

We each had a glass of wine with our main meals. Again, it’s a habit! Mlady had a nice crisp Rose - Excuse my French - yes that’s the name - which went very well with the dishes. Sir chose a red, a Pinot Noir - Deliverance - which also complemented his meal.

We are both very partial to Paella and the Traditional Paella here was incredible. It’s yet another new dish and there was so much going on with the wonderful flavours. They were all so scrumptious. It was so visually appetising too as it arrived in the pan it was baked in, bursting with heaps of seafood and conjuring up wonderful memories of our trips to the Mediterranean and of course Spain in particular.

The crab ravioli coated in a Napoletana sauce topped with prawns has to be one of the best we have ever tasted. When it arrived, the aroma was incredible and the colour simply amazing. This really was a divine dish. The ravioli was perfectly cooked, soft with an oh so good crab filling and topped with plenty of prawns too. We both loved this - especially Mlady!

The cauliflower steak served with a creamy coconut cauliflower purée and topped with a walnut salsa was a vegetarian dish that was very much full of flavour and one that we both enjoyed. There was a lot going on with this, but it just worked so well together where everything complemented each other perfectly. It was again huge and something for more than just vegetarians!

What a colourful salad dish the radicchio, caramelised walnuts, feta and roasted red grapes was. This really was a uniquely flavoured combination. So visually vibrant. The snow-white feta against the purple radicchio combined with the caramelised walnuts and roasted sweet red grapes was vibrant and a real winner.

We were so full we had to share a dessert and had the “oh this is so good” sticky date. We loved the delicious sauce. Mixing this with the pudding and salted caramel ice cream was just so tasty. Mlady grabbed the strawberry before Sir and dipped it into the sauce. Very nice!

The food at 5th Earl is absolutely Delicious with a capital ‘D’. The dishes are all incredibly substantial with amazing fresh flavours with wonderful unique tasty combinations. The presentation was beautifully appetising. Seriously to coin a phrase ‘Do yourself a favour’ and enjoy the incredible food and friendly service at 5th Earl Rosebery. It’s worth noting that this place also has areas that can be booked for groups and functions. The outdoor patio has a lovely feel to it and there’s always the indoor area for others too.

We want to add again that the food being very substantial. We had to have some portions of the dishes put into containers and take home with us. This allowed us to savour these all again! What a bonus!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of 5th Earl Rosebery. A very special thank you to Alyssa for taking such great care of us on the night. Big thank you to chef Bishal for his incredible creations and for also chatting with us in-between creating great food. Thank you also to Eduardo for the cocktails and for recommending the wines. Huge thanks to Beyond Media for arranging this delicious visit.

HIGH WEST WHISKEY
Hinchcliff House
5/7 Young St. Sydney

Hinchcliff House is a gorgeous sandstone heritage listed former woolstore located in Sydney CBD. It has four levels with food and drinks spread across the entire building. The function for High West Whiskey at Hinchcliff House was the perfect setting. Who doesn’t like good food and good drinks all nicely paired!

Our hosts were both both from High West Distillery. John Foster introduced Brendan Coyle who gave an informative and historical educational talk on High West Distillery and of course the pairing of each selected variety of High West with our delicious four course meal. The company started in 2006 and Brendan has been there since day one. The Distillery was inspired by global spirits and looked at Scotch whiskey and French cognac for inspiration as they had longer heritages behind them.

Upon entering this wonderful function, we were greeted with a very smooth ‘old fashioned’. This really was so good, and it was made of a mix of High West Double Rye and Bourbon. It was a tasty way to start our great night.

Our first course was corn bisque clam chowder with crab meat served in a shot glass.
A High West Double Rye was perfectly paired with this course. It’s all about the spice and the celebration of spicy whiskey. The Double rye was a three and a half to four-year-old whiskey. The flavours are Christmas like with its combinations of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and eucalyptus.

Next, torched whiskey glazed salmon crudo with cucumber, buttermilk and sorrel dressing was paired perfectly again, with High West Bourbon. Their Bourbon is aged for a minimum of two years, and this gives it rich earthy, caramel, vanilla and sweet corn flavours. They went so well together.

The third course was Brooklyn Valley pasture fed strip loin with whiskey jus and broadleaf rocket. The pairing was the limited release double rye tawny port barrel select. This combination was high spice taken from the double rye and the nutty savoury blend from the tawny port that came through nicely. The finished taste was a nice marzipan nutty flavour.

Dessert was chocolate, whiskey and wattleseed tart - paired with High West Campfire. This transcontinental blend has some of the worlds finest bourbon, rye and peated Scotch whiskey. It was a great finale to the meal.

High West is a brand that is getting traction at home in the US and abroad. Since it was founded, it has grown from humble beginnings into an award-winning distillery. The good news too is that their products are also available in Australia!

Big thanks to everyone for a great evening. The food was excellent, the High West pairings went perfetly with each course and tasted great and the talk from distiller Brendan Coyle between each course was entertaining and informative, We liked the High West products so much that we bought some too! Sir and Mlady were guests of Maven PR.

The Dining & Co Eastwood
51 Rowe Street
Eastwood, Sydney

This place is a chameleon. Up until 4pm each day The Dining & Co Eastwood is a bustling cafe. From 4.30pm it’s a Korean fried chicken restaurant. They are also licensed. You get the best of both worlds here. We were there in the morning, so we experienced the extensive cafe menu. The venue has a quirky decor with an Alice in Wonderland theme, and it even has an upside-down chess board. It’s a long place that seats 100 and also has an upstairs function room.

Being the first coffees of the day we both had our usuals. Sir had a skim flat white and Mlady her half strength soy cappuccino. The coffees here are good, really good, and they use Campos.

The Dining Beef Burger was so impressive. For Mlady this towering and incredibly tasting burger had ‘the works’. It certainly had the WOW factor when it arrived. The burger had beetroot, bacon, pineapple, tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, aioli and also came with a side serving of chips. We both enjoyed this - especially Mlady.

Sir is quite partial to corn fritters, so we had to order these! With the substantial serving of freshly made corn fritters there was a perfectly poached egg, a pile of smashed avocado and tomato. You can have a choice of smoked salmon, halloumi, mushroom or bacon. No surprises that Sir loves his smoked salmon, so he had this with the corn fritters. It’s a generous serving too! This dish had lovely flavours which we both enjoyed, and it was big too.

Eggs Benedict is a bit of a ‘go to’ for Sir so we again had to try this. This vibrant dish had two beautifully poached eggs with runny yolks, tomato and onion, orange hollandaise and Swiss chard on an English muffin. You have a choice to add either ham, bacon, mushroom or smoked salmon. This time we had the mushroom. The earthiness of the mushroom really added a lovely visual and taste sensation. All the ingredients went so well together. It had wonderful flavours and we both really enjoyed it.

We tried a pasta dish next and went with the prawn pasta. The pasta was squid ink which is very bold in colour, and it came with chilli, garlic, preserved lemon, cherry tomatoes, rocket, rustic crumb and finger lime. There was a lot going on with colour and taste and it all worked very well together. It was yet another very nice and well-balanced dish.

How good was the French toast! It was actually a Brioche French Toast with vanilla mascarpone, maple syrup, pistachio snow, berry compote and fresh berries. A novel syringe housed the maple syrup which you could squirt into or onto the brioche bun. The choice is yours. We - well M’Lady did - squirt it on top for good coverage. Oh wow - this really was so mouthwatering. It was such a pretty dish - almost a shame to eat it - but we did. It had such amazing tastes sensations. This was one of the best Brioche French Toast’s we have had.

The food at The Dining & Co Eastwood is fresh, colourful and scrumptious with substantial servings. All the dishes were beautifully and appetisingly presented. It’s a sprawling place with plenty of spaces for small or large groups too.

The menu is varied with a lot to choose from - so something for everyone and you will not leave hungry. Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Dining & Co Eastwood. Special thank you to Johan for looking after us and taking time from his busy schedule to chat with us. Big thank you also to Claire for taking care of us.

SUD Italian Restaurant
10 Carbarita Road
Concord, Sydney

There’s a homey charm to this restaurant that instantly makes you feel at home. Then there’s also the delicious food and wine at Sud which draws from Southern Italy with the menu serving fresh quality produce. It’s a great mix that sets the scene for a lovely lunch or dinner.

We started with some nice warm house-baked faccacia that was so soft and light that we devoured it all and a tasty bowl of olives. This was such a nice introduction to our meal and got our tastebuds well and truly primed for the meal ahead.

No surprises Sir chose his ‘go to’ drink - Negroni. We were in an Italian restaurant after all so he reasoned that it was even more appropriate. This was made from Campari, Martini Rosso and Gin. He certainly enjoyed this.

Mlady is quite partial to Amaretto so she went with The Scillian. This was very nice and was made from Di Saronno Amaretto, orange juice and ice. It was a very refreshing tipple.

There is a beautiful wood fire pizza oven at Sud so we tried as an entree Panozzo Rosso to experience the wonderfully crisp outer yet soft inner crust that the wood fire cooked. This very tasty dish was pizza dough faccacia bread, tomato, basil and Parmesan cheese. When it arrived it looked like a tomatoey pizza and it tasted so good. These simple yet so tasty flavours went perfectly with that wonderful crust.

Our next entree was a seafood dish. We had Gamberi All ‘ Aglio - prawn cutlets and tiger King prawns in garlic and tomato sauce, capers, olives and cherry tomatoes. These prawns certainly were big, plump and cooked perfectly. It was a wonderful combination with the saltiness of the olives, capers and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. There was a lot going on with this dish, with different tastes and textures and they all complemented each other very well.

As a main we decided to try another seafood dish. This was the Pesce Del Giorno Alla Scilliana. The perfectly cooked tender and moist catch of the day, Barramundi on this occasion, came in a tomato fish sauce with black olives, capers, basil, cherry tomato, lemon zest and baby chat potato. It was yet again another perfectly paired dish. The baked fish was mouth watering tender and juicy. The baby chat potatoes were lightly crisped with a nice soft centre making it a substantial dish too.

Of course an Italian restaurant and meal means wine too! They draw from Australia and overseas with a good contingent of Italian wines - which was our focus and choice.

From the “Specials” menu we chose a meat dish to balance out our meal. The glorious oh so tender beef cheeks ‘Genovese’ Ragu, the perfect al dente Zita pasta from Gragnano (Naples) and shaved Parmesan cheese. The beef cheeks were so tender they virtually melted in your mouth. We loved the long tubular pasta too. We both really enjoyed this scrumptious dish.

Mlady wanted to try a salad as she loves her greenery. She chose the Sicilian influenced Insalata Di Stagione which was fennel, rocket, orange, black olives and oregano tossed with salt flakes and olive oil. This was a well balanced selection of ingredients. The unique sour flavour of the rocket teamed with the sweetness of the orange combined with the oh so good saltiness of the olives and then the fennel made for a really good salad.

We did fit in dessert - but we’re getting quite full already as the dishes were very hearty.

We both like Nutella, especially Mlady, so we went with Cuzzoli (popular dessert) - Italian doughnuts served with Nutella, cinnamon and icing sugar. Mlady could not wait to try this as soon as it arrived. The Italian doughnuts had such a nice soft centre with a lightly crisp outside. Nutella was deliciously drizzled all over with a delicate sprinkle of cinnamon there too This was a great desert and very filling so good to share

Next we tried the amazing chocolate arancini. It was ricotta, Nutella, cherry and gelato. The crisped outer shell encased a tasty ricotta and Nutella centre that was balanced well in flavour with the sour cherry. The gelato went so well too. Having a bit of everything on your fork or spoon tasted really good with the different flavours and textures. This dessert isn’t on the menu but it’s one to watch out for as it’s a beauty.

There’s something about a great suburban Italian restaurant that makes it seem homey but you’re still going out. It’s the best of both worlds and the great feel of this place and wonderful aromas from the kitchen make it even better.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of SUD Italian restaurant. Special thank you to Chef Stefano for taking time from his busy schedule to chat with us and explain the innovative dishes. We loved his vision and his food. Thank you also to Carlo and Sheri for looking after us. Also, big thanks to Spooning Australia for arranging this tasty visit too!

Nem Viet
96 Willoughby Rd
Crows Nest, Sydney

Sitting right in the middle of the bussling restarant hub of Willoughby Rd Crows Nest is Nem Viet. They serve up a range of good sized traditional Vietnamese dishes in their casual restaurant. It’s a popular food type in a popular food area and they do a good trade as a result.

We decided to have a range of starters and began with an old favourite of sugarcane prawns. These delicious golden delicacies are made from grilled prawn meat on sugarcane sticks. These came in a serving of two with each sliced diagonally to create the impression there were four there. It made it easy to eat and share this way.

The stunning net seafood spring rolls - or cha gio hai san - were fried spring rolls made with net-like rice paper creating a webbed look. They were filled with crab meat, shrimp meat, taro, yam bean and wood ear mushroom and tasted great.

The beef betel leaf - or Bo Nuong La Lot - was not what we expected with betel leaves. Normally its a flat leaf with topping that is folded in to eat in one mouthful like a small wrap. These were like mini spring rolls woth the leaf as the “pastry” layer and a beef filling. These beefy treats were so good.

Our one “main” was the La Vong Ling Fish. This is described in their menu as Hanoi pan fried tumeric fish with fresh dill and shallot. served with salad, vermicelli noodle, fish sauce dressing and crushed peanuts on the side. It’s a busy plate but combining all the ingredients makes for a delicious mix and the fish was cooked perfectly too!

Nem Viet is actually BYO for wine too so we were able to bring a light sparkling Peterson’s House Rose from the Huner Valley which matched nicely with the light fragrant Vietnamese food.

We left Nem Viet full and satisfied. There was a lot more on the menu that we wanted to try, but there’s always another day!

Urban Tadka Indian Restaurant
321 Mona Vale Road
Terrey Hills, Sydney

First impression when walking into Urban Tadka is WOW. The decor is “Amazing” in showcasing their tradition. This place has style. We were there to experience their new menu which is a combination of both Southern and Northern Indian flavours. This creates a mouthwatering taste sensation with exciting and beautifully balanced dishes.

It’s a really nice touch throughout the menu having the origins of the various dishes explained.

We have to say that every dish we had was so appetisingly presented with amazing aromas and flavours.

For drinks we each started with a cocktail. Sir loves anything rum based, so no surprises he went with a cocktail that had just that. Sirs was Indian Old Monk Rum. It was a glorious burgundy colour. It was slightly sweeter than he normally has but he did thoroughly enjoy the combination of cranberry juice and orange cherry jam. Mlady chose Penicillin as her cocktail. There was a wonderful smokiness that you could certainly taste. We both really enjoyed our cocktails.

The Papadams had a nice soft crispness and dipping them into the cool refreshing mint sauce was a nice way to start our meal. The biggest challenge was not eating them all - they really are moreish!

We started with Taco Chaat - long thin crispy fried wheat tacos. These had potatoes, chickpeas, spiced yoghurt, mint chutney and tamarind chutney. They had a nice tangy ‘kick’ with really good flavours. The tacos held together well too and were beautifully presented.

Next was shirkhampuri chevda kebab made from edamame, peas, potato, zucchini and crumbed corn flakes. These were a fave of Mlady’s. The crumbed corn flakes were really fine and not big crunchy flakes like you have for breakfast. They were very tasty and the ‘kick’ from this dish came gradually as you ate them.

We had a few chicken dishes and the first was called The Twisted Tandoori. This was bone-in chicken, cilantro scallion spiced rub and earthy hand crushed spice dust. The chicken was perfectly cooked and nice and tender and juicy with all flavours combining so well together.

One of our seafood dishes was Machi Lahosari - spiced fried fish in a unique combo of spices with herbs and gram flour, This dish is the pride of Lahone (Pakistan) and Amristsar (India). This tender cooked fish had a really nice spicy crispness. It was yet another mouthwatering combination of flavours and textures. It was served with sweet potato fries creating a delicious Indian version of fish and chips.

The Lamb Tujj Adraki Champein was slow cooked grass fed spring lamb cutlets marinated in garlic infused hung yoghurt and hand ground spices and served on a pea mash.

These had great flavours and were so tender. The pea mash combined perfectly and also added a nice vibrancy to this dish.

We then moved on to the Jhinga Narikelam - Tandoori smoked prawns, topped with coconut chutney. The prawns were lovely and juicy. Mlady loves chutneys and this coconut chutney went so well with the Tandoori smoked prawns.

Sir then had a nice red, a young but surprisingly smooth Tin Shed 2021 Shiraz from The Barossa Valley which tasted great. Mlady had a lighter red. She went with the 2021 Soho Bobby Pinot Noir. She thoroughly enjoyed this with her meal.

Next we had the wonderful Gosht Khajuro (hot) - grass fed lamb from the Cowra region cooked in infused tamarind and date purée with dehydrated Kashmiri red chillies. This was such a hearty looking dish that reminded us of a really nice rich stew. It was so tender with absolutely amazing flavours. The chilies gave it a lovely bright colour and bite which went so well. This dish was a favourite of Sirs.

We then tried another chicken dish, the Murgh Magaz - Masri (Hot) which was tender chicken filet cooked with coriander pods, and served on chur-chur dhaniya paratha. It was another filling and lovely tasting dish with wonderful flavours that combined so well together.

Mlady loves mussels so we just had to try the Mussel Nariel Kalanjan (mild). The mussels were cooked in lemon grass, kafir lime leaves, galangal and coconut cream. What an amazing colour. It was incredibly vibrant and a great mussel dish. The coconut cream gave it a mouthwatering creaminess.

The impressive Kukad Parath Biryani arrived in a cast iron pot. There’s a lot going on in this which just looked so good and tasted so good too! It was bone-in chicken in biryani spiced rice with fried egg. This dish is not just a side of rice, it is a meal in itself, which is the best of both worlds.

We had a couple of different Naans with our dishes. It’s hard not to!

The intriguingly different provalone cheese jalapeño Naan was made from plain flour and provalone cheese and was jalapeño infused and topped with these spicy morsels too.

Our other Naan was Chur Chur Dhaniya Parantha. This was whole meal bread with a layer of coriander inside.

Whilst both breads were nice to combine and dip into various dishes they were also really good to have just by themselves.

We managed to fit in dessert - but only just.

What a work of art the Peach Please was. It was made from Tonka bean mousse, caramelised peach compote, coconut and crunchy biscuit. It was such a pretty dessert with lovely, nice cool peach flavours.

Then we had the Masala chai pannacotta. It was Masala chai infused pannacotta with orange cremeux, freeze dried mandarin segments, rose petals all served with a famous Parle - G Biscuit.

It was yet another pretty dessert with an oh so good smooth texture that all combined so well.

Urban Tadka is a big place with seating for approximately 170 and with provisions for functions in various areas for big or small groups. It’s good it’s big though because it’s a popular place. Although big, it has great style and charm and they’ve won plenty of awards too.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests at Urban Tadka Indian Restaurant. Special thanks to one of the owners, Mandeep, for chatting with us and giving us a tour of this beautiful restaurant. Thank you also to Kunwar and Asim for taking care of us. Special thanks to Beyond Media for arranging this very tasty visit.

Surly’s American Tavern
182 Campbell St.
Surry Hills, Sydney

This American restaurant and tavern brings to Surrey Hills tasty food with those generous US style servings from Nashville. Their famous commercial fire-box smoker was flown in from Missouri and what a great ‘Smokin’ taste it makes. It really was worth bringing in! It’s a decent sized place here too with a big entry level area and a mezzanine level upstairs. It’s rustic and the walls are packed with memorabilia creating a great vibe. We sat upstairs in an atmospheric wood panelling area. To add to the ambience there are shuffleboards and free arcade games.

As it’s a tavern, there are plenty of beers available. It’s a great range. We decided to go rogue and started with a cocktail each. As Sir loves his rum, he had the very tasty Apple Rumball. It was spiced rum, apricot brandy, cloudy apple, lemon, muscovado syrup and cinnamon. Mlady had the colourful Macy’s Garden. This was made with fresh yuzu, gin, butterfly pea flower tea, lemon myrtle syrup, lemon and lavender.

The Cowboy Quesadillas are 18 hour brisket, onion, capsicum, smoked cheese with a cheese sauce dip. The 18 hour brisket was oh so good. Dipping these scrumptious quesadillas into the cheese sauce was divine. It all had such beautiful flavours with a nice gentle outside crunch.

Surly’s delicious buffalo wings had Surly’s BBQ, honey mustard Louisiana, lemon pepper dry rubbed smoked ranch. These too were cooked perfectly. They were wonderfully crisped outside with a nice moist centre and that sauce was so finger licking good.

The Loaded Fries we tried were called ‘Chick me out’. This was liquid cheese, smoked chicken chunks, jalapeños, crispy shallots and ranch dressing. We just loved that smoked chicken. It was a well-balanced combo that combined so well with the jalapeños, crispy shallots and ranch dressing.

The Ultimate BBQ Platter had a real wow factor. This incredibly delicious platter had 18 hr dry rubbed beef brisket, 12 hour pulled pork, smoked chicken thigh, Texas hot link sausage and chicken wings. Pickles, onion and cornbread were also on this with sides of tangy coleslaw, creamy mac and cheese, smooth mash with gravy and another single gravy.

Where to start? The meat was cooked perfectly. It was so soft with it all having amazing flavours and textures. Combining the various meats with the sides made for a mouthwatering taste sensation. Everything went so well together - right down to the oh so good mash and gravy. We loved it all.

We also had a burger - the BBB burger. It was big with a smashed patty with bacon, smoked BBQ brisket, cheese, pickles, chilli jam and mayo. Mlady loves burgers and this one ticked all the boxes. The bacon was nice and crispy and with all the other ingredients, made for one flavoursome burger. This was definitely one of the best burgers we have had.

We did manage to fit in dessert - just. We shared a house baked brownie with almond flakes with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Being a bit of a chocoholic, this was a winner with Mlady. It was not too chocolatey. It was just right with an amazing chocolate sauce and teamed with its perfect partner - vanilla ice cream. Yummo!

The feel within Surly’s American Tavern lives up to its name. It really has a homey warm and relaxed vibe and it’s somewhere to settle in for some great brews and great food.

The food at Surly’s American Tavern is very very good, with great flavours and combos. It’s also good that you can share it and that way you get to savour more of their appetising dishes.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Surleys American Tavern. Big thank you to Lilly for looking after us. Thank you also to Tara and Sam.

Berenbell Vineyard Retreat
60 Mistletoe Ln.
Pokolbin, Hunter Valley NSW

This is an accomodation oasis nestled in the picturesque Hunter Valley. These cottages and lodges are so nice we just had to share this place. It’s a boutique set up with three cottages and two lodges with two bedrooms each so the place will never be crowded. They are all nicely spaced out too with plantings creating great privacy. It really is such idyllic place. The showpieces are the views and of course the wood fireplaces inside.

Our cottage had everything we needed. The living area had a lovely couch looking straight at the fireplace and a small but very functional kitchen area with a full complement of pots, pans, plates cutlery etc. The separate bedroom area opens on to the living area with two large sliding doors creating an opoen plan feel to the whole cottage. It also had those magnificent views out from both the living area and the large bedroom.

The surrounding countryside here is spectacular. You look out over sprawling grass lawns and across to vineyards and mountains in the distance. There’s also plenty of local wildlife just outside Berenbell.

Of course, the local area is wonderful too. The Hunter Valley is such a lovely place. There are so, many things to do. The vineyards are great but it’s also a foodies paradise. There are restaurants and cafes as well as delicious produce from cheese and olives through to jams, oils and preserves. While wine dominates the area, there are also distilleries and even a great cider producer too. And lets not forget the regular concerts that happen nearby!

Berenbell Vineyard Retreat is such a great spot to base yourself for a weekend or longer in the Hunter Valley. The cottages and lodges are very pleasant inside and the views and location are wonderful.

Tomi’s Kitchen
The Concourse
5/409 Victoria Ave.
Chatswood, Sydney

We’re always hunting good Vietnamese restaurants. The food is so light and fragrant making it an easy meal for those times we don’t want something heavier. We spotted Tomi’s Kitchen in some our our browsing and decided to pay them a visit. It’s on The Concourse and in a prime position for theatre goers next door.

We started with our obligatory cocktails. Sir had a Tomi’s Mito, made from mint, ginger, lemongrass, perilla leaves and rum and served in a jar. It was a very tasty variation of the classic. M’Lady had a Tomi’s Lychee Margarita made from tequilla, orange liqueur, lime and lychee. She loves lychees and loved this tipple.

We started with some prawn twisters. These come in a serving of six long thin pastry cones filled with tender prawn meat accompanied with a dish sweet chilli sauce for dipping. We loved the sweet crispy mix of these. Pastry and prawns are lovely together and these were great.

M’Lady is a huge fan of rice paper rolls so these were quickly added to our order. Try hey come in a serving of two and there are a variety of filling choices. We went for pork and they were fat, fresh and tasty - and even better with the tangy dipping sauce that came with to them.

Chicken wings done well have beautifully tender juicy meat with a crisp tasty skin outside. These crispy chicken wings were this and more. The flavours were great and with a serving of six it turned out to be quite filling. They again came with sweet chilli sauce.

We also love bao buns - fluffy pillows of bun filled with delicacies. Here they come in a serving of three and you can choose any mix from four choices - crackling pork, crispy chicken, BBQ pork pattie or crispy tofu. We chose one ach of the meat fillings and they were all very tasty. The buns themselves were possibly some of the fluffiest we’ve ever had.

On to desserts and Mlady spied the Serendipity Ice Creams. She had two scoops - death by chocolate, vanilla bean. They were tasty and decent scoops and came with two wafers for some welcome crunch.

Despite everything being so good, the standout dish of the night was undoubtedly the fried ice cream. This was described as vanilla ice cream encased in filo pastry, served with Tomi’s toasted coconut mix and caramel sauce. The description still doesn’t do this justice. It was amazing and so big it could easily serve two - or one greedy Sir!

Tomi’s Kitchen has a lovely indoor/outdoor feel to it. It’s casual and relaxed with a nice vibe that puts the guest in a great mood to enjoy the experience.

We had a meal of starters this time, but there’s so much more to the menu here. We’ll be back to explore their food even further.

Mariners Restaurant
Hamilton Island, QUEENSLAND

Billed as the seafood restaurant of Hamilton Island, Mariners Restaurant sits in a prime location upstairs and across the road from the marina, with sweeping water views. We were lucky enough to get a window seat at sunset and it was magnificent.

The obligatory starting cocktails beckoned us as we took in the views and marvelled at how beautiful it all was here on this calm clear evening. Sir had a tasty Carribean Sea made from Pampero blanco rum, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, lime juice and mint syrup while Mlady had a

While their a la carte menu has an extensive range of choices, we were really there for the seafood platter. It’s the only place on Hamilton Island that does one and we wanted lots of seafood! The two-tiered seafood feast had hot food on the top level and cold food on the bottom. The top level had soft shell crab, battered fish pieces, squid, prawn cutlets and salt and pepper calamari all on a bed of crispy fries. On the bottom there were fresh prawns, oysters, bugs, tuna tatare and salmon sashimi with a salad accompaniment.

There is a large indoor area in Mariners but the window seats looking out over the marina are the prime positions.

Seafood on an island looking out at sunset over the water and a picturesque marina sounds idyllic - and it is! This was a great spot to grab a meal and take in the views.

Spuntini Italian Restaurant
3/67 Frederick St
Concord, Sydney

Spuntini’s inspiration is taken from Italian bistro culture and dining. Their extensive menu certainly showcases this. This is a place in suburbia that is well worth visiting and matches the best around Sydney.

To drink, Sirs ‘go to’ at the moment is a Negroni, so he eagerly started with this. It was a lovely mix of Campari, gin and Cinzano Rosso with a huge ice cube garnished with an orange peel swirl taking centre stage in the glass. Mlady is partial to a Spritz’s and often heads for Aperol. Here she had the tangy Limoncello spritz that hit the spot nicely.

We decided to share all our dishes and started with a serving of their wood-fired house made focaccia that came with whipped mascarpone butter that had basil oil drizzled over it. The basil oil gave the light fluffy butter a wonderful flavour and spreading this over the fresh bread was a lovely taste sensation to start the meal.

Mlady loves her greens, especially peas, so the next starter we spotted we just had to try. The baby pea tartlet which had fresh baby peas, sugar snap, Meredith goats feta, pistachio and pea tendrils was an absolute work of art. It resembled a cute little garden in its own bowl. It was so vibrantly pretty and it tasted amazing. It had lots of different tastes with the crunchiness of the sugar snap and the very nice smooth Meredith goat’s feta combining beautifully.

Then we had rigatoni with quail ragu, porcini mushroom and pecorino. It had a perfectly al dente pasta with a rich ragu that had amazing flavours and textures that were oh so good. This was a comfort pasta dish at its best.

Casarecce was next. It had Yamba King prawn, pistachio and prawn chilli oil. We do love our seafood and pasta mixes and casarecce is a rarely used favourite. All pasta is made in house and this was again perfectly al dente. This dish had really lovely flavours that were all so well balanced.

Mlady is a fan of barramundi so we had to have the crispy skin barramundi with zucchini and bagna cauda - this is a hot sauce made from garlic and anchovies. This dish ticked all the boxes for Mlady. The barramundi was perfectly cooked and had a wonderfully crisp crispy skin. The accompanying zucchini and bagna cauda completed it.

Sir is very partial to good steak so we tried the Westholme Wagyu beef rump MBS5 +250gr with macadamia pesto. This was expertly cooked and beautifully medium rare and sliced which made it great for sharing. It was so tender and mouth-wateringly juicy. Good cuts done so well are such a delight to eat.

How good was the panzenella! This delicious rustic chunky salad was made up of heirloom tomato, charred croutons, mozzarella di bufala and aged balsamic. It has a lot going on with everything beautifully balanced in flavour. A very moreish salad that Mlady could not stop eating.

Who doesn’t love roast potatoes, Sir and Mlady certainly do! Scrumptiously delicious were the roasted Wagyu beef fat potatoes. The potatoes came with sour mascarpone, bottarga and chives. The roast potatoes had a divine crunch with a fluffy soft centre. This was a very good accompaniment to the crispy skin barramundi and the Westholme Wagyu beef steak.

Sir decided on a red and chose the very smooth and subtle 2018 Mani Del Sud Primitivo Di Manduria from Italy. It was a nice easy drop that went really well with the dishes.

We did manage dessert but only just. No surprises, Mlady had the Spuntini Affogato - house made vanilla bean gelato drowned in espresso and Frangelico liqueur. For Mlady, this was the perfect dessert after having such amazing flavoursome dishes.

Sir went with the Spuntini Signature. This dessert that had a lot of nice taste and texture dimensions with it’s mix of yuzu granita, wood fired grapes, brûlée custard, cream and caramelised white chocolate. It was a complex combination that worked so well.

Spuntini is nestled on a quiet street in Concord. It opens out to a small al fresco area that would be hugely popular for lunch and for dinner on warmer days. Inside it oozes charm and has a great atmosphere that lends itself to a great experience. Alex and Marco have a wonderful place here. You’ll find Alex in the kitchen and Marco out with the very content customers.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Spuntini Italian Restaurant. Special thank you to Alex for looking after us and chatting with us. Big thank you to Salvatore and Shannon for also taking such good care of us on the night.

Born By Tapavino
9A, 23 Barangaroo Ave.
Barrangaroo, Sydney

Our love of Spanish food has brought us here before, so you might say we were Born again with this visit. The beauty of their menu is that it is constantly evolving so there are always new options to try. It’s a lovely spot too - with its large covered al fresco area gazing out over the waters of Darling Harbour. We were there for a quick bite and decided on tapas.

We started with some sangria - as you do! It arrived in big glasses packed with fruit and fruity red wine punch. It’s a drink we love and it goes so well with tapas and other Spanish food.

We were near the water so oysters seemed like a good way to start our meal - not that we need a lot of arm-twisting to have bivalves. We grabbed a small serving of four so we could down two each. All they needed was a squeeze of the lemon wedge that came with them and down they went. Perfect.

The croquette of the day - or croqueta del Dia - is always on our list. These came piping hot and filled with potato and jamon. We had two wonderful golden croquettes each topped with a dollop of delicious black mayonnaise.

Called Aroz de Marisco - the bomba rice with saffron and calamari was another tasty dish. The combination worked well together and there was plenty of tender calamari in there too. The saffron added some nice lift to it all too.

Mlady always tries to add a vegetarian dish - sometimes successfully and sometimes not. The charred zucchini with mojo rojo and hazelnuts sounded great to us both and tasted just as good. The tender zucchini had a nice crust to it and the tomato and hazelnuts added great flavours and textures.

Born By Tapavino is somewhere that continues to deliver great tasting food in a lovely al fresco setting. They have an extremely extensive wine list that covers local and of course Spanish offerings. It’s a great place that ticks the boxes for us.

Gowings Bar and Grill
first Floor - 49 Market St.
Sydney CBD

Gowings was not always a name associated with food. It was in fact an iconic clothing store that sat in one of Sydney’s prime retail positions on the corner of George St and Market St in the city. These days though it’s a sophisticated grill and bar that serves up quality food and drinks in a relaxed yet elegant space one level up from the street.

This special cocktail had lots of colour and vibrancy to it. The hundreds and thousands around the glass rim added a sweet hit to the flavour too.

Sir of course headed straight for a Negroni - as he often does. It was a good sized tipple with a lovely tangy hit to it.

We find it hard to resist a few freshly shucked oysters to start a meal. These were very tasty and came served with lemon and mignonette dressing too to add some further tang. They disappeared very quickly!

We always love a good pasta and seafood combination - but it’s normally Sir heading this way. This time M’Lady grabbed the linguini with Mooloolaba spanner crab, chilli, lemon and roe. It was a vibrant dish with the bright orange roe on top and the flavour combination was delicious. There was plenty of crab in it too!

Sir went for the very substantial pork cotoletta. This was a huge piece of lightly crumbed pork, like a schnitzel, served with lemon aioli, rocket and capers and a juicy charred lemon half. This was a simply yet very tasty mix that was deliciously filling too.

We couldn’t resist ordering a side of duck fat roasted potatoes. They were golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside, just as we had hoped for and expected!

Although filling up, once we looked at the dessert menu we were captured. The millefoglie was outstanding and so pretty too. It came with orange blossom and chantilly cream. The wafer layers were beautifully crispy and the creamy filling looked and tasted divine. A scattering of raspberries added some fruitiness to it all. This was a real wow factor dish.

Having a selection of gelato’s available creates a wonderful dessert opportunity for those wanting something sweet but not overly filling. M’Lady was in exactly this situation and chose two, baci chocolate and hazelnut and the pistachio and loved them both.

Sir decided to have a dessert wine too and chose an old favourite, a 2021 Tasmanian Frogmore Creek Iced Riesling which was delicious as he expected and knew.

Gowings Bar and Grill is a fairly sprawling place that also seems cozy at the same time as it’s broken up into different areas. It always seems to have a buzz there, but then it’s always popular too so this may explain it.

We thoroughly enjoyed this visit to Gowings Bar and Grill. They set high standards here and consistently live up to them. You know it’s going to be good here, and it is. We’ll definitely be back.

Bommie Restaurant
Hamilton Island Yacht Club
Hamilton Island

Positioned as the premier dining venue on Hamilton Island does create some expectations and Bommie lived up to them comfortably. From its imposing entrance in the creatively designed Hamilton Island Yacht Club, to its delicious modern Australian cuisine and excellent wine list and through to its decor and position it exudes sophistication.

We started with a few drinks of course. Sir chose a rum based Caribbean Sea cocktail while M'Lady had a refreshing ginger beer. It was lovely sitting in this beautiful timber lined room with sweeping floor to ceiling glass windows.

Soon the house baked sourdough arrived with whipped truffle salted butter, as well as a delicate amuse bouche. The bread was absolutely delicious, and the light and very tasty butter went perfectly.

For starters, M'Lady had the refreshing yellow fin tuna with salmon sashimi, ginger, capers, cucumber and black caviar. It was a great seafood combination, delicately presented, full of colour and very tasty.

Sir had the slow braised beef cheek with house made gnocchi, warrigal greens and pecorino. The gnocchi was beautifully light and fluffy and the rich meaty accompaniment added a lovely richness to it.

Mains were next and Mlady uncharacteristically chose the grain fed beef tenderloin served with carrot, pumpkin. Brussel sprouts and jus. The meat was wonderfully tender and juicy and cooked perfectly medium as ordered. She really raved about this dish.

Sir chose the house made fettuccine served with bugs, prawns and king fish roe all in a cream of cider reduction with gremoulata. There was no shortage of tasty seafood here and the delicious creamy sauce went perfectly with the al dente pasta and protein.

Although he was having seafood, Sir still headed to a red, admittedly a light one. The wine list here is extensive and varied, as you’d probably expect in a fine dining venue like this.

Desserts next and M'Lady chose the chocolate mousse with spiced grapefruit, mandarin and rosette biscuit. It was a work of art - but a delicious one. The sweet and citrus combinations worked well together and the texture variations from the crunchy biscuit were equally great.

Sir chose the leche asada with puff pastry, vegemite and dolce de leche. It was like a pastry filled with creme Catalan and the vegemite gelato had caramel notes to it. It was a wonderful finish to the food.

Sir paired a glass of De Bortoli Noble One with his dessert as he loves his dessert wines and is also quite partial to a Noble One!

We left Bommie Restaurant very satisfied and very impressed. They also have a lovely outside bar that's on our hit list for next time!

Bommie Restaurant was impressive and will definitely be on or list for our next visit to Hamilton Island.

Brasserie L’Entrecote
1047 Pacific Highway
Pymble, Sydney

Ahh Paris - the city of live and some great food! Well if you can’t get there in the near future then pay Brasserie L’Entrecote a visit to live some of the food experiences without leaving Sydney. This place is the real deal in every way.

Wherever we are it’s almost a ritual to start with cocktails. The lychee martini had great flavours as did the

Scallops are a great starter but these were exceptional. La Saint Jacques was seared Noosa scallops on a puff pastry base spread with tangy onion jam and all topped with a beautiful mound of foil gras mousse drizzled with truffle oil. It was an indulgently delicious combination.

The rillettes au deux saumons was another wonderful dish. Made from wild fresh and smoked salmon it had great flavours and came with a beautifully juicy grilled lemon and chunks of toasted brioche. It all combined so nicely.

Duck a l’orange is a French classic. In this case it was in French as La Canard a l’Orange and consisted of a confit duck leg, pomme purée, sautéed spinach and orange sauce. The presentation was again exquisite as were the flavours.

Le crabe facon thermidor was another tasty treat. It was a great combination of warm crab meat, mushrooms, bechamel sauce and lobster bisque that looked lovely and tasted the same!

Paris mash is another one of those almost essentials when dining French. This mash was deliciously creamy and smooth.

Wine was of course necessary, as you’d expect with French food, and the list here is good.

Brasserie L’Entrecote is a splash of France nestled in Sydney. The food is lovely and the service matches it.

We’re already planning our return visit here as there was so much more on the menu that caught our eyes.

Fatt Pundit
6 Maiden Lane
Covent Garden, London

Fatt Pundit isn’t a name you’re going to forget in a hurry. It’s a quirky one and the food is also a quirky mix of Indian and Chinese. It’s a taste sensation too.

We started with some mixed vegetable momo’s. A momo is basically a Tibetan or Nepalese dumpling. These ones were a vibrant green colour and came steamed and filled with spinach and mushroom. They had two dipping sauces and were delicious. Even Sir enjoyed them and there was no meat in these ones!

Sir of course had his obligatory negroni. The Fatt Pundit Negroni is their variation on the classic with spiced gin, Campari and Cocchi Torino vermouth. The combination worked very well creating a lovely negroni.

The Crackling Spinach was recommended by everyone around us. It was easy to see why too and even more so when we ate it. This is actually crispy spinach. It’s crunchy and topped with a tangy mix of sweet yoghurt, date and plum sauce and crunchy pomegranate seeds. It’s such a tasty dish and looks as good as it tastes.

Three words together had us excited - Szechuan, honey and duck. the fact that it came with pancakes was an added bonus. These crispy strips of duck were beautifully crunchy and had great flavours. They went so well in the lightly steamed pancakes that came with them.

We had to have some seafood, so we chose the Bombay chilli prawns. These came plump and with a good spiciness that all went nicely.

The egg Szechuan fried rice had a kick to it as well. You could of course modify this by simply not eating some of the chilli pieces in it. It went nicely with the prawns for a real head clearing combination!

We were debating getting dessert when this one arrived at the next table, and we just had to grab it ourselves. Called Vegan sizzling brownie, what arrives at the table is a massive brownie slice on a hot plate and the whole lot is then doused in chocolate sauce creating a sizzling chocolate sensation. It’s a real eye catcher and tastes wonderful too.

There’s a really nice feel to Fatt Pundit. It’s kind of upmarket but not overtly. It still manages to feel a bit relaxed too.

We were very impressed with Fatt Pundit. It has outstanding ratings online and after visiting there it was very easy to see why. They do everything very well here.

Marra Bar and Grill
(Inside Coogee Bay Hotel)
253 Coogee Bay Road
Coogee, Sydney

Marra Bar and Grill is a casual, relaxing venue with a unique ceiling that resembles a sand dune. The venue is inside the iconic Coogee Bay Hotel and overlooks the equally iconic Coogee Beach. This year Marra Bar and Grill celebrates 150 years and it is still going strong! To commemorate this they have put together Monthly Specials which are certainly worth checking out.

For drinks Sir had the 1940’s Mai Tai - Pampero Blanco, Cointreau, Ron Zacapa, lime juice and sweet orgeat syrup. This delicious cocktail was from their monthly Legacy Menu celebrating 150 years strong.

Mlady chose a signature cocktail, Lychee Dream. This had Tanqueray gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Anna Spinato Prosecco, sugar syrup and soda. Mlady is quite partial to Lychee flavoured drinks and she did enjoy this.

We both love oysters, so as a starter we had a few to whet our appetites. They had a lovely cab sav vinaigrette which complemented them so well. The mix of tang and creamy oysters was delicious.

Our next starter was their amazing sweet corn ribs with dashi butter, nori seeds, lime and kewpie majo. These really were delicious. They had a nice juicy crunch, and the lime and kewpie mayo was wonderful. After we finished the ribs, the plate looked like a dinosaur’s graveyard!

Sir went with a steak for his main course - a Scotch Fillet. It was cooked perfectly as Sir ordered, medium rare, and came with a serving of its own lovely fluffy creamy mash and a very nice peppercorn jus. Steak and peppercorn jus are a good match together and this hefty and good quality cut of meat was delicious.

As part of the year long celebrations, great dishes from the past are being brought back for short “guest appearances”. From the 1970’s menu, Mlady could not go past the Bangers and Mash. This was pork sausages, caramelised onion, gravy and mash.  Mlady loved everything about this. This combination is a favourite of hers. The sausages were tasty, the mash was fluffy and the caramelised onion and gravy completed this dish perfectly.

As a side we had broccolini with cashew pesto. This was a good choice as it went so well with both our mains.

Keeping with the theme of the 150-year celebrations, we both had a very nice CBH 150th Anniversary Shiraz from The Hunter Valley. It was a lovely drop of red and very easy to drink with subtle tones.

Mlady loves chocolate and chose the Chocolate Parfait for dessert. This was so smooth and cool with really good peanut and chocolate flavours that was so perfectly balanced.

Sir chose his dessert from the Legacy menu, had the Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch sauce. Sir is a fan of Sticky Date and this really was mouthwatering with a scrumptious rich butterscotch sauce. The biscuit crumble added a nice mixture of textures to this lovely dish.

Marra Bar & Grill is a big place in an even bigger place - The Coogee Bay Hotel. That said, it doesn’t seem cavernous as they’ve split the area up into smaller spaces that all combine to work so well.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Marra Bar and Grill Coogee. Big thank you to Alana for taking time from her busy schedule to chat and look after us. Thank you also to Alana for looking after us on the night. Special thanks to Original Spin for arranging this visit.