Food tour of The Rocks

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time you’re probably aware that I LOVE a tour…especially a tour where food is involved.

When the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) invited me on a media “food and beverage” tour of The Rocks I quickly submitted an annual leave day from work and RSVPd YES YES YES!

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority owns and manages some of the State's most significant assets, including The Rocks. The SHFA website tells us that their “vision is to make extraordinary places the world talks about by preserving and enhancing the inter-generational value of the State, heritage and cultural assets it manages”.

I think it must be a tricky balance to preserve the heritage of The Rocks precinct whilst at the same time making the area relevant and modern through food, beverage, shopping and events in order to attract locals and visitors alike. The SHFA are the brainchild behind the ever popular Vivid Festival which was designed to bring visitors to the area in the normally quiet (for them) month of May. I’d say that idea worked pretty well, huh?

So where did the tour take us? Read on to find out. All of these places were new to me and I’m super excited to get back to some of them to revist.

Le Pain Quotidien

Firstly, massive props to the Le Pain Quotidien website which tries to help us pronounce the name of the place. They say it sounds like “luh paN koh-ti-dyaN”. Yep…still cannot pronounce it but in English that translates to “the daily bread”.

The first stop on our food tour of The Rocks is Le Pain Quotidien...a bakery hailing from Belgium that is located in a (very) old police station on George Sreet. I cannot count the number of times I’ve walked past this building and not given it a second glance. This is a lesson in why it pays to look up from the pavement and take in the beauty surrounding us!

At the back of the café is where you’ll find the old gaol cells. The "cells" have been done up as little dining spaces and it is really really cool. If you don't like your dining buddies you could just get up from you cell and lock them in the cell behind you! If you cannot get yourself locked in a cell never fear! There is loads of seating in the front of the building and also out on George Street where you’ll have a stellar view of the MCA.

On this first pit stop we get to try a few items from the Patisserie menu and I go for the almond and cheese croissant which is delicious. The cheese is almost undetectable so don’t let that put you off.  It provides a subtle sweet and and creamy note to the pasty.  This is not like eating a slice of Kraft cheese on your sweet croissant I promise. I also sink my teeth in to the fruit bread with a good sized schmear of the creamy, luscious hazelnut spread. All of this is washed down with some tart, refreshing Homemade Lemonade.

I really like this space. I think it’s fantastic that the café is making use of one of the most interesting features of the buildings (the cells for those not keeping up with my love of THE CELLS). I’m keen to come back on the weekend to have brunch or lunch with Dave and enjoy some French goodies. And YAY for somewhere that is open for brunch in the city ALL weekend (they also open for dinner FYI).

127 George Street, The Rocks
Phone them on: 9252 3840
Trading hours: Monday - Sunday 8.00am - 9.00 pm



ChocolArts

Next stop on our tour of the rocks is one for the lovers of handmade, artisan chocolate. Behold the wonder that is ChocolArts.

This place smells INCREDIBLE - rich and luscious. At ChocolArt you’ll find a HUGE range of beautiful handcrafted chocolates make from premium Belgian and French couverture chocolate. There's also some couverture on hand from North Queensland (it's grown on a banana farm)! Fantastic!  What's more is that there’s no artificial ingredients or preservatives in the ChocolArt choccies so this place is basically a health food shop if you think about it!

ChoocolArts has a range of traditional chocolates but I also like the addition of a few Australian flavours such as Lemon Myrtle (which is super yum FYI) and also the Leatherwood Honey. Whilst in store I also tried the Fleur de Sel. One word = YUM!

75 George Street, The Rocks
Trading Hours: Monday - Sunday: 10.00am - 6.00pm



Ananas Bar and Brasserie

Moving right along to the third stop on our food tour. We pop into the beautiful Ananas for some wine and a light lunch.

I figured out pretty quickly that Ananas is French for pineapple as there are pineapple "things" all over the joint. Pineapple lights of different shapes and sizes adorn various parts of the bar and brasserie and it REALLY is gorgeous. How have I not been here before?   Now, if you're wondering about the link between France and pineapples we are told that "way back in The Day, pineapples were a sign of wealth and great hospitality in France".  You learn something new everyday.

The bar area takes up a huge chunk of the building and is light and bright with a touch of “old world France about it”. It positively shimmers from the glow of the pineapple chandeliers. LOVE!

We move through to the brasserie, which is dark and lux, and settle at the tables for some tasty treats. First up is a glass (or two) of a smooth 2012 Château Darzac Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, France (naturally). I think I can now add another wine to my list of wines that I like…welcome to the club Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc!

On to the food… King Crab Salad with avocado and fresh green apple (from the restaurant lunch menu); Chef's celection of house charcuterie with brioche (from the bar menu); Ananas seared yellow fin tuna salade niçoise (from the restaurant menu). The dishes we are presented with are all beautiful with delicate flavours and textures that all blend perfectly together. I adored the charcuterie as it just screams Paris to me...

We finish off our light lunch with a trio of Ananas eclairs – the Chef's selection as Chef knows best after all. We had an African chocolate éclair, an Earl Grey Tea éclair (oh boy this was GOOD) and a salted caramel éclair. We cut each éclair into five pieces so we could each have “just a taste”. The perfect, guilt free way to have dessert I think.

18 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Phone them on 9259 5668 or email reservations@ananas.com.au
Trading Hours:
Lunch = Mon - Fri 12.00pm – 3.00pm
Dinner = Mon - Thu 6.00pm – 10.00pm | Fri - Sat 5:30pm – 11.00pm
Bar = Mon- Fri 12.00pm – 1.00am | Sat 4.00pm – 1.00am



Wine Odyssey Australia

Moving right along on our food tour of The Rocks to Wine Odyssey. This is another venue with a historical past – built in 1886 it initially operated as a hotel run by one of Australia’s first female publicans. 

The resident archaeologist from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, who attended the tour with us, tells us that this building also served as a morgue (pubs with cellars = cool, dry place to store the bodies) as well as a “house of ill repute”!

I've never seen a DIY "wine tasting machine" before...and now I have. This month the machine is loaded up with NSW wines...you put credit on your Wine Odyssey card...stick it in the machine and taste away. More fun than an iPad people.

As well as the DIY "wine tasting machine" Wine Odyssey also has a wine bar, wine store, wine club and can host a variety of events. On the second floor of their venue is a “theatre” which is where we head to try both a red and white wine, and to sample a few of the delectable cheeses on offer.

39/43 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Phone them on 8114 0256
Trading hours:
Monday - Closed
Tuesday to Saturday – 12.00pm to late
Sunday - 12.00pm to 10.00pm



The Push

Next stop on our food tour of The Rocks is The Push. It's the first pub you'll meet as you enter The Rocks ...a really cozy space for a cocktail (or two) and something to eat. The Push sits on the ground floor of the lovely (and again, historic) Russell Hotel building.

The Push is a bit of a funny name isn’t it? It comes from a Blues and Jazz Club that operated in the Rocks in the 70’s, known as “The Rocks Push”. The club took its name go back to the early 1800s when a group of ye olde worlde gang-bangers (also referred to as “larrikins” back in the day) formed a gang called “The Rocks Push”. They terrorized the area and sailors frequenting the Rocks.

During our brief stop at The Push we get to sample a few of the bar snacks on offer and a few cocktails. I LOVE LOVE LOVED the crumbed calamari strips that are dusted with sichuan pepper and kaffir lime. I ignored the accompanying soy dipping sauce and dunked the calamari in the aioli that accompanied the cheesy little arancini balls. Good stuff. The nachos bites were piled high with spiced beef flank, beans, rocket, cheese and avocado – not so pretty to eat (more of a shove-it-in-your-gob) but really tasty! I also loved the slider I tired - pulled lamb with mashed peas (there’s also pork rib and vegetarian sausage sliders on offer if you prefer).

We try a few cocktails here, include their signature cocktail ‘Push Over’. The drinks menu tells us this drink is “inspired by the well-dressed ladies who were dazzled by the charisma of the members of The Push in the 1800′s. This cocktail is a fruity, refreshing mix of raspberries, lime, Chambord and vodka”. I’m not sure I’m classified as a “well-dressed lady” (I err more on the casual side of things) and I don’t go ga-ga for gang members BUT I did love this cocktail. Yum.

143 George Street, The Rocks.
Phone them on 9241 2999
Trading Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 12.00pm - 11.00pm
Friday – Saturday: 12.00pm – 12.00am (nice one lock-out laws...not)!
Sunday: 12.00pm – 10.00pm



The Glenmore Hotel

The rooftop of The Glenmore Hotel is a SPECTACULAR place to end our food tour of The Rocks. Stunning views...especially in the glorious weather we’ve been experiencing lately. The rooftop has received a face lift and is the proud owner of a a retractable roof. This means the rooftop will be open rain, hail or shine. Woot.

I take a seat at the table that overlooks the Opera House...and that overlooks three giant jugs of cocktails. I’m not sure what any of there are I’m sorry (I heard mutterings of Pimms and of rum {not in the same jug of course}) – but I had a VERY good sample from each one and can confirm that they are all delish. Coupled with the stunning, warm spring weather and the million dollar view I’d say these cocktails are darn near perfect!

Quite a few plates of food came out but I didn’t get to sample (or snap) them all. I'm keen to come back and try the chicken wings which we are told are devilishly spicy and messy.

The Salt and Pepper Squid was dusted in chilli and came with a coriander and lime mayonnaise – yum. I loved the BBQ corn salsa and tartare sauce that accompanied the Fish Cakes (which reminded me of a prettier version of the tuna patties I used to try and make at home, but they would never stick together).   After a few fried dishes the Tuna Salad was fresh and refreshing. Seared Albacore Tuna is plated under a medley of avocado, cucumber ribbon, heirloom cherry tomato, crispy panache salad with spicy sesame soy dressing.

I absolutely LOVED spending time on the rooftop of the Glenmore Hotel.  It just felt like the quintessential Sydney experience - big blue skies, warm weather, sunshine and a dazzling view of the sparkling water and Opera House.

96 Cumberland Street, The Rocks.
Phone them on: 9247 4794
Trading Hours:
Mon – Thurs: 11.00am to 12.00am
Fri -- Sat: 11.00am to 1.00am
Sun: 11.00am to 12.00am

Berry Sourdough Cafe, Berry

Sometimes it's great to get out of Sydney - to go for a drive to a place where skies are bluer, emptier. The streets of Berry aren't really any emptier though as I think it's the destination of choice these days for Sydney-siders to flee to.

Berry Sourdough Cafe is a buzzy little place off the main street of Berry serving freshly baked pastries, bread + cakes as well as  breakfast/brunch/lunch and all manner of caffeinated beverages to wake you up for your drive back to Sydney.  The cafe is literally bursting at the seems with hungry visitors needing a bite to eat on their day trip to the country.

But don't let the crowds put you off - be patient and you'll soon be rewarded with a table.  If you're lucky your table will be in full view of the cake cabinet - the perfect spot!

The Boy + I arrive just in time for lunch and fate is smiling on us as we get one of the last tables before the rush really hits. We kick things off with a bowl of crunchy french fries with mustard aoili ($6.00) whilst we contemplate the rest of the menu.

I'm still in a bit of a brunch mood still and really want a meal that has the famous Berry sourdough bread in it.  Whilst the brunch menu has well and truly been put to bed the roast butternut pumpkin, fennel, dill marinated local feta on sourdough ($16.00) is the next best choice. It's a really flavoursome (and filling) plate of food and I particularly love the crispy fennel paired with creamy feta that has generous sprigs of dill through.

I pretty much always have food envy and The Boy seems to have a knack of ordering dishes that I really actually want to eat myself.  The crisp pork belly, hazelnut puree, green pear and raddichio ($24.00) is no exception to this rule and despite eyeballing every mouthful he inhaled I only managed to nab a (very delicious) morsel of crackling right at the end. Doesn't this dish just look like perfection on a plate? Just as aside the guy at the next table SHARED his pork with his wife...take note Boy!

And as I had been in the perfect position to ogle the pastry cabinet all throughout lunch I could not resist a little something sweet to end off our day trip to Berry. This petit coconut orange cake was really tasty, light yet moist bite or two that certainly curbed my sweet craving.  The chocolate tart hid a river of caramel sauce within its chocolate lid that was as shinny as silk and utterly scrumptious.

Berry Sourdough Cafe is at 23 Prince Alfred Street, Berry.  Phone them on (02) 4464 1617.

#FairfieldFeast food tour, Fairfield

Miss Piggy was chosen as one of 6 food bloggers to attend the #Fairfiield Feast food tour hosted by Thang Ngo of Noodlies and Fairfield City Council.

Fairfield, in Sydney’s South West, must be one of the most culturally diverse suburbs in Sydney.  Two our of every three residents speak a language other than English at home (Klingon not included) and Fairfield has the largest Iraqi population outside of Iraq. With 133 nationalities amongst its 190,000 residents it's the very definition of multiculturalism. And where there is multiculturalism there is amazing food to be found.

Fairfiled is just a 20 minute drive from Parramatta yet the invitation to the #FairfieldFeast tour for food bloggers is my first visit to the suburb. We don't get to sample 133 different cuisines on this Saturday - our tour takes us to 8 different local businesses where we get to experience the flavours of no less than 7 different countries...all in the space of about 5 hours.

Paula Continental Cakes

Our first stop is Paula Continental Cakes which has been operating in Fairfield for around 30 years. Paula's is a Chilean bakery specialising in traditional desserts - a majority of which feature Dulce De Leche, a delectable sweet thick caramel.

As is often the way the bakery was established as the Chilean owners were missing some of the food from their homeland. Paula has proven to be a hit with not only Sydney’s Chilean community but other sweet tooth's who travel from far and wide to get their sugar fix.  They also do savoury goods such as empanades - so there's something for everyone.

The cakes at Paula’s are amazing and it's rare that I start my day with sweets, but I could certainly get used to it. For our “breakfast” we were able to sample a huge range of Chilean desserts – including churros with dulce de leche, torta de tres leches, torta de milhoja chilento an, alfajor de maizena.

Find them at Shop 2/9 Barbara Street, Fairfield or phone them on (02) 9726 2369.



Afghan and Arab Bakery

Next up we stop at the Afghan and Arab Bakery. If you’re a fan of Food Safari on SBS you may have seen this place on a recent episode about Afghani food.

Each day head baker Habib and his team churn out 4,000 – yes FOUR THOUSAND – loaves of soft, fluffy Persian, Afghan, Turkish and Iraqi flatbreads. Considering the heat that the traditional clay oven creates it’s an amazing feat...and all the while Habib has a smile on his face. As well as tasty savoury breads the bakery also produces a really wonderful sweet bread that has ground cardamom + fennel seeds – it has an amazing flavour.

Find them at 2/13 Nelson Street, Fairfield, phone them on 9728 1832 or visit the website.



Mykababayan (Sans Rival Food Service)

I have been wanting to try Filipino food for the l-o-n-g-e-s-t time and I was thrilled to learn that we’d be visiting a Filo eatery on our Fairfield travels. The feast that we had at this restaurant (whose name is either Mykababayan or Sans Rival Food Service – even the owner was not sure) was enormous. 

The tiny kitchen of this part grocery store, part restaurant, churns out traditional home-style Filo cooking that proves popular with the local Filo community who also come here to buy popular Filo items. 

I was thrilled to finally try one of the Philippines most popular dishes, Adobo Chicken. Adobo is a popular way of marinading and cooking meat (most often chicken or pork I believe) in a mix of vinegar and soy. It’s so moist and flavoursome – I can see why it’s their unofficial national dish.

 
Another favourite of mine was the jackfruit + seafood cooked in coconut milk (that’s it in the top row of this photo – second from the right).  It's like nothing I’ve ever had before  - sweet, yet salty from the seafood and the jackfruit itself has quite a firm bite to it, sort of like bamboo shoot.  The spicy little pork sausages also go down a treat. Our Filo feast then finishes with some amazingly sweet desserts – I’ve heard it said that Filipino people love sweet sweet desserts and I’d agree with this. The sweets were SWEET!

Find them at 13/52 - 68 The Crescent, Fairfield or phone them on 9727 3146.

Al Jamil Market

We make an quick pit stop at the Al Jamil Market – an Iraqi/Afghani grocery store whose owner, Jamil (an Iraqi refugee who moved to Sydney and set up shop 17 years ago) has got to be one of THE friendliest guys I’ve ever met. Each curious glance towards the amazing produce and delicacies in his store was met with a cheerful offer to have a try. So much so that Jamil was stuffing lollies and pumpkin seeds into my bad as I left the shop – reverse shoplifting?

I love the big open bins of seeds, nuts and grains that greets you as you walk into the store; and the vat of green olives is almost too much to resist. The shelves are lined with produce from across the world including China, Croatia, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq...you name it he probably has it! This store is really a multicultural wonderland.

Find them at 25 The Crescent, Fairfield or phone them on 9745 9980.

Al Dhiaffah Al Iraqi Restaurant

For our second lunch we pay a visit to Al Dhiaffah Al Iraqi Restaurant – just a few doors up from the Al Jamil Market. The restaurant walls are adorned with pictures of Iraqi scenery and people and it adds an interesting visual touch to the space.

Within minutes our table is groaning with a wonderful Iraqi feast. The Iraqi diet is quiet meat heavy given their arid landscape is not the best for growing vegetables – but the vegetarian in our group seems to find herself a hearty feast amongst the meat. Behold chicken + lamb kebabs, lamb kibbeh, lamb shanks with noodles, pickled carrots and something mysterious we think is a cucumber of sorts, soups, salads, stew, luscious thick hummus and Iraqi bread still warm from the oven.

Find them at 13 The Crescent, Fairfield, phone them on 9755 0870 or visit the website.



Frank's Lebanese Restaurant

Rubbing our bellies we slowly waddle down the road to Frank’s Lebanese Restaurant where we are greeted by a mound of garlic tuom (dip) bigger than our bulging stomachs.

If you’re a fan of Lebanese chicken then it’s impossible not to compare this place to Granville’s El Jannah.  I’m happy to report El Jannah fans won’t be disappointed with what Frank has to offer – which is firstly a proper restaurant with comfortable tables and chairs and a HUGE menu filled with more than just Lebanese chicken and toum. This place is the real deal offering everything Lebanese you can think of.

The Lebanese chicken is smoky, tender and moist with a great crispy skin - it's really very very good. The garlic tuom has just enough punch in it to make sure you won’t be canoodling with any strangers on the way home - I like that it has a good garlic flavour but it's not overwhelming.  The vine leaves, crispy fluffy falafel and fried cauliflower are all 100% vegetarian friendly.

We also get to sample a full array of dips from a great nutty, zesty hommos (Frank tells us the mark of any restaurant is the quality of its hommos - bad hommos = bad restaurant {FYI, Frank's is epic hommos}), a smoky baba gannouj that is up there with the best I’ve had, a house made labne (which is WAY better than my attempts at making this at home) and Chanclish – a hardened fermented cheese that is grated and served with diced tomatoes and parsley. I was really excited to try chanclish – it’s something I’ve never seen served elsewhere, and in fact before this #FairfieldFeast I’d never even heard of it.

Visit them at 6 Smart Street, Fairfield or phone them on 9724 3000. 



Green Peppercorn

Our final stop on our #FairfieldFeast tour is Green Peppercorn, which has recently been awarded best new restaurant in the SMH under $30 food guide.  That said I give it two thumbs up which is really all you need to know.  Oh, and that owner Tona Inthavong recently spent time working at his brothers popular Canley Heights Laotian restaurant, Holy Basil -- so you know the food is going to be GOOD!

Our lunch at Green Peppercorn starts off with a cooking demonstration from Tona and his sister/head chef Sarah.  In case you're wondering YES this is a lot of food to have consumed in one day -- even for a greedy food blogger like me so I'm glad of a bit of respite to let my 27 lunches digest. Sarah shows us how to whip up sticky rice and one of my favourite south-east Asian dishes, green papaya salad. We learn that Loation food is less sweet than its close cousin Thai food and that there's more of a sourness to Lao dishes and you'll find much less coconut milk based meals.  Lao cuisine also tends to focus less on fresh seafood than Thai - makes sense given they are a landlocked country.

We then sit down to our final feast of the day - and I have to say it looks good. The table is filled with plates heaving with fresh salads with zesty dips + dressings.  Everything is light and fresh and I feel really quite healthy tucking into this Loation banquet.  I especially loved the Nem Khao - a crunchy rice salad with cured pork, shallots, chilli, kaffir lime leaves and peanuts that you scoop into fresh iceberg lettuce leaves with mint

The Laos sausages and beef jerky are both made by Tona's father with noone in the kitchen being allowed near these precious family dishes. The beef jerky harks back to the family's time in a refugee camp before coming to Australia - it was a way for the family to have meat on hand when rations were limited.  So many of the places we visited today have a story like this.

Any feelings of health and virtue I had are totally undone when dessert arrives at our table.  The pandan creme brulee was amazing - so light and fluffy with a great coconut pandan flavour. An absolute winner.  The deep fried ice-cream was really usual coming wrapped in pastry and served with coconut muesli and caramel sauce. I loved it - no matter how much we chatted the ice-cream did not melt and the filo pastry stayed firm and crispy.  The black sesame creme brulee was another winning dessert - creamy but not too rich, and the more traditional black coconut black sticky rice with ice-cream was a great note to finish our #FairfieldFeast on.

Find them at 1 Hamilton Rd, Fairfield (Fairfield Hotel) or phone them on 9724 7842 (reservations only available from Mon to Thurs) or visit the website.



I love that in all the places we visited today there is a story of culture and tradition.  And that whilst the Fairfield community is from the four corners of the globe the story is universal.  A family comes to a new country, a new home with new hopes and dreams.  They bring with them some of their food and traditions from the old country and a diverse, melting pot of a suburb like Fairfield is born.  We're very lucky to have places like Fairfield so close to us. Go and explore! You know you want to.