Guerrilla Eats Progressive Dinner, Darlinghurst

Miss Piggy and friend dined as guests of Guerrilla Eats. Terrible photos are all my own work as per usual. 

Sydney based company Guerrilla Eats is bringing a fun, new dining concept to those of us who are keen for a bit of adventure, and a brisk stroll, whilst enjoying a meal out. For those of you old enough to have memories of progressive dinner parties from the 70s and 80s rest assured you don’t need to bring your own plate along to the neighbour’s house in order to take part in this revamped version of the progressive dinner.

A few days before our scheduled Guerrilla Eats experience we receive a “treasure map” via email directing us to where our dinner kicks off, along with our other stops for the night. My friend and I both thought this was great fun and it really got us into the mood for a fun night out.

First stop is Hinky Dinks (185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst) – a groovy small in Darlinghurst that has a bit of a cool 1950s “cocktail bar” vibe going on. I couldn’t think of a better place to relax on a Friday night and enjoy cocktail hour. Included in our Guerrilla Eats package is a cocktail each and a choice of one item each from the food menu.

Speaking of cocktails – we both decide to order the special cocktail of the night, the classic margarita. We’re giving a little basket of popcorn and also a bowl of beetroot chips to help the margarita along.

In order to maximise chatting and drinking time we ask our waiter to select the food for us…which is always a great idea in my mind as who knows the stellar menu items better than those people who work at the place? He doesn’t disappoint us, sending out a plate of lusciously fluffy, and tasty Jalapeño croquettes (4 per serve) and a box of moreish popcorn chicken with BBQ sauce.

Before we know it our time as Hinky Dinks is up and we’re off searching for the next place. I actually had no idea where Jekyll and Hyde (332 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst) was having not heard of it before so it was fun actually having to “search” for the venue.

Turns out Jekyll and Hyde occupies the spot where Café Fellini used to be – which is where Dave and I had our very first date a billionty years ago. It was lovely to see how the place had transformed into a warm, inviting space with a bit of a Brit meets Paris vibe going on.

More cocktails are on offer and my buddy and I decide on two different cocktails that take our fancy with the view to sharing them…sharing is caring after all. My favourite of the two was the Jekyll’s Elderflower Sour (Hendricks Gin with St Germain Elderflower Liqueur with fresh lemon juice, hopped grapefruit bitters and and rose – served on the rocks). Luckily my friend prefers the French Mojito which was just a *bit* too potent for me (Havana blanco, Peach Liqueur, Chambord, lime and mint shaken with sugar syrup, finished with a splash of Sparkling Wine for something different).

Our “dinner” portion of the evening kicks off with a few smaller plates including a battered and fried haloumi with a lemon honey syrup (yum), crispy fried zucchini flowers with roasted pumpkin and thyme stuffing with an aioli dressing and finally a deconstructed warm beetroot and goats cheese tart with candied walnuts and a beetroot dressing.

For our “large plates” I was really keen to try the slow cooked beef rillette served with a beetroot relish and chimmichurri sauce - served with crispbread of course – as it’s totally different to the French style rillettes we enjoyed in Paris last year (think duck, goose and pork). It wasn't as unctuous or fatty as the French-style rillette, and was still quite rich in flavour so the relish and sauce was welcomed. The rillette was accompanied by a sweet potato rotolo that I was really too full to enjoy properly. My stomach let me down!

By this stage I was feeling pretty (very) full so I was glad to get up and stroll to our final destination, The Darlo Bar, for a nightcap. Here we get to enjoy a tap beer or a house wine and watch all the cool Darlinghurst people having fun in this retro style pub.

This was a GREAT night out and with so many different Guerrilla Eats options on offer there really is something to suit everyone. I love the idea of making the experience of dining out a real adventure – and as a person keen to try ALL the restaurants Sydney has to offer what could be better than getting to try three places all in one night? Nothing!

You can visit the Guerrilla Eats website here, or phone them on 8078 4776 or email on  eats@guerrillaeats.com.au.

The Victoria Room, Darlinghurst

Miss Piggy and The Boy dined as guests of The Victoria Room. The terrible photos are 100% all mine!

Dave and I had our wedding at The Victoria Room (both the ceremony and the reception) so needless to say we’re quite fond of the place. I’ve always loved its plush sofas, romantic decor and “old world” feel. This is a place where special things happen…like cocktail parties, romantic dinners, weddings, hens nights and proposals. But, if I’m to be brutally honest the place was looking a tad…tired when we got married there. Things were a bit…dusty and a bit worn. The cushions weren’t as plump as they once were…it was charming, romantic and endearing, but just “getting on a bit”.

Enter new owners who have given the place a good spring clean. They’ve shaken the dust from the cushions, reupholstered the furniture, flung open the curtains and give the whole place a lick of paint. It’s the same Victoria Rooms – but just a better, spiffier version of its old self. Grandma has a new dress!

The décor has gone from mostly reds to all blues and creams. I think this makes it a much more comfortable place for your “man friends” to hang out it, yet it retains its classy elegance and old-world charm that appeals to the ladies. There are modern touches now, like the blue and cream zebra print banquettes, but on the whole the Victoria Room is still channeling a British drawing room from the 1920s. Love it!

With new décor comes a new menu and that’s what we’re here to try tonight. The Victoria Room is fairly well known for its amazing high teas, but they also have a great dinner menu (along with a stellar cocktail list and lovely bar area if you’re not in the mood for a meal).

Whilst we’re admiring the new fit out we enjoy a few cocktails and peruse the menu. And no, the cocktail in the coconut shell was NOT mine!

We kick things off with a few tidbits for the “Snacks” section of the menu. I cannot go past the freshly shucked oysters with frozen champagne ($4.00 each). The oysters are so fresh and plump, and I love the frozen champagne – it’s very cooling in the mouth and pairs so well with the brininess of the oysters! Dave chooses a mini chili spanner crab roll ($6.00 each) and absolutely loves it. The crab is meaty and very delicious. We decide to split a crispy zucchini flower ($5.00 each). The flower is filled with a pungent taleggio that is studded with sweet raisins.

For our larger dishes we opt for the slow roast pork belly with sweet mustard glaze ($30) and the 500g char-grilled Black Angus scotch fillet ($50.00) that comes with a with a selection of sauces. The pork is so flavoursome and has some wonderfully crisp crackling. The meat is very tender and the mustard glazes had just a hint of sweetness to it (that I think must be a dash of honey). We both totally LOVED the Black Angus scotch fillet and I would order this again in a heartbeat. The beef was so tender, well-seasoned and flavoursome. Add a dollop of the accompanying horseradish cream to each mouthful and I’m in heaven.

We cannot live on meat alone of course (though I’m sure many people try) so we ordered a few sides to go with our mains. The next time we go back to the Victoria Room I am ordering a bowl of the salt baked potatoes with smoked sour cream, shallots and preserved lemon ($14.00) for myself and I WILL NOT be sharing! This was so delicious – and I’m sorry to say it’s a case of crap photo, delicious food. I especially loved the crispy potato skins served with the potatoes and that the bowl had little hidden pieces of gherkins dotted throughout. Winner!

We also order a plate of purple and orange caraway roasted carrots ($14.00) that are cooking with burnt butter and sage – a combination I’m fond of adding to my pasta at home. Now that I know it goes so well with carrots I’ll be whipping this up at home! Lastly a bowl of shaved Iceberg lettuce with buttermilk dressing and tarragon ($8.00) sees our meal come to an end.

Although we’re feeling a tad…full we’re too tempted for the selection of sweet snacks, bites and nibbles on offer to share for $22. I order a glass of sweet white wine to go with this – I do love dessert wine I have to say!

I just adore the new look of the Victoria Room and I can’t wait to come back and celebrate our wedding anniversary here with another amazing dinner!

Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

Let's take a moments silence shall we to pay respect to the wonder that is pasta served in a GIANT WHEEL OF CHEESE...

So now that you've seen...and drooled...over that photo are you BUSTING to get down to the restaurant that serves this magical, magical dish? I sure know I was.

Buffalo Dining Club is a small restaurant in Darlinghurst that serves up amazing Italian food. There's pasta (of course) as well as cheeses, prosciutto's (and other meats) and a range of other antipasti delights. This place has been on my list for SO long that I'd almost given up hope of finding the time to make it here...so big thanks to fellow blogger T for arranging this dinner.

This restaurant is very very popular (no surprise as the food is amazing) so we arrive just before 6pm in order to nab a table for four. A tip for y'all, you won't be seated until your entire group is at the restaurant...so make sure you pick your most punctual friends for your outing to Buffalo.

We start off with a Pinot Gris that our waitress highly recommends (as it comes from the region in Italy that she hails from).  It's a great wine and I now know 100% that Pinot Gris is my tipple of choice.

Everything we ordered here was spectacular.  Looking at these photos again is making me plot exactly when I can get back to Buffalo for more amazing food - like this Mortadella ($11.00) that has been pan-fried so it has a nice charred layer. Mortadella is slightly fatty so the colourful medley of zesty, fresh heirloom tomatoes is a perfect companion.

I'm always in awe of stuffed zucchini flowers ($14.00). Having grown zucchinis myself I know how flimsy the flowers are. They tear so easily and I just cannot imagine stuffing them with cheese and not having the flowers burst or rip apart.  These zucchini flowers were filled to the brim, but only when we pried the flowers apart with our knives did the river of cheese within escape. Oh So Good!

Burrata ($19 with a choice of any two sides from the menu) has always been high on my list of foods to eat before I start "that diet" once and for all!

The outer layer of this incredible Italian cheese is made of solid mozzarella and the innards are a soft mixture of mozzarella and cream. The Burrata innards were not as runny as I was anticipating, but more like a soft cream cheese. It was pretty amazing. Our dish was served with (our choice of) potato croquettes and cherry tomatoes and also came with some bread and crunchy pretzel type biscuits.  I could actually quite happily head to Buffalo one day for lunch and just have this...

 

It's always great dining with someone who knows a restaurant menu really well. T knew what was what and highly recommend this Ricotta Gnocchi ($18.00). I think this was probably my favourite pasta dish of the night (yes, I liked it even more than the pasta in the giant cheese wheel). The gnocchi was so soft - it was like eating little pillows of cheese.

The crab linguini ($18.00) was another great dish - the crab was succulent and sweet, yet the flavour was quite subtle.

Ah - does this really need any introduction? Cacio e Pepe ($18.00) translates to "cheese and pepper" which is exactly what this dish is - spaghetti with pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese. The pasta is mixed in a giant wheel of cheese to give it that extra cheese WOW factor. If you're curious (I was - so I asked), the cheese wheel is wiped clean each night, stored and lasts about two weeks. Eventually all the cheese melts away on to the pasta and the wheel has to be replaced. I have no idea if this is a traditional way of serving cacio e pepe but it sure works for me. 

And last, but not least, a sensational Tiramsu. Often I find the esporesso flavour in Tiramsu quite overpowering, but our Tiramusu had a lovely mild flavour to and was the perfect way to end a glorious meal.

Like I said before (a thousand times) I really cannot wait to come back here - it's not often that I'm really excited by a restaurant so much so that I plot my return ASAP! And I cannot end this post without saying how friendly the staff are here -- everyone was super nice, just like a big hug from Nonna. Ciao xxx

Buffalo Dining Club is at 116 Surrey Street, Darlinghurst. Phone them on 9332 4052 (and they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays FYI...and possibly also Sundays?)