Capital Grill, CBD

I'm back from holidays and back into my old addiction of meal deal vouchers.  Some habits die hard, but I'm trying to cut back in the effort of saving some moolah in order to afford more holidays.

Capital Grill is located at street level of the Gateway Building on Macquaire Place (right next door to The Basement).  There is a huge outdoor bar area, and downstairs dining area as well as plush looking upstairs mezzanine. The whole place is moodily lit so apologies for the less than stellar photos.  I imagine this place is quite busy during lunchtimes and the bar no doubt does a roaring trade on Friday nights when local office workers are celebrating TGIF!

Our voucher included a bottle of wine so Miss M, the wine expert at our table, chooses a red.  It's nice, tastes like red wine so I'm happy.

For entree I decide on the Sydney Rock Oysters with a Citrus Granita - really lovely. The oysters were plump and briny, first class.  Miss M chose the Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan which looked so simple but I assured it tasted wonderful.

Great minds think alike and so do great tummies. Miss M and I were both taken by the beautiful Ocean Trout with Prawn and Mussel Bisque. This was a really nice dish - the fish was wonderful, a firm flesh that was swimming in a bisque so moreish I had to ask for more bread into to wipe the plate clean.

Dinner is not dinner without dessert and we decided to share a Creme Brulee. Alas, it was much too dark for my camera to even take a picture so there's nothing to see here...move along! It was pretty tasty though - you'll just have to take my word for it.

Capital Grill is at The Gateway Building, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney. Phone them on 02 9247 4445.

Booth Street Bistro, Annandale

After the success of our first #twEAT up at Red Lantern in January it seems like the idea has taken flight with a bunch of new Tweepers joining Karen and I at Annandale's Booth Street Bistro for a long and lovely Sunday lunch.

Along with fellow bloggers The French Wench, Le Bon Vivant and My Gourmet Feast we had Darren and Bernie from Restaurant Atelier in Glebe join us and also Adam - a chef who currently has a prime gig with Arnotts and who is now my favourite person in the world as he has a never ending supply of Turkish Delight Tim Tams. Cenk, the founder of The Social Dinner Club also came along, but without any Tim Tams to give me...hmmm.

Of course with so many foodie people at the table and "real chefs" I had to be careful not to put my foot in it and make it known that, well...I really don't know much about food other than it mostly tastes good (but not Durian, that tastes BAD). Of course my carefully laid plans all came undone when I thanked Wayne, the chef at Booth Street Bistro for my lovely Salmon to the reply of "ah, that was Ocean Trout". I may have then mumbled something about "all orange fish looking the same" whilst looking at the floor.

And with that stunningly embarrassing admission of my lack of food knowledge let me show you pictures of our FANTASTIC lunch with inadequate and possible wrong descriptions.

We kicked things off with a few different starters that our waitresses recommended.  For some reason only the ladies at the table partook in the Freshly Shucked Oysters with a Eschallot Vinegar Dressing ($3 each).  These were a mix of Pacific and Sydney Rock Oysters. Karen said she could really tell the difference between them, the Pacific (or was it the Sydney Rock) being lusciously creamy. Ah sure...I totally could too, no really I could.  I do know a good olive when I taste one and cos they are colour coded I have no problem telling the black from the green - Australian house marinated Olives ($6.00).

Next up is my favourite entree of the day - Marinated white anchovies on crusty caibatta ($6.00). Oh boy, the anchovies were beautiful, slightly oily but not too strong in that anchovy flavour that so many people find off putting.  I snuck a few pieces of this whilst everyone was busy chatting.  And what Sydney lunch would be complete without sourdough bread with Pepe Saya butter (complementary too)!

Starters finished with a really nice Crunchy Fried Calamari ($16.00) that was served with an eggplant wafer and a green bean fig dip.  I only took one small piece of calamari as I was trying to be polite - stupid me hey?

I had joked whilst we were planning our #twEAT up that this should really be my birthday lunch seeing as I turned...a year old earlier in the week. Somehow Booth Street Bistro cottoned on this and sent out a glass of sparkling wine for each of us on the house...a very nice thing for them to do. Thank your Wayne & Teresa for that!

Le Bon Vivant also raided his (very impressive) wine cellar for the lunch and shared a few lovely bottles with the table. I don't know much about wine (or food so it happens) but I had a taste of what was on offer and it all tasted great to me...just like...wine!

Even after all those entrees we still had plenty of room for mains which we kicked off with a Quinoa and Roast Vegetable Salad ($17.00).  Is there anything Keenwah (aka Quinoa) can't do I ask you?  I wouldn't mind make a salad like this at home, but I don't fancy my chances of it working out.

I ordered a lovely Pan Fried Salmon Ocean Trout (around $27 I think) for my main which was served with watercress and the most delicious creamy potato salad.  The skin of my "orange fish" was so perfectly crisp that I could have eaten a bowl of the skin alone.  The Boy was in raptures over his Braised Beef Check Sandwich ($16.00) served on toasted sourdough with picked vegetables.

I managed to snap two other mains during lunch - Karen ordered a delicious looking Confit of Tender Creek duck leg that came with Persian feta (so creamy!) and watercress and Cenk went for the Twice Cooked Blue Cheese Souffle (16.00) which was going to be my second choice. The Souffle is served with pears, hazelnut and truffle honey.

I wasn't planning on having dessert, but everyone else on the table was opting in and I didn't want to be the odd one out.  Passionfruit is one of my all time favourite fruits so it would've been remiss of me not to try the Passionfruit tart with lemon delish ice cream ($14.00).  The tart was amazing...and the combination of passionfruit and the lemon delish ice cream was perfectly...tart.  I was so engrossed in my own dessert I didn't even think of helping myself to some of The Boys Chocolate Tasting Plate ($14.00) which was a chocolate lovers delight with white chocolate sorbet, milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate delice.



The Classic Crème Brulee with Biscotti ($14.00) was the talk of the table however. I mean look at this thing - the Brulee is HUGE, taking up an entire bowl rather than a teeny little ramekin we've all seen before.  Our French Wench was pretty chuffed with this I have to say so it gets the French tick of approval.  And of course who can pass up an Affogato when it's on the menu ($12.00).  This one came with a scoop of Vanilla bean ice cream, and a shot of espresso and Frangelico.

Booth Street Bistro is at 127 Booth Street, Annandale. We'll be back soon to try out the breakfast pancakes made with Pepe Saya buttermilk when they can get their hands on the stuff!

District Dining, Surry Hills

Lately whenever someone asks me for a restaurant recommendation I simply refer to the ever growing wish list on my blog and pick somewhere that I really want to go to. 

Sometimes this results me to being invited to the dinner which is how I ended at District Dining about two months ago.  I’d recommended this restaurant to a friend of mine who was celebrating a birthday. As there were so many of us we ended up with the banquet – which is incredible value may I add. 

I didn’t blog that dinner as:

a) it was at night and the restaurant was too dark for my old Canon G11;

b) there was so much food (16 different dishes to try) that I think my head would’ve exploded trying to write about them all;

c) I was a bit ill on the night to didn’t end up eating all that much – what a waste of a banquet; and,

c) I only knew the birthday gal at the dinner so thought it might be pushing the friendship making 10 of her friends wait to eat their meals whilst I took photos.

I ended up at District Dining a second time as Neicy Poo was looking for somewhere to go for a birthday lunch with the family. As I’d missed my opportunity to blog about District Dining last time I suggested it as a possible birthday lunch venue – and she happily agreed.

We decided to order a few small share plates to start with and then each have our own mains.   On my last visit here we’d had both the crispy pigs ears with Szechuan salt ($10.00) and the crispy school prawns with lime mayonnaise ($16.00) and I was keen to have them again – the others didn’t need much convincing. 

We all loved the crispy pigs ear - it's just like eating the most crunchy of crackling; and the school prawns are always a favourite with The Boy and myself - they are so crunchy and moreish, and because they are so small there is no problem eating the head, tail, shell and legs.

I’d not tried the crispy quail eggs with tarragon mayonnaise ($14.00) on my last visit so was really happy that the others suggested we order them.  You’ll notice a lot of “crispy” with our starters which is why I quickly deflected Big Brother’s desire to order French Fries – too much fried my friend!

The quail eggs were lovely - a firm white surrounded by a crispy outer with a runny, oozy yolk waiting to surprise you when you bite in to the delicate egg.

I already knew what I was going to have before we arrived at the restaurant. Last visit I LOVED the mushroom risotto with truffled marscapone and parmesan crisp ($25.00).  The risotto was a veritable Aladdin's Cave of mushroom delights - I counted about five different types of mushroom including bunches of stringy Enoki (my favourite).  There was a lot of marscapone, which tasted quite buttery, so I mixed a little through the risotto and pushed the rest aside - for the sake of the waistline of course.

The Boy orders the crispy pork belly with an Asian style salad and chillli, peanuts ($24.00) which he said was fantastic.  The pork and crackling were very obvioulsy deep-fried making it absolutely delicious (I was allowed a bite or two). Any guilt was offset by a fresh, zesty salad.  I have to admit, I had food envy.

Niecy Poo ordered the kingfish with wasabi pannacotta, quinoa and ponzu.  This is one of District Dining's starter dishes (for $19.00) that they served as a main for the birthday girl (no idea how much, but around $25.00 like the rest of mains I'm guessing).  This dish looked very dainty and I can attest that it is a  lovely, light and fresh dish from my earlier visit.

Big Brother ordered the parmesan gnocchi, broad beans, veal shoulder, pangrattato ($29.00).  He said the dish wasn't overly warm when he tucked it, but I had to remind him that I'd snapped quite a few photos before he started eating...the downside of eating with a food blogger.  This dish was also really nice - I had a mouthful of the gnocchi which was pan-fired at the end of the cooking process giving it a nice crunchy skin. The lamb was tender and flavoursome.

The service at District Dining was second to none - very friendly and attentive.  We were really well looked after and the food was a perfectly special way to celebrate a birthday. Although located above a nondescript pub in Surry Hills the dining room feels really quite...fancy with its dark wooden floors and table and modern fittings.

District Dining is at 17 Randle Street, Surry Hills.

Foveaux, Surry Hills

Back “in the day” The BFF and I used to catch up each and every Tuesday. We’re choose somewhere from his Entertainment Book and off we’d go – on a foodie adventure, discount vouchers in hand. The catch ups are slightly less regular due to work and life getting in the way and for some reason the catch ups now happen on a Wednesday.  I’m happy to say though that the trusty Entertainment Book has been resurrected and on this night leads us to Foveaux in Surry Hills!

I wasn’t sure exactly whereabouts Foveaux was located on Foveaux Street. If you know this street at all you’ll be aware that it has an epic hill that only marathon runners can climb without the need of a respirator when they reach the top.  My plan was to start at the top of the hill and work my way down – which was fine, except for my visit to the gym the previous day had left my legs feeling like jelly and I basically wobbled and stumbled my way down the hill looking like a total un-co spaz, only to find Foveaux nestled at the very bottom. I could’ve just gotten off the train at Central and strolled (un-wobbly) to the restaurant. No pain no gain right. 

My recent foray into fancy food with “foam” on it at Baroque Bistro was pretty exciting so I quickly convinced the BFF we should order the Tasting Menu ($80 for 6 courses) which was jam packed with foams, soils, purees and fancy smears of “stuff” on big white plates! This is my first tasting plate/degustation experience and I’m thrilled! Bring it on...

The BFF and I are offered a bread roll each.  I was going to go healthy and have the wholemeal roll but the white bread just looked too good to pass up. The BFF opts for the wholemeal roll...ying and yang.

The meal proper being starts with an amuse bouche – a dainty little cup of curried lentil soup that has a lovely dollop of yoghurt hidden at the bottom. And guess what – this is my FIRST amuse bouche EVER. A gal could get used to this.

The tasting menu has six courses, given the diner the option between two dishes for each course. The BFF and I alternate our choices so we get the chance to try everything on offer.  Being a bit of a piggy this really appealed to me, but the BFF wondered if too many textures/flavours/etc would confuse his palate.

The first course is soused sardines, vongole, white gazpacho, yellow capsicum butter, parsley and toast and then buffalo ricotta cannoli, cucumber, tomato, olive and Provencal herbs.  The sardines were quite strong in flavour and I thought the yellow capsicum butter and pretty little flowers garnishing the dish gave it a hint that spring is just around the corner – the “toast” was a crispy counterbalance to the softness of the sardines.   I really enjoyed the ricotta canolli – crispy pastry and lovely smooth ricotta were a perfect match.

Next we have crispy chicken wings, morel cream, sweet corn, jamon, scampi and shiso and also roasted quail, smoked eel croquette, caper, beetroot and leaves.  I really enjoyed the morel cream on the chicken dish and am pleased the wings were deboned – I was wondering how a “lady” would gnaw on a chicken wing whilst still looking like a lady.  The eel croquette on the quail dish was really lovely – once again I think it is the marriage of a crispy outer shell surrounding a soft inner.

The fish dish sees us presented with roast king salmon, zucchini puree, cuttle fish, green olive jelly, coriander and popped skin and also herb baked mirror dory, parsnip puree, borlotti beans, snails, parsley and crisps.  The salamon was my favourite dish of the course as I found the flavour less “fishy” than the dory...and who wouldn’t love popped skin I ask you?  The snails that accompanied the dory were really lovely – quite meaty, also like muscles in texture.

The meat course is the last of the main dishes.  We are served wakame roasted lamb rump, squid ink, salt and pepper tofu, miso puree and fennel and also braised shin, smoked sirloin, Swede, celeriac and toted pearl barley foam.   To be honest the meat course was the course I was most hesitant about as I like to eat my meat a little on the...well done to burnt side which is not a common practice in finer dining establishment. I’m pleased to report I really enjoyed both the lamb and the sirloin which were cooked quite rare. 

The arrival of the pre dessert is another dining first for me. The salad of pineapple, milk sorbet and macadamia nut praline is a lovely light dish the signals the end of the main meals.

The meal ends with dessert.  The banana ice-cream, caramelised banana, digestive biscuit, coffee and tonka beans has us feeling like millionaires – bananas are next to gold these days!   The chocolate mousse, orange sponge, orange curd ice cream, chocolate soil and Brazil nut was a fun dish – I enjoy trying chocolate soil for the first time.

I thought by the end of the meal we’d still be a bit hungry - I wasn’t sure if lots of little dishes would fill me up. I was actually planning a trip across the road to El Loco for a sneaky taco or two, but alas it was not to be. Both the BFF and I were too full to eat another morsel.

Foveaux is at 67 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills.  The tasting menu is quite seasonal and dishes change on a regular basis.

Hog's Breath Cafe, Richmond

Despite our day of eating, shopping, eating and more eating in Leura I start to feel rather peckish on our drive back to Sydney. In fact not just peckish, but ravenous...and I wanted needed steak! The Boy promised to pull into the first place he sees that will satisfy my cravings...bless his cotton socks.

We taking the Bells Line of Road home, which weaves down the mountainside and deposits us in Richmond.  Right opposite the RAAF base is a Hog's Breath Cafe. We nearly miss it as we were rubber necking at the huge RAAF planes all parked for the night, but with some smooth driving moves The Boy makes the turn and my steak cravings are well on their way to be sated.

Hog's Breath Cafe has a bit of an "American" vibe to it - big chunky wooden furniture, quirky items decorating the walls (like old water skies, cash registers, saws, number plates - you get the picture).  A waitress bounces up to us and announces"hi, my name is Tiffany and I'll be your server for the night".  Well hello Tiffany...bring us two beers, and promptly they arrive. Like magic.  Yes, the are light beers - 'cos we're soft!

The menu here is quite extensive, ranging from salads, burgers and wraps, chicken, fish and ribs. I'm here for one thing only though - STEAK!

Despite the huge selection of steak to choose from I decide to keep it simple and order a Natural Prime Rib ($21.95 for a small sized cut).

All the Prime Rib Steaks here are slow cooked for 18 hours, then char-grilled before serving.  The result is a tender piece of meat that is still juicy despite my predilection for well-done steak.  In an attempt to be healthy I forgo the awesome Curly Fries and instead choose salad, baked potato and corn. They are nice, they're just not fries if you know what I mean.

The Boy, or he of the bottomless stomach, goes the whole hog and orders the Rib and Steak Combo ($29.95).  When I see his meal I have a moments remorse for not ordering ribs, but I manage to bat my eyelids and secure a tasty, succulent rib for myself.  A few Curly Fries also miraculously make their way onto my plate. They are crispy and salty and oh so good!

As we're eating our dinner we heard the distant sound of a plane circling overhead. Squee - how exciting! Everyone on the balcony starts to crane their necks towards the RAAF runway hoping that a plane is going to land. We're in luck as a monster US Airforce transport plane lands (we think it is this).  It's big and LOUD, and it's just a bit exciting to watch this monster land right in front of us! This place is dinner with a show folks - so much fun!

All the excitement of watching the plane land has stirred up an appetite in our dessert stomachs. The Boy has his eye on the Strawberry Pavlova ($6.95).  We ask for two spoons as there's no way I'm missing out on Pavlova!

Hog's Breath Cafe's can be found all over Australia. We found this one at 244 Hawkesbury Valley Way, Clarendon.