The Carrington, Surry Hills

When The Boy and I visited Melbourne last year we fell in love with the quirky Pintox joint, Naked for Satan where tasty little morsels are served on bread and skewered into place with a toothpick in the fashion of eateries in Northern Spain.  Fun and yum!

When The Carrington in Surry Hills opened up its own Pintox and Tapas joint last year I began to hatch a plan to get The Boy to take me there.  To be honest, our "pre-football" ritual of burgers before each game was getting a tad...stale. I LOVE burgers, but a girl can only eat so many bugers in one year.  We needed to mix things up a bit (well I did anyway) and what better to spice things up then some tasty Pintoxs!

We're dining earlier than the folks in the nursing home would, but we have a footy game to get to. The benefit of dining at 5pm (yes, 5pm!) is that all the Surry Hills hipsters are still finishing up their brunches we get a seat no worries.  The dining room at The Carrington is at the back of the pub and it's decked out in dark, moody tones with a decidedly Spanish vibe.

We kick of our dinner with some Pintox - a Meatball Slider for The Boy and a Calamari Slider for each of us ($6.00 each).  A slider is just a mini-burger really, so I haven't escape the pre-footy burger tradition after all. But, I don't mind as the Calamari Slider is great - crispy calamari, mayo and rocket all on a soft brioche-style bun.   I'm test driving my new "second-hand" camera tonight so please forgive my wonky photos.

The Kingfish Pastrami On Rye ($4.00 each piece) is my FAVOURITE morsel of the evening. We actually came back to The Carrington after the football so I could have another slice (or two) of this, but alas the kitchen had already closed. So sad.  The Kingfish Pastrami has a peppery crust just like regular pastrami, but unlike pastrami (where the meat is much more dry) the Kingfish is deliciously moist and plump.  It sits atop of bed of creamy coleslaw which coats the inside of my mouth like butter. The slice gherkins are a great balance to fish and creamy 'slaw.

We move onto some Tapas - that's Spanish for "little dishes of food without toothpicks".  We both LOVE the Salt Roasted King Prawns ($7.50 each).  The prawns are monsters - HUGE and are deliciously charred.

Our bowl of Patatas Bravas Fries ($8.00) are pipping hot, salty and deliciously crispy.  They are accompained by a bowl of spicy Tomato Sauce which is quite addictive.  I get a greasy look from The Boy when I snaffle the last two fries in the bowl for myself. You snooze you loose.

Ever since reading about Salt Cod Fritters ($14.00) on HeNeedsFood I've really want to try them.  Of course I wasn't going to make them myself like John did for his blog - I needed someone to make them for me thank you very much.  We bite through the crunchy outer layer to reveal soft fluffy innards of mashed potato, some random vegies and lovely cod.  The flavour of my salted cod fritter is much milder than I was expecting and not salty at all - I was expecting a really strong "fishy" taste, so this was a nice surprise.

Chef Jamie Thomas kindly sends out a plate of Jalapeno and Smoked Cheddar Croquettes ($14.00) for us to try and they are devine. Deep-fried cheesy goodness is just not the domain of the Royal Easter Show you know.

I'm desperate to go back from some more of that lovely Kingfish Pastrami. Be seeing you soon Carrington!

The Carrington is at 565 Bourke Street, Surry Hills.  Phone them on 02 9360 4714 (they take bookings *happy dance*)!

Ragamuffin, Leichhardt

Steamed muffins? Until a recently I had no idea that you could steam a muffin! I know that you can burn them, under cook them or accidentally use salt instead of sugar (I have committed all these baking crimes) - but steaming them is a whole new kettle of fish muffins.

When it comes to a cooking style that's a little out of the ordinary it's best left to experts like Ragamuffin in Leichhardt, a muffin bakery that opened on Norton Street three months ago.  It's doing a roaring trade on Good Friday when we visit, carving a blazing trail through these cupcake centric times.

The crew at Ragamuffin first steam their muffins in individual muffin cases and finish them off by giving them a quick turn in the oven. It will be six minutes from the moment you order to the moment your hot little muffin lands in your hot little hands. Six minutes to heaven really.

The Boy and I leave the ordering in the capable hands of muffin aficionado Karen, who returns to the table bearing what resembles a muffin degustation ($3 each or $12 for six). We momentarily ooh and aah over the delectable looking treats in front of us, but it's not long before we demolish the lot. 

Strawberry Milkshake Muffin and Mixed Berry Muffin

The muffins are still warm and all of them contain a gooey center. The Strawberry Milkshake has a subtle taste resembling its namesake and hides a warm, gooey middle of stewed berries. The Mixed Berry is a classic but I think the steaming process keeps the muffin much more moist than your conventional muffin.  The Raspberry Jam Doughnut Muffin is a HUGE hit with The Boy who channels his inner Homer Simpson with every bite - it tastes EXACTLY like a jam doughnut and if you were given this blind folded you'd be forgiven for not realising you were eating a muffin. And the best for last - Lemon Gelato which has a creamy lemon curd-like center. Really really really nice.

Raspberry Doughnut Muffin and Lemon Gelato Muffin

The Boy and I embrace our inner-child and go crazy for the milkshakes - a Chocolate Brownie Milkshake for The Boy and a Caramel Milkshake for me.  The milkshakes come in respectable "adult-sized" cups, rather than the bucket-sized milkshakes we all remember from our childhood.  This is perfect for me as too much milk is NOT my friend.  The Chocolate Brownie Milkshake is excellent - tasting exactly like a Brownie. 

The grown-up at the table, Karen, orders a coffee which Ragamuffin make on an old-style lever coffee machine.  This is a coffee like no other I've seen, Arancino is an espresso with fresh orange slices, sugar and a pinch of salt. I take one sip and it's enough to keep me awake until at least midnight.

Ragamuffin is at 157 Norton St Leichhardt, Sydney.

Morena, Surry Hills

I'm always surprised when great restaurants offer up a meal deal voucher.  Not that I'm complaining...it just seems to good to be true.  I'd heard A LOT of good things about Morena, a new Latin American restaurant in Surry Hills with a heavy leaning towards the Peruvian side of thing.  When I saw the voucher on TravelZoo I nearly broke my computer in my haste to get on it quick smart!

The restaurant has a long open kitchen which gives us a chance to meet Head Chef and Morena co-owner, Alejandro Saravia.  A Peruvian native, Alejandro tells us he wanted to open a restaurant showcasing Latin American food in a more fine-dining setting (which is quite popular in Peru), rather than focusing on street-food which is what many of us associate Latin American cuisine with. Sounds good to me!  

We're here for a six-course degusation that starts off with an Amuse Bouche of Yellow Chilli Granita with Orange - it's punchy and spicy, yet coolly refreshing at the same time, and certainly wakes up those taste buds. This is followed by a Bread Roll with Chilli that actually has quite a sweet flavour and soft texture (it reminds me of the buttermilk bread roll I had from Denny's in Hawaii - sacrilegious to compare the two I know).

Our first entree is the Solterito Salad - a delicate plate of Andean homemade cheese, dry olives, white corn, poached cherry tomatoes with an an aji amarillo dressing.  It's a beautiful dish, quite light and "summery".

Chef Alejandro kindly sends out a complimentary Peruvian Ceviche for The BFF and I to try. Our waiter proudly tells us this is the "national dish" of Peru and it's known to cure all sorts of ills (including a hangover). In Peru it's often drunk with the popular soft drink known as Inca Cola.  The Ceviche is FANTASTIC - plump pieces of pink snapper served with cancha (toasted corn - which is DELICIOUS) and caramelised sweet potato. It has a little bit of a chilli kick to it which I love.  We also get to try the Vegetarian Ceviche (which is part of the degustation) which is a medley of white funghi shimeji mushrooms, baby artichoke hearts and baby radish.  We both really like this dish, but agree the "regular" ceviche is the pick of the two - it makes out mouths come alive with some much texture and flavour.

Seeing as I've tried the national dish of Peru it seems only fitting to give the national drink a go as well.  The Pisco Sour ($17.00) looks like a frothy little milkshake but it packs of of a punch for this "one glass wonder".  The drink is a mix Santiago Queirolo Pisco (brandy), lime juice, gomme syrup and an egg white and is shaken vigorously to give it its "frothiness" and served with a dash of bitters.

The Pork Belly Chicharon (free-range of course) is this dish The BFF has been waiting all night to try - and he's pretty happy when it arrives at our table.  The Pork Belly is tender and topped with a good tile of crackling. The dish comes served with caramelized onion and sweet potato crisps.

The Pisco flambé Queensland king Prawns are a real winner for both of us - the surprise dish of the night in terms of flavour and enjoyment.  Served with an aji amarillo and panca sauce (hot yellow chille pepper) the dish has a real kick to it which goes well with the deliciously charred prawns.  The little dots of coriander mint salad help alleviate some of the heat - phew!

The BFF may have been here for the pork, but I'm here to try the Alpaca! Alpaca is quite a popular dish in Peru (just like Kangaroo is quite popular in Australia - they're cute, but tasty too just like lambs, piglets and chickens) however Morena is only one of three restaurants in the country to serve it (the other two are in Berry, close to the free-range Illawarra Alpaca farm).  The Alpaca shoulder (in the background of the shot) has been braised for 48 hours with roasted Andean ajies (chilies) - it's fall apart tender and rich with the flavour of chillies. The Alpaca shank croquette is my favourite element on the plate - the texture of the crispy croquette shell marries really well with the tender, shredded Alpaca meat.

When I was eating this dish I kept thinking "what does Alpaca taste like"... the meat looks kind of like lamb, but "feels" more like beef, is it gamey like goat?  I was trying desperately to associate with something I was already familiar with other than just a cute wooly Alpaca with big doe eyes.  But really Alpaca tastes like Alpaca - it's quite lean and is a unique flavour,  it's subtle and exciting - not gamey at all.  I'd be keen to come back and try it in some other cuts and dishes but Alpaca definitely works well in a slow cooked dish like this! 

And that's the end of the main event - we move on to a palate cleanser of of pisco sour jelly (I get a sense that the Peruvians are kinda fond of the old Pisco) which readies us for the delicious desert to come.  The Tres Leches might not look fancy, but this traditional Latin American sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk was so flavorsome, so delicious, so moreish that I woke up the next morning wanting more. The cake was sweet and dense with milk and came served with a zesty roasted pineapple ice cream. A perfect end to a perfect trip to Latin America!

Morena is at 15/425 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Phone them on 0405 902 896 or make a booking via bookings@morena.com.au.

Restaurant Atelier, Glebe

Our last #twEATup saw us dining at Booth Street Bistro in Annandale.  At the table were Chef Darren Templeman and his restaurant manager wife Bernie who together own and run the gorgeous Restaurant Atelier in Glebe. Of course it's only logical then that we all descend on their restaurant for our next #twEATup to put them through their paces and to eat them out of house and home.

Our group of ten "tweeps" (@LeBlanc13 {wife Claudia}, @vanityfare1{#twEATup organiser}, @conjurupfood, @pickledcumquat, @le_bon_vivant_{plus friend G} and @thefrenchwench) are dining upstairs in the private dining room.  The room is quiet, comfortable and is cosily tucked away from the rest of the restaurant - it feels like dining at someone's home. I'm super impressed at Bernie who runs up and down the stairs all night laden with plates of food and doesn't break a sweat - they'd have to call an ambulance for me if that was my job.

We're here for a ten course degustation ($90 per person) and I've worn my most roomy of eating dresses.  Let the feast begin!

As with all good meals in Sydney our feast begins with a generous serving of crusty bread served with individual pats of salted Pepe Saya butter.  If you can tear yourself away from the Pepa Saya there is also some olive oil with Balsamic as well as a generous quenelle of olive tapenade in EVOO.

Le Bon Vivant has, again, very generously raided his wine-cellar for us and our glasses are kept full all night. Of course I have no idea what any of it is, but it keeps flowing and it's lovely. Our dinner kicks off with sumac-cured kingfish belly, heirloom tomatoes, greek basil topped with tomato sorbet.  It's as pretty as a picture, light and refreshing and serves to wake up my lazy tastes buds.

Atelier buys the majority of its meat from ethical butcher Urban Food Market so I went on a meat-eating rampage this night!  Our next dish is poached Western Australia Marron tail, crispy pigs’ ear, grated green apple with a red curry oil and citrus sesame dressing.   What a fantastic dish.  I loved the delicate Marron and the crispy pigs' ear served as a great textural balance to the Marron - oh my!  The delicate little pea-sized balls of avocado just illustrated to me how much care and attention was going into the preparation of our meals.

Our third dish was a Chicken Ballotine with pea and ham ice-cream (swoon), baby lotus root and peas and crispy chicken skin.  I had mentioned to Chef Darren prior to our dinner that I didn't eat foie gras which the others had sprinkled over their Ballotine...and I wasn't too fond of offal either (innards = eep).  As soon as I saw this Ballotine I just KNEW there was some sneaky offal hidden within...and there was. I later found out it was a case of crouching liver, hidden cocks comb but you know what I LOVED this dish.  And for the record Crispy Chicken Skin is AMAZING!

If you're a fan of Miso Soup then you would seriously fall in love with this - I know I did.  A dainty bowl of confit bonito, tofu, snake beans and enoki mushrooms is placed before us, the shaved bonito flakes dancing delicately in front of us. Steaming Miso Soup is ceremoniously poured into each of our bowls - fantastic, really flavoursome!

The poached fillet of John Dory with celeriac, pine mushroom, royal blue potato, baby sorrel and a béarnaise sauce was a huge hit at the table. Conversation feel silent as we all enjoyed the buttery John Dory - topping a buttery tasting fish with béarnaise is a stroke of genius. Oh so good! I loved the crispy little cube of potato, I could've eaten a whole bowl to myself.

Ta-da! A surprise sixth course makes its way upstairs to ooohs and aaahs from the group - even the "non-food bloggers" whip out their cameras and iPhone to take a snap or three of this delicious looking Suckling Pig. After enjoying our earlier Marron dish with crispy pig ears I commandeered the ears for myself and munched away. Crispy + salty = yum!

This dish was a first for me - never having eaten goose before, and we all had a chuckle when Bernie randomly called out "goose" in the middle of our boisterous conversation - I guess it's a good way to get our attention so the dish could be explained to us.  To be honest when the glazed breast of goose served with jerusalem artichokes, jicama, baby king browns and warrigal greens was put before me I was a little...hesitant. I'm not sure why - I guess I stupidly thought I wouldn't like goose, like maybe the flavour would be "too strong", or I would freak out because it's cooked more on the "pink side" of things and I'm from the "burn it" school of meat eating.  Stupid me.  I actually think this was my favourite dish of the night, the goose was so tender, so succulent, so full of lovely flavours...and it was topped with a crispy tile of skin, love crispy skin!

Our last main of the night is a roast rump of Saltbush Lamb, Confit Rib, Carrot Puree, Portobello Mushroom and Confit Onions.  I LOVE Lamb and I LOVE Saltbush Lamb - it's full of flavour and so succulent.  Having lived in Broken Hill for a while I made friends with some farmers who grazed their sheep on salt bush.  Being the city slicker I was at the time I had no idea sheep ate anything other than grass - I mean, there's not much grass out there so that's all there is to eat really.  I loved this dish and it reminded me of some great friends I met out west.  Sigh.

And onto the cheese course.  It doesn't look like a cheese course and it's a dish that really messes with my head.  The grated Comte (that's cheese to you) with roasted apple, bacon and maple ice cream and a carob crisp LOOKS like it should be a sweet, and when I take my first mouthful I'm confused by the savoury flavour. It's a fun and challenging dish. And BACON ICE-CREAM! Need I say more?

It's dessert time, and surprisingly I'm not full!  One of the benefits of a long leisurely meal is having the chance for your previous seven courses to sink towards your toes a bit.  Our first dessert is a beautiful Chocolate and Olive Oil Delice served with a silky smooth sheep’s milk yoghurt ice cream, fresh blackberries and a vanilla salt milk purée. I loved mixing the Delice with the salt milk puree - salty and sweet go so well together.  Fresh blackberries are a real treat too.

Our final dish for the night is a fairly interactive one.  My Strawberry and black pepper soufflé is nearly tall enough to touch the ceiling and it seems a bit of a shame to dig a hole in the middle of this light, airy perfection in order to spoon in some fraises des bois sorbet and pour in a bit of basil milkshake.  But I do and I'm rewarded with an explosion of flavours and texture. And best of all, I get to eat the chocolate straw once the milkshake is finished.

Sadly The Boy missed out on our EPIC feast last weekend as he was away refereeing Water Polo in Newcastle.  The meal was so amazing that I feel he really missed out on something special...so I happily raced backed to Atelier last night just for him (well, mostly for me - but any excuse for good food, right)?  We had another epic degustation, a really special meal and were made to feel so welcome by Bernie and Darren - if we lived in Glebe I know that this would definitely become our "local".

Restaurant Atelier is at 22 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. Phone them on 9566 2112.

La Bodeguita, CBD

Miss Piggy and The BFF dined as guests of La Bodeguita Del Medio Restaurant.

Across the road from the QVB, and hidden away from the migraine inducing chaos of the York Street bus stops is a little slice of Cuba known as La Bodeguita Del Medio Restaurant.

La Bodeguita here in Sydney is channeling the Cuba of 1950s as well as the original restaurant in Cuba - rustic, colourful and interesting - there are pictures adoring the bare brick walls - parlour style, curious items dotted here and there (like the upside chair nailed to the wall near our table) and customers are encouraged to sign their name on the wall before leaving for the night! The restaurant and bar are enormous, yet the dark moody lightening, heavy tables and chairs, leather booths all make the place feel rather cozy.

Writer Ernest Hemingway is said to have frequented the La Bodeguita Del Medio Restaurant in Cuba, and was quite partial to the odd Mojito.  As it happens so I am! Who knew old Ernest and I would ever have anything in common.  My Mojito is potent...really potent, and as I'm operating on not much sleep the night before I'm a bit...tipsy after a few big sips.  The BFF must have been wondering why I was grinning at him all bleary-eyed for most of the night. Hic.

We start of with a few Entradas (that's entrees to you) – mainly so I can soak up some of the Mojito and be able hold down a decent conversation for the rest of the meal.

The Taquitos ($16.00) caught my eye and they were GREAT! A deep-fried tortilla basket forms a snug little home for a mix of green tomatillos, bell peppers and mantecoso cheese. I would definitely go back for these.  The BFF choose the Gambas con Almendras ($15.00) - wrapped prawns with a jalapeño and almond sauce...another delicious entree.

For my Fondo (main meal) I choose the Tamale which I've ALWAYS wants to try ...even though I never really knew what they were other than something that comes wrapped in a corn husk. My Tamales al horno con Huitlacoche ($25.00) comes in a little iron pot – not what I was expecting at all – but really good. The Tamale is hearty mix baked sweet corn, tomato, chipotle chilli and Mexican truffle.

The BFF choose the special of the night, Carnes (aka steak) with Plantains and a Chimichurri Sauce (garlic and parsley sauce). I didn't try the steak, but am told it was lovely and tender. The Plantains (basically a green banana type thing) I did try...quite a few of actually (another food I've always wanted to try but they are in short supply in Australia). They were great - really well seasoned and the batter gave them a nice crunch.  I would happily order a big bolw of Plantains and much away on them.

It wouldn't be a trip to Cuba without eating some cactus now would it?  The Ensalada de Quinoa y Nopales ($9.00) is certainly an interesting side dish.  The salad is a medley of pickled Cactus with Qunioa and a pico de gallo salsa.  The cactus...is interesting, firm, crunchy and acidic from being pickled. I wonder if just "straight cactus" is even edible???

I'm trying to be on a diet (and failing obviously) but The BFF is hellbent on ordering dessert.  He's swayed by what our lovely waitress, Lucy (from Colombia), tells us is the restaurants most popular sweet, La Lechera ($14.00) - a layered dessert with an ice-cream base topped with a banana flan and caramelised bananas, that is surrounded by pearls of sweetened condensed milk. It's a good way to blow the diet.

La Bodeguita Del Medio Restaurant is at 125 York Street, Sydney.  Phone them on 9264 4224.