Tucked away at Willoughby is a small complex of restaurants including Dose Espresso and also the newly opened Japanese restaurant Goshiso. Opened in mid-July, Gochiso has a very simple and minimalist design with wall length windows flooding the restaurant with natural light. It is tucked in at the back of the lot and is a bit hard to find; it is not visible from High St, however there is a small car park right next to it that is only accessible through Iceworks Lane.
Filed under Japanese, Willoughby
A happy belated birthday to our dear friend Michelle! Today we are celebrating her birthday with a dinner at Peter Doyle @ the Quay.
Located at Circular Quay, Peter Doyle @ the Quay (not to be mixed up with Quay Restaurant which is in the same building) overlooks the stunning Sydney harbour. We are seated in the corner and receive prime views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, score! Tonight we are dining on the winter special menu priced at $30 per person – not a bad price for the location, but will the food be up to scratch?
Fisherman’s Fish Chowder
First up for the entree is a well-portioned serving of seafood chowder. It contained fish fillets and vegetables, which combined to create a tasty soup with a rich and creamy consistency. I also had a pleasant surprise when I found a beautiful piece of salmon in mine, which was soft and tender thanks to the slow cooking process for the chowder.
Grilled fish of the day with a light curry sauce & served with Jasmine rice
Following this we are given a choice of either a fried or grilled version of fish and chips for our mains. I got the grilled fish with a red curry sauce (or so I am told). I’m quite disappointed by the sauce; it tastes like a sour tomato sauce and not like red curry at all. The snow peas don’t have any flavour either and taste as though they have just been plain boiled. A dish to be avoided, if you have the choice of another main.
Fish and Chips served traditionally: Golden fried in beer batter & served with potato chips
Yvn picked the fried version of the fish and chips instead, which turned out to be appropriately crispy without being too oily. We weren’t given any sauce with this so we asked for some tartare sauce (maybe they just forgot?). This was light, but still added some much needed flavour to the fish.
There wasn’t a dessert included in the set menu but there is a glass of house wine (red/white) or James Boag beer included to up the value. Thankfully we brought our own dessert and got to have some lovely chocolate cake for my friend’s birthday!
Overall, I’m not a fan of the place. Although the entree was good, I was quite disappointed by the mains. I can think of a lot of places I can spend $30 at to receive a much better meal than fish and chips, and if I return I will be ordering a la carte off the menu. I guess this is the price premium you pay when you want gorgeous harbour views as a backdrop to your meal.
Peter Doyle @ The Quay
Overseas Terminal, Circular Quay
Sydney New South Wales 2000
Ph: (02) 9252 3400
Filed under Australian, CBD - Circular Quay
Too young to remember the 80’s? Take a step back in time when you visit Cowbell 808 – think giant graffiti mural, orange vinyl chairs, khaki cushions and shelves packed with vinyl records.
A new café has popped up a stone’s throw away from Bourke St Bakery; having only opened up in early August, Cowbell 808 is drawing in the crowds already. After a short wait outside and a bit of table shuffling (we were given a small table but the staff were friendly and accommodating, offering us a larger one when it became available), I noted that the mixed crowd consisted of a hipster couple having porridge, girls catching up over coffee, a young family with face-painted children and pet-owners with their two dogs; an eclectic crowd indeed.
Café latte $3.50
We ordered coffees to start. Although the foam in my coffee could have been a bit glossier, you’ll like the coffee if you like yours strong and aromatic.
The all-day menu consists of 13 items and ranges from traditional breakfast items such as the bacon and egg roll, to dishes with Middle Eastern influences like eggplant and hummus. Our food takes a while to arrive but that’s understandable as we see that the kitchen is in full swing. It also gives us time to take in the décor and I spy the specials like banana sundae with dark caramel, peanuts and cherry cleverly listed on a roll of butcher’s paper attached to the wall.
Raki cured ocean trout on celeriac remoulade, pickled beets and rye - $16.00
The 80’s theme continues as our food arrives on blue and white retro-print plates. The celeriac remoulade and pickled beetroot in my dish gave the ocean trout a punch and the rye bread was also very fresh. I think that this would’ve paired really well with something like pulled pork as it would’ve been a lot more flavoursome. Overall I think that the dish is a hit as it’s fresh, clean and colourful.
Egg n Bacon Sambo (thick cut house smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, smokey BBQ and onions) - $9.00
My friend had the egg and bacon sandwich with the thick cut house-smoked bacon. Sneaking a bite, the bacon is wonderfully chewy and smoky; a hangover cure for sure.
Sucuk baked eggs with braised cherry tomato, spicy beef sausage, flatbread and labneh - $17.00
The baked eggs with flat bread were served in an earthen bowl. Although I didn’t try this, it looked full of hearty tomato flavour!
I heard that the must-try item was the stacked ricotta hotcakes with mascarpone, espresso syrup and bacon ice cream (!!) but we were too full to fit it in. There’s also home-made coconut yoghurt with grilled bananas and lime. Definitely on the list for next time.
There was an elderly man who greeted us at the door, and he sits with an elderly woman picking mint leaves on a table as we leave. “The things you do for your children” he says to us as we walk outside. We learn that his son has just opened Cowbell. Well his childhood must have inspired him to bring it back and we think it’s going pretty great!
Cowbell 808
616 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW
Ph: (02) 9698 5044
Filed under Australian, Cafe, Surry Hills
Cabramatta is a food-lover’s heaven – there’s a plethora of dining options, every second store on the main street is a restaurant, and it’s one of the most affordable suburbs in Sydney.
If that wasn’t enough, Canley Heights is just down the road with just as many places to eat. It’s no wonder we managed to spend an entire day eating our way through both areas.
Lunch
Head to one of the many Yum Cha restaurants, such as the popular Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant. There’s a great selection of dishes available and also complimentary tea. We’d recommend going early (around 11am) as there will always be a wait if you arrive after midday. Otherwise, Vietnamese food is the way to go. Pick yourself up some yummy Pho (pronounced ‘fur’) at Pho Phung or Pho Tau Bay.
Drink
If you’re not too full from lunch, head to Giai Khat to quench your thirst. They do fantastic juices with whatever fruit combination you choose from their fresh display. Otherwise, be a bit more adventurous and try an Avocado Shake. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but there’s a subtle sweetness in the flavour that a lot of the locals enjoy.
Afternoon Tea
Hidden in one of the alleyways is Crispy Crepe, a small (but very cool) crepe cafe. Get one of the sundaes (we recommend the Green Tea flavour), which contains a fun combo of ice cream, marshmallows, wafer sticks, chocolate sauce, corn flakes, and chocolate raisins inside a crepe.
Dinner/Dessert
Make your way towards Canley Heights and check out the various Thai and Laotian restaurants. Our favourites are Holy Basil and 12 Spiceswhich do fantastic barbecue and stir fry dishes. Holy Basil’s fried ice cream is the BEST fried ice cream we have ever tasted. Rich vanilla bean ice cream wrapped in thin filo pastry and lightly fried with desiccated coconut – it’s the best ending to any night.
Have you been to Cabramatta or Canley Heights? We’d love to hear your recommendations below.
This article was published on My Doorstep.
Filed under Articles, Cabramatta, Canley Heights
I love the concept of tapas – small dishes designed for sharing which allows the table to sample a lot more flavours in one go rather than ordering a main each. Sydney has plenty of nice Spanish restaurants, but Barrafina sets itself apart from them with its contemporary décor and buzzing atmosphere. This new tapas bar sits on the corner of Bligh Street, which makes it perfectly positioned to service the corporate workers who have time to digest a full restaurant meal at lunch.
Even though it only opened recently, Barrafina is already bustling with a lunchtime crowd and we’re glad that we booked early to secure a large table for lunch. The space is very neatly decorated in a minimalistic style with bright splashes of yellow on some of the chairs and the colourful wall, enhancing its effortlessly modern vibe.
After glancing at the menu, we decide to try one of each of the tapas and mains, since there are 14 of us dining and around 15 dishes on the menu. However, on the waiter’s recommendation he put together a selection of the dishes to allow us to sample a bit of everything except for the pricier options. There was even an unexpected bonus of a complimentary glass of wine or beer for everyone in the restaurant because Barrafina were still waiting on their liquor licence!
The free drinks did put us into quite a good mood to enjoy our tapas, but even without the beer goggles I would say that the food was absolutely delicious. There were more than a few stand out dishes for me from this meal:
Lightly floured calamari, aioli, lemon, $12
Barrafina’s aioli really packs a strong punch of flavour much to my delight. The lightly floured calamari was also panfried beautifully.
Jamon Serrano and manchego croquetas, $6 for 2
These croquettes were a real treat; lightly crumbed on the outside and oozing with melted manchego cheese and diced jamon on the inside once you take a bite. We also got the stronger tasting Spanish blue cheese and walnut croquettes which were also quite nice, paired with beetroot puree and wild rocket. Note: These servings were upsized for our larger group, the regular serving is 2 or 3 croquettes.
Spanish blue cheese and walnet croquetas, $9.50 for 3
Veal meatballs, pine nuts, tomato frito and patatas, $11
There were only 5 delicious meatballs to share in this dish and I wish there was more because they had a wonderful, hearty tomato sauce which complemented the flavour of the veal well.
Ceviche of NSW south coast snapper, avocado, lime, chilli, eschallots and mint, $19.80
The ceviche allowed us to take a short break from all the heavier aspects of the meal with zesty flavours from the lime, mint and diced chilli bringing out the freshness of the fish.
Twice cooked potatoes, salsa brava, aioli $8
The intense aioli makes another appearance, this time in Barrafina’s version of patatas bravas, one of my all time favourite tapas dishes. Nothing really beats lightly fried potato cubes with the perfect amount of crunch and addictive salsa drizzled on top.
Fried West Australian whitebait with harissa mayo, lime, $11.80
I am not usually a fan of whitebait because I don’t like the feeling of the sharp little bones still attached to the flesh of the fish, but I made an exception for this and was glad that I did because the harissa chilli mayonnaise which accompanied it was divine!
We also got a couple of their slow cooked meat offerings like their slow roasted beef shoulder, but I felt that their fried tapas dishes were the shining stars of the meal and overshadowed them. That’s not to say that they weren’t well done, it’s just that I found their other dishes to be more interesting flavour and texture wise.
All in all, I was very impressed with the high quality of the dishes at Barrafina and the reasonable prices they charge for them. It’s a lovely, spacious restaurant which is perfect for work lunches and their friendly service is just the cherry on top.
Barrafina Tapas Bar
Ground Level, 2 Bligh St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9231 2551
Filed under CBD - Wynyard, Spanish
Excuse Me Waiter is a documented food adventure run by two hungry Gen Y food fanatics DK & Yvn. We can often be found roaming Sydney in search of interesting foods from food courts to high-end restaurants.
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