Stanley Street Merchants (Icon Park) - Darlinghurst

I'm not good with details. So when my friend say's - let's meet at 11.30am for brunch, 11.30am is the time I think I need to get there. Any changes that occurs in following email chains just go 'whoosh' over my head. As such, I roused/pulled hubby from our warm beds early on a Sat morning to make it to Stanley Street Merchants at Icon Park at 11.30am only to find out that the kitchen wasn't going to be open til 12noon - nor were my friends going to arrive until that time. Nonetheless, they were happy for us to chill and sip our coffees and sneak glances at Matt Stone (recently on MasterChef - all about sustainable cooking and worked at multiple famous places) as he chilled out with his chefs and waiters.

The coffee was good. The vibe was good. The aromas wafting from the kitchen was enticing and we were so focused on eyeing their busy-ness we didn't even realised that our friends snuck upstairs. In our defense - they didn't see us either!

We pretty much had the whole upstairs area to ourselves. As we were a party of 8, they said that we had to get the set menu. There's no actual 'menu' but we realised soon enough that getting the set menu meant that the chef just dishes share plates out for like 3 hours until we can eat no more. Throughout this time, I seriously felt as though I ate a whole Australian farm... not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

First thing to come out was pickled vegetables. Cauliflower was a big chunk of the ingredients on the plate, and it just so happened that I like cauliflower and I like pickles... So I found this refreshing and tasty. One of my friends disliked veges and dislike pickles... I felt as though she didn't really get much food the whole lunch as we got a whole lot of veges done in different ways.

The baked spiced cauliflower (I think Cumin?) came out next. As I said - I like cauliflower so I liked this. However, I think I would have liked it just as much (maybe more) if there were no spices on it.

I was unimpressed by the next dish. The negative space on the plate just highlighted the creepy crawly creatures hiding under the sparing green leaves. Yes - grasshoppers and worms. Deep-fried and seasoned. But I hate insects. I want insects far far far away from me - yet it was on a plate, served as food... and my friend was emphasing how natural and normal it is to eat insects as it's super sustainable and in years to come, we might just all be eating these creepy crawlies....*shivers* Some of my friends lapped this up - couldn't stop eating it. "Just like chips" was how they described it. Me? I had to deliberate within myself and psych myself out to put a grasshopper in my mouth - chew - swallow - water - gargle. Not my type of food. End of story.

I don't normally eat eggplant, but for some reason, when it's in the form of baba ganoush I don't mind it. This baba ganoush combined with the thick cut grilled bread was yummy and smoky. Really really smoky. It made sense for the eggplant to be the smoky thing... but somehow, I felt like it was the bread that had the smoky flavour. Maybe the grasshopper that I ate just before this altered my immediate mental capacity...

The favourite dish of one of my friends was the beef tongue 'kimchi' burger. I use the word 'kimchi' lightly because it didn't taste like kimchi - just lettuce. The beef tongue was really tender though and the brioche was quite good. Not a bad little slider.

More veges came. I think it was carrot, parsnip and sweet potato? with labne and a sprinkle of smokey dust. There were also these really tasty seeds sprinkled on top... don't remember what they were...

The next dish was the chicken confit with sweet corn puree, artichoke chips and friend corn husks. Corn husk is normally part of the corn that I chuck out so I was really eager to see what it tastes like on a dish. Result? I think I chuck it out for good reason. The chicken wasn't as tender as I expected but it was tasty enough with the corn puree to carry it.

Next up - Kangaroo loin with some bush berries and wilted greens and mash. I don't usually eat kangaroo. This didn't change my mind. Hubby ate a bush berry and got the shock of his life - super strong, akin to warheads. The greens also had a really strong bittery aftertaste. Though the mash wasn't spectacular - that's what I stuck to in this part of the meal.

Then it was dessert time! White chocolate mousse with white chocolate spaghetti and kale & cucumber granita. I quite liked the white chocolate and I quite liked the granita. Separately. But eaten together? It was a bit odd in texture and flavour.

Last but not least - cheese platter. A super creamy mild blue cheese and a reasonably strong and tasty cheddar. Loved them both! Served with honeycomb, fig and a jam.

This meal took much longer than we expected. It also left a bigger dent in our wallet then expected. I seriously felt like I ate an Australian farm an though it was an interesting experience, I'm not sure if I would return. If you'd like to try - I think they will be open for another month or so?

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 6/10
Overall - 27/40

Stanley Street Merchants
78 Stanley Street (temporary location)
Darlinghurst
NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 7901 0396

Harry's Cafe de Wheels - North Parramatta

There has been a recent inclusion of a popular food joint which enters my peripherals as I whiz down Church Street. This is a food joint which, back in the uni days, we'd trek to Woolloomooloo to sit out in the cold in front of the harbour for. Yes! This is Harry's famous pies and hot dogs!!!

However, before we got there, we had to pick up some supplies at Bunnings. There was the delicious aroma of a sausage sizzle and as we walked by, my partner just couldn't resist. Can't even hold out for Harry's?!?!?! Nope - the temptations of the sizzling sausages and caramelised onions won out!

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

Sausage Sizzle - $2.50

It was pretty decent acutally. The sausages kept its shape. Crisp barbequed skin and a mix of all sorts of meats and fats on the inside. Mmmm... Not too bad.

But anyway, back to Harry's. Positioned between a BP and a KFC and a Maccas and really, in the middle of nothingness in Parramatta, this famous pie and hot dog stand still attracts a crowd. I don't know if it's because it's an odd place to put a food joint (being essentially just plonked in a car park) or because it's new and novel, or because people are aware of how yummy this greasy fast food is! Unlike the store in Woollomooloo, however, this one is not open 24/7 so don't trek down here if you're craving a snack at 2am because you will be met with shut doors. (I believe they close at 10pm on most nights, with the exception of Friday and Saturday, which closes at 12 midnight).

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

At Harry's my partner opted for a 'Hot Dog de Wheels' ($5.70). Compared to the sausage sizzle, my partner said that this was a different class - that it was not about the sausage here, but rather the condiments. This Hot Dog de Wheels came with the lot - chilli con carne, mushy peas, and garlic onions. Cheesey and chilli sauce was drizzled on top. My partner thought it was yum - but really really hard to eat without everything falling apart.

Hot Dog de Wheels - $5.80

I had in mind what I wanted before I got here - their famous 'Tiger' ($5.70). I got it with a chunky beef pie. The chunky beef pie was topped with a heap of mash and mushy peas. Within the peas, there was a pool of gravy. This was YUM but slightly too salty. The chunky pieces of beef was tender and almost melts in your mouth. The pastry was good and the mushiness of the mash and peas complimented it really well :)

Tiger - $5.70

It was a good quick lunch. Tasty and delicious. The seats at this place were uber uncomfortable though. I guess the deal is that you're supposed to grab it and run and not to linger here for long.

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 27/40

Harry's Cafe de Wheels
431 Church Street (Crn Fennell)
North Parramatta
NSW 2151
Tel: (02) 9890 2427

Caliniere - Sydney

After being turned away from the busy restaurant 'Mamak' on a Monday night, our hungry crew of five trekked up the road to World Square where we faced yet another dilemma - Thai? Italian? or Cafe?

After one friend expressed their unwillingness to do Italian that night, and yet another groaned about eating Thai every week, the cafe was the obvious choice.

Hence, Caliniere it was and we settled ourselves in the corner.

Caliniere cafe - World Square

My vegetarian friend ordered the spinach and ricotta tortellini ($12) cooked in creamy mushroom sauce. As his was the first dish to come out, and originally wanted to wait til everyone else had food (but unsuccessfully so, as the dishes came out so unprofessionally spursed out), it was cold when he got around to eating it. When I asked him how it tasted, he repeatedly (and grudgingly) complained that he really ought to have ordered the turkish bread. So, I guess that this average looking dish just wasn't up to scratch.

spinach and ricotta tortellini - $12

Coming at the same time as the tortellini was the steak and mushroom pie ($13). This received slightly better comments than my vegetarian friend's dish. This comprised of beef cooked in a mushroom and red wine sauce, served with a nice glop of mashed potatoes and pastry bits. It also comes with a nice little bowl of salad. I thought that there wasn't enough crusty pastry bits to fully enjoy the bowl of sauce, but my friend was satisfied.

steak and mushroom pie - $13

Then after quite a long while, my grilled chicken breast ($12) came, topped with mushroom sauce and bottomed with creamy mashed potatoes. The chicken itself wasn't as tender as I would have liked, but the sauce made up for it. The mushroom sauce was extremely creamy buttery and better than most other mushroom sauces I've had. Like the pie, it was also complemented with a little bowl of salad.

Grilled Chicken Breast - $12

Close up of my chicken in mushroom sauce.

Again, after quite some time came the gigantically enormous club sandwich ($13) along with my friend's favourite - ie. chips. In this sandwich (which barely fit into my friend's mouth) was chicken breast, bacon, poached egg, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, and mayo. In another words, super big (and kind of nutritious), and a good value for money. Not surprisingly, it received two thumbs up from my picky-eater friend.

club sandwich - $13

Long after my vegetarian friend finished his pasta, the home-made beef burger finally ($12) arrived. And yes, service is lacking in this place. Nonetheless, according to my friend, the juicy homemade beef patty complete with caramelised onions, lettuce and tomatoes trapped between a damper-like bun was well worth the wait. Specially, it came with BOTH chips and salad. So, the waiting-time aside, it's probably a delicious bargain.

homemade beef burger - $12

Close up of the cheap feed.

Oh, and we ordered a side of wedges ($5) which is so nicely seasoned, crispy on the outside and fluffily potatoed on the inside. Yum!

seasoned potato wedges - $5

Service and wait-time aside, the food is delicious (exept the ravioli) and amazingly cheap for the quality. But having said that, a good look around the cafe found most people to simply be sipping on drinks. Oh well, they don't know what they're missing out on.

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 27/40

Caliniere (cafe)
World Square Level Piazza,
Shop 17-18, Liverpool St
Sydney CBD, NSW
Tel: (02) 9264 3661