Rosso Pomodoro - Balmain

Hubby's been craving good pizza for like EVER since coming back from Europe. May I stress the word good pizza. I've been putting off our hunt for pizza in Sydney as I've been slightly scarred by the plethora of non good pizza around but hubby promised me that this place - Rosso Pomodoro - is good.

Located at the bottom of some residential apartments in Balmain, I have to say, my heart sunk a little. Looked not much more than a local diner... but, to their credit, the place was packed and buzzing, with a waft of yumminess in the air. We decided to get a pizza each - as pizza is what this place is meant to be good for. Hubby ordered their 'special' for the night - the Gambero pizza (with anchovies added as an extra) and I ordered their Rocco pizza.

My Rocco pizza was pretty awesome! Topped with loads of rocket and prosciutto, shaved parmesan, mozarella and tomato, it was a pretty damn tasty disk of thin, crispy, crunchy, chewy dough. Pretty yum~

Rocco pizza

Hubby's Gambero pizza looked naked in comparison with tiny prawns scattered around. Funnily enough, it was actually still really tasty. Bits of tomato diced here and there, chilli scattered around and the anchovies (which was added as an extra) really finished this pizza nicely.

Gambero pizza

I have to say, I was surprised by the quality of these two pizzas. Definitely pretty yummy for Sydney standards. Not surprisingly, after having a pizza each we had no room in our stomachs for dessert >.<

Ratings:
Food - 9/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 29/40

Rosso Pomodoro
91/24 Buchanan Street  
Balmain NSW 2041
Tel: (02) 9555 5924

Cafe Morso - Pyrmont

It was a Saturday, the weather was good, the view was awesome, great cup of coffee and good food. What more could you ask for?

Our visit to Cafe Morso was definately a good one. We were served by this energetic, lively waiter who was attentive and coped way too much abuse by the table next to us. Starting with a large capp ($6) which came in a gigantic bowl - it was possibly enough to be full on coffee alone! The coffee was good - smooth, creamy, aromatic and lasted the whole breakfast (unlike usually, where my coffee is drunk within the first 5 minutes of arriving).

Bowl of coffee - $6

Food-wise, hubby ordered the 'Cafe Morso Breakfast' ($19) which came with eggs (he opted for fried), bacon, mushroom, roast tomato, chorizo, bacon, tomato relish and toast.It looked simple but good. The meats were charred well and the bread was thick - toasted well on the outside, still soft on the inside.

Morso Breakfast - $19

I found it a tough decision to make and many options sounded delicious. In the end, the truffled scrambled eggs ($16.50) reigned. The eggs were creamy and just a bit runny (the way I like them). The mushrooms (wild and king oyster) were sauteed in butter and was absolutely devine! And the toast (from Sonoma) was gorgeously delicious!

truffled scramble eggs with wild mushrooms - $16.50

So this was probably one of the more relaxing weekend breakfastes I've had in a while. Thoroughly enjoyed the food, view and company :)

Ratings:
Food - 8.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 32.5/40

Cafe Morso
21 Pirrama Road
Jones Bay Wharf - Lower Deck
Pyrmont NSW 2009
Tel: (02) 96920111

Alio - Surry Hills

You know that feeling when you're in a bit of a rush, and you want to enjoy dinner but you can't properly because you're edging to have your food delivered pronto and get frustrated when the service is slow? Well, I was stuck with that bit of agitation whilst dining at Alio recently.

Dining at Alio was a last minute decision. We were headed towards another restaurant in Surry Hills when our attention was grabbed but some nice aromas and semi-full restaurant for a Monday night. We waltzed on in - we had probably a bit over an hour allocated for dinner before our sugar hit and which we thought was ample time for an entree and main.

A quick squiz down their drinks menu and their sunset cosmopolitan caught my eye. A mocktail with a range of different juices promised - alas, all I could taste was apple. If I had closed my eyes and drunk this I would think... mmm... apple juice.


sunset cosmopolitan

An amuse bouche came out first. The small cup of pumpkin and ginger soup was really creamy and tasty and deliciousness. In retrospect, if what I got for dinner was a large bowl of this soup, I probably would have been pretty happy ~

pumpkin and ginger soup

We started with a an antipasti board ($34) to share. It was an impressive slab with prosciutto, bresaola, coppa Nduja salami, white anchovy, container of green olives, pickled onions, marinated mushrooms, yummy paremsan cheese and awesome buffalo mozzarella with bread sticked and bruschetta. Everything on the board was quite good. But then again, how bad could cheese, cold meats and bread get? :P

 

antipasti board - $34

After clearing the antipasti board, the waitress asked if we wanted out mains served. Yes indeed! but 5 minutes ticked by.... 10 minutes.... 15 minutes... and the time went on and on and on. We went from being early to our next destination to on time to late... 15 minutes before we had to be at our next booking, we asked the waitress to check on our food. She came back a bit later with just my pasta ($30). A few minutes later, hubby's mussels ($25) came out. Hubby's mussels were steamed in white wine and garlic. It also had zuccini slices, fennel and fregola. The sauce was really white winey and the garlic flavour (or any other taste for that matter) seemed to be drowned in this alcohol.

mussels in white wine and garlic - $25

I was a bit shocked at the presentation of my fettuccini. It was like some kid just slopped some pasta on a plate, drenched it in tomato water and chucked some cooked cherry tomato on top. Unimpressed. The hand rolled fettuccini was still al-dente, but the sauce was pretty dismal. the pan fried prawns were really quite bad - chopped up into miniscule pieces, overcooked and pretty tasteless.

prawn fettuccini - $30

And if you thought that was a bad end to the meal? Well,  we were in a rush, so we decided to pay for the meal at the counter. There was this guy standing there flirting with the waitress behind the cash register. Being flustered and all, the waitress handed us our bill... and being in a rush, we hubby just looked at the total amount and paid. It was not until I got in the car, thought about how the total amount seemed a bit fishy, and digged the receipt back out that we realised - yup, we paid for some other table's meal. Dammit - ripped off for a crappy meal! :(

Ratings:
Food - 6/10
Service - 5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 6/10
Overall - 24/40

Alio
5 Baptist Street
Surry Hills
Tel: (02) 8394 9368

Sugar Hit at the Sofitel - Sydney

The Sydney International Food Festival (or CRAVE) happens every year in the month of October. This is the time of the year for special lunches, brunches, dinners, high-teas and desserts. Unfortunately for this year, we were only able to catch one dessert ('sugar hit') event. In previous years, sugar hits have been a bit of a hit and miss - some are excellent, some mediocre... really depended on your luck and which cafe you end up at. And so, I made sure that my expectations were set at a reasonable level this time round as we entered the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel.

After a relatively bad dining experience (which I will blog about shortly), we were running a little late for our reservation. Nonetheless, we were greeted by a very friendly and cheerful waiter who directed us promptly to our seats. Without even asking for it, he subsequently came with two glasses of water (with lemon :P) and inquired about our choice of drink. Standard was a Brown Brother's dessert wine of sorts, but he informed us that we would substitute it with other drinks - coffees, teas, soft drinks etc. Being 10pm on a weeknight already, both hubby and I went for coffee. The long black and my cappuccino were both decent - nothing spectacular but they weren't bad.

long black

cappuccino

The friendly waiter then came back with our 'Sugar Hit'. I had chosen the Sofitel Hotel because of their variety offered in the dessert. It was a chocolate extravaganza with 5 different tasty morsels. There was the chocolate macaroon. this was average - chocolate filling was well integrated with the almond meringe shell. Hubby liked the chocolate eclair. The chocolate custard in the middle was smooth and not too sweet. The opera cake was in the middle - it had good layering, spongy, creamy and coffee syrupy and topped well with a thin layer of chocolate glaze. The chocolate tart was pretty full on. Very strong and very dense. On the other hand, whilst the chocolate mousse was rich and chocolatey, it was delightfully light and easy to consume.

chocolate platter

So I have to say, this was actually quite a decent Sugar Hit experience. The dessert was chocolatey and right up my alley. I liked how you get to choose your drink. And the waiter was heaps friendly and nice. For $20, you probably couldn't ask for too much more :)

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 31/40

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9230 0700

The Grounds of Alexandria - Alexandria

On a nice warm spring day, what better than a chillaxy experience at a cafe? The cafe spot we picked for the lazy Saturday was The Grounds at Alexandria - a popular spot for families and couples in the midst of the up-and-coming suburb.

I've been told that the wait for this place can be as painstaking as 1 1/2 hrs - so when given the news that it'll be approx a half an hour wait, I was relieved. Not long after a leisurely stroll along their gardens and stalls for the day (checking out their hens, their herbs etc), and a detour to the deli next door, our buzzer rang and we were guided to our table.

The Grounds gives off that 'happening' vibe. Loads of chatter, laughter just reverberating around the walls. The waiters dashing around the place trying to keep on top of everything. People lining up for takeaways. The whole lot. But whilst busy - it felt like the 'nice' sort of busy, and not the 'I'm so stressed' type. We ordered coffees first - the cappuccinos were heaps smooth and rich and creamy - the perfect 'wake-me-up'.

coffee

I opted for the beef burger ($18) which came with a small container of heavenly beer battered fries. The chips were golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy goodness on the inside. It was also very consistent - every chip was good. The beef brisket patty was juicy and tasty as was all the other bits of the burger - the cheese, lettuce, the dill mayo - all encased in a really soft toasted brioche. Mmm...

'Ground' beef burger - $18

Hubby's spiced chicken baguette ($14) was not as awesome. The "ramzey's secret' spiced deep-fried chicken was alright, the bun was average and the spicy mayo inside just as advertised... making for a good but not wow chicken baguette. It came with a side of leafy garden greens ... but chips would have been much tastier!

Ramzey's secret spiced chicken baguette - $14

The Grounds is a pretty good place to chill out. It can be hard to get a spot for large groups (though there are a few bigger tables around) and the place is not really that conducive to D&Ms. But what you get is good coffee, lovely surrounds and decent food.

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 30/40

The Grounds of Alexandria
Huntley Street
Alexandria
NSW 2015
Tel: (02) 9699 2225

Kuma Japanese Restaurant - Rosebery

A few years ago, there was no such thing as group coupon deals. Now, websites which offer heavily discounted meals, activities and travel are rife. If you are very diligent in purchasing and organising and using coupons, you can really save heaps from these deals. They also make pretty good presents. One such deal that I managed to get my hands on recently was a 6 course meal from Kuma for just $35 for 2 people offered by Groupon.

To be completely honest, hubby and I entered this place with really really low expectations. Afterall, a 6 course Jap meal for 2 people for just $35? Seems a little bit too good to be true. Amazingly, however, we were quite blown away by the value and quality which was offered. We were first offered a choice of drink - wine, sake, soft drink etc (which was also included). Miso soup was also complementary. There was some stock standard courses - the sashimi, salmon and avocado roll, tempura...but also some choices involved - deep fried vs pan fried gyoza (either pork or prawn), choice of main course, and flavour of icecream.

sake

The sashimi was good enough, as was the miso soup. No complaints there (but it wasn't WOW factor). The salmon and avocado roll had a little bit too much rice for my liking - but hubby thought it was alright.

entree sashimi

miso soup

salmon and avocado roll

The pan-fried pork gyoza was one of my favourites for the night. Pan-fried so that it was crispy on the bottom, still nice and soft on other sides, and heaps juicy and succulent inards. It was very much YUM. The tempura was alright. Slightly bit too floury for my liking but the prawns were really quite fresh. the tempura was also seasoned quite well.

pan-fried pork dumplings

tempura

In terms of the mains, hubby got the katsu chicken whereas I opted for the teriyaki salmon. The katsu chicken was average. You get your golden brown bread-crumbed crunchy outer-layer covering the tender chicken bits inside. Deep-fried chicken craving tick! My teriyaki salmon was a lot better than I expected. The fish wasn't over or under cooked. It was really really tasty and doused in that sweet teriyaki sauce. And it came with a mound of yummy veges. Liked it quite a bit :)

katsu chicken

teriyaki salmon

Last but not least was dessert. We had one of each flavour - green tea and sesame. The funny shape of the sesame icecream (how it's kind of cylindrical and has specific grooves on it) is indicative of how it came straight out of a store-bought container (the ones you can probably get at asian grocers). The green tea icecream on the other hand, came out nice and spherical. Amazingly enough, both icecreams were actually very deliciousness~ So store-bought or not, it was pretty good.

black sesame & green tea icecream

We were both quite surprised by what we got out of this meal. As it was a pre-paid meal, after we finished eating and felt like we chilled out enough, we just got up and left - how simple and convenient! :) Whilst this particular deal probably can't be purchased at the moment, there's still quite a lot of other restaurant deals offered by Groupon. Just by going here, you can eat to your hearts content for a fraction of the cost!

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall -  29/40

Kuma Japanese Restaurant
304/5-9 Rothschild Ave
Rosebery NSW 2018
Tel: (02) 9663 2902

Thai Flavours - Bella Vista

We recently found out that one of our high school friends owned a Thai restaurant in Bella Vista and have been wanting to pay it a visit for a while now. Apart from it being a bit out of the way from where we all currently lived, us and a few high school friends decided that it would be a good venue for a catch up. Thai Flavours was a restaurant tucked up within the businesses at Norwest - kind of close to the home-maker center down there, near all the gyms and the GP practices and the radiologists etc. For a Saturday night, the place attracted a decent enough crowd.

The place was modestly decorated, high ceilings - sending off that chillaxy vibe. We also took it for granted that our friend wasn't going to kick us out of his restaurant as we chilled and chatted until past their stated closing time. We ordered some chicken satay skewers, a couple of curries, a pork belly stir fried dish and a couple of noodles to share.

The chicken satay skewers (4 for $8.50) were actually quite appetising. The meat was tender and well seasoned and the peanutty satay sauce hit the spot with my satay craving. Not bad at all.

chicken satay skewers - $8.50 for 4

 I wanted a red curry and my friend wanted duck so we saw that the Thai duck curry ($16.90) as an obvious choice. The curry was tasty, mildly spicy as indicated, but not as "red" as others I've had in the past. The Choo-chee ($14.90), which we had with fish on recommendation from our restaurant owner friend, was really mild and smooth and creamy. I actually really liked the taste of it (maybe because I'm not into heavily spiced things) and would have been happy to gobble down the whole plate (if sharing wasn't the ettiquette :P).

thai duck curry - $16.80

Choo-Chee - $14.90

 One of the items on the restaurant's specialty list was the Pork Belly stir fried with greens. There was a good assortment of peas and broccoli with a decent a portion of pork belly (with crispy skin - kinda). It did look a little more watery than I had in mind but it was alrightly tasty in it's own rights.

Pork belly stir fry

The Pad Thai ($11.90) was good. But then again, I've very rarely labeled a pad thai as bad. It was the right sweetness, right texture and right amount of meat/vege/nuts ratio. However, I was slightly less impressed with the thai basil noodles. There was that hint of chili but not a lot of basil flavour. the noodles were also slightly sloppier.

Pad Thai - $11.90

Thai Basil Noodle - $11.90

Our restaurant owner friend recommended for us to try two desserts from his menu. One was a taro (meant to have sago) coconut milk dessert, and the other was sticky rice pudding. My friend loved the sticky rice pudding, especially this smooth pasty mousse that came with it. I was more a coconut tara fan...but it was a little odder than I expected. It was luke warm and slightly salty? I guess my personal preference for this dessert would be ice cold and sweet.

Taro coconut milk

sticky rice pudding

 All up, this was a relatively good dining experience. Sure it's not the most WOW thai food around - but it was decent food, good company in a good environment. Our owner friend seemed friendly with everyone and was pretty hands on - from taking orders to bringing food out to driving out the takeaway to taking the cash. Would probably come back for dinner if we just so happen to be in the area.

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 29/40

Thai Flavours
F116/ 24-32 Lexington Drive
Bella Vista NSW 2153
Tel: (02) 8824 4333