hiatus

As you can readily see, this blog hasn't been updated since January - basically when I started full time work. Apologies.

Here are some highlights from the past couple of months:

Green tea marshmallow, Tetsuya's, Sydney - chapflap and I went for Valentine's Day; it was a lovely night capped off by 4 courses of dessert. My kind of restaurant...!

Macarons, Sweet Infinity, "East Sydney" - continuing the dessert theme, these gorgeous pink temptations lure me into this patisserie on a regular basis. Sometimes they're fluoro pink, sometimes they're a baby girl pink - I've been told that it just depends on the mood of the baker on the day. Delicious with a coffee and a sure-fire way to make the afternoon just a bit more bearable. East Sydney is in quotations because according to Australia Post it's not a real suburb; despite that we use it for all our work correspondence with no problems.

Eggplant with honey, Soni's, Newtown - an unusual combination which worked. The other big hit of the night was glasses of rosé; I went with the Madame Special cocktail instead. Yum.

Hummus, Sultan's Table, Enmore - "Sultan's Table?" my cousin asked when I told her where we were going for dinner that night, "isn't that where all the foodbloggers go?" Nooo, I exercised a completely free choice in selecting where to head before seeing Shane Warne: The Musical (see it before the season finishes, it's great!) The mixed plate of dips was colourful and flavoursome - will have to head back soon for more hummus (my favourite dip of the night) and to try some baklava (was too full that night). Definitely book ahead - we saw so many people get turned away (it was a Saturday night) - but if you can't get a seat, you could always get take-away...

Mother's Day lunch, Athol Hall, Bradleys Head - this function centre located just beyond Taronga Zoo has wonderful views and delicious food. We attemped to walk off our 3-course feast afterwards by wandering around the boardwalk just below the restaurant. Even though it's mainly a function centre, the place does serve lunch/afternoon tea Tuesday to Friday and Sunday. Highly recommended, but call ahead to double check that they're not closing for a function or fully booked (as the balcony where they serve lunch/afternoon tea is fairly compact).

Graduation dinner, Zilver, Sydney - after 5 long years, I was very grateful to be joined by family (including relatives from overseas) and friends in celebrating my graduation. There's a minimum charge of $650 if you want a private room, which we easily met because we had a table of 14, as well as a karaoke room if you're into that kind of thing and mahjong tables available for an additional $50 (the restaurant opens at 5pm for dinner, so you can get in a couple of rounds before you eat). Above average Cantonese fare matched by good service, this is also nice for yum cha because it serves more interesting dim sum than your typical prawn dumplings and siu mai. You can see a rather trippy photo from the dinner here at my cousin's blog :)

Now, here's hoping I won't make you wait another 4 months before another post...

boathouse on blackwattle bay, glebe

"The girl is back in town..." (sung to the tune of Thin Lizzy's Boys are Back in Town)

My dear brother's Christmas gift to motherflap and I was to take the family to the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay. Then she wouldn't have to cook, and I would have blog material. How thoughtful! (Can you tell who reads this blog?)

We had a booking for midday for Sunday lunch and found the doors locked at five to midday. After exploring the surroundings a little, we climbed a set of stairs at five past midday to be greeted by this view:



We decided to go with some oysters instead of the starters on offer - the waitress recommended two of the six types of oysters available as particularly good. After taking our order, we were served these complimentary appetisers:



Tomato consomme with caviar, ginger and coriander. Quite pleasant, but it was tricky to eat the caviar if you wanted to because of the way it was served.



Mmm, oysters. We tried the Hastings River Rock and Macleay River Rock varieties as recommended by the waitress - both $4.20 each. They were served with a champagne vinegarette and dark rye bread sliced extremely thinly - at first we thought the bread had been frozen and was defrosting because it had a funny cold spot in the middle, but then we worked out that the melting ice from the oyster tray was dripping down into the bread plate. Not so good. We were also served complimentary sourdough and ciabatta (which everyone gets, even if you don't order oysters).



My brother had the famous snapper pie ($48). The pie is brought to the table on a trolley and then cut up in front of you to be served with mashed potato and smoked tomatoes. This is only half the pie on the plate - a very generous serving and delicious, but quite heavy. The sauce and the pastry tasted very buttery.



Motherflap and dadflap shared the bouillabaise ($88, to be shared between two). This was also brought out on a trolley, causing much curiosity among the other diners. There were four different types of fish according to the menu (Blue eye trevalla, coral trout, John Dory and sand whiting) as well as octopus, clams and mussels - much lighter than the snapper pie, but equally delicious.



I had the Sicilian style swordfish ($41). Plenty of pine nuts and parsley, and presented in an innovative way (when I first got it, I thought "they've turned my fish into a sausage!")



Side order of chips ($12) - crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and not too oily.



Mixed leaf salad ($8). Quite plain, but it helped to balance the heaviness of the snapper pie.

After finishing our mains we contemplated dessert, but unfortunately the restaurant had filled up quite a bit since midday and the waiters were being worked off their feet. After considering the dessert menu, we decided it would be more efficient to go shopping instead. Probably better for our waistlines too considering our Christmas indulgences and how generous the portions were.

A further note on the service front - there's a lot of criticism of the waiters on eatability. I thought they were very helpful but over-worked, so less attentive towards the later part of our meal. A bit worrying given the restaurant was only half to three-quarters full.

When we asked for the bill we were served some complimentary hazelnut gateaux:



Which made me regret not ordering a coffee ($5). Maybe next time.



The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay
End of Ferry Road
Glebe NSW 2037

(02) 9518 9011

Open midday to 3pm and 6:30pm to 10:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday

More information can be found here

watergrill, kirribilli club, lavender bay

Recently refurbished, this place was bustling with patrons of all ages at Sunday lunchtime. There's a view of the Harbour Bridge from the balcony and helpful waitstaff in hot pink shirts to bring you cutlery and menus for the Watergrill, the club's bistro/restaurant. We tried:



Grilled perch served with chips and salad - $22.50. Unfortunately a bit soggy by the time it got to the table, but the sauce was very nice.



Caesar salad - $15.



Veal medallions - $24.50. These were nice and tender, served with a nice Greek-inspired dressing and feta cheese.



A gigantic serving of seafood risotto - $21.50. Very generous!

A good place to try if you're in the area looking for a relaxed place with a view.



Watergrill at the Kirribilli Club
11 Harbourview Crescent
Lavender Bay NSW 2060

(02) 9955 2245

Open from midday to midnight, Sundays to Thursdays
From midday to 1am, Fridays and Saturdays

If you cross the road on exiting the club there's a little path that leads you through a park with all sorts of quirky things in it, including a bathtub with plants growing in it!