Review: Old Town in Newtown

503 King Street

Newtown

Tues - Thurs & Sun: 5pm - 11pm
Fri - Sat: 9am - 11pm

02 9557 4339


It is a cold and wintry night in what had been a cold and wintry week. There is just something about this kind of weather that just screams for Italian comfort food, so we decide to make the long trek back to the old stomping ground and give the Old Town in Newtown a go.

The Old Town is on King Street, but down towards the New Theatre and Pastizzi Cafe end. The place is pretty empty when we arrive but some tables start to fill as the evening progresses. The Old Town calls itself a cafe as opposed to a restaurant and the interior does feel more like that. Some homey touches suit the style of food though.

Review: Mary's - Newtown

6 Mary Street

Newtown, 2042

Mon-Fri 4pm to Midnight

Saturday Noon to Midnight 

Sunday Noon to 10pm

It's no secret, we love burgers. 

Let's face it, sometimes nothing hits the spot like an uncluttered burger. I personally have never been a fan of the 'gourmet' burger - messy and piled high with every ingredient known to man. 

When it comes to burgers, simplicity is key.

The Mary's Cheeseburger comes it at around the same size as a McDonalds Cheeseburger, so with a price tag of $14 (including a small serve of fries) - well, you have to hope this burger cuts the mustard!

The patty is a combination of brisket, chuck and rump - however, as the patty also approximates a Maccas cheeseburger patty in thickness, you never really get to savour the flavour. It needs to be slightly thicker to allow this combination of beef cuts to really shine through. 

Don't get me wrong, the burger isn't remotely dry, it is quite moist and delicious - I just want more meatiness. The bun is sweet and yielding, there is a smattering of pickles and some lovely oozing cheese. The fries are crisp and not too oily - perfect really.

Washed down with a couple of schooners of Young Henry's and we are done!

Next time it has to be the Fried Chicken with a side of mash and gravy....

Squeak

Review: Blacksheep

256 King Street
Newtown




Mon - Sat: 12pm - midnight
Sun: 10am - 10pm


8033 3455




Blacksheep is a relatively recent addition to King St, taking over where Funky Bar ended. Newtown can be an interesting place to eat. For a long time it has seemed that the food had to be secondary to the company. Now with the recent openings of places like Bloodwood, Hartsyard and Spencer Guthrie we can happily start to enjoy both. Blacksheep isn't attempting to be a fine diner; it kind of wedges in nicely between casual cafe and restaurant and offers a variety of share plates - which works well for us prior to a spontaneous Dendy visit.

Review : Hartsyard

33 Enmore Road

Newtown

8068 1473

e: hello@hartsyard.com.au

Mon-Tues : Closed

Wed-Sun : 5.30pm till late

I know, I know we are very late in coming to the table on this one - seems every blogger & reviewer has been here before us & pretty much said it all.

So why you may ask, are we even bothering with this blog entry?  Because the food at Hartsyard is so good & we want to shout it from the rooftops, that's why.

Truth be told, we have had our table booked for a couple of weeks - as soon as we looked at the menu and read 'fried chicken' and 'poutine' we were in.

So we arrive on this ultra cold Saturday evening to a restaurant that is warm  and very inviting

The room has been designed by Ashley Couch and what a great job she has done. We love the industrial aesthetic & have stolen a few ideas for our new apartment!

Review : Bench Wine Bar

503-511 King Street
Newtown

Wednesday-Friday from 5pm
Saturday-Sunday from 4pm

We are catching up again with C1 & C2 and alas, once again, C2 is absent (we are starting to feel a tad paranoid!).
The three of us decide that some wine/cocktails & a few share plates are just what the doctor ordered! So it's off to Bench we go.

Finally! a drinking establishment in Newtown that seems to cater for us (ok, mainly me), the more geriatric set. I look around and I feel positively in 'bloom' again.

It is very pleasant indeed walking into this sleek, dimly lit bar. It is tiny, granted, but also very inviting.
We grab a spot at the end of the long communal bench, order a cocktail each and decide on what plates to share.

Review : the pie tin

1 Brown Street
Newtown

Monday-Wednesday 8am-6pm
Thursday-Friday 8am-8pm
Saturday 8am-6pm
Sunday 9am-4pm


Pretty Dog has moved down the road and the pie tin has taken up residence in the tiny terrace on the corner behind Clem's.

It is no secret that I have a massive fear of pie gristle, but after sampling some of the pie tin's sweet offerings, I decide that perhaps I can take a chance & indulge in some of their savoury pies. It doesn't take much to convince Buggles, she loves a pie - gristle or not!

Review : The Moose Newtown

530 King Street
Newtown


Tue to Fri 5pm - 11pm
Sat 3pm - 11pm
Sun 3pm - 10pm



The Moose sits on our favourite end of King Street, the St Peters end, just near Alice Street.

Let’s start by saying that ‘The Moose’ is very small, more calf than moose really.
There are but a few tables strewn around the substantial bar.
But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with the well thought out wine, cocktail & beer list and the really tasty grazing plates.

It is early Tuesday evening, so we have no problem securing a comfy table out front overlooking King Street.

Review : Pastizzi Cafe

523 King Street
Newtown 2042

Open 7 days
9am - late

My love affair with pasta ended almost two years ago, when I decided to 'try' & eliminate carbs from my diet. For the most part I have succeeded, pasta & rice have really not featured in my diet at all & potatoes, bread & sugar are very much reduced.
What were once daily delights are now, at most, weekly highlights.
So, when after all this time my thoughts do turn to pasta, I immediately start thinking about the pasta of my mother country, the wonderful ricotta & parsley filled Maltese Ravjul.

Review: Gigi

379 King Street

Newtown


Tues-Sun: 5-11pm


Following our visit to Top Level Woodfire Pizza Bar, Squeak and I were on a pizza mission and Gigi in Newtown seemed to call us - largely because of a potato pizza we spied sitting on their menu. On arrival Gigi already has a number of tables taken, and we opt to sit towards the back where we expect things will be significantly quieter... how wrong we were!

Review : Top Level Woodfire Pizza Bar - CLOSED

Level 1
196 King Street
Newtown


Wed-Fri
From 5.30pm

Sat-Sun
From 12 noon




Newtown has no shortage of pizza restaurants, they are scattered throughout King Street & beyond. Some are genuinely bad, some average & some quite good, but there has never been a truly great pizzeria in Newtown....until now.


Ruggiero Lattanzio of La Disfida fame has opened Top Level Woodfire Pizza Bar on King Street, finally Newtown joins the ranks of heavy hitters Surry Hills, East Sydney & Haberfield, with a pizzeria truly worth raving about.

Review: Iiza

184 King St
Newtown

Lunch -  Fri/Sat/Sun  11:30 - 3:00pm
Dinner - 7 days 5:30 - late

Newtown has long resembled a province of Thailand when it comes to the many restaurants along King St, and while Buggles and Squeak enjoy a spot of Massaman curry or a Pad Thai every now and then, it is refreshing to see some new styles of cuisines being represented on the strip.  Iiza is one such place, and Japanese food is their focus.

Review : Soffritto

367 King Street
Newtown

Tues-Sat 6pm-late

Soffritto describes itself as a "contemporary European restaurant"....amongst the scores of Thai restaurants scattered throughout Newtown, Soffritto is a most welcome oasis.

Buggles & Squeak have been wanting to try Soffritto for quite some time now, so along with M1 we decided to see if we could score a table.

Review : Darley Street Bistro

597 King Street (corner of Darley Street)
Newtown NSW 2042

Mon to Sun
Noon - 10pm


You know what it is like when you stumble upon a place that not only offers amazing food but offers it at an amazing price....part of you wants to keep it to yourself, in case it becomes so popular that either the quality starts to suffer or the prices start to rise.

Review : Moo Gourmet Burgers

232 King Street 
Newtown 




Mon to Sun 11am - 10pm

Well might you ask "does Newtown really need another gourmet burger joint"...what with Burger Fuel and Burgerlicious also sharing a King Street address.
It would seem that the answer is....



 
 

Review : Buppa's Bakehouse - CLOSED

**UPDATED ENTRY**

Visit Three (don't judge us!)

482 King Street
Newtown


Buppa's Bakehouse is now CLOSED.





Frankly, by this stage you should be well aware of the elicit affair Squeak and I are engaged in with Buppa's Bakehouse. This week we made it a Ménage à trois. with 'Cooty' (aka Squeak's mum). If you cannot figure out why we are trying to convert the world yet... just look at that picture! Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. If anything can sum up these American baked delights, this would have to be it. Who knows what is in the base... Oreos??? All we know it is very, very good. The texture is like a light cheesecake, but it is chocolatey and peanutbuttery with chunks of peanut and chocolate flecks throughout. To top it off.... Hersheys Chocolate sauce.

I went for the Key Lime Pie. It is one of those things that we always hear about in American movies, so when I saw it on the menu, I had to go there. Once again... the base. I'll be up front right now. This is the second time I've had it. There - I've admitted it. The base, once again is delightful. It is very buttery, and delicious. It is slightly different this time however, as last time the base had this gorgeous spiced flavour that made me wonder if it had been made with ginger nut biscuits. So... this time it was different, but that really is testament to the fact that the goods at Buppa's evolve and are slightly different each time... that they are made fresh... not from a production line. So who can complain? It is like a lime cheesecake, and has a real lime tang to it which works well with the butteriness of the base.


So yes... we know. We have nobody but ourselves to blame for our girths... but you should be proud... Squeak did walk past last week without buying anything. We are trying to develop our own '12 step program' for Buppa's Bakehouse. Is it still a problem if we limit ourselves to once a fortnight?
Just one day at a time. Just one day at a time
Buggles




Visit Two

UPDATE: (sorry no pictures - it was a spontaneous visit)
After an 'out of the ordinary' morning movie, Squeak and I thought we'd pop back into Buppa's Bakehouse for a spot of cake and coffee.


This time, Squeak writhed and turned as she tried to make up her mind, but finally settled on the Black Bottomed Pecan Pie. I certainly can see why, it looked absolutely delicious! The fact there were only two slices left does always bode well also.
This pie was amazing. There is no other way to describe it. The pie crust was flaky and light, and didn't detract from the rich, caramelly/ custardy(?) filling, embracing the plump sultanas and topped by caramelised pecan nuts. There was also a bourbon infusion that really just set the whole thing off and made the whole tart cohesive. Squeak was in some sort of pecan heaven murmuring things about buying a whole tart (ostensibly to share the experience with others - but just quietly, I'm not too sure her plans are for sharing!) I tried a mouthful (or three) and can assure you that Squeak will have a fight on her hands to keep it to herself.


I opted for the Apple Spice Cake with (once again) that all important thick icing. It was just what the doctor ordered - well.... maybe not the cardiac doctor. The cake was moist and light, and the cream cheese icing was spiced with cinnamon. It was truly delicious... but to be honest I rarely concede that Squeak chooses the better dish... but today, I will admit to some pangs of dessert envy.


Unfortunately waistlines.... we will be back!
Buggles


(P.S - read on below to relive our first experience! Yes, I know... it was just a couple of weeks ago.)

Visit One
There are some things that I just know get Squeak excited. That's why, when I read about a bakery that opened dangerously close to us, that also specialised in North American baked goods.... I knew our waistlines might have some trouble in the near future. When Squeak suggested a trip to Buppa's Bakehouse was necessary to reward ourselves (in advance of the housework yet to do)... I grabbed the keys and off we went!


Buppa's Bakehouse sits at the southern end of King St (ie. towards St Peters), which means that it isn't too far to wander down from the station, and it also means the chances of getting parking nearby are slightly increased. When you enter the store, it is simply, but stylishly decked out, and everything draws you to the display stand. There wasn't a lot left when we got there, but in our 30 minute stay, Buppa already had a new batch of Monkey Muffins out of the oven and onto the display trays, and an Apple and Blueberry Pie was on its way also.


The main reason we were going is because of Squeak's penchant for all things lemon and all things with a chocolate and peanut butter combo. These are two things she believes the Americans do very well. Unfortunately, on our visit, these things weren't featured - apart from the Peanut Butter Choc Chip cookies ($3 each - pictured above).

I order the Blueberry Cheesecake ($6). It looked good, although I will admit to feeling intimidated by the size of the portion. Baked cheesecakes can be a bit too rich, or a bit too sickly sweet, so I fully expected to either leave half of it, or go home ill. I did neither. It is difficult to describe how something as heavy looking can manage to be quite 'light'.
Don't get me wrong, it still had that 'baked cheesecake' texture to it, but it escaped being too dense or cloying. The filling was deliciously creamy, and definitely not too sweet. The base was a triumph- and we all know how integral a base is to any cheesecake experience! (Note to Squeak who tried suggesting that she would make me a 'baseless' cheesecake one day...)
It was darker than most bases I've seen, and it was buttery and crumbly, but once again, not heavy. The blueberry glaze/jam that topped the cheesecake, was perfectly complemented by the fresh blueberries that topped it all off. They both added dimensions of sweetness and moisture that set the whole thing off perfectly. Often a cheesecake can leave you wishing you hadn't gone there.... (well, for me anyway), but this one didn't.

Squeak, despite missing out on all things peanut butter or lemon, was keen to try the cake called 'Rabbit Food' ($7). This gave the whole name an entirely new and pleasant connotation. There was nothing green, leafy or unappetising about this 'Rabbit Food'. It looked like everything a carrot cake should be - moist, and (let's face it - the most important bit of all) it had a nice thick layer of creamy icing. Upon arrival, and closer inspection, we could also see lots of nice chunks of fruit and real carrot!


This is one thing that Buppa will proudly let you know. There are no 'fake' anything's in her baked goods. No added preservatives - other than the alcohol in vanilla - and certainly no artificially dyed substances pretending to be carrot.


Squeak tucked in, and was really impressed by how moist the cake was. The flavour was spot on - with that all-important spicing. The icing was good - but Squeak felt was perhaps a bit too sweet, and I'm with her on this one. We love a good carrot cake icing - but it has to hit the right note of cream cheese, or lemon tang. This one had a hint of cream cheese, but was perhaps overwhelmed a bit by sweetness. The star here was the cake itself.


Watch out for the arrival of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in the next few weeks. Buppa's Bakehouse is one of the only stores around Sydney that will be selling it. We are certainly looking forward to it - although, once again, our waistlines may disagree.

We loved this little place. The service is very friendly and the cakes are great comfort food. There is something really warm and inviting about a place whose owner is so proud of her creations, and bakes everything in the kitchen just behind the counter. It's all fresh - and this all translates onto the plate.
We'll certainly be back - perhaps next time with our young niece Holly (who likes to whip up a baked good or two herself!)
Buggles

Review : Cinque

Shop 1a

261 King St
Newtown

M-Su 7.30 - 11

Cinque is a very busy cafe perfectly located right next to the Dendy cinema in Newtown.  This could be viewed as a good or a bad thing though.  It really is convenient if you plan to go to the cinema (as Squeak and I did this evening), and it also ensures that your food is fresh.  Having said that, such popularity can mean a certain nonchalance in altering menus to keep them fresh and vibrant.

Squeak and I have been to this cafe many times. It's right near the Fish music store, the Better Read than Dead bookstore, and the Dendy cinema... not to mention all the other great shops along King St.  It really is in the heart of Newtown - which goes a long way to explaining the long queues on weekend mornings of people waiting to get a table. We decided on an early-ish dinner as the film started at 7... so we managed to get a table pretty easily.  On perusing the menu, it became apparent that it had not changed at all since the last time we'd been - which was probably a good 6 months earlier.

Review : Funky Cafe Deli - CLOSED

256 King Street
Newtown NSW 2042

Breakfast
Lunch

Dinner

Take Away

Mon-Wed 8am-11.30pm

Thu-Sun 8am-midnight

Funky Cafe Deli is a great little find right in the heart of Newtown. The perfect spot for a pre/post Dendy dinner or a leisurely lunch. On the occasion of my visit, I was lunching with my friend Michelle & her son Heath.