Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Review: Agape Organic Restaurant & Bar

1385 Botany Road
Botany (cnr Botany Rd & Bay St)


Tel: 8668 5777
e: agaperestaurant@me.com


Dinner: Tues - Sat from 6pm
Lunch: Fri-Sun 12pm - 3pm


Our last experience of a restaurant that attempted any form of 'organic' was a rather disastrous meal at Newtown's The Peasant's Feast many, many moons ago. It did not inspire us to give it another go! This is probably the reason we had not tried Agape Organic Restaurant & Bar before now. One evening though, Squeak suggested a spontaneous visit, so we headed out to Botany to see if they could erase all Peasant Feast memories (horrors?!) from the past.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Review : The Montpellier Public House - CLOSED

141 Belmore Road 
Randwick NSW 2031



Tel: 61 2 9399 9660
e: enquiries@montpellierpublichouse.com.au

Public Bar – 7 days – Midday to Midnight

Dining Room – Tuesday to Sunday – from 6pm

I ended up losing count of the number of times we said we would book a dinner at Balzac. It seems everytime we planned to, something came up, until finally Balzac closed its doors.

Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long for Matthew Kemp to reopen the doors again, this time under the guise of The Montpellier Public House.

Having learnt our lesson, we decide a visit this time is very much in order.

The restaurant is split in two - the Public Bar & the Fine Dining Restaurant. Tonight we decide to dine downstairs in the Public Bar.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Review : Orto Trading Co (Breakfast)

38 Waterloo Street

Surry Hills

0431 212 453
dine@ortotradingco.com.au


Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday nights from 6pm.
Brunch & Casual Lunch - Thursday to Sunday 8am to 3pm.

Buggles and Squeak have a favourite breakfast spot, Bar Mattino in Chippendale.
Bar Mattino is closed Saturdays, so we have always faced the dilemma of where to breakfast when those Saturday morning hunger pangs hit.

Fouratefive hit the spot for a while.... but seriously, who can be bothered queueing (no matter how good that toasted sandwich is!).

Well thankfully, Orto Trading Co has stepped up to the plate and is serving one of the best & most imaginative breakfasts in Sydney.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Review: momofuku seiōbo

The Star
80 Pyrmont Street
Ground level
cnr Edward & Union Street
(Entrance opposite Adriano Zumbo's)

Dinner only from 7pm
Mon-Sat


Could we have been more excited to snare a booking at the hotly anticipated momofuku seiōbo? Excitement and fear (given David Chang's infamous dislike of bloggers) are all melded into one as we prepare for dinner.
Squeak's food idiosynchrosies discussed and confirmed by the restaurant the day before we are truly excited by the prospect of dinner at Chang's first restaurant venture outside NYC. This excitement probably accounts for the fact we unintentionally turn up half an hour early. This is despite the number of times we walk past the place, and all around the casino, until a friendly casino staff member directs us to the ultra chic and understated entrance to Momofuku. 
All credit to the staff who do not bat an eyelid, seat us in the (what we thought) bizarrely empty restaurant and set us up with drinks.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Review : BLACK by Ezard

Level G, Harbourside,

The Star,
80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont

Lunch: Fri 12pm - 3pm

Dinner: Tue - Sun 5.30pm - 11pm

Ever since we starting reading about the grand plans for Star City, we have been looking forward to its opening, hoping for a dining precinct similiar to Crown Casino in Melbourne. We certainly felt as though we were getting our wish, when we heard David Chang & Teage Ezard had jumped on board & were both opening restaurants at the newly named 'The Star'.

As soon as bookings opened for BLACK we secured a table for a Saturday night that seemed 'oh so far away'; so we counted down the weeks, then the days until our designated Saturday arrived.

We arrive at 'The Star' early (luckily), as we do two laps of the casino before we actually find the restaurant.


The restaurant's timber facade is warm & inviting, the room with its dark tones feels comfortable, with large well spaced tables, with most facing the wall of glass looking out onto the harbour.


We are lucky indeed to score a table right beside the window as we watch day, slowly turn to night.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Review : Restaurant Atelier

22 Glebe Point Road
Glebe

p: +61 2 9566 2112
e: eat@restaurantatelier.com.au


Dinner:
Tuesday - Saturday from 6pm

We last visited Restaurant Atelier not long after it moved from Newtown to Glebe, so a very long time ago.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, we are massive fans of Bar Mattino & think that Sebastian Tyson is one fine chef. So when he, and his equally knowledgeable wife, Sigrid, talk up a restaurant we know they are not giving us a bum steer. So on their recommendation we finally pay a return visit to Restaurant Atelier.

The restaurant resides in a cute sandstone cottage near the Parramatta Rd end of Glebe Point Rd.

Inside the restaurant is cosy & comfortable and we are seated in the front section right next to the fireplace.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Review : Orto Trading Co

38 Waterloo Street
Surry Hills


0431 212 453
dine@ortotradingco.com.au 


Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday nights from 6pm.


Brunch & Casual Lunch - Thursday to Sunday 8am to 3pm


Orto Trading Co is another spot we have been meaning to visit for positively ages; you know how it is though....too many restaurants, too little money!


Anyway, as we near the end of our short holiday, we decide the time is right to pop in for a quiet mid-week lunch.


The restaurant has ample indoor & outdoor seating, and despite the very cute British bulldog sitting at an outdoor table, we choose to sit inside.




The room is light & airy thanks to all the glass; it is a very comfortable space with large tables sporting cute, little floral arrangements that suit the overall theme of the restaurant.


We order our food and kick back with a couple of beers.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Review : District Dining - CLOSED

17 Randle Street, Surry Hills

Sydney, NSW 2010

(02) 9211 7798
info@districtdining.com.au

Monday Dinner 6 - 11pm

Tuesday-Thursday & Saturday
Lunch 12 - 3pm & Dinner 6 - 11pm
Friday, open all day 12 - 11pm
Sunday long lunch 12 - 5pm

Today finds us lunching with our two favourite girls…..H & A.

We are heading to District Dining, and as none of us have dined here before, we are all quite looking forward to the meal ahead.


We initially have a little trouble locating the restaurant, but soon spot the Mondrian inspired panel out the front.
The restaurant is larger than expected, and at this time of day still relatively empty.
Once seated, we order a bottle of 2010 Pike & Joyce ‘The Bleedings’ Rosé, and glance over the menu.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Review : The Abercrombie

100 Broadway
Sydney 2000

9280 2178
info@theabercrombie.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/#!/abercrombiehotel?sk=info

Lunch and Dinner 7 days
 So now we move from the sublime to the ridiculous.
After our light, fresh & incredibly delicious lunch at JOHNANDPETER Canteen, we decide to do a complete 180 and visit The Abercrombie.

Recently refurbed, The Abercrombie sits on the corner of Broadway and Abercrombie Street.


When we arrive at around 12.30pm, the pub is still pretty much empty & we grab ourselves a cute little booth.

As mentioned previously we do have a soft spot for American diner type food, and while the Abercrombie is not strictly 'diner', it certainly is of that ilk. The Abercrombie menu has Buggles and Squeak written all over it.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Review : JOHNANDPETER Canteen (CLOSED)

245 Wilson Street Eveleigh 2015

canteen@johnandpeter.com

(02) 8571 9004
http://www.johnandpeter.com/

Mon - Tue: 12:00 - 15:00

Wed - Fri: 12:00 - 15:00; 18:00 - 22:00
Sat: 12:00 - 17:00; 18:00 - 22:00
Sun: 12:00 - 17:00

On this coolish, wet, blustery Spring day, we decide to head to Eveleigh & visit JOHNANDPETER Canteen for lunch.
Having missed the Canteen in its 'pop-up' form, we are certainly glad it has become a permanent fixture at Carriageworks.

On arrival our ears are bombarded with a cacophony of screams and wails. Having been blessed with NO children, we are blissfully unaware that Carriageworks is hosting the Sydney Children's Festival.
Undeterred however, we take a seat in the almost empty Canteen.