Friday, December 31, 2010

Review : The Norfolk on Cleveland

305 Cleveland Street
Surry Hills


Open 7 days for lunch & dinner

We were on our way to Fratelli Fresh, but with rumbling bellies we decided to stop in at the newly refurbished Norfolk on Cleveland for a spot of lunch.

The Norfolk is the new venture for Thomas Lim (ex Tetsuya's), following Duke Bistro at The Flinders Hotel.

We were looking forward to sampling the 'Mexican' inspired menu.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Review: Spice Temple


The alluring 'curtain' that invites you into Spice Temple
 10 Bligh St
Sydney  NSW
(in the cavern beneath
Rockpool Bar & Grill)

Lunch
Mon - Fri  12pm - 3pm

Dinner
Mon - Sat
from 6pm

Regular readers of the Buggles and Squeak reviews will notice a relative lack of Asian restaurants in our repertoire. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) It is generally not one of Squeak's favoured cuisines; and 2) Neither of us can use chopsticks!!! This is true, and we are completely aware of how odd this is when we always have to shame-facedly request cutlery. There are some places however where we just have to suck it up, potential embarrassment and all, and Spice Temple is one such place.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Review : Restaurant at the 3 Weeds

193 Evans Street
Rozelle


Dinner
Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm
Lunch
Sunday from 12pm

It had been a long time between visits...a VERY long time.


The last time we dined here Darrell Felstead was still behind the burners...and he has been at Foveaux since 2007!!!!
So it was definitely time to check out what Leigh McDivitt (ex Est., Pello) has been up to.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Review : Danks Street Depot (Lunch) - CLOSED

1/2 Danks Street
Waterloo

Monday-Thursday:9am-3pm
Friday:9am-3pm and then dinner from 6pm

Saturday: 8am-3pm then dinner from 6pm
Sunday and Public Holidays: 9am-3pm

After a very long & tiring morning of Christmas shopping, we were hot & we were hungry; we needed food & we needed it fast.
Our thoughts first turned to Cafe Sopra & mine to the divine Vitello Tonnato in particular.
We arrived at Waterloo & miraculously found a parking spot on Danks Street. We headed over to Cafe Sopra, only to be confronted by a very long queue of people waiting for a table. We could wait & eat lunch at around 3, or we could cross the street to Danks Street Depot.....we chose the latter.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Review : Razors Bistro

Razors Bistro
Queen Victoria Hotel
167 Enmore Road,
Enmore

Bistro:

Monday-Friday Lunch: 12noon -3pm
Monday-Friday Diner: 5pm until late
Saturday: 12 noon until late evening
Sunday: 12 noon until 9pm

à la carte dining on Level one:

6pm until 10pm Friday & Saturday


Razors Edge was a restaurant that we had visited quite a few times over the years.
We had gone there for the Sunday roast, the schnitzel & the risotto...one memorable night we accidentally stumbled in on a performance by the 'Cunning Linguists'...a feminist poetry slam of sorts!
So while the food was not what you would term spectacular, it was always consistently good. The roasts were a standout as was the creme brulee.

Whilst driving down Enmore Road recently I spotted a sign for 'Razors Bistro' outside the newly re-furbed Queen Victoria Hotel, the name & location led me to one conclusion..."this must be where the boys from Razors Edge have moved to".
After then checking their website & confirming that this was indeed the case, we headed there for dinner to celebrate C1's birthday.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Review: Brasserie Bread Cafe

1737 Botany Road
Banksmeadow

Mon - Fri: 7am - 3pm
Sat - Sun: 8am - 2pm
Public Holidays: closed

Squeak and I were making the trek to Croquembouche at Banksmeadow to order some Christmas treats so we thought we'd pop into Brasserie Bread for a shot at breakfast.  Whenever Squeak and I think of the name 'Brasserie Bread' memories come flooding back of the first ever time (many, many moons ago) we tasted the sinfully warm caramelised garlic bread with melted parsley butter poured over the top - courtesy of Danks Street Depot.  Anyone who can concoct such a bread really does deserve a visit.  Squeak and I had dropped in (and 'dropped in' is a euphemism for driving significantly out of our way to a rather industrial part of Banksmeadow) some time ago, but were not overly fussed by the variety of options on the cafe menu.  This second visit proved more fruitful.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Review : Aperitivo

163 Norton Street
Leichhardt 2040

Tuesday-Saturday
5pm to Midnight

Sunday
5pm to 10 pm

Summertime and the living is easy….not so, if you live in Sydney. It was a hot & sticky night as we headed out to Aperitivo.


Aperitivo occupies the former home of Pavarotti on Norton. The space has been suitably ‘spruced’ up & nothing remains of its former incarnation.


The restaurant is deceptively large & has a very modern feel; dark brown tones with the odd splash of colour, courtesy the bright red chairs & the wonderfully decorative wall.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Review : Marrickville Road Cafe

212 Marrickville Road
Marrickville

Mon-Sat
07:00-16:00

Sun
07:30-16:00


So the quest continued. Buggles and Squeak had once again decided to forgo our Sunday morning ritual of breakfast at Bar Mattino (and now occasionally fouratefive), to once again see what our local suburb, Marrickville, had to offer.
We had recently read quite a good review of Marrickville Road Cafe & wondered if finally there was a local that might just cut the mustard!

And so it was that Buggles and Squeak ventured to Marrickville Road in search of sustenance.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

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!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

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.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Review: Fouratefive

485 Crown Street
Surry Hills

M - F   7am - 4pm
Sat      7:30am - 4pm
Sun     9:30am - 2:30pm


Fouratefive has recently received much fanfare from a variety of food writers so Squeak and I decided to see if it really could withstand the Bar Mattino comparison test!! For us a cafe worthy of a return visit must offer some of the usual breakfast suspects (and do them well) and it must offer something different to the run-of-the-mill. We also like to see a cafe offer some organic fare - but you can't win them all the time. Fouratefive in Surry Hills, on paper, seems to tick most of the boxes.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Review : Restaurant Arras - RELOCATED

Ground Floor
24 Hickson Road
Walsh Bay

Open for Lunch
Tuesday to Friday
12pm-2.30pm

Open for Dinner
Tuesday-Saturday
6pm-10pm


I had been wanting to visit Restaurant Arras since first reading Simon Thomsen's review back in early 2008. I don't exactly know why, but Buggles was always strongly resistant to the idea.
Every now & then I would throw up the suggestion "How about we go to Arras", always to be met with a firm "no". So I was quite surprised when I said to Buggles "Where should I book for next Saturday, The Cut or Restaurant Arras?" and she responded "Arras". I don't know what changed, but I am very glad it had.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Review : La Tratt

Fairfield RSL
14 Anzac Avenue
Fairfield, NSW


Wed-Sat from 6pm


We were heading out on a Saturday evening to visit with my mum. Rather than our usual reservation at Riccardo's we decided to try somewhere different. Mum ranks Italian as her favourite cusine, so we decided to give La Tratt at the Fairfield RSL a go.


The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awarded La Tratt a score of 13.5 in their 2009 and 2010 editions, so we figured this was going to be a pretty good dinner for three.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Review: The Winery

285a Crown Street
Surry Hills
(through the old
sandstone gates)

Open everyday
midday 'til late

Sydney certainly seems to be embracing the notion of the 'wine bar' - something that Melbournites always seemed to have in their favour. The Winery by the Gazebo group is one such Sydney offering - adding Surry Hills to their existing Manly and Elizabeth Bay clan. Buggles & Squeak enjoyed another stupendous dinner at Bentley Restaurant & Bar on our return from Melbourne and observed that The Winery certainly seemed to be attracting a lot of business.  Last week we decided to see what the fuss was all about.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Review : 2204

106 Addison Rd

Marrickville

Mon-Fri: 6am-5pm

Sat-Sun: 7am-5pm

Buggles and Squeak had been hearing a lot about this new cafe/bar on Addison Rd. A new cafe is always exciting news as the Marrickville area is generally pretty devoid of good ones.

We had heard many different things about 2204....that it offered tapas on weekends, served good wine with cheese platters, that it was a great little bar...it was becoming the stuff of legend to the cafe/bar deprived folk of Marrickville.

So late on a Saturday afternoon we finally decided to pay a visit....

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Review : Bistro Moncur

The Woollahra Hotel

116 Queen Street
Woollahra

Lunch

Tue to Sun Noon - 3pm


Dinner
Mon to Sun 6pm - 10:30pm

Buggles and Squeak have loved Bistro Moncur for years now. We have visited often & have never once been disappointed in a meal there.

The clientele is very 'old school' Woollahra, however Buggles and Squeak don't mind this, we have always considered ourselves Eastern Suburbs 'ladies' trapped in Inner West bodies!

It had been a while since our last lunch, so we were very much looking forward to it.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Review : Vue de Monde

Normanby Chambers
430 Little Collins Street
Melbourne

Lunch: Tuesday - Friday
bookings between midday to 2pm
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday
bookings between 6:30pm to 8:30pm

*bookings essential


Anyone who is serious about their food, knows about Vue de Monde in Melbourne. When we originally decided to visit Melbourne, we were only going to go to Bistro Vue as the cost of Vue de Monde can be prohibitive, but once we came to our senses we realised that 'Money be damned!' - we were going to experience Vue de Monde, even if it sent us into bankruptcy.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Review : Lake House Restaurant & Cellar


King Street
Daylesford, Victoria

Breakfast
Mon to Sun 8am-10:30am

Lunch
Mon to Sun Noon-2:30pm

Dinner
Mon to Sun 6:30pm-9:30pm



One of the reasons Buggles & Squeak were really looking forward to our visit to Daylesford, was lunch at the Lake House.
The day of our lunch was a beautifully cold, drizzly day... which made the long, leisurely lunch we had in mind all the more appealing.

We leave our beautiful Daylesford weatherboard & take a short drive to the restaurant.

On entering the restaurant we were greeted warmly & led to our table in the back corner of the restaurant, overlooking the lake. We were off to a good start....

Friday, October 22, 2010

Review : Breakfast & Beer

117 Vincent Street
Daylesford, Victoria

Sun-Mon & Thurs 9am-10pm;
Fri-Sat 9am-1am

On our final morning in Daylesford we decided to head to Breakfast & Beer for our final Victorian meal.

It was a very sad day indeed for Buggles & Squeak, we needed a good, hearty breakfast in order to board the flight back to Sydney & the real world....Breakfast & Beer delivered.

Review : Sweet Decandence at Locantro

87 Vincent Street
Daylesford, Victoria


Open 7 days 9.30am - 5.00pm

While walking the main strip of Daylesford, Buggles & Squeak spotted some plump looking scones in the window of Sweet Decadence at Locantro....we decided there & then that we would visit for breakfast the following morning......and so we did.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Review : Enoteca Vino Bar

920 Lygon Street
Carlton North


OPEN Tuesday to Saturday 9am - 10pm

Sunday 9am - 4pm

CLOSED Mondays

Buggles & Squeak had been wanting to visit Enoteca Sileno for lunch ever since we won a glorious wine dinner co-hosted by the Enoteca crew & harbourkitchen&bar.

Finally our time had come...

Review : Brunetti

214 Flinders Lane
Melbourne


Monday – Thursday (7am – 9pm)

Friday (6am – Midnight)
Saturday (8am – Midnight)
Sunday (8am – 7pm)

Buggles had been pestering me to visit Brunetti since our arrival in Melbourne, in fact she has been pestering me since our last visit to Melbourne a few years back.
Apparently people had been raving about the cakes & other 'delights' on offer....so we visited the Flinders Lane store to pick up some dessert for later.

We ordered a Citrus Tart, a Strawberry Tart & two Ricotta filled pastries.
The Citrus tart had no citrus flavour at all & was very disappointing, a pastry shell filled with flavourless yellow goo.
Buggles said the Strawbery tart was ok, but not exceptional.
I quite liked my Ricotta pastry, it had lots of citrus peel in it & had a nice lemony flavour.
Buggles quite enjoyed her pastry, but it was a little tight on filling.

Based on our experience, don't know what all the Brunetti fuss is about.

Squeak
Brunetti on Urbanspoon

Review : Don Vincenzo

301 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

Daily 7.15am-10.30pm

After settling into our North Fitzroy digs we decided to head out for some lunch. We hit Brunswick Street & finally settled upon Don Vincenzo.
It didn't look particularly appealing, but we were hungry & quite frankly didn't fancy walking the length of Brunswick Street.
However, perhaps we should have....

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Review: Public Inn

Criterion Corner
Barker & Mostyn Streets
Castlemaine, Victoria

Mon - Fri: from Midday
for lunch and dinner (and in between)
Sat-Sun : from 9am
(for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and in between)


Buggles & Squeak had branched out of Melbourne into Daylesford and had planned to sample some of the restaurants on offer in that immediate area only. On suggestion from Sebastian and Sigrid (of Bar Mattino fame), however we decided to stretch our radius to include Castlemaine and see what the recently opened Public Inn had to offer. The drive from Melbourne would not be too far for a day trip, and the township of Castlemaine is lovely, and steeped in Australian history with many original buildings beautifully maintained.

Review: Embrasse Restaurant - CLOSED

312 Drummond Street
Carlton
Melbourne


Dinner: Wed - Sun from 6:30pm
Lunch: Thurs - Sun from noon


Our recent jaunt to Melbourne led us down a few food paths, and on our last evening we decided that this path would lead to Embrasse Restaurant in Carlton.  This restaurant has been receiving a lot of accolades recently with the chef, Nicholas Poelaert, named Young Chef of the Year in  The Age Good Food Guide. On entering, the dining space is intimate, simple and elegant and is suggestive of a French bistro. As has become our habit, we decided to start the meal off with a glass of Sparkling wine. In this case, I had a Stonier 2007 while Squeak opted for a Kir Royale.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Review : No35


Sofitel Melbourne 
Level 35
   25 Collins Street 
   Melbourne


    Lunch: Mon-Sun
   Noon to 2.30pm
   Dinner: Mon-Sun
   5.30pm to 10pm


 
Buggles and Squeak decided to head south and sample the fares of beautiful Melbourne. We had been looking forward to this return visit and were very keen to start eating!
After a trip to Melbourne some years back (and dining at a 2 Chef's Hat restaurant) we were convinced that when it came to food, Sydney had it all over Melbourne.

Our first dinner was at No35, set on the 35th floor of the Sofitel on Collins.
Our trip into the CBD from North Fitzroy was a breeze, thanks to the 112 tram that dropped us off almost right outside the Sofitel. Now that is one thing Melbourne does have all over Sydney....Public Transport.

We enter the lobby of the Sofitel & take the lift up to the 35th floor...

Sunday, October 10, 2010

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.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Review : Platform 7 (Re-Redux) - CLOSED

4 Burrows Avenue
Sydenham
(opposite Sydenham Station)



Monday - Sunday 5.30am - 8.00pm


Buggles & Squeak were very excited to read the following on Platform 7's Facebook page;

"Platform 7 Cafe is proud to introduce our new chef Ned Thomson as our new head chef. Ned brings our menu to a whole new level! Try out his tender roasted pork belly with sweet potato mash served with a rocket, apple and caramelised onion salad!"


We couldn't wait to sample the goods on Ned's 'new menu'. We headed down for lunch Saturday afternoon.


However, as we attempted to place our order at the counter, things began to unravel.

Review : Revolver

291 Annandale St
Annandale


Mon to Sun 8am - 4pm
 
Annandale is one of those suburbs that has long appealed to Buggles & Squeak. We have had quite elaborate fantasy scenarios of the sort of house we would have there & how great it would be to be in walking distance of some of the great cafes on offer. Unfortunately, we will never be able to afford to live in Annandale, so we hop in the car & head over to Revolver for a late morning breakfast.
 

Friday, October 1, 2010

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.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Review: Pilu at Freshwater

'On the Beach'
Moore Road
Freshwater  NSW

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

10 years can roll around very quickly and Buggles and Squeak thought that a leisurely lunch at Pilu overlooking the beautiful Freshwater beach would be a fine way to celebrate our ten years together.

Pilu at Freshwater has received many accolades over the past few years and this one was no exception. While many an establishment felt the ire of the SMH scythe (do not even get us started on the clearly defective tastebuds on the reviewer of Vulcans!) Pilu at Freshwater has managed to maintain their standing on 2 hats.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Review : Rick Stein at Bannisters


191 Mitchell Parade
Mollymook NSW 2539

Breakfast
Mon to Sun 7:30am - 10am
Lunch
Mon to Sun 12:30pm - 3pm
Dinner
Mon to Sun 6pm - 10pm
Buggles and Squeak headed down to Mollymook for the weekend, we were continuing the celebrations for my mum’s birthday & along with my sister we headed to Rick Stein at Bannisters for a very leisurely lunch.

To begin with the view was amazing, we were seated right near the open sliding doors overlooking the gardens & the water…it was pretty special.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Review : Formaggi Ocello

Shop 16,
425 Bourke Street,
Surry Hills (St Margaret’s)

Monday to Friday 9.00am - 7.30pm

Saturday 9.00am - 6.00pm
Sunday 10.00am - 6.00pm

It was a rainy Saturday lunchtime & Buggles & Squeak decided to head to Formaggi Ocello to sample some of the cheese & cured meats on offer.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Review: Eathouse Diner

306 Chalmers Street
(cnr Redfern Street)
Redfern


Monday-Saturday 6pm- 10pm



As observant readers of Buggles & Squeak will know, Squeak has a real penchant for all things 'Americana' when it comes to food. So when we read about the opening of the Eathouse Diner and we saw the words 'Southern Fried Chicken and Slaw', and 'Philly Cheese Steak Rolls' I knew that we would be heading there very soon indeed.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Review : Harry's Cafe de Wheels

886 – 896 Princes Highway

Tempe

Monday 8.30am – 11.00pm
Tuesday 8.30am – 11.00pm
Wednesday 8.30am – 11.00pm
Thursday 8.30am – 11.00pm
Friday 8.30am – 1.00am (next day)
Saturday 8.30am – 1.00am (next day)
Sunday 8.30am – 11.00pm
 
Harry's Cafe de Wheels opened about a week ago on the old 'Deno's Diner' site.

My last experience of a Harry's pie was back in the late 80's, when staggering home to Potts Point (after perhaps too many drinks), I stopped by the original van at Woolloomooloo.
The pie I ordered that night was full of gristle & even in my somewhat inebriated state I had to throw it away. If there is one thing I cannot abide it is pie gristle.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Review : Monkey Magic - CLOSED

3 & 4/410 Crown St,
Surry Hills

Mon - Sat   6pm - 10pm
Sun closed

Squeak and I decide to hook up with an old friend (in time, not age) who has recently moved back to Australia's food capital (c'mon... we all know it's true!) for a pre-election dinner. We figure we are either pre-celebrating, or pre-commiserating!  Asian food is not a cuisine that Buggles and Squeak routinely go out for...we're not sure why.... we just don't find many that really make our toes curl! Tonight however we decide to give Monkey Magic a burl. To be honest I think the choice has more to do Squeak's childhood memories of her favourite TV show, than the actual food... but to Surry Hills we head!

Review : Riccardo's Pizza Restaurant

26 Station St Wentworthville 

Open Tue-Sun 5pm-10pm
 
 
Riccardo's has long been the 'restaurant' of choice when Buggles & Squeak visit family in Sydney's west. Tonight we were here with my mum.
 
As much as Buggles & Squeak enjoy our fine dining, on occasion we do have a hankering for more simple fare. Riccardo's fits the bill perfectly.
 

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Review : Platform 7 (Redux) - CLOSED

4 Burrows Avenue

Sydenham
(Opposite Sydenham Station)



Monday - Sunday 5.30am - 8.00pm


Platform 7 is now full service cafe.
Of course it was time for Buggles & Squeak to pay another visit.

On this cold election day morn, we decided to pop over to Platform 7 after casting our vote.



Saturday, August 7, 2010

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....



 
 

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Review : Firefly Tapas and Wine Bar

Pier Seven, 17 Hickson Road
Walsh Bay, Sydney NSW 2000

Trading from 5pm Mondays
and noon till late Tues to Sat


Buggles and Squeak were venturing off to see 'Long Day's Journey into Night' (and can I say, what a very long journey it was!) on this cold winter's eve, normally our pre theatre dinner is had at Ventuno....tonight we try Firefly.

Review: Platform 7 Cafe - CLOSED

4 Burrows Avenue
Sydenham
(Opposite Sydenham Station)

Monday - Sunday 5.30am - 8.00pm


So, as anybody who has driven through Sydenham knows.... there isn't a great deal there (other than desperate inner west residents wanting new, funky cafes!) There has been the relatively recent opening of Rosa's Kitchen (which even though we've been again, still hasn't managed to hit the spot with us), but now Platform 7 has opened and given us a ray of hope.

Review: Ripples - Sydney Wharf

Wharf 9
56 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont
(opposite Star City)


Brunch
Saturday - Sunday 10.30am - 4pm
Lunch
Monday - Sunday Noon - 3pm
Dinner
Monday - Sunday 6pm - 9pm




There are some days that Buggles and Squeak just sit back and think...we love living in Sydney!  Today was one of them, as we sat at Ripples on Sydney Wharf.
Look at that view. The air was chilly, but the sun was warm and the water was glistening. It was a great day to be alive!  As you all know though, there is one thing that can make living better - and that is great food!


So we decide to see what Ripples on Sydney Wharf has to offer in the brunch stakes.  We booked a table, anticipating a large crowd on such a beautiful day, however when we got there we saw the reservation was unnecessary at 11am on a Saturday morning. The table we were shown to by the lovely waiter was perfect and our view was exactly as the picture shows - no zoom cameras here.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Review : La Scala on Jersey

Corner of Jersey Road and Melrose Lane

Woollahra NSW 2025

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday
Dinner from 6pm until late


Buggles & Squeak have been admirers of Darren Simpson since his days at ‘Aqua Luna’. We decided a visit to La Scala on Jersey was in order.



The evening started well with parking very close to the restaurant.

On alighting the stairs we were greeted by the maitre’d & shown to our table…lovely just by the window.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Review : Cafe Morso

Lower Deck (west side), Jones Bay Wharf
Pirrama Road,

Pyrmont NSW 2009

Monday - Friday 7 to 4

Saturday - Sunday 8 to 3

** UPDATE**
Squeak and I decided to join some friends for an early Saturday breakfast at Cafe Morso based on our last visit, which was quite pleasant.  On this occasion we could not have been more disappointed. Despite the fact we had booked a table in advance we were given the table that probably sat the furthest from the views as possible. Service was aloof and disinterested.  This was most telling when it came to the food. At no point did anybody ask the question if we were happy with the food. It is probably lucky for them they didn't, as on the whole we were most certainly not happy. Squeak did the best with the Bacon and Egg Gnocchi which she found to be okay, M1 & M2 felt their breakfasts were average, but the creme de la creme came with my dish.  I opted for the Baked Bean and Ham hock cassoulet. This sounded delicious and flavoursome. On arrival it was a very 'grey' looking dish. The beans were undercooked and had literally no flavour whatsoever and the ham frankly tasted like it was possibly on the road to being bad. The best part about the dish was the chargrilled bread. I did not finish this dish - which, as most would know, is quite unheard of.
When the dishes were retrieved (largely unfinished) noone thought to enquire about our meals. I think this sums it all up.  We will not return, or recommend this place to anybody.
Buggles

Read more for our earlier, more pleasant experience if you would still like to visit Cafe Morso.

Review : Baffi & Mo

94 Redfern St
Redfern NSW 2016

Open Daily 7am-3pm

Baffi & Mo is a cafe I ride by every day on my way to work & have longed to visit.
One lazy weekday Buggles & I decided to do so.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Review : Tomislav

Level 2/13 Kirketon Road

Darlinghurst NSW 2010
 
Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday

6.00pm – 10.00pm

 
Tomislav sits within the Dale Jones-Evans 'Art Wall' on the corner of William Street & Kirketon Road. It's a great location with views of the iconic Coke sign on one side, and Harbour Bridge views on the other.
The fact that the restaurant lies behind the DJE 'Art Wall' is a bonus for me as I love Dale Jones-Evans....and now it transpires, I love Tomislav as well...
 

Review : Cafe New Deli

181 Marrickville Rd
Marrickville

Buggles and Squeak have a favourite breakfast/lunch cafe and that is the wonderful Bar Mattino. So every cafe we visit is measured against it.

Did Cafe New Deli measure up?....