Review: Movida Sydney

50 Holt Street,

(cnr Gladstone St),
Surry Hills, 2010

Ph: 89647642

Mon-Fri 12pm - late
Sat 2pm - late
Sun closed

Buggles and I have been wanting to dine at Movida for quite some time now - today however, my visit is sans Buggles, she has been replaced by a few work buddies.

The restaurant is large & airy, with lovely high ceilings - the tables are large & spacious and should easily accommodate the many share plates we plan to order.

Once seated, with drinks ordered, we set about trying to choose a selection of dishes from the rather extensive menu - our waiter assures us that he will not allow us to over order (something that could happen easily, with the wide variety of dishes on offer).

Review: Crown Street Assembly - (now Bishop Sessa)

527 Crown Street
Surry Hills

8065 7223

Lunch & Dinner
7 Days

So, it is a quiet Wednesday evening and Buggles and I are in the mood for a bit of a cheeky mid weeker.

Unable to decide on a location we aim the Mazda in the general direction of Surry Hills & decide to take it from there.

Not far up from the Cleveland Street end of Crown, we spot Crown Street Assembly and decide to give it a try.

The room is not large, but on this quiet Wednesday evening they have plenty of room for us.

Review: Reuben Hills

61 Albion Street
Surry Hills

7days
7am - 4pm

Having been on our hit list for a good long while, we are finally heading to Reuben Hills for an early Sunday breakfast.

We arrive at around 8.15 and there is already a steady stream of customers taking their seats. 
The room is quite narrow & long, with a somewhat warehousey feel to it. 

The menu is available all day and there are some really interesting choices.

Review : Mad Spuds Cafe

479 Crown Street
Surry Hills

Ph: 02 9698 8108
E:info@madspuds.com.au
Facebook


Mon closed
Tues-Sat 8am-6pm
Sun 9am-6pm

We are a bit perplexed as to how a cafe going by the name of "Mad Spuds", has escaped our attention for so long.
Buggles and I are long-term lovers of the humble spud - and are constanly on the search for inspired potato offerings.

So finally having heard about Mad Spuds (thanks to them following us on twitter), we quickly decide a visit is in order - and soon.

According to the cafe website, Mad Spuds sources their organic potatoes from Robertson, NSW. The potatoes are grown in rich red volcanic soil, and watered from natural springs and are an excellent source of fibre, low in fat and the skin is rich in vitamins and minerals - you don't need to convince us!!

So this Saturday morning as we awake with a craving for a spuddy breakfast, we make our way to Mad Spuds Cafe.

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.

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.

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.

Review : The Bentley Restaurant & Bar (another laid back lunch at our favourite restaurant)

320 Crown Street Surry Hills
(02) 9332 2344
info@thebentley.com.au


Tues-Sat
Lunch and Dinner

The day is not going as planned. We are all set to have lunch with Cooty at Criniti's, but early this morning she phones to say she is feeling a little under the weather.

Not ones to let a lunching opportunity go by, we make the snap decision to head to Surry Hills and once again indulge in another spectacular Bentley lunch.

 When we arrive at around 12.45pm we have the entire restaurant to ourselves, we are seated at our 'regular' table and are really looking forward to the lunch ahead. 


Review : Bar H

80 Campbell Street
Surry Hills

9280 1980
enquiries@barhsurryhills.com

Lunch
Thurs-Fri Noon to 3pm
Dinner
Tues-Sat 6pm to late

Unfortunately we are heading towards the end of our week off. It has been a great week that has seen us visit Becasse, Four in Hand & Biota.

We have been meaning to visit Bar H for ages & a quiet Thursday lunch seems the right time to do so.

We secure a parking spot pretty much across the road, walk by cafe ish & grab a table at a very empty Bar H.

Review: Foveaux

65 - 67 Foveaux St
Surry Hills

Lunch
Thurs - midday til 3pm
Dinner

Tues - Sat - 6pm til late

Foveaux Restaurant in Surry Hills has long been on our radar as a dining destination, but for some reason we have never quite made it there.... until recently. Nestled amongst a myriad of discount outlet stores for luggage, lingerie and manchester sits this little gem of a place that also houses the rather funky little cocktail bar The Red Door. 

Review: Strawberry X Cafe

Shop 1a
23-33 Mary Street
Surry Hills

9280 1161
strawberryxcafe@yahoo.com.au

Mon - Sat: 7am - 4:30pm

So it's one of those glorious Monday mornings when you are on holidays and wake up to a beautiful Autumn's day after a bit of a lie in - luxuriating in the fact that you don't have to go to work today. After this deliciously lazy lead in to the week Squeak and I decide to amble on to Strawberry X cafe in Surry Hills for a spot of breakfast.

Review: Avido......followed by The Bentley Restaurant and Bar

438 Oxford Street
Paddington



5pm til late Mon - Tues
Midday til late Wed - Sun

Don't you love it when you have one of those lazy midweek escapes from the drudgery of work?
After an exciting evening with Heston, we decided we needed a sleep in & a day of leisurely lunching.

We decided to kick things off at Avido, somewhere we have been meaning to try for a while now.

Review : The Bentley Restaurant and Bar (Birthday Dinner No.1)

320 Crown Street
Surry Hills

Tuesday to Saturday
Lunch and Dinner

There is a certain comfort to be had from a long term relationship.....

This is proven when we arrive
at my 'surprise' 
birthday destination.
Of course I should have known, where else but The Bentley, our favourite Sydney restaurant, to celebrate my birthday.

Buggles knows me well.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 : bangbang

113 Reservoir Street

Surry Hills 2010
 
M-F 8 am-4 pm
Sat-Sun 8 am-2 pm
 
So what do Buggles & Squeak do when they fancy 'Welsh Rarebit' for breakfast on a Saturday & Bar Mattino  is closed? A desperate search for an alternative ensues!
The search for more 'Welsh Rarebit' in Sydney has been a long one for Buggles & Squeak, at long last we thought we found one.

Review : Bentley Restaurant & Bar

320 Crown Street
Surry Hills 2010

Open Tuesday to Saturday
Lunch & Dinner
12 noon til late


The Bentley offers modern, sophisticated food & wine in an informal, relaxed setting.

Buggles & Squeak have been regulars at the Bentley for many years now.
We enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, appreciate the  friendly & knowedgeable service, we indulge in the amazing cocktails & devour the inventive cuisine.