Wednesday 4 July 2012

Revolver Cafe, Annandale

We came to Revolver based on several recommendations from friends.  It was a weekday morning around 10am and the restaurant was busy!  I can only imagine how hard it would to get a seat here on a Sat/Sun for brunch.
The café is located on the corner of a quiet suburban street in Annandale.  Rustic wooden doors and floors greet you as you walk to the entrance, and the café décor is made up of mismatched old-school chairs and fittings.  We were seated towards the back of the café, giving us a sneak-peak into the open kitchen, constantly churning out hot plates of brunch-goodness.

Big sign, inside the Cafe

We had the Revolver Big Breakie, consisting of two eggs baked in our house-made beans, honey cured bacon, roast tomato, mushrooms, pork fennel sausage & toast ($16.50).  It came out piping hot in a frying pan, filled with fresh vegetables and beans, with the two eggs on top.  To the side was a slightly toasted thick slice of bread, accompanied with herb olive oil dipping sauce.   We also added a Cranberry Bran muffin ($4) and a latte ($3.20) to wash it all down. 
Revolver Big Breakie, consisting of two eggs baked in our house-made beans, honey cured bacon, roast tomato, mushrooms, pork fennel sausage & toast ($16.50). 

Cranberry Bran muffin ($4)
Latte ($3.20)

Love the quaint feel of this café and was nice to experience it without the heavy traffic that it normally gets on the weekend.  Next time around, I want to try the Revolver’s own gluten free banana bread toasted w butter ($4.50), and the Eggs Benedict with two poached eggs, organic free range ham, baby spinach & hollandaise sauce on toast ($15.50).  Guess I’m already planning ahead for future trips here!

Revolver on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 3 July 2012

U E Restaurant, Cabramatta

Everyone know Cabramatta  is known for great Vietnamese food, but did they know that there a great Duck Noodle Soup at U E Restaurant?
U E is located on John St, but you would never know it unless:  1) You saw the sign hanging above the ally, or 2) Someone local took you there.  U E is literally hidden at the back of a long, narrow, dark and dingy alley-way - but don’t let that deter you!
We can here specifically for the Duck Egg Noodle Soup.  Our food arrived pretty quickly after we ordered, and we were presented with a huge bowl of egg noodles, topped with nearly a ¼ duck thigh and leg.  The meat of the duck is marinated with a variety of Asian spices, and was so tender that it fell off the bone as we dug into our bowls.  There was also a generous serving of bean sprouts, and vegetables (Tong Ho?) and lemons.
Duck Egg Noodle Soup ($14)

If you’re in the area, UE is definitely worth coming to.  Can be hard to find and a little scary to wondering down the alley, but once you taste the Duck Noodle soup, all of that will be forgotten :)

Sunday 1 July 2012

Tokonoma, Surry Hills

Nestled on busy Crown St within Surry Hills, Tokonoma could easily have been missed if it wasn’t for its sister restaurant Toko next door.  As you enter through the dark doorway, you are greeted by curtains that separate the entry from the bar and dining area.  The restaurant hostess greets you immediately, and if you think you can come here without a reservation, you’d better think twice!  Dinner seating on a Saturday is served at two times – early seating from 6pm to ~9pm, and then later seating from ~9pm onwards.  If you are late to your reservation, you have 15mins to run there before they give up your seat!
The ambiance of the restaurant is swanky, dark, and romantic.  Kind of like a mixture of Hollywood glam combined with East Coast Uptown snobby-ness.  Restaurant tables are simple, similar to those that you get at a lounge/bar.  This makes it a little difficult to get close(r) to your date, without making it entirely obvious J
Tokonoma serves Japanese Izakaya (small, tapas-style) cuisine.  We had the following items:
·         Japanese Green Salad (crisp mizuna, asparagus, cucumber, avocado, light-wafu dressing) $13.20
·         Toko Signature Sushi
o   Aburi truffle to umeboshi no unagi nigiri (unagi, torched foie gras, umeboshi) $15.80
o   Hotate no ponzu to wasabi ae gunkan (chopped scallop, ponzu, wasabi, cucumber) $12.80
·         Robato Grill
o   Shiitake no hachimitsu fuumi (japanese mushroom skewers, soy honey butter) $13.80
·         Sake no aburi yaki (smoked miso king salmon, fresh lime) $20.80
By far the best two dishes were the Unagi and Foie Gras Signature sushi, and also the Miso smoked King salmon.  The blend of the Unagi and Foie Gras was smoky and rich…so decadent!  The Smoked king salmon was perfectly cooked, so soft and melted in your month.  Combined with the miso sauce, it was light yet fulfilling. 
Unfortunately I did not take food pictures of the night – the restaurant was so darkly lit that camera flashes would have likely disturbed other diners.  However, presentation of each dishes were quite beautifully set.
Tokonoma is gem in Surry Hills that I will surely return to.  It’s one of my top 5 restaurants in Sydney and I would come back just for the Unagi & Foie Gras sushi J
Toko on Urbanspoon

Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills

This bakery has been on my list of to-dos for several months now.  Located in the leafy streets of Surry Hills, Bourke Street Bakery is an icon in this part of town, if not in Sydney.  This bakery’s shop front is not particularly large or noticeable, but what you will see are groups of people lined up outside, queuing for their piece of rich, buttery goodness.
We choose the Beef Brisket, Red Wine & Mushroom Pie ($5.30), the Pork & Fennel Sausage Roll ($4.50), Lamb, Almond & Harrisa Sausage Roll ($4.50), plus a Latte ($3.00).  Was tempted by Rhubarb & Almond Tart, Lemon Curd Tart and Cookies that adorn the bakery windows but was able to resist J
Pork & Fennel Sausage Roll ($4.50)


Beef Brisket, Red Wine & Mushroom Pie ($5.30),

I only tried the Pork and Fennel Sausage Roll.  The pastry was flaky, and the meat was well seasoned.  Slightly more fennel or herbs would have given it that kick to make it extra special.  Both the Beef Brisket Pie and Lamb Sausage roll was also very well received, as was the coffee.
Given I only tasted the Pork Sausage roll, it probably didn’t give BBBakery the justice it deserves.  I’ll give it another chance next time I’m in the area - maybe the cakes or the Lamb Sausage roll will win me over.
Bourke Street Bakery on Urbanspoon