Botanic Gardens Restaurant

This post is wayyy overdue but I didn't want to just forget about it because the food looked too good not to post, so here it is~ Our food adventure at the Botanic Gardens Restaurant :)

I loved the atmosphere of this restaurant, as it is situated in the middle of the botanic gardens and the place is very open and spacious, letting in enough sunlight so it was just the perfect location to have lunch on a warm sunny day (let's not forget the good lighting for photos as well :P). 

This is only a photo post and even though some of the items are not on the menu anymore hope they look good enough to convince you to give it a try. A photo speaks a thousand words~

Interior

Seating near the balcony

Looking outside...

Decorations (cushions)

Fireplace

Cauliflower Veloute: scampi tails, hazelnut crunch, fried bread

Zucchini Flower Salad: goat’s cheese, baby beetroot, black olive & aniseed

Confit Pork Belly: parsnips, sour cherries, breakfast radishes

Roasted Spatchcock: with pine nuts, currants, preserved lemons, parsley and jus gras

Crisp-skinned Snapper: vongole, fennel cream, white fungi and tapioca

Ranger's Valley Beef Cheek: potato puree, bone marrow, bordelaise sauce

Hand cut chips with chili salt

Devon by Night

It has been a few months since Devon launched it's dinner menu and at last Fat Friday is here to try it out. Before I start, please excuse the inconsistency in the photo qualities. Still not use to taking photos in dark places, but I'm getting there! Unlike Devon during the day, at night they opt for a dim lighting, not exactly the warm "mood lighting" but more of a relaxed, laid back and comfortable atmosphere. Good food minus the fine dining etiquette? Perfect for chilling with the FF foodies. The menu is designed for sharing and if you chose to have the banquet ($60 pp, available for 2 or more people) you get 8 courses and 2 sides, which if perfect for those who want to try a bit of everything, and this is exactly what we went for. It's not often FF gets a chance to come here and have dinner, so might as well try as much as we can while we're here.

Our little table with fresh flowers :) 

 Drinks: pear cider, choya, white wine

Of course, to start this much anticipated dinner, we got drinks. This is what Friday nights are for right? Nothing much to say about the drinks, cider is cider and wine is wine, as for the choya, it's a Japanese plum wine, known as umeshuu. It's sweet with quite a distinctive plum flavour, however, most people I know who have tried it tends to like it. I personally like my umeshuu on the rocks so I was a little disappointed to find that this one tasted like it was mixed with water (mizuwari).

Coffin Bay pacific oysters served with passionfruit and  yuzu granita

The first of our 8 course + 2 sides dinner was the oysters. I'm not one for raw oysters but it was fresh and the passionfruit and yuzu granita was a nice touch, giving it a bit of citrus zing and a hint of sweetness.

King salmon sashimi, avocado, jelly, ikura, chives 

Then came the salmon sashimi. This was a light and refreshing entree. Combined with the fresh salmon were bursts of saltiness from the ikura and the occasional garlic-y taste of chives. The tomato jelly was quite interesting, with a very subtle flavour, it gave the dish a hint of sweetness. The avocado was actually mixed with wasabi, which is the perfect combination with sashimi!

WA black truffles~~ 

Since we were having truffle on one of our dishes the waitress presented it to us, letting us smell the aroma and admire the not-so-attractive but deliciously amazing truffles before it got served.

Chargrilled corn, coffee miso butter 

Next we got two dishes delivered to us, the chargrilled corn and the sate babi. The first thing that could be smelt when the chargrilled corn came was the smoky fragrant of coffee. I love baby corn so there was nothing to complain about this dish, but it was so small and at $4 each if you get it individually I don't think I would have ordered this if it wasn't with the banquet.

Sate Babi: Penang Hainenese style pork sate with sweet potato sauce 

Sate Babi, yum yum! It was seasoned well and the sauce was just spicy enough, but honestly I had no idea it was sweet potato sauce until I got home and read the menu again. The bread was a little unnecessary and a little too burnt for my taste, though it was good for soaking up the remaining sauce.

KJI fried chicken: Korean style chicken wings, gochujang and peanut sauce 

If you have had the KJI burger this is pretty much the same, but for some reason I think I enjoyed these a bit more than the burger, there must be something about chicken wings.... the crumbs on the outside were crunchy and golden while the inside was still juicy, who doesn't love fried chicken wings??

Devon's lobster roll: lobster, radish, tatsoi, kewpie 

At last the glorious lobster rolls arrive looking delicious and very photogenic! The rolls were soft, fluffy and on a sweeter side while the kewpie mayonnaise gave it subtle, mild, creamy flavour which did not overpower the lobster, which was cooked to perfection. Though the flavours weren't unexpected it was very enjoyable and tasty.

Chinese egg custard, shitake, fungus, yellow needle flower, chinese fried bread and Perigord black truffle 

The second main was also amazingly delicious!!! The truffles were very aromatic and was perfect with the soft and silky egg custard. I absolutely love steamed egg custard so I would have happily eaten this even without the truffles. The Chinese fried bread (you tiao) was light and crunchy as oppose to some doughy ones you can sometimes find. It would have been perfect with congee, which is what they're usually eaten with. It was unusual for it to be served with egg custard and I wasn't exactly sure how I should eat it together...

Coconut jelly, guava sorbet, freeze dried pineapple 

Moving on to the desserts, out off all the desserts on the menu there were two items which were "must try"s for me. The guava sorbet and the matcha fondant. The coconut jelly and guava sorbet was a refreshing finish to the meal. So basically this dessert contained three main components, tapioca on the bottom, then coconut jelly topped with a scoop of guava sorbet and sprinkled with crunchy freeze-dried pineapple. The slight tang of the sorbet complimented well with the refreshing jelly and the sweet (palm sugar...?) of the chewy tapiocas. The only down side to this was the proportion of the components. In my opinion there was a lot of tapioca and not enough coconut jelly so it would have been better if the layers were more even.

Special: matcha fondant with houjicha ice cream

The matcha fondant was one of my favourite of the night. This item is a special and is not on the menu so it is not one of the dessert options available for the banquet, however, you can still enjoy this by paying a few dollars extra. I must say, it was worth it! If you're a matcha fan you'll definitely love this one. The fondant was warm, gooey, oozy, rich and full of matcha flavour. The crumble gave the dish texture and the melons which have been soaked in lemon and basil (? or something along the lines) were tangy (and interesting) and helped cut through the sweetness of the fondant. The houjicha ice cream? So good!!!

Overall very enjoyable experience and will definitely be back for their new menu soon.

The Grounds by the Sea

Long time no blog!!!

Heres a quick post on The Grounds pop-up store for Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi :)

Located in Marks Park, the centre of all sculptures, it is an easy and convenient location for all sculpture visitors. Especially since there are very few eateries along the coastal walk where the sculptures are displayed. 

Entrance (don't miss it~)

Counter

The menu is not very big which is to be expected as it is a pop-up store and considering the fast paced environment. However, it does offer something for everyone, from breakfast, lunch, all day items and various smoothies and drinks.

Tropical Flair: watermelon, pineapple, apple, lime and ginger ($8.50)

The juice and smoothies are a little on the pricier end but definitely worth the buy, it was sweet and refreshing and perfect for the hot beach weather. Also, it's presented in a cute and fun way so you can eat the fruits as well. The only down side is the paper straw, cute, but got soggy really quickly.

Latitude 34 Lamb Salad: Moroccan spiced lamb, couscous, rocket, mint, yoghurt and almonds ($14)

A salad doesn't sound like something you'll usually have at the beach, it it had me at couscous haha. For $14 this was well worth the price because there was SOOO much meat. I actually don't remember there being any mint in it, instead there were little sultanas which complemented really well so I didn't miss the mint. The lamb was very tender, though not very "moroccan spiced" and the yoghurt did worked well as a dressing pulling the salad together. The whole dish was a little to the sweet side considering the sultanas and the fact that the yoghurt they used tasted like sweet yoghurt as oppose to the usual sour greek yoghurt people put in savoury dishes. However I didn't mind, I love a little bit of sweetness in my food and they did a good job balancing the flavour :)

With only two days left to go hurry and make your way there! If not for the food then drop by for a refreshing juice to cool you down from the heat. They also do fresh sugar cane juice~~

The Grumpy Barista, Petersham

The cronut craze is still going strong in Sydney, and one of the ultimate cronut destinations is none other than this charming little cafe in Petersham, called The Grumpy Barista. I'm loving the quirky name, especially since the staff appeared to be the total opposite of grumpy - they were all smiles and the service was warm and friendly, despite it getting a little busy at times. Unfortunately, they were sold out of cronuts on our first visit, which was only around 1.30!! Not sure why they don't make another batch for the hungry afternoon cronut crowd, but I guess having such a limited number does makes them all the more desirable. It definitely got us returning a second time, just to try out the highly anticipated cronuts!

They have few outdoor seats, which is nice for soaking up a bit of sun, although it can get a little chilly during winter particularly on windy days.

With the word 'barista' in their name, it seems to suggest they are pretty serious about their coffee, and indeed you can expect a good cup of coffee here. Definitely nice to have something warm and pleasant to drink whilst waiting for your food to come. 

Now onto the food!

Sicilian eggplant stack with melted bocconcini and homemade 

Italian tomato sugo ($11.00)

This dish is great if you are a lover of eggplants. The flesh was soft and silky, yet still firm enough to form a photogenic pyramid stack. The rich flavour of the tomato sugo was complemented well by the chunks of bocconcini cheese.

Chilli kicked salami, bocconcini, artichoke, baby rocket 

on long ciabatta panino ($9.50)

This panino was fresh and well-balanced. The bread was just the right texture, soft and slightly chewy. The strong chilli flavour of the salami was balanced with the mild and earthy taste of the artichoke and light creaminess of the bocconcini cheese. 

Italian hotpot // Baked eggs, mushroom, onion, homemade mild 

chilli tomato sugo ($13.50 + add chorizo for $2)

This Italian hotpot was a classic combination of tomato, mushroom and onion and the flavour was rich and saucy. The baked eggs and chorizo gave the dish some much appreciated texture and protein, with the spiciness of the chorizo giving the dish an extra kick. Warm and hearty!

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2nd visit (for the cronuts!)

Raspberry jam cronut with rose petals ($5.00)

Nutella-injected chocolate cronut and crushed Oreos ($5.00)

And now, the ever photogenic cronuts! Yes they are as delicious as they look. The pastry was light and crispy and not too oily. Nutella and Oreo crumbs are always a reliable option for chocolate fans and was brought to another level with the rich custard filling. Soooo decadent, but so good. The sweet tangy taste of the berry jam, the hint of rose and the creaminess of the custard are also a terrific combination.

The counter with the pastry cabinet

Cute decor

Cronut cabinet

Devon Cafe, July (Surry Hills)

So, we are back at Devon! This place has become one of our regulars whenever we need guaranteed good food and once again it did not fail to deliver. After this visit, I can say that we have tried more than half the item on their winter menu.

Since we have been here so many times I'll just skip straight to the food. To read more about Devon and other items on their menu check out our previous posts (Post one and Post two).

Lamb Sandwich: slow roasted lamb with garlic confit, roasted capsicum, cheddar and spinach served with chips and aioli 

The first item on the FF table was the lamb sandwich and looking at the description, there's no way you can go wrong with this. Between two golden brown slices of toasted bread was the perfect sandwich filling as every bite you get a mouthful of tender lamb, subtle flavour of garlic, sweet roast capsicum, a sharpness and saltiness from the oozy melted cheddar and let's not forget the spinach (though we are FF we still encourage eating greens :P).

KJI Chicken Burger: Korean fried chicken in a brioche bun with gojujang and peanut sauce, brussel sprout and kimchi slaw served with chips and aioli

The second item on our table was the KJI chicken burger which the majority of us ordered. In the little brioche bun you get a very generous and massive piece of fried chicken which was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The gojujang (Korean chili paste) and kimchi are elements in this dish that gave us subtle Korean flavours and surprisingly with mix of peanuts (and most possibly other stuff) in the gojujang the sauce was more nutty and sweet rather than spicy and was delicious with the chicken. Though it was a satisfying feed and an item I was eager to try out my number one preference will still go to the eggs blini (highly recommend!). However, the KJI chicken burger is definitely an interesting and unique fusion of flavours that is worth a try.

That's the end of our most recent Devon post, and there will probably be more to come in the future. Hopefully next time it will be on their newly launched dinner menu :)

Stix Desserts (Surry Hills)

Stix dessert which opened only a few months ago has been popping up on instagram recently and looking at all the photos made us eager to try this place out. So when we got the chance we headed to Crown street in Surry Hills to hunt this place down. 

The concept of their ice cream is that you pick a flavour, then you can have it dipped in a chocolate of your choice (white, milk, dark) and coated in a topping. The small selection of toppings were a little disappointing but the choices of flavour for the ice creams was amazing and left me feeling indecisive. On different days they have different flavours and the options range from refreshing non-dairy sorbets to creamier alternatives, they also have GF for those that can't take gluten :) Luckily you get to try before you buy~

All the flavours looking colourful~

In the end we settled for the hazelnut coffee ice cream and blood orange sorbet. The hazelnut coffee was sweet, creamy and nutty with the hazelnut flavour coming through stronger while the coffee was hardly noticeable, however I was happy with it being just hazelnut and loved it. The salted pretzel (yes pretzels and ice cream!) was really nice with the dark chocolate adding a crunch and slight saltiness which cuts through the sweetness. For those who prefer something lighter and refreshing the sweet and tangy blood orange sorbet is highly recommended. 

Hazelnut Coffee dipped and drizzled in dark chocolate topped with pretzels/Blood Orange Sorbet with peanuts and drizzled dark chocolate

Overall a fun and creative way to enjoy ice cream which serves great as a simple after lunch dessert or just for whenever you have a sweet tooth or crave ice cream :)

The Choc Pot (Burwood)

The Choc Pot is a cute little chocolate cafe only 5 minutes walk from the station on Railway Parade. It's a convenient location but a little random and easy to miss as the store is quite small and is on the quiet side of the street (side across woollies and other stores) next to an empty patch of ground that is waiting to be brought and constructed on. The interior was nicely furnished with white, yellow and timber theme and the environment and staff were very friendly. However the seating area is not very large (though they do have a few tables outside) and quite cramped so it is a place more suitable for smaller groups.

Behind the counter we could see a shelf displaying their wide selection of teas in beautiful glass jars all with label (adorable!), many of them sweet or fruit based which goes very well with the rich chocolate desserts and a nice touch to the menu is that they would put a list of recommended teas to go with that dessert. Even though we just picked which ever tea appealed to us it's nice to know and have that suggestion if we are ever indecisive about our teas. 

 Pouring the Mango Sencha

For those who like a stronger flavour of tea I definitely recommend the mango sencha. The mango fragrance is very prominent as we could smell the aroma around as soon as we opened the lid of the tea pot. Slightly sweet from the mango flavour with a hint of bitterness from the green tea, it really help cut through the richness of the chocolate desserts. On the contrary,  the lime and coconut sencha is more subtle in the flavour and mild in taste which was quite refreshing.

 Lime and Coconut Sencha

First their signature molten choc pot, this was AMAZINGGGG! It came out steaming hot and the sight of the melted chocolate dripping down the side makes you just want to dig right into it. The texture was soft and moist and oozy and the good thing was the fondant itself wasn't overly sweet so it complimented well with the chocolate sauce. The hot fondant would have gone well with an ice cream but unfortunately that does not come with the dessert and you need to pay an extra $2.50 which would be a little expensive considering the price of the fondant is quite high. Nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed it and did not miss the ice cream, definitely a must try!

 The Molten Choc Pot

The second item we had was the pannacotta which was smooth and creamy (as the description described it) and was everything a good pannacotta should be. Flavourwise it was more of a vanilla flavour rather than white chocolate. The tangy pineapple and mint salsa was a nice contrast to the rich pannacotta and balanced out the sweetness, however I personally did not like the combination of the pannacotta with pineapple that much.

White Choc Pannacotta Splice: smooth and creamy white chocolate pannacotta with a refreshing pinapple and mint salsa

In conclusion it was a very enjoyable experience and we will definitely be back to try more! Very eager to try their chocolate souffle as well as some of their chocolate drinks~