Ozeki Sushi, Chatswood

My friends know me well. "Jacq!", said Queen Chu, "there's a new sushi train near Chatswood Chase - lets go check it out!" Queen Chu loves food just as much as I do so without delay we went in our post-uni-exam bliss to eat sushi to our heart's content.

Chicken katsu with cucumber inside out roll - $3.80

We were greeted with the coolness of stainless steel decor and the waitresses directed us to some seats at the bench. We watched the plates of sushi go by on the train and the first thing we noticed was how big the serving sizes were! Giant slices of fish and sushi bursting with more than substantial fillings were going past our eyes and we couldn't wait to dig in. (And I also couldn't wait to take photos with my new DSLR camera =D)

Salmon nigiri - $3.00

Dolcissimo, Haberfield

A trip to Haberfield on Sunday afternoon meant I couldn't get my ricotta cheesecake fix from Pasticceria Papa because they were closed! But not to worry, we head across the road to Dolcissimo instead for some pizza, pasta and, according to them, 'Australia's finest gelato'.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with Napolitana sauce - $19.70

Their extensive menu consists of traditional wood fired pizzas, pastas, risottos, mains, panini and a wide range of home-made desserts. I'm here with Sir D and his family and we opt for 2 pizzas and 2 pastas to share between us. The first dish to arrive is the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a Napolitana sauce. The ravioli are soft pillows of pasta filled with a light and fluffy filling. The dish is simple but delicious with the rich tomato flavours of the sauce and the subtle flavours of the spinach and ricotta.

Farfalle al salmone - $23.90

Shanghai Tang, Haymarket

EDIT: This establishment is now closed.

Finding a place to eat on a Saturday night in Haymarket without a booking and without wanting to queue up is pretty difficult. When Sir D's friend recommended Shanghai Tang which had no queue and looked like it was good value, we decided to give it a go.

Shanghai Tang is located within BreakFree on George on the Mezzanine level, and had a pretty wide range of dumplings, noodles and rice dishes to choose from. The waitstaff were very friendly and helpful with making recommendations and the food arrived promptly.

Traditional Shanghai xiao long bao - $7.80 (8 pcs)

Bacco Pasticceria, Sydney

After my last visit to Bacco Pasticceria left me empty handed, I was determined to go early enough this time to grab some sugar-laden sweets for myself! I headed up to Chifley Plaza with my mum for an early lunch and we just managed to grab a table before lunch rush-hour. 

Misticanza salad with eye fillet - $11.00

Bacco Pasticceria serves mainly salads and panini for lunch, so we ordered one of each to share. The Misticanza salad was a nice mix of greens, cucumber, Roma tomatoes, spanish onion, feta, olives and pieces of eye fillet, served with a slice of bread. Although the beef looked tough and dry, it was surprisingly tender and the aged Balsamic vinegar dressing ensured that it wasn't dry at all. 

Pollo Marinato panini - $10.50

Musashi Dining Bar, Haymarket

Following our fantastic lunch at Marque and watching Julie and Julia, we finished off our day of all-things-food by having dinner at Musashi. Since they don't take bookings after 6pm, we joined the queue and waited for about 30 minutes before getting a table. Which was good in a way since it gave us time to build up an appetite for the delicious food to come.

Grilled jumbo oysters with bacon, butter, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce - $18.00 for 4

We started our meal with one of the specials for the day: grilled jumbo oysters with bacon, butter, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce. These oysters were huge and were grilled to perfection so that they were almost melt-in-the-mouth. The buttery, garlicky sauce was not too overpowering and I loved the sprinkling of crispy bacon bits and spring onions to add a bit of crunch.

Sashimi (main) - $25.80

Marque, Surry Hills for $45 prix fixe lunch

When I tried to book at table for lunch at Marque in July, I was told that there were no available tables until October! So it wasn't until October that I had the pleasure of savouring the delicious food at Marque restaurant to celebrate Charm and Dad's birthday (coincidentally, they share the same birthday)

Marque opens for lunch on Fridays only, so it's not a surprise that they are booked out far in advance. Marque offers a 8 course degustation, a la carte menu and a prix fixe menu changing weekly. Of course we went for the prix fixe menu which was great value, offering 3 courses for a mere $45.

Menu for 16th October

We got a selection of either white or rye and caraway seed bread which were both served warm with butter. I preferred the white as the rye and caraway seed tasted a bit strange for me, but both were soft with a chewy crust.

Chaud froid free range egg

Sydney Food & Wine Fair 2009

The end of October also marked the end of the Sydney International Food Festival 2009, but what better way to send it off than with the Sydney Food and Wine Fair in Hyde Park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. With around 80 food and wine stalls including the likes of Quay, Bourke Street Bakery and Flying Fish, what's not to love about it?

Sundried tomato chicken with pasta and vegetables

Sir D and I bought $30 worth of coupons and started wandering around checking out what each stall had to offer. We passed the Lean Cuisine stall which was giving out plates of Lean Cuisine food with a glass of wine to match, all for free! I had the sundried tomato chicken with pasta with a matching chardonnay. The pasta was cooked al dente and the sauce was very flavoursome.

Beef in red wine casserole with herbed mashed potato

Sir D had the beef in red wine casserole which was served with mashed potato and a glass of shiraz. The beef was very tender and there was a definite red wine taste in the sauce. The mash wasn't as creamy as I would have liked but then again, it is Lean Cuisine, right? Pretty good for a free meal!

Grilled ocean trout with avocado, capers, kipfler potato salad, baby leaves and coddled egg dressing - 4 coupons ($12)