Fika Swedish Kitchen, Manly

There's heaps of cafes to choose from on any given weekend in Manly, but there's only one with cute Swedish decor, sunny yellow coffee cups and legit Swedish food! Fika Swedish Kitchen in Manly is one of the few places serving Swedish food in Sydney. And yes, that does in include Swedish meatballs - but they're a definitely a step up from the ones at Ikea! If you're not feeling adventurous, they do have standard bacon and eggs and the like on the menu, but I'd recommend channelling your inner Swede and going for the open sandwiches (smörgåsen) and seafood dishes like salmon gravlax, pickled herring and caviar. There's also a range of desserts and pastries to choose from including warm cinnamon buns and apple pies if you're just after a sweet treat to go with your Swedish tea or filtered coffee.

TL;DR: Swedish food in a cute cafe setting
Favourite dish: Toast Skagen - prawn, dill & lemon mayo mix with avocado, stacked on sourdough
Would I return?: Yes, if I'm in the area

Fika Swedish Kitchen
5b Market Lane
Manly NSW 2095
Ph: + 61 2 9976 5099
Open 7 days, 7am - 5pm

Coffee - $3.50

Swedish meatballs and mash with creamy gravy, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber - $20

Salmon lover: House-cured salmon with smashed avocado and free range poached egg on pumpernickel - $19

The Gothenburg hotdog: Grass fed beef and organic pork frankfurter with mash, roasted onion, house gherkin mayo and tomato sauce in a bread roll - $16

Toast Skagen: Our famous prawn, dill and lemon mayo mix with avocado, stacked on sourdough - $18

Papi Chulo, Manly

When I think of Manly, I think of eating fish and chips by the beach, and soaking up the sun with an ice-cream in hand, trying to eat it all before it melts. I certainly didn't think of American BBQ, but that's all changed now that Papi Chulo is in town.

Part American grill and smokehouse, part South American cantina, Papi Chulo is definitely a people pleaser with its vast array of dishes ranging from BBQ meat platters to empanadas to even some Asian-inspired dishes like green mango salad. It's location on Manly Wharf makes it perfect for idling the weekend away with some cocktails and a long lunch, while watching the boats drift by on the water.

Pea guacamole with tortilla chips - $14

We start off with a few snacks. The pea guacamole doesn't sound particularly interesting on the menu but this is a damn good dish. The guacamole is smooth and creamy and the addition of peas adds a bit of sweetness. Crunchy tortilla chips are provided to scoop up the dip and it pretty much disappears in a flash.

Ceviche of kingfish - $17

The kingfish ceviche has tangy cubes of raw kingfish that has been lightly 'cooked' in lime juice, making each piece tangy but still retaining the texture of raw fish. There's also some jalapeno in there for a spicy kick and pineapple pieces for a bit of sweetness. My favourite bits are the crispy corn kernels which have been deep fried and seasoned which add a nice crunch and textural interest.

Smoked hot wings with comeback sauce - $17

Chica Bonita, Manly

There's a new Mexican joint in town. Tucked away at the back of an arcade on the wharf side of Manly is Chica Bonita - a Mexican small bar and restaurant headed up in the kitchen by the awesome Lex. We checked it out on a Friday night and it was totally packed by 6.30pm, with people spilling out into the arcade.

A round of drinks was definitely in order to celebrate the end of the week, and Chica Bonita's bar certainly delivers. Coronas, margaritas (ginger, watermelon, and jalapeno and orange flavours), and a cinnamon and honey cocktail called the "Rim Job". Make what you will of that ;)

Alex's ceviche - $6

Lex's ceviche is served with a brown paper bag filled to the brim with crisp tortilla chips. The ling fish is zingy from the lime marinade, and has a nice firm texture. I could definitely do with a larger bowl of this all to myself!

Olivera street corn - $4

Garfish, Manly

Garfish, Manly

I am an avid seafood lover. Fish, molluscs, crustaceans - I love them all! I never quite understood people who don't like seafood because I find that well-prepared seafood is such a delight to eat. It can be fresh and briny with the flavours of the sea, or delicate with a subtle sweetness. A restaurant that specialises in seafood is bound to excel at preparing and cooking seafood well, and Garfish definitely didn't disappoint.

Private dining room

We were seated in the private dining room in the Manly restaurant, which had lovely glass walls which would provide an excellent view of the ocean during the day. Tonight the table was set with multiple wine glasses and a menu that included lots of seafood, so I knew we were in for a treat. John Reid from Reidistribute was guest speaker for the night, and is one of Garfish's food suppliers. Each course on the menu tonight was paired with a cheese supplied by Reidistribute, as well as a final cheese and wine tasting course designed by John to highlight some of his favourite cheeses.

Shellfish bisque with gruyere

The first course was a shellfish bisque with steamed milk, avruga caviar, and a gruyere crouton. The shellfish aroma hit us as soon as the bowls were placed in front of us, and it took a lot of self control to take photos before digging in! The bisque was smooth and creamy and packed full of shellfish flavour. The gruyere crouton was another highlight, a crunchy bread wafer with blistered, melted gruyere on top.

Parmesan crumbed sardines with fennel remoulade

Out of Africa, Manly

Out of Africa decor: elephants, cheetahs and zebra-print sofas!

I don't think there are too many restaurants in Sydney where you would find the banquette seating covered in zebra-print upholstery but since we're dining at Out of Africa tonight, it seems highly appropriate. The restaurant, located near the wharf at Manly, is relatively quiet on a Sunday night save for a few couples dining and our rowdy table of 10. Since we have a large number, we have the option of getting the banquet menu but we decide to order a few dishes to share instead so we can try more things.

Breathless briouats - $14

As with the zebra-print seating, the names of the dishes are also quite creative. We kick off the meal with the "Breathless" briouats which are spring-roll lookalikes but are made with filo pastry and filled with a spiced chicken and almond filling. The filo cigars are crisp on the outside with a chunky chicken filling and are very moreish. I find the saffron sauce a little too sweet but it provides a sticky counterpoint to the briouat.

Spicy grilled calamari - $17

The other entree that we share amongst us the spicy grilled calamari. It is presented on a bed of salad leaves and garnished with some grated carrot and spring onions. I prepare myself for some chilli burning but I find that it's not really spicy at all, and some of us are a little disappointed in the lack of spice factor. The calamari still delicious though with a flavour-packed marinade and a slight charred taste from the grilling.

Moroccan meat balls - $25.50

Manly Pavilion, Manly

With summer well and truly here in Sydney, it's time to hit the beach! And as much as I love the surf and the sand, sometimes I like to just enjoy a nice meal and enjoy the fantastic views of the beach without having to get my legs sandy or my toes wet.

The view from the outdoor dining area at Manly Pavilion is stunning and the perfect way to enjoy a relaxed Sunday lunch by the beach. Though we're not seated outside this time, we're still able to see a gorgeous view of the water and the coastline through the large glass windows and doors around the room. While the restaurant is situated right next to the beach, it's quite an upmarket place with no shorts or thongs in sight.

We start with some complimentary bread with some olive oil while we peruse the menu. While the menu fits on a single page, there are so many dishes that we want to try that we take forever to decide. There is also the option of having a 5 course tasting menu for $98pp, but in the end we settle on selecting our own dishes from the a la carte menu.

Scampi, celery ragu and bagna cauda - $29

Ben & Jerry's, Manly

Did someone say free ice cream?

How could I resist the lure of a Scoop-A-Thon at the newly opened Ben & Jerry's at Manly, especially when that day was forecast to be 35ºC! I joined Suze, Yas, The Ninja's body double, Shez, Richard and Rose for some serious ice-cream eating.

We joined the ever present queue and waited for our turn while the Ben & Jerry's people held competitions giving away free cooler bags and other merchandise. While we were in the queue we decided which flavours to get using these handy flavour cards.

We got our ice creams and sat outside the store where they had installed some fresh grass on the pavement, and we tried and tested all the flavours. My favourite was without a doubt the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough aka Peanut Cookie-Burra Dough! The salty peanut butter with the sweet ice cream was the most amazing combination ever! Phish Food (which doesn't contain any fish food) as also a close second with melty marshmallow bits in the chocolate ice cream.

Clockwise from top: Berry Berry Extraordinary, Chocolate Therapy, Lemonade Stand, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Chocolate Macadamia, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Lemonade Stand.

Benbry Burgers, Manly

I had fully intended on bringing you guys a post about the Merival Winter Feast we had at Lotus last night, but sadly my photos turned out SHOCKINGLY bad due to the dim lighting - even with Photoshop I can't fix them up! But I will say that it was a great 3 course meal we had for $39 - all the dishes were balanced with the ingredients pairing so well together it was like they were destined to be eaten like that. Dan Hong (if you ever read this): you are a genius! For more about the Merivale Winter Feast offer at Lotus and some photos of the dishes, visit eatshow&tell, one bite more, and raspberri cupcakes (essentially we ate the same dishes except the mains were slightly different).


Anyway, onto the real post: BenBry burgers is a little hole in the wall in Manly just off the main strip of shops. The first time I went there was no one there but today it was packed with crowds of people waiting outside for their burgers, even at 2.30pm. It seems word has got out about this place! We ordered our burgers and joined the crowds for the long haul. And boy were we starving when we finally got our order after about 30 minutes wait.

Tropical Feast - $9.50

Sir D ordered the Tropical Feast burger in a meal deal that comes with chips and a drink for an extra $2.95. It comes with a beef patty, crispy bacon rashers, cheese, pineapple, lettuc, tomato onion, avocado, Benbry aioli and tomato sauce. The beef patty was a bit dry but the burger as a whole was a pretty good combination. The burgers were so big that they we weren't even hungry by dinner time.