Cirrus Dining, Barangaroo

I'm back! Yes - I'm well aware that every time I say I'm "back", I end up disappearing for another 6 months before the next blog post. So I'm going to try something different and change up the format a little bit. There will still be the same food photos but less of my ranting. Enjoy!

Make sure to pick a beautiful sunny day to go to Cirrus as you'll be rewarded with a gorgeous harbourfront views and the natural light streaming through the windows. There's a focus on sustainable seafood on the menu, with oysters, crustaceans, fish, and caviar for those who are feeling baller! We try a little bit of everything with the Cirrus Platter, with the staff more than happy to adjust the platter to accommodate the number of diners. Cirrus' fancier take on fish and chips with the whole flathead and chips is also stunning, with a whole deboned flathead fried to a crisp so that you can even eat the tail and fins. But the standout for me was really the marron with its sweet flesh punctuated with yuzu, tomato and pops of finger lime. Totally worth the splurge!

TL;DR: Waterfront fine dining with a focus on sustainable seafood
Favourite dish: Grilled WA marron with yuzukosho, tomato oil and finger lime
Would I return?: Yes, for a special occasion

Cirrus Dining
23 Barangaroo Avenue
Barangaroo NSW 2000
Ph: +61 2 9220 0111
Open 7 days
Lunch from 12pm, Dinner from 6pm

Smoked Ocean Trout Parfait + Fennel Pollen + Pickled Onions - $24

Cirrus Platter: Oysters + Tiger Prawns + Kingfish + Scallop Tartare + Pickled Mussels + Accompaniments - $150 (for 5 people, normally $120 for 4)

So much seafood!

Grilled WA Marron + Yuzukosho + Tomato Oil + Finger Lime - $42

Whole Flathead + Chips - $38

Coal Roasted Hapuka + Native Spice + Aromatic Broth - $48

Ester, Chippendale

Back when I was studying at Sydney Uni, I remembered Chippendale as the suburb with the dated, slightly run-down pubs (Purple Sneakers at the Abercrombie anyone?) and the huge old Carlton brewery site. How times have changed - there's now a new fancy hotel, a shopping precinct complete with high rise apartments and heaps of restaurants to eat at.

Ester is one of those restaurants and it definitely fits in with Chippendale's new hipster vibe with the polished concrete, the mismatched chairs and the industrial decor. We're seated underneath an arched window that looks directly into the kitchen, so we have a great view of the pass and all the awesome food that gets sent out to hungry diners.

Deep fried chickpeas

Already on the table is a small dish of deep fried chickpeas, which make for a surprisingly addictive snack as you browse through the menu. The menu is designed for sharing, with the dishes getting progressively larger and heavier as you go down the menu. There's not much description on the menu beyond the key ingredients in the dish so it's a bit of a lucky dip as to what the dish will actually be!

Crispy squid dumpling - $4 each

Queen Chu recommends ordering the squid dumplings from her previous visit to Ester, so we follow her orders and do exactly that. They come out as black football shaped pieces, coloured from the use of squid ink. It's quite an unexpected and almost intimidating presentation, but we dig in regardless. The dumplings remind me of the chewy football shaped "ham sui gok" from yum cha, with the same chewy texture and a filling of pork and squid.

Pyengana cheddar pie - $15

Automata, Chippendale

Automata, plural of automaton:
Machines that ​operate on their own without the need for ​human ​control, or people who ​act like a ​machine, without ​thinking or ​feeling.

When a restaurant calls itself Automata, I think of a restaurant that runs with machine-like precision and accuracy, where the staff are cool, calm and collected, and the kitchen executes every dish perfectly, every time.

Automata, a new-ish restaurant at the Old Clare Hotel, comes pretty close. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we got the vibe of a smooth running machine, with the industrial polished concrete and raw wood decor. We were promptly seated on a large shared table on the lower level, which had a clear view of the open kitchen. With Clayton Wells at the helm (ex-Momofuku Seiobo), all the chefs were working quickly and quietly - like a well-oiled machine - to push out food to hungry diners.

Menu

The five course set menu ($88) changes frequently - in fact, 3 out of 5 dishes have already changed since we dined there in late February. We also opted for the beverage pairing ($55), with each beverage being explained to us by the knowledgeable sommelier upon pouring. The pairing included an "orange" wine (skin contact white wine) and a cocktail of sake and yuzushu.

Snacks

We started with some snacks - a baby gem lettuce with a striking violet mustard and chives, and wagyu beef with brown rice miso and enoki mushrooms. The gem lettuce was crunchy and tangy, readying the palate for more. The wagyu beef was super juicy, with slightly crunchy enoki mushrooms and a burst of umami flavour from the miso. The moment when I popped the wagyu into my mouth, I knew this was going to be an amazing meal.

Bread and butter

Bennelong, Sydney

When I found out that Guillaume by Bennelong was closing, I was sad that I never managed to eat there before it closed, even though it was definitely on my wishlist. There was a lot of back and forth about who exactly was going to take over the iconic Opera House space, so when The Fink Group re-opened Bennelong under the helm of Peter Gilmore, I was so ready to book a table.

This proved more difficult than it sounded, because even though it's been six months since it first opened, Bennelong shows no signs of slowing down. We had to book a couple of months in advance just to find a Saturday night booking that was at a reasonable time (i.e. not a 9.30pm booking), and so it wasn't until late last year that we managed to finally sit down and enjoy our meal there.

There's a choice of dining in the Cured and Cultured area or in the Restaurant. We chose to go down the Restaurant route, which meant that we were seated on the lower level of the dining area underneath the soaring glass windows that give you unparalleled views of the Bridge and Sydney harbour. The three course a la carte menu will set you back $130pp with about 6 different dishes to choose from per course.

Grilled Lady Elliot Island bug, organic turnips, radishes, XO sauce

The first thing that strikes me with each dish is that it is impeccably plated. Every dish is styled to perfection, so that your eyes can feast on the food before your stomach does. The grilled Lady Elliot Island bug is no exception, with a golden piece of the bug meat draped over turnips, pink baby radishes and micro herbs. The XO sauce really accentuates the seafood flavours of the dish, and complements the sweet, juicy bug meat nicely.

Smoked Blackmore Wagyu tartare, fermented chilli paste, cultured cream and grains, mushrooms, seaweed, egg

nel. restaurant, Sydney

I'm far from what people would call a decisive person, and these days we are so spoiled for choice that even deciding what to eat for lunch can turn into a lengthy process of elimination to figure out exactly what I want.

It was a pleasant surprise then, to walk into nel. to find that there was no choice to make. Nel serves an 8 course tasting menu for $88, and we were more than happy to leave our meal in the capable hands of chef Nelly Robinson.

Menu

We were ushered to our table in the small, underground space where the restaurant was situated. The 8 course menu for the night was already placed on the table when we sat down, and aside from asking whether there were any food allergies or intolerances, there were no more questions and we were ready to get started on the food!

Vinegar, parmesan

Our first course was a series of snacks which came out in quick succession. The first snack was a cloud-like vinegar marshmallow rolled in airy pieces of grated parmesan. It dissolved in the mouth so quickly it just left an impression of sour vinegar and cheesy parmesan on the tongue.

Goma hollandaise, ham

The next snack was a black, gnarly-looking cigar, which actually turned out to be a beef cheek and ox tongue croquette with charcoal. Each cigar was dipped in the goma (sesame) hollandaise topped with bits of ham, which had a nice salty and nutty flavour.

Truffle, rabbit

The last snack consisted of two parts - a truffle and rabbit pastry and a rabbit consomme. These were surprisingly light in flavour, but a good warm up for the dishes to come.

Bread and butter

I usually don't bother taking photos of the bread and butter, but here at nel it was pretty exceptional. First of all, the bread was a dark black colour, and the waitstaff explained that this was black pudding and onion bread. To be honest I couldn't taste a definitive black pudding flavour, but it was delicious nonetheless and I could have eaten a whole basket of it!

Crab, "taste of pimms", cucumber, strawberry, mint

Monopole, Potts Point

When our group of girlfriends started treating the birthday girl to dinner in lieu of birthday presents, I realised what a good opportunity this was to finally check off some restaurants which have been on my go-to list for a long time...

Monopole was FeFiFoFum's choice for her birthday dinner, and I was secretly pleased because it was a place that I had been wanting to visit for a while. The outside of the restaurant was so dark and inconspicuous that we nearly walked right past it, but when we finally opened the door, we saw that the dark exterior was matched by the "mood lighting" on the inside.

Luckily we had phones to light up the menu, which was split into cured meats, shared dishes, cheese and desserts. Instead of choosing a la carte dishes though, we went with the Monopole menu, which gave us 7 courses for $65pp.

Cured duck breast, cured pork neck, cured Rangers Valley tri tip

We started with three cured meats arranged on a wooden platter with some pickled vegetables. We had the cured duck breast (foreground), cured pork neck (background left) and cured Rangers Valley tri tip. The duck breast was probably the chewiest out of the three, with a slightly more gamey flavour. While others preferred the tri tip bresaola, I relished the silky fatty texture of the cured pork neck.

Cured trevally, pickled cucumber, smoked yoghurt and sea greens

We continued on with a cold course of cured trevally, which was served with discs of pickled cucumber, blobs of smoked yoghurt and sea greens. It was a light and cooling dish, with the slight acidity of the pickles tempered by the smokey yoghurt.

Rangers Valley beef tartare, egg yolk, mushroom and crisp potato

Manta Restaurant, Woolloomooloo

The weather is finally warming up which means that it's time to go out and enjoy the sunshine! And what better way to enjoy the sunshine than a nice meal by the water where you can hear the waves lapping up against the pier and feel the warmth of the sun on your back.

Dining room at Manta Restaurant

The Finger Wharf at Woolloomooloo is a great place to do this, as well as do a little bit of people watching while you dine. We visited Manta for lunch on a gloriously sunny day to celebrate The Cat's birthday. We'd scored ourselves a voucher for 6 people for $259 - which came to less than $45pp for three courses. The set menu had a choice of three options per course, and also included a glass of house red or house white. Since we had a table of 6, we were able to order every item off the menu and I can safely say that all the dishes were delicious!

Freshly shucked Sydney rock and Pacific oysters, spring onion, apple, pepper and white balsamic dressing

I started with freshly shucked oysters which included both the Pacific and Sydney Rock variety. The oysters came with a fresh lemon cheek, a sweet spring onion and apple dressing, and a tangy balsamic and pepper dressing. The oysters were deliciously briny and really didn't need much more than a squeeze of lemon juice, but the spring onion and apple dressing also went quite well with the oysters.

Fried calamari, chilli salt, lemon zest, parsley, pickled fennel and roasted black garlic aioli

Swine & Co, Sydney

It's been a bit quiet on here but with good reason. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I've been eating myself silly in Japan for the past 2 weeks! Now that I'm back, we'll be returning to regular broadcasting but keep an eye out for some Japan posts coming soon!

But first, let's talk about pig. With a name like Swine & Co, you'd expect this restaurant to serve pork, pork and more pork - and you'd be right. Set in the space of what used to be Bavarian Bier Cafe on O'Connell St, the area has been revamped to a bar on the ground floor, and a dark, cavernous restaurant below ground, complete with swine decor and punny welcoming signs.

While we wait for our food, we're treated to a bread basket which has slices of white and rye bread, paper thin flatbread and the best grissini I've ever eaten! They're all swaddled with a small dish of butter in a cloth basket.

Complimentary bread basket

Complimentary amuse bouche

We're also surprised with a complimentary amuse bouche to start the night which was a small piece of seared tuna on a cucumber jelly with creme fraiche and dill.

Crisp pigs tail - $19

It wouldn't be right to not have a pork starter at a place called Swine & Co, so we chose the crispy pigs tail to kick off our porcine journey. The pigs tail was flattened and crisped up on one side, and paired with some pine puree, pickled mushrooms, grapes and pistachio.

Tuna crudo - $17

Chiswick, Woollahra

Chiswick has been on my go-to list for a long time, so I was glad to finally try it out one warm summer night. Going on a weeknight meant that we weren't able to admire the beautiful gardens around the glass-panelled restaurant, but that certainly doesn't deter people, as the restaurant was packed on a Tuesday night.

Snow crab slider, lettuce, keypie, gherkins - $9 each

I'd heard people rave about the snow crab sliders so it was pretty much a no-brainer when it came to ordering these. I wasn't expecting the snow crab to come out as a crab cake but it worked with the soft slider buns. These are a little steep at $9 each but they were well worth it and I was left craving for more!

Crisp buttermilk chicken, cabbage, chilli mayonnaise - $20

The buttermilk fried chicken was a deep golden brown with a crispy coating that reminded me of KFC. The chicken was succulent and the chilli mayonnaise was particularly addictive with the crunchy coating.

Chiswick steak tartare - $22

Jones the Grocer, Sydney

Although it was a sad day when Becasse and Quarter Twenty One closed in Westfield Sydney, I was also excited to see what was going to open up there. One day I walked past and Jones the Grocer had popped up in the space, and it was a bakery, a food store and restaurant all rolled into one.

Angle hair pasta with blue swimmer crab, chilli, rocket, garlic and grana padano - $19

Sir D and I had dinner there one quiet weeknight and we were seated near the windows which looked down onto the Pitt St pedestrian walkway and into the windows of the Virgin Active gym. It almost made me feel a little guilty eating our entrees while people were boxercising vigorously next door, but once we dug into our meals I was pretty sure we had the better deal.

Barbecued free-range quail with spinach and apple salad and bois boudran suace - $21

Pei Modern, Melbourne

Ok, so I don't usually take photos of the bread basket, but how could I resist when 4 warmed slices of sourdough were swaddled up in a white napkin? This is how we began our dinner at Pei Modern, sister restaurant of Mark Best's Marque in Sydney's Surry Hills where I've had some great meals. Just before our trip to Melbourne, Pei Modern was also named Best New Restaurant of 2013 in The Age Good Food Guide so that definitely sealed the deal and we promptly made a booking.

Brandade croquettes - $8 for four

To start, there was a choice of selecting a few bar snacks or proper entree dishes. The brandade croquettes was one of the bar snacks - 4 perfect quenelles of salt cod brandade shaped and deep fried to a crisp and served with a creamy mayo-like dipping sauce.

Wood grilled prawn with pork salt - $6.50

4Fourteen, Surry Hills

Here piggeh piggeh piggeh!

You know you've chosen the right restaurant when you walk in and there's a roasted suckling pig just sitting casually on the counter! This is what we're greeted with as we enter 4Fourteen for Mum's birthday lunch. The menu is designed for sharing, starting with nibbles and moving on to small plates and then onto large plates. We choose a selection of small plates to share, and we can't resist ordering the suckling pig as a large plate which is a special for the day.

Crispy pigs tail with roasted corn - $17

4Fourteen is big on the nose to tail approach so don't be surprised to see some lesser-used cuts of the animal on the menu. I'm all for the crispy pigs tail dish which has the meat from the tail encased in a crispy shell. The tail meat is served with roasted corn kernels, corn puree and some greens.

Chargrilled ox tongue with celeriac remoulade - $17

The chargrilled ox tongue comes as two slabs of thick cut ox tongue with visible grill marks on them. The fattiness of the tongue is perfectly balanced against the celeriac remoulade, the crunchy radish slices and greens on top. If you haven't tried tongue before I urge you to do so - it's one of my favourite cuts of meat as its so tender and flavoursome!

Beef and bone - $22

JPB restaurant, Sydney

The idea of eating locally and knowing where your food comes from is not a new one. It's always a pleasant surprise to find a restaurant that adheres to this philosophy through getting to know the local farmers who supply the produce and even producing some if it themselves on their own rooftop - right in the heart of the CBD! Jpb restaurant proudly follows this through their revamped restaurant in Swissotel Sydney, with a menu that shows off produce that is sourced within NSW.

House baked organic spelt bread

The local produce starts right from the moment you are served the complimentary bread, which is house made using organic spelt and served with olive oil from Megalong Valley. The bread was rustic and stuffed full of whole grains, with lovely soft innards.

Grilled scampi - $15