The Cut Bar & Grill, Sydney

It's easy enough to make a decent steak at home, but there's something about the dark furnishings and luxury of being able to pick and choose lots of sides to go with your steak that make it a bit of a treat. I decided to treat Sir D on his birthday with a visit to The Cut Bar & Grill for some tasty meat.

As you walk downstairs into the restaurant, it's almost like you're walking into a secret underground cavern. The restaurant itself is dark and moody with plush leather banquette seating as well as individual tables.

Scallops, peas, mushroom, bone marrow - $25

We're here for the beef but we decide to start with a few entrees to whet our palates. The words 'scallops' and 'bone marrow' catch my eye so we order the scallop entree which has three juicy seared scallops sitting on some crumbled blood pudding, with peas, mushrooms and little blobs of bone marrow. The earthy flavours of the blood pudding and mushrooms pair quite well with the sweet scallops which are perfectly cooked.

Beef tartare, quail egg, truffle mustard, traditional garnishes, lavosh - $35

Chophouse, Sydney

Chophouse

When the boy requested steak for his birthday, I knew that a trip to Chophouse was in order. Having heard great things about their food, I was super excited and famished by the time we arrived into the cavernous dining space, with a ceiling decorated to look like ribs. We were treated to warm slices of bread while we perused the menu and decided what to eat.

Pasture fed petit fillet, marble score 2+ - $34.90

We dove straight into the meaty mains, with all of us choosing beef but with a different way of preparation or a different cut. The petit fillet is super tender but it lacks the meaty flavour of some of the other cuts. This is helped by the side of chutney and jus though, and is still a delicious serving of steak, perfect for someone like me who can't eat that much.

Dry aged Delmonico, marble score 2+ - $48.00

Hurricanes Grill, Top Ryde

It's all about the meat.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but this is the first time I've ever been to Hurricanes. I'd heard some great things about their ribs so I thought it was high time for me to finally check it out for myself and see what all the hype is about. With an army of meat-loving friends (no vegetarians here!), we set out to sample some of the meaty offerings of Hurricanes and to see whether the Top Ryde restaurant matched up to the quality of the Bondi and Darling Harbour locations. Lucky for us, JC had booked ahead for a table on a Saturday night and when we arrive at 7.30pm, the bar is packed with waiting customers and a queue is streaming out of the restaurant into the courtyard.

Garlic roll - $4.50

The service is a bit hit and miss and it takes us quite a long time to get our order taken down. On the recommendation of some of the more seasoned Hurricanes diners, we start with some garlic bread which is served in its entirety on a wooden serving board. Incisions are made into the bread and garlic and herb butter is slathered on the surfaces. And oh my is there a lot of butter - which is what makes it so delicious! The bread crust is super crunchy, sending shards of bread all over the surface of the table when the bread is ripped apart and the bread innards? Well they just taste like melty garlic butter =D

Rib eye steak 350g - $33

Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse, Woolloomooloo

This is the first time I've set foot on the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, despite having lived in Sydney all my life. I admire the view of the waves sparkling against the setting sun and the white boats bobbing up and down on the water, and immediately see why this is a dining destination for celebrities and tourists alike.

But tonight, a large group of camera-wielding food bloggers arrive at the wharf, not to check out the view but to dig into some delicious food at the newly-renovated Kingsleys Crab and Steakhouse. We begin with some drinks from the cocktail list that mostly consists of classics with a slight twist.

Cocktails: Mango and chilli daiquiri (left) and raspberry iced tea (right)

All You Can Eat Ribs at Waterfront Grill, Darling Harbour

When planning a birthday celebration with food bloggers, one always needs to consider the food. Will it taste good? Will there be enough? Thankfully this was not an issue when I celebrated my 21st birthday with a giant horde of super hungry food bloggers craving for ribs at Waterfront Grill.

Raspberry iced tea cocktail (Thanks Leona!)

The amount of food was never going to be a problem since what we were there for was the All You Can Eat Ribs for $29pp, available on Tuesday nights from 5pm. And although there were some inconsistencies with some ribs being a bit drier than others, when they did arrive smothered in BBQ sauce they were delicious!

MUMU Grill, Crows Nest

I am one of those unlucky people who have never won a competition based purely on chance. You know the ones that I'm talking about: raffles, lucky draws, and those ubiquitous "Describe in 25 words or less..." competitions. So boy was I glad to read on Not Quite Nigella that I could get a free lunch at MUMU Grill (up to $35) simply by signing up to their newsletter.



Sir D and I are (very) late risers, and consequently we usually don't end up eating lunch until about 2pm. Today we arrive at MUMU Grill at about 2.45pm, and although it says that their kitchen closes between 3pm and 5pm, the staff are welcoming and they let us know that we don't need to hurry. Excellent.

Fresh baked wood fired bread with dips - $6.50

Being food-obsessed, I have of course looked at the menu beforehand and chosen the MUMU Chicken Club from the Express Lunch menu, and Sir D decides on some tapas. We also get some wood fired bread to start (since we are quite hungry) which comes with dips. The fresh-out-of-the-oven bread is soft and dense and is accompanied today by a tomato relish and a white bean and parmesan dip - both of which are delicious. I particularly like the white bean and parmesan which is incredibly smooth and creamy.

Organic chicken liver and mushroom pate with mini toasts - $11.00