Redfern Asado at The Norfolk, Surry Hills

I've been to the Norfolk a couple of times before - once for crab and once for tacos - but when we get there on a Sunday afternoon there's a very different vibe. It's dead quiet on the inside of the pub, but follow the smell of meat and the sound of people talking and you'll find yourself in a lush beer garden out the back.

Here is where Chef Jamie works his magic with the meat every Sunday from noon, when the Redfern Asado kicks off. There are all kinds of meats in the counter, including heaving slabs of beef and pork ribs and an impressive looking beer can chicken standing tall and upright, with glistening skin.

Beer can chicken

Asado translates to 'barbecue' in several South American countries, where it refers to the barbecuing of meats as well as the actual event of attending a barbecue. It usually involves grilling a range of meats over a charcoal-fuelled open fire for long period of time, resulting in slow-cooked meat with a smoky flavour from the coals.

Asado menu

The meats at Redfern Asado are sold by weight and priced per 100g, and all served with coca cola rice, beans and flour tortillas.

Keep it saucy...

There's also (literally) buckets of sauce to go with your meat feast. There's a choice of salsa rojo, a red tomato-based sauce with a bit of a spicy kick, or a vibrant fresh green chimmichurri made with garlic and herbs. Both are great with the meats, and it's really up to personal preference whether you use one or both!

Meat platter!

Ume Restaurant, Surry Hills

There are so many good Japanese restaurants on the north side of the Bridge and around the CBD, that I rarely feel the need to venture further for Japanese food. So it takes a special restaurant to warrant a trip beyond my usual sphere of comfort and convenience, but it certainly pays off when you're visiting a restaurant like Ume.

Ume is tucked away in a leafy section of Bourke St, Surry Hills, which makes it a quiet and peaceful location for dinner. The restaurant is simply decorated, with a plum blossom painting on one wall that references the restaurant's name, "ume", meaning "plum" in Japanese. Head Chef Kerby Craig, who trained under Tetsuya Wakuda before opening Koi in Woolwich and then Ume in Surry Hills, has created a menu that focuses on Japanese food with traditional and modern elements using local and sustainable ingredients. Every day except for Saturday, diners can choose from a 5-course ($67) or 7-course ($87) degustation menu, or opt to go a la carte. Saturday is limited to degustation only.

Raw deep sea prawns, prawn oil, walnuts, okahijiki, 1 year old preserved lemon, saishikomi soy - $21

We decide to go a la carte mainly because of the ama ebi dish which is not on the degustation menu. I fell in love with ama ebi (deep sea prawns) when I was in Japan and I rarely see it on menus here in Sydney, so I had to order it. The sweetness of the raw prawns pair well with the crunchy walnuts, seaweed and the subtle tartness of the preserved lemon. After tasting this dish, I knew that the rest of the meal was going to be a treat.

Seared Hokkaido scallop, Shibanuma shoyu brown butter, native finger lime, dulse - $21

Pizza Autentico, Surry Hills

I used to love buffets. The thought of being able to eat as much as you want was like heaven for me and invariably, it would result in us paying loads of money, stuffing our faces to ensure we get value for money (don't even think about wasting stomach space on bread!), and then feeling ill for the rest of the night.

Now, I'm much more inclined to spend my money on smaller portions of better quality food, at a place that focuses on one type of food and does it well, rather than going somewhere where I can eat huge quantities but not so great food. Well, it turns out these don't have to be mutually exclusive. At Pizza Autentico, a mere $20 gets you all you can eat, high-quality pizza and pasta made fresh by Italian chefs for 90 minutes straight.

Menu

The unlimited pizza and pasta menu has over 10 pizzas and 5 pastas to choose from, which waiters bring out straight from the kitchen. The pizzas and pastas are served to each diner so you get the opportunity to taste a little bit of everything.

Marinated olives, olive tapenade, house made bread

Before we get started on the pizzas and pastas though, a small board of olives, olive tapenade, olive oil and house made bread is brought out to whet the appetite. All the fresh ingredients used at Pizza Autentico are sourced from Salt Meats Cheese in Alexandria, so you know it's going to be good!

N'duja pizza

It doesn't take long for the pizzas to start flowing. Each pizza is brought around and you're asked if you want a slice. Um... yes please! The first one we try is the n'duja pizza, a napoli sauce base with spicy Italian pork sausage and mozzarella.

Clockwise from top left: Vatillinese, Siciliana, Capricciosa and Margherita pizzas

Li'l Darlin, Surry Hills

I've passed by Li'l Darlin several times in Darlinghurst, and have always meant to drop by for a cheeky cocktail or two. But it's hard when Gelato Messina is only a few doors down, and somehow gelato always became a priority when walking down Victoria Street and the idea was quickly forgotten. Gelato can do that to you sometimes.

Luckily Li'l Darlin also has two other locations in Surry Hills and Randwick (which aren't in very close proximity to a gelateria) so there was nothing to stop me from dropping by Li'l Darlin in Surry Hills to try some food and cocktails.

Salt and pepper calamari - $14

We begin with a few starters, including salt and pepper calamari with a choice of two sauces, nahm jim sauce or chipotle aioli. The calamari is perfectly tender and the chipotle aioli delivers a slightly spicy kick but I find the batter a little oily for my liking.

Arancini balls - $12

The arancini balls are crispy round nuggets of risotto stuffed with feta, fontina, tomato and herbs. It's also served with the same chipotle aioli but I find that they're perfectly tasty on their own.

Grilled chilli prawns - $13

A terracotta pot arrives on the table accompanied by some bread and we realise that lurking within the tomato-based sauce are some delectable grilled prawns. They're great smothered in the tomato and chilli sauce and I keep going back for more of these.

Pork and beef meatballs - $12

Pasta Emilia, Surry Hills

I'm always drawn to places that do one thing, and do it very well. To me, it means that all focus and dedication is placed onto one type of food and mastering it, making it the best it possibly can.

There's no prizes for guessing what Pasta Emilia's main strength is. The pasta here is made onsite and with organic ingredients, using recipes from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy which is famous for its pasta. Pasta Emilia makes several types, including fettuccine, strozzapreti and filled pastas like ravioli and tortelli. While these are all available for purchase in convenient take home packs and sauces, we decided to eat in at the rustic, cottage-like cafe in Surry Hills for dinner one night.

Strozzapreti al ragu di carne and parmagiano - $18

We're here for the pasta so we skip the entrees and dive straight in. The house made strozzapreti is a short pasta that kind of reminds me of DNA strands with its rolled and twisted structure. Strozzapreti literally means "priest stranglers" and legend has it that the name comes from the fact that priests enjoyed the pasta so much, they ate it too quickly and choked themselves! Whether that's true or not, make sure you savour every mouthful of this strozzapreti that's mixed with a rich beef ragu topped with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Crab and prawn tortelli with salsa verde and chopped rucola - $32

Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills

Here crabby crabby crabby...

Paramount Coffee Project has been on my go-to list for some time now, so when a public holiday conveniently rolled around, I made the most of my day off and took the opportunity to pay them a visit.

The cafe space is airy and bright, with a few small tables, some larger, family-style tables in the centre of the cafe and counter seating at the coffee bar. We're lucky to get a table quickly at the big shared table, but the place is quite popular around lunchtime and we notice some people having to wait until a table becomes available until they are seated.

Latte - $4

Coffee is serious business here with coffee beans displayed on the bar and a few coffee blends on offer from Reuben Hills and Seven Seeds. There's the option of filter coffee or espresso based drinks, but for today we stick with our stock-standard lattes.

Coca Cola ox cheek waffle - $19

Chica Linda, Surry Hills

Pachanga Boy Sour - $17

It seems as though the Drink'n'Dine group has always got a new project in the works. After opening House of Crabs and The Oxford Tavern late last year, their latest venture is Chica Linda at The Carrington in Surry Hills. While I'll miss the Spanish-influenced paella onigiri and morcilla stuffed squid at Beba Y Cene, Chica Linda serves up some spicy, robust and earthy flavours from South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Hot Lady - $10; Panamaragarita - $17

It's not just the food that's had a Latin American twist applied to it - the cocktail list also features pineapple, jalapenos and of course, tequila. The 'Hot Lady' cocktail - a name that is quite appropriate that Chica Linda means exactly that in Spanish - is a sweet concoction of guava and tequila, while the Panamargarita packs a punch with salt and jalapenos.

Burnin' Passion - $9

It's hard to ignore a drink that lists 'fire' as an ingredient. Even though it's a weeknight, we promptly order some Burnin' Passion shots for the table and go a little snap-happy at the fire burning out of the passionfruit cups. The shot itself seems to be quite variable, with some people spluttering at the strong taste of alcohol and others downing the sweet passionfruit and vodka mix easily. We suspect that the fire element comes from a high-proof spirit which allows it to burn for quite a long time - but it also means that it can taste quite alcoholic if there's too much of it!

Chicharones - $5

These chicharones are a great drinking snack. The puffy, light deep fried pork rinds are sprinkled with a chilli seasoning and served with a tangy guasacaca sauce.

Arepas: (clockwise from top) Smoked pork - $6; Grilled cheese - $5; Soft shell crab - $6

Chur Burger, Sydney

Pulled pork burger - $10

Lately I've had some major burger cravings - probably because I don't think a day goes by without a burger appearing on my instagram feed! I'd heard about the awesome burgers at Chur and I can't believe it's taken me this long to check it out. I mean look at that beauty of a pulled pork burger! The pork is tender and juicy from the house made BBQ sauce and the generous slathering of mayo and there's some cabbage slaw there for crunch.

Crumbed fish burger - $10

The Soda Factory, Surry Hills

Looks like an old-skool Coca Cola vending machine right? But looks can be deceiving - this is actually the door to The Soda Factory, a bar in Surry Hills which serves an array of cocktails, floats and hot dogs. Pull on the Coca Cola bottle on the right hand side and you'll be able to enter the dimly lit bar which is pretty packed on a Tuesday night.

The reason for it being packed is most likely because it's Dollar Dogs day! Every Tuesday, the Soda Factory puts on 4 different hot dogs from their menu for you to purchase for a gold coin. The other hot dogs and menu items are also available to order, but we dive straight into the dollar dogs by ordering one of each.

The Mob Dog

The Mob Dog is probably most classic of the four, with a pork and fennel sausage, oven roasted capsicum, and jalapenos (though the menu says 'hot fresh chili'). The roasted capsicum gives this hot dog quite a sweet flavour, and the jalapenos some heat. I think a saucy element would not go astray on this hotdog as it's a little dry compared to some of the others.

The Texas Redneck

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

Movida Sydney, Surry Hills

Dining at Movida Sydney (left); Sangria - $39

I first fell in love with the food at Movida when exploring Melbourne and splurging on a nice meal at Movida Aqui. When I heard that the Movida team were opening a restaurant in Sydney I was super excited, and determined to share the fabulous food with my family.

To say that they are busy is a bit of an understatement. I booked weeks in advance to secure a table on a Saturday night but trust me, it was worth the wait because the food was just as amazing (if not better) than my experience of Movida in Melbourne.

Anchoa - $4.80

The menu is divided up into a few different sections of smaller tapas to larger raciones dishes. The tapas are served as individual portions so it was up to us to select how many we wanted of each. I'd heard so much about the Anchoa dish, which is one of Movida's signatures, that I had to try it this time. The salty Calabrian anchovy with the cool smoked tomato sorbet was an amazing combination of flavours and I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Movida.

Cerdo croqueta - $7.50

We tried the sticky pork croquettes with sauce gribiche which were little deep fried pucks of goodness. The sweet and sticky pulled pork inside the croquettes was tender and flavoursome and the sauce gribiche provided a bit of creaminess to the dish.

Pinxto de pulpo gallega - $7.80

The octopus pinxto with potato and paprika sounds quite ordinary but this tapa was out of this world! The octopus was so incredibly tender and I wished we had ordered one each of these so I could have one all to myself!

Bocadillo de chorizo - $7.25

Fouratefive, Surry Hills

Latte - $4

On one sunny morning, a group of us decide to meet in Surry Hills for a lazy weekend brunch. A rookie mistake, because by 11am, it seems as though half of Sydney has had the same idea, and there is a steady queue of people on Crown St waiting for a table. We wait outside FourAteFive for an hour until we're finally seated and by that time, a coffee is definitely in order.

Homemade creamed corn - $17

We're able to order from either the breakfast or lunch menus. I've only ever had creamed corn out of a can, so the homemade creamed corn intrigues me. It's not as sweet as its canned counterpart, but it's definitely more creamy. It's delicious on the organic sourdough toast with the gooey yolk of two poached eggs, and a side of crispy bacon.

Croissant eggs benedict - $18

Orto Trading Co, Surry Hills

Catching up with friends is always done best over delicious food. It doesn’t hurt to have a nice ambience and pretty decor either, and thankfully Orto Trading Co delivers on all three. I’m one of the first in our group to arrive, but feel quite at home on the large wooden table in amongst all the fresh flowers and breakfasty aromas wafting from the kitchen.

Freshly squeezed juices - $6.50

It’s a little early for alcohol so we forego the breakfast cocktails and stick to the freshly squeezed juices. My pineapple, passionfruit, apple and lime juice is a tangy concoction with passionfruit seeds lurking at the bottom. The mixed berry juice is a little sweeter, with plenty of pulpy berry bits.

Tokonoma, Surry Hills

Walking into Tokonoma is a bit like walking into a club. You push open the heavy, wooden front door and you enter a room full of darkness and funky music. It doesn't make for great photos or seeing what you're actually eating, but the atmosphere is intimate and moody. We're here at Tokonoma on a coincidental double date, as we found out that we both purchased the group-buy voucher for a degustation for two for $99. We were also able to swap out our complimentary bottle of wine for glasses of sake instead, which was more to our liking.

Edamame; Salmon tartare

We start with a few appetisers, which include some edamame and salmon tartare. The salmon tartare is delicious mouthful of chopped raw salmon, melded together with a mild wasabi miso and topped with salmon roe which pop in the mouth.

Beef tataki