Chat Thai

"Hey I'm hungry"

"I'm hungry too"

"Come"

"You come"

"No you come" 

Black Star Pastry

I have always had a predisposition of 'hate' towards dessert houses. Overly rich, bathed in sugar, I'd honestly rather have homebrand cake.

But this Sunday we found ourselves wandering the streets of Newtown looking to satisfy our sweet tooth, after an afternoon of indulging at Mary's of Newtown. 

After a good ten minutes of meandering we had walked past several common options, but we spotted in an alleyway tucked into the side, a long line was forming, this is always a good sign, especially at 4pm in the afternoon on a Saturday, so we went to investigate further, the mystery that was Black Star Pastry.

Mary's

New job, new schedules, new life , well, kinda .... whilst meeting the pressures of adult life , one thing has remained constant, food, and my quest to find new things. Despite not posting for a while, my new found wealth has helped fund a more exciting and interesting food adventures and over the coming weeks I'll hopefully be able to introduce you to the hidden wonders in the suburbs of Sydney. 

Our journey starts again on a spring afternoon, moderate temperatures, perfect for a lunch. Waking up early on a Saturday is not something I look forward to but this was an exceptional case and by the hearsay well worth the effort.

In amongst the smorgasbord that Newtown provides , hidden away in a tight dark alley way, is absolute gem. Walking past it you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a crack house ( because it once was one .... well a STI clinic, and a Greek club, a Masonic Centre ... and so on) and never knowing it existed. But buried inside are the best tasting burgers in all of Sydney.

A bold claim by any , but even more so for a restaurant based in a shady side street.  

Walking in we weren't sure what to expect, but we're greeted by a modern , sheik bistro, run by ex-Tetsuya's head chef Luke Powell, truly a wolf in disguise.  

Supermeal

Another Friday night and another late night dinner. As per ritual we watched a movie, and head out for another night of gluttony and feasting.

We took a slightly different approach this week, on my insistence we went to a restaurant we can't even recall how many times we've been too over the years. Supermeal is open 24/7 on weekends, and tastes great at any hour in any situation. It is located in the heart of the city, it is easily accessible and being in Chinatown, well priced.

Khan Baba (Auburn)

I've been spending more and more time at work recently (not by choice of course) and seeing very little of my family, so Mum suggested a family dinner on Saturday. Choosing something different with the family has certain restrictions, my Mother's tongue is impervious to tastes other than Curry, and my brother gets more annoying the further we drive.

Beauty & the Beast

I've recently started to think Ms Foodblogger and I have an acute strain of OCD, we loath the idea of going to the same place! We know what's open late, we know what's good, but we still try find a new place to eat. Some might polish it and call it adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, courageous, dauntless, derring-do (yes, it is a real word before you try correct me), but

its a sickness, and it empties my wallet every Friday night.

Malabar

The word Malabar is synonymous with South Indian food. The Southern tip of India has inspired a great many dishes, and has influences in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines. The use of coconut, the dosai, even the word curry (derived from the word "Kari" meaning sauce) is from the region.

Dae Jang Kum

Friday's with Mrs Foodblogger are reserved as movie night, we ran late (our very own running joke) and had to skip dinner to make the session. We watched "Now you see me" which finished at 11:30pm, well worth the time spent, a great movie, but we were famished. 

Late night eateries are hard to come by, but the one area in Sydney bustling late at night is Chinatown in the Haymarket area. Most establishments stay open to the wee hours of the night each weekend, Goulburn street happens to be common haunt for us, having several eateries in close vicinity, we walked around and decided to chose an old favourite, Dae Jang Kum.

Citizen Corner

Date night Saturday, my partner has lost faith in choosing restaurants, she believes in a strange hoodoo casting a shadow on her choosing abilities. So all the pressure of picking the restaurant falls on my large, wide, masculine shoulders, haha.  My favorite way to pick at the moment is browsing through the eatability catalogue, scrolling through eateries with large numbers of feedback. So far that has steered us in the right direction, hence our Saturday special of Citizen Corner, a fairly new establishment to the Surry Hills area. Facing steep competition on every corner (literally), Citizen Corner has managed to get glowing reviews thus far, so we thought we might pop in and see what all the buzz is about.

Jambo Jambo

Whilst watching an episode of Simpsons (The Food Wife) on TV one night about food blogging I learnt the word "Gebeta".  An Ethiopian sharing dish with a large plate of bread and several side dishes placed on top of it. My curiosity had been raised, Ms Foodblogger was then made to watch the episode that night too.

Bills

A close friend recommended I try Bills. Did a bit of background research and was very impressed.  A self taught cook, owner and head chef Bill Granger started his first cafe in 1993, and since then grown his operation throughout several Sydney locations and around the world. With his simple cooking style and and elegant presentation its a popular place for locals and tourists.

Essenza Italian

Went to Essenza with a large group of friends recently to celebrate a special occasion. When travelling in numbers a few benefits arise, one you get to split the bill which is always great, but also you get more variety as everyone has differing tastes and you get to nibble on everything on the menu and hopefully find something new and surprising.

Almustafa Lebanese Restaurant

Wandering through Glebe Tuesday night, we were spoiled for choice, we had walked up and down the street three times without being able to agree where to eat. 

Dong Hae Sushi Bar

I learned a random fact the other day, Sushi didn't start in Japan. Its origin can be traced back to South East Asia around the Mekong River region to around the 4th Century B.C. (Google it up if you don't believe me). It was first used as a method of preservation, keeping the fish eatable for months. 

Lakemba Street-Side Camel Burger Grills

Once a year the main street of Lakemba is transformed each night into the bustling heart of the Inner West of Sydney. During the month of Ramadan the street is alive, all the shops open, street vendors, and people each way you look. Being a local I still had to park 3-4 minutes away from the main street at 8pm, but the walk is well worth it. One of my favourite dishes is served up fresh, the Camel Burger.

The Hill Eatery

We finally visited enough restaurants to use a Dimmi voucher. $50 dollars off a meal sounds like a good excuse to go out for dinner. We had a selection of places, but wanted something warm and simple. No thought process, no analysis of different textures, just plain normal good food. 

Viet Hoa Hot Bread

The humble Viet roll, a complex sandwich with many flavours and textures for a bargain price. The McDonald's of Asian cuisine, best thing to satisfy late night cravings, its hard to get it wrong, crispy fresh bread, bit of chicken/pork, mayo and some vege's, and we think we found the best one!! 

Biota Restaurant

Came by this restaurant whilst driving back from Perisher last weekend, was passing by Southern Highlands of NSW around lunchtime and was feeling peckish. Did a quick urbanspoon search to discover this gem of a restaurant nearby.