SALMON & BEAR - ZETLAND, SYDNEY

Salmon & Bear
6 Defries Ave
Zetland, Sydney

Salmon and Bear is a seafood concept and the venue is  quaint and cute, seating around 75. The décor is reflective of being in an Alaskan hunting lodge - and it certainly looks the part.

There is a backdrop of Alaska on the wall which is quite spectacular. The food is good restaurant quality and it is served in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. It really is nice, simple and value for money eating.

We sat at a lovely recycled timber table - but you can also eat at the bar. They serve two beers and cider on tap and there is also a selection of wines. Mlady had a shiraz which she enjoyed. Mlady cannot drink white wine so she has to have either a rose or red with her meals. Sir enjoyed a beer.

They have a mibrasa oven brought in from Spain which is impressive and everything is cooked in it over charcoals - even the vegetables. Charcoal from Queensland is brought in to be used in the oven as it is very dense and provides a subtle smokey flavour.

The salads are designed to compliment the fish - and they certainly do! There are healthy options for children as well. The menu is also created for shared plates.

The salmon fish cakes with tartare sauce were great. They were plump, chunky and you certainly taste the subtle smokiness. The tartare sauce was very flavoursome and when combined with a squeeze of lemon - it made for a very tasty starter. Mlady was in her element as she simply loves her fish! The fish cakes were made from pacific salmon from New Zealand.

Next we had tacos - all in a soft corn tortilla with cabbage, salsa verde, pickled pink onions, coriander, lime and sriracha mayo. We had the sticky soy glazed salmon taco and the crispy prawn and fennel taco. These were so cute and colourful. The great combination of flavours and textures worked so well. These fish tacos are so good and mixed with vegetables - so healthy!











Then we had a salmon Bearger which was a smoked and fresh salmon patty with cos lettuce, tomato, pickles, salsa verde and aioli and we also had a side of sweet potato fries to go with this. This meal from top to bottom was WOW. It was impressively presented and the bun was so soft. It was a beautifully cooked bearger and the salad and the great flavoured sauce further enhanced this very tasty meal. we also loved the crunchiness of the pickles which went so well and complimented this dish. And - the sweet potato fries - how good were these!





















The Tuna steak burger was a delicious grilled spiced tuna steak with sriracha slaw. 

This substantial burger had great presentation and flavours and of course was wonderfully healthy as many of the dishes here are!

We also had a side of  All Beans - broad beans, peas, green beans, quinoa, rocket and Spanish onion with a chilli and lemon dressing. This was very fresh and was a very tasty salad. The Corn Salsa was chargrilled corn, cucumber, red capsicum, tomato, shallots, mint and coriander with a lemon and sour cream dressing. This was so fresh and nice and crunchy and incredibly colourful.

Then we devoured some delicious corn cobs. We both love corn as either a snack or a side dish.

These were sweetcorn cobs cut into pieces and roasted in the mibrasa oven with miso butter.

This was a very accurate description of this simple yet tasty sweetcorn.
























The Ora King Salmon which was charcoal grilled in the Mibrasa oven was a wonderfully tasting dish which had great skin! Mlady is a fan of crisply cooked skin and this was a wonderful treat.

This was followed by the Roasted Veg. These were described on the menu as seasonal vegetables roasted in their famous old style in the Mibrasa oven. They were nicely seasoned, vibrant and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

The tuna steak was beautiful and came with a lovely Moroccan side salad made from grated carrot, orange segments, radish, currants and mint with a sherry vinaigrette. This salad was amazing and it was very refreshing. Such vibrant colours and the taste - well - this really was one of the best salads ever and it went so well with the perfectly cooked tuna.! We also had battered Hoki from New Zealand. It was crispy fish and was so good. The tartare went nicely with it. The batter had to have been one of the best ever! It was so light.

We finished our delicious feast with two refreshing and delicious chocolate and raspberry ice-creams from Gelato Messina - nice!











Salmon and Bear has very good quality food which is healthy and incredibly tasty. It's well worth a visit.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Salmon & Bear. Special thank you to Joel who took care of us and took time out from his busy schedule to share his extensive knowledge with us and also thank you to Daniel and Matthew for looking after us. Big thanks also to Clive and Joe for inviting us.

 

SWEET BELEM - PETERSHAM, SYDNEY

Sweet Belem
35B New Canterbury Rd
Petersham, Sydney

The décor here is reminiscent of what you would find in Portugal. The lovely pictures on the wall depicting different scenes including one of Tram 28 that is famous in Lisbon. The tiled walls inside and the so very cute tiled blue tables add to the atmosphere. There glass displays are so inviting and you can choose from many delicious options that include salted caramel donuts filled with that wondrous custard. Nutella tarts are also an option here.

Sweet Belem Cake Boutique serves Portuguese tarts that are renowned in Sydney for being the best. Having tried them – we can clearly see why! Earlier this year we visited Lisbon Portugal and were very fortunate to try the Portuguese tarts from Pasteis de Belem. Boy oh Boy these ones at Sweet Belem were simply AMAZING too!!!

The Portuguese tarts from Sweet Belem Cake Boutique are as good as those from Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon Portugal. The pastry is crispy and flaky. The yummy inside is creamy and delicious and they're slightly browned on top – just right. The dusting of cinnamon completes it. They truly are mouth-watering and so very light – that you can eat a couple in one sitting. The Portuguese tarts are all handcrafted and are made with pride and passion.

Not only can you enjoy a Portuguese tart but you can also enjoy many other delectable treats.

We tried the waterbread which was so soft and moist  on the inside with a nice crunchy top – although not too crunchy - which gave it a good balance. Some breads can be quite crunchy which can be a bit hard on the teeth – this was not the case here.

We also tried a chocoholic’s dream which was absolutely lovely. It had a gooey type centre with an amazing chocolate top that simply gave it fudge like type of sensation when you ate it. This was pure decadence. Next we tried a baked chocolate tart. Now this really was sensational. The crispness of the top as you bit into it revealing the luxurious velvety centre. The two different textures complimented one another so well. It is not a heavy tart which is what you don’t want and this tart was also a chocoholic’s dream. This place truly is pure heaven.

Also the coffee here is good. Mlady’s half strength Soy cappuccino and Sir’s skim flat white went down a treat with these fabulous treats.

We would like to say a special thank you to Chef Jose Silva for taking time out from his busy schedule to sit and talk to us about the wonderful history of Sweet Belem Cake Boutique, for showing and explaining how these amazing Portuguese tarts are created and for also sharing with us his next vision.

We thought we'd leave you with some pictures of just a few of the delicious treats available at Sweet Belem.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Sweet Belem.

PASSIONTREE VELVET - NORTH RYDE, SYDNEY

Passiontree Velvet
Shop K3415 Macquarie Centre
Cnr Herring and Waterloo Rds
North Ryde, Sydney

If you like looking at pretty food, then eating it, this place is somewhere you'll love. The Passiontree Velvet name is probably better known north of the border in Queensland, but they've now thankfully spread their wings and travelled south.

A shopping centre isn't where you'd normally expect a place like this but it certainly doesn't seem to be a problem for the many people visiting. In fact, it probably makes it all the more accessible.

Nestled in the newish part of Macquarie Centre, this place stands out with its huge almost glowing display of beautiful cakes and macarons. It causes people to stop, stare longingly and then invariably buy.

We started with some lovely coffee. It's always a good yardstick for any cafe/cakery and it was bruchtime as well.

It also gave us a bit more time to decide what to order, as well as a chance to go and gaze longingly at all the goodies on display inside their long front counter.

It's a sweet-tooth's paradise here with so many choices. Some are individual servings while others are for sharing.

The very intriguing baked stuffed avocado caught our eyes and intrigued our appetites straight away as it sounded a bit different.

It was avocado halves lined with smoked salmon and baked with an egg in each half.

There was a hint of chilli and some cracked black pepper too and it was served with two pieces of toast - pane de case to be exact.

Then the high tea for one arrived. It was a two tier stand with long rectangular plates.

The bottom level had sandwiches, a fresh scone and a lovely salmon bite.

The top level had the sweet stuff and they really looked good. They also tasted great too!

Each one was a work of art - beautifully presented and hard to resist.

Even though we'd basically had brunch and a high tea it was impossible to resist some of the smaller treats on display.

So we made the easy choice and decided not to resist!

We had the salted caramel popcorn eclair and the popular strawberry cheesecake eclair. Both were delicious - light fluffy pastry with great flavours for the fillings and toppings.

The tea at Passiontree Velvet is a real focus. We spoke with Chris Sheldrick, who put this place together, about it and heard all about their passion (pun intended) for serving great tea.

They also use clear glass teapots too - so they can see if you need a top up and offer it asap. It's a great idea and they also look really cool as well. If you want herbal tea don't fret - they have plenty as well. 

The focus here is on cakes, macarons, tea's and high tea's, but they actually offer a lot more than this - including very tasty cooked breakfasts and lunches. You can mix, match and share too and even take away what you don't finish.Passiontree Velvet. They have a killer macaron tree too if you're looking for a great gift or event idea.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Passiontree Velvet. Big thanks to Bec for looking after us and to Chris for inviting us.

  

SUNDWEESH - SYDNEY

Sundweesh
Popping up across Sydney

Ever had a Sundweesh? We hadn't until the other day and didn't know what we'd been missing! It's basically a fresh tasty Middle Eastern bread-wrapped packet of goodness. Started by the lovely and lively Manar, we popped in to try them for the first time at their stall at the Smooth FM Chocolate Festival recently. They were delicious and we're so glad we got to sample them!





















There were four varieties of Sundweesh available on the day we went - and we were lucky enough to try them all.Baroness A was with us and she grabbed the special of the day - prawn with slaw and peri mayo. She eagerly devoured it and was suitably impressed with the flavours and quantity! These suckers are filling! Mlady and I shared the three others - kafta with tabouli and hummus, grilled chicken with peri peri slaw and finally falafel with tabouli and hummus. Each had their own distinct flavour combination and they were all excellent. My favourite though, was the juicy kafta version whilst Mlady found it hard to share the grilled chicken Sundweesh.

Sundweesh are appearing much more regularly at festivals and events, but they also cater for corporate functions as well. They're easy to eat (everything wraps up inside the bread), very tasty (with plenty of filling varieties and sauce options) and affordable.

Sir and Mlady (and Baroness A) tried Sundweesh as guests of Sundweesh. Many thanks to Manar for inviting us to try her tasty creations!