CUSTOMS HOUSE BAR - SYDNEY CBD

Customs House Bar
(part of Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel)
17 Macquarie Pl
Sydney CBD

Customs House Bar is transforming into one of the city's newest dining destinations, both inside and outside what is one of Sydney's oldest pubs. The outside seating, their main area, has rustic furniture, pretty hanging gardens, hedges, white picket fences and communal tables. This is absolutely ideal for people to enjoy a drink and a quick bite or a full meal. Customs House Bar is a casual fun place. They have nice quick meals - to cater for the lunch-time crowds and the food is kept at affordable prices. It's a beer pub and they have 20 "on tap" beers - that cater for every possible taste! When we arrived we could feel the "buzz" and the place was full with people eating, drinking and generally relaxing. There was a mixture of people including groups and couples that were settling in for a good night of food and drinks.

Hemant Dadlani - Executive Chef has put together an innovative, seasonal and very tasty menu. His inspiration has come from tropical places which are versatile - and it is evident in the menu.

Mlady started with a lovely Coldstream Hills Merlot from the Yarra Valley. This was a very nice drop as Mlady prefers the lighter tasting wines. Sir who has a preference for the medium to full bodied wines had the Saltram 1859 Shiraz from the Barossa Valley of which he enjoyed.

Mlady ordered the Cajun chicken breast burger, smashed avocado, perri mayonnaise on a Brioche bun. Chicken breast at times can be a bit dry - but this was certainly not the case here! It really was a very tasty burger with crisp lettuce and tomato. It arrived with oh so good chips in a cute bucket with the chips wrapped in "newspaper". It also included was a little bucket of tomato sauce. Dipping the yummy chips in the tomato sauce - nice! Mlady enjoyed this dish immensely.

We then had the oh so tender and very tasty Southern Highlands young chicken, asparagus, citrus salsa and watercress.

The asparagus was served as a side in a cute retro white enamel bowl. It was pretty enough to eat on its own!

The chicken was tender and juicy and the crispy skin made this a very enjoyable meal. It was a decent sized serving too - plenty there for a sharing plate or a big meal for one.

This was a colourful dish with the citrus salsa adding splashes of pastel on top of the chicken and even more colour coming from the floral adorned asparagus, all the flavours and textures - these all complemented one another.

Next was the Braised Galangal Beef short ribs - slow cooked for 18 hours, seasonal market vegetables with pine nut salt. This generous dish was incredibly tender and the meat was immersed in flavour. The basting had impregnated the meat and made for a wonderfully flavoured dish. The  market vegetables went so well with this great meal.

We ordered a salad and chose the Grilled Corella pear and witlof salad, spiced pecans, south cape blue cheese and burnt fig vinaigrette. This was an interesting mix of flavours and truly a mix of contrasts! Even Sir who is not a mad fan of salads as Mlady is - enjoyed this. Sir actually said "this is good".  Mlady literally fell in love with this salad and she is not a big fan of blue cheese. 

The pecans (from Mexico) certainly lived up to their description on the menu - spicy - lovely. This would have to be one of the "prettiest" salad dishes and the taste - well - AMAZING! Simply one of the best salads ever!

We had a few samples of the beers that Customs House Bar has on tap. Our first sample consisted of lighter coloured beers. These were Resche's draught - an Australian classic, Bees Knee's which is based on German wheat and an Alpha Pale ale. It was a nice selection of the pale beers. They were well paired with the dishes that we had.

The next selection was a sample of darker beers. These were Millers, Ruby Tuesday and White rabbit and again these were well paired with our meals. Mlady favours the darker beers whilst Sir drinks the lot!

We were also fortunate to try a couple of cocktails. Mlady had the Irish maid which is based on the Jamison Whisky St.Germain with fresh lime juice and mint. This was so refreshing - and oh so yummy. Great flavours and ideal for summer. Sir had - in an elegant champagne glass - Cafe Sombre - expresso martini with a tequila base with Mr. Black coffee liqueur. It was topped with a coffee bean. Mlady sneakily had a taste - and thought - oh this is good! Sir enjoyed the nice coffee flavour with an alcohol kick. It also had a nice froth on top and Sir ate the coffee bean - as you do.

We would like to give a huge thank you to Kelsie who looked after us on the night. Kelsie was energetic, passionate and educational in explaining everything to us that was on the menu. Her knowledge was commendable and her teaming of the wines, beers and cocktails was exemplary.

Special thanks to Hemant Dadlani - Executive chef for taking the time out of his busy schedule to sit and chat with us and share his wonderfully flavoured and innovative menu.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Customs House Bar. Big thanks to Gabriella Lizzo for this invitation.

 

ECQ BAR - SYDNEY CBD

ECQ Bar
Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour
61 Macquarie St
Sydney

Want style, sophistication and a bit of class - then drop in to ECQ Bar for a drink, a bite to eat and for some of the most breathtaking views of the Sydney Harbour and bridge going around.

ECQ Bar is a few floors up inside the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour. You need to go up past their lovely restaurant - Q Dining - to discover this oasis - peering pout across the water from it's great location.

They have recently launched their Tapastry Menu - a selection of dishes created by their Culinary Ambassador, award winning chef Justin North. When you pair these with the dishes created in-house by Executive Chef Daniel Simpson you end up with a suite of delicious choices that can satisfy any palate.

Our first dish for our journey through the menu was the potted smoked rainbow trout with linseed sourdough crostini.

The pot came nicely presented topped with a big dollop of aioli and caviar pearls.

It was bright, vibrant, substantial and most importantly also very tasty.

Then it was on to some lovely fresh oysters.

The serving consisted of six freshly shucked Pacific oysters with a side of echallot mignonette dressing and a nice touch with wedges of both lemon and lime.

Oysters are a great start to a meal and these were not only so fresh but also full of flavour.





















This was followed by torched Glacier 51 tooth fish served with green papaya salad and ginger and lime dressing.

This fish lives 2,000 feet below the sea level in the sub-Antarctic and is caught off Heard Island there - which is actually Australian territory.

This delicacy is high in oil and as a result has a wonderful taste.

Next, a more traditional salt and pepper squid was enhanced with a vibrant and contrasting squid ink mayo.

This dish was delicious.

The squid cooked to perfection - golden on the outside and so tender inside - and the pitch black mayo adding a wow factor to both the plate and the palate. 

KFC - or Korean Fried Chicken - is one of the "it" dishes these days and this variation was amazing. It was crispy fried free-range chicken served on a pour of fermented red chilli emulsion with pickles and fennel salt.

The chicken was crisp outside and the meat was tender and juicy inside. The emulsion and pickles cut through it perfectly.

The confit pork cheek and hock terrine with pear textures was a dish that had elegance and substance all in one.

The piece of terrine was a good size and packed with flavours from the cheek and hock.

The fruity pear puree and slivers counterbalanced the richness of it nicely too.  

Then some liquid gold arrived at the table in the form of a 1983 Pedro Ximenez. This drop was divine. We both have a soft spot for this rich, silky sweet Spanish sherry - we drank plenty of it earlier this year across Spain.

Dessert next and the espresso martini with Zokoko chocolate mousseline was pretty to look at and delicious to eat. The serving glass really showcased it well but the taste was even better.

We love good churros. Again, our recent journey through Spain only added to this. These ones were great. They were cinnamon tossed churros interestingly served with candied jalapeno and a rich chocolate ganache.


ECQ Bar is somewhere to kick back at the start of a night out, only to discover later on that you've spent the entire evening there.

They have a great wine list and once you start their Tapastry menu you'll probably work your way through several choices - they're very good! These are all good sized servings of extremely tasty combinations.

Then there's the views - the million dollar views. This place is so ideally located and they use their lovely views so well.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of ECQ Bar, the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour and Accor. Special thanks to Atsuko and Edgardo for looking after us so well. Big thanks also to Janelle Neeve for this invitation.

CRUISE BAR - THE ROCKS, SYDNEY

Cruise Bar
1-3 Overseas Passenger Terminal
Circular Quay West, Sydney

Cruise bar at the Overseas passenger terminal is more than a bar - It's an institution. Located right on Sydney's harbour with sweeping interrupted views of the skyline, it's a a garden oasis in a big city!

The Cruise bar has been an iconic Sydney bar for over 15 years and after about a year off the radar, tastefully refurbishing itself, it opened its door again last week. We were lucky enough to be at their relaunch party!

Operating over two levels, Cruise Bar caters for many occasions. Downstairs is the Terrace bar, a cool outdoor bar space with fantastic wooden furniture and a green oasis right on the waterfront, a perfect place for an after work drink.  Upstairs is the Junk lounge, named after Hong Kong Harbour's traditional vessels, a cool Oriental themed bar, perfect for those late party nights.

We arrived early on a Wednesday evening and were greeted by red carpet and a sea of media representatives madly taking pictures resembling something of a Hollywood event. The vibe was cool and hip with a DJ playing some great tunes on the decks.

The terrace bar down stairs is huge, with an impressive marble bar and ample seating right on the edge of the water, it's the perfect spot to enjoy an uninterrupted view of Sydney's iconic Opera House.

Waiters were offering a selection of drinks and the cheese tables outside had more types of cheese on them than we can pronounce. The cheese board was beautifully presented, with lots of crisp bread and crackers too. This is not indicative of what the terrace bar has to offer, quite the contrary actually. The drinks menu here is quite long with a range of beers, wines and of course cocktails. If you're hungry (whether for a full meal or just a snack) the terrace bar has delicious Mediterranean themed food from head chef Richard Slarp.

We then moved up to the Junk lounge. We noticed a very impressive mural followed by a stylish bar with furniture of a colonial theme. The place was packed and we couldn't really find a seat so we walked around and noticed quite a few fruit platters displayed on a very long table. Now these fruit platters were big, enormous even and seemed to be resting on something and it wasn't till we got closer that we realised the fruit was being displayed on human beings. Semi naked women with delicious pieces of fruit on them. 

Quite the sensation and definitely the topic of conversation for the evening. We didn't end up actually having any fruit.

The Junk Lounge is a true bar. With 18 cocktails on their drinks menu and a fantastic selection of Asian Street food dishes to choose from, it's the perfect place to drink and dance the night away. The night was very busy but we got to try a few samples of the food the Junk Lounge has to offer. The Lotus root chips with a spicy Yuzu Salsa were surprisingly salty and sour. The salsa is definitely hot and the serving is a decent size.

We also sampled the satay chicken skewers which were fresh and tender.

There were so many of them too piled onto platters - and we just kept munching away on them.

There are many more options on the menu and we will definitely be back one evening to have a cocktail and try something else on their very interesting menu.

Both The Terrace bar and Junk lounge are open Wednesday to Sunday till late.

Cruise bar has a great vibe, cool atmosphere and all with amazing views making it a perfect choice for your next night out.

The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Cruise Bar. Special thanks to Jai Evans of Cocreate Communications for the invitation.

 

NEPTUNE PALACE - CIRCULAR QUAY, SYDNEY

Neptune Palace
Gateway Building - Level 1
Cnr Pitt and Alfred Sts (entrance off Pitt St)
Circular Quay, Sydney

Neptune Palace has been around for quite a while, serving a very diverse and extensive combination of Malaysian and Chinese Halal cuisine.

The actual restaurant is a little hidden away and hard to find - in fact a lot hidden and very hard to find - but it's worth looking for. It starts on Level 1 of the Gateway Building and you get there up an escalator from a doorway off Pitt Street.

Neptune Palace spreads over two levels - the smaller entrance level and the more expansive upper floor where we ended up.


The decor is pleasant - kind of retro in some ways - but very familiar.

But hey, lets face it, we weren't there to admire the fittings, we were there to try their Malaysian food.

We liked the fact that the menu clearly and separately listed the Malaysian dishes - it made it all so much easier. It was also a decent sized list of Malaysian dishes too - not just one or two choices.

The Murtabuk (also listed phonetically as Rusty Motorbike) caught our eyes straight away. The idea of marinated beef mince enveloped in Malay bread - like a toasted sandwich - tweaked our interest and appetite. It turned out to be all this and more! Mmmm - Malaysian toastie! 

This was closely followed by a serving of Encik Kabin - two deliciously crisp and lightly spicy deep fried chicken drumlets. If you don't want anything overpowering then this is a dish for you, but if you like your spice levels through the roof there's plenty of other dishes. 

We order roti pretty much everywhere we go - well at least at every Malaysian restaurant we go to.

The Roti Channai at Neptune Palace was one of the better ones too. The home made Malaysian bread was light and flaky and tasted great.

They even help the uninitiated on the menu by highly recommending it to go with curry dishes - but we also like it on its own or with the curry dipping sauce it gets served with. 

We decided to head back to another old favourite - Daging Rendang - or as it is more commonly listed as - Beef Rendang.

The tender chunks of diced and stewed chuck beef dissolved when we ate it. The rich gravy that it was in, made with herbs, chilli and coconut cream, was delicious.

The next dish was possibly the dish of the night for us. It was fried butter milk soft shell crab (Mentega).

The tasty crab pieces were lightly coated in a nice batter and crisped to perfection.

Presentation was lovely as well - with big chunks of crisp crab dotted with fresh chilli and spring onion pieces and garnished with flowers. It was a great dish!

Neptune Palace has a long menu, very long in fact with a diverse mix of both Malaysian and Chinese culinary choices for the diner. You can basically dine on either cuisine or a mix of both.

We were concentrating on Malaysian cuisine again and found the quality to be very high.

Service was exceptional too - we had our orders taken promptly, assistance provided explaining various menu items, water topped up regularly, and always with a smile.

We couldn't fault the service or the food. 

Sir and Mlady's visit was supported by the Malaysian Kitchen Programme.