REPLAY ESPRESSO - TURRAMURRA, SYDNEY

Replay Espresso
2A William St
Turramurra, Sydney

Tucked away around the corner from the highway in suburbia Turramurra is the quaint, quirky and somewhat hidden Replay Espresso.

It's cosy but uses its space well and focusses on good coffee, a selection of tasty looking cakes and pastries on display at the counter and a range of hot cooked meals from the menu.

While they do a mean coffee here - and have people queueing for take aways - the green tea is also done well.

It arrived at our table brewing in a beautiful purple cast iron teapot that looked great - and fortunately tasted just as good as well.

Then there's the coffee. It's done well and having tried their brews it's easy to see why its popular.

Hasn't acai become popular lately?

This berry like product from a type of palm tree has a name that half the world struggles to pronounce correctly - including us originally - ah-sigh-he.

Not that this growing popularity is a bad thing as it's good for you and goes well with so many things.

This version was an acai bowl with fig and maple granola in clusters served with sliced banana and shredded coconut.

It was a big, bold, colourful and tasty serving that was extremely filling.

 Apart from the cooked to order meals there is also a good selection of pre-prepared sandwiches, croissants and other bread filled goodies,

On this occasion the choice was a simple ham and cheese toastie.

This was already prepared and just had to be toasted. Nevertheless, it had good fillings and was nice and tasty.

Back to the good-for-you goodies and this selection was gluten free muesli with yoghurt of the day and seasonal fruit. It was another big serving that had plenty of colour and flavour.

It did look spectacular when it arrived at the table with a big dollop of purple yoghurt beside freshly cut pieces of fruit all on top of crispy muesli.This was a feel good dish - you feel good for eating healthy and the tasty is a bonus.

However, if you're looking for that big cooked-to-order breakfast/brunch that you've earned after a week of moderation - um - whoever this may hypothetically apply to - then there are plenty of choices here too.

This was crushed avocado, grilled halloumi, roasted tomato and basil pesto on organic sourdough with a soft boiled egg. The egg was a side and you can order more eggs or other sides. It was a hearty brunch and we do love halloumi any time of the day!

Replay Espresso is secluded but worth finding.
Venture inside - you have to anyway as you need to order at the counter - and check out whats there before you choose.

If you like good coffee they will keep you happy too. 

There are a few outside seats too if you want to people watch - but you can also do this from inside at the counter looking out onto the street. 

LOT.1 - SYDNEY CBD

Lot.1
18-20 York St
Sydney CBD

Lot.1 is a new kid on the block that oozes casual style and a relaxed chic atmosphere.

They've done a great job with this place with sweeping curved pale timber features offset against darker timber flooring and original heritage stone brickwork walls. It has an old world charm blended with modern touches.

This is going to be a big venture when it's finished. For now, they've opened up the first area - called the Espresso Bar. It does of course serve coffee - inside and through a servery opening onto the street. They do much more than this though. They serve food during the day from breakfast through to dinner and run a well stocked bar too.

We were there to try their lunches which have a distinct Italian influence

It was drinks first though so we of course ordered. Count N grabbed an aperol spritz while Sir had his usual glass of red from their healthy wine list. We heard that the list for the restaurant thy are opening next door will be even more impressive. 

The first dish to arrive was awash with vibrant red, green, yellow and white colours.

While we sadly can't remember exactly what this was - we vaguely think it was either toasted thin bread or else an omelette.

We do remember finishing it all though.

The panzanella caprese salad was another winner.

This humble staple of World War 1 and 2 Italy uses big chunks of tomato, cucumber, olives, basil, torn buffalo mozzarella and of course hunks of toasted bread. It's then all drizzled in olive oil .

It was such a beautiful dish.

We then moved on to the most delicious polenta chips. These babies were absolutely amazing.

They arrived hot and beautifully golden and crisp on the outside yet soft and delicate inside. We picked up a hint of some kind of light dusting on them - and whatever it was (if there) it was delicious.

As were were in a healthy-ish mood it was time to try some of their salads - which all sounded very interesting.

This one had wedges of baked butternut pumpkin on a bed of chickpea's mixed with cauliflower florettes and sunflower seeds. It was a full flavoured dish that could be a meal in it's own right.

Pasta is of course one of the main staples of Italian cuisine. Here they had another simple winner done so well. It was pasta with tomato, basil and a hint of chilli. We added some freshly grated Parmesan. This was simply delicious.

It's great to see simple dishes with good ingredients prepared so well being served up.


A side of coleslaw added some zest to the meal and again it was simple and done well - it's clearly a theme here.

The coleslaw had an olive oil based dressing rather than a mayonnaise and it kept the colours vibrant and tasted great too.

Dessert is a must do here. There's a range of goodies on the counter that simply explode with eye-catching colours. It's almost impossible to miss or resist. We had a lovely platter prepared which had three treats - a deliciously moist orange poppyseed cake that had artwork icing topped with fresh fruit and a chocolate shard, some tasty white chocolate rocky road and a great cream and strawberry topped muffin. All were delicious!

We finished with coffee - something they also pride themselves on here. We have to admit it would certainly be worth coming here even for just a coffee. However, you have to try their food - it's so good - and in such a really great environment!

Sir and Count N dined as guests of Lot.1. Special thanks to Michael Bradley, the Manager there, for looking after us so professionally - and nicely. Big thanks also to Lara Fraser for inviting us.

 

RISE BAKEHOUSE - DRUMMOYNE, SYDNEY

Rise Bakehouse
(Inside Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre)
19 Roseby St
Drummoyne, Sydney

Rise is just inside the centre on the lower floor opposite Coles, so it may be the first coffee and food place encountered. For us, it was actually a stop off point just before we left the centre. Sir was after something sweet - what's new there - and we had spotted a free table and quickly grabbed it.

In terms of cakes and pastries they have plenty of choices available. Most are quite substantial too, but a few smaller sized ones were on offer.

Sir was eyeing off the Christmas mince tarts which were on top of the counter, but ended up with this much sweeter lemon roll. It turned out to be a cake roll with a lemon filling and a surprisingly thin layer of icing on top. He was quite impressed with it.

We also needed drinks. We considered coffee, as we normally do, but opted for a couple of chai's. Mlady had soy and Sir had skim.

Rise Bakehouse is predominantly take away, but their few tables are always busy, the foods fresh and the service friendly. 

JAMAICA BLUE - HORNSBY, SYDNEY

Jamaica Blue
Westfield Hornsby
Hornsby, Sydney

One of the more prolific chains of cafes around Sydney is Jamaica Blue. They actually have 16 outlets in Sydney alone, and others across Australia in just about every state. They even have two in Westfield Hornsby alone.

We've often drifted past one or the other of their Hornsby outlets but usually on our way somewhere else.

Sometimes we've simply stopped to grab a quick take away coffee.

This time we decided to drop in for a quick bite and of course a coffee.

Mlady had the salmon quiche which came served hot with a wedge of lemon and a side salad. It was a decent sized serving. Sir had the smoked salmon wrap that also came served toasted and warm with a side salad. Both dishes were nice. 

 

BURNT ORANGE - CHATSWOOD

Burnt Orange
345 Victoria Ave
Chatswood, Sydney

In the middle of Chatswood Chase shopping centre you will find this leafy little café oasis.

Although there wasn’t much passing traffic it was quite busy for a Tuesday lunch.

The decor was bright and fresh and there was an al fresco feel to it.

Feeling like a cleansing drink, as she often does, Dame M spied the juices and ordered an apple, carrot and orange juice. 

This was  cold, refreshing, and just the right balance of flavours.

We chose some starters from the menu – a bowl of mixed olives and the homemade brown bread with butter.

Inspired by the pretty, leafy surrounds and her love of chicken salads, Dame D ordered the Green Goddess chicken salad with avocado, bacon, roasted corn, cherry tomato and Persian feta. Sliced, pan fried breast of chicken topped this colourful, appealing looking dish. The chicken was moist and tender with a hint of garlic, the cos lettuce was fresh and crispy as were the cherry tomatoes.

She loved the texture contrast between the ripe avocado, soft and delicious Persian feta and the crunch of the lettuce and bacon. This was an ambrosial, filling dish.

Dame M chose the Alaskan King Crab Benedict on toasted Brioche. She hadn’t had this combination before and it sounded interesting. The eggs were beautifully cooked and the creamy hollandaise sauce was slathered on top. All the elements of this dish were balanced, so the delicate crab flavour was not overpowered. A lovely combination.

There was a small selection of “Afters”, Yuzu and Lemon Meringue Pie took Dame D’s fancy. This was a very pretty looking dish, an old favourite, with a twist. The traditional biscuit base was crumbed and sprinkled on top and the meringue and lemon curd was piped straight onto the bowl base. The meringue was soft and sweet and the lemon curd was smooth and extra tangy thanks to the Yuzu. Simply scrumptious!


Dame M chose the indulgent Banoffee Pie with maple-roasted pecans and Belgian chocolate ribbons.

It looked amazing.  The biscuit base had a filling of fresh banana and creamy toffee. Delicious.

We both loved the maple pecans and there was plenty of chocolate to top it off.



It was time for a good cup of coffee so we ordered a latte and a flat white. A lovely way to finish a lovely dining experience.

Burnt Orange has it’s original café in Mosman which is a very popular place.

The Chatswood outlet hasn’t been open for very long but we think it will do well too if they keep putting out such good dishes. They obviously know what they are doing.



Those Dames, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Burnt Orange. Big thanks also to Claire McPherson of CPM Online Marketing Solutions for arranging our visit.

 

SWEETFEST 2015 - SYDNEY CBD

Sweetfest 2015

Do you haver a sweet tooth - or two? We do - so we dropped in to Sweetfest 2015 - and we're glad we did. It was understandably busy - cause people love sweet things.

The concept was straight forward. They had stalls there selling their sugary sweet wares, and they had a series of masterclasses from some of the best in the sweet business. Tick and tick!

It was very busy there, both inside at the Masterclasses and outside at the stalls. It was all running so smoothly though. At the stalls, the food was moving quickly so people didn't need to queue, or when they did, not for long at all. It was great food too. 

Inside the masterclasses the crowds were being entertained, educated and impressed by some of the best around. We dropped by the masterclass with Andy Bowden which was being expertly compered by the dynamic Myffy Rigby. The crowd loved it. He was making sort serve desserts - sampled by an impromptu dance-off winner. The big screen up behind them meant everyone in the audience could see what was going on. 

We also had a chat with the next "sweet act", the lively  Alistair Wise who had come all the way from Sweet Envy in North Hobart.

Now we wished we'd been able to stay for his session as we've been to Sweet Envy in North Hobart. We therefore have some sort of connection.

Alistair is a real character - he literally bounces - he's a ball of energy.

His session was "salted caramel, pecan sticky bun and the expanded theory of everything".

In a weird way it summed him up perfectly.

Next to us was a cake made earlier by Katherine Sabbath - adorned with lollypops and dazzling everyone with its bright colours.

It certainly lived up to its name of "Water Coloured lollypop cake".

Katherine was arriving just as we left and this was another missed opportunity for us to hear from a sweet legend.

This was the first year for Sweetfest. It was popular, it had great food available and great demonstrations from some of the best around, all expertly kept together.

We left with plenty of goodies from a number of the tasty stalls there. We'll be back next year!