JEAN LOUIS JOSEPH - DRUMMOYNE, SYDNEY

Jean Louis Joseph
(Inside Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre)
19 Roseby St
Drummoyne, Sydney

Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre is a popular place for a lot of people, and even more popular around Christmas.

We were there for some retail therapy and needed fuel after arriving soon after it opened for the day.

One of the first places we spotted for a coffee was Jean Louis Joseph, a versatile venue with a delicatessen, a cafe and inside and outside seating. It's a sprawling place. You order at the counter, get a number and head back to your table. The food and drinks will arrive when ready.

 We almost reluctantly ordered toast for our breakfast this time. We were still full from a massive dinner the night before so toast seemed like a smaller option. Nevertheless, the serving sizes of sourdough with jam or peanut butter were pretty big. We did our best to finish them tough!

  



















We also grabbed a couple of coffees as well - a half strength soy cappuccino for Mlady and a skim flat white for Sir. Both were nice coffees and desperately needed as fuel for our shopping spree that lay ahead. The cooked breakfast choices actually looked pretty good though - maybe next time! 

THE FACTORIA - WETHERILL PARK, SYDNEY

The Factoria
1003-1009 Canley Vale Rd,
Wetherill Park, Sydney

This place is just bursting with character!

Located in an otherwise ordinary semi-industrial area, Factoria is like an oasis in the desert.

As you approach, you are immediately impressed with the colour and charm of the garden setting.

Rustic outdoor seating with umbrellas and pots of leafy plants and flowers adorn the entry and a gorgeous old bicycle tops it all off.

Factoria has an awesome array of counter goodies, especially cakes and pastries.

There is also a range of ready-made savoury pastries and focaccias and a gelato bar at the back.

 If that isn’t enough to make you smile, turn around and you will see an attractive layout of specialty imported gourmet products such as pastas, oils, vinegars, condiments…..so much lovely stuff you could browse for ages.

There were also plenty of things we had never seen before. There is even a room out the back with backlit shelves which are packed with more of these fascinating foodie items.

We were there for lunch so we headed for the savoury section.

There were roasted vegetable foccacias, croissants and frittatas but Dame M chose a spinach quiche and Dame K had the shepherd’s pie.

The quiche was vegetarian and very tasty with a nice soft pastry.

The pie was not the usual looking shepherd’s pie, but a pastry-enclosed turnover style.

The meaty filling was delicious and full of vegetables (including potato, of course). We also had the house coffee, Will and Co, which was superb.

The staff here are super friendly and our lovely waitress Vanessa suggested we try a selection platter of dessert items. After a lot of mind-changes, we came up with a good looking and good tasting combination. Strawberry cheesecake, cannoli with vanilla custard, Chantilly raspberry tart, chocolate hazelnut stick and lemon biscotti! It was hard to choose which was the best but Dame M nominated the Chantilly raspberry tart. But each to his own – Dame K liked the cannoli and the biscotti the most.

Factoria is decorated inside like a retro style kitchen. The bright orange and white cupboards and café curtains made me feel like I was at Grandma’s house for morning tea. There’s certainly a lot of fascinating things about the place which makes it a great spot for a visit. It has a lot more than your average coffee shop and we really enjoyed the experience.

Those Dames, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of The Factoria. Big thanks to Carmelina Catanzariti the General Manager there for this invitation.

 

MAJESTIC GOURMET GROCERS/MAJESTIC HARVEST RESTAURANT - PETERSHAM, SYDNEY

Majestic Gourmet Grocers
Majestic Harvest Restaurant
49 New Canterbury Rd
Petersham, Sydney

Majestic Gourmet Grocers and Majestic Harvest Restaurant is situated in a heritage listed building in Petersham, that had originally opened way back in the 1920s.

In its past incarnations it was a cinema, a nightclub and even a roller skating rink.

The current owners, Warren Landsman, Carlos Ascencao and Tim & Cheryl Reen have transformed the building to its former glory.

This even includes keeping the art deco exterior and restoring the terrazzo at the building’s entrance.

The visitor is easily transported back to the days of old.

Upon entering the building, you are welcomed by the spectacular colours from the abundance of flowers sprawling through the grand foyer.

The European-style market is complete with its own florist, deli, baker, fishmonger and fresh fruit and vegetables.

It also has a wine bar opening in the near future.

Majestic Harvest Restaurant offers an array of breakfast and lunch items sourced from fresh Australian seasonal produce from Sydney’s markets.

Our food feast today began with us sampling a mandarin, turmeric, ginger and lime juice which was so refreshing and light.

All juices are cold pressed to order in house and the combinations are endless. We also tried an apricot and earl grey tea, also made in house and well worth trying.

First item on the menu was a Salumi Board that included meats, cheese, pickles and slices of freshly baked bread.

It was all really well displayed and great to graze on.

Our next dish was Zucchini flowers with ricotta cheese, pine nuts, basil, burnt butter, muscatel and lemon. The ricotta filling was so creamy and delicate that we found it difficult to stop at two …. At this point, we were served some melt in your mouth yellow fin tuna and salmon sashimi, courtesy of in house fishmongers Victor and Sam (the fish man).

Next up we were served the Salt, Rosemary and Lemon Squid – cooked to perfection.

And then our fishmongers presented us with another sampling, this time it was lightly battered pieces of flathead with a tangy and tasty aioli.

What a start to our feasting!

Wow, all of this and we hadn’t tried the breakfast menu yet. First up with had a dish called The Vege Patch, an earthy and aromatic serving of fresh produce, very wholesome and tasty, consisting of quinoa, chickpea and sweet potato slab with asparagus, field mushrooms, poached egg and truffle salsa verde. And then, The Majestic, the signature breakfast dish – three eggs, Serrano ham, black pudding, baked beans, spinach kale and wholegrain toast. A hearty offering of the perfect breakfast with a difference for the brunch inclined.

Okay, on to lunch now…. yes, seriously, lunch -  it was such a big foodfest!

We had two pasta dishes that were both delicious. Pasta is so good for lunch isn't it?

The first was a tasty Pappardelle with Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce.

The other was a lovely Potato Gnocchi with burnt sage butter and gorgonzola.

We finished off our brunch feast with an absolute favourite of ours - Portuguese tarts.

These were delivered the way we've always dreamed about - fresh from the bakery.

We also had a couple of delicious cups of sticky chai to sip on.

This fragrant and spicy tea goes so well with meals or just as a substitute for a coffee sometimes!

Oh, and let’s not forget the Gourmet milkshake ….. with a rich dark Belgian chocolate ganache, which is coincidentally made in-house. 

Milkshake connoisseurs should take note, this one drink that is not to be missed!

We love our milkshakes and this certainly was a great one.

A stroll through the marketplace and you'll be in gourmet heaven. Everything you need to create your own gourmet feast is available - pears from the fresh produce section, prawns from the seafood counter that is sourced daily from the market, polenta, passata di pomedoro, pasta, pancetta, parma, parmesan, pulses, pickles and freshly baked bread. 

Majestic Harvest Restaurant is currently open for breakfast and lunch, with the menu portraying what is offered in the market stalls there. The ambiance in the restaurant and the vibes from the staff are truly energetic, making this venue an attractive must for gourmet lovers.

Two Contessa's, who are doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Majestic. Big thanks also to Katie Stow of Wasamedia for arranging this visit.

 

KAZBAH - POTTS POINT, SYDNEY

Kazbah
15 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point, Sydney

Kazbah Potts Point, or Kazbah Souk, is a hidden treasure in Sydney's famous and ever changing Kings Cross or Potts Point area. Once a place full of nightclubs and bars, this area is now sprawling with restaurants, chic bars, and is quickly becoming a popular food hub. Although the name Kazbah is well known in Sydney, Kazbah Potts Point is a new addition to the Kazbah Group. We arrived at 15 Bayswater Road and after going down some steps a very impressive floor space was revealed. As soon as you walk in the foyer you will find Kazbah Bakery, boasting some traditional Middle Eastern sweets and, further in, a stylish restaurant space. Staff greeted us upon arrival and we were offered a drink in the exclusive bar lounge which is tucked away behind the restaurant - what a beautiful and intimate space!

We had never seen a cocktail served with a macaron before but this vodka cocktail called Poussin was amazing and the macaron was totally delicious. Great suggestion from the bartender! The Pomegranate Mojito was a great twist on a classic cocktail and very refreshing. By the time we finished our cocktails, our table was ready so we moved on to a glass of 2013 Petirrojo Carmenere a lovely wine from South America - Chile in fact - while we studied the menu.

Our waiter Peter asked us if we needed any help with the menu and we were so impressed with his knowledge that we decided to let him recommend a selection of dishes for us.

We love figs so agreeing to the Fig Salad wasn't a hard task and it was a smart one too because it was spectacular. The creamy feta and peppery rocket brought out the freshness of the figs so well, it was a great starter for the evening.

Next up, some Octopus. This one was perfectly cooked and the lemon balm mashed potato was so tasty, we were scraping it off the plate. The crispy fried green leaves were like chips, only crunchier.

Numerous eateries offer a citrus cured Atlantic salmon but the pomegranate citrus salad served with the one here at Kazbah Potts Point is a taste sensation. The vanilla cherry tomatoes added a surprising hint of sweetness too.

The crispy fried baby Barramundi here at Kazbah is exactly that - Crispy - and we like crispy!

The tahini cream with garlic parsley was a smooth and creamy addition that went so well with the crispy fish.

We previously didn't realise we liked tahini so much. However, after trying it here it's a must eat from now on as long as it tastes this good all the time!

Peter also recommended we try the char grilled sardine fillets with chilli, parsley, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. We certainly didn't regret that decision. The chilli added a hint of spiciness to a classic dish like sardines. We were very impressed! Next we tried a smoked duck breast like never before. It was served with a fresh pomegranate dressing that made it taste slightly tangy but very fresh. The accompanying sweet potato chips were light and crunchy.

Our waiter let us know our main dish would be about 10 minutes so we took the opportunity to explore the deli-like shopping area and admire the stylish decor (perfect timing as we needed a short break from all that delicious food). We bumped into head chef Quim Hernandez on the floor and we were fortunate enough to say hello and have a quick chat. Quim (El Bulli trained) talked to us about the menu and his Mediterranean take on Kazbah's more traditional Arabic cuisine. We certainly love the menu.

As we said goodbye to Quim, our main dish arrived.

The Casablanca Royale - a tagine with slow cooked lamb shoulder covered in orange blossom sauce, harrisa yoghurt and preserved lemon - is something we will not forget very easily.

The perfectly slow cooked lamb fell away from the bone effortlessly, and was served with fluffy and well seasoned couscous.

Our dessert was just as impressive. 

The Chocolate Bunyols had a creamy chocolate ganache centre that oozed once you pierced them and the cinnamon ice cream can only be described as great. 

We had never had cinnamon ice cream before and we have to say, it was delicious. What a great flavour with ice cream - who would have thought!

Our dessert was teamed with a spectacular 2011 Vidal Ice Wine from the Niagara Peninsular in Canada. Kazbah has a very impressive wine list overseen by talented sommelier Stuart. We also tried their Turkish coffee which was served with house made Turkish Delight.

By the end of the night we were very full but our experience at Kazbah Potts Point was nothing short of amazing. The food is outstanding  and the service is excellent - everything you would expect from a venue associated with the Kazbah group. Kazbah Potts Point is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Kazbah bakery is open 7 days a week from 6am.

We certainly will be back.

The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Kazbah. Special thanks to owners Zahi and Penny Azzi. Big thanks also to Daniella Leona for arranging this visit.

DUCK DUCK GOOSE - RANDWICK, SYDNEY

Duck Duck Goose
136-138 Avoca St
Randwick, Sydney

Duck Duck Goose opened its doors for the first time in April this year and has already become a popular name in Sydney's bustling inner city café scene.

Situated in Avoca Street, Randwick, where the old T's Book shop used to be, Duck Duck Goose boasts a cool interior of exposed brick, cement floors and recycled timber crates with a strong ethos of organic and traceable ingredients for the menu.

This family friendly café has a cute kid's play area at the back complete with games, puzzles and a chalkboard. Their motto is Eat, Drink, Play and they mean it! If you've got a small bub, Duck Duck Goose has you covered as they have high chairs and the bathroom is equipped with a changing table and baby wipes.

All this may give you the impression that it is noisy and resembles something of a kids playground. Not at all. Patrons and kids co exist harmoniously here and if it wasn't for us deliberately checking out the layout, we wouldn't have even noticed the kids playing up the back.
We arrived to a full café so we ordered coffees at the window (there is a cool coffee window with street access which is perfect for picking up a coffee on the go). We had a long black and a machiatto. Good coffee and quite smooth.

If you love a healthy smoothie or freshly squeezed juice this is the perfect place for you. There are quite a few smoothie and juice options on the menu but you can also build your own if you like. We ordered the Immune Kick Juice with orange, carrot, ginger, garlic, parsley, honey and cayenne. It was very refreshing and the cayenne gave it a sense of hotness, a real peppery taste but in a way that blended perfectly with the other ingredients.


We also had the Banana Protein Blend Smoothie with frozen banana, dates, avocado, raw cacao nibs, hazelnuts, protein powder and almond milk. We absolutely loved it! It’s the perfect post workout drink (we had come straight from the gym) and we even had the option of adding a shot of coffee to it.





















The food menu is just as impressive so deciding what to order was proving difficult so we thought we would order a few dishes and share them. Our first dish, the Spicy Chipotle Baked Beans was very hearty. Served with free range organic poached eggs and a super creamy corn and avocado salsa, the combination is a tasty and textural delight. The dish also included our favourite Brasserie Single Origin Bread which is absolutely delicious.

Next up some sweet potato pancakes.

Now, we love pancakes,  but we had never tried sweet potato pancakes before, so we weren't quite sure what to expect.

Well, this dish is definitely something of a taste sensation, especially combined with the crispy streaky smoked bacon, maple syrup and mascarpone - it all literally explodes with flavour.

Our last dish was a special from the board, one we were told was the star of the day and this was not an exaggeration.

A very impressive maple, coconut and chia porridge. Topped with strawberry and rhubarb compote for some natural sweetness, plus the excellent addition of hazelnuts for a real crunch.

We loved this dish and really hope they make this a regular menu item.

Duck Duck Goose ticks all the boxes. The space is cool and the menu is quite diverse with an array of healthy options. It also hosts a very cool deli. We had a quick chat to owner and chef Nicholas Porter who told us about his efforts to not only be family friendly but to engage with the local community as much as possible. Nick told us they have connected with Randwick Public School and will be starting a food composting program very soon. Duck Duck Goose is open 7 days for breakfast and lunch.

The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Duck Duck Goose. Special thanks to Nick Porter for arranging this visit.

ZIGI'S ART WINE CHEESE BAR - CHIPPENDALE, SYDNEY

Zigi's Art Wine Cheese Bar
86 Abercrombie St
Chippendale, Sydney

The name says it all. This is a very diverse place! First of all you have Zigi Ozeri, the live wire host and owner. Not surprisingly he matches the place - quirky, lively and fun! Even though it's called an Art Wine Cheese Bar it has great food as well with an Ausraeli theme - but adding "Restaurant" may make the name just to long.


The people at the table next to us were there on on a cheese journey. They were having five different cheeses - each matched with a different wine - and they were loving it. Another group were in the front bar for drinks. Others were there for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles while some were there to dine for the night, like us. Later on even more people arrived for a night cap. Zigi's is diverse.

One of the specialties of the house is the handmade labne cheese sprinkled with za'ater, drizzled with olive oil and served with pita.

This was so smooth and so tasty.

We love labne and this was certainly one of the best we've had. The za'ater and olive oil added even more complexity and a bit of texture. Fortunately there was plenty of it too. Yum.

Next was something seafood - but with a twist.

The falafel prawns were served with an amba relish and a paprika emulsion. The falafel enveloped and went nicely with the prawns. The crisp outer and soft texture inside was a delight.

The amba relish - a mango based sauce that is often served with falafel - that the prawns rested on, was also delicious.

The seared scallops with chorizo soil was another tasty and unique dish.

The white chorizo soil was surprisingly subtle, going very well with the scallops without overpowering their delicate flavour.

The scallops were perfectly cooked too, with a light hand in the kitchen ensuring they were served "just right".

The wow dish of the night in terms of appearance would have undoubtedly been the beetroot mille feuille.

It looked simply spectacular with its splashes of different colours and joyously it all tasted just as good as well.

It came with feta mousse, basil chips and a dotted drizzle of citrus vinaigrette.

It would almost be a sin to visit Zigi's and not have some cheese! We had a selection chosen by the enigmatic Zigi himself and they were all amazing. The cheese list here is impressively long and diverse like the venue! The cheeses come from everywhere and in all textures and flavours. It's a cheese lovers heaven! The giant sheet of hand made lavosh that comes with the cheese looked spectacular and went so well.

The venue is quite large, but separated into many different areas. You enter into the bar area from the side street, but this leads through one way into the dining area while the other way takes you into the massive kitchen that is also used for regular cooking classes. Upstairs is a private dining room and also where the art is displayed. And of course you can't go to Ziggi's without noticing the man himself. He's everywhere and such a character!

Zigi

Zigi's Art Wine Cheese Bar has so much. You can drink there, eat there (they specialise in Ausraeli food), learn to cook, go on a cheese journey, look at local art upstairs (and buy it - Zigi is a strong supporter of the arts community), see films and attend food, wine and music events.

There's always something happening, and always something different to look forward to! The quality of the food and drinks were worth the visit alone!


The cooking school details are here: https://www.facebook.com/ZIGISCookingSchool

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Ziggi's Art Wine Cheese Bar. Special thanks to Zigi Ozeri for arranging our visit and for being such dynamic host.

SHUK - NORTH BONDI, SYDNEY

Shuk
2 Mitchell St
North Bondi
Sydney

Shuk is a multi-faceted place with a bakery, delicatessen, cafe and restaurant all grouped together. As it starts the day as a cafe for breakfasts and your early morning coffee and goes on into morning tea then lunch and on into the afternoon and evening - it's a place that operates long hours - and even longer on the days it's open for dinner.

Shuk is a light airy place with plenty of indoor seating and even more space outside. On cooler nights they have heaters going to keep you toasty if you still want to dine al fresco.

We were there to try their evening fare and decided to eat indoors. The tables were well spaced and as Shuk isn't in a busy area there's plenty of on street parking.

While we were perusing the menu and struggling with what to choose from the varied options available, a plate of soft and fresh house made bread arrived.

It was great bread but it was even nicer to be able to dip it into a lovely fruity spicy mix of olive oil sprinkled with zaatar. We've both had zaatar quite a few times and love the taste!

So on to the food. Our first choice was the sauteed prawns with borlotti bean salad and avocado. It sounded like a dish with plenty of flavours and colour - and we weren't disappointed. Prawns always go well with avocado but the beans created some added depth. Fortunately, all the ingredients still complemented each other.

They didn't skimp on the prawns either - there were about eight or nine of them.

Soup is not normally my first choice when dining, but the pumpkin soup was recommended so we decided to give it a go.

It came with crisps floating on top and on this was a generous mound of goat cheese mousse. It looked and smelled great.

This was great soup and surprisingly I ate more of it than Mlady did.

We both like ceviche - but probably in truth I like it a bit more than Mlady does, even though she does enjoy it.

The kingfish ceviche was certainly colourful. The citrus juices gave it bite and tang - but of course you expect this from a ceviche.  

As with the other dishes here at Shuk, there was plenty of it!

Mlady does love her salmon - so again no surprises here that she spotted it on the menu and instantly ordered it.

The Atlantic salmon arrived on a bed of potato, zucchini and asparagus and drizzled with lemon emulsion.

Mlady loved it. 

It was a cool evening and the comfort food of the house made gnocchi just sounded so ideal and matched to the climate!

It came with a combination wild mushroom and Parmesan sauce.

The gnocchi was nicely cooked and again so plentiful. The mushrooms added an earthiness that went nicely and it again all came together well.





















We were pretty full by this stage of the evening but the lamb fillet sounded so good that I just had to try it! It was actually the pomegranate molasses that caught my eye - I really wanted to see how this went with the perfectly pink lamb.

Fortunately I wasn't disappointed - it tasted great.

The dish also came with eggplant, tahini and crunchy greens.

We'll rarely miss the opportunity to finish a meal with dessert - as we both have a sweet tooth!

Mlady chose the chocolate mousse cake with Chantilly cream - which isn't unusual as she's a bit of a chocoholic.

It was light and fluffy and Mlady devoured it all - not even giving me a taste (which means it must have been good)!

I went for the panna cotta with dulce de leche, coconut and pistachios.

It came nicely presented in its own jar with a generous topping of coconut and pistachios.

It was smooth and creamy underneath with a lovely crunchy top making a nice contrast.  

Shuk is an interesting restaurant with a very diverse range of tasty food available. It is certainly worth trying.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Shuk. Special thanks to Zoja and Miquel for looking after us on our visit. Thanks also to chefs German Sanchez and Jonathan Symonds for their lovely food. Special thanks to Sophie Foster of SBPR for arranging our visit.

JONES THE GROCER - SYDNEY CBD

jones the grocer
Shop 5018, Level 5 Westfield Sydney
Cnr Market & Castlereagh St,
Sydney CBD

jones the grocer was remodelled in January 2014 and paired with this change inside was a new menu.

The place has been revamped to provide a more relaxed feel with some lounges being added - perfect for those dropping in for coffee and cake, dessert or just a drink and a nibble.

It's a big place with a variety of spaces inside as well as a take away counter out the front. Its also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as for snacks in between.

The menu has a good selection with plenty of choices for everyone. Drink options are also just as well catered for - with specialty coffees and teas, cocktails, wine and beer and juices.

There are so many drinks to choose from - it's hard to know where to start - but obviously a first point may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Mlady had a bottle of Parkers Organic Sparkling Drink - guava and cranberry which she thoroughly enjoyed.

I went for a more traditional 2011 Fattoria Zerbina ceregio Sangiovese from Romagna Italy.

We felt like a quick dip (boom boom) so we ordered a serving of "jones dips". On a breadboard we had generous servings of hummus, eggplant relish and French onion creme with plenty of house made breads.

This is a must try starter. The eggplant relish and hummus were both full of flavour but the French onion was possibly the best we've had with big chunks of soft onion in it and amazing flavours!

Our next starter was something a bit spicier.

The Suca Spanish sardines in tomato, herbs, Parmesan, pickles and toasts has a real Mediterranean sound to it.

It was rich and tangy with strong flavours, as expected from sardines, but exactly what we had hoped for at the same time. With plenty of bread it was another big starter too.

We love arancini - as many people do and many people know from our reviews. This particular version was made with beetroot, thyme and fontina cheese so it was rich and had quite a distinct colour. It arrived on a bed of rocket salad with aioli and a vincotto dressing. The bitter rocket contrasted well with the arancini and it all provided a nice mix of flavours, textures and colours. I also had a tasty watermelon and orange juice which was freshly squeezed and very refreshing. 

The thought of twice cooked pork belly always excites me. I just love a good pork belly.

This main course serving came with caramel apple, prune puree, pickle fennel and walnut salad.

The lovely crackling exploded in my mouth - it was just beautiful. Just as importantly, the pork underneath was juicy and tender. I loved this dish.

Chef Tom

Mlady, perhaps with her English heritage showing through, chose the fish and chips.

Described as tempura battered barramundi it came with rustic chips, miso tartare and lemon.

The fish was nicely cooked and there was certainly plenty of it. Mlady also loved the thick cut chips which were beautifully crisp on the outside and light and fluffy inside.

For once in her life Mlady wasn't able to fit dessert in - but that didn't stop me ordering a Black Forrest trifle.

It was made with chocolate mousse, marscapone cream and cherries and tasted great. If you have a sweet tooth and if you're a bit of a chocoholic then order this.

What a dessert!

jones the grocer is a nice open airy place. Service was friendly and helpful. All the meals were also generous and well presented. There's certainly something for everyone here from coffee or a snack right through to a full meal.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of jones the grocer. Special thanks to Chef Tom and to Loic and Angie for looking after us so nicely. Thanks also to Lily Montana from Cavcon for arranging our visit.

JONES THE GROCER - SYDNEY CBD

Jones the grocer
Shop 5018
Level 5 Westfield Centrepoint
Sydney, Sydney


Jones the grocer has continued its expansion with the opening of its Sydney flagship store in Westfield Centrepoint. It's a big open place on Level 5 occupying the space where Justin Norths Becasse used to be.

It's a combination of open kitchen restaurant/cafe, with very interesting combinations, and food store, so you can eat there and then grab some goodies to take away with you for later.

They also have a take away shop there as well, selling coffee, rolls, cakes, pastries with cured meats and cheeses inside. They certainly seem to have covered every option here! They are even open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We started with the sesame chicken skewers with teriyaki sauce. These are actually listed in the menu as a salad accompaniment but everything on that part of the menu also make great starters too!

The chicken was extremely tender and juicy and fell apart.

The tangy teriyaki sauce went perfectly and the sprinkle of sesame seeds capped it all off nicely.

One of the signature and most popular mains at Jones the grocer is the angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab.

I chose this one and it comes served with chilli, rocket, garlic and grana padano and looks and tastes great.

Chilli, seafood and garlic are just made for each other. There was plenty of crab in this dish too - and the whole combination worked so well.

Mlady was attracted to the decent selection of vegetable and salad dishes and chose their pumpkin and roast vegetable salad.

It was a work of art and came with Persian feta and fresh mint as it arrived stacked high in a sea of vibrant colours.

The soft silky Persian feta tasted wonderful in this filling but healthy dish.

Dessert when eating out is almost compulsory - even for lunch!

Mlady eventually chose the warm sticky date pudding from a good list of options.

It was served with salted caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream and was absolutely delicious.

This stuff was seriously good! The sauce was hard to stop eating.

Chef Tom

I love desserts that are sweet and full of chocolate, but also go for something a bit bitter sweet sometimes - and usually it ends up being a dish with lemon or lime in it.

The glazed lemon tart with confit citrus and creme fraiche caught my eye and it lived up to my high expectations! It was a tasty lemon filling on a nice biscuit base and had a creme brulee like crunchy top. I loved it.

Jones the grocer is a place with great food to dine on and some very interesting delicacies for taking away. It's a foodies nest up high in Centrepoint!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Jones the grocer. Thanks to restaurant manager Quinton, Honore and Inda for looking after us so well on our visit and to Chef Tom for the great food. Special thanks also to Jessie Hargreaves of Cav Con for arranging our visit.

ENCASA DELI - SYDNEY CBD

Encasa Deli
135 Bathurst St
Sydney CBD

This is a pretty interesting place. Take a look inside and you'll see why.

Of course there's the big Encasa over in Pitt Street but this quaint coffee shop/charcuterie that serves bocadillos as well is becoming quite popular among those that have discovered it.

We were on a wander after lunch one day and found ourselves outside Encasa Deli. Even though we were full already we couldn't resist going in.

To savour the experience even longer we ordered a couple of coffees and just sat back and enjoyed looking at the lovely goodies adorning the place.

People nearby were ordering hot food and it looked and smelled lovely. Maybe next time!