AFRICAN FEELING - NEWTOWN, SYDNEY

African Feeling 
1/501 King St
Newtown, Sydney

We were cruising King St in Newtown looking for a parking spot first, then we were going to just drop in to whatever was nearby for a quick bite before going to see a band.

We eventually found one down the far end and when we got out and wandered a short distance we spotted African Feeling.

We've eaten African food a few times before and always enjoyed it so we made the impromptu decision to give it a go.

We also fortunately scored a table straight away which was a bonus.

We of course started with drinks but made the socially responsible decision to go for non-alcoholic because we wanted a few later on. The mocktails here were good too. Sir had a sober pina colada - a mix of coconut and pineapple just leaving out the alcohol. Mlady had The Cooler - made from fresh orange and lemon juice, ginger and shredded mint leaves.  

For "mains" we decided to stick with a selection of entree's as we'd eaten up fairly heavily earlier on. They arrived together, as requested. 

We had vegetarian triangles (a spiced potato and vegetable mix inside crispy pastry), African Cigars (minced beef and herbs inside tubed pastry - and much like a meaty spring roll) and finally Kpoff Kpoff (light fluffy Nigerian dumplings). They were all served with a good sized dish of mild vegetarian dipping sauce that was pleasant. A side of freshly made warm roti was very tasty. 

We would have liked to try the African Donuts for dessert but sadly we didn't have the space. They looked good in the advert on the table. African Feeling is a pleasant place with a good variety of African food.

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. 

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.

DONUT KING - HORNSBY, SYDNEY

Donut King
Kiosk 301 Westfield Shoppingtown
236 Pacific Highway
Hornsby, Sydney

Who doesn't love a Donut???? Plain ones, iced ones, jam filled one - the list and combinations are endless.

Donut King has a great Halloween themed variety that will appeal not just for the kids but for the adults too. They have great combinations with vivid colours.

These include a spooky house with bats flying around and a "ghost" shape donut that has yummy jam oozing when you bite into it.

Go on - try one of their many choices - if you dare!!!!!

Of course Donut King have there ever popular cinnamon donuts which are simply divine - we love them! You can always smell their wonderful flavours as you approach and the donuts are always fresh.

These are just some of the Donuts that we tried. The chocolate "Mummy" was very tasty - and we do love a good chocolate Donut. The big chocolate Donut resembling a "spiders web" had tasty gooey jam - as a good gooey jam Donut should be. The "green RIP" donut was covered nicely in green icing with green sprinkles. "Happy Halloween" Donut has the full moon with bats flying and is covered in chocolate and choc bits. We did share but Mlady loved them that she ate THREE!! Oink.

Sir and Mlady were sent a voucher to try these donuts.

 

JOHNNY'S WINDOW - DARLINGHURST, SYDNEY

Johnny's Window
5A/1 Kings Cross Rd
Darlinghurst, Sydney


Its no secret that we love Johnny’s window. We love it for its great location, fantastic food and of course the great personal service that just makes all the difference.

The motto here is ‘Enter as strangers and leave as friends and they mean it. Owner Johnny Karakitsos knows all his customers by name and is sure to shake your hand as he serves you your coffee.

We were very excited about visiting Johnny’s Window again and this time it was to try a few things from Johnny’s new (yet to be released) menu.

Another thing we love about Johnny’s window – interesting updates to their menu on a regular basis. We arrived on a sunny afternoon and as every other time we ordered a couple of coffees while we studied the menu.






















The counts usually order a long black and a macchiato but Johnny recommended an almond milk Latte for Count N this time! Count N, who’s previous experiences with almond milk haven’t been the best, reluctantly agreed. Well, this almond milk latte was fantastic! Really creamy and full of flavour without being too nutty. The Secret? Well according to Johnny, it’s the temperature of the almond milk. Make it too hot and the almond milk will burn and taste oily but keep it under 55 degrees and the almond milk retains its flavour. Great tip!

We started with a beautiful chicken Caesar wrap served with a couscous salad. The wrap was fresh, generously filled with succulent chicken pieces and lots of crispy bacon. A surprising but welcome addition was the spinach, adding lots of texture. No soggy lettuce leaves here. We also loved the freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled everywhere through the wrap. It really added vintage bite.


The side salad was just as delicious. The cous cous was really fluffy and was mixed with chorizo and chickpeas. The dressing was a red wine vinaigrette, a classic dressing, but this one was made with paprika and cumin which added a real spicy touch to it. We couldn’t get enough of it.

One thing we remember about this place is how well they do breakfast!

So we ordered the gooey eggs with toast soldiers as we hadn’t tried them here before.

This dish brought us back to our childhood. We loved cracking the eggs and dipping our toast into the gooey yolk just like at home with mum when we were kids.

Next we had the privilege of trying one of Johnny's new creations, a fresh addition to their menu. This smashed avocado with soft boiled egg was bursting with flavour and freshness. The avocado, mixed with feta and mint was creamy and full of flavour. The pesto toasted bread was the perfect base for the avocado mix and together with the egg created  a synergy of flavours that exploded in your mouth. We'd highly recommend this dish!





















Last time we visited Johnny’s window, We fell in love with the chia pudding so yes, you guessed it, we ordered it again (along with a couple of Tella Balls for a sweet finish).

We love this chia pudding so much we can talk about it for hours - it's that good. This pudding is a high protein meal making it an excellent choice for a post workout snack. Johnny continues to make this healthy meal the same way he always has, blending the chia seeds with almond milk, coconut and blueberries the night before then adding the yoghurt fresh the following day, creating a creamy smooth pudding. Its heaven in a mason jar!

We also enjoyed the Tella Balls which these days are just as famous as pop stars. We tried a traditional Nutella one a caramel one. Both were fresh and sweet.

The counts had such a great experience at Johnny’s window again. We loved their new menu items, especially the smashed avocado and Count N hasn’t stopped talking about the chia pudding. We definitely will be back, there were other items on the menu we would like to try. Johnny's window is open 6 days a week for breakfast and lunch making it a perfect choice for your next meal.

The Counts, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Johnny's Window. Big thanks to it's owner - Johnny Karakitsos.

 

DOUGHHEADS - NEWCASTLE, NSW

Doughheads
200-212 Hunter St
Newcastle, NSW

Doughheads has built a reputation for innovative and droolworthy doughnuts. These certainly aren't your normal doughnuts either. These things are actually more like works of art.

Even though they're in Newcastle people travel there to try their creative treats.

The doughnuts here are so popular that they often have queues there.

It's a small place so the queues even stretch outside their doors. 

 So, the big question is, what was tried, sampled, tasted and devoured.

To be honest - ten doughnuts were bought on this one occasion!

Down the right side of the box from top to bottom it was salted caramel, an amazing nutella filled treat, cinnamon and finally toasted caramel.

Down the left side of the box from top to bottom it was smores, the other outstanding option of maple bacon (with big chunks of maple cured bacon on top), vanilla bean and finally choc mint.

The eating simply confirmed just how good these are. The clear favourites were the maple bacon and the nutella ones.

FOODCRAFT ESPRESSO & BAKERY - ERSKINVILLE, SYDNEY

Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery
33 Bridge St
Erskinville, Sydney

Erskineville is no stranger to excellent coffee and good food so it's not surprising that  "Foodcraft Espresso and Bakery" decided to open in this part of the inner west.

Boasting a great design with a mixture of copper, exposed brickwork and 3.8 metre high ceilings, resembling something of half warehouse half bakery - 'Foodcraft Esprsesso & Bakery' has already become a local favourite with streams of people outside their doors waiting to try their great coffee and tasty treats every day.

Located at 33 Bridge street, under a newly built apartment complex, the recently opened café is just a stone's throw away from Erskineville train station. There is plenty of street parking available too.

We arrived on a very cold morning to a full cafe and although quite a few brave souls were eating outside, we were lucky to get a table inside, right away.

We took our seats and in a matter of minutes our coffees arrived. We usually order a long black and a macchiato but today Count J ordered a long black too, so we had two of the same coffees at our table. We were quite impressed with the coffee. Very smooth and rich and at the right temperature so we can start drinking straightaway.

After our coffees, I was in the mood for something sweet  so I ordered the Nutella Frappe. Wow, what a beverage. It was served in a generous mason jar and was loaded with Nutella and cream. Such an indulgent treat - I'm glad I tried it!





















The food menu was just as impressive and with lots of healthy options such as organic maple granola and organic sourdough bread.

But don't worry, there are quite a few 'traditional' breakfast options as well, such as Eggs Benedict and a Haloumi stack, so whatever you're in the mood to eat, this place has your covered.

Our eyes were drawn to the Ricotta and Blueberry Pancakes and the Italian Baked Eggs so we ordered one of each (with the intention of sharing).

The pancakes were light, fluffy and  smothered with a generous helping of mascarpone and fresh blueberries, and drizzled with maple syrup.

They were really thick too. Such a generous serving, perfect for sharing if you like to try lots of different things, like we do.

The baked eggs can only be described as the best baked eggs we have ever eaten and this is not an exaggeration. This hearty dish was full of generous chunks of sopressa salami (an aged Italian salami) smothered in a rich tomato sauce with lots of delicious basil provolone , all topped with Italian padano cheese. Just a warning, you might not want to share this one, its so good.

Whilst we finished our food, we had the opportunity to chat with owners Aki and Simon, who's experience in the café industry goes back many years, something that truly shows in the way Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery operates. Aki talked to us about their latest creation, Tella Balls, a type of donut injected with amazing flavours.



These donuts are so good, they have been voted as one of the top 10 donuts in the world by popsugar (www.popsugar.com.au http://www.popsugar.com.au) and are often referred to as Dessert Porn.

It goes without saying that we tried a few Tella Balls and although the name might suggest the donuts are filled with Nutella rest assured there are quite a few delicious fillings to choose from. We chose the salted caramel and vanilla ricotta ones and were very impressed. The generous fillings oozed out of the ball as we cut into it. It's definitely worth coming out to try them.

We had quite an impressive experience at 'foodcraft Espresso & Bakery'. The ambience is relaxed yet quite upbeat, perfect for any time of the day.  One thing we noticed was the efficiency of the service despite the busy crowd. Everything works like clockwork and all in the presence of an open kitchen where you can actually see your food being prepared.


Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery is open Tuesday to Sunday from morning to late afternoon. These guys are so popular they'll be opening in a second location in Sydney's Inner West. Details of the exact location are to be announced soon. We can't wait!

The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery. Special thanks to owners Aki and Simon. Big thanks also to Lea Nguyen for arranging this visit.

CUCINA GALILEO - (INSIDE CLUB MARCONI) BOSSLEY PARK, SYDNEY

Cucina Galileo
(Inside Club Marconi)
121 Prairie Vale Rd
Bossley Park, Sydney

Cucina Galileo is the premium Italian restaurant inside Sydney's largest Italian club - Club Marconi.

You know it needs to be good Italian food in a place like this - the judges are experts having grown up with this food and also from cooking it themselves!

The food at Cucina Galileo is mainly Southern Italian influenced, although there are plenty of menu items from right across (or in reality up and down) Italy.You really would never know that you're in a very large club once you set foot inside this restaurant - it's another world with decor to match its Italian influences.

They also have a strong focus on taking things back to traditional simple flavours done well.

We started with drinks - shock horror! As it was Italian we stayed in theme and had two aperitive - an aperol spritz and a bellini. It was a great start to the evening and very refreshing.

Our first bite was a classic - Panzanella Caprese Salad. It's an old school salad that was a staple in World War 1 and 2.

It was wood fired toasted bread soaked in extra virgin olive oil and mixed with fresh tomato, basil, artichokes, Spanish onion and olives.

It was such a simple dish that had a real wow factor to it - and we just couldn't stop eating it.

Next we had some of their cured meats - and they weren't house cured - they were "Dad" cured. Tony, the owner, has grown up eating the great cured meats his dad has made all his life - and now he's sharing the same goodies with his customers. They were great too. We tried pork neck with a nice spread of black peppercorns in it - a nice bite but not overpowering. We also had salumi. This came with some bread - good hearty food! Brilliant!

Their signature zucchini flowers - Fiore di Zucchini - arrived next.

They were filled with ricotta and porcini mushrooms then lightly battered and fried.

It was a colourful presentation reflecting the Italian flag, the red of the tomato, the white of the batter and the green from the sprig of dill. It was patriotic and very tasty all at once!

Then their hearty and delicious polenta alla Gorgonzola arrived - a Northern Italian specialty.

This was polenta wedges slathered in Gorgonzola cheese sauce.

It was rich, it was indulgent and it was mega tasty.

Drinks time again and we had a favourite and Southern Italian staple - a Luma Nero d'Avola-Syrah.

Our next dish was simply amazing - the goat pappardelle.

This was slow slow cooked goats meat in a simple sauce served with wide ribbon pasta (pappardelle). It was delicious and dissolved when cut - or pulled apart.

Mlady generally prefers fish over meat but even she said this was her favourite dish of the night - it was that good! Sir agreed!

The grilled swordfish steak was another simple but effective dish.

It certainly was fresh and extremely colourful - again reflecting the colours of the Italian flag - possibly even unintentionally.

The fish steaks were perfectly cooked and the sauce and flavour combinations worked so well together having some nice tang, but not too much.

Dessert time saw us tasting their semifredo al limoncello.

This was a limoncello infused semifredo served with a simple strawberry reduction and a garnish of fresh mint leaves that went so well in appearance and taste.

This was such a smooth and creamy dessert and was also surprisingly subtle as well.

Finally it was time for the Sfingi d'Anna con Nutella - doughnut holes dusted with sugar and cinnamon served with a rich Nutella dipping pot.

These were a huge hit with the doughnut loving Sir. They were a lovely sweet dish - if you have a sweet tooth you will love this.  A beautiful way to finish off a magnificent meal.

We then had some lovely limoncello to cap everything off - oh yum.

The decor at Cucina Galileo was elegant - very in theme but not over the top. They seat 120 people but also have a private room that seats up to 10 people for those special evenings. However, you need to come here for the food - it's traditional, simple and so well done!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Cucina Galileo. Special thanks to owner Tony for looking after us and Anna for inviting us and looking after us.

 

JPB (INSIDE THE SWISSOTEL) - SYDNEY CBD

JPB
Level 8 Swissotel Sydney

68 Market St
Sydney CBD

JPB is the revamped and renewed restaurant on level 8 inside the Swissotel in Sydney CBD.

Now under the guidance of Executive Chef Thomas Heinrich, who has a strong pedigree both overseas and locally, there's a whole new menu that is produce driven and creative at the same time. It's a great combination that results in some exciting dishes that you remember well after your visit.

Firstly though, JPB is on Level 8 - which is actually the lobby level of the Swissotel in the CBD.


You just take the lift up from their Market St entrance and it's on the far side of the lobby where a window seat lets you gaze up at Centrepoint and the city lights. The daytime view is just as nice too.

JPB looks bigger than its seating of 80 people suggests - but this probably just reflects how well spaced out the tables are. There's another room upstairs that seats a further 30 to 40 people.

Our nibbles started with a big bowl of fresh chickpeas mixed with garlic and chilli.

What an great start - they were so fresh and tasty as well as looking beautiful piled in their bowl -it was almost a shame to eat them (but we did anyway)! It was such a simple combination to snack on while we studied the menu - and it's always good to nibble while doing this!

Mlady had a gin sour made from Oxford Scholar gin and lemon juice with egg white, frou frou lemon and lemon myrtle. It was a twist on the classic that she really enjoyed. Sir had a Ned Kelly gun fire - a very tasty twist on a first settlers drink - made from pickled Illawarra plum and holey dollar gold rum with black tea.

A serving of robust house made individual dampers with subtle lobster dipping sauce was again unique and a nice companion.

Oysters are always a great snack to start a meal in earnest or even as an entree of course. The oysters here are either Sydney rock or Pacific and they are served in a variety of ways - natural, cucumber mignotti, kilpatrick, seaweed or watermelon foam. It's hard to know where to start - they all sounded so good! A selection of specialty salts on the table allowed even more variation - with suggestions on when you might like to use them.











The milk poached white asparagus sounded interesting. 

They came served with black truffle aioli, pecorino and watercress. 

This was another produce driven, simple and yet very effective dish with the flavours of each ingredient showing through yet in a balanced way.

The cleanseas hiramasa kingfish with cucumber, ponzu dressing, black garlic and flax seeds combined into another extremely tasty and appealing treat.

It was also a lovely combination of textures and flavours - but it's important to make sure that you use the sauce drizzle surrounding the meal on the plate - it goes so well.

This dish had it all and was lovely.

For both of us the dish of the night was probably the a la minute smoked ocean trout. The trout is smoked immediately before serving - you can't get any more timely than that! It came with avocado terrine and lemon myrtle fluid gel but has now evolved to be served with Meredith goats milk,  yoghurt whey, watercress and charcoal. All we know is that this was probably one of our dishes of the year for 2014 - it was that good!

The Ora king salmon was again another great dish. The red of the salmon contrasted beautifully with the greenery on the plate.

Contrasts of textures, colours and flavours abound here giving each dish a diverse mix and yet combines beautifully to create an experience that teases the taste buds at every mouthful and delights the diner. This dish was yet another example of this.

It's hard to go past ordering scallops for us these days - they're such a great menu item and can be served in so many different ways with such a variety of sauces, accompaniments and toppings.
 
The scallops with chard baby fennel, corn, pork rinds and honeydew was another creative combination. The juicy plump scallops were presented so nicely with delicate accompaniments surrounding them almost artfully.

The great dishes just kept on arriving - beautiful plating and presentation to match the lovely flavours being offered..

This may have been wagyu but unfortunately we can't exactly remember the meat and cut.

It was beautifully cooked though - pink and juicy as can be seen from the picture - and the presentation was again so pretty. The meat was extremely tender too.

Mlady was in a cheese cake kind of mood - it does happen - and so she chose the vanilla and malt cheese cake with blueberry and almond tuile and spiced rum.

It was again nicely presented and she loved it.

Sir spied the donuts and had the coffee pot de creme with donuts, double cream and cinnamon. It was delicious and came with a great toffee lattice on top. 

JPB is a bit hidden away but it has amazing city light views, a chic yet relaxed decor and some very impressive produce driven creative food. The use of flora adds colour, flavour and texture so nicely. You will leave satisfied and impressed.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of JPB and Swissotel. Special thanks to Executive Chef Thomas Heinrich for his lovely food, Annika and Emi for looking after us so well and Lauren Kekwick for arranging our visit so capably.