MEDITERRANEAN GOURMET PIZZA - MARSFIELD, SYDNEY

Mediterranean Gourmet Pizza
8/1 Trafalgar Pl
Marsfield, Sydney

We felt like having pasta and pizza and being the day before Australia Day we were fortunate to find a restaurant open on a Monday, as a lot of restaurants are closed on Monday's.

The menu at Mediterranean Gourmet Pizza is extensive and we were spoilt for choice. They are licenced but are also BYO, so we bought with us a nice Cabernet Merlot.

So many choices but as an entree we decided on an old favourite - tempura zucchini flowers. These were filled with spinach and ricotta. OMG they really were lovely. Lightly crisped with an oh so delicate soft and fluffy filling. They arrived sitting on a bed of rocket garnish and drizzled in spirals of balsamic glaze - a perfect match for tempura zucchini flowers. There were three and Mlady made Sir cut the third one in half!

After much deliberation Mlady chose the home made lasagne with salad. This was an impressive dish.

A generous serving of this wonderful pasta was accompanied with a large lettuce leaf in which sat another impressively generous serving of green salad - vibrant tomato which just enhanced the greens, Spanish onion and was dressed lightly with olive oil. This salad went so well with the lasagne.

The mince meat was finely minced and the pasta was nice and tender. The cheese (think it was shaved Parmesan) topped it off nicely.



Sir ordered a pizza - Sicily. This was described on the menu as - Seafood pizza with the lot, prawns scallops, baby octopus, smoked salmon, shallots, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, mint and garlic.True to it's description this pizza had a "Wow" factor. It really was full of all those wonderful goodies! Plump juicy prawns and what with everything else this pizza really was impressive.

This pizza would certainly serve 2 people. Sir thought it was a "smorgasbord of seafood" on a pizza.


We had to rest as we both wanted dessert. Sir had the Tiramisu. Mlady just had to have some as well. This was a great Tiramisu! It was ever so light and we both loved it's wonderful soft texture and yummy flavour.Mlady chose gelato. Vanilla and chocolate flavour. After her wonderful meal this dessert finished the meal nicely.



















Mediterranean Gourmet pizza is predominately Italian and Greek dishes on the menu. It is casual and is situated in a square type environment surrounded by the usual array of shops and other restaurants. What you will remember about this restaurant is the that food here is really good!

GEORGES MEDITERRANEAN BAR AND GRILL - KING STREET WHARF, SYDNEY

Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill
5A The Promenade
King St Wharf, Sydney

One of the first things that strikes you at King Street Wharf are the magnificent water views and Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill is in prime position to absorb this.

There is inside and outdoor seating and we were very fortunate to be seated outside to be able to take in their beautiful views.

The weather was glorious which added to the visually appealing landscape of looking out at Darling Harbour and the Maritime museum. 

Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill is a great place to sit and eat and watch the world go by!

We both started with a glass of Stonefish Merlot - which displayed juicy plums with earthy overtones. This was a lovely wine and complimented our meal nicely.

We had a serving of delicious olives which is always a nice appetiser to prepare you for your meal.

Dips are a great favourite of ours so we started with a selection of all three available dips with Pita bread. The three were tzatziki, fava bean with red onion and capers and finally white Taramosalata. Individually they come with sourdough but we swapped in some pita bread with ours instead.

These dips all had wonderful flavours and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Tzatziki is a real crowd pleaser and the fava bean dip with the capers - oh nice! We really love capers, they go so well with so many things.

White Taramosalata is a roe (fish egg) based dip and both being great fish lovers we really enjoyed this smooth and tasty dip.

The pita bread held together well with the dips and was so nice and warm that we just had to order another serving!

Seeing Halloumi on the menu was a "must"as Sir gravitates to this! The Haloumi was served with compressed watermelon and mint. 

The wonderful soft texture of the Halloumi together with the refreshing and vibrant watermelon and mint made for a great combination.

This was an amazing dish!




Next we had lovely Hortokeftedes - which is wild green dumplings, served with fresh herbs and yoghurt.

The dumplings were deep fried and nicely crisped with generous fillings of "wild greens".

We thoroughly enjoyed them as we we constantly dipped them in the ever popular and oh so yummy yoghurt.



Then we moved on to some Spanakopita - a favourite - which is filo pastry filled with spinach, cheese and spicy onion.

This is a popular dish and not just with Sir and Mlady. The generous serving of this amazing filling encased in a wonderfully crispy filo pastry was something we thoroughly enjoyed.




We also decided to try the Kreatopita. This is filo pastry cigars of slow cooked goat with fresh goat curd. How good was this! The goat had been slow cooked for 8-9 hours which made for an incredibly tender and wonderfully tasting dish. Yum Yum!

Both Filo pastry dishes were generously sized and you could see them plump with their "goodies" inside.

Sir had another wine - this time a Greek wine. He chose Lafazanis Agiorgitiko from the region of Nemea. It was a bright ruby colour with aromas of cherry, plum and black pepper. The colour really was beautiful that Mlady just had to have a sip and thought, as did Sir, that this was a really lovely Red!

The service here is great and the food is wonderful! Then there are those views!

Sir and Mlady dined courtesy of Zomato and Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill. We would also like to thank Efe and Petra for looking after us so well.

 

THE PHOENIX HOTEL - WOOLLAHRA, SYDNEY

The Phoenix Hotel
1 Moncur St
Woollahra, Sydney

The Phoenix lives up to its name - rising up from the ashes of the previous occupants here who left over a year ago. It is very appropriately described as having "Classic Mediterranean Fare". As you walk in at the front you can see the open kitchen and you can smell the wonderful food being cooked. As we entered, the bar area was to the left and the restaurant to the right past the kitchen.

The atmosphere is casual and relaxed with a good vibe. There is an inviting lounge area with a fire which was very cosy with interesting artefact's adorning the wall. The emphasis with the food is Greek tapas which is ideal for social sharing and there are great choices available. The Phoenix can be used for functions and can hold 150 people. If you want to have a function - they can tailor a menu to your requirements.

We began our meal with some very tasty olives. Olives are a favourite with both Sir and Mlady. 

The cocktails are created "in-house" and are quirky - just read their descriptions! Sir had the Strawberry Mojito - "Real men might not eat quiche but they totally gag for strawberry mojitos" - with our own twist of the Australian stolen Rum range and strawberries, this innocent looking cocktail has a sinister side that gives it more street cred than McGyver. It was a clear winner like McGyver too!

Mlady had the Fluffy Phoenix "Boasting a split personality of both sweet and sour, this cocktail brings together the zing of grapefruit juice, passionfruit and charm of liquor 43 with a vanilla aroma. Perfect for a walk on the wild side. Mlady thoroughly enjoyed this cocktail and the vanilla gave it a real Yummo factor.





















We then moved on the devour some raw meat - beef carpaccio to be precise.

The presentation of this dish was as pretty as a picture. We both loved this and there was plenty of the very tasty beef.

This also came with a serving of tasty toasted bread as an accompaniment.

Then it was again on to another favourite - the haloumi with fig, ouzo and black pepper.

This was a surprisingly light dish. The fig went very well with the haloumi.

Mlady spread the fig over the haloumi, as intended, and loved the sensation of the two flavours and textures.

The char grilled marinated baby octopus really lived up to its reputation.

Both Sir and Mlady love seafood so choosing this dish was not hard.

This was cooked to perfection and you could really taste the rich wonderful chargrilled flavours in the octopus.

Sir indulged in another cocktail - "I carried a watermelon - when Margarita dirty dances with watermelon, you better look out. Using premium Don Julio Tequila shaken with a hint of wetness and garnished with fresh mint, this mouth watering cocktail will put the Patrick in Swayse".





















On to the keftedes with paprika passata. This was ever so tasty.

It was beautifully cooked meatballs that were fluffy and the sauce was rich and full.

This tasty and tangy dish came with a serving of bread which is an absolute necessity to soak and scoop up the delicious sauce.

The Saganaki Prawns turned out to be yet another full and rich dish.

These prawns were plump and juicy and again the fact that they came with such a great tasting sauce was the real winner.

Again some toasted bread allowed the sauce to be scooped up!

Finally we had some Greek salad. Mlady loves a great salad and this was really good. The feta cheese was mild and not bitter or overpowering like some. It had tasty juicy olives and a good mix of greens.

Owners of The Phoenix Hotel, Alex and Will, are on a winner here. The food is really tasty, they have great sharing dishes full of flavour and the servings are generous. The food is all beautifully and appetisingly presented. This is a place worth visiting.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Phoenix Hotel. Big thanks to owners Alex and William Cooney as well as Sally Dos Santos for the invitation.