84 UNION ST - PYRMONT, SYDNEY

84 Union St
84 Union St
Pyrmont, Sydney

We dropped in on the new kid on the block in Pyrmont. It's not hard to remember the name or the address - it's the same - 84 Union St. It's where Hogs Breath used to be.

The place has been turned into a bar/restaurant and it does have a nice indoor/outdoor feel to it. It's big too. The expansive indoor area seats a small army, and has a separate area at the back closer to the kitchen area. They have a good happy hour there too with some pretty decent discounts. The windows open out onto a terrace along the side of the building. They've kept things fairly minimalist but it works, creating a pleasant semi-tropical feel without overdoing it.

We decided to just choose from the share and tapas section of the menu and we started with the trio of pulled pork sliders.

They were buns packed full of braised marinated American pulled pork and slaw. The meat was rich and tasty and the slaw added a real tang.

It's hard to resist halloumi in any form - in salad or with breakfast - but pan fried is a particular favourite.

These nicely browned pieces of grilled halloumi each sat on top of roasted red capsicum puree, tomato salsa, corn and extra virgin olive oil.

It was a pretty and tasty way to serve halloumi.





Our final dish was simply called - bread and three dips platter and it was probably the dish of the night. The dips were hummus, eggplant and beetroot and all three were in very big servings. In keeping with the oversized serving, there was a huge pile of toasted sourdough - they don't skimp. There was also a small bowl of roasted garlic and mixed marinated olives. It was all tasty and very substantial.

An added bonus of 84 Union St is their live music. We enjoyed the great tunes from AJ The Piano Man, who took requests too. It's a nice place here with a good feel to it and some decent food and drinks too. 

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.

 

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 MORRISON BAR AND OYSTER ROOM - SYDNEY CBD

The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room
Christmas Party Soiree
225 George St,
Sydney CBD

The Morrison really turned it on for hundreds of guests at their annual Christmas bash, which is always a big event.

There were celebrities, actors, media and foodies filing in to the stylish venue from 6pm, ready and willing to party. We were there too - enjoying the festivities.

The music was pumping and the drinks were flowing and the room filled to capacity almost as soon as it started. The team at The Morrison know how to throw a great bash and when it's on people want to be there!

As a specialty oyster bar with over 30 varieties of Australian oysters on offer, we were excited when a lovely platter came by.

It was no surprise that the juicy and plump Wallis Lake oysters were popular with all the guests!

The cheese profiteroles were a particular highlight for these Dames – little balls of choux pastry filled with a tasty cheese mixture and drizzled with a touch of crispy toffee. So delicious they were hard to get hold of.  Fortunately there were other tasty offerings circulating, such as duck fat chips with garlic aioli and crispy chicken drumettes. The chicken had a slightly spicy kick and lots of flavour.

The staff were working tirelessly and trays of drinks were constantly being manoeuvred through the sea of people. We tried some “black widow sliders” which were made with amazing black charcoal buns. They looked and tasted great. After an appearance from Santa, we were thinking about where we might go for dinner. Since we loved the canapés, we wanted to stay here.













Dame K and Dame M decided to try the a la carte menu in the lovely restaurant at the rear of the premises. It is a light and airy spot with elegant glass walls and an opening ceiling.

Dame M chose the Chilli Crab Linguine, which was absolutely delicious and pretty as a picture. The combination of snow crab, parsley, mint, chilli and lemon butter sauce was a real winner. Dame K said the Beef and Lamb Ragout was superb. The pappardelle pasta was served with succulent slow-cooked meats in a basil and Parmesan sauce. We couldn’t fault the friendly service either, which was spot on.

It was such a fun and rewarding evening and I’m sure all the party guests would agree. Everything we ate was really tasty and Dame M is keen for more of that linguine!

The Morrison has a great atmosphere and is certainly worth a visit for drinks and oysters after work or dinner at the restaurant.

Those Dames, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, were guests of The Morrison.