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.

ABOUT:SPICER - WOOLAHRA, SYDNEY

About:Spicer
Cnr Queen and Spicer Sts
Woollahra, Sydney

In Woollahra, a very stylish part of town, you will find this trendy little eatery on the corner of Queen and Spicer Streets. Welcome to About:Spicer!

It’s like a revamped terrace house and the atmosphere is certainly warm and also very inviting. There are some tables set up on the small outdoor verandah and inside there’s a cosy room to the side of the entrance.

Owner Jacques has been serving up great breakfasts and lunches for about a year here. Building on the success of this, he has now introduced a lovely tapas menu from 5pm from Wednesday to Fridays. We were here for their new tapas offerings and the menu looked so tempting it was hard to choose where to start!

We start with a glass of the Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blancs of the day while our lovely waitress Sina explains the menu.

Unsurprisingly, the smoked salmon was our first choice.

It was served with drizzled black olive jam and toasted bread.

The olive jam was a unique accompaniment and it complemented the salmon very well. The whole thing was a fresh and simple dish.

Next we tried the grilled chicken skewers with dill yoghurt and spicy tomato salsa.

They were tasty and we mopped up all the salsa with the chicken.

The avocado went very well on the side too.

Then we had the corn fritter stack which looked sensational.

The fritters were sandwiched together with smashed avocado and sour cream dill dressing.

It was delicious and crammed with corn and topped with rocket leaves. Yum.

We both loved this one.

The stuffed mushrooms with bacon and Parmesan arrived next and they smelled amazing.

The stuffing was a very tasty blend of mushroom and bacon and the grilled Parmesan on top was crispy and delicious. This was an outstanding dish and we would go back for more of this. Apparently many diners order repeats of this and we can see why.

Dame C’s favourite was the saltimbocca with veal, prosciutto and butter sage jus.

The tender veal rolls had a little salty kick from the prosciutto and were swimming in the delightful buttery sauce.We felt the need to clean the plate as we couldn’t leave that sauce behind.

We were glad there was just a little room left for dessert because a stunning plate arrived with a carrot and pumpkin cake at one end and a jug of hot sauce at the other. The waiter poured the sauce over dry ice in a glass and the steam billowing up was a treat to see. In fact it was a treat to eat too – the cake was so moist and filled with cream cheese. It was plated with a mint foam and cookie crumble. The sauce was an intriguing choc blueberry which tasted great.

While we chatted we saw an amazing drink going past.

It was a Bloody Mary with a tri-slider on top! You don’t see that every day.

The plating of the orders was also creative. Sometimes an enormous platter with many different dishes was served, instead of individual plates.

Jacques says he has a great team behind him and he encourages them to be their best.

His Colombian chef has a Latin night every Sunday with specials like $10 quesadillas and arepas with Latin music.

Its well worth a visit to this lively and inviting place and we enjoyed the night immensely.

All the other diners seemed to be having a great time as well. There really is nothing average at About:Spicers.

Those Dames, who do reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of About:Spicer. Thanks to Jacques and Sina for looking after us so well.