For my birthday this year I choose Anason as I had been to their sister restaurant Efendy before and loved it. 

There is always something nice about sharing food with your friends right on the Sydney harbour. 

With so many tasty options we opted to get the Bosphorus Feast Menu at $88 per person.

​From start to finish I can not fault anything on the menu! The highlights for me was the labne yogurt, octopus, mini beef dumplings and the cured salmon. 

I even got a little birthday dessert at the end!

Had a lovely memorable experience and at this restaurant and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for something different at Barangaroo. 

When I first heard of the name - I had a little giggle to myself. It's brilliant!

A foodie friend won a competition recently and we got to help her use the voucher to the tune of $150!

For drinks I tried the mango shake, whilst Krystal ordered the avocado, Jen got the lychee and Gin got a soda. 

To start we got the summer rolls, spring rolls and the Vietnamese Tapioca Dumpling. Spring rolls were nice and crispy with a decent filling. The dumpling was glutinous and with the prawn & pork filling quite tasty - don't think i've ever had one before.  The summer rolls were freshly rolled and came with the best peanut sauce. Who doesn't love peanuts?! (Unless you have a peanut allergy - I fully  understand).

For main I got myself the Special Vermicelli with spring rolls and sugar cane prawns and Kystal got the same but with pork. The dish was fresh with all the bean sprouts, cucumber and pickled carrots. The sauce that came with it had a sweet and sour tang. Both Jen and Gin got the Rare Beef Pho to which they both liked. 
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Staff were very attentive and friendly. The menu appears smaller than the Barangaroo branch but still satisfied our cravings for warm tasty vietnamese food on a cold rainy Sydney winter night. 

When you get an invite to sample Stonegrill items of course you will say Yes! Twas a wee cold night so it was perfect for hot food!

To start we got the Monterey Jack crispy spring rolls, the veal and pork meatballs, Lemon pepper chicken skewers, Chilli salt & Pepper squid and the stonegrill Za'tar seasoned prawns. My favourites were the spring roll (basically a cheese spring roll) and the Stonegrill prawns. I love how  you can cook them to your liking.  

Onto mains we then got to try the San Daniele Pizza and a Pepperoni one(forgot the name). Crust was really nice on the pizza's. Also got to try some mini burgers aka sliders and my favourite was the pulled pork slider. By this stage i felt i was about to burst.

Then staff brought out the Stonegrill Lamb skewers with pita bread, tzatziki and beer battered chips! Oh my gosh so much food.

But alas, one always has a little space for dessert. We were treated to the Stonegrill pineapple, freshly made churros and an affogato with a shot of Frangelico to finish off the night. 

Had a great night sampling some of their new menu items and I will indeed be back. A good spot in Parramatta that offers something a little bit different.  

ALL YOU CAN EAT PIZZA & PASTA $20

That is correct, all the pizza and pasta you desire can be found at this place! Coming up to their 2nd year anniversary, I question myself as to why I have only found out about this place and why I am only visiting in the year 2016! 

Arrived around 6pm and place was all set up and ready to go. The table is one very big communal table but wide enough so you're not listening in on other peoples conversations. For a drink with started with an Aperol spritz - very refreshing as you want something light with all the carbs you are about to devour! 

Basically the concept is you have a little wooden token that has green on one side, red on the other and white in the middle. You turn it to red when you wish to "stop" and on its side to white if you wish to "pause" and of course green is GO GO GO aka feed me! 

The selection of pizza's we tried were parmigiana, sausage, mushroom, cheese with spinach and pepperoni. Then for the pasta we had pesto with linguine, four cheese gnocchi, spaghetti, puttanesca and so forth. Only reason I remember is because I took photos. It becomes a blur after the 4th pizza or pasta.

Did  I mention you get a bowl of cheese to share with only 1 other person? Yes, I tend to have pasta with my cheese! The pizza's themselves come on a nice thin and crispy base which is great as you won't fill up quickly. 

Johnny who is the host and one of the owners is very hospitable and encourages you to eat more even though you clothes are about to burst at the seams! 

Overall, it was a great first time visit and I love this concept. You know sometimes when you have to choose either pizza or pasta you find it hard to decide - here you can have both! 

Located at 15 Brisbane St, Surry Hills
http://www.pizzaautentico.com.au/menus.htm 

Got an invite to stop by for brunch on Saturday. The Cafe is located just above Hawker Lane on Level 3 in Westfield Chatswood and it doesn't strike you as your typical indoor cafe. 

This guys have some connections with The Grounds of Alexandria so you can see a little bit of influence. They serve the grounds coffee too!

The cafe design itself makes you feel you're inside a beautiful garden atrium!  With flower pots hanging from the ceiling and glass panel windows! So pretty and relaxing. 

Both Chris, Adam and little Chris together with their very helpful staff brought out some of their top dishes to sample! 

Top favourites for the drinks was the Lychee and mint and salted caramel. For mains it was the french toast, fruit salad, prosciutto & asparagus soldiers and smoked chicken breast salad! 

Good food taste and presentation wise and great customer service. This place is definitely on the "to visit" list so get to it!

BBQ! BBQ! - American style BBQ! 

In honour of the upcoming Meat stock fest at the Entertainment quarter this Feb 13-14 its only fitting i blog about meat!
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You know how when you watch too many American cooking shows based in Texas all you can think about is brisket? Yeah i know that feeling. 

Coming to Bovine will help fulfill those BBQ cravings. 

Shared among a group of 5 gals we got the Platter for 2 $60 which comes with 3x200 GM & 2 sides. 

We got the brisket, pulled lamb and chicken and because a few of the gals were foodies, the talented Mr Anton threw in some Hot link and an extra side! Wooo 

Hmmm BBQ meat! Top fav's were the brisket and pulled lamp, so soft and that smoky flavour!  Amazing! 

The Hot link was very spicy! So much pepperrrrrr! Tasty and different. 

The place does not take reservations so its more an order at the counter, find a free spot and sit and wait for that tasty BBQ!

Also say hi to boss man Anton if you see him :) 

Amazing! 

Came here with a few foodie friends to celebrate my birthday and it was sensational! 

Arrived just around 6pm on a Sunday and it wasn't too busy yet. 

The interior for this place somewhat reminds me of New York! High ceilings with an open kitchen that extends for most of the length of the restaurant. 

Still or sparking water is $2 per person either way so go for the sparkling and get some fizz in your life! ;) 

Items we ordered form the snacks section were: 

-Squid ink crackers, trout roe, cucumber $8
-English breakfast tea & toast, wild mushroom tea, gentlemens relish and bone marrow toast (for two) $14
-Tongue and cheek croquettes, picallilli $15
-'Social dog' pork and fennel sausage, green apple, black pudding, cheddar, mustard $15

From the vegetables: 
-Kale, chilli, garlic, corella pear, bottarga $15
- Vine tomato, Vanella burrata, 25yr aged balsamic vinegar, tomato seasoning $16

From the raw & cured: 
-Tataki hiramasa, kingfish, dill, kahlrabi, togorashi $19
- Grass fed veal tartar, egg yolk jam, radish salad with sourdough $19

From the sourdough flatbreads: 
-QLD blue pumpkin, oyster & portabella mushrooms, blue cheese, walnut $16
-Lartisan 'mountain man' washed rind, white onion, smoked potato, bacon thyme $16

All this was to share among four people. All dishes were small to med servings so we got to sample everything! 

Loved everything that was brought out to the table. 

The english breakfast tea for two come out on a stand which you got to pour the mushroom tea into little tea cups - very nice. 

Service was excellent and very attentive. We all agreed that we would indeed be back as everything was spectacular!

Early dinner calls for something different. You know that fish is good for you so why not visit a casual seafood eatery! 

Located at 6 Defries Ave just opposite the East Village Centre,  this newly opened concept eatery is the first of its kind!

The fit-out for the restaurant reminds you of that one time in a ski lodge in the Canadian mountain range..ooh you haven't been, neither have I :D lol...But you get my drift. 

For entrees we got the sticky soy glazed salmon, crispy hoki fish and the crispy prawn & fennel and the salmon fish cake. I am not a huge fan of fish cakes but i am of this salmon! 

For main we tried the Spanish mackerel with Moroccan salad and seasonal roasted vegetables. The Roasted veg is made in their famous old style mibrasa oven where charcoal is used to give it that nice smoked flavour. One of the best roasted veggies ever! 

For dessert we got to try their very own Messina creations of...you guessed it a Salmon paddle pop and "Bear" cookie sandwich. :) 

Everything was delightful, Staff and service great. Most nights you can catch owner Joel who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty clearing tables and also greeting the customers. 

Thank you for a lovely time S&B!