BOMBAY STREET KITCHEN - GLEBE, SYDNEY

Bombay Street Kitchen
University Hall Building
Cnr Glebe Point Rd and Parramatta Rd
Glebe, Sydney

Bombay Street Kitchen is street food of India and they are licensed and BYO (wine only). They have been open for only a few months and have both inside and outside seating for 60. Mlady started her lovely meal with an Oyster Bay 2013 Merlot and Sir chose an Indian beer - Kingfisher Lager.





















We started with the Pav Bhaji which originated in the 1850's as a fast lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Bombay. It is now a Mambaian institution and eaten all over India. It's lightly spiced mashed veggies served with a warm buttered bun. We both thoroughly enjoyed this very tasty dish and used the soft bun as a scoop to get to the very yummy veggies. We spread the veggies on the bun and garnished it with the side of onion and chives. A flavoursome dish with bite.

Pani Poori - what a novel and fun dish! This is crispy lentil pockets stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, spices, tamarind chutney and serving of mint chutney and tamarind water. What you do is - fill the bun with the juice and "down the hatch". We both loved this. It had a good crunch, was so fresh and it also had a good bite to it.

The Marsala fish fry is tender pieces of mackerel marinated in lime juice, coriander and fresh coconut, fried and served with a wedge of lemon. OMG this dish was amazing. So, there were a few bones - what good fish does not have a few bones. The fish was crispy and so fresh and Mlady even sucked the crispy bits off the bones - that's how much she enjoyed it.

We had a serving of Naan which was freshly cooked and buttered and this was presented in a silver bucket. The tasty Naan was used to soak up the various sauces with the dishes that we had.

Instead of having Basmati rice that we usually have  we opted for the Lemon Rice This was such a tasty change. it was made up with lentils, lemon and spices. It was presented in a black bowl emphasising it's vibrant colour. The rice was so good you could eat it by itself!

Next we had the Chicken Chennai which is also known as Madras Chicken. The chicken is simmered in a coconut based sauce and garnished with curry leaves. Oh WOW! Great flavours! What a great kick to this dish! It went so very well with the great lemon rice.





Then we had the Lasni Kalambi which is prawns sizzled in garlic, coriander and tomato sauce. Again another great tasting dish with wonderful flavours. The prawns were large, plump and very juicy. we used the tasty Naan to soak up the delicious sauce.

For dessert Mlady did not choose her usual "anything that's chocolate" but decided to go with the Mango Kulfi. The homemade mango ice cream, almond and cardamon crumble was so fresh. OMG this was an amazing dessert - which you really must try!

Sir chose the Lapshee which is cracked wheat caramelised with jaggery and fennel served with smoked yogurt and almond. When we saw the "smoked yogurt" in it's description this aroused our curiosity. This dessert was different and very tasty and another "must try".

Bombay Street Kitchen is a real gem. The food is authentic, fresh, fun and very tasty. Eat here - you'll love it!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Bombay Street Kitchen and would like to say a big Thank you to Chef Rajoo for taking time out and chatting with us about his impressive background and philosophy on food. Also a big thank you to Manasi for taking care of us on the night.

 

OMBRETTA - GLEBE, SYDNEY

Ombretta
355 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, Sydney

Ombretta is a small place that is big on quality. Facing onto Glebe Point Road, it is so well insulated from the hustle and bustle outside that it is almost an oasis from the outside world. Here at Ombretta you sit back, forget the day you've had, and simply enjoy the food, wine and charming service that awaits you.

If you try to decide what you want in advance from their web site - you'll fail. Their dinner menu isn't there! It really can't be as it changes every fortnight to reflect a different region of Italy. If you're desperate then ring and they'll tell you what's there. It's really not necessary to do this though, the food is going to be good.

This place oozes charm, and so do the staff there too.

We started with the Antipasto della casa - a mandatory starter! It consisted of a variety of cured meats, porcini mushrooms, house baked bread, olives, cheese and marinated vegetables - such a tasty way to eat veggies! Both Sir and Mlady being huge fans of antipasto's, this was a flavoursome and fresh plate. Antipasto's are such a great way to start your Italian journey.

Mlady chose to drink a Nero Davlo. It  is the most important red wine grape in Sicily and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily. Mlady enjoys this wine and has indulged quite a few times. Sir decided to try a white this time and choose Villa Job. This was an Italian organic wine and is also biodynamic. Sir enjoyed this and it went well with his meal.





















We had the Kingfish carpacchio. Sir has a bit of a passion for a good carpacchio and this one certainly ticked the boxes.

It was such a refreshing dish and the tartness (but not too much tartness) of the crispy pomegranate was certainly a good combination. Teamed with Sardinian bread - this was a really tasty dish.



The stuffed zucchini with breadcrumbs and capers was a really warm and tasty dish. The tomatoey sauce that it sat on went well. We have had our fair share of stuffed zucchini stuffed flowers with different mixtures of which we do enjoy but this made for an enjoyable and pleasant change - having the stuffed zucchini being presented this way.



The home-made squid ink spaghetti with crushed pistachios was a "must have" for Mlady. She has become quite accustomed to "squid ink" dishes. Not just for the variety of pastas but more so for the presentation. With the pasta being black, Mlady found this dish very visually appealing. This dish was very interesting - in appearance, being very colourful - and its taste.


Sir and Mlady both love a great pasta and we next had the octopus ragu with  onion, chilli and garlic. There are so many different types of pastas and you can combine so many wonderful ingredients with it. This octopus ragu was a really tasty dish of which everything tasted so well and yummy together.



We also had Fregola. This is a type of pasta from Sardinia. It is similar to North African Berkoukes and Israeli couscous. There were pipis which had a wonderful flavours and added an interesting touch to this dish. The grated fish gave it it's saltiness. This is also a very interestingly looking dish. Reminds you of collecting those wonderful sea shells at the beach.

Then came the slow cooked lamb. This dish had great flavours.

The lamb was so tender and the meat sauce was inspired by Sicilian heritage and was incredibly tasty.

The lamb had such a lovely distinctive flavour and this was a hearty comfort-food dish.

Next we had the pork belly with apple puree and carrots. Doesn't apple go so well with pork - yum! Pork Belly is one of the most succulent cuts of meat. Paired with crispy crackling, this made for an incredible dining experience. This was cooked to perfection! The side of carrots added colour and texture. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. 


As a side and Mlady loving her greens she  just had to have the asparagus. This is an  ornamental dish and it was topped with that wonderful Italian hard cheese - pecorino. The cheese went well, for as we know asparagus can sometimes be quite bland but with the addition of the pecorino, this gave it added texture and a really good flavour.   

We had the Ocean Trout, green salad, grapefruit saba verde. Mlady loved the crisp skin. The intense citrus and freshness of the grapefruit saba verde balanced out the wonderful flavour of the Ocean Trout. The green salad added great colour and taste.


We each indulged in a wonderful dessert wine - as you do. This was a 15 year old Incanto Chianti - Botrytis - Vincenzo.  This certainly was palatable. Such a good way to end a wonderful night or to have whilst you are finishing off the night with a scrumptious dessert.





















We started with the Tiramisu - a traditional favourite of both of us. Tiramisu is a classic Italian masterpiece and it is such a crowd pleaser. Mlady never likes to share hers - but sometimes has to.

This was absolutely delicious, so light and such a visibly appealing dessert. Tiramisu ticks all the boxes. 


We also had the Torta Gallurese. This was served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream that combined well. This was a heavier and hearty dessert and was traditional.

Ombretta's desserts cater to those who want a light dessert - Tiramisu - and also to those who want to indulge in something a bit more heavier.

Ombretta is a charming place. You feel like you've escaped to a trattoria somewhere in Italy. They change the menu regularly - every two weeks in fact - so you certainly get variety. The food is simply great across the entire menu. It's a wonderful experience dining here and somewhere well worth visiting - regularly.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Ombretta. Special thanks to owner Nicco as well as Ricardo, Giacomo, Giulio and Elisa - the whole team there were great. Big thanks also to Brooke for arranging our visit.