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. 

THE TWO WOLVES: COMMUNITY CANTINA - CHIPPENDALE, SYDNEY

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina
202 Broadway
(Cnr Broadway and City Rd down Grafton Lane)
Chippendale, Sydney

The Two Wolves is a volunteer-driven social enterprise eatery & bar. Everyone is welcome here and you certainly do feel this.

There is a great vibe about the place and also a "warmth". The décor is bright and quirky.

Take the time to look around as there are some really amazing pictures that show you a history of what the people at The Two Wolves contribute to. It is bright and feels as if the place has been there a while.

The food here really is fantastic and plentiful and they feature many different dishes in their rotating menu. It is also affordable, hearty and authentic.

The menu is simple street food that has been derived from their network of friends around the world.

We started with Pope Francis's spicy empanadas that lived up to their name and these stuffed pastries were packed full of flavour. They were accompanied with a tasty colourful salsa. Sir loves empanadas and had quite a few of these.

Next was Sister Hien's bun thit nuong which is a tasty pork and noodle salad dish.

Being great fans of all kinds of noodles - and these were rice vermicelli noodles -  Sir and Mlady thought that this was a good healthy, hearty and very tasty dish.

It was packed with flavour and extremely vibrant too. 

The Vietnamese Chicken, lemongrass and sweet potato curry was a really flavoursome meal. Everything about this dish was just so yummy.

The combination of the sweet potato - and being in a curry with the Vietnamese Chicken - yummo!

Mlady had quite  few servings of this.

The Korean Fried Chicken had an OMG and WOW factor. How many Korean Fried Chicken's are too many for a person to have? Mlady had 4. Sir had - well quite a few more than that. This was a very popular meal. A lovely carafe of sangria was also on the table. The Sevenhill Inigo Grenache 2013 and Sevenhill Inigo Riesling 2014 also went extremely well.

Then it was on to aloo gobi
masala. This is a spiced cauliflower and potatoes vegetarian dish.

We do love a great vegetarian dish - especially Mlady.

It had great flavours and spices which makes it fragrant and mouth-watering.



All these wonderfully flavoured and tasty dishes were accompanied with  a generous serving of Steamed Jasmine Rice. This went really well as we all know that Jasmine rice is great for soaking up delicious sauces.

For Dessert we had black sticky rice with mango and coconut.

What can we say about this? Seriously this would have to be one of best desserts EVER! Mlady has a passion for this and having the dessert teamed with mango - one of her favourite fruits - Mlady unabashedly finished the plate it was served on!

Eton Mess was our next delicious dessert. This dessert always conjures up a group of Eton scholars walking with a pavlova, dropping it and then frantically trying to put all the pieces back together again. How good does an Eton mess look and how good does it taste? Sir and Mlady thoroughly enjoyed this. Sir even had seconds!

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina is very much about community. Their dishes tell a story of the communities where their volunteers serve - places such as Thailand, Mexico, Micronesia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Vietnam. It's the first commercial venture of The Cardoner Project which was founded by Fr David Braithwaite SJ - who we chatted with on the night. He's a pretty cool guy and clearly passionate about making a difference. Most of the staff here are volunteers. If you're interested in helping out by joining the Wolf Pack then Click Here for the volunteer form. 

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina is a relaxed, comfy place with great affordable food and a great feel to it.

They have a decent bar list too - so it needn't be a dry night. Come along, eat good food in a great place, help a great cause and leave satisfied!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Two Wolves: Community Cantina but made a donation to this very worthwhile not-for-profit project when leaving.

Big thanks to The Cardoner Project as well as Carla Monforte of Wasamedia for the invitation - and they donated their expertise as did so many others to help this project.

 

CAVALLINO RISTORANTE PIZZERIA - TERRY HILLS, SYDNEY

Cavalllino Ristorante Pizzeria
Cnr McCarrs Creek Rd and Yulong Ave.
Terry Hills, Sydney

Cavallino is  a beautiful venue. What strikes you, as well as the lovely building as you approach, is the attractively patterned tiled floor and the surroundings. The lovely stone walls and outside décor is impressive and so too is the inside. The décor is striking with a lot of horse memorabilia - as Cavallino means horsey or pony. The feeling is almost as if you are walking into a museum. It was lovely walking around and seeing all the different artefact's. There is also a spectacular wood fire pizza oven. Take some time to walk around and take in all that Cavallino has to offer. The atmosphere is relaxing with a air of sophistication but not at all pretentious. Couples and families were enjoying themselves and there were also people celebrating birthdays.

We ordered this fabulous cold selection which states on the menu is for 2-4 people. As there were four of us this was ideal. The presentation was fresh and very appetising. There was a tasty variety of cured meats, cheese and olives. Anti Pasta Misto is a great sharing plate and these were clearly very popular. A bottle of Chianti (a favourite) went down very well with our very tasty starter.

The Prosciutto e funghi pizza was a very flavoursome pizza. The tomato, mozzarella, ham and mushroom were certainly plentiful and very tasty. Mlady loves a good pizza crust. It is so important to have a good crust as well of course as having a great topping and this crust really was good!

The La Zucca pizza is made up of tomato, mozzarella, roast pumpkin, Italian sausage and goat's cheese. This was a great combination. It is interesting to try different combinations and the La Zucca - having roast pumpkin - which Mlady loves - was a winner. This again, was a generously topped pizza with great flavours and with that all important good pizza crust - bellissimo!

A quickish lunch at Cavallino turned out to be extremely enjoyable. They have some lovely food there, a pleasant atmosphere and good service too. We'd gladly come back some day to try their evening menu.  

 

MARBLE BAR (INSIDE SYDNEY HILTON) - SYDNEY CBD

Marble Bar
(Basement Level of Sydney Hilton Hotel)
488 George St
Sydey CBD

The iconic Marble Bar under the Hilton Hotel Sydney is back! It's as beautiful, dark, mysterious and captivating as you'd expect - its 1893 heritage beautifully evident. This place has so much charm and atmosphere - it's so unique - almost catacomb-like. It reminded Mlady of the classic and classy Gold Room in The Shining.

We were there for the re-launch of The Marble Bar and it was done in style! They even had a shoe shine stand in the downstairs foyer - very appropriate to its time period feel.

There were signature cocktails freely flowing and canapes endlessly being delivered on platters by helpful staff there.

We of course had live music to entertain the masses with a lively performance from The Dominoes.

We started with a lovely peach puree and champagne drink. Then cocktails - some on offer were the Vesper Martini (vodka and gin based), the Charlie Chaplin (Sloe gin, lime and apricot brandy), an Old Fashioned and a vodka based Moscow Mule. They have other drinks of course - Mlady tried the scotch - a tasty Starward from Victoria and a Springbank 12 year old single malt from Scotland. Sir had an impressive 21year old El Dorado rum from Guyana.

The Marble Bar is elegant and magnificent from the moment you enter it's moody depths. The classic ceilings, the spectacular bar and marble everywhere of course instantly impresses. It's like a secret old world and a perfect place for a drink, or, if you're captivated as we were and can't leave, an entire evening.

Sir and Mlady were guests of The Hilton and The Marble Bar. Special thanks to Rachel Cameron of Sally Burleigh PR for inviting us.

THE ARISAIG TEA ROOMS - SURRY HILLS, SYDNEY

The Arisaig Tea Rooms
The Readers Digest Building
26 Waterloo St
Surry Hills, Sydney

Ever been to Scotland - lovely place. Well you can get a taste of Scotland here at The Arisaig Tea Rooms but with a modern twist. They have a core of Scottish dishes but with plenty of other options and even some variations on the originals. The Scott's in Sydney actually go here - it's not a themed place - it's the real deal.

It's a little tucked away - but worth finding. They even had live music the night we were there.

Their chef, Ben Fresser, is so creative. We had eaten his delicious creative food before at another venue and were so keen to sample his latest creations. They certainly lived up to our expectations as well.

If you've never had haggis then this may be the easiest way to have that introduction. On the other hand, if you have had it, this may still be the best way to get you to try it again!!!

The haggis sliders were haggis in breadcrumbs served on a bap with slaw and jalapeno sauce. They were big for sliders as well and very filling but oh so tasty. Don't be put off - do yourself a flavour - try one!

Scallops are so popular as a starter - and why not. Done well they tease the palate without overly filling you for what lies ahead.

The seared sea scallops here interestingly came served on rounds of black pudding with a drizzle of jalapeno salsa surrounding them.

They looked spectacular - plating is another highlight here.

Mlady grew up with Scotch eggs so she was delighted to see it on the menu here.

The Scotch eggs were described in the menu as egg wrapped in square sausage with chestnut, apple and micro herb salad.

Cutting into the sausage outer layer revealed the egg inside. The whole combination was packed with flavour and the fresh salad offset it all nicely.

This is a bar too so there are plenty of drink options - it is Scottish after all! There are the usual range of beers and spirits here but the thing that caught our eye's were the "teapots". Yes - teapots - the drinks really do come in them - and they're huge as well, not little teapots at all! We chose the Long Leaf Tea Vodka Orange - made from long leaf tea vodka, orange rind, cointreau, dry ginger and cranberry juice. It not only tasted great it looked good and lasted for ages.

Mlady is often caught by pies on menu's - she loves them.

Well Arisaig has its own pie version - the Arisaig steak and ale pie.

It's another hefty meal that comes with an upside down pie topped with mashed potato and served with a side of steamed vegetables and a generous pour of red wine jus. It was tasty and hearty and she devoured it.

As Mlady isn't a lamb eater and I love it I tend to have it quite often when we are out - mainly because we don't have it at home very often. The rosemary and garlic infused lamb rump with candied sweet potato, quinoa, balsamic roasted baby beetroot and mint jus sounded great. The lamb was beautifully cooked - so tender with nice juicy pink meat in a pile mixed with the other ingredients. It was, surprise surprise, huge again.

Chef Ben Fresser is well known for a variety of dishes, but one of his signature dishes is his chocolate fondant. Its reputation is well deserved too - it's a killer dessert.

The rich thick chocolate fondant reveals a runny  gooey interior once you cut into it. It all comes served with fresh strawberries and vanilla cream and it's a delicious finale to any meal and a favourite of ours.

What is cranachen you ask? Well it's an old Scottish dessert made from a mixture of whisky, cream, honey and oats.

Arisaig has a raspberry cranachen on the menu that comes served with candied toasted oats fresh raspberries and sweetened cream.

It comes served in a cocktail glass and it tasted just as good as it looked.

The Arisaig Tea Room isn't on Crown street so you may have to work a little bit harder to find it - but it's worth it. The place has a relaxed homey feel to it. Yes there are a few Scottish adornments, but it's not done in a cheesy way. It's a comfortable place with some really great food waiting for you to try it!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Arisaig. Special thanks to owner Jamie, to Luke and a big thanks to Chef Ben Fresser.

SLIDE - SYDNEY

Slide - Risque Review
41 Oxford St
Darlinghurst, Sydney

Slide has been around for a while now and has been attracting big crowds to its Moulin Rouge style of shows. It's classy too - the type of show that most can go to - so don''t be afraid!

We were there to enjoy their French three course meal and to watch the show Risque Review.

We're not sure if the place is modeled on being a slightly smaller Moulin Rouge - but if you've ever been there you can expect similar quality in a much more intimate room.

It's not all about the show, and it's not all about the food and drinks. It's about both. There are even different types of shows on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings so you can come back for the food and have variety in shows.

We started with a few cocktails.

Mlady had the love cat - described as long red and sexy, while Sir had a French martini - a classic drink. Both arrived promptly and tasted lovely.

The entree was a trio, or trilogy, or whatever three is best described as!

It was a single escargot (snail in the shell), port wine rockmelon salad with smoked duck breast (served piled high in a large glass) and a delicate single serve of goat cheese souffle served in a spoon.

All three were tasty but the souffle was probably our favourite by a whisker.

The show started after our entree and it was certainly impressive. We expected it to be professional - they have been here a while - but it was so much more than that!

There was singing, dancing, acrobatics, humour, pantomime, costumes, razzle dazzle and a bit of cheekiness thrown in as well. We were thoroughly entertained - this is smaller than Moulin Rouge but almost comparable.

Mlady's main was the Poisson L'Iberico - salmon fillet with saffron beurre blanc, fennel and capsicum ragout, chorizo served with pesto coated jumbo fries. It was delicious.

Sir had the Agneau Grille - perfectly grilled lamb rump served with parsnip mash and wild mushroom bordelaise and herb buttered green beans. A side of pommes frittes capped it off so well!

Of course dining out on French food means a tasty sweet finish to any meal. We had a trio described as les delices de Paris - violet macaron, eiffel ginger bread and petite rose and pomegranate pavlova. It was a great way to finish a lovely meal with threee tasty treats.

The show of course was just as memorable. We were enthralled by the acrobatics, enchanted by the saucy escapades and allured with the dancing and singing. It was a great show!

Slide is a venue that has been attracting large audiences for quite a long while.

Once you go there though it's very easy to see why.

You need to book ahead but it is such a great evening at Slide you should give it a go!

There were plenty of couples there as well as larger groups - they cater for all.

The food was excellent and we were talking about the show for days afterwards!

Sir and Mlady were guests of Slide. Special thanks to Fernanda for looking after us on our visit. A big thanks also to Lucilla Dodds for arranging our visit.