Jah Bar

For my early birthday dinner, I went to a tapas place in my area. As multicultural as Sydney is, I find that certain cuisines dominate particular suburbs which can be a little annoying when I don't want to trek out too far for dinner. My area of Sydney has a lot of burgers, pizzas and the occasional Thai. So I was quite surprised to discover that there was tapas nearby! I've eaten at The Strand at Dee Why many times now and never noticed this place.

This was my friend's first time eating tapas and I haven't eaten tapas in a very long time so we were quite excited.

Sweet potato // $15

wood fired with honey, smoked paprika, oregano and confit garlic

Cider glazed chorizo // $17

with toasted almond picada

Moroccan braised Lamb // $18

slow roasted, pulled apart & put back together

I didn't take a photo of the Moroccan braised lamb unfortunately! My favourite was the sweet potatoes; the honey made it so incredible tasty.

Jah Bar was an interesting place. We were seated at the bar and could see the wood fire oven and the staff assemble some of the tapas. Like a lot of other places at The Strand, it's a little expensive however I wouldn't mind going again someday. Especially interested to go during warmer nights and sit outside by the ocean.

GPO Cheese & Wine Room

For the past 5 years, I have walked past the GPO Building on Martin Place twice a day. However, it was only a few months ago when I realised that there are restaurants inside the building and it is connected to The Westin!

For Mr Paella's birthday dinner, I picked the GPO Cheese & Wine Room. When I had booked a few days prior, I had selected the number of people and also the seating location (tunnel rather than the main room). However when we arrived, the wait staff didn't have that additional information on hand which was a little annoying. Doesn't that defeat the whole point of making a reservation?


The highlight of the night was the grilled prawns entree. I'm not a fan of seafood generally, but the prawns were really well seasoned.



The mains were a little disappointing. We ordered the chicken spit roast w/ french fries and the mac & cheese with Italian sausage. Although the chicken was really nice, the french fries were okay. Not terrible, but they were effectively a better version of McDonald's fries. Comparable to a fresh batch of McDonald's fries in fact.

The mac & cheese was a dish that I had been craving for a while and it wasn't creamy enough. It was a little watery actually.

It seems that the cheese fondue is quite popular there and, of course, the cheese boards. But I'm not entirely sure if I would revisit. The GPO Cheese & Wine Rooms seems more like a place I wouldn't mind eating at rather than a place on my list of places to eat at in the Sydney CBD.

Ending the night with a walk around Circular Quay.

Cafe Oratnek

When I ask people what to do in Sydney, invariably people end up rattling off a list of places to eat. Although this is usually not what I'm after, it does expose me to a variety of places that a) I haven't heard about or b) are the current 'popular' eateries.

Cafe Oratnek is a place that I have been hearing about and I decided to pop in for a visit with Mr Paella. It was a pretty miserable day when I visited which may have been a good thing actually since there wasn't a line! It's at a bit of an odd location; close to Prince Alfred Park or the giant Australia Post building on Cleveland Street.



I ordered the soy chai latte which was alright. I just wish that places would actually use proper chai rather than chai mixes which does not compare to the real thing.



My dish was the mashed 4 spring peas & beans, jamon serrano, spinach, kale, parmesan on toast with poached egg. I'm not really a peas kind-of-gal, but surprisingly I really liked it! The jamon was probably my favourite part of the dish. I also tried Mr Paella's soft shell crab burger (not pictured) and it was pretty good. My favourite was probably the chips. Super crunchy and beautifully flavoured.

Cafe Oratnek is well known for it's matcha dishes/drinks such as matcha latte, matcha lamington and also matcha french toast. I'm actually inclined to revisit to try other dishes which is a rarity for me!

Kit Kat, Japanese & Choux

For the past three weeks it has been quite hectic at work. It has been a little hard to keep up with my blog which has bothered me a little. But I think I will be back in the swing of things soon.

This is a compilation of a variety of notable food that I have consumed within that period.






1 // Customised Kit Kat from the Kit Kat Studio @ Westfield
I honestly can't quite remember what my combination was; dark chocolate with dried mango, salted caramel popcorn and maybe .. honey comb? Like the Magnum popup a few years ago it is more for the novelty factor.




2 // Yayoi
My go-to place for dinner is The Galeries, notably Ichi-ba Boshi. There are two new Japanese restaurants there now which seems slightly excessive. I have now been to both - Lotus and Yayoi  (pictured above) - and nothing to really write home about though.





3 // Choux
I have been seeing these from I Miss Choux for the past few weeks and was intrigued. I actually had no idea what choux was and assumed that the 'choux' was a profterole. Not quite. Choux pastry is the type of pastry used for profiteroles. Mmm I liked the green tea & black seasame one better than the Gaytime which was slightly too sweet, which is surprising since I'm not a fan of green tea/matcha items.

I have also been back into the swing of film photography, in particular black and white. I'm trying to shoot mainly with film which is a little challenging. It requires a lot of commitment on my part as I don't have the ability to see the photos that I take instantly. I know that I will have more of a delay between when I take photos of my outings and when I write about it which is also a personal challenge. But it is all good!

Fika Swedish Kitchen

I have this tendency to whine a little too much about the weather. When it is sunny and tolerably warm, I curse at the sun. When it is gloomy, I curse at the clouds for making it so dreary. And yet, when I was overseas in Europe and saw the sun/ clear skies for the first time in a very long time, I was just so happy. The grass is always greener on the other side. I have been feeling a little "stuck" lately and I believe it is attributable to the fact that I am constantly indoors. So what did I do? I decided to head to Manly for brunch after running some errands.

 

Fika Swedish Kitchen has been on my radar for a little while now and I have been putting it off due to lack of interest from people I know. But what the heck. Why not go by myself?

Copied from their website:

Fika is a Swedish word that translates as ‘taking a break for coffee and a bite to eat’. But really it’s much more than that. It’s a moment to relax, to catch up with your family and to laugh with your friends. It’s making up for lost time, or part of your daily ritual. A cosy escape, or a refreshing pause. It’s the time between meals, the place between destinations. There’s always time for Fika.

I ordered the 'Salmon Lover' which consisted of pumpernickel bread topped with smashed avocado, smoked salmon and a poached egg. A funny story: I used to like smoked salmon until one fateful yacht trip where I ended up puking it back up, right along with my chocolate drink. Needless to say, I was a little scarred by the experience and didn't eat it for over 7 years until last year.

I love pumpernickel bread especially as it has fond memories attached to it.

It was nice just doing something for myself. I'm not 100% comfortable with eating by myself (apart from at sushi train and ramen places) but I definitely do want to get over this discomfort. I was also too awkward to take out my camera so I just resorted to using my phone only. One step at a time. 

The Tea Cosy

I have been busy meeting up with friends over the past week before I leave for my two month trip overseas. My two closest university friends and I met up at The Tea Cosy for some afternoon tea.





I ordered the Devonshire Tea which consisted of two scones, jam and a drink of my choice. The scones vary daily and on the occasion that I visited, there was the choice of: plain, currant, apple crumble or cheese and thyme. I picked apple crumble and cheese and thyme with paw paw, lime & passion fruit jam and Turkish Apple tea.







A few months ago, Owl Girl mentioned that there were two ways to eat a scone which I had never realised before. Devonshire method is where the cream is placed on the scone first followed by the jam. The Cornwall method is jam first, followed by the cream. I used to eat it the Devonshire way however I tried the Cornwall way and I think I actually prefer the latter!


Devonshire. Excuse the chipped nail.


Cornwall.
How do you eat your scones?

The Burger Shed

Last Friday I went to The Burger Shed in Mosman with my sister and my super super adorable little niece! The burgers were pretty good however I ate it hastily because I had to switch baby-holding duties with my sister (which I didn't mind at all).

I leave for my Grad trip in just over a week which is crazy and I am trying to cram in as many catch ups with friends and my niece before I leave. I have already packed (well planned) what I am bringing and have been slowly culling my items so that I don't overpack. Everyone tells me how lucky I am, and I guess I am, but at the same time I'm not super excited which is weird.

A Farewell at Sea Bar

When I worked at my first job, I met this quiet, but lovely Filipino couple who come to Australia to earn some money and have a comfortable life when they returned to the Philippines. At the time, they had left their 4 year old daughter with family. I was 17 at the time and it was when I first really understood the sacrifices that people make to better the lives of their loved ones. They were originally meant to stay for 2 years however after 5 years, they are now returning home.

Originally, cultural differences created a slight rift between us, however we also worked 6-7 hour shifts together in a small space which meant that we eventually bonded. I have so many wonderful and hilarious memories with them, including the time that they sneakily roasted a chicken in the industrial oven for their dinner (I'm sure that the owner would have been very, very unhappy). The wife actually helped me to get my current job where she and her husband also worked at.

For our farewell, we had lunch at Sea Bar (next to Seachange).




My Cajun spiced chicken salad


Lamb cutlets with kumara mash.


Fish and Chips

Like Seachange, there was attentive service and the food was really good. I actually didn't even finish my salad which is a rarity. I was very impressed that there were two pieces of chicken (I was expecting slivers of chicken) and chunks of avocado. I may have also eaten a third of my friend's chips since they were so crispy!

I was originally a little apprehensive of meeting since we hadn't talked properly for nearly 4 years now; we would say hi and bye when we saw each other at work. But conversation flowed really easily and I just remembered why I loved talking to them before. They are so down to earth and genuine people which I find a rarity unfortunately. We just talked about children, partners and just about how to live a fulfilling life. I'm a little sad to see them go because it is change (and I'm not the fondest of that). But maybe I will see them again one day when I visit the Philippines. Whenever that is.


A very cool looking tree due to the winds. I am sure a quote about adapting to change and obstacles would be fitting here. Sadly, I can think of none.

Seachange

The cooler weather in Sydney has been much appreciated, although it seems to be heating up again by the end of this week. A. and I went to Seachange for brunch the other day at Dee Why Beach. We had never been there before but was attracted to the place due to the popularity by the locals.




  Portuguese Chicken on turkish pide

'The Local'
Although it was somewhat expensive, the food was quite good and portions were generous. They actually served me the wrong burger (I wanted the chicken and bacon one) but I wasn't fussed and still enjoyed it. There is something absolutely awesome about Turkish bread and I could eat it all day long (but I really shouldn't). The barista also made lovely coffee art - an elephant- for the next table which was very cute too.  Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is in Sydney, especially the beaches.

Night Noodle Markets

Despite some hesitation, I did end up visiting the Night Noodle Market at Hyde Park.The pretty lights convinced me that I needed to visit although naturally, we ended up going when it was still light outside and therefore the lights were not turned on. Of course.




A. and I shared the beef ramen burger and also the teriyaki chicken rice burger. Hmm. Where to begin. Well the rice burger was mainly consumed by myself and by the end of it, my jaw was tired from trying to break down the 'buns' of the burger. When I was younger, we didn't have a non-stick rice cooker therefore every time we cooked rice, a layer of rice would be stuck and it was hard and almost inedible. That was basically what the rice buns reminded me of. Sometimes I feel that I can be quite harsh when it comes to giving my opinion, and then sometimes I don't. When it comes to food, nearly everything falls under the opinion of, "It's alright" and when I actually don't like something, I really really don't like it. Sadly, this fell into the latter category.


Mini pancakes w/ chocolate sauce and strawberries.

A. was still a little hungry which justified our trip to Pancakes on the Rocks. We shared the Hot 'n' Troppo with crepes substituted for the pancakes. I am actually not a big fan of pancakes and after my 3 day stint of eating pancakes for breakfast everyday in Toronto (it was free!), I have been put off about the idea of pancakes.