Biota Dining, Bowral

This whole Noma movement has taken the world by storm. Who would have ever imagined to go along the road, dig out the first green thing you see and eat it. Sounds like what a two year old would do. Like a recipe to get a drug induced high more so than gastronomic enlightenment. And yet we have restaurants all over the world basing their entire concept on the art of foraging.

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Da Mario, Roseberry

The offspring of the hugely popular Pizza Mario, Da Mario has high expectations to live up to. They've recently opened up a store in Roseberry off the beaten path in the industrial area so it's a bit hard to get to but definitely something to check out.

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Crane Bar and Restaurant, Darlinghurst

There's the new kid on the block who's just turned ONE. She can get quite loud, is well dressed and well groomed, charming and already the center of attention. Oddly enough even at the tender age of one, her taste buds are more mature than most with her lunch box being filled with all sorts of exotic Japanese goodies that have all the other kids envious. Boy her parents must be proud indeed. 

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Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, Newtown

 42 percent. That's what the rating for Miss Peaches read a couple months ago. I'm going to be frank. Urbanspoon, whilst never deciding what my end opinion is, pretty much dictates where I go out to eat. Sure, if no one's heard of the place and I happen to come across it, even better. I know it's pretentious sounding but I hardly ever venture out to an unknown place knowing it there's a 'greater likelihood' of it being crap. I hardly am spontaneous. There's actually heaps of 'research' (other blogs heh heh) that goes into my places so needless to say I went into Miss Peaches with a lot of trepidation.

Really sorry for all the picture quality. Wasn't planning to get a post up on this one so I didn't bring my proper camera but then everyone else started taking pictures off food so I figured I'd join in the 'fun' with my phone. Yeah...

Tatter Totts 8

See tatter totts remind me of something I had as a four year old. They're really nothing special so why on earth did we all (me included) keep coming back to them. Was it the fact that they were generously seasoned, fluffy and light? Was it the slightly spicy, sweet maple ketchup? Mysteries of the world...

Fried Chicken 4 per piece

Chicken. Boy I love fried chicken like a dog loves his bone. Despite what consisted mostly of white meat, the chicken was pretty well cooked. It probably wasn't the juiciest one to date but the batter was so delectably spiced that it just kept everyone coming back for more. 

Short Rib Sliders 20 for 4

Short ribs, whilst they could have been more tender, were nice and sticky and cut right through with some really good colesaw. Hut damn they were terrible. I'm sorry I can't possibly make this sound better than it actually is. They were just really dry, crumbly instead of crunchy and flavourless. Pretty much by the end of it there was a pile of corn bread sitting on top untouched with all the filling having disappeared.

Food was here and there but the place certainly has the right vibes going on. Prices were quite affordable, cocktails were pretty funky and the place has some really up beat service going on despite the busy night. Be wary of what you pick and choose but expect to come out generally in good spirits (the booze ought to do it for yah). 

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Buns and Balls, Darlinghurst

That's right. You read it. Buns and Balls. Facing the ever popular Hugo's Pizza opposite as well as the other well established restaurants  near by, you damn well better come out with all guns blazing and what better than to do so than to start with the cheeky promise of 'Juicy Buns and Tasty Balls'. That certainly grabs attention.

Boasting a in-house DJ, a groovy and retro fitout, street art and a share able menu; Buns and Balls, run by the Darling group, is a vibrant boozy den chockful of meatballs and burgers and good times. The night was headed by the ultra amicable Simon Hancock and the rest of the staff aren't too shabby either. With booze free flowing, the night was on.

Watermelon, Lime and Vodka 12

Freshly juiced cocktails start the action. The watermelon juice cocktail was super fresh and you could taste it all the way in here.

Pineapple, Gingerbeer, Vodka and Bitters 12

Pineapple cocktails are the way to go here. They're all the great things shaken up; bitter, the slightly astringent ginger, sweet and sour pineapple action, foamy creamy top and you've got a party in your mouth going on.

Tofu Meatball 9

The tofu 'meat' balls, filled with dense tofu with a crunchy exterior wrapping it were super delicious. They're just absolutely fall apart and goes perfect with their spicy tomato sauce.

Chargrilled Steak Salad 12.5

The beef salad was a little lifeless here which was the general consensus. The gentle crunchy leaves were quite nicely dressed but the beef was a little dry.

Chicken Salad 12

On the other hand, the chicken salad was easily the better of the two. It feels a little more complete with the rest of the vegetables and croutons happening and especially with the spicy chilli sauce that really jacks up the flavour of the chicken. 

Grilled Chicken 10

The chicken burger was definitely my favourite of the night. You get a lot going; chilli sauce and crumbed juicy chicken, cheese and mayo and the other usual suspects. It's sort of like a more refined Oportos burger and there's definitely nothing wrong with that. All for a measly tenner.

Sweet Potato Fries 6

Goes perfect with their sweet potato fries. They're well seasoned, soft on the inside, sort of crispy on the outside and with a fantastic flavour. Happy days.

Ice Cream Block 14

Dessert was written to be a surprise and first came in the form of ice-cream cookie sandwich. Whilst I was having particular issues with the hardness of the cookies (in my eyes Subway cookies still are the best cookies ever made... mmmmm just thinking about it...) and plain ice cream, there's just something deliciously tasty about it that makes sharing so hard.

Doughnut Bites 8

What appeared to be Krispy Kreme donuts were gently warmed through and came with a chocolate dipping sauce. Simple but utterly delectable.

Burgers and meatballs (if it hasn't been obvious already) are what's happening here and that's their passion. With the exception of the excellent 10 dollar burgers, prices are here and there but are generally acceptable particularly for the area. The place is as hip and grudgey as any can get, the food was great, moreish and ticks all the right boxes for a good night out in the Cross. I mean, what more could you want.

Petit4s attended this tasting with a guest courtesy of Sian from The Darlin Group.


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Memphis Wings, Casula

About to get a heart attack and a half everyone. As with nearly all things American, dieters need not apply themselves here. Memphis Wings are bringing their little slice of Americana down to Casula and it seems like the word is out.


Located at Casula Crossroads (the location for the second Costco in NSW), it's a nice little drive away for me and I can really see the place filling up in the coming months. It's loud, hot and open with flies buzzing around everywhere but their top 50 1950-80's classics really give this place character. 

6 Wings 9

Wings are a bit of a let down here. Just pretty much sour and salty and I suppose I was expecting more from peri peri. The accompanying curly fries are pretty amazing but. They're super crispy and fun to play with at the same time. I think I'll hit the chipotle next time round.

Full Beef Ribs 26.5

The ribs here are really amazing. All wonderfully gnarly and smoky from the 4 hour smoking process and soft and tender from the 17 hour slow cooked process; they're finger licking good without being too sickening or fatty.

Beef Brisket Burger Meal (with curly fries, corn and drink) 14

We get their brisket burger which is packed with juicy soft slow cooked beef chunks. It's ridiculously tender and packed with slaw and mayo which makes it super unctuous and tasty.

Original Philly 8.5

Their philly subs are quite popular here with super tender beef slices and soft bread. It's livened up with a squeeze of their almost artificially yellow sauce which is really addictive.

Quesadilla 8.5

The quesadilla also packs their yellow cheese sauce but some melted cheese instead to bind it all together would have been better. We get ours filled with tender chicken and salsa which really hits the spot. It would have bee nice if they were cut but.

Slamming ribs and philly subs are where it's at in Memphis Wings. It's pretty much a one dimensional sort of food: the unctuous and smoky American kind. If you follow Man versus Food like I do, that's pretty much what you've got here and that's bloody amazing.


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Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

Creamy. Soft. Melting. Magical. It was pretty much love at first sight when a plate of Burrata landed on our table at Buffalo Dining Club. I'll be honest, what particularly drew me to this little part of Kings Cross was the flipping insane 97 percent rating at Urbanspoon more than anything else.

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Bitton Gourmet Cafe, Alexandria

We were close to Alexandria that same day and I've heard a lot about Bitton so we decided to head off there. Hey she was driving after all. Which is good because I can't be trusted with directions at all. My friends all know this sadly...

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Hartsyard, Newtown

Hartsyard has been on my agenda for a long long while. I mean seriously it's on the same road as my uni and I manage to go to other places that are half way around the city instead. American 'dude food' isn't my thing and neither is an 'aren't we all hip?' mindset but Hartsyard has, for a long while, filled hipsters with hearty guilt-inducing food happily and a visit was inevitable.

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The Choc Pot, Burwood

I'll be honest, I don't at all dig the entire 'having 50 stores of the same kind within a 20 metre radius' sort of thing. I'm not having a go at them all because I've had one or two good ones but admittedly they're just so wide spread that they get a little sickening; you all know what I mean. The thing that kept entering my mind when I arrived at The Choc Pot was whether it was just some knock-off Max Brenner and that's sadly not a mentality you want to have when trying a new place.

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Taste of Shanghai, Hurstville

Dumpling time again as we make our way into Hurstville's Taste of Shanghai which is also the group that runs the hugely successful Shanghai Stories 1938 down Chatswood.

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Tomislav, Darlinghurst

Tomislav has been on my radar for a long long time. Comparisons between Gastro Park (my favourite restaurant of 2012) make the wait almost unbearable and before we know it we're heading off down the good ol' Kings Cross. 

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East Village Gourmet Food Festival, Zetland

Last Saturday noon was the East Village Gourmet Food Festival. As part of the Good Food month of October, it promised to be a showcase of the Sydney food scene and that it did deliver. 

Entry is free and the sun was out so needless to say finding parking was hazardous. Located down on Joynton Park in Alexandria, the likes of places like Longrain, Salt Meat and Cheese, Gelato Messina and Veggie Patch (without the van) are featured in make shift tents ready to serve out food to the masses. There's also a live band down in the center ready to bust out some afternoon grooves.

This is the first time I've ever tried anything from Longrain. 

Yellow curry of Mirrool Creek spring lamb with pickled mustard greens, chilli &  coriander 16

They've got a mild yellow curry going on with super tender lamb chunks, a lively curry and some pickled mustard greens that works wonders loosening up the gentle heat and giving some freshness.

I wasn't expecting this dish by Foley Lane to be cold but it seemed perfect given the weather. 

WA braised octopus with lime aioli 13

They've really braised it down so it's wonderfully soft and tender, livened up with a generously sprinkling of basil and finished off with a simple tomato sauce. Lime aioli was missing but we didn't bother to ask them for some because it seemed good enough.

Fresh drinking coconut 5

Hot day begs for some hydration so Coco-go-nut's offering of coconut juice is the perfect way to go. 

Messina always do spectacular gelato and on a hotter day, it always tastes better. 

2 Scoops 7

It's easy to fall in love with the italian nougat; delicately creamy, almost honey flavoured ice cream is interspersed with various nuts while the mango gelato tasted spot on with its delicious sweetness.  

Piggy from Dan the Man

Salt Meats Cheese

The rest of the day was spent walking around. There's heaps to find and eat but not enough stomach space for it all sadly.

Really sad that I missed out on dinner under the stars with Longrain but there's always next year. Prices are admittedly a little dear but it's a really nice food festival and definitely worth visiting if you have the time. Until then.


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Masterchef Food Truck, Street Sliders, Let's Do Yum Cha, Parramatta

Four different food trucks converged onto Parramatta Church street the other day and they were conveniently ones we haven't tried yet. 

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Matale Chocolates

Buying products is a touchy thing. I'll admit, I've never given much thought on the effects that cheap products puts on farmers on the other end. Most of the time I'm pretty much just looking at the price. I mean most of us do really. 

As a child, I'd always get this image of a farmer being some happy fat male in overalls playing the banjo with all the cows and chickens singing. I'd still like to believe singing chickens exist but I'm a bit more realistic when it comes to the nature of farming now: farming is a tough life. I don't think a lot the farmers in other countries choose to be farmers, let alone are happy people. 

Of late, there seems to be direction that most coffee suppliers are heading in that they're taking greater consideration in ethics of treating smaller farmers with the emergence of rain forest certified coffee beans and what not. The same is happening with chocolate beans now with Matale chocolate.

Honestly, you won't get much of the secondary flavours if you really aren't thinking into it. What you really notice is the intensity of the cocoa and the smoothness of the finish. Whilst the Malekula tastes a little more ordinary, the somia tastes a little more exotic with a pronounced twang of citrus which is quite nice.

That's enough propaganda for one day. Read into it how you will. In the end Matale Chocolates are delicious, they're made fresh and they're doing it right. Keep up the work guys.

Petit4s recieved products courtesy of Thibault & Eloi from Matale Chocolate

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