Papi Chulo, Manly

Merivale's at it again with Coogee Pavillion opening. And I'm still here after all the hype has died finally going to Papi Chulo. 

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4fourteen, Surry Hills

Colin Fassnidge is a technical marvel. He is epitome of the comfort food refined. Take my older post on Four in Hand: shockingly good roast chicken, swede soup and a clever clever crab taco. Then a deal came up on Dimmi with 50 percent off 4fourteen, the baby sister restaurant. Am I in? You betcha.

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Nomad, Surry Hills

Nomad. Now they've tickled my fancy for a long long while. Pickles, Mediterranean food, gutsy arrangements of sharing plates. Right up my alley.

House-made pickles line the restaurant. From the get go, you know it is, from top to tail, very much one of those modern industrial-looking 'hip' ones. 

Timber beams and ventilation pipes, man-sized barrels, open kitchen for the curious uninitiated to peer curiously into and bare tables. You know you're in one of those places. 

Oysters | cucumber, arak  5ea

Whilst it lacks the chilling properties of serving on ice, there's something about serving oysters on rocks and pebbles that makes it seem so natural. The oysters themselves are clean and pristine, served in a beautiful Tetsuya-esque vinaigrette.

Goats Cheese Churros | truffled honey 15

Looking a little thin and shrivelled, their churros hardly impress the eye but provide the perfect medium for which to dunk into zingy whipped curd and earthy sweet truffle honey.

Foie Gras & Chicken Liver Parfait | radish, Iranian plum 26

Second trip for my usual dining partner, she zeroed right into the chicken liver parfait without surprise. It's easy to see why, what with the super smooth and buttery parfait with a touch of foie gras luxury added in, house pickled radishes to nibble on and a sweet plum jam.

BBQ Lamb Ribs | quince, Nomad yoghurt 32

Now we can't seem to go past ribs. Ever. I think it's almost fair to say that no ribs will ever surpass Ms G's sweet and sour ones but these do a pretty good job of trying. The ribs are smokily charred and finished off in a sugary quince paste to give it an inviting caramelisation. The cooling neutrality of yoghurt assures we can continue to eat the unctiously tender ribs without feeling sick.

Beer Braised Shortrib | Nomad smoked cheddar, B&B pickles

Judging from passers-by, their shortrib burger (or bocadillo) seems like a popular order. We love it; shredded rib meat with their house-smoked cheese melting all over. Tart gherkins cut it right through and with a soft bun, you've got a meal you wouldn't want to share. 

Buttermilk Cream | cherries, sangria ice 14

I was thinking, hey guys chucking on whole cherries is a little lazy right? Silly me; they've subtly pitted the whole cherry without cutting a gaping hole so when you first bite in, you're pleasantly surprised. Clever, clever. In comparison to our mains, it's fresh with a boozy kick to the granita to soothe out much of the creamy richness of the pannacotta. With only 3 elements here, they sing in simple delicious harmony. 

Nomad is hot. Let's get that straight. The combinations are clever yet still work. What makes it different is their adherence to doing things from scratch, from curing and smoking to pickling. Sharp service and a good spacious area bring together what is a great space to dine and wine. 


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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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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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Bodega Tapas Bar, Surry Hills

When people ask me "Hey, where should we eat today?", without a second thought I'll reply Bodega immediately. It's one of those places I've grown to love because how well they do their food. It's ability to get friends together and stimulate conversation is unparalleled and when you get a spot on top of the bar, you get to see how genius translates from kitchen to plate.

We started off with Sonoma bread and fruity olive oil. Key note: do save some of the bread because they you'll have something to mop up the deliciousness later on.

Mushrooms with Garlic

I apologise, this is the half eaten plate because in all my excitement I forgot to take a picture. I've had a lot of mushrooms in my days as a foodie, but none are done as brilliantly as this. These are done to perfection, garlicky, oily, nutty and just so bloody deliciously. Bread comes in handy to mop up the creamy sauce and oil. Be a little brave and pop some of the garlic out of their skins. Your taste-bud's will be rewarded.

Fried Spiced Calamari with Aioli

What separates this from other plain old fried calamari is a little spiking of paprika. Simple as that. What results is a heady intoxicating perfume that's just as delectable as it is aromatic. A generous blob of thick aioli does wonders to the dish as well.

"Fish Fingers": Kingfish Sashimi on Garlic Toast with Cuttlefish Ceviche and Mojama

This has to be one of the most intelligently constructed bites i've ever had. You get an intentionally blackened sour dough, generously rubbed with garlic and doused in olive oil. Layer that quality kingfish sashimi, a cuttlefish ceviche punctuated with flavours of coriander and acidity, just enough raw onion and mojama and you have a very scrumptious different version of your traditional deep fried "fish fingers".

Slow Cooked Lamb Loins with Criolla Salsa, Roast Garlic Miso and Olive Crumbs

I initially ordered something with salmon but I changed my mind halfway after seeing how these ribs were prepared. Pretty glad I did. Smoky lamb crackling hides a gorgeously fatty interior and tender meat. Give it traditional Argentinian flavours like eggplant puree, salsa and olive crumbs and that makes nearly everyone happy. Probably not the best ribs I've had (Refer to Lamb Ribs at Ms G's) but pretty damn close.

Cheesecake with Carrot Icecream, Crumbs and Blackcurrant Reduction

This was all sorts of wacky though not particularly in a good way. The flavours do go well together though it would seem they belong more on a savoury plate than a sweet. I've never been a big fan of Bodega sweets because of it's heavy handedness with certain flavours and this didn't change my mind.

Bodega is anything but flawless, but what does do right far outweighs what it does wrong. All dishes pleasantly surprise with whimsical and clever combinations, rustic and shareable. Some work, some don't, but that's half the fun; going through the menu and trying something just because another table ordered it, then figuring out whether that was a good idea. Be careful though, I remain adamant that you can leave with a relatively small $30 bill each but that aforementioned dish spotting enthusiasm can really make the bill shoot up. There's not an ounce of stiff pretension; loud music and and a lively modern appearance contribute to the bouncy and fun ambience. I'll be the first to say, chef hat or not, this place is one of, if not my favourite restaurant.



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