Lebanese perfection, plated!

The lightest, fluffiest garlic sauce, the crunchiest falafels with the softest insides, the tastiest tabouli, the smokiest chicken, the most mountainous pile of Lebanese bread you’ve ever been served, the pickle-iest pickles, you get the idea? Sounds like heaven on a plate, and indeed it is. Order a mixed plate for $15 (we had the chicken shawarma) and share it with a friend or two. The original Jasmin’s restaurant in multi-culti Lakemba is definitely worth the hop, skip and jump southwest. Simply, wow.

Jasmin’s, 30b Haldon St, Lakemba, tel: 02 9740 3589

Kawa on Crown Street

I can’t seem to get enough of Surry Hills and surrounds since moving back to Sydney – it’s always been a favourite, but there’s something about the energy, architecture, cafe culture and non-stop crop of cool new bars and restaurants that makes it the place I want to be right now.

A sunny but slightly chilly Saturday called for a Surry-hurst exploration on foot. First stop was cute cafe Kawa, with its tiki and tribal accents, hanging tropical plants, bountiful fruit display awaiting the juicer and mismatched vintage vibe. After fuelling up on eggs benedict and coffees we headed off on an epic walk all over the inner east, from Darlinghurst and Surry Hills across to Kings Cross and Potts Point, and eventually back to the city.

Lunch was at the very Euro La Petit Creme (french onion soup and merguez and harissa sandwich). The cafe has an old school, antiquey look and a busy, bustling vibe, an open fast paced kitchen and cool French and Spanish accented patrons.

Double happiness – rosewater, mandarin & honey; salted caramel and white choc chip
plus chocolate fondante and rasberry. Who cares that it’s winter!

Next stop was Gelato Messina, renowned for their innovative gelato flavours and often hailed as Sydney’s best gelato – now I see why. The rosewater, mandarin and honey combination was a middle eastern inspired taste trip and my overall favourite. Also devoured – the salted caramel and white choc chip, the chocolate fondante and raspberry, which were all amazingly rich and full of flavour.

We also visited The Artery, a not-for-profit gallery featuring contemporary aboriginal art. The art is actually affordable (well, by art’s standards!) and really appeals to my love of colour and pattern. I fell in love with so many stunning pieces and am seriously thinking of buying something!

Water Dreaming by Rex Winston Walford (image courtesy The Artery)

Bush Yam Dreaming by Jeannie Mills Pwerle (image courtesy The Artery)

After a wander across to Potts Point’s shops and art galleries we headed back to the city to Grandma’s, a fairly recent addition to Sydney’s small bar scene. A subterranean room is decked out in mismatched retro furniture and fittings and the cocktail list is long and enticing. Tiki and rum flavoured cocktails dominate, with a nod to prohibition era concoctions. There are a few beers like Tiger (umm, no thanks – after nearly five years in Asia I don’t want to see another Tiger for a long time, or Beer Chang, or Angkor, or 333….!). We stuck to wine and had a great Printhie Shiraz from Orange that the barman suggested (tip – the pour here is VERY generous!). Like hanging out in someone’s loungeroom, Grandma’s is a comfortable, casual and cosy affair. There was even an actual grandma having drinks there – she must have been at least 75! The clientele was a really diverse mix – definitely a welcoming and unpretentious place for a drink. Loved it!

The kitsch-fest stairwell down to Grandma’s

Kawa, 346-350 Crown St, Surry Hills, tel: 02 9331 6811
La Petit Creme, 118 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 9361 4738
Gelato Messina, Shop 1/241 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 8354 1223
The Artery, Shop 2 The Westbury, 221 Darlinhurst Rd, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 9380 8234
Grandma’s, basement of 275 Clarence St, Sydney, tel: 02 9264 3004

Last weekend we ventured southwest to Campsie (think Sydney’s Koreatown in the burbs) for its annual food festival, along with 20,000 other hungry souls. Giving the kim chi eating competition a miss we headed to Campsie’s main drag, Beamish Street, where several blocks were cordoned off and lined with food stalls.

Korean barbecue was a prominent player (mmm, meat on sticks) along with a whole range of diverse cuisines featuring the usual suspects (gozleme, where do you not pop up?!) and some not so typical. Along with Malaysian, Korean and Chinese snacks we had a Colombian arepa and some Senegalese lamb stew and fatayas, a type of fish pastry similar to a samosa.

As for the more standard fare, the char kway teow from the Albee’s Kitchen stand was tasty enough to require a return trip to Campsie to eat at their restaurant, with further enticement from Not Quite Nigella’s review (though I’m not sure about the Marmite chicken?!). Korean is definitely on the agenda too… next time, Campsie!

On a mission to find new Italian wine bar 121BC we stumbled around Surry Hills’ Holt Street for what seemed like eternity. After a few misses and a quick enquiry at nearby Vini (121BC’s big sister bar and restaurant) we were on our way down the adjacent alleyway, meeting another lost couple enroute. Reason for all the confusion – it’s listed in some places as 4/50 Holt Street without the all important ‘enter via Gladstone Street’ (don’t enter 50 Holt Street itself or you’ll just be in the lobby of an office building!).

Finally inside 121BC, we were seated at the one long communal table. A blackboard list of Italian whites on the left and reds on the right was before us and the staff made some excellent recommendations. We loved the atmosphere, the unique and amazing wines, the customer service and the idea you can purchase a full bottle of your favourite at the adjacent wine shop. Small bar perfection!

Next, it was onto dinner at District Dining, the more casual offering from 2-hatted Assiette’s Warren Turnbull.

Devoured:
1 bottle of Spanish white (Albarino)
Scallops with artichoke, pancetta and prune
Kingfish with wasabi pannacotta, quinoa and ponzu
Roasted spatchcock, sweetcorn, succotash and bacon
Braised beef cheek, cauliflower, pedro ximenez and prunes
Dark chocolate brownie, macadamia brittle, white chocolate icecream
Mandarin brulee, cardamom and poached mandarin
2 macchiatos (using organic Allpress coffee)

The seafood entrees were both delicious, with the scallops beautifully cooked and the wasabi pannacotta the perfect accompaniment to the super fresh kingfish. The spatchcock had an amazing cajun-like seasoning which made the dish, and the beef cheeks were unbelievably tender (and our overall favourite dish of the night). The desserts weren’t of the to-die-for variety with the brownie a little low on the chocolate factor, but the brulee’s dynamic cardamom and mandarin flavour combo managed to compensate.

Verdict? District Dining was casually and comfortably cool, with friendly service and a moreish menu. I now feel compelled to return and try the quail eggs with tarragon mayo and, well, pretty much everything else we didn’t order!

121BC Cantina & Enoteca, 4/50 Holt St (enter via Gladstone St), Tel: 02 9699 1582, www.121bc.com.au





District Dining, 17 Randle St, Surry Hills, Tel: 02 9211 7798, www.districtdining.com.au

I have just been (for the second time in less than a week!) to one of the most stunning, inspiring, elegant, amazing restaurants, and it’s right in my neighbourhood! I can’t believe I’ve only been introduced to this place two weeks before I depart Saigon, so obviously, a few more visits are in order!

Cuc Gach Quan is a Vietnamese ‘country’ style restaurant, with its menu offering a nod to the way dishes were once prepared – without msg or ingredients affected by fertilisers. The tofu and the soy sauce are homemade, and the juices are natural and pure with no sugar added, but a little jug of honey is served on the side. The food is delicious (especially the lemongrass tofu and the pork in claypot) and the decor is amazing, with antique/distressed wood furniture, gorgeous blue and white crockery and drinks served in glass bottles with rolled up banana leaf stoppers. There’s a fish and turtle pond between the front room and the open kitchen at the back, and a steep staircase leading up to more gorgeous seating. The restaurant is architect owned and designed – and it shows!

I’m in love with this place, and I can’t wait to go back. For more about Cuc Gach Quan, see this piece in Travel + Leisure, or check out some of the feature articles on its website.

Cuc Gach Quan, 10 Dang Tat, Tan Dinh, District 1, Saigon, Tel: 38480144 or 01657101010


Images courtesy Cuc Gach Quan