Burnt Orange, Mosman

Our trip to Burnt Orange, Mosman, took a freaking 2 hrs due to traffic as well as a long, scenic detour to Manly. This time, we were stymied by the in-built Mazda GPS - let's just say it was a major shock to us all in the car when the GPS stated that we had arrived at our destination but we were facing Manly Wharf.

Anyway, we finally (finally!!) made it to the cafe:

Main Entrance of Cafe

Interior of Cafe

Inside, they have an extensive open porch area, that was enclosed so the restaurant can retain some warmth against the chilly winter air (and potential haze in the skies from recent back-burning).

Mekong, Chippendale

In a last bid to utilise my entertainment book vouchers before the end of the May, I organised a dinner with DrL and AW at Mekong. Not to be confused with Lower Mekong located on street level, which serves up Vietnamese food, Mekong is its more mature, upper-class sister restaurant that offers South-East Asian cuisine in a fine dining setting.

Outside of Restaurant

Having only walked by in the past, it was an interesting experience walking up the stairway, past bamboo walls to the 2nd floor. Dim mood lighting, dark wood and shiny metallic surfaces reigned supreme in this restaurant, which overlooks the humble Spice Alley and Kensington Street below.

Pilu at Freshwater, Freshwater

This foodie outing started with (very) late lunch booking at 2:30pm (the other choice was 12:30pm but our group would never have made it there in time). Our group made the trek out to the Northern Suburbs on a bright and sunny day with a nice cool breeze, unlike the previous day, so it wasn't overbearingly hot. Fortunately, I was able to find free street parking within 200m of the restaurant and therefore only had a short stroll down the hill to the restaurant.

On arrival, there was you walk along a pathway, past a long line of jasmine bushes and small courtyard overlooking the Freshwater Beach, and through to the main entrance:

Pathway to Restaurant

Courtyard Overlooking Beach

Front of Restaurant

Biota Dining, Bowral

Just outside of the Bowral town centre, Biota Dining is a fine-dining restaurant shrouded by a tall row of bushes along the main street. There is limited parking outside the restaurant but don't be discouraged by the sheer number of cars filling the car park - the spots may be occupied by people attending a party/function in the small area next to their bar.

En Route from Car Park to Restaurant

Biota Dining offers both degustation tasting menu ($145+ pp; requires reservations beforehand) or bar dining during lunch hours. As this was a last-minute food stop, our group didn't have a booking so we rocked up to see if they were able to fit us in for a late lunch. Ivanhoe did try calling beforehand but got stuck with their voicemail...

Public Dining Room, Mosman

In an effort to make the most of the 2015/16 Entertainment Book, I was invited to join a last-minute small group dinner at the Public Dining Room by Balmoral Beach (note: not to be confused with the similar-sounding suburb of Balmain, as Ivanhoe originally advised... lols...). Luckily, we were able to make a booking several hours prior to dinner.

The outing started off with a coordinated pick-up after work by Ben and Ivanhoe, and after picking up Lenni en route, we gradually made our way through the long and windy roads of Neutral Bay and Mosman. By the time we arrived at Balmoral Beach, it was pitch dark (and cold) outside.

Restaurant From Outside Main Entrance

As our booking was at 6pm (opening time?), the restaurant was empty and staff were doing some last minute touches to the tables in preparation for an event. We were led to our table in an enclosed section of the balcony, overlooking the beach. Unfortunately, as it was night time, there wasn't much of a view outside:

New Shanghai, Lemon Grove, Chatswood

If I had to rank food from different Chinese provinces, then Shanghai cuisine would definitely be one of the top on that list. It is food that is familiar to me, it comforts me and reminds me of my roots.  Every so often, there would be nothing I crave more than a good 'Shang' meal.

There are two branches of New Shanghai in Chatswood: in Lemon Grove and in Chatwood Chase. The Chase branch definitely has a more appealing atmosphere with dim lighting and Asian 1930's theme decor. But if you're not entertaining, and you're with family for just a good honest meal - we always head to the Lemon Grove branch. My father swears the food here is cheaper and tastes better - that, I am unsure of.

Spicy Chicken Salad

Everytime we come here, we order the same dishes. Literally. And the spicy chicken salad is no exception. Although everytime I find it too salty for my liking, and lacking the 'umami' element you would get from a similar Szechuan version, we keep ordering it none the less?

New Shanghai Xiao Long Bao - Steamed mini pork bun $7.80

The XLB is what I really come here for. Arguably my favourite XLB in Sydney. The skin is the perfect thickness - thin enough to be slightly translucent but thick enough to absorb the taste of the meat juices. The meat itself is also seasoned well and the quality is consistent every visit. We prefer the normal pork as opposed to the crab version.

Aunt T's top 10 favourite things to eat

A spoonful of XLB juice in each one! XLB juice is typically a mix of collagen/fat mixed with the pork juices as it cooks inside the little dumpling parcel. The result (if done well) is a concentrated meaty soup inside which you can either slurp out or (as Aunt T likes to do) pour out, into a spoon to examine it first before sucking it down. Here at New Shanghai, it's done perfectly to my liking!

Deep fried crispy skin chicken with special garlic & chilli sauce on noodle soup $13.80

Our next 'go to' dish is the Shan Dong chicken (that's what the Chinese text on the menu calls this). The three elements that make this dish a winner is firstly the crispiness of the chicken skin as it arrives on your table. There is a definite crunch every time. Secondly, the chicken is moist and succulent every time. Finally the sauce is sweet, tangy, fragrant and just salty enough that you can let your chicken swim in it a bit.

The noodles that came with the chicken above

The Shan Dong chicken you can get alone or with noodles. We always get it with noodles as the serving size is better for 2 and we enjoy a warm soupy dish to wash the meal down. The noodles are pretty plain (as you can see) but deceivingly tasty and satisfying.

Pan fried pork dumpling $9.90

We always get the pan fried pork buns too. It has the same filling and soup as the XLB but wrapped in a thicker raised dough with a crispy base. Uncle G and I can never finish everything but I like to take these home and eat them for breakfast the next day. So you're thinking: "Who eats pork buns for breakfast? Weirdo". Actually something like half of China does - this is the breakfast food of champions.

Shanghai noodle stir fried with shredded pork & vegetable $9.90

On this occasion we ordered the Shanghai chow mein, which is a deviation from our routine. It was ok, rather ordinary. It was no surprise we couldn't finish it, so I also had to take this home too.

As for service quality etc, bare in mind this isn't anything fancy. The service is nothing offensive but this is just honest authentic Chinese food to feed locals, and  the pricing and restaurant ambiance reflects that. We always come here so I have no hesitation recommending this place and will be returning again.

So dear readers, what brings nostalgia to your dining table?

Mumu Grill, Crows Nest

It is a rare occasion that my family decides to dine out and go western. However, as a family member has recently arrived in Australia, we decided to take her out to experience some real Aussie grub, and what could be more Aussie than a good'o steak?

I would consider the restaurant size moderate. Offering indoor and outdoor seating options. There are plenty of tables to go around but I would still book, just to be safe.

Mumu Grill prides itself on being Sydney's only 100% grass fed beef steak house. Why grass fed beef? This type of beef is supposed to be lower in fats, cholesterol and higher in vitamins and omega-3.

We get stuck into studying the menu and quickly decide we're going to focus on the specialty - the beef.

Say hi to the chef's in the kitchen!

Riverina T-bone 'Tagliata' 1 kg w rosemary, garlic - $65.90

The 1 kg Tagliata is definitely a share plate for 2-3 adults. All our meat came perfectly cooked; this giant T-bone was no exception. The bonus with a T-bone this size is you get a decent size fillet piece; as we know, this is the T-bone sweet spot. The only thing that would have topped this dish would have been a serving of chimichurri sauce to go with.

Special of the Day: Grilled snapper

Mum isn't a beef advocate, so we ordered the special of the day: snapper with slaw. We were expecting a snapper fillet so you can imagine we were all pleasantly surprised when we got a whole grilled fish. The slaw this was served with was AMAZING! A unique mix of apple, celery, fennel and a homemade sauce made the whole dish something special.

Cape Grim prime rib 350 g - $44.90

"Cape Grim prime rib crusted with szechwan pepper (Our Fave!)" is how this baby was sold. The words Szechwan pepper caught Uncle G's attention. Unfortunately I didn't try too much of this one, so I didn't get a good taste of the pepper crust, but Uncle G said it was to his liking.

Victorian beef fillet w sage, proscuitto, cafe de Paris butter & mash 160 g - $32.90

Yes, the eye fillet. The holy grail of beef. And this little morsel of tender lean meat did not disappoint. It was definitely everyone's favourite for the night.

Special of the day: Surf and Turf 

We ordered this dish because I love scallops and sirloin is one of my preferred cuts of steak. The eye fillet is probably my favourite, but sometimes when I want something more substantial, nothing hits the spot like a good marbly sirloin. The chillis and sauce worked well with the steak. I would have been even happier if the asparagus were kept whole though.

Finally onto dessert! There was a menu option of a tasting plate which included each of the desserts we ordered, but we decided since we're only getting 3 desserts between the 6 of us, we wanted the full size, real deal.

Chocolate tarte w hazelnut gelato, mandarin curd - $14.90

I was saving the chocolate to last because I didn't want it to overpower my palate for the other desserts. But when I tried it, it wasn't too heavy at all. It was decadent but the high dark chocolate/ cocoa ratio balanced this dessert well.

Mumu famous brown sugar pavlova w fresh pineapple & passionfruit sauce - $15.90

The pavlova was my favourite dessert that night, probably because it's rare I get to eat a fresh pavlova. The meringue was soo perfect! Crispy casing but light and airy on the inside. The cream, pineapple and passion fruit worked wonderfully together. The older family members found this dessert a tad too sweet, but I'm not complaining, bring on the sugar!

Mango Creme Brulee

Sometimes creme brulees can be difficult to finish, especially after a big meal. But this one reminded me a classic vanilla custard crossed with the mango puddings you get from good chinese yum chas. Very enjoyable dessert.

What an amazing effort. Between the 6 of us, we devoured almost 2 kg of beef, a whole snapper and 3 desserts. If that doesn't sound impressive to you, you need to understand I was eating with 3 middle aged family members, who of which are borderline vegetarian on normal days.

It's a 'grass fed' cow grazing! 

This is my 3rd visit to Mumu Grill. The experience has always been consistent and I'm a happy return customer. The restaurant often participates in promotions including entertainment card, groupon, free birthday meals - so shop around and you might get some value out of it too.

Note: meal was paid for on Bartercard.

Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point

Do you ever have days when you just don't feel like cooking? What happens for you on those days? Exhibit A for our family. We head down to the pub.

That isn't completely true. We actually look through the Entertainment book and find a convenient place.

Spicy, sticky glazed pork ribs w thick cut chips & salad - $41 (full rack)

Didn't take long for Uncle G to decide he wanted the ribs. Greed set in when we saw it was $33 for half a rack, and $41 for the full rack. We thought "eh, might as well get the full rack! Can save the rest for lunch the next day, right?". Wrong. Kirribilli Hotel is the first place I have been to where I have been informed of a STRICT no food leaves the premises policy.

"Can I have the leftovers takeaway?"
"No."
"O, if there's no box that's ok, just give me some foil."
"No. You might leave it out in the sun too long and get food poisoning so no."
"... Umm ok. Can I get it as doggy bag for my dog then?"
"No. Strictly all food must be confused on the premises."

I haven't tried to take food away from a pub before, so I'm not sure if this is common. The cook pointed out a tiny sign above the kitchen window with a paragraph of fine print on what is allowed and not allowed at this place.
I guess my biggest qualm with the matter is you should make an effort to make sure guests are informed about this before ordering. Could probably do better than a small sign above a kitchen window (rather than at the point of order).

Kirribilli Tapas Sampler: King prawns w freshmango & tomato salsa; seared scallops
w sweet soy ponzu sauce; arancini balls w sundried tomato, basil, mozzarella & aoili - $38.00

Left with no choice we monstered down all the food we ordered. Yup. That's all the scallops 3 tapas and the full rack of ribs.

I guess you just want to know how the food was right? Overall it was ok. The ribs were falling off the bone and saucy. The arancini balls crunchy and fluffy in the middle, it was especially good with the aoili provided. The scallops were also well cooked. I would probably not go for the prawns again though as a number of them could have been fresher.

In spite of a 25% Entertainment discount, it hasn't won our return business, but that's the risk of trying new things! You never know, if you never go.

Urban Bites, Newtown

The shame about visiting Newtown is that one's stomach is never big enough to sample all it has got to offer. The sweltering summer heat further reduced our appetite, so instead of a food adventure, we would have to settle for brunch.

Uncle G and I have been keen to try this place a couple of years in a row now. It's that tempting BOGOF deal in our Entertainment Book which I bookmark every year, but never quite get to.

Smoked Salmon Salad: capers, avocado, meschulin leaves,
garden vegetables w lemon olive oil dressing $19.50

The first thing that strikes you as your food arrives is the serving size. The glasses in the top right give you a good idea of how big the dish is. Definitely feels like America! The salmon was deliciously fresh and generous on my plate.

Roast Pumpkin Salad: tossed with coriander, capsicum,
chilli & balsamic (with extra side of chilli) $18.90 

The Pumpkin Salad matched the salmon salad in size and was well seasoned. The extra chilli dressing provided was wonderfully flavoursome, not overly spicy. The salad were delicious and well dressed.

Big Veggie Brekkie - Grilled haloumi, homemade baked beans,
mushrooms, 2x poached eggs, spinach & hashbrown

 Generosity is a continuous theme at this cafe. There was an abundance of haloumi. Enough for this vege meal to be endorsed by my omnivore friends.

Roast pumpkin salad: as above, w extra prawns

Greek style calamari: lightly floured and seasoned fresh calamari w greek salad $21.90

 Uncle G missed out! What's there not to love about a giant plate of S&P Calamari?

Chicken Souvlaki: w greek salad, tzatziki, pita bread & steak fries $21.90

The chicken souvlaki was by far my favourite dish of the day. Definitely adequate for sharing between two. I recommend ordering a salad and a souvlaki between two people for a balanced & satisfying feed.

Selection of cakes

Now that I've finally been here, the only feeling I'm left with is a sense of regret for not using my previous Entertainment vouchers for this place. Incredible food & incredible value! But what else would you expect from this neighbourhood?

(From left) Cow & Moon Gelato: Black & blue, Malto Bliss, Apple wasabi, Mandorla Affogato $5 for small cup

What do you think about Newtown? And what are some of your favourite spots around this area. Growing up in Usyd, I've always been a fan of Thai La Ong. Six dollar thai lunches, big servings and free delivery for orders over $20 (straight to your uni building - say what!?).

La Ricetta Italian, Cow & Moon Gelato, Enmore

Aunt-T is a year older again! Uncle G has chosen to treat me to an Italian feast in Enmore. I haven't been to the Newtown area in a while. It was great to see the hustle and bustle of King St & lap up the smell of Thai radiating from the 342 million Thai restaurants there (each sustained by hungry uni students on a budget).

La Ricetta

La Ricetta recently became my father in-law's favourite restaurant. Its dishes are "authentic and flavorsome" we've been told. Well I like to keep things real - I'm not Italian, I don't know what's 'authentic', but the food was quality, full of flavour and overall enjoyable.

Frozen Strawberry Daquiri $13.50

Now, I'm under the impression (unless stated otherwise) Daquiri's are alcoholic? The specials board certainly didn't say anything about 'mocktails'. Never the less it was DELICIOUS! Was there alkie? That's questionable, but you could taste fresh crushed strawberries, it was so lovely and refreshing we wanted more!

Calamari e gamberi fritte $18.90/ 28.90 [Entree pictured]
Calamari & prawns floured with salt & pepper, shallow fried w garlic aioli

If there is only one thing you need to know about Uncle G, is that he is a creature of habit. So I consider myself in a good position to judge a good 'Salt and Pepper Calamari(or squid)'. These ones were definitely decent. To be honest I couldn't remember too well because they were outshone by the prawns. These were fresh, plump & juicy with just enough crunchy coating (so its not too heavy/oily) and perfectly seasoned. As good as the ones from my favourite takeway shop at the Fish Markets! The most unfortunate thing was there were only 2.

Pappardelle ragu con porcini $17.90/ 23.90 [Entree pictured]
(Egg pasta with ragu of pot-braised beef, porcini mushrooms & napoletana)

I've had many 'ragu's and this is definitely one of the most outstanding. As you work your way through the perfectly al dente ribbons, you will find it generously latticed with slow cooked beef, falling apart with a gentle twist of the fork. Uncle G and I demolished this in no time! 

Risotto granchio $18.90/ 24.90 [Entree pictured]
(Risotto with fresh blue swimmer crab, basil, barlic, chilli, cream & napoletana) 

We were served one course after another, so by the time this arrived I had forgotten what I ordered. I looked at the risotto with small white pieces of protein popping throughout and thought "I wonder why I ordered chicken risotto". It wasn't until I had a spoonful that I realised they were indeed, generous portions of crab meat. Enough said. This risotto was divine and generous! I would definitely order this again. 

Grigliata mista di mare $37.90
Grilled king prawns, scampi, calamari, fish, mussels (and clams)

I initially wanted the 'hot pot misto mare', but father-in-law recommended this version instead. The seafood was once again fresh. Especially the prawns, fish and clams. I felt the hot pot version may have been a better choice though, as the mussels and calamari could do with more flavour. And we were only given half a scampi (boohoo), so you'll have to fight for it if there's two of you.

Cow and Moon Gelato

Queues have been going around the block since this article was published. Just five minutes down the road from La Ricetta was the best gelato in the world, so how could we refuse? 

Mesmerised by the exciting array of flavours, we eagerly choose 4 to sample: Malto Bliss, Mandorla Affogato, Cookies and Cream, Hazelnut Roche.

If I have to be honest, I hyped myself up too much for this "world best gelato". Certainly it was good, but I would be reluctant to wait in a 30 min queue for it. My favourite was Malto Bliss. I can't explain what the flavours reminded me of, but the solid choc bits and light chocolatey flavours really worked for me. The award winning Mandorla Affogato was good and had plenty of texture throughout. But as a coffee fan, I found it a little sweet for 'Affogato' and think I prefer more intense, less sweetened coffee flavours eg Movenpick's Cappuccino. Uncle G monstered down his Cookie and Cream and Hazelnut Roche. These were pretty good too. I guess overall they were very good gelatos so long as your not expecting a mindblowing experience.

A big thanks to Uncle G for organising this dinner. It was lovely and I'd definitely return to La Ricetta and Cow&Moon again. It's not the cheapest but its quality Italian.

Note: Cow and Moon Gelato is in the Sydney, Sydney North Entertainment book 2014