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).

Bare Witness, Rhodes

Set within the suburb of Rhodes, Bare Witness stands by the tranquil foreshore of Homebush Bay. The area has been redeveloped in recent years and various cafes and eateries have popped up to feed the hungry masses living in the multitudes of high-rises.

Outside of Cafe

Inside Cafe

Bare Witness serves as one such cafe, offering prime waterfront views with its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Girdlers, Brookvale

Hidden in the rabbit warren that is Warringah Mall, Girdlers is decorated with lush greenery across wide open spaces.

Entrance of Cafe

The cafe is spread across a large area but only provides three small sections of under-cover tables - there are a few scattered umbrellas, else you're exposed to the elements despite the rooftop battens. Fortunately for me, sitting at an uncovered table, there was only a brief sprinkle of rain before the clouds gradually parted to reveal brights rays of sunshine and blue sky.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Mosman

I first visited the Middle Harbour Yacht Club a few years ago for a work Christmas party and if memory serves well, the food wasn't that great. Last time, my (vegetarian) work colleague was served half a cooked eggplant, along with a drizzle of sauce, on a plate as his 'main' dish and the meat-y mains (i.e. barramundi or roast chicken) was either cold or overcooked... but will history repeat itself?

On this occasion, we were promptly served drinks on arrival at 1:30pm but unfortunately the (alcoholic AND non-alcoholic) beverages served from the street-level bar, facing the enclosed beach, were seriously watered down. Great views though.

View from Club

Get Your Pink On! at The Commons Local Eating House, Darlinghurst

Okay, I didn't really try any of the food from The Commons but I did spend an enjoyable afternoon in their front courtyard for a "Get Your Pink On!" function - a collaboration between FCBA and @Eatventures in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia.

Front Courtyard

In keeping with the pink theme, the courtyard was decorated in pink and the food followed suit.

Taisho Japanese Restaurant, Zetlands

In celebration of FCBA's second anniversary, a special lunch event was held at Taisho's new store in Zetlands. For those that have never ventured to Mascot, you wouldn't have heard of Taisho's flagship store (join the boat, guys), which specialises in BBQ wagyu beef.

Outside Restaurant

The restaurant is located on street level of the East Village shopping centre, close to the car park entrance so you can't really miss it. Lined with double-storey windows, the restaurant provides ample natural light inside and the interior decor naturally draws the eye from the ground floor to ceiling.

Two Sticks Barangaroo, Sydney CBD

Recently, I was invited by FCBA to the relatively new sister-branch of the Two Stick (located on George Street in the Sydney CBD/Haymarket area) in Barangaroo. Since I have only ever ventured out to Barangaroo on only a few occasions and therefore was unfamiliar with its changing face, I decided to head out to the city early in order to scout out the surrounding area and find my way to the restaurant. I had to rely on trusty old GoogleMaps to identify the correct building, in which the restaurant was located (too many high skyscrapers in the area!).

Outside of Restaurant

Upon arrival, I got to meet other foodies and sample a variety of the Two Sticks menu, most of which the manager had personally selected for us to try. We were also given the choice to order anything from the menu - I should have stuck to an appetizer because there was so much food left! I am guilty of leaving with a takeaway container as I didn't like to see good food go to waste 😥.

The Usual Cafe, Cabramatta

Set in the heart of Cabramatta - the Vietnamese central of Sydney - , The Usual Cafe is peculiarly situated given that they offer Western cafe food in a very Asian suburb.

It took a while to find this place from Cabramatta station (thanks to trusty old GoogleMaps) since it's located off the main shopping streets and directly next to the Dutton Street car park exit. As I was visiting on a busy Sunday morning, the nearby streets were filled with cars queuing to enter the public car park - I was so happy that I decided not to drive here, otherwise I would be wasting a lot of time on the streets in the queue.

Outside of Cafe

Inside Cafe

The inside is decorated like many hip(ster) cafes in Sydney - filled with white subway tiles, industrial lights, dark wood furniture, and lush green plants strategically placed around the cafe.

Salmon & Bear, Newtown

Five min walk from Newtown Station lies the second home base for Salmon & Bear in Sydney. I've seen pictures of their poke bowls so I was eager to see what the hype was all about. Their original store is located in Zetlands, which requires too many public transport transfers to reach for my liking, so I decided to visit their store in Newtown instead.

Outside of Restaurant

Their name is a play on the instinctive nature of bears catching wild salmon and is emphasised by their vast displays on the wall, rustic wooden interiors with a cabin feel, and very dark lighting:

Wall Art

Roadtrip to Bilpin

A few months ago, a few friends and I decided to go on a road trip together to visit a friend working in the Windsor vicinity. After doing some research into the surrounding areas, a friend suggested that we visit Bilpin for a day trip.

Bilpin is located just over 1.5hrs drive north-west of Sydney and is popularly known as the 'Land of the Mountain Apple', due to the rich fruit orchids and bountiful gardens that line the main (Bells Line of) road, which runs through the Blue Mountain region. The famous produce from the region are the locally grown/produced apples, juice and cider. Since they don't usually advertise the source of apples at the local supermarkets nor do I usually partake in cider (or any alcoholic drink), this place didn't really ring any bells so I was up for the challenge.

Roadtrip!

The Pontoon, Sydney CBD

In previous years, the location and food of my work Christmas parties have been a hit & miss but this year, my company put in some big money and hired The Pontoon for 6hrs to go around Sydney Harbour.

For those of you that have never had the privilege of being on The Pontoon, you can get a glimpse of it when it's docked at King Street Wharf or perhaps when it's filled with revellers whilst travelling through Darling Harbour. The ship is distinctive with its enormous glass exteriors and rooftop balcony, and is not to be confused with its smaller sister ship - The Starship.

The Pontoon

Kirribilli Woodfire Kitchen, Kirribilli

Nestled in a cozy nook opposite Milson's Point train station is Kirribilli Woodfire Kitchen. Mr A and I went there on a complete whim on Sunday for a late lunch after seeing the colourful Jacaranda-lined McDougall Street, sprouting clouds of purple foliage in mid October through to November. (If you are going to venture there for instagram-worthy photos, please do keep an eye on the road and not hold up traffic).

Honestly, I had no intention of blogging about this place when we first walked in - another pizza and pasta joint, what's new? So apologies for the bad photos taken with my phone #nofilter

The restaurant has a casual dining ambience and also does takeaway and deliveries. Despite it's small size, the menu is ambitious. Basic pizzas are around $18 for a medium (11") and around $24 for a large (13"). Pastas are also at the $20 dollar mark with other mains such as T-Bone steak at $29 and salads in the high teens.

Afraid I wasn't going to finish a pizza on my own, I opted for a 11" vegetarian pizza whilst Mr. A chose Gorgonzola gnocchi.

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

The Dining & Co, North Ryde

For the catch-up between the former three musketeers, we decided to have lunch at The Dining & Co, which was recommended by MoosesDigest's sister.

Outside of Cafe

The Dining & Co turned out to be a relatively new cafe hidden within the inner streets of North Ryde. The interior is very hipster with clean wooden tables and chairs, large mirrors along the back wall to reflect the sunlight from outside, and black metal frames to display plants and decor.

Frangos, Petersham

Frangos was another place that Ivanhoe and Lenni also raved about in Petersham, which is conveniently located across the road from Sweet Belem. There was a queue out the door of the fast food place so that must surely be a good sign... until you see see customers throwing away half a tray of hot chips... hmmm...

Front Counter

As you line up in the queue, you get to see stacks of cooked charcoal chicken waiting to be served as well as a view of the large selection of sides.

Salads

Sides

Small Bar, Crows Nest

I recently came here to celebrate the momentous first birthday party of mini-Aunt T. Small Bar seems to be the go-to place for special occasions for MSG Cafeteria due to its convenient and central location so I thought I'd use this opportunity to document and share the food experience.

Located along Willoughby Street (i.e. main food street) in Crows Nest, Small Bar faces some intense competition in the food stakes. There is limited seating outside the main entrance and along the long aisle towards the courtyard around the back, however the courtyard space is big enough to accommodate 40+ people.

Outside of Restaurant

Aunt T & Co. went all out on the event with the food and decor, even decorating the courtyard with balloons, banner and bunting. Also, Ivanhoe was recruited to apply her artistic skills to create the time capsule slips for guests to fill in.

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...

Le Montage, Lilyfield

Ever since I received my 'golden ticket' invite inside a choc block, I've been looking forward to B&J's wedding for some time... cos the wedding had to be running on a chocolate theme, right? As an FYI/fun fact: unbeknownst to the bride and groom, 1st Oct is actually referenced in 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory' story as the day on which the golden ticket bearers could enter into the chocolate factory - how appropriate for the wedding!

The wedding ceremony and reception was to be held at Le Montage, which I had previously been to for a night-time wedding reception and the location just screamed CLASS (or maybe it was because the other couple had put in a lot of time, effort and clearly ~moolah~ to creating an awesome wedding reception)!

Sign in Driveway

So on this sunny, but seriously windy, day, I actually set up early with T-bone and Ally to check out the nearby Orange Grove markets and used this chance to source breakfast and baked goods before attending to my ushering duties for the wedding ceremony.

Three Blue Ducks, Rosebery

For over a month, the ND food group preparing and planning for a Rosebery food crawl and it finally happened! Foodie adventures was meant to begin at midday in Rosebery but due to a late departure and traffic, I didn't end up getting to the Saporium, Rosebery, until 12:45pm. By that time, the group were all hungry and in search of food.

The Saporium houses a few cafes, restaurants, a health food store, and holds weekly "markets" (i.e. a dozen or so food and goods stalls) on Saturdays from 10am-3pm. However, there was limited food options there that tempted our taste buds (maybe Mr Bao but it was rather expensive at $6 per bao) so we decided to head outside and walked through The Cannery to the Three Blue Ducks.

Three Blue Ducks

Entrance to Restaurant

The Three Blue Ducks is located in a massive warehouse, with high ceilings and ample natural lighting, that has been converted into a restaurant & homeware store.

Cavalier Specialty Coffee, Crows Nest

Cavalier Specialty Coffee first came under my radar after seeing some mouth-watering pictures of their Tiramisu French Toast on Instagram. After finding out that it was actually located within walking distance from work, I was eager to bookmark this cafe and on the first chance of a window of free-time, I headed out to St Leonards to locate this mysterious cafe. It turned out that the cafe was practically down the road from work.

On this sunny day, the local area is relatively quiet yet the cafe is buzzing with activity:

Outside of Cafe