Category Archives: Australia Food Guide

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO: The Tea Salon – Katherine Sabbath High Tea

August 23, 2015 Talyssa Leave a comment

Nestled in the bustlingly chic Westfield CBD, is The Tea Salon best described as a shoppers whimsical haven after a morning of intense retail therapy with the best friend.

Through August, The Tea Salon is to be hosting the Katherine Sabbath High Tea, deemed the most Instagrammable High Tea to come to Sydney. With imagery like this in it’s advertisements, we were nothing short of excited to sink our teeth into it:

All girls know that conversations over food naturally progress to updates on all things awkward in ones life, particularly those concerning men. “So how’s things going with that guy you’ve been seeing?” your friend asks, leaning closer. “Finally” you think to yourself, the question you’ve been dying to have her ask all day – you need someone to talk to.

You explain that while this guy seemed great at first, and is still really nice…it’s just not working, and now you have to awkwardly tell him.

It’s unfortunate to say this, but our experience with the Katherine Sabbath High Tea was like an awkward “friend-zone” conversation.

Setting and Atmosphere

Rating: ★★★

Just like when considering a potential partner, we’ll start off with assessing the looks. Now, The Tea Salon isn’t as immaculate as other High Tea places I’ve been to with the pretty gardens or antique buildings nor is it as quiet and tranquil (?). However, considering it’s located in the middle of a major shopping centre, it does it’s best with what it can and cleans up well, looking quite cute. The crockery is on point being exceptionally pretty and it also matches one other delightfully.

Overall The Tea Salon is no Johnny Depp (or insert preferred hot guy here). But often the looks aren’t the only thing that matters and to be honest we were quite happy to continue our date with the Tea Salon at this point.

Food

Rating: ★★.5

Unfortunately the food is where everything went downhill. Layer by layer as we got deeper into the date things got worse, almost to the point of no return. Let’s weigh out the positives and negatives. Things started off great and the highlight of the food was definitely the savoury options, the scones were delish, as were the pinwheel sandwiches and the savoury tartlets were divine.

BUT this was the Katherine Sabbath High Tea and the sweets were suppose to be the highlight. The advertisements for the sweets deemed that the Katherine Sabbath High Tea was to be the most “Instagrammable High Tea” and it looked amazing in the advertisements. We couldn’t wait to sink our teeth in (after taking photos of course).

After devouring the savoury layers and pleasantly happy w so far, we moved on to the last layer of the high tea – the Katherine Sabbath sweets. Unfortunately our high hopes were crushed and the sweets were the lowlight.

The Rose & Pistachio Pannacotta with Persian Fairy Floss, was probably the best of the sweets, albeit too overpoweringly sweet that it made it difficult to finish the tiny portion of it. The Chocolate Brownie Koala Donut tasted dry and cold but worst of all was the Lemon & Raspberry Zig-Zag Gumball Donut which was cold, doughy and flavourless. I didn’t even know that it was Lemon and Raspberry flavoured until I read the menu for this write up!

The gumball center of the donut was also a poor choice. Besides the fact that at the time, Siree and I thought the gumball was a jawbreaker because it was too hard for us to bite, you don’t really want to be chewing on gum during your high tea experience. Especially if you’re sampling a little bit of everything, you don’t want to have to discard an old piece of chewed up bubble gum on the side of your otherwise elegant plate. I think it would have been smarter if the gum ball was changed to a truffle type, jaffa coated chocolate.

It is unfortunate to say that it was at this point that I knew the Katherine Sabbath high tea was friend-zoned. Gone was the excitement I felt upon looking forward to the most “Instagrammable High Tea” and gone was the addictive need to taste the rest of the food in front of me, that I had felt with the savoury elements.

Service

Rating: ★★★

Good service and friendly staff. They kind of stay out of your way, which is something I prefer. It would have been nice if the waitress told us what each of the sweets were upon service – we found ourselves asking a lot of ‘what’s this?’ questions.

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★

Pretty good value for a high tea at $43, usually most are 50+, however overall I was a bit disappointed because I expected more of the Katherine Sabbath High Tea.

The Details

Where: Westfield Sydney Level 4 (Designer Gallery), Cnr Pitt Street Mall and Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10AM – 6:30PM

Website: www.theteasalon.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tea-Salon/257659904285209

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO: Secret Garden

July 16, 2015 Siree Leave a comment

If you find yourself wandering through the busy hustle of Newtown to the quieter edge of Enmore, you are now in the hush-hush circle of some new age food buzz scene going on every weekend.

Newtown might always take the favourite for brunch time, but Enmore is probably one of the most diverse eating areas in outer Sydney you will experience on one street. From African to Turkish ice cream, this place is the eating melting pot that enjoys a little obscurity overshadowed by its big sister next door making it peaceful and quiet – perfect for some late brunching!

The truth of the day was, we were supposed to check out some vegan food but ended up finding Secret Garden and past the vertical flower arrangements and curtained fern vines, was a cozy hole-in-the-wall that was pretty damn cool to walk away from.

Setting and Atmosphere

Rating: ★★★★

First impressions count and Secret Garden sure does welcome you to “smell the roses.”

Every corner to the ceiling is filled with an assortment of plants both fake and real which proves, if you have a theme you better go hard or go home!

Is this a garden or some tropical jungle we stepped into?

However you may define it, the decor is a good transition from the day cafe (7am – 5pm) to the bar at night (5pm – 11pm).

Think small and cozy communal lounging or get intimate in the loveeee seater under the canopy (oh-la-la).

Food

Rating: ★★★

Browsing through the cafe menu, you’ll find your standard favourites of bacon and poached eggs to fancy steak sandwiches.

Until you see dinner.

Have you heard of ‘arepas’ before? Neither have we until we came to Secret Garden.

It’s a Colombian white corn meal pocket with filling and sounds interesting only, they serve it at night. Why?!

We gave up being vegetarians today for you~ sigh

But moving along, we chowed down to some of their other cafe grub to ease the pain.

Talyssa was in the mood for something avocado and light so the “Poached Eggs” was the obvious choice.

Recalling back, I don’t remember seeing or tasting feta or lemon oil which would have been nice.

For $16, I’d would say even with 2 eggs on top, without the other elements, it’s slightly better than your usual piece of toast.

Crushed again to hear that they sold out on the “Black and Blue” (rare roast beef sandwich), I opted for the “Montreal Ruben (typo for Reuben?)” instead and I’m glad I did.

I loved the sauerkraut and pickle combo which cut through the heaviness of the cheese and the swap for smoked wagyu instead of the usual pastrami was a good choice. It really showed off a mature side when eaten.

I wasn’t too sure about the side of Wasabi Potato Salad as I felt it didn’t really match together and the noticeable hit of wasabi was missing.

Service

Rating: ★★★

As with most, if not all order-and-pay-at-the-counter sort of eating services, you’re pretty much left alone after your interaction with the staff which is fine since the cafe vibe is very relaxed.

For the moments of service at Secret Garden, it was a pleasant experience.

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★

Price points on the menu would be marked on the average scale for Sydney brunching.

If you want something light and simple for a weekend feed with that true “suburban local cafe” drop-by with change still left in your pocket,

Secret Garden fits the bill.

The Details

Where: 134a Enmore Road, Enmore 2042

Opening Hours: Mon – Tue: 07:00–17:00 | Wed, Thur, Fri, Sun: 07:00 – 23:00 | Sat: 07:00–22:00

Website: http://www.secretgardenbar.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretgardenenmore

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO – Blacksmith Cafe

May 11, 2015 Talyssa Leave a comment

On my morning and afternoon bus rides to and from work, I noticed a new little cafe pop up along the route. It’s dimly lit interior and out of the ordinary exterior, captured my curiosity. So naturally here we are, welcome dear readers to The Hidden Thimble’s Greatly Terrific Food Outing at Blacksmith Surry Hills.

Setting and Atmosphere

Rating: ★★★★★

Blacksmith’s atmosphere reminded me so similarly of the cafe culture Siree and I had experienced in Korea.

Finally Australia. You’re catching up…and possibly even doing better!

That’s right, you’ll find no half-assed decor here. Prepare to be fully submerged into an immaculately detailed blacksmithery. Actually correction, step into your imaginations with me here. Let’s pretend you’re walking through deserted woodlands, and ahead of you, you see a lonely structure standing within the fog. You approach it and open the door to an abandoned blacksmithery, overgrown with woodland flora:

DSCF5124 — You’ll be served your tea in boxy, heavy-weight tea pots and your water in full blown glass pitchers.

DSCF5125 — What’s a menu without some hand stitched leather?

Food

Rating: ★★★★

Dine in messy elegance. What is messy elegance? Messy elegance is the term I have decided perfectly describes Blacksmith’s food – rustic presentation mixed with the sophistication of soft shelled crab or poached chicken and quinoa. Delicious!

DSCF5151 — Salad 01: Tri – Coloured Quinoa with baked beetroot, walnuts, persian feta, roasted pumpkin, avocado, pomegranate and date balsamic vinaigrette. Salad 02: Poached Pulled Chicken w/ brown rice salad, mixed dried berries, tamari and prune star-anise vinaigrette

The great thing with this dish was that we could go half and half with a choice of any two salads. I could have gone without the quinoa salad, it sounded a lot better on the menu than it tasted, but that poached chicken with brown rice salad was to die for. I’d never tasted such a soft and succulent chicken before. I was left craving for days!

DSCF5155 — Soft Shelled Crad Burger w/ pickled asian slaw, shredded fennel, kimchi salsa, mayonnaise on a Brioche Bun

This dish for me is definitely a recommendation, not only is it unique – I mean have you heard of a soft shell crab burger? – but it also tasted good. Another bonus was, for non korean chefs, that kimchi was spot on!

The reason why the food here scored 4 stars, is because of the drinks. Both Siree and I were somewhat underwhelmed with our cutely presented beverages, further proof that eating with your eyes is only half the battle.

The Cheeky Bits on the Side:

This was yum, the negative was too much complication. The desert would have been perfect without the chocolate on the bottom.

Service

Rating: ★★

It’s really unfortunate that the place was so busy, because I’m sure the staff would have been a lot nicer. I almost felt sorry for the poor lady who greeted us at the door, her eyes, voice, expression just said “please, go away.” I know how that feels having worked in food retail myself.

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★

Blacksmith is quite pricey, but it’s definitely worth it for some dishes – I’d pay any price to eat that poached chicken again.

The Details

Where: 11 Chalmers Street Surry Hills NSW 2010

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 07:00–17:00 | Sat – Sun: 08:00–16:00

Phone: (02) 9690 0103

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blacksmithsurryhills/

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO – Bread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen

October 26, 2014 Siree 2 Comments

Breaking bread at Bread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen was a week of calling for my inner being.

Its crate-to-table concept models the simple approach to eating which I find inviting, just like its many quirky scattered pineapple fruit and quaint dainty pink plates beacon me to “tea time.” It’s that light and fresh touch to the day that picks you up and motivates a wave of goodness to eat food that’s wholesome like nature intended – wedged between two slices of fresh sourdough bread with butter (mmmm).

b&c02 — Tower of Juices – cold pressed of course

Food

Rating: ★★★★

Definitely the must-have on the menu. Their deconstructed sandwich boxes are better suited for your adult sensibilities than the open sandwich variety as it centers on the best part of its anatomy – the filling.

Like all sandwiches, there’s nothing too complicated about its components as all boxes are assembled with a basic salad of tomato, avocado slices, cucumber, grilled brussels sprouts and sometimes a pilaf mixture, with the sauce and meat differing. However, it’s definitely the quality of each element that makes it delightful to graze on since everything was well seasoned and marinated.

Digging in separately or pilled on together on bread, it was a joy to eat both ways!

b&c11 — Talyssa’s Choice: Grass-Fed Sustainable Medium – Rare Beef Sandwich Box

b&c09 — Sora’s Choice: Meredith Goats Chevre Sandwich Box

b&c10 — My Choice: Preservative – Free Pino’s Smoked Turkey Sandwich Box

Setting and Atmosphere

Rating: ★★★★

Re-imagining the canteen setting as a semi industrial warehouse style kitchen cafe at Bread and Circus would make every school kid jelly to know what their canteen could look like with a little thought.

There’s plenty to look at full of quirky cool knick-knacks and fruit display center pieces scattered everywhere with various seating styles from low coffee tables, communal tables and booth seating options making dining entertaining. It’s super chilled and relax, what’s not to like for a perfect late weekend lunch?

Service

Rating: ★★★★

I really enjoyed the staff at Bread and Circus. The 2pm crowd was a bit quiet that day so it felt nice to see everyone so nice and welcoming to see if you were comfortable at your table and causally checking in on you from time to time. It reminded me of the customer service you would expect from the States which there is a certain lack thereof in Sydney’s attitude towards customer service generally…

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★★

For the quality and portion size of our meals, it’s certainly affordable, if not a lot more reasonably priced than some of the lunch menus out there for these types of eating spots.

With options for side, regular and sharing sizes for some of their dishes, the menu is generous for choosing different eating styles so you can stretch your cash if you want a try of everything and share.

Where to Find Bread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen

21 Fountain Street, Alexandria

Website

Opening Times:

Open 7 days:
Weekdays 7am – 3pm
Weekends 7am – 4pm

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO: Soda Factory

June 3, 2014 Talyssa Leave a comment

This month’s Greatly Terrific Food Outing features one of Sydney’s most popularly rising bars: Soda Factory. I don’t know what it is but I’m loving the hidden bar culture that is popping up all over Sydney – it just makes your bar experience all that more exciting.

You probably haven’t even realised it yet, but you’ve most likely walked past Soda Factory on numerous occasions. Located on the outskirts of Surry Hills, Soda Factory’s entrance is a black door located in a wall – it’s not even a fancy door or a door that kindly invites you inside. Taking a glance inside you’ll find a small room with a retro hotdog stand and coke fridge.

Hotdog stand to the left and the retro Coke fridge to the right.

But where’s the bar you say??

It’s behind the Coke Fridge!! #MINDBLOWN #OHNOSHEDIDNT (ps. Sora, I have used this photo without your permission. Talyssa xox). Now onto the review!

Setting and Atmosphere

Soda Factory’s interior is reminiscent of an American 1950s diner. It’s low lit atmosphere, pin-up styled waiters and waitresses, and music featuring old classics really help to add to this vibe. Soda Factory’s decor is cool, funky and vintage with it’s biggest downside being that there are never enough seats for the amount of people they allow inside. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself sitting on the floor!

You’ll often find live indie bands playing at various times during the night, but the best part about the place is their theme nights! You’ve got:

Movie Mondays: Soda Factory plays a collection of old school and recent movies from 8pm every Monday. It also includes free popcorn!
Dollar Dogs: Every Tuesday Soda Factory has $1 hotdogs. I’ve got to admit that I’ve only ever been to Soda Factory on a Tuesday because of this…
Fat Bubba’s chicken Wednesday: Featuring $1 buffalo wings and $10 buckets o’ chicken
Soda Social: Thursday brings live music and $12 cocktails all night

Rating: ★★★★.5

Service

Service is the biggest negative about Soda Factory. The place gets so busy that depending on the time you arrive, you can be waiting up to 45 minutes (or longer) for your food. If you plan on going on a weekday, I recommend heading there straight after work (5:30pm). At this time you’ll get your food on time and also find a place to sit. Anything after 6:30pm you’re pretty much screwed. Wait staff are extremely friendly and also quite easy on the eye ;)

Rating: ★★.5

Food

Soda Factory’s American diner theme is complimented by it’s menu. You’ll find gourmet hotdogs, burgers, chilli cheese fries, fried chicken, milkshakes and so on. I’d have to say though, Soda Factory is most popular for it’s hotdogs, which I think are pretty delicious and definitely worth the $1 price on a Tuesday…paying the usual price of $10 for them on any other day however, it’s probably not worth it.

Buffalo Bill. My number one favorite hotdog at Soda Factory!

Tequila Sunrise. The bar is pretty standard and you can order most alcoholic drinks available at any bar. I love the extra detail they put with their red and white striped paper straws!

Rating: ★★★.5 – Not all hotdogs are as amazing as the Buffalo Bill.

Pricing and Value for Money

On an ordinary night, I would say pricing at Soda Factory is a bit overpriced – $10 for a hotdog is way too much, especially since they are smaller than usual sized hotdogs. Luckily enough, Soda Factory’s plentiful theme nights and specials, means you can indulge in the menu at a much more affordable price!

Rating: ★★★

Where to Find Soda Factory

Address: 16 Wentworth Avenue Surry Hills, New South Wales
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube

Opening Times:

Monday – Wednesday: 5pm – Late
Thursday: 5pm – 2am
Friday: 5pm – 3am
Saturday: 5pm – 5am

Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!