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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing, Sponsored

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Social Brew, Pyrmont

December 19, 2016 Talyssa 2 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Artmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

3.9

OVERALL SUMMARY

Stylishly Hipster

For an oasis of good food, coffee and vibes you’ve come to the right place. Located in Pyrmont, Social Brew cafe brings a stylish cafe spot accompanied by great service.

Setting and Atmosphere

Social Brew’s dark interior really stands out amongst the burst of greenery from the trees that frame the verandah to the bright red chairs that line the street front. With an open air feel, you’ll be able to enjoy the summer breeze through the large windows at the front of the cafe, or if you prefer, pull up a picnic rug – provided by the cafe of course – and enjoy brunch outside on the grass.

If sitting inside is your vibe, industrial decor awaits with low hanging vintage light bulbs, posies of wild flowers and even a vintage bicycle.

Food

Breakfast goers and brunch fanatics, you should definitely include Social Brew on your list, the dining experience was really pleasant.

Overall the food at Social Brew was tasty and well presented.

The Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board was a great choice for brunch and we happily smashed into smooth avocado, creamy buratta cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto and mushrooms a la grecque in Social Brew’s delectable Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board, served with a soft boiled zatar egg to add some well deserved spice. A great dish for sharing; pick, choose, mix and match flavours as you like.

The only miss on this dish for me was the mushrooms a la grecque which tasted a bit too much like it was just mixed with pasta sauce – mushrooms are so aromatic and flavoursome when cooked and it would have been a great opportunity to really get some some special flavours in those mushrooms, particularly with that gorgeous Buratta cheese served on top!

Next on the menu was the Apple Cider Eggs Benedict, which I was really excited to try. Overall, a good Eggs Benedict, but I was really looking forward to tasting the apple cider flavours.

To lighten the palette the muesli of burnt fig works a treat. The poached pear, nectarines and peaches were delicious. Thirsty? Wash it all down with some freshly squeezed juices!

The Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board: Buratta Cheese, smooth avocado, organic truss baby tomatoes, prosciutto, mushrooms a la grecque and soft boiled zatar egg served with olive and rosemary sourdough | $20

Apple cider Egg Benedict with wilted spinach and choice of crispy bacon or black forest ham on brioche | $16

Muesli of burnt fig, cinnamon & almond, natural yoghurt, and seasonal fruit | $11

Service

Very friendly and helpful staff, food was a little slow (only a tiny bit!) but it was a very busy morning so it’s to be expected – we’re not all superheroes!

Pricing and Value for Money

Overall, I think the value for money is quite good. I was happy with the price with 2 out of 3 of my meals. I found the breakfast board a little pricey for $20.

The Details

Where: 224 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW 2009

Contact: (02) 9571 8792

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sun: 7am – 4pm

Please note that this was an invited event I attended on behalf of ningjaeats.

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: The Picnic Burwood

August 9, 2016 Talyssa 2 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

4.5

OVERALL SUMMARY

Try for a decadent brunch

Located in Burwood Park, The Picnic Burwood is the perfect place for a picnic at any time of the year! Whether you’re looking to grab a blanket and set up somewhere in the middle of the park, or enjoy the open-air cafe (kept perfectly warm in winter, might I add), The Picnic has everything you’re looking for in a beautiful and scrumptious breakfast, brunch, lunch and drinks!

Setting and Atmosphere

I love the way The Picnic is set up and decorated. The tables and chairs are so cute, reminiscent of white picked fences with splashes of colour from cushions, crockery and of course the vibrant presentation of food and drinks.

I was a bit worried coming here in the heart of winter, especially since it was a cold day, but The Picnic had it all sorted. The breeze was kept out under the cafe’s kiosk, heaters were set up to keep the place comfortably warm, and if you were still feeling an extra chill each table comes complete with blankets to keep you warm.

Lastly, in the morning we ate, the place turned over 300 customers during the time we were there, but you would have never have known it. With The picnic’s new app, crowds are effortlessly managed. Never did we once feel the place was overcrowded, too noisy or unpleasant, making this experience here a standout compared to other similar place like The Grounds of Alexandria.

Food

The best thing about The Picnic is the selection of unique options for breakfast and brunch, and I think I have discovered one of my all time favourite breakfasts after dining here – The Picnic’s Summer Eggs.

Now, this dish combined a few of my favourite things, cured meats with fruit (in this case pear) pecorino, truffle oil and quince labneh. As you can imagine, a little bit of everything in one mouthful was delightful and definitely my kind of breakfast.

The Picnic Burwood — Summer Eggs | Dukkah poached eggs, jamon serrano, pear, shaved pecorino, drizzled with truffle oil & quince labneh on sourdough – ($19.50)

Next, I was really surprised by the Not So French, French Toast. I was expecting this dish to be overly indulgent when the description read “Coco pop coated French Toast” but surprisingly, I loved this dish. It was decadent, but not too overly sweet which meant you could eat all of it. The watermelon was a great accompaniment to this dish because it helped to cut through the sweetness and add a little bit of freshness so the dish wasn’t so heavy. I wasn’t a fan of eating fairy floss first thing in the morning, but it helped make the dish look spectacular when it hit the table, so I’m glad it was there.

The Salmon Garden was a nice breakfast, but wasn’t a highlight. If you’re looking for a dish that’s simple in its flavours, this dish makes a good choice. One thing I did love was how generous they were with the salmon! I was all salmon-ed out by the end of eating this one! Overall, I was disappointed with in this dish because I was really looking forward to tasting the beetroot cured salon, but unfortunately I couldn’t quite taste the beetroot flavour in the salmon..

Oh – and one must do mention. Get the Red Velvet Cupcake Hot Chocolate. Don’t ask, just do. This hot chocolate was amazing from it’s looks to it’s taste. How can something be so incredibly decadent looking and yet so incredibly moreish. That’s right it was moreish! The hot chocolate was perfect in it’s taste – not too sweet or rich, so I could drink every last drop without feeling sick!

Service

The service at The Picnic Burwood was fantastic. This place has received some bad reviews in the past regarding it’s service, but one thing I love to see is when a business takes feedback on constructively and does something about it.

Let’s face it, this place is busy as heck, so it’s not wonder it was difficult for The Picnic to manage crowds. This is where The Picnic’s new app comes in. Once you arrive, your name is taken down and you go into a wait list. When your table is free, you will be sent an sms to notify you that your table awaits. The result, a non chaotic or overly loud dining experience!

As well as this the staff were really friendly, with our waiter recommending my favourite dish of the day – Summer Eggs.

Pricing and Value for Money

Okay, so each meal here is on the pricey side for brunch BUT, considering what you get, I believe it’s well worth it! Great for a brunch date with the girls.

The Details

Where: Burwood Rd & Park Ave, Burwood NSW 2134

Contact: (02) 9745 1034

Opening Hours:

Tues – Sun: 8am – 4pm

Please note: This was an invited event I attended with ningjaeats.

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Bangbang Cafe, Surry Hills

May 9, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

Bangbang cafe is a chillax man-cave of a cafe located in the heart of Surry Hills. The staff are super casual, yet charming and pride themselves on their hearty meals, especially their gigantic burgers. In saying this girls, don’t completely rule this one out because of the man-cave vibe. They have some really unique dishes on their breakfast menu, more than I have seen in a lot of cafes recently, and their burgers are delish. Overall I was terribly impressed!

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★.5

This place is hell chill. I really loved the vibes in this cafe. Although small, inside was super spacious and airy and I love how much sunlight streams through this cafe. Decor is filled with strong and bulky timber furnishings, black tiled counter tops and industrial lights, yet everything is super stylish that I found it super nice to dine at! Ladies, like a man that catches your eye down the street because he’s dressed amazingly, that’s the vibe this man-cave cafe will attract in you too.

Food

★★★★

Bangbang Cafe — French Toast with Chorizo – French toasted brioche with grilled chorizo, caramelised red onion jam, poached egg and a side of avo smash | $16.90

Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Bangbang cafe. I’ll start with the Turf & Turf & Turf burger because it was freaking amazing. First of all people, homemade sauces. And boy these sauces were damn good. The BBQ one in particular MADE this burger.

Somehow I managed to make my mouth big enough and get a little bit of everything in there at once. YUM. It was everything a burger should be in one mouthful. And it was seriously, man-sized. We’re talking gigantic, I don’t know how anyone could finish this whole burger and still be hungry. With its 3 different types of meat and double cheese, this burger is a serious feed that even the likes of Epic Meal Time would be satisfied with.

We also ordered the French Toast with Chorizo. This dish could have been great but it was unfortunately a little dry. I learnt from My Kitchen Rules that chorizo gets this way when it’s pan fried (a contestant on the show made the same mistake). I was also hoping for a little more of that onion jam. Over all a good dish, but something was missing.

Service

★★★★★

The staff here are super friendly and always down for a good chat. The thing I love most is that conversation doesn’t feel forced, strained or unnatural. You can also genuinely feel that they care about the food they put in front of you and want you to have an all-round a fab time.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★

Okay, not gonna lie, Bangbang Cafe is expensive. Most dishes will set you back around $17 which to me is pretty pricey for brunch. In terms of burgers though, they are massive and indulgent, so you do get what you’re paying for.

The Details

Where: 113 Reservoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Contact: (02) 9281 0018

Opening Hours:

Mon–Thurs: 7:30AM – 3:30PM
Fri: 7:30am-3:30pm & 5pm – 9pm
Sat – Sun: 8am – 2pm

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Please note that this was an invited event courtesy of Ningjaeats

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Petal Met Sugar, Woolloomooloo

April 7, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

With all the Instagram hype I finally made my way to Petal Met Sugar! I’m sure everyone has seen images of their decadent desserts against floral tabletop backdrops. So, without further ado, welcome to Petal Met Sugar, a cosy and intimate cafe x florist x patisserie, tucked away in the streets of Wooloomooloo.

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★

What I liked about Petal Met Sugar was the inside space. It’s white, crisp and elegant. To one side, watch behind large glass windows a theatre-like performance of the patissiere’s at work, and to the other, browse the flowers freshly arranged by the florist.

Petal Met Sugar is a workspace first and then a cafe. They primarily take cake and floral orders, but if you’d like to have a sweet treat, there’s a seating area located outside (no tables are located inside). It’s a simple arrangement and not as flash as rising cafes nowadays, but it does the job. The cute floral posy’s add a nice touch on the tabletops.

But what disappointed me the most was the state of the tables. Ningjaeats and I arrived quite early in the morning, around 10AM, and the place was not busy at all! The two free tables were really dirty and the young guy at the counter seemed to be more interested in his conversation with his co-worker, than his potential customers…but more on this later.

Food

★★★★

IMG_1986-5 — Tasting Trio | $10 | From left to right: Peach Oolong – yoghurt mousse, Lupicia peach Oolong tea brulee, blood peach compote, coconut macaron, coconut glaze (Gluten-free) | Chocolate Candy Bar – chocolate flourless sponge, burnt butter ganache, praline feuilletine crunch, sprayed milk chocolate mousse | Eclair

Petal Met Sugar - Terranium — Terrarium passionfruit finger lime panacotta, cocoa nib soil, baby lemon balm, edible flower garden, Callebaut 29.5% white chocolate | $10.50

IMG_1971-1 — Smoked ham and gruyere croissant | $6.50

My goodness. The food here is beautiful! I really love the way that all the dishes look like an artwork. For our tastebuds we ordered the Tasting Trio which included the eclair, peach oolong cake and chocolate candy bar; the ever famous Terrarium and the smoked ham and gruyere croissant.

The peach oolong cake was by far my favourite on the plate. Yum. I would have ordered a whole slab if I knew how delicious it would be. Definitely the highlight of the Tasting Trio, it’s light in its flavours, fruity and not too overly sweet. Also it’s gluten free! I actually recommend you order this standalone as the other two treats on the plate didn’t excite my tastebuds nearly as much.

Secondly the Terrarium is not just a pretty face – it also tastes really good. A little on the sweet side, the trick to eating this is to destroy it – literally. If you try to eat it piece by piece, you won’t get the full combination of flavours as you would smashing the delicate white chocolate globe and grabbing a chunk of cocoa nib soil, passionfruit panacotta and white chocolate all in your mouth at once. All elements together balance perfectly to create a delightful array of flavour combinations on the palate.

The smoked ham and gruyere croissant is fairly standard and tasted like a regular ham and cheese croissant. It was a good accompaniment to reset the palate from the sweetness.

The menu here is limited and I would definitely not go here looking for breakfast or brunch. This place is strictly best for a sweet treat or a small snack, with the only savoury options being a selection of croissants. It’s the perfect place for morning or afternoon tea.

Service

★.5

I feel so terrible having to recount a truthful experience that is so negative, but above all, I promise my readers the truth. I’m sure every other day, Petal Met Sugar has a wonderful person on the service desk, but the young guy in service on this particular morning was terrible.

Okay. There are only 3 tables at Petal Met Sugar and when they’re not busy, I expect them to be clean or soon to be cleaned.

Upon arrival, the young guy at the front register pretty much ignored us. No warm friendly welcome or a “Hi, how are you?” “Where would you like to sit?” or even a “Can I help you?” He knew we were there, we stood literally in front of the register, but he was too busy having a conversation with his co-worker.

So after some time, I gave up on him and decided to take a seat at one of the horribly dirty tables. I grabbed ourselves some menus (after searching for them on the front counter myself – the guy was still in conversation) and took them back so we could order. Once we decided, I went back to order and he seemed almost annoyed that he had to serve me?!!? What?!?! Not only that, I had to clean my OWN table with a napkin.

I went back and asked him if he had a bin to put the napkins in (there were also napkins on the table left from the previous customers). He looked somewhat disgusted at having to touch the napkins with his bare hands, to which I assured him that they weren’t all mine and belonged to the people before me. He reluctantly took them away, making sure to pinch the very far corner of each one so as not taint himself with germs.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★★

The prices here are really reasonable and the portion size is good.

The Details

Where: Ground Floor, 68 Sir John Young Cr, Woolloomooloo

Contact: hello@petalmetsugar.com.au or 9360 6226

Opening Hours:

Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 8.00am – 4.30pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm | Sunday 9am – 4pm

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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO – Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Nook Urban Fresh Bar

January 24, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

Nook Urban Fresh Bar is an oasis bursting with colour, warmth, vibrance and life in the middle of an otherwise stoney CBD. Amongst the bustling traffic this cafe provides the perfect “nook” to escape from it all and rejuvenate with a hearty, organic feed.

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★

Wow, this cafe is gorgeous! Everything comes together perfectly to create a farmhouse vibe that is cleverly contrasted with bright and colourful organic food displays. The natural woodwork compliments the aluminium and antique steel finishes that decorate the cafe. Everything about the atmosphere compliments the food and helps to created an overall wholesome and natural feel.

Food

★★★★.5

Nook Urban Fresh Bar — Sweeten Me Up | Lemon ricotta, honey caramelized fig and peach, smashed pistachio and fresh mint on organic fruit loaf

How best to describe the food at Nook Urban Fresh Bar? Natural, organic, fresh, homely, but on top of all that, indulgent. Every dish that hits the table is a piece of art, delicately constructed to look as good as it tastes. When my “Sweeten me Up” hit the table I knew that this would be the most beautiful breakfast dish I’d ever have. Another highlight of the breakfast was the chai tea latte. ninjaeats mentioned it was one of the best she’s ever had!

Service

★★★

The service here is your average order from the counter experience, so there’s not much involvement with the staff directly. Meals were a little slow to arrive to the table, however the place is very busy.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★★.5

Great food at a great price. What more could you want?

The Details

Where: 4/83 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Contact: (02) 9299 5050

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 7PM – 4PM

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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO: Porch and Parlour

December 6, 2015 Talyssa Leave a comment

If you’re in to hispter cafes then the Porch and Parlour’s cafe x night bar is for you. It’s creative, it’s got soul food, it offers vegan and vegetarian options and of course, it’s located in Bondi. Need I say more? Hipsters assemble!

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★

If you’re anything like me, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief when you hear that the Porch and Parlour cafe is located on the quieter, northern side of Bondi. While the cafe does have open front windows for you to enjoy the ocean breeze, the beautiful view of the ocean is unfortunately obscured by the surrounding buildings – which is a bit of a shame. Nonetheless, the hipster interiors are pretty spech and the cafe plays homage to the all too familiar vibes of ‘refurbished warehouse’ and ‘open industrial roofing’, which actually, I still quite enjoy!

Porch and Parlour is small, cosy and not too overcrowded. I especially loved how all the tables were garnished with a small posy of fresh flowers – it’s the little things.

Food

★★★.5

Porch and Parlour North Bondi — Seared Chicken Breast with Steamed Greens: Broccoli, green beans, peas, fresh herbs, baby spinach, kale and herb pesto. | $22

Porch and Parlour North Bondii — Raw Cosmic Salad with mixed herbs, lettuce, apple, fennel, beetroot, quinoa, sprouts, guacamole, raw sisterhood sauerkraut, sprouted crackers and ocean trout | $25

Both the seared chicken with steam greens and the raw cosmic salad tasted great, as did our mocha. The chicken was organic, cooked well and moist. The steamed greens were well cooked and well seasoned – deliciously lemony. The raw cosmic salad was well dressed, fresh and creative – I really enjoyed the combination of flavours in this dish.

While the dishes and drinks tasted great, unfortunately we couldn’t help but feel a little cheated for our money. The seared chicken dish at $22 was very small with the chicken portion being particularly underwhelming in size. Similarly adding ocean trout to the raw cosmic salad was an additional $7 and unfortunately, the size of the trout was also not the most generous. With the overall salad amounting to around $25 there seemed to be a bit too much lettuce and less of the good stuff – trout, beetroot etc – and for $25 I expect more of the good stuff. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the sprout crackers which for me took away from the otherwise pleasant taste of the salad, and most disappointing of all was the ‘guacamole’. Just because you smash avocado with a fork, does not make it guacamole!!!!

Lastly the “large” mocha would be a regular size in most cafes, especially since it seems to be the trend nowadays to serve mochas in those huge mugs – I like those mugs.

Service

Rating: ★★★★

Good service, fast and pleasant.

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★

Quite pricey, small portion sizes, but the overall taste is good.

The Details

Where: 17-18/110 Ramsgate Ave, North Bondi NSW 2026

Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday 6.30am – 5pm | Wednesday – Sunday 6.30am – 10pm

Contact: info@porchandparlour.com.au

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