Posts tagged ‘sydney’
Gluten free, Friday night pork tacos
The other night in Woolworths, I was kind of loitering in the Asian food aisle, trying to absorb some dinner inspiration when I happened across Select brand’s “Authentic Mexican Corn Tortillas.” Ding! (Lightbulb moment.) I decreed (to myself and the bag of tortillas – we were the only two who cared) that Mr L and I would have soft shell tacos at some point this week! So tonight, Mr L had just returned from work drinks at the pub and was pretty hungry. Rarely does he feel like tacos, but tonight, he said they were just what he felt like and even commented that the tacos represented “good pub food”. I thought that was a pretty good endorsement from a man who’d worked up an appetite, lifting schooies at the pub. It seemed the time was right, this was to be taco night! Mmmm… delicioso!
Cheeky North Sydney lunch @ Viet’s Pho
I’m so thrilled to be working in North Sydney again – not just because of the food – but also because I’m close to loads of friends and family, so can have a cheeky lunch here and there when there’s time to escape the office. Last Monday, I had the pleasure of catching up with BF for a quick lunch before heading off to Brissie for a few days. After some wandering around Tower Square, we happened upon Viet’s Pho. It was an easy choice since there were lots of seats available (and seldom elsewhere), but this easy choice became a great one as Viet’s Pho was almost better than Pho that Mr L and I had in Vietnam!
Back in action! Dreaming of Greece and a long, lazy brunch at Xenos..
Bet you thought I’d fallen off the face of the Earth! Never fear – here I am again with tail between legs… Why such a quiet period? Well, frankly, it’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog. Oh yeah – like a big dog – a Great Dane perhaps. In any event, I’m back now and look forward to some more regularity in my life. What’s more – Mr L and I are heading overseas in less than two weeks, so I’ll be able to share some magical food experiences with you. Bring that on really. In the mean time though, dreaming of Greece, I thought I’d tell you about a great Sunday brunch we had recently with BF, Commando and TB at Xenos Cafe Restaurant in Crows Nest.
The big dog here is a representation of how hard I've been working.. (pic from http://www.breederretriever.com)
A long, lazy brunch at Xenos
You know how people talk about long lazy brunches? On this particular Sunday, that’s exactly what we had. We met up at 10 am and had such a good time eating, chatting, laughing and playing with TB (BF and Commando’s gorgeous tiny wee man), that the time seemed to zoom by. Before we knew it, the hands on the clock were pointing at 12:30 pm! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.
Corn fritters of a different kind
I’m a sucker for a corn fritter. Like my love for pork, I am somewhat renowned for this affiliation and of course Mr L knew what I was having as soon as he looked at the menu. BF had the same idea and after a small amount of deliberating over Xenos’ extensive breakie menu, we ordered the corn fritters. They were served with bacon, avocado and a tomato relish. Unexpectedly, they also arrived with two poached eggs and a cheeky piece of roast tomato on the side. A decent breakfast by any account!
The corn fritters were deep fried – a take on the corn fritter we’d not previously encountered. With the relish and the bacon and avocado, they’re pretty good, but I’d probably prefer them less fried. Everything else was delicious though – particularly the poached eggs and tangy relish.
Corn fritters
The Cure
Mr L made his way through a number of glasses of red the night before, so when he found a menu item named “The Cure”, he wasn’t going to argue. The Cure was comprised of bacon, steak, eggs (any way), a hash brown, five chipolatas (yes, five!) and a token piece of tomato. The only thing that could have improved this breakfast was for it to be delivered by Robert Smith of the meal’s name sake band. I’m not sure whether it’s due to rehydration, or the breakfast itself, but Mr L certainly has more of a spring in his step after breakie. It’s quite possible that in this case, The Cure was better than prevention!
Mr L's Cure!
Tomatoey eggs
I didn’t note down the name of the breakie that Commando chose from the specials menu, but it was a special Greek breakfast, made up of poached eggs in a rich tomato sauce with loads of dippy toast. When we’re in Kefalonia, Santorini or Mykonos in the next month or so, I’ll see if I can determine what Commando’s breakie was called and will let you know! 
Commando's tomatoey eggs
The tomatoey eggs went down a treat, and BF and Commando shared a cheeky fruit plate for a breakie vitamin boost.
Fruit platter with honeyed yoghurt
Good hosts
The people at Xenos were happy to accommodate us during our long, lazy lunch stay. They brought us loads of drinks, lots of water and the cafe was warm on an otherwise cold day. I’ve gotta say – in Crows Nest, Xenos is one of my faves and there’s little doubt that we’ll be back.
The low down
I’ve just been reading that Xenos Cafe Restaurant is now celebrating it’s 40th year of service. It is located in a sunny spot at 7 Burlington Street, Crows Nest and trades over the following hours:
Breakfast: 7 days from 7:00 am
Lunch: 7 days from 12:00 pm
Dinner: 5 Days from 6 pm
Closed for Dinner Sunday and Monday nights
To contact Xenos:
Phone: (02) 9439 1748
Fax: (02) 9436 2477
Or visit the Xenos website at http://www.xenosrestaurant.com.au
What to expect from me…
It’s fair to say that the busy times at work are set to continue until Mr L and I embark on our holiday in two weeks, but I’d like to think I can blog at least a few times a week from now on. Thanks for your patience during my unexpected hiatus!
Moving on, I think it’s unlikely I’ll be blogging daily - a few times a week is probably more realistic and if I can manage more frequency, that’ll be a bonus! 
What I’d love from you…
Soon we’re heading to London, several parts of Greece, Paris, Iceland and a few cities in the USA. Do you have ideas about terrific little eateries, or fancy, flash restaurants that we should visit? I’d love to hear them! To provide a suggestion, add a comment using the form at the bottom of any of these posts.
Cheers!
Bet you thought I’d fallen off the face of the Earth! Never fear – here I am again with tail between legs… Why such a quiet period? Well, frankly, it’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog. Oh yeah – like a big dog – a Great Dane perhaps. In any event, I’m back now and look forward to some more regularity in my life. What’s more – Mr L and I are heading overseas in less than two weeks, so I’ll be able to share some magical food experiences with you. Bring that on really. In the mean time though, dreaming of Greece, I thought I’d tell you about a great Sunday brunch we had recently with BF, Commando and TB at Xenos Cafe Restaurant in Crows Nest.
A long, lazy brunch
You know how people talk about long lazy brunches? On this particular Sunday, the brunch lived up to its name. We met up at 10 am and had such a good time eating, chatting and playing with TB – BF and Commando’s tiny wee man, that the time seemed to zoom by. Before we knew it, the hands on the clock were pointing at 12:30 pm! I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.
Corn fritters of a different kind
I’m a sucker for a corn fritter. Like my love for pork, I am somewhat renowned for this affiliation and of course Mr L knew what it was to be for me when he looked at the menu. BF had the same idea and we ordered said corn fritters: served with bacon, avocado and a tomato relish. Unexpectedly, they also arrived with two poached eggs and a cheeky piece of roast tomato on the side. A decent breakfast by any account!
The corn fritters arrived looking deep fried – a take on the corn fritter we’d not previously encountered. With the relish and the bacon and avocado, they’re pretty good, but I’d probably prefer them less fried.
The Cure
Mr L made his way through a number of glasses of red the night before, so when he saw a breakfast option named “The Cure”, he made the apt decision to receive help in that form. The Cure was comprised of bacon, steak, eggs (any way), a hash brown, five chipolatas (yes, five!) and a token piece of tomato. The only thing that would have improved this breakfast would have been delivery by Robert Smith of the meal’s name sake band. I’m not sure whether it’s due to rehydration, or the breakfast, but Mr L certainly has more of a spring in his step after breakie – so it’s quite possible that The Cure worked!
Tomatoey eggs
I didn’t note down the name of the breakie that Commando chose from the specials menu, but it was a special Greek breakfast meal, made up of poached eggs in a tomato sauce with loads of dippy toast.
The tomatoey eggs went down a treat, and BF and Commando had a cheeky fruit plate to wash it all down with.
Good hosts
The people at Xenos were happy to accommodate us during our long, lazy lunch stay. They brought us loads of drinks, lots of water and the cafe was warm on an otherwise cold day. I’ve gotta say – in Crows Nest, Xenos is one of my faves and there’s little doubt that we’ll be back.
The low down
I’ve just been reading that the unpretentious Xenos Cafe Restaurant is now celebrating it’s 40th year of service. It is located in a sunny spot at 7 Burlington Street, Crows Nest and trades over the following hours:
Breakfast: 7 days from 7:00 am
Lunch: 7 days from 12:00 pm
Dinner: 5 Days from 6 pm
Closed for Dinner Sunday and Monday nights
To contact Xenos:
Phone: (02) 9439 1748
Fax: (02) 9436 2477
Or visit the Xenos website at www.xenosrestaurant.com.au
What to expect from me…
It’s fair to say that the busy times at work are set to continue until Mr L and I embark on our holiday in two weeks, but I’d like to think I can blog at least a few times a week from now on. Thanks for your patience during my unexpected hiatus!
What I’d love from you
Soon we’re heading to London, several parts of Greece, Paris, Iceland and a few cities in the USA. Do you have ideas about terrific little eateries, or fancy, flash restaurants that we should visit? I’d love to hear them! To provide a suggestion, add a comment using the form at the bottom of any of these posts.
Cheers!
Shiny disco balls (and request for an extension)
Well it’s been a trying 36 hours. I’ve travelled from Sydney to Adelaide and now to Brisbane and have just got in tonight. My computer died, my mobile died and I couldn’t find a charger at Adelaide airport. So I’d promised to write the bumper review of Saturday night’s PC birthday dinner, but I’ve been out of computer juice, and now have run out of fruit loop juice, so am sheepishly requesting an extension. I promise to write the review tomorrow – have cancelled plans and will write, then snooze! In the mean time….
Lunch at Nicks, and a promise to tell you about LL Wine and Dine bar
I’ve just flown into Adelaide, and this post was mostly constructed without internet access on that flight, so it’s a quick one on a working lunch last week with my boss @ Nick’s Seafood Restaurant, Cockle Bay. Tomorrow night, I have even longer in airports and on planes, so will write the post about the weekend’s shenanigans ootnaboot for PC’s birthday including a quite fabulous, if not somewhat squeezy dinner @ LL Wine and Dine Bar, Potts Point – stay tuned!
The talked up lunch @ Satang Thai, Haymarket + more pics from Mr L
Lunch @ Satang Thai in Haymarket with my mate Johy. Crispy pork belly with glossy Chinese greens and a tasty chicken and veggies in peanut sauce. Also, as promised, a few of the very clever Mr L’s pics from yesterday’s sunrise mission @ Freshie and a couple of Berrima shots.
Breakfast @ The Kitchen Door, Freshwater
“Quite possibly the best breakfast I’ve ever had out” said Mr L of The Kitchen Door @ Freshwater beach today. Big call friends, big call. Though I must tell you – we’ll be going back – and not just to capture the kind of beachside photography posted in tonight’s blog. Let me know what you think of my clever husband’s shots!
No cook chocolate-orange tart – Mother’s Day special
It’s been a busy weekend, filled with celebrations – a few for Mother’s Day and a big one for our best mate Commando, who had a great birthday yesterday. We’ve just got home and there’s been no time to blog in the mean time, but hopefully the wait was worth it, for tonight’s post is a creamy, fudgey, decadent, no cook chocolate-orange tart. The filling in this tart is so gooey and rich, you could consider making the filling, chilling it and serving it as a chocolate jaffa mousse. Sound good? Check the pictures!
Almonds from Aldi – alright!
A quick post tonight – mostly made of pictures – I just wanted to tell you about a little spoil I picked up yesterday at Aldi, North Sydney. Of course, you might already be aware of these little gems, but if not, I’d thoroughly recommend picking some up for your lunch box. Aldi’s “Oh so natural” almonds come in a pack of six x 30 g boxes, and make such a tremendous, healthy treat for you and yours. (And no, I’m not on commission!)
Official working dinner @ the Summit
Wow – it’s been a whirlwind week. I’ve been notably quiet. And feeling very slack about it really. I’ve got loads to catch you up on (ricotta pancakes, dinner @ Gambaro’s in Brisbane, this last weekend in Melbourne with loads of good eating, drinking, laughing and shopping moments and more with great company, and lunch with BF today at The Cove), but for the momentI think it’s important you hear about the room with a view from where we had dinner last Saturday night. Well – it was a big room – it was the Summit Restaurant, on the 47th floor of Australia Square (Sydney) with Nanna G, Pa, Mr L et moi. And the occasion was an official business dinner.
Anzac Day two-up @ Dicks, Balmain
PC invited Mr L and me to join her, the two Ts and a few others for a spot of Anzac Day Two-Up @ Dicks Hotel, Balmain. We could hardly believe the crowds as we approached Dick’s. Outside Dick’s and the adjacent Exchange Hotel, the lines were massive (see pics) as people from far and wide came together to remember the Anzacs, while drinking beers and playing Two-Up.
Remembering our soldiers on ANZAC Day eve
Mr L and I met my friend Cassie in the Rocks today. While there, I took the following picture of a sandstone soldier carving. Though it’s of a soldier from Australia’s settlement period, it seemed fitting since ANZAC Day is tomorrow. I’ve been remembering my two grandfathers who both served their countries in world war two – as did many other men and women. I’ve also been thinking of the cab driver in Brisbane this week who told me that he’d been left for dead with two bullets in his chest in the Vietnam War. He was so glad to be alive – there was a spring in his voice seldom heard while people rush about their days, barely stopping to remember their manners in the street, or acknowledge others. This post has one purpose – to remember those who have gone to wars – whether by choice or not.
Mosey on down to South Restaurant, y’all
Mr L and I were thrilled to be invited to our friend Tines’ birthday a few weeks ago @ South Restaurant in Neutral Bay. Turns out, so were a bunch of our other friends, and on a Tuesday night, we met up with great anticipation of the creole, cajun and soul food that South Restaurant is famous for.
Nanna G’s lunchtime fave: Myer Cafe
My Mum (Nanna G) is a big fan of the salad sandwich. All salad sandwiches are good, but there’s one that she particularly enjoys from the Myer Cafe @ Macquarie Centre, North Ryde. My Dad (Pa) likes any excuse to have lunch out and about. So having lunch @ Myer Cafe is an excellent way to have lunch with them both!
29 degrees in Sydney, the Bay Walk past sparking waters and honourable mentions to three establishments!
It’s a short, and mostly pictorial post tonight and again, it hasn’t got much to do with food, save for a few honorary mentions to wrap up the weekend… First though, I wanted to tell you about the beauty that was today in Sydney.
