Candelori's, Fairfield

Candelori's is a posh Italian restaurant in Fairfield. It took me by surprise and the 72% like rate on Urbanspoon is on the mark. With a very reasonable large space; spanned with long tables of big groups lined with white tablecloth.

I'm not one to be too adventurous but my company was and cherished and enjoyed the lamb's brain  at $21 (above). The lamb's brain was crumbed, pan-finished with lemon butter, parsley and fried sage. I was more interested in the Zuchhini flowers that were stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach at $24. They were perfectly cooked with a bit of crunch and lemon. There were 4 pieces so that's $6 per zuchhini flower.

To share, I also ordered the woodfired capsicum (above) medley bruschetta on woodfired ciabatta bread at $12. The bread was beautiful and all the trimmings were tasty.

For Mains, I ordered the linguine marinara (above) which was the long thin pasta pan tossed with pomodoro, mussels, baby calamari, tiger prawns & vongole at $27.  It was a solid dish. The housemade gnocchi al pomodoro with goat’s cheese at $26 was consistent with what you would expect from a gnocchi.

I got good feedback on the ravioli of lobster, prawn, crab large ravioli filled with lobster, crab & tiger prawn; pan finished with cherry tomatoes, pomodoro, dash of cream, basil and virgin olive oil at $28.  The portion looked a bit small.

The stand out dish however agreed by all parties was.... the Cannelloni. Forget all the pasta mains! It was so very tasty. The $26 Cannelloni, consisted of di pollo flat sheet egg pasta folded with chicken breast, fior di latte mozzarella, grated aged parmesan and béchamel, baked with tomato and basil.  It was jut a very simple but well executed dish that tasted amazing $26.  A definite recommend!

For dessert, I got consistent reviews for the Hazelnut Pannacotta which had ginger crumble, strawberries and toasted  hazelnuts. The special chocolate slice was OK too.

Prices: $25-30 for mains

Location: 685 Horsley drive, Fairfield

Saigon Bowl, Strathfield

Saigon Bowl is a clean Vietnamese restaurant. The 65% like rating is probably right on the ball. I would say it's good but not amazing. At Saigon Bowl, you will have a lot of choice and the food is cooked well. 

So I would say this is a consistent eatery if you're in town and looking for some good cooked food. 

Above is the crispy noodle with beef and vegetables. I love crispy noodles and I love how the gravy softens the noodles.  There were large chunks (too large) of bok choy, carrot and beef that laid on top of the noodles. The spring rolls were ok. Nothing note worthy so I would suggest another entree if you have the choice.

I also had the marinated beef, which is accompanied with all the trimmings of mint, vermicelli noodles, vinegar soaked carrot and radishes. All these ingredients are prepared so you can roll them in rice paper. It was a nice dish. The meat was very flavoursome.

So overall, all the dishes were reasonably priced and all the dishes are well cooked. There was no complimentary tea like most other Vietnamese restaurants but it is cleaner than most!

Prices: $15-$20ish for mains

Location: 3, the Boulevarde, Strathfield. About 2 minutes walk from Strathfield station. 

4Fourteen, Surry Hills

4Fourteen was a great venue for a large group of friends for a lazy lunch on Sunday. The best way to describe the experience would be sharing plate degustation in a warehouse setting, 4fourteen certainly delivered when it came to good food, atmosphere and customer service.  While the portions to share are small; there are several dishes that come out that will satisfy.  It's set in a trendy warehouse in Surry Hills.

The meal started beautifully with very tasty bread, soft butter and olives. The "chips" pictured below were beautifully tempura vegetables with an aioli like sauce.

The other great dishes included the cured King Fish and Miso Smoked Salmon. All the ingredients were fresh and perfectly presented. I enjoyed all the different textures particularly in the salmon dish.

The croquettes were yum. All the other meat dishes were perfectly cooked including the lamb which was very much melt in your mouth, the chorizo was spicy and we got a bonus pork dish which was delicious.  For an array of dishes, I would definitely recommend the $65 collective menu experience. The above picture was the menu that I got to experience.

The absolute highlight of the menu for me was the white chocolate sandwich. Everything was perfect about the sandwich. The ice cream was super creamy, the chocolate crispy "bread" provided crunch and the perfection of caramel was amazing. I loved it. That's why it gets it's own special black square.

Location: 414 Bourke St, Surry Hills. Roughly a 10 minute walk from Central Station.

Gelato Messina, Surry Hills

All the hype of the Mushroom cake at Gelato Messina means heightened expectations of this elusive and infamous cake. Gelato Messina is very popular for their gelato but you will often see that the foodies will also blog about their cakes.

So what is this mushroom cake all about? Well first of all its formal name is Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom Cake. The image below from the Gelato Messina website explains the deliciousness very well. The glossy red glaze with white chocolate button cleverly disguises what lies beneath.

The chocolate cake, chocolate gelato and magical green bits all worked very well. My favourite part was definitely the clash of green bits and ice cream. The green bits were crunchy, delicious and exploded (well popped). This Dr Evil Mushroom cake is definitely an experience. It also makes me think of Mario kart.

So if you have a birthday coming up and you want something different and delicious - I would definitely recommend the Gelato Messina Dr Evil Mushroom cake. Yum!

Prices: $85 for the mushroom cake

Pizza Hut, The Works, George St, Sydney (now closed)

I must confess the works at Pizza Hut is a guilty pleasure. It's great when you're broke and with a brother who can eat endlessly. The atmosphere is a bit stale and some of the food is dry when it's been out for some time but there's something homely about memories of my youth.

If you get the pizza fresh out of the oven, with a side of chips, pasta and my random favourite of corn mixed with pasta salad; you may be experiencing what I call the ultimate plate. The CBD restaurant is one of the very last standing restaurants and I wonder how long this could last.

I must admit I had a sneaky bowl of dessert as well of brownie, ice cream and chocolate sauce. Come here once every few years... to relive your youth and shout your kid brother when you are broke.

Prices: $18.95 for dine in, works dinner or weekend lunch/dinner

Location: 630 George St, Sydney

Provence By Antoine, Concord

Provence by Antoine is a slice of posh in the suburbs. Tucked away in a quiet street in Concord, you could say it's a hidden gem. The food absolutely exceeded my expectations and I had a great time.

With French cuisine expect very rich flavours with a touch of fat. I started the meal with the roasted garlic and herb baguette at $7. Ton the bread was soft on the buttery herb-like areas and perfectly crunchy on the outside.

For mains, there was the Pork Belly at $32. The confit cooked Pork Belly was served with apple and sweet onion puree, granny smith and celeriac remoulade. The Pork Belly was perfectly cooked and the rich puree just added that special touch. A great dish.

I also ordered the Lamb Shoulder. From Riverina Region, the 12 hours slowly braised lamb shoulder was accompanied with carrot and star anise, mint relish and reduced jus. A little bit of posh at $32. The lamb naturally melted in my mouth and there were delicious fatty lamb parts. A touch of rich but yummy.

Prices: $ 32ish for mains

Location: 50 Mortlake St, Concord in Surburbia

South Coast Adventures : Kiama

I recently spent a few days in Kiama and loved exploring this little town.  I went for a bit of a walk and absolutely enjoyed the views. Wowzer, look at that water and sky. As I walked along the water towards towards the main blow hole, the sun was coming out.

Belluci's, Dickson (Canberra)

I'm surprised at the 53% like rate on Urbanspoon.  I thought the rating was a bit harsh.  Belluci's must be doing something right in the Canberra area as they have expanded over the years into a number of different restaurants. I went to the Dickson restaurant which is attached to the Sub-Urban Bar.

My work colleague ordered the Vitello Saltimbocca (above) which he ordered 10 years ago and wanted to come back.  He profoundly claimed it was just as good as it was 10 years ago. The dish was pan fried veal medallions with prosciutto, sage, soft polenta, asparagus and pan jus. The Vietello Saltimbocca was $32 and seemed a very small price for a decade of waiting of deliciousness.

I ordered the Spaghetti Marinara (above) which was good. It was a solid pasta dish, Not the dish I would be waiting for 10 years but it was a good dish. The linguine in tomato based sauce was accompanied by selection of prawns, squid and mussels. It was a fresh tasting dish topped with parmesan cheese.

Check it out.

Prices: $30-35 for mains

Location: Corner of Cape St and Woolley Street in Dickson, Canberra

Bacino Bar Il Caffe, Kirribilli

Bacino Bar Ill Caffe is perfect for a casual lunch in Kirribilli and the is best coffee around (a big claim by one of my friends who is a local). It's well deserving of it's 93% liking rating.  With the Harbour bridge a short walk away, it was a really nice and relaxing area to have lunch.

It's a small cafe with some chairs and tables at the front. The food tastes fresh and the sandwiches are full of flavour.  No stale, flavourless sandwiches here.

The Italian Meatball sandwich was full of herbs and was well rounded with a nice blend of cheese and meatball on turkish bread. Equally, the roast beef sandwich with onion relish, tomato and lettuce was delicious. I quite enjoyed this lunch.  I felt like a lady of leisure.

Try it out and let me know what you think?

Prices: Sandwiches are $8.5 to $10, Coffees are about $3

Location: 31 Fitzroy St, Kirribilli

Element 6, West Ryde

Element 6 is a hidden gem in West Ryde. I love it here. The atmosphere rivals many of Surry Hills or Newtown cafes. The Chai Latte is the real good stuff, the honey soaked chai tea leaves are brewed with milk. It's delicious with a few more tea spoons of honey.

The Bacon and Egg Roll with rocket with onion relish is delicious at $9. It would be perfect pick me up on a sleepy weekend. For a slightly healthier option. you could sour dough toast, poached eggs with tomato and rocket at $10.  The eggs are perfectly cooked and all the other ingredients are fresh and tasty.

Prices: $10 to $15 for mains

Location: 65 Ryedale Rd, West Ryde. About 2 minutes from the train station. 

Dos Senoritas, Gladesville

There's something about really delicious food but in ugly big portions form. This is what you get at Dos Senoritas.

I'm talking about some really ugly food, the kind that deceives you with the visual unattractiveness but then surprisingly punches you with flavour and a variety of textures. You will also become slightly overwhelmed with the size of the food.

Dos Senoritas is located on Victoria Rd over two shops, one being a former real estate agent. It's not about looks though! The decore is kind of tacky but it's quite down to earth and endearing.

You always start with complimentary home made corn chips and salsa (pictured above).

 It's also no mexican meal without a margarita or a pacific beer. Delicious (pictured left).

For my main, I ordered the "Award Winning Tacos" from the streets of Mexico which meant your choice of any three tacos for $25. It also comes with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and coriander served with lime.  You also have your choice of tortillas as well!  What choice!

I made my selection of the Flour Tortilla with shredded beef was the traditional pick and was good. The Corn Tortilla with chicken was probably my favourite.  The Crispy Taco Shell  with Dos XX Battered Fish was not bad but probably not my favourite.

For a bigger appetite, you may want to try the The Supercheesygooeychinichanga. What a name for a dish! At $27, this dish taste full on just as much as it's description of Pork Chile Verde, jack and cheddar cheese stuffed into a flour tortilla, deep fried topped with jalapeno cream cheese and jack cheddar cheese. The pork was moist and tender and went well with all the sides. It was a full on dish though.

So for you big portion eaters who love Mexican food, check out Dos Senoritas!

Prices: $25-30 for mains. Get there early or make a booking

Location: 265 Victoria Rd, Gladesville, I normally park on Victoria Rd.

Street Market Asian Tapas, Kirribilli

Street Market Asian Tapas is the ultimate Asian Fusion for yuppies. Street Market Asian Tapas is located in Kirribilli, not far from the station. A favourite of a lot of foodies is nem nuong which is the Vietnamese meat skewer.  At $9, the Vietnamese style pork minced skewer was delicious! A little bit pricey but delicious.

Next up was the Char-grilled Eggplant with soy miso glaze. which was not bad. It doesn't quite compare to the eggplant at Chinese Noodle Restaurant in China Town but that particular eggplant is perfection. The egg plant at Street Market Asian tapas was still nice with smokey miso flavours which was very soft textures at $8.

For the main dish, the ox tail was nice. At $27 the Kare-Kare was really nice. Described as the slow cooked ox tail in clay pot with ground toasted rice and peanut with egg plant, string beans and green leaf, the Kare-Kare was melt in your mouth meat. Give it a go!

Prices: $20-$30 per head

Location: Upstairs, 12 Fitzroy St, Kirribilli