Loving Hut, Cabramatta, Sydney

If you're a vegetarian then you would completely be spoilt by choice here!  Being a former vegetarian, I can definitely appreciate the taste of fake meat.  At the same time I am now a meat eater so it's all relative!

I loved the crunch of the vietnamese pancake and so I rolled this in a rice paper roll. It was delicious.  I understand this place is a bit famous for vegans and I can understand why.

If you're a meat eater and wanting a break, feeling a bit curious then I'd recommend loving hut.

Don't come here and order any fake meat dishes if you have never tried it before.  Some of the other dishes without fake meat are great and the fake meat is more ideal for vegetarian or vegans.

Fail Alison. Fail. That's all I can say.  And good work Mel! A box of chips and you still downed lunch!

Vietnamese Pancake

My friend's failed rolled fresh rice roll

Fake meat, rice noodle to be rolled

Fresh accompaniments

Crumbed Taro 

Blu Ginger - Macmahon's Point, Sydney

Wow!  I'm not a massive indian food consumer (can you tell by the number of Japanese restaurants?) but I thought this place was awesome.  I tried a number of vegetarian dishes at Blu Ginger including a potato dumpling korma and an eggplant tomato based curry.  The bread was flakey and delicious. I love naan bread!

I work with a lot of English people who claim the quality of Sydney indian food is not comparable to their home country.  I decided to do the smart thing and ask an indian friend - He had said this place was highly recommended.  I don't know what exactly I ordered so I'll have to ask him what each dish contained!

North Indian food was delicious at Blu Ginger :)

Garlic Naan Bread

Sushi Yachiyo, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Yachiyo is a tiny hole in the wall type of restaurant but it's a nice little restaurant.  Get there early or book!  Tonight it was a light delicious mix of green tea noodle salad, sashimi and popcorn shrimp and avocado. I thought there would be a bit more sashimi but it was still tasty.  The green tea noodle salad was fresh and well balanced of flavours and textures.  The popcorn shrimp and avocado was a crumbed, beautifully sauced dish.

It's reasonably priced and dances on your tongue with different flavours, textures and overall that yummy hit you are looking for.  I came here after a few cocktails in the cross at a friend's event so I was happy.  Bob kept on interfering somehow with my photos and Mel makes a debut with her red nails too.

Green Tea Noodle Salad

Sashimi Main

Popcorn Shrimp and avocado

 

Tommy Thai Smile - West Ryde, Sydney

Tommy Thai Smile seems to westernise it's thai food. The food is tasty but since I eat so much thai, I was somewhat disappointed by the Pad Kee Mao -  a traditional chilli thai basil dish.  It was still a good stir fry dish but it wasn't a Pad Kee Mao.

The Almond Prawn Entree was a pleasure of textures but was missing a touch of moisture. It left a slightly crumbed oily in your mouth and the sweet chilli sauce didn't quite complement the dish as well.

The satay chicken was great. The sizzling place of seafood was very delicious.  The sauce was addictive actually.  A great suburban thai restaurant with nice atmosphere.  Don't order Pad Kee Mao.

Almond Prawn Entree

Satay Chicken 

Sizzling Seafood Plate

Not quite a Pad Kee Mao

 

Kuletos - Newtown, Sydney

Kuleto's was the best uni bar when I was younger.  Cheap, sugary cocktails in a dark cramped space.  It's been some years and they have renovated so there's more space upstairs and more trending seats.  It gets very crowded at happy hour time, 2 for 1 cocktails so I like to get there earlier.  The cocktails probably have less alcohol in them but since you're paying about $10 per cocktail (well technically $20 but for two), it's still a win!

I was getting relatively happy after three cocktails.  I bumped into newly weds this night too where there was an intense conversation about all sorts of things.

Rumbles Cafe - Eastwood, Sydney

Not a gourmet cafe but a good average cafe that will serve you a quick breakfast for a reasonable price.  Worthwhile if you can't be bothered making breakfast yourself but you want a quick breakfast.  If you're looking for something super tasty then I would say move on.  Expect reliable but average food.

Poached eggs with toast 

Scrambled eggs, mushrooms, bacon, tomato and toast

Soffritto - Newtown, Sydney

I think I got completely distracted by my company this evening because I would have sworn I took a photo of my dish which was a barramundi baked in a salted crust or as the menu would describe it the "Crisp skinned barramundi, baby leeks and almond quinoa, kasundi sauce".  It was tasty.

 My friend !xobile (pronounced sound "click" eeelay) had the beef which was good but we both agreed the Selah in Circular Quay was a major competitor and would probably win in the battle of tasty restaurant kick boxing.

Still, a great restaurant to share good wine, food and hopefully company too.  Good work !xobile.

Roast fillet of beef wrapped in pancetta with mushrooms and garlic spinach