A humongous helping of Sydney scrumptiousness

This post has taken a while to come to fruition. I got back to the UK in mid-January but it's been straight back in the deep-end with my Masters and work. Plus I have recently started a new blog about Food Anthropology, check it out.

Mostly, though, I have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of food photos I took in Sydney. I worked out that in the 26 days I was there, there were only 3 days when I didn't eat out. One was Christmas Day, the next was Boxing Day and the other was on my last day, when the hangover I'd managed to avoid all holiday, despite drinking everyday, hit me like a ton of Jagerbombs. I spent the whole day in bed with the blinds down, but my sister brought me gözleme in bed so I'm not sure if that day even counts.

I'd love to talk you through each and every dish I tried, but if I attempted that you'd be waiting till 2015. Instead, I have selected around 3 photos from (almost) every restaurant I visited to give you a little flavour of my culinary escapades in Sydneytown this time round.

The Welcome Hotel

Welcome lunch at the Welcome Hotel

Panzanella salad

Fried zucchini flowers stuffed with goats cheese, hazelnuts and thyme

The Welcome Hotel – Gastropub; 91 Evans St, Rozelle, NSW, 2041; Ph +61 2 9810 1323

Spice I Am

Thai takeaway on my first night in Sydney

Spice I Am: 237 Darling St, Balmain, NSW, 2041; Ph +61 (0)2 9555 9224

The Restaurant Pendolino

Sicilian trevalla tartare w crisp bread, capers, cucumber, mayo & squid ink powder

Corsetti w ragu di selvaggina (venison shoulder & pork belly ragu)

The Restaurant Pendolino: Shop 100, Level 2, The Strand Arcade, 412-414 George St, Sydney City, NSW, 2000; Ph +61 (0)2 9231 6117

Mr. Wong

Prawn toast with foie gras and almonds

Chinese mushroom dumpling

Mr. Wong’s deep fried vanilla ice cream served with butter scotch sauce

Mr. Wong: 3 Bridge Lane, Sydney City, NSW, 2000; Ph +61 (0)2 9240 3000

Kazbah

Lamb mince breakfast tagine: sucuk, spinach, roast pepper & tomato, onion, feta, eggs

Kazbah: 379 Darling St, Balmain, NSW, 2041; +61 (0)2 9555 7067

Orto Trading Co.

Mini-baked eggs w sobrasada, roast capsicum, fior di latte, vine cherry tomatoes & focaccia

Ravioli of scallop and sorrel with grilled prawns, bisque, sweet corn and pickled mushrooms

Orto Trading Co.: 38 Waterloo St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010; Ph +61 (0)431 212 453; see full post here

Gigi's Pizzeria

Saffron arancini filled with meat ragu, peas and mozzerella

Diavola pizzaGigi's Pizzeria: 379 King St, Newtown, NSW, 2042; +61 (0)2 9557 2224

Bodega

Tinned white anchovies, fish pate, water crackers

Pork, octopus, cabbage and green apple salad with jalapeño dressing

“Banana Split” cream flan, banana marshmallow, dulce de leche ice cream

Bodega: 216 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010; Ph +61 (0)2 9212 7766

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar

Lunch with a view

Zucchini flower & bacala fritters with saffron aioli

Gamberetti: lightly dusted local shrimp, lemon, aioli

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar: 1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach, NSW, 2026; Ph +61 (0)2 9365 9000

Pompei's

Tagliatelle alla bolognese

Rocket and parmesan salad

Hazelnut gelato

Pompei's: 126-130 Roscoe St, Bondi Beach, NSW, 2026; Ph +61 (0)2 9365 1233

The Oxford Tavern

Cheeseburger

Piri piri charcoal chicken

The Oxford Tavern: 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham, NSW, 2049; Ph +61 (0)2 9550 9900

Papi Chulo

Empanadas filled with wild greens and raclette, tomato jam

Smoked pork ribs with Papi’s BBQ sauce, half rack (yes, half!)

Grilled local sand crabs, green chilli condiment

Papi Chulo: 22-23 Manly Wharf, Manly, NSW, 2095; Ph +61 (0)2 9240 3000

The Boathouse at Balmoral Beach

Brunch with a view

Poached eggs w smoked salmon, potato hash, beetroot puree, fennel & watercress salad

Fruit salad with yoghurt and honeycombThe Boathouse at Balmoral Beach: 2 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach, NSW, 2088; Ph +61 (0)2 9974 5440

Cipro Pizza al Taglio

Tomato and toasted bread salad with mozzerella, olive, capers and basil

BBQ octopus salad with Morrocan spiced eggplant, lemon, parsley and mint

Cipro Pizza al Taglio: Shop 9, 21 Fountain St, Alexandria, NSW, 2015; Ph +61 (0)2 9698 4183

Marigold

Prawn and snow pea gowgee (dumpling)

Char siu (BBQ pork) buns

"Yogi so" (BBQ squid)Marigold: Levels 4 and 5, Citymark Building, 683-689 George St, Sydney City, NSW, 2000; Ph +61 (0)2 9281 3388

Popolo

Wagyu bresaola, rockmelon preserve, walnuts, valeriana

Fregola (toasted pepple-shaped pasta), vongole, zucchini flowers, saffronSquid ink tagliatelle, spanner crab, king crab, blue swimmer crab, cherry tomato basil

Popolo: 50 McLachlan Ave, Rushcutters Bay, NSW, 2011; Ph +61 (0)2 9361 6641

Izakaya Fujiyama

Bonito tataki special

Grilled mackerel tossed with grated daikon and soy

BBQ smoked duck with pear and pickled green tomatoes

Izakaya Fujiyama: Shop G09, 38-52 Waterloo St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010; Ph +61 (0)2 9698 2797

The Island Bar

More pizza!

The Island Bar: Cockatoo Island; Ph +61 (0)420 220 885

Golden Century Seafood Restaurant

Poor bugger knows what's coming2 course peking duck: 1st course, peking duck pancakes

2 course peking duck: 2nd course, san choi bauPork ribs Peking styleCrispy skin chicken with ginger and shallot

Golden Century Seafood Restaurant: 393-399 Sussex St, Sussex St, Sydney City, NSW, 2000; +61 (0)2 9212 3901

Le Grande Bouffe

Confit duck Landaise salad w eschallots, green beans, kifler potatoes & lardons

Le Grande Bouffe: Shops 1 and 2, 758 Darling St, Rozelle, NSW, 2039; Ph +61 (0)2 9818 4333

Quattro Paste

Tortelli Maremmani: Housemade spinach & ricotta ravioli w tomato & basil sauce

Gnocchi alla fornaia w pesto of fresh basil, walnuts, pecorino toscano, olive oil & garlic

Rabbit ravioli with thyme butter and parmesanQuattro Paste: Shop 129, 85 Reynolds St, Balmain, NSW, 2041; Ph +61 (0)2 9810 9125

Fratelli Paradiso

Fig, mozzerella and ricotta salad with heirloom tomatoes

Mulloway carpaccio with dill, jalapeño and cucumber

Scampi spaghetti with chilli, garlic and cherry tomatoes

Fratelli Paradiso: 12-16 Challis Ave, Potts Point, NSW, 2011; Ph +61 (0)2 9357 1744

Blue Mountains

Hominy Bakery

Hominy Bakery: 185 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW, 2780; Ph +61 (0)2 4782 9816

Sanyiwe Korean Cafe

Fried chicken dumplings

Beef bulgoggi with rice

Sanyiwe Korean Cafe: 2/177 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW, 2780; Ph +61 (0)405 402 130

Leura Garage

Chicken souvlaki, eggplant caviar, garlic yoghurt, sumak pickled onions, housemade dukkah bread

Leura Garage: 84 Railway Parade, Leura, NSW, 2780; Ph +61 (0)2 4784 3391

Back in Sydney

Bau Truong

Vietnamese pancake

Morning glory with garlic (because I was seriously in need of something fresh & green)

Bau Truong: 185 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville, NSW, 2204; Ph +61 (0)2 9569 4938

Din Tai Fung

Cucumber salad in vinaigrette (to state the obvious)

Vegetarian delight

Din Tai Fung: Level 1, Shop 11.04, World Square, 644 George St, Sydney City, NSW, 2000; Ph +61 (0)2 9264 6010

The Devonshire

Flathead & coconut milk ceviche, Kinkawooka mussels, avocado puree, marinated chilli & crisp shallots

Ora King Salmon rillettes, crisp quail eggs, pickled fennel, white radish, chervil & farro salad

Red pepper & heirloom tomato gazpacho, Yarra Valley persian fetta, dried olives, almond & basilDevonshire tea crème brûlée, scone ice-cream, cherry jam and whipped cream

The Devonshire: 204 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010; Ph +61 (0)2 9698 9427

Hartsyard

School Prawn popcorn, espelette pepper, sour cream, lemon

Oyster Po' Boy, English muffin, Old Bay mayo, coleslaw

Crispy pig tails, buttermilk dressing, pickles, hot sauce

Hartsyard: 33 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042; Ph +61 (0)2 8068 1473

The Apollo

Taramasalata mullet roe dipKale, anchovy, red grapes and yoghurt dressingAvgolemeno Pie

The Apollo: 44 Macleay St, Potts Point, NSW, 2010; Ph +61 (0)2 8354 0888

Kepos Street Kitchen

Wood smoked salmon salad, olives, kipflers, soft boiled egg, dukkah

Cauliflower salad, wheat, mint, parsley, walnut, pistachio, cranberries

Kepos Street Kitchen: 96 Kepos St, Redfern, NSW, 2016; Ph +61 (0)2 9319 3919

Comments

[Ma]

Vicky this is awesome . When people ask me to recommend places to eat in Sydney I always go blank- now I have the perfect answer - refer them to your blog.x

[Vix]

Hi Ma, I certainly hope you find it useful in this way. I wouldn't recommend all the ones on the post - but you can generally tell by the photos whether it was one worth going back to.

[Luci]

I feel some date nights coming along thanks to these recommendations of yours :)

[Jen]

Sensational site and photos Vicki. I just hope I was out of town when you guys were at Papi's in Manly! They ALL look worth going to, any chance of a rating system?

[Charlie Brown]

I am pleased to say I partook in a serious amount of these with you (at least there is photo evidence of why my bank balance is in such a sorry state at the moment!)...however there are a few on there I didn't even know you made it too!!!
Lovely photos Vix.
x

[Vix]

Hey Cha, well we had fun at least. My bank balance is in a similarly sorry state. I am on a budget of £100/week including food and travel this month. Quite hard in London! X

[Vix]

Hi Jen and Luci, this is weird, I replied to you both the other day but my comment seems to have disappeared! Thanks both for your comments.

Jen - I haven't had time to apply a rating system, but I can tell you that the highlights were: The Devonshire, Kepos St Kitchen, Hartsyard, Bodega and Orto. Izakaya Fujiyama had great food and would be a top hit too, but the service was bad on the night we were there. Papi Chulo had good potential but we were there on their 2nd day of service and there were as many bad dishes as good. I think they will iron that out in time though. X