Vic's Meat Market at Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont

Happy 2015 readers! How fast has the last year flown? Too quickly right? Still doesn't feel like the new year for me. Anyways, friends would know that no matter how many times I attempt to be a vegetarian, I would always be a meat lover at heart. So I was super excited when I first heard that Vic's Meat Market is coming to Sydney Fish Market. 

Coming from the same company as the renowned Victor Churchill, Vic's Meat Market has a butchery and an American-inspired smoked meat house (known as Kong's Cave) in one space. The fit out of the venue was similar to a canteen with limited seating and various ingredients laid out separately (similar to Subway and Mad Mex) so you can watch the staff member preparing the food before it gets into your mouth. During one of my lunch breaks, I made a quick (albeit very rushed) visit to check out the delicious sandwiches that they offer.

Pulled Pork Sandwich ($10.00)

While I love pulled pork, there have been a few moments where it can be a let down mainly because of its dryness. However this time, I was blown away by how amazing it tasted. So much flavour especially with the tender and shredded pulled pork and copious amounts of barbecue sauce complemented with the mustard pickle slaw. I have to say that this is probably the best pulled pork sandwich/burger I've ever had around Sydney! 

Beef Brisket Sandwich ($10.00)

After seeing other customers ordering the beef brisket sandwich, I knew I had to give this a go too. Just like the pulled pork sandwich, I was equally blown away by the beef brisket. The brisket was thick, juicy and fatty that melts in your mouth so easily at each bite you take. The best was digging into the crisp yet juicy fatty bits at the end of the beef...so bad but oh my gawd it's too damn good not to resist. It's just how it should be. In both sandwiches, the bun was slightly sweet yet consistently light, soft and fluffy. 

If sandwiches aren't your thing, Vic's Meat Market also has ribs and smoked chicken wings to satisfy your hunger. Pricing was generally pretty affordable if you order the sandwiches, burgers and chicken wings (ranging $8.00-$10.00) however if you get the ribs, that will set you back at least $25.00. The food gets prepared very fast so I was able to get here and back to work in less than 45 mins (including waiting for the tram) while checking out the scenery. While I was busy rushing back to work, check out the butcher next door for a good dose of meat shopping. Had a quick look while I was there and I almost didn't want to leave after seeing all the meaty goodness. If you are not a vegetarian (sorry vegetarians), it's a great place for a quick bite if you happen to be around the Fish Markets area. Looking forward to making a few more visits just for those sandwiches again. 

Vic's Meat Market
Sydney Fish Market
Bank Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009
(02) 8570 8570
http://www.vicsmeatmarket.com.au/
Butchery: Mon-Sun: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Kong's Cave Smokehouse: Mon-Sun: 10:00am - 3:00pm (or until sold out)

Papi Chulo, Manly

Ever been to a restaurant where you really want to eat everything off the menu? If you stomach can handle it of course. That was how I felt when I finally made the ferry trip to Manly to check out Merivale's first North Shore restaurant, Papi Chulo, for a food blogger gathering. On a relatively sunny afternoon (which ended up being horrendously windy later on), I met up with Irene's Getting Fat, iFat Food Chronicles, Nessy Eater, Polyphagia, A Swoonful of Sugar and Milkteaxx to try as many meaty dishes as we could handle. Also we bumped into the girls from Next Stop Food and Journey From Within who were celebrating a birthday at a nearby table.

If you prefer public transport over driving, you can literally get to this restaurant a mere moments after leaving the ferry wharf. Tremendous scenery of the beach side which would be perfect for a nice sunny day. When I got inside, I was immediately stunned at how packed the restaurant really was a 12:30pm. We were seated very close to the kitchen so we could perve check out some of the delicious dishes getting delivered to the tables

El Mani ($8.00)

While I did not get the chance to try this drink, the others said that this blend of chocolate sauce, caramel peanut butter and vanilla ice cream was quite rich, creamy and incredibly sweet.  I was particularly drooling at the chocolate biscuits floating on top. Looks nice to have on a warm day.

Smoked Hot Wings with Comeback Sauce ($16.00)

I usually have don't have a huge reaction when it comes to chicken wings but oh my gawd these hot wings were absolutely incredible! The skin was crisp and golden while the meat was well-cooked to our liking. It was no wonder why this was so popular with everyone at the table. And that comeback sauce! While it wasn't too spicy, it still had that zesty, smokey, chipotle-esque kick which excites your taste buds. No surprise that I was keen to use this sauce on everything.

Curly Fries ($9.00)

I do love a good serving of curly fries. We don't see these babies enough around Sydney. The fries were very crunchy and seasoned with various spices though given its heavy carb content and the amount of food coming up, I didn't eat too much of it. Great to share and perfect with that amazing comeback sauce!

Smoked Wagyu Brisket - 300gm ($34.00)

Sure enough, we all fell silent the moment this gorgeous piece of meat showed up at our table. Gotta admit, the food delivery was incredibly fast with many dishes showing up at the same time. Seriously though, look at the marbling on that smoky beef! So soft, tender and ridiculously juicy, it makes you want to drool all over the table. I'm speechless as I'm writing this actually. Just look at that photo!

Papi Chulo BBQ Platter ($86.00 - serves 2-4 people)

Just when you can't get enough of beef brisket, we ordered even more of this cut as well as a sample of different types of meat in this restaurant's signature BBQ platter. This includes a half rack of lamb ribs and 150gm each of wagyu brisket, chopped pork and pork belly served with pickles and soft bread. The lamb ribs were very tasty and easy to cut through. It also didn't have that strong taste that seems to turn some people off lamb...well I didn't think it was strong but that's me. You just can't help but feel the happiness when the meat fell off the bone so quickly. The pork belly was succulent fatty goodness that melts in your mouth. Even though there's a thick slab of fat, it's a total guilty pleasure especially with its incredible softness and the seasoned flavour. And that chopped pork (I think it's pulled pork? Looks like it) is sooooo addictive! Had a sweet, saucy and tangy taste that keeps me getting more than my share especially when it came down to leftovers.

Papi Chulo Burger - grain fed beef, bacon, American cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, soft bun ($18.00)

By the time the Papi Chulo burger showed up, most of us were feeling full from all the meaty goodness. I was still ok by this point so I grabbed my share. The beef patty had that medium-rare pinkish colour as we attempt to split the burger to share. While this did not stand out compared to the other dishes - most likely because we were too full, I still loved that crispy bacon as well as the soft (though filling) bun.

Plate of colourful pickles and other veggies

If you are getting meat sweats just by reading this post, fear not. We also got a complimentary plate of colourful pickles and other assorted veggies which came with the meat platter. While they were quite sour, they were a nice relief from all the meats, carbs and fatty oils that we have eaten so far. 

Smoked Wagyu Brisket Sandwich - spicy celery pickle, caramelised onion, horseradish mayo, fried egg, soft bun ($18.00)

M arrived late when we finished nearly everything so she ordered a smoked wagyu brisket sandwich (which looked very much like a burger). Although we couldn't eat anymore savoury food, we cannot help but feel the food envy at the layers of beef brisket and egg in that burger. Could only imagine how good this would have tasted.

Pear and Rhubarb Cobbler, Ginger Crumble, Creme Anglaise, Orange and Ginger Ice-Cream ($14.00) 

Just when you and I thought that we have given up, think again. There is still that mysterious favourite room for dessert. Three desserts actually. Yeah we couldn't decide so we tried them all to share. The pear and rhubarb cobbler was warm and not too sweet or sour. While there was a decent amount of creaminess due to the creme anglaise and ginger ice cream, it was combined with the ginger crumble and chunks of pear and rhubarb. Compared to the other desserts, this was lighter with well-balanced flavours and textures which was why this was a favourite sweet dish for pretty much everyone at the table.

Banana Split - fresh split banana, chocolate fudge, peanut praline, banana ice cream, peanut butter ice cream, cherry jam, whipped cream, glace cherry ($14.00)

The banana split especially at a restaurant like Papi Chulo would certainly bring out your inner child. With all that creaminess from the peanut butter and banana ice creams and the whipped cream, it was certainly a decadent and rich dessert. The fresh bananas, chocolate fudge and crumbled peanut praline added a good amount of crunch to what was otherwise an intense creamy dessert. 

Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie with vanilla malt ice cream, butterscotch sauce, macademia brittle ($14.00)

Personally I really loved the above dessert mainly due to my preference towards anything sweet involving softly baked chocolate chip cookies. This was rich and very sweet due to the amount of chocolate, the indulging scoop of melting vanilla malt ice-cream and the thick and warm butterscotch sauce but the softness of the cookie won me over instantly. Plus that crumbled macademia brittle made it even more addictive for me. Would order this again next time especially on a cool day.

While we clearly had our fill for lunch, there was still so much more that I want to try from the menu. Especially the cuban sandwich, the pea guacamole, those potatoes and gravy (and bone marrow!) or even get my hands on one of the smoked BBQ meats again. The vibe was incredibly busy and the service seemed prompt and attentive to our needs. One of my very few qualms was the pricing since it generally leaned toward the more expensive side. Though this is standard for most Merivale restaurants. If only Manly was closer for me to get to because I could definitely see myself making regular visits to try everything on the menu especially for birthdays, farewells and other special occasions.

Papi Chulo
22-23 Manly Wharf, Manly NSW 2095
(02) 9240 3000
http://merivale.com.au/papichulo/
Mon-Fri: 12:00pm - 10:30pm
Sat: 11:30am - 10:30pm
Sun: 11:30am - 9:00pm

Hurricane's Grill and Bar, Darling Harbour

I haven't had ribs for a long time. If there is any place I'd recommend for ribs, it has to be Hurricane's Grill. It's almost impossible to resist the temptation of going into these restaurants when you can easily smell it from outside Harbourside. Then you get to the restaurant where the aroma came from and realise the horror of lining up in a long queue if you haven't make a booking.

CC and I were having cravings for both Hurricanes ribs and Moo Gourmet burgers in Newtown but I haven't had Hurricane's for a while. Eventually we decided on ribs, made a quick booking and off we went along with a couple of our mates. Thankfully we didn't have to wait to get to our seats.


We started off with complimentary bread which is pretty crusty but nothing memorable. CC, MT and I are very keen on getting the pork ribs while DD (who already had ribs at this restaurant recently) went with the Hurricane's Beef burger. I didn't end up getting a pic of the Hurricane's beef burger but I can tell DD enjoyed it a lot.

We look good in this ;)

Each of us ordered a half rack of pork ribs which is served with a side of either chips or baked potato with sour cream and chives. We all had the chips on the side which was seriously crunchy. I also decided to get a Mango Gland Sauce (similar to a sweet and savoury BBQ sauce) to dip the chips. These chips were also very useful when the ribs got very saucy too.

Half rack of Hurricane's Pork Ribs with Chips and Monkey Gland sauce

Did I mention these are the best ribs I've ever had in Sydney!!! Well it's pretty freaking awesome for a good reason. The meat was incredibly tender. So tender that when I cut into the meat, it just fell right off the bone effortlessly after a small touch from the knife. The ribs got really saucy the end so the bibs came in handy. Better off eating with friends rather than having a date night here as you will look very messy by the end.

We were so glad that we got a half rack instead of a full one as we struggled to finish it off but we managed eventually. The service was alright although there was a bit of confusion with the bill at the end. Also, the dinner was pricey but standard for a restaurant in a tourist area like Darling Harbour. Other than that, the ribs are definitely worth checking out at least once for some mouth watering meat satisfaction.


Hurricane's Grill and Bar
Harbourside Shopping Centre,
Darling Harbour, NSW, 2000
(02) 9211 2210
http://hurricanesgrill.com.au/

The Meat and Wine Co, Darling Harbour

It's my freakin' birthday! Well actually it was last month but I have been a bit slow with the blogging until recently so bear with me while I try to catch up.
This time my birthday falls on a Friday night so it was a good time to go out and go hard. Once again we didn't end up booking (big mistake!) and we (D and myself) ended up in Darling Harbour finding any restaurant that does not have a lengthy waiting time. After failed attempts at Criniti's, Hurricanes and even the Hard Rock Cafe, we settled for Meat and Wine Co where we only waited for about 10 minutes before getting a table. WIN!

Monte select 350g Rib-eye steak served with super crunchy chips ($37)

At this 3-level restaurant, the menu boasts an extensive selection of different cuts and qualities of steaks with premium prices. If you want the best steaks that they offer, be ready to fork out your money. The waiters recommended the Wagyu steaks (lowest price was the wagyu rump MB 6+ 500g at $47) but it was too much money for us to handle. Instead, I settled for the Monte select 350g Rib-eye steak. This was served with super crunchy chips and a choice of sauce (mine was peppercorn sauce) for an extra $4.

Served medium rare, this steak was definitely a winner for me. The meat was so succulent to taste as it falls apart in your mouth. The basting on the meat adds a grilled flavour texture which made it taste even better. Dipping the meat with the green peppercorn sauce added a peppery taste to the meat which I loved and was saddened when it ran out fairly quickly. The crunchy chips were delivered. And as the name promises, how crunchy they were!

Grilled chicken breast served with cherry tomates, zucchini, roquette, eggplant and super crunchy chips, ($26)

D chose the grilled chicken breast with salad and crunchy chips along with his choice of sauce (also peppercorn). I tried a bit of the salad to balance the flavours of my own dish. I did not try the chicken breast but my friend was satisfied with it and it looked nicely cooked.

This was one of the most amazing birthday dinners I've ever had. I will definitely come back for more sometime soon with a bigger wallet to try the wagyu steaks and some of their other dishes on offer. They also have a bar for some drinking action but we decided to save out livers for clubbing later that night. A must try for meat lovers!

The Meat and Wine Co
L1, 31 Wheat Road IMAX Theatre Complex, Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour
Contact no: (02) 9211 9888
http://themeatandwineco.com/