ACME, Rushcutters Bay

ACME has opened in late 2014 with high accolades from food experts alike almost immediately. In the 18 months since its opening, it has already been awarded with 1 Chef's Hat by the Good Food Guide Awards, a mention in Gourmet Traveller and Australian Financial Review's Top 100 lists and also Time Out's Restaurant of the Year 2015 to name a few. It was named after the initials of the four owners: Andy Emerson, Cam Fairbairn, Mitch Orr (who is also the head chef) and Ed Loveday. With all these talents collaborating under one roof, you know you are onto a good thing here.

The menu offers a modern take on Italian dishes with a fusion of various Asian cuisines with the unique combination of ingredients that you normally wouldn't expect at other Italian restaurants. The first dish I tried was the jatz, ham and comte. It may look and sound like a simple snack but the meaty and cheesy flavour tasted so delicious together. A different take on the classic cheese on crackers with ham. It's a delicious way to start the meal at ACME.

Jatz, ham, comte ($6.00)

The baloney sandwich is another snack that sounds relatively simple but is actually one of ACME's famous dishes. It's a grown-up take on a sandwich that you will most likely have brought to school back in those childhood days. While there's only one serving of this delectably stuffed roll, it will make you crave for more as soon as you're done.

Baloney Sandwich ($5.00)

Those who know me may know that I have a soft spot for any dish that contains breadcrumbs. So it was not surprise that the linguine, garlic and burnt chilli (topped with breadcrumbs!) was a must order for me. While the linguine had a firm texture and was bursting with loads of flavour, it was also spicier than I expected.

Linguine, black garlic, burnt chilli ($14.00)

Who says that you can't have eggs for dinner? I know I do (heh). And you can't go wrong with ACME'S signature macaroni with pig's head and egg yolk. Not only do you get the creamy egg yolk porn at its finest, you can also taste the al dente pasta as well as the crisp and succulent pig's head meat in this incredible dish. A must eat if you are dining at ACME!

Macaroni's pigs head, egg yolk ($20.00)

With its casual dining atmosphere, minimalist and spacious decor and friendly service, it was no surprise that ACME has made it to one of my favourite restaurants that I've been to. While the prices are on the more expensive side and the servings are smaller than you would like given the price, the distinct flavours and ingredients delivered a tantalising experience that has made me certain on returning again later on. Definitely one to try if you are ever in Sydney and want to try a modern approach to Italian cuisine with a bit of funk.

ACME
56 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011
(02) 8068 0932
http://weareacme.com.au/
 

Brewristas, Glebe

Opened during the summer of 2015, Brewristas took advantage of the cafe seeking foodies who were itching for a place to brunch when nearly all the food establishments were closed for the Xmas break. I recall a few days when nearly my entire IG feed was flooded with pix of the coffee and food at this Glebe hotspot. Thanks to the recent extreme milkshake craze, the hype hasn't slowed down at all.

Frankenstein - smashed avo, home made tomato chutney, tortilla corn chips, sunny side up ($20.00)

The "Frankenstein" was literally a monster to our eyes. Despite its messy appearance, CC and I were admiring the avocado, tortilla chips and that nice round sunny side up. Stacked together on top of sourdough toast, this dish was unsurprisingly a huge mouthful to handle. Recommended to share between two people. While it is a dish for 1, it is possible to share between two or three people.

Porky Pig - honey jam Korean pancake, poached egg, bacon, spicy guacamole, mango habanero mayo ($16.00)

The funky names continue with the classic "Porky Pig". While it looked lighter than the previous dish, the honey jam Korean pancakes made it equally filling. While it had a kick with the mango habanero mayo and the spicy  mayo, it wasn't too spicy that it will blow your tongue off. With so much different ingredient combinations in this dish, you can sense so many different flavours with every single bite. 

Game Set Matcha

Like most of the extreme shakes at other cafes around Sydney, these bad boys are off the menu, though the waiter is more than happy to bring them up when you order. CC opted for the Game Set Matcha, which was creamy, not too sweet and easy to slurp down compared to what I've got. We also couldn't resist the adorable matcha button placed on top of the shake. 

The Clutch

I love my chocolate, so taking down a rich choc shake with thick swirls of nutella and stacked with a brownie slice and whipped cream wasn't a huge problem for me. It was a decadent drink that wasn't easy to finish especially if you aren't used to rich desserts. Couldn't help but giggle at the (angry looking) Freddos and Tiny Teddies stuck onto the nutella.

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake

Not long after that visit, I was invited to an Instafoodie dessert event where we sampled a wide range desserts and shakes, thanks to Jason the shake-master (aka @insatiablyhungry on IG). Got my hands on the Mint Choc Chip shake, which was packed with an upside down mint choc chip ice cream cone. This wasn't as rich as the Clutch but it was messier to handle with all that cream dripping everywhere on the mason jar.

White Chocolate, Fairyfloss and Rosewater Shake

Didn't get to taste this shake but it looks too pretty to drink especially with all that pink.

Tiramisu Pot Plant (deluxe sized version)

At first you may think it's a plant but one scoop and it has gotten a whole lot sweeter! While it has its creamy texture, it was also light and fluffy from the lady fingers cake. This was also matched perfectly with the crumbled oreo chocolate "dirt".

Brewmonade

If the shakes aren't bringing you to the yard anytime soon, don't fret, Brewristas does a good job with their house made coffee brew. They are also well known for their cold coffee beverages including their cold brew (with 6 espresso shots!), brewmonade and brew tea. This should be sweet for the warm weather creeping on us. Service has been very friendly so far during all of my visits and the food is certainly not your usual cafe fare. They also open late, which is perfect if you want to check out a cafe after work. Nothing suss.  

Brewristas
73 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037
(02) 8021 1328
http://brewristas.bigcartel.com/
Mon-Thurs: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Fri: 8:00am - 10:30pm
Sat: 9:00am - 10:30pm
Sun: 9:00am - 5;00pm
 

Smooth Festival of Chocolate, The Rocks

How gorgeous is this view of Sydney on a warm, sunny day? No doubt, the weather was keen to join the festivities a few weekends ago where we celebrated our love of chocolate at the Smooth Festival of Chocolate at The Rocks. Sure it may have melted the chocolate but isn't the messiness what makes this indulgent sweet so damn good? More than 60k attending on its Facebook event with Adriano Zumbo and Anna Polyviou can't go wrong!

In the lead up to the event, I got the chance to sample a variety of sweets that will be available on the day. There was also lots of Tim Tams to devour between myself, the family and my Tim Tam obsessed colleagues. One of the sweets in the pack was the Tim Tam special edition Chocolate Banana flavour that will be available for a limited time only at Coles stores from next month. Minions will be thrilled!

Speaking of Tim Tams, I also got the chance to attend the sneak peek of the Tim Tam Temptation tent before it was open to the masses on Saturday morning. There was even a special appearance by Zumbo the man!

There was also the opportunity to watch your fave dessert chef working their magic in the demonstration kitchen. I only got the chance to check out Anna Polyviou and her superstar team making their infamous "Wag-Anna" - a twist on the classic old school Wagon Wheel.

Caramel Wag-Anna, Berried Wag-Anna, Ferrero-reveal N2 gelato ($20.00)

There was also The Chocolatier's Quarters where you can check out this delicious tree artwork made entirely of chocolate by Josophan's Fine Chocolate as well as a robot made entirely from Tim Tams and the chance to sample some more sweets from various producers.

Again, pictures tells more than words so enjoy drooling at all the chocolate in many shapes and forms! One of the highlights was the Zumbo teams competing with their dessert creation. While the Zumbo "cheeseburger" sold out super fast on both days, personally I think they're all winners.

Zumbo "cheeseburgers"

Zumbo "Kebabs"

Nutella ball cake by Zumbo

Black Star Pastry was also very popular with their dessert offerings including the "angel" and "devil" tacos, the chocolate torte and the famous watermelon cake with added white chocolate.

Cakes and sweet mini-tacos from Black Star Pastry

Making the crepes

Very cute cookies from Cookie Crazy

PACMAN!

Cronuts from Queen's Pastri House

Oregano Scrolls from Scrollies by Oregano

Churros by Dos Churros

Various sweet delicacies from Choco Samta

Selected eclairs from Passion Tree

Tim Tam espresso martini at the VIP area

Because of the ridiculously insane hype of the overstuffed, extreme milkshakes of late, it was no surprise how long the queues were. Plus it was hot so a milkshake would have gone down a treat *cue a certain friend singing Milkshake out loud*. 

Those notorious extreme milkshakes from The Vogue Cafe

Well that's enough drooling for tonight. Even though it was so packed (unsurprisingly), it was still an enjoyable event where we got to see our fave patisseries creating some new desserts that wouldn't be available in store. Looking forward to more sugary action next year!

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie attended Smooth Festival of Chocolate, courtesy of Nova Entertainment. 

Smooth Festival of Chocolate
http://www.smoothfestivalofchocolate.com.au/