Blackbird Cafe, Darling Harbour

It's Friday night and a friend of mine held her birthday dinner at The Blackbird Cafe at Cockle Bay Wharf in Darling Harbour. It was not a huge surprise since it was close to where we were planning to club later that night but looking at reviews, it has not been exactly positive. Not to mention, my previous visit years ago was not up to scratch. However, a lot has changed in a few years. The restaurant has been redesigned with more garden-esque decorations. It even has a DJ at the corner with a booth similar to a nightclub with some space to dance.


Before we ordered, the staff had a prize draw where the winner gets a free pair of sunnies. Since there were not many people at the time the draw finishes, my friends and I had a very good chance. Eventually I needed to use the restroom which coincided with the announcement of the winner. When I got out, my friends said that I won the prize! Since it was my friend's bday, I gave it to her as a pressie. If only winning prizes was this easy.


The menu ranged from Italian food such as pasta and pizza to burgers and seafood. Basically a bit of everything. We all agreed to order some entrees based on the staff advice and that several of our friends will be arriving late.


Several of us ordered the szechuan pepper squid with rocket and aioli sauce. I had a bite and thought it was average. Good as a shared dish.


Most of us had the bruschettas as entrees. What we did not expect was how big they really were - for an entree dish. Couple of us tried tomato and feta bruschetta while I tried the sand crab variant with cherry tomatoes, wild rocket, baby capers, bean puree and balsamic glaze. I found this to be alright and especially enjoyed the crab meat. It was a bit too filling but I held it for the main dish.


A couple of us also ordered scallops with haloumi, poached pear and fig jam. I did not end up trying it but my friend said he enjoyed it. The presentation made the dish looked very tempting to try if I was not already full from the bruschetta and still waiting for the main meal.


Finally the main meal came. Several friends ordered pizza while a few friends near my end and myself tried the baked lamb meatball tagine which is a Moroccan style dish. This was my favourite dish of the night with its flavours throughout the dish and its spices. Served with olives, capsicum, lemon, spicy tomato sauce and cous cous; this dish has a variety of tastes and textures which will be an interesting sensation for your tastebuds.


With friendly staff, good social atmosphere and a dj who plays at the restaurant every Friday and Saturday nights, I will be honest to say that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it especially based on reviews and past experience. If they keep up with the standard that they performed on this night, I wouldn't mind coming back again. Although it is a tough competition with Hurricanes, Criniti's, Meat and Wine Co and the Braza Churrascaria place opened at the new Darling Quarter to keep the tourist crowds and clubbing people happy.

Blackbird Cafe
Balcony Level, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour
Harbour Street, Sydney
Contact no: (02) 9283 7385
http://loveblackbird.com

Madame Nhu: Vietnamese, Sydney CBD

Named after the First Lady of Vietnam, Madame Nhu is a quaint little restaurant located inside the sparkling new food court in the middle of the busy Galeries Victoria. It is run under the same team as the owners of Xage Vietnamese in Surry Hills. The interior of the Galeries Victoria food court has a dark lit, fancy vibe making it alot nicer to sit around than before with its plain white background.

Nuoc cham

Looking at the menu, the prices are decent just like your Cabramatta/Bankstown/Marrickville Vietnamese feed ranging between $7.5o and $10.50. However, the menu had a few interesting tweaks which shows that it's not your average Vietnamese restaurant. They served not only Beef and Chicken variants of Pho, there are also a vegetarian version and a prawn Pho. Also the meat here is sourced from Tasmanian grass fed beef. Interesting stuff. It was a hot day so I did not go for pho but went for the nem nuong and goi cuon (fresh rolls).

Combination fresh rolls

Indecisive of the flavours, I went for the combination fresh rolls (beef, pork, tofu). All three flavours tasted wonderful! I was surprised at how much I liked the tofu as it blended well with the remaining ingredients. They all matched well with the nuoc cham making them even more flavoursome. A must try!

Nem Nuong skewers

I am used to nem nuong skewers (pork skewer sticks) being thin strips of pork meat on a skewer. There were numerous of these at the Tet Festival in Fairfield late last month as well. Of course, nem nuong can come in many different sizes such as the ones that Madame Nhu serves. The pork patties were chunkier and more moist than the ones that I was used to trying at home. I thought the vast amount of salad served in a bowl with the nem nuong was a bit too much to handle but was good enough to cool down the flavours. By this point I was getting so full so I did not manage to eat the whole salad.


This is one of the better restaurants I have tasted in the Sydney CBD. I have yet to try the pho but based on what I did try so far, I am pretty keen to come back. The service was good and quick and the prices are affordable especially since the servings are big. If you feel like Vietnamese food, your lunch break is an hour or less and your workplace is too far from Vietnamese restaurants such as Pho Pasteur and Gia Hoi in Haymarket, check this place out when you get the chance.

Madame Nhu
Shop 5, Lower Ground, The Galeries
500 George Street, Sydney
http://www.madamenhu.com.au/

Adriano Zumbo Patissier, Pyrmont

Zumbo does not need much of an intoduction unless you are not a fan of sweets or macarons. His new concept store at The Star is no exception to what he can do. It is more convenient than trekking all the way to Balmain, Rozelle or Manly and it opens til late which is even better for those who cannot wake up early in the morning on weekends like myself. It is also more spacious than the stores in Rozelle and Balmain which means less lines and more space to walk around. This patissier also looks very pretty with the neon lights, space-like decor. Today's occasion was my belated bday outing with L as well as her end of uni celebrations (congrats babe!!!).


In the patissier room opened from 11am, his cakes are on display in lamp-shaped jars for everyone to check out all of his works. There is also a section of the patisserie dedicated to his macarons where each flavour is sealed inside an a glass case similar to the ones you would use in an emergency situation

Also from 6pm, this store opens its other room containing the dessert train where different dessert dishes including his infamous macarons glide along and we can select what we want to have on the train. Kinda like a sushi train.

During our visit, we've seen some of his creative works

Decorand fondant

Pecanne

Some of the wild and wacky:

Snowmanorr

Whizz fizz

Some of the funniest:

Man goes peanuts...

And some that made you go whaaaat?


We all know that pictures tell a thousand words so here's what we have checked out at Zumbo. Caution: epic sugar cravings may occur after seeing these photos. You have been warned.

Dessert train menu

Citron tart

Passionfruit tart

Can't remember :(

I think this one is the hazlenut dacquoise

Macarons or "Zumborons" (clockwise from left: cola, salted caramel and milo)

√ caramel

Chocolate coffee brulee

More zumborons! (coconut, passionfruit & tonka bean, watermelon and orange)

Chocolate namelaka

Limited edition Christmas zumborons

The macaron has a softer texture and literally melts in your mouth!

And let's not forget this...

I didn't get a good photo of the inside of the V8 cake but the many layers turned this cake into a sensational feast for your tastebuds!

Adriano Zumbo Patissier
Shop 1, Cafe Court, The Star
80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont
http://adrianozumbo.com/

Thanh Binh, Cabramatta

It was a last minute decision coming to Cabramatta for dinner. Went back from the city earlier than expected and my folks were out having dinner in Canley Heights. Unfortunately many places in Cabramatta close alot early at 6pm or 7pm like Tan Viet, Pho 54 and Pho Tau Bay. Luckily there were a few still open such as Thanh Binh Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant. It was also a rainy day so I was in the mood for good old pho or Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

Plate of Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts, chilli and lemon wedges

Like many other Pho restaurants, a plate of lemon wedges, bean sprouts, chopped pieces of chilli and Vietnamese herbs including mint are served first. You can add whatever you want to the dish depending on what taste you prefer. For me, a bit of lemon and alot of mint helps to strengthen the flavour of the broth.

Pho Tai - Vietnamese noodle soup topped with rare beef

Most times the dishes are delivered very quickly. This time it seemed a bit busier and there were several large groups being served. Eventually my bowl of pho arrived at the table. Now for me, when I really enjoy a bowl of pho, I polish off the whole bowl including the broth! From numerous previous visits to this restaurants, this has always been the case. However, this time it sadly wasn't. The broth was not as warm as I expected so it took a while for the beef to be more cooked.

Soya bean milk

Thanh Binh has countless food options to try on the menu other than the noodle soup. Generally I found that the menu here is slightly less expensive than their sister restaurant in Newtown. In my earlier visits here, I have always thought their pho dish to be the best out of many restaurants I've been to. Lately it has been a hit and miss such as this occasion but when it's good, it's really good. Hopefully in future visits, the magic is still there. I would also recommend trying the other dishes such as their famous chao tom. Also the service here is generally pretty lovely with a complimentary mintie at the end of your meal when you request your bill.

Thanh Binh Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant
52 John Street, Cabramatta
Contact no: 02 9727 9729

Janeks Cafe, Bowral

Daaay trip! Oooooooh yessssss!

So several friends and myself went to Canberra to check out the Renaissance art at the National Gallery of Australia. Along the way there, we did a couple of stop overs because we needed to rest after a pretty long drive and to check out the scenery. One of the stop overs we made was for brunch at a cafe in Bowral which has won a few awards in the area.

The decor of the cafe had a French cafe atmosphere with music playing in the background and various posters that you usually would see at a French cafe or restaurant. We were all really tired so we had some coffee and fruit drinks to start off the day. The first thing we've noticed was how pricey the menu was. Since we're in a cafe in regional NSW rather than in Surry Hills, we went along with it.

Poached eggs with bacon and toast

Runny egg :)

J and I had poached eggs with bacon with two slices of toasted bread. I thought the bread was very tough to cut but the egg was well cooked. Nothing starts a good day than a perfect runny yolk. For poached eggs, I thought they did a really good job with it. The bacon was also well cooked to my liking. A great match with the poached eggs on toast.

Poached eggs with hash brown, avocado and tomato

N had the same with mine and J's but with a fried egg. However S went against the crowd and ordered a pretty decent breakfast with poached eggs, bacon, slices of avocado and hash brown on the side. I tried the hash brown and found it to be very crunchy but not as much flavour.

Fried eggs with bacon and toast

The atmosphere was very comforting and we had a great time chilling out before the long drive to Canberra. If you have to stop somewhere, this is one of those places to check out if you need a rest or you are very hungry and you aren't in the mood for Maccas. Also note for those driving to Canberra...remember to fill up your petrol! We couldn't find one for miles!


Janeks Cafe
Corbett Plaza, Shop 4 Wingecarribee Street Bowral 2576
Contact no: 02 4861 4414