Chiswick, Woollahra

Birthdays, they come around once a year don’t they? As a child I remember being excited about my upcoming birthday and how special it would be. As a teen, birthdays seem to last over a week rather than just a day. And now after the age of 25, I wish it would pass by unseen or unheard of. Just another day …

“How does the last day of being 26 feel?” Miss CC asked.

I had completely forgotten and with a pause, “Tomorrow, I will wake with wrinkles, grey hair and perhaps even a walking stick!”

So, how does 27 feel? The same. So, I’d like to declare that I am 25 every year. Thank you.

My friends celebrated Miss ES and my birthday a month ahead of time, it was early February when we visited Chiswick. The lovely greenery out front made us all want to bask in that Summer day.

Hummus, zucchini, garden mint

Having a party of 10, we were advised the $80 set menu was required. We start with the hummus with chickpeas.

Oregano garlic, wood fired bread

Heirloom carrots, macadamia, cumin, tarragon

The garden vegetables were fresh, but that delicious sauce won us all over as we directed our garlic flat bread away from the hummus and nearly wiped the plate clean.

Crispy fried quail, lime, shallot, ginger

But I’ll let you in on the secret that really got the table quiet, the deep fried quail. It was crispy in all ways and the smeared sauce around the bowl helped boost the flavours from the quail bringing a tangy, yet sweet touch. I fell in love. Tip: when you take the last piece of quail, be sure to dollop on as much sauce as you can, as the service is so quick that they take your empty dish away before you register.

Kingfish, yuzu, cucumber

Everyone around the table seemed to have found a bitter taste when they had their kingfish. I on the other hand loved how the cucumber offered a fresh touch to the kingfish. Perhaps there was something in the dish that had a bitter taste, and I was just lucky enough to not get it.

Garden radish, Hawkesbury goats curd, nasturtium

I’m not a fan of goats cheese, as it is way too strong for me. However, even the goat cheese lovers on the table found this a little strange and did not seem to enjoy the texture of the goats curd. The unpopular and unloved dish was right here.

CHISWICK marinara, tomato, prawns, clams, fregola

Please, give me some bread to help soak up this amazing CHISWICK marinara sauce! The tomato-based sauce was so moreish, I felt like drinking it as if it was a soup. The fish fell apart at the touch of my fork, and all the other seafoods were just as fresh, bursting with the flavours from the amazing sauce.

Whole roast chicken, garlic, cos lettuce, pan juices

The chicken, was good but not outstanding. Perhaps I had indulged on the marinara a bit too much. The chicken was still juicy, but there was no real wow-factor to it.

Wood roasted Moran family lamb, eggplant, tomatoes

The infamous Matt Moran lamb! Tender pieces of lamb dosed in their garden mint sauce makes a non-mint lover feel as if lamb and mint were born to be together like salt and pepper.

Steamed greens, chilli, garlic, lemon

Having set menus we are used to having the desserts placed in the middle to share, so it was a nice surprise when dessert arrived and they were alternated. Everyone had a dessert each! However, we still like to share!

Caramel parfait, peanut praline, yellow peach

“It’s ice cream, eat the parfait first!” Miss FJ notes before anyone digs their forks into either dessert. Lucky the scorching heat had not yet hit us when we had this, or else it would have been a puddle of melted ice cream. Break the peanut praline and dig into a spoonful of caramel ice cream makes the world a better place. The crunch, the ice cream coolness, the sweetness. Perfect.

Orange, passionfruit pavlova, orange sorbet

The meringue was all things good, but I am probably used to mum’s pavlovas where it still offers a little bit of a chew inside. However, I do demolish the hard shell as much as I can before Miss JN noticed.

Ricotta cheesecake

Hugging our stomachs, we didn’t think we could fit in more food! But wait… there’s more! Where there is a birthday, there shall be a cake! Miss CC organised a ricotta cheesecake from Papa Patisserie and it was simply delicious! It felt so light, that I went for seconds and instantly regretted it as then it was not so light anymore. Unfortunately they did spell Miss ES’ name wrong, and that was after Miss CC spelling it word by word slowly …

So, how do you like to spend your birthdays? And have you reached a point where every year you are just the same age all over again?

Hit: Crispy quail, CHISWICK marinara

Miss: Garden radish

Chiswick

65 Ocean Street

Woollahra

Pasticceria Papa (cake)
Shop LG, 1-4
75 Hall St,
Bondi Beach

Thanks to my girls and their boys for such a lovely meal and giving me an 'unforgettable' birthday.

Pinbone, Woollahra

What a surprise at Pinbone,

This will do well as one alone,

It does not need a clone,

So they can fight their way to the throne!

Summer lovin’ had me a blast,

Summer lovin’ happened so fast …

Lucky you all read those lyrics and not heard me sing, or else those eardrums of yours would have burst as well as your computer screens cracked. But I could not resist because those summer days are finally here!! And what’s awesome with these summer days are those freaking awesome days where we can go bask in the sun and enjoy some hipster cafes ... such as Pinbone!

“Look at all those hipsters” Miss CC scans as she drives down the streets of Woollahra

“I swear on weekdays it’s not like this” I work in Woollahra and honestly have not noticed.

We expect a wait and are surprised when told it’ll only be about 5 minutes, a short wait and we were seated upstairs to a simple café with the paintings adorning the walls. Wait staff running on their feet constantly to keep their patrons attended to.

Ginger ale $4.50 | daily juice $6

The ginger ale is not like any other that Miss CC has had before, she recalls this as being lighter than your average ale, which was perfect for our lovely warm Sunday. I went for the juice of the day, which was watermelon, mint and lime. I felt like Summer really was already here when sipping on this, it was so refreshing. Sweet, minty, subtle sour lime and all things good. But I admit, I did think it was going to come in a bigger glass.

Hash browns $4 (each) | Haloumi $4 (two in a serve)

I’ll start with the sides first because well, we’ll work our ways to goodness. The haloumi is nice, but it’s just your average haloumi… so unless you are having that excessive need for it, order it. If not, belly space should be saved for others.

Hash browns innards

We order a side of hash browns and were told it was only one in a serve, Miss CC contemplates whether she wants one as well…

“Are you known for your hash browns?”

“Yes.” Honestly, Miss CC as if the answer would ever be no if someone asks if something is nice where you are serving! 

We see why when we cut down on them, the outside is fried to absolute crispy-ness! The crumbs almost want to fall apart with chunks of mashed potato inside. Only downside was that it was a little too salty.

Pumpkin, bacon, maple tart $12

Miss CC has opted for the pumpkin bacon maple tart. And I admit we both said this more than required because we found how lovely it rhymed when you say it aloud. It was always followed with a giggle too, that’s just how mature we both are.

Expecting a heavy tart, Miss CC had her eyes closed at first bite and was probably hearing the angels sing! So she cut me a piece, and my oh freaking my! The pastry is light; the thinly sliced bacon drizzled with maple syrup and the light smear of pumpkin sitting underneath all complimented each other so well. I’m surprised by how much I liked this; it is so close to me loving it as much as saying the name aloud!

Fregola, creamed corn and poached egg $18

I order the creamed corn with fregola and it comes out huge! But it’s creamy, sweet and simply delicious! Although I am glad we ordered a side of hash browns because I did feel it would miss that solid texture while trying to demolish the plate. Did you spot my keyword: trying. Yes, I did not finish this as it was so filling! So, do plan to share this, having this alone would probably have you rolling down the stairs and out the door!

egg porn!

But would you take a moment and appreciate the egg porn!

So, have you got that one friend where you can be a complete embarrassment with and simply enjoy yourself? I think Miss CC and I are the most embarrassing people to be around sometimes when together, but thank goodness it’s usually just the two of us…

Hit: Fregola, creamed corn and poached egg
Miss: Haloumi

Pinbone
3 Jersey Road,
Wollahra

Hotel Centennial, Woollahra

Hotel Centennial is the place to be,

As this is totally my cup of tea,

For when in there I felt so esprit,

I may have portrayed the infamous Queen B…

Queen B? Yes, I felt like I was in the upper east side of Manhattan (despite the fact that I have never been, through Gossip Girl, I have lived through the television screen) once I first stepped foot into Hotel Centennial.

A glass of wine in hand, a classy ambience and prestige furnishings completed that inner girly me.  

White: 2013 Cape Mentelle Semillion/Sav Blanc WA $14
Red: 2011Artadi Tempranillo, Rioja Spain $13

“Should we just put a tab on?”

“Sure.”

Not sure if this was the best decision ever or … not?

But knowing the way Miss CC and I go, I guess tab or not – we would have spent our money as if we were Queen B and S regardless.

Here at Hotel Centennial you are spoilt with choice. You can either go to the restaurant (reservations required), the bar, or join the high table (much recommended to reserve a table as there are limited seats).

What is the high table?

Every Monday – Thursday head chef, Justin North, will have a daily dish prepared for the evening with sides to share on a communal table for 30. This comes at a price of $24 and if you want dessert with tea and coffee, all you do is add $10 on top! You can check their tumblr website for their daily updates. It's a pretty nifty and awesome price for dinner if you ask me! 

But on this fair night, Miss CC and I decided to go with nom-ing our night away with bar food. We will definitely be back to try the high table! (They had our beloved pork belly that night!)

Hummus, olives, garlic and flat bread $12

We start the night with flat bread and olives with hummus. The flat bread is nicely toasted; dipping into the humus gives you that great satisfaction with its smooth like texture. With a glass of wine, what a perfect Wednesday this was.

Sweet potato fries with pickled chilli mayo $8

Sweet potato fries! We absolutely loved the dry, crunch exterior versus the soft, fluffy innards. Dipping into the chilli mayo was a way to help counter balance the sweetness from the sweet potato with the subtle chilli and mayo.

Fries with celery & herb salt $8

We decide to rest, but not for long as we ordered our next round of food. The food here really is served fast! We get the fries, because it’s normal potato and not sweet potato. However, they did require a dipping sauce, so we asked for more chilli mayo for this.

Manchengo & prosciutto croquettes with smoked paprika mayo $8

Croquettes!! The cheesey goodness from the manchengo mixed with the saltiness of the prosciutto offered us a squeal with deeeelight. “Oh my, it’s so crunchy!” Miss CC stopped and looked at me puzzled, apparently she thought I said it wasn’t crunchy enough and was wondering how much more crunchier I wanted it. But that smoked paprika mayo brought out the manchengo's cheesy-ness all the more, mm~

Please sir, can I have some more? Must Queen B and S ask that? They merely bring their blue card up  to the bar (your tab number) and order some more!

Bring on the burgers. Well, we were going to have one. But were told they were bar sized, I was puzzled.

“So, like a slider?”

“A little bigger than a slider.” Was what the lady told me.

This is when I decided to go for one of each. But this is when Miss CC and I both had different slider portions in our head… what is the correct size for a slider?

Dry aged beef burger with caramelised onions & fontina $14

The beef pattie was soft; the caramelised onions were sweet, sending my taste buds in a happy dance.

Roast pork belly burger with winter slaw and apple sauce $14

Pork belly always wins our hearts, the winter and apple slaw holds that nice tang making that pork belly slide down all the easier. The pork belly was tender, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. CRACKLE was also present, and we all know how much crackle can make Cassie a happy girl!

By now, we were hugging our stomachs. Walking is classified difficult. And our second stomach was already full, there was no room for dessert. However, as I had been to the dining side of Hotel Centennial previously for work’s EOFY dinner, the waffles are to die for! "It's like eating air" Was what I was told, and low and behold - it was!

As we left, we were introduced to head chef Justin North, honestly, this night could not get any better! However, being a little in shock, and Miss CC in her star struck mode – we completely had missed a photo opportunity… until next time perhaps?

Yet before I sign off … let me shoot you another question Miss CC brought up: Do you have the pickle before or after your burger?

xoxo
Gossip Girl

Hit: Sweet Potato fries, croquettes
Miss: Fries

Hotel Centennial
88 Oxford Street,
Woollahra