Food Blog: When the world stops spinning ♥

    
    
    
Milk Bar burger date for Valentine’s Day :) we opted to sit at the bar even though a table was set out for us ^^”

Burgers, oh glorious burgers make me so happy. The boy and I never make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day since our anniversary is two days later (16th Feb) so we don’t exchange gifts/flowers (unless we spontaneously decide to make something, I like sentimental gifts but this year I asked for Twix ^^) but we’ll still go out for a yummy meal. Last year we ate pork buns at Momofuku Seiobo bar and this year we went on a burger date at Chef Dan McGuirt’s newest establishment - Jazz City Milk Bar, Darlinghurst. I’m not a fan of set menus for Valentine’s Day but still like to have something a bit special so the boy pre-ordered the luxurious Ultimate Benjamin Franklin Hamburger Meal for me (I shared though!) :)

   
    
Southern Fried Chicken Burger - Chicken breast fried country style, Tabasco, American cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and Ranch dressing $15
*All hot dogs and burgers come with French fries with a choice of seasoning including Southwest, Creole and Jamaican jerk
Succulent Southern crispy chicken breast fillets tossed in Tabasco seasoning with my favourite melty American cheddar cheese :D And nothing goes better with fried chicken than ranch dressing (really, ranch goes superbly with everything!)! 

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Egg yolk porn!
One of Sydney’s hidden gems that’s popular with the locals is Cafe Morso in Pyrmont. It’s a quaint little cafe on the wharf that’s only open for breakfast & lunch and always abuzz on the weekends especially if the weather is warm and sunny. Best to book ahead if you want to nab a table without the wait :) This was on my must-go-to list for the longest time and I’m glad I finally got around to going because it’s definitely a favourite of mine now! The boy took me here for my birthday brunch :) Our plan was to go for brunch, art gallery for the Francis Bacon exhibit, and then followed by a romantic picnic.. but ended up going home after brunch to prep an exorbitant amount of food for the picnic ^^”  


Late breakfast - Bacon and egg gnocchi with baby herbs and truffle oil $18
Plump rolls of soft, fluffy gnocchi with julienne bacon strips, perfectly poached egg in all it’s oozy glamour, finished off with a drizzle of truffle oil. The ultimate breakfast combination of bacon, eggs and potato :) The toast was perfect to mop up the golden yolk and truffle oil :9 So moreish though my only strife was the gnocchi which I would have preferred it to be cripsy, pan-fried but that’s just me being nit-picky ^^” would still order this again!

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It’s said that a great meal should indulge all your senses with smell being the first sense. Walking down Crown Street passing The Owl House towards Woolloomooloo, the smell of the wood-fire burning pulled me into Puntino Trattoria, Woolloomooloo. There’s a large glass window adjacent to the entrance where you can peer in to see the wood-fired oven in all it’s glory, and Chef Antonio (Tony) Sabia diligently kneading the pizza dough. 

Cacio di cavallo - Smoked provolone baked in the woodfired oven served with shaved black truffles $16.90
Calzone ai formaggi - Wood fired pizza folded over with mozzarella, parmesan and garlic (v) $10
One of the great loves of my life is cheese! And nothing beats melty smoked cheese with black truffles, believe me it’s well worth the extra calories to your waistline :) Being wood-fired, the calzone was crisp and had a wood-fired/charred taste with a light garlic flavour, good alternative to garlic bread.

Gnocchi sorrentino - Potato gnocchi cooked in a light napolitana sauce served with slices of buffalo mozzarella,and basil $19.90
Stone baked wood-fired pizza: F1 - Tomato, buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, ham, salami, vito’s basil and evo $24
Their pizza dough is thin and it’s sort of like a crispy flat-bread. When I was younger I used to love thick crusted pizza bases but over the years I’ve developed a penchant for super thin bases and Puntino Trattoria definitely ticks the boxes! Not overloaded with toppings but just enough so you can taste every individual ingredient. But I would’ve preferred more cheese on it ^^” with cheese, more is better!

Stone baked wood-fired pizza oven

Calamari in padella - Calamari flash cooked in pan marinated in lemon and garlic, served with onion capsicum relish $16
Funghi misti al forno - Medley of seasonal mushroom baked in the wood-fired oven with dads fresh herbs and olive oil for two $19.90
Mr Potato Head - Mozzarella, potato, truffle oil, grano padano and rosemary (v)(w) $18.90

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When I used to work in Darlinghurst, during my lunch break I would wander the streets and one day I happened to come across The Owl House - Darlinghurst. I can’t remember for sure what it was that made me stop since it’s quite a small area and unassuming in the daytime. There was a menu posted up on the wall encased behind a sheet of perspex/glass (forget which it was but you get the gist) and I stood there studying the menu which made me salivate even though I had just eaten! The next thing you know, I gathered a group of friends to check it out for dinner because Fridays means finding a good drinking hole is a top priority and SMH 2012 Best Bar with Food definitely hits the sweet spot ;)  

Cocktails - Classic Hour 5PM-7PM Everyday $10 ♥ 
The Mary Pickford - Rum, Maraschino liquor, pineapple & house-made Grenache
Sea Breeze - Vodka, cranberry & grapefruit
Champagne cocktail - Orange bitters soaked sugar cube topped with bubbles
Tom Collins - Gin, lemon juice, soda
Bar snacks - Smoked bone marrow & ox tail croquette $5ea ♥ 
Small dishes - Warm asparagus salad, poached quail egg, shaved parmigiano, Jamon serano & balsamic glaze $14 ♥♥
”Oxtail is a tricky cut, full of connective tissue and fat, but when it is cooked in the right way, it produces far more flavour and rich sauce than steak.” - Heston Blumenthal. Golden crumbed golf-balls of smokiness with each bite devoured. It was everything you would expect and hope it to be; from the gelatinous bone marrow to the flavoursome meaty-taste of the ox tail. The asparagus salad is something I would be happy to eat everyday! Even though no one else was keen on getting the salad, everyone was pleased I had persuaded them into it because it was amazing :D  Small dishes - Duck & quail terrine with pistachio, confit orange, pear & citrus chutney and a cointreau veloute $20  ♥♥ 
Most the guys thought this terrine was gastronomic which says a lot! I was a tad skeptical at first because a terrine is quite a task to master but once again I was wowed by the quality of food being brought to our table. Whilst it came with bread, I would have preferred something crisp but then again I would have been happy to eat the terrine on it’s own haha. Lovely balance of sweet, savoury, and slight bitterness of the veloute which held the flavours together. 

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