porteno

There are some establishments that, without trying very hard at all, make you feel welcome and appreciated. Recently I had drinks at a relatively unknown bar that was inviting and warm, and dinner at a hugely popular restaurant that unfortunately left me feeling cold and unwanted.

Bedlam Bar + Food 
Bedlam is located in a very prominent position on Glebe Point Road. From the outside it looks like an average pub, but don’t be deceived. Once you approach the staff you are warmly welcomed - definitely not the same hurried dismissive service that you get at some places. Subsequently, you peruse the menu and realise that the food isn’t all that typical either. You see the usual suspects, beef burger with beetroot relish, lamb cutlets and thick cut chips, but then you are surprised by the likes of crispy chicken wings marinated in lemon and chipotle sauce, roasted baby beetroot salad, slow cooked pork belly skewers with quince aioli and crackling, pan-fried haloumi with marinated capsicum and lemon or slow cooked shredded pork sandwich with coleslaw and chipotle mayonnaise. For the sweet tooth, churros with dulce de leche and a cheese board.

My mouth waters just thinking about that menu, so we ordered the beef burger, the chicken wings and the churros. The highlight of the beef burger was definitely the generous amount of beetroot relish and the chicken wings had some good flavour. The churros were quite crunchy, a little dense though, and came with a (sweetened condensed) chocolate sauce. 
 

 

You don’t initially realise there is a huge downstairs areas with an abundance of seriously comfortable lounges, all in small groups where you can laze with your glass of wine and wings and actually have a civilised conversation with chilled background tunes. With the sandstone walls, pool table, persian carpet runners and the 70s tassel lamps it almost reminds me of a cool eclectic lounge room that my grandma has decorated, but in a really good way. The bar is quite large overall and easily fits in Friday night's patrons, we are genuinely surprised it isn’t busier. 

  

we'll be back.

Bedlam Bar + Food
12 Glebe Point Road, Sydney
9660 6999
bedlambar.com.au

Porteno
After my arm was twisted ever so slightly * and a 7th wheel cancelled, I find myself dining at Porteno, one of the most talked about and dined in restaurants this year. Seriously excited, we all plan our day around rushing to Surry Hills for our 6pm booking. As sometimes happens in insane-traffic-Sydney a few of our party are running a little late, but we are seated without a hitch. 

We peruse the extensive cocktail and wine list and when we have a question our waitress responds with a smirk and forgets to take my order. hmm. After the waitress and the sommelier visit our table, my drinks order still hasn’t been taken. We realise that we don’t have food menu either and we all but fail to get the attention of one of the bodies hurriedly rushing by the table with eye gaze fixed at a point in the distance. She ignored us as she walked by and eventually we are met with a look that could kill, we were a bother to her and she embraced abrasive. After requesting the food menus ** they arrive with a shockingly sharp remark about the late arrivals. Oh boy, at this stage my toes are starting to curl. If this woman had any pride in this establishment she would be offering us bread and boozing us up (and making profit), instead we wait hungrily without free flowing wine and without menus. Shortly after the rest of the party arrives, the abrasive waitress disappears. I don’t know where she went but for her sake I am grateful. End of rant, now lets get down to the business of the food.

House baked bread served with pork pate, olive oil and chimichurri

Beef empanada with soft beef filling and crisp short pastry
really tasty

Pickled veal tongue with herb vinaigrette
Great balance of flavours

Creamy red cabbage slaw

Crunchy fried brussel sprouts with lentils, parsley and mint.

brussel sprouts love reignited, although quite salty

Creamy polenta with provolone cheese and chilli oil
silky polenta with a lovely chilli hum

8 hour wood fired free range roast lamb 
barely warm and most of our table agreed too salty

  

 South American Style Pavlova

Pavlova filled with layers of cream, sponge, pear and peanut brittle caramel

The service was otherwise pleasant enough, we had one single smile throughout the evening from a pretty blonde girl in 50's get up and our back-up waitress was kind.

Unfortunately i'm not so sure we'll be rushing back here, we really truly did want to love it.

Porteno
358 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills
8399 1440
porteno.com.au

* I'll be honest straight up, after getting food poising from the chorizo at Bodega I wasn’t going to go out of my way to try the Argentinean sister, Porteno. Needless to say I didn’t try the Chorizo at Porteno.

** Not bringing the food menus straight away is a really strange practise for a restaurant that "has to have" your entire order in 30 min after you arrive.  Don’t they want us salivating and getting excited about the food, like I said, strange.