birds of a feather

Aha! Finally an excuse to go to The Owl House in Darlinghurst. I don’t know where my blog (or wardrobe) would be without birthdays, truly I tell you they would be desolate!

The bar is a slight little thing, just off the bustling William Street Friday afternoon congestion. We are warmly welcomed and decide to sit at the bar (rather than venturing upstairs) because we can't stay for long. Oh you should see this bar top for yourself - gorgeous recycled hardwood timber with loads of character and a glass top, very pretty.

ho hum Hawthorn

We arrived at about 8pm on a Thursday evening and the restaurant was at capacity. Without a booking we were informed on arrival that they didn’t have availability until Sunday week, whoa, impressive! They were very gracious and offered us a small table in the wine bar area where we were told we could order from the restaurant menu.

The heritage listed cottage has been lovingly restored, it's very beautiful and unique - check out the miniature pots of herbs, so cute!

from the source

Congratulations to The Source for their SMH  "Three Cups" award - for being one of a handful of Sydney's best cafes!

 Like any truly great café, the owners of The Source Espresso know what it takes to make good coffee, and in this case personally source it from all over the world. The beans are roasted in house (you can't miss the centrepiece coffee roaster) and you can buy the beans for your home machine. The coffee blend is on the stronger side, flavoursome and perfectly crafted every time (pictured). The service is calm and meticulously executed (there is some sort of coloured dice/table number system going on, see if you can figure it out - I can't - it's a complex barista cipher that works like a dream).

The breakfast menu is concise but thoughtful, consisting of berry bircher (pictured) or toasted muesli; poached eggs; croissants; breakfast sandwiches including egg, bacon and relish or tomato, mozzarella and basil; fig and walnut toast with ricotta and honey. Oh my, the homemade mixed berry muffins, I almost forgot about those plump little pockets of raspberry, to die for. Of a similar ilk, the lunch menu is succinct and sure to please.

stitch me up

Stitch, York Street

It is with a little sigh but an abundance of excitement I say, the secret's out! 

Christophe Lehoux and Karl Schlothauer of Pocket, my 'favourite bar parents', have finally opened their second baby, Stitch. As anticipated, it executes fabulously the same quality, intimacy and viiiibe baby that made Pocket such a success. I could happily spend a lot of spare time here ... and for the couple of weeks that Stitch has been open, I have managed to camouflage myself as part of the furniture  fit in about four visits, i'm already addicted!

The menu boasts a plump list of intriguing and ingenious cocktail combinations, including Elegantly Waisted made with tequila, blackberry, kaffir lime syrup and fresh lime juice, Beetlejuice with fresh beetroot and ginger juice, gin, sweet vermouth and ginger beer, Goosebumps with Grey Goose Pear, rosemary syrup, bitters and ginger ale, and another Voodoo Child with coffee tequila, vermouth, bitters and a sour cherry garnish. Supplementing the cocktails, a very respectable array of bubbles, whites, reds, boutique ales and ciders.

Christophe Lehoux is the man.

Voodoo Child - made with coffee tequilla, vermouth, bitters and served with a sour cherry. strong and not very sweet, it was recommended as a perfect after dinner cocktail, yes, it really was perfect.

taste it

Did you know the Taste of Sydney Festival was in town on the weekend? I hadn't really heard much about it, but when I found out a friend was doing the photography and I had an opportunity to sample some of the best local produce, wine, cheese as well as taste dishes from a bunch of Sydney restaurants and meet the chefs, how could I contemplate not going?!

First stop, beverages. We sampled wine from Orange, pale ale from Vale and my favourite new discovery was the 3 Oaks Cider also from McLaren Vale. The cider was seriously impressive crisp and light but not too sweet.

I actually had time to take a photo of the cocktails in a box because I wasn't sampling like crazy,

I always end up with photos of the things that I haven't demolished in a second..hmmm

Next on the menu, Hiramasa Kingfish roasted in jerky & nigella seeds with heirloom tomatoes & basil from Danks Street Depot / Cotton Duck. Followed by Potato gnocchi with slow cooked lamb ragu from A Tavola / Omerta. The kingfish was sooo pretty, but do you think I remembered to take a photo in the split second before my fork met the plate, no!?

charlie and dan

I took a friend out for a birthday lunch today at Charlie & Co. Burgers. Oh my it's quite an experience, very tasty.

Wagyu burger with beetroot relish, pickled gherkin, lettuce, aged cheddar and aioli on a sesame bun.

saves nine

My lovelies I have been holding out on you! I had the best weekend trying new bars and cafes... and appreciating a few trusty favourites. I guess my story goes back a couple of weeks when I went to Eau de Vie (winner TimeOut Best New Bar 2011, Cocktail Bar of the Year 2011 and Australian Gourmet Magazine Best Bar 2011, it's an impressive list!) with a gorgeous girlfriend of mine. Ahh we had cocktails and a cheese plate. The cheese plate had my favourite triple cream, taleggio and an aged cheddar accompanied by quince paste (also my fav) and muscatel grapes. We dived in so quickly I forgot to take a pic.

Mint and Lychee Martini and Campari Pink Grapefruit Sour

To go with the cheese we had an amazing bottle of wine. Check it out, can u believe it comes from Orange? Orange is the new Marlborough apparently.

Then just this last weekend I had a rare opportunity to try a bar only a few days old, one that I have had my eye on and been eagerly awaiting for a while. It was so good I may just keep it a secret for a little while longer. Ill give you a hint: