I don't even know what number post this is but i just had to blog: the best sausage I've ever had in my life so far: The Snag Stand

Okay, so I'm in Sydney for the weekend and I've just stopped my shopping for a bite to eat. Usually when I come to Sydney, I make myself try new places to eat because that's what you do right, when you're away from home. So, I walk into the Westfield Pitt St food court and am completely overwhelmed by the choices. I've been here a few times but never end up having anything because I usually have reservations elsewhere. First of all, this "food court" is pimp. I put food court in inverted commas because this is like the Kings food hall or something. It's quite fancy. I have a hard time deciding on what tl eat because when I'm hungry, I want to eat everything. In situations like this, I opt for classics. In this case, a hot dog place called The Snag Stand catches my eye. A sign on the wall says "gourmet sausages and haute dogs" aka fancy hot dogs. So I go for it.
The hot dog has come from humble beginnings to become a haute dog. Different variations in flavour, spice levels and even textures take the classic pig-in-a-blanket to a gourmet meal fit for royalty (you totally imagined the Queen downing a hot dog didn't you?).
So I'm now faced with the dilemma of what kind of hot dog to get: the Americano, the Greek, the this, the that. Overwhelmed but also rushed by the people in line behind me, I order a Spicy Chorizo dog (and a side salad of half rocket and balsamic and half potato salad). The hot dog is a Chorizo sausage with sundried tomatoes, rocket, grated goats cheese and an aioli type sauce. It was heaven in a soft brioche bun. I, then and there decided I was moving to Sydney due to being sick of mediocre food. The goats cheese compliments the sauce which affectionately smothers  the sausage which is hugged by a soft bun that sandwiches this heaven in a food item together. In one word, amazing. It's a little pricey at $9.50 for a hot dog but the quirky ingredients that go on top of said hot dog are well worth the cash.  I think I would be a very wealthy lady if I had enough business sense to take some of these Sydney chains and restaurants up north.
Check out The Snag Stand. Just do it.

021. Bye Bye Baia - Baia The Italian

A few weeks ago, some friends and I went to Sydney for a weekend away and to go to the Mardi Gras parade; eating and drinking our way through a super fun weekend. We were due to leave on a Sunday midday flight so had enough time to squeeze in a harbourside breakfast before we were to leave.

So we sauntered down the road down to Cockle Bay and found a sleek looking Italian place called 'Baia The Italian'. The place looked fancy, staff well dressed, and who could resist an Italian accent anyway? The girls agreed (and our one male friend was happy with the location being in front of a bikini photo shoot) and so we walked in. 
Looks aren't always what they seem. The place looks nice, the staff look nice, even the food looked nice. Below is my friend Tash's Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Apple Scented Hollandaise sauce. Looks nice right? 

But the place leaves a dry taste in your mouth and this is when looks don't matter. As with any food establishment, drinks are ordered and served first, and that we did. Our drink orders were the usual coffee, tea and juice, which seemed to take a lifetime to arrive. Our food, a further 45 minutes. Bear in mind this is breakfast we're talking about, not a slow cooked lamb ragu or anything. Breakfast aka sausages, toast, grilled tomato etc etc. And the place wasn't even half full! The lengthy wait on breakfast made us on edge; we had a flight to catch very soon. I had asked several times on the status of our food and was rudely assured 'it is on its way'. As if I were not allowed to know when my food would be ready. And when our meals finally arrived, we collectively agreed that the food was definitely not worth the wait.

One of my beliefs is that a meal should not require extra condiments unless they are supposed to have them. A chef has not done his job if what he cooks gets drowned in sauces that are not meant to accompany the meal he makes. I ordered the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. I'm not sure if it was just me, but it seemed as though they had put maybe one slice of smoked salmon into the eggs. Did they manage to omit the salt and pepper too? It was completely tasteless and so I asked for some hollandaise sauce to try up the flavour. The hollandaise sauce was akin to watery mayonnaise, with less flavour. No 'apple scent' whatsoever. I think Coles branded hollandaise has more flavour.

Our meals were not overly complicated which added to our gripes on how they managed to take so long to deliver. Again, I stress this was BREAKFAST. And to top it off, my friend Khalil found a piece of metal from a metal scourer IN his scrambled eggs; definitely not what he ordered. Tasteless food coupled with bad service really leave a sour taste in your mouth. I'm not a huge breakfast person but I fail to understand how such simple meals can take so long to serve. Completely disappointing end to a wonderful Sydney weekend. 

020. Ooh La La - La Via

[Editors Note: First of all, I sincerely apologise to the 5 or so people who actually read this blog for the lack of posts. Various things in my life have taken my attention away from this blog, but fear not for my love of food is oh so ever strong]
***
Recently I took one of my closest friends out for her birthday to a beautiful little Italian place called La Via on Little Stanley Street, South Bank.  We only decided to go there as we wanted to go somewhere in South Bank that neither of us had been before. Turns out La Via was a wonderful choice.

First of all, the staff were amazing. So much so, I actually emailed La Via to commend them on their service. I'm not a huge wine drinker and I don't know too much about how to pair wines with food but the waiter recommended a beautiful one to go with my pizza. 
Secondly, the pizzas. Oh my god. There is a reason they promote themselves as having the 'Best Pizza in Brisbane' and it's not to toot ones proverbial horn, they really were amazing. I had the 'Wagyu bresola, roast garlic, truffle oil and parmesan' pizza. Four key ingredients on a handmade pizza base that tasted like a million dollars in my mouth. It just shows that the combination of simple, fresh ingredients can really create a gourmet meal. Some pizza places try to sell their pizzas as being 'top quality' by over complicating with extra unnecessary toppings but La Via strips it all back down to a simple mix creating an enjoyable pizza. And it's not particularly hard to get pizza wrong, but it seems as though it's hard for places to really get it right.  La Via does just that.

I highly recommended La Via for a delicious, beautifully created pizza. Now I just need to go back and try the rest of the menu. 


Website: http://lavia.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laviasouthbank

019: Oh I love a good buffet: Sofitel Seafood Buffet (Thyme 2)

Thyme2 at the Sofitel Brisbane is home to a very classy and popular seafood buffet. Offering endless prawns, freshest of fresh oysters and quality cooked mussels, it is a seafood lovers dream. The restaurant itself is a delicately embellished, French inspired, stylish venue. The waiters and waitresses speak snippets of French to you as they deliver exceptional service. 

I recently went to Thyme2 for a work Christmas lunch. Being Christmas, the theme was all around. 

 Chocolate fondue fountain

 Macaroon baubles with glass snowflakes 

Moet & Chandon Christmas bauble

Unfortunately, I did not take photos of the food, it was simply too good to stop and take a shot (above photos were taken after lunch, food baby in tow). As with every seafood buffet I go to, first stop is the seafood. I loaded up my plate with a heap of prawns, fresh oysters and some deliciously cooked mussel. The oysters and prawns were seriously fresh. You can really taste the difference when seafood has been out for a while or when its so fresh it tastes like it just came out of the sea; this was the latter. There were mains from Modern Australia, India, China all with enough dishes to satisfy even the pickiest people. There were more than enough desserts on offer; the chocolate fondue fountain with marshmallow sticks and apple jelly cups were popular among my work cohort. This is a wonderful buffet and I would highly recommend going. Visit the adjoining bar for a suite of delectable cocktails and premium high end liquor. 

Website: http://www.sofitelbrisbane.com.au/thyme2/brisbane-restaurant.html

018. Fly into Dragonfly: Dragonfly

Dragonfly is an underground restaurant/bar that opened a few months ago on Edward Street (where Rosie's used to be). There is a distinct lack of quality nice Chinese restaurants in the CBD and it's refreshing to see that I now don't need to go to the Valley or Sunnybank for a good dim sum feed because Dragonfly delivers.  The first time I heard of the place was through a friend who enthusiastically informed me of their (then) up and coming dim sum Wednesdays. All-you-can-eat for $18.95. As a food aficionado, I was keen to try everything because it was a new venue As a person of Asian decent, this appealed to me because of the price (you Asians know it).

On the first week of the promotion, there were no restrictions on the type of dim sum you could order and quantities and so my friends and I took it as an opportunity to sample every dish on the menu. The food was fantastic, authentic and fresh. BBQ pork buns were a hit as well as the Japanese Gyoza. Unfortunately, since the launch of dim sum Wednesdays, restrictions have come into place as well as a restricted menu (for obvious reasons aka people like me and my friends taking all you can eat literally!)
The following photos are not from all you can eat Wednesdays but from a lunch time dining date and an after work special:

 Calamari salad, Japanese Gyoza, Pork Dumplings, Pork Spring Rolls

Fish Bowl Punch!

I highly rate the dim sum. The fishbowl punch is a definite winner at $30 for a bajillion drinks! The only downfall is that being in the city, I found that the prices were suited to the city-folk, however, the decor and cocktails do make up for it.

Website: http://dragon-fly.com.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dragonflybris 

017. That's Amore: Alimentari on Adelaide

Alimentari on Adelaide is a cute little deli come cafe on Adelaide Street in the city. What I like about this place is not just the food, but the deli/corner shop within the cafe itself. Selling Italian staples like San Pellegrino and pasta sauces, you can do a quick grocery shop whilst you wait for your meal.

I've been here a few times for a quick casual lunch (sandwiches, salads etc) and it hasn't disappointed. I finally had the time for a bit of a longer lunch and ordered food that wasn't pre-made. 

Prawn salad, steak sandwich, mushroom risotto and potato and sweet potato chips

My companions had positive feedback about their meals. The potato and sweet potato chips were complimented by a creamy garlic aioli. My dish was the mushroom risotto and unfortunately I was less than impressed. This dish lacked the depth of a usual risotto; it did not have the thick consistency of what a risotto should be and was to be quite honest, completely flavourless.

I would still come back to Alimentati, despite the abysmal risotto because their quick lunch options are on par and you can pick up a few deli goods while you're there. Just skip the risotto. 

Website: http://www.alimentarionadelaide.com.au/ 

016. Wagging our tongues: Wagamama

Working in the CBD, I have unlimited choices when it comes to casual lunch time dining. Wagamama's at Wintergarden is a favourite of mine. The usually quick, speedy and attentive service allows me to have a tasty meal with a friend during the lunch time rush and not actually feel rushed. Whenever I dine at Wagamama, I always without doubt get the same dish: Teriyaki Salmon. When you find a meal at a restaurant that is just always spot on delicious every time, it's hard to peel you away from a favourite.

On my last visit to Waga's, I was with my dear friend Brett . Our mandatory entree is the Sweet Potato Kusabi that comes with a delectable Wasabi mayonnaise. On this occasion, I took a mammoth decision and stepped away from my usual Teriyaki Salmon and went for two entrees; Chicken Gyoza and Beef strips with crunchy noodles.

Beef strips with crunchy noodles, Chicken Gyoza & Sweet Potato Kusabi

Verdict? I wish I had stuck with my usual meal. The gyoza were amazing as usual and I cannot fault thee. It was the noodles I had a problem with. The only part of the meal with flavour was the beef strips but you couldn't eat the beef together with the noodles. Granted this was supposed to be an entree, not a main meal, but logic tells me that two entrees can equal a main right? Right? (okay fine). So I was left a little peckish still (possibly because I only ordered 3 gyoza and left most of the noodles). Safe to say, I'm sticking with my old fav!