Japanese Like No Other - Niji Double Bay

Seafood would have to be my favourite food in the world, any style, and in particular, Japanese; because I love how they can keep it fresh and simple. Yet, there is so much flavour that keeps me excited. 

One of my beautiful girlfriend's and I went to try out Niji Restaurant and Bar at Double Bay on Saturday night and "wow" seriously doesn't give the place the justice that it deserves. We were greeted with a smile and taken to our table to have a look over the cocktail menu where I ordered "The 21" - this delightful drink consisted of sloe gin, choya umeshu, luxardo maraschino and bitters. 

Can never say no to oysters

The manager then came over to see how we were going with the menu and asked if there was anything in particular that we wanted OR would we prefer to have an experience…. That was it for me; a Japanese food experience is music to my ears, well, to my stomach. So, an experience we decided on and left it to Niji to show us their fabulous world.

Words cannot describe the amazing journey that we went on; we started off with some amazing oysters, swam with melt-in-your mouth sashimi, diced tuna, sushi (sorry, can't remember which one but was still amazing), my all time favourite scallops, agedashi tofu and then waygu beef.

All this food was superbly finished off with the chef's dessert choice and what a fabulous choice he made; there was green tea moochi, chocolate lava cake and a berry sobert. I'm not normally a sobert kinda girl, but this one was so good that I couldn't stop eating it; practically licked the plate!

Niji isn't totally new, they have been around making a name for themselves in Kingsford with their original sushi bar. However, Niji at Double Bay is different and the decor is warm and inviting; the staff are friendly and ever so helpful, offering great recommendations and knowledge to the menu. 

We finished the night full but light at the same time; that is what is so fabulous about Japanese food. You can eat quite a bit but because the food is light you don't feel heavy afterwards. 


Thank you Niji for a fabulous night and thank you for giving us a great experience; we will definitely be back for sure!

Jo x

Niji Restaurant and Bar
21 Bay Street,
Double Bay NSW 2028
Tel: 02) 8095 9508

Champagne Brunch at Ananas

Last Sunday I finally had the opportunity to try the famous (champagne) brunch at Ananas Bar & Brasserie with a wonderful girlfriend of mine. It was my first time there and from all the amazing stories I had heard about this place, I was truly excited!

Ananas is known for its amazing french cuisine right here in Sydney, beautifully located at The Rocks. When you enter the world of Ananas you are instantly whisked away to what reminds me of moulin rouge; the decor is stunning, glamourous and colourful and oozes a sense of Paris in the 1920s. 

Their spectacular brunch is held once a month and is a buffet of an array of delicious French delights and surprises. The two hour buffet is $69 per person and you can add a two hours bottom-less Moët Champagne package for $50 per person! This if course, we did! Who wouldn't?

Being a lover of seafood and given that we were having champagne, I had to obviously start with the oysters, ocean trout and cured salmon. OH. EMMM. GEEE! What a way to start a Sunday morning; I believe I could start every Sunday like this.

Never ending oysters!

They definitely weren't shy about the champagne either; it was constantly topped up and nicely chilled. Obviously being a buffet it means you walk to the food section to fill your plate up with the amazing food but Ananas have stepped it up a notch by placing the food stations around the restaurant which included a hot food station (of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, spinach, roast beef and lamb etc), crepes station, charcuterie station, cakes and pastries station and my all time favourite, an ice cream station. Wait staff also come around with a variety of dishes of quiches, croissants, tarts and many more.

The ice cream station

Nutella crepes, chocolate love pot, eclairs and tarts.

For the next two hours we dined on this amazing food, drank the champagne and chatted until we were told our two hours were up. It was a fun experience and something that I will do again. It's a perfect place to go to with friends or for even a special occasion. 

Ananas Bar & Basserie 
18 Argyle Street,
The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 02) 9259 5668

Enjoy!
Jo x

Suzie Q Coffee & Records

Yesterday I finally caught up with a dear friend of mine for brunch. Life get's so busy at times but it's comforting to know that when you catch up with dear friends it's like time has never passed. 

We went to try out Suzie Q in Surry Hills for brunch this time. The reason why I decided on road testing Suzie Q was because I have been following them on Instagram for a little while now and have envied their food and secondly, which would have to be a main point, is that my friend is a huge huge huge lover of music, especially old school music and music that were made on records. So, it was a win win for everyone!

Photo Credit

I had arrived first and was seated very quickly as there were a couple of tables available and by the time I had sat down and taken my scarf off, my friend had arrived. We were presented with our menus which were smartly inside old music record covers.

Coffee with Jeff Beck

The menu isn't overly extensive but offers something for everyone and they had a couple of specials on the menu in which they talk you through before leaving you to mull over the menu for a little bit while getting your coffee and juice.

We both ended having the same brunch menu item of "Its Right Place" which consisted of poached eggs on sourdough with our relish ($11) and with your added choice of house smoked ocean trout, avocado salsa and lime (+$8). This dish was amazing and very light so it didn't leave you feeling overdone! You'll notice that all their menu items are named after a song which is fun. 

Totally recommend this dish

Their coffee is delicious and I had my usual, skim piccolo. My friend had their "The Cure" juice which was made up of carrot, apple, tumeric, lemon and ginger ($5.50) and hipsterly (new word to add to the dictionary) served in a glass jar.  

The service was top-notch there and if you know me, it's something I regard highly on. My friend and I spent a couple of hours there just talking, laughing and catching up and not once did we feel rushed to leave. The staff just came around every so often to see if we wanted anything else and just left us to enjoy out time.

It was such a lovely catch up and Suzie Q is a fabulous place to have brunch at; so if you're around Surry Hills, I highly recommend. I may have found another regular spot for myself. 

If you have been, please let me know what you like there or what I should try next.

Suzie Q - Coffee & Records
1/18 Hutchinson Street
Surry Hills 2010
Tel: 02) 9332 2739

Jo x

Easter Holiday in Singapore

Hope you all had a great Easter and a lovely break with family and friends. I sure did! If you follow me on Instagram (if you don't, I suggest you do) then you'll know that I've been in Singapore for the last week and a half with one of my girlfriend's for a break of food, shopping and relaxation. 

I've been to Singapore many times, mainly as a small stop over or a fly through, but haven't done the whole tourist thing for probably over 10 years. So this time, and also because it was my friend's first time into Singapore, we decided to spend a bit longer here so that she could see and experience the sights, sounds and flavours of Singapore. 

We didn't spend the whole time in Singapore; we broke up the trip and made a side trip to Bintan Island, Indonesia, for three days of resort living to soak in some sun, sand and massages. I wrote a separate post about our time on Bintan Island which can be read here. 

The stunning beach on Bintan Island

Singapore doesn't have a lot to do but 5 days here you can seriously pack in quite a bit and really embrace yourself into the various Asian cultures that make up Singapore. It is pretty easy to get around Singapore via their public transport system; we mainly travelled on the MRT (their train network) and the cost to get from place to place is on average 0.90 cents (totally cheap!) and if you have to get a taxi then even they are cheap here!

Cereal Prawn

There are some highlights of Singapore that is worth experiencing and my number one recommendation is experiencing the food culture that Singapore has to offer. Singapore is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Eurasians and other Asians of different origins which means the variety and options are plenty. Singapore is famous for their chilli mud crab, Hainanese chicken rice, roti and my new favourite, cereal prawn.

A very good friend of mine lives in Singapore and every time I come I always will catch up with him and his beautiful girlfriend. During this visit, as always, he met up with us and took us out for dinner at Clark Quay where many restaurants, nightclubs and bars are surrounding this waterfront. We had an amazing array of food which consisted of chilli mud crab with man tao (asian bread to dip in the sauce), cereal prawns, aromatic duck (also served with asian bao) and asian greens (to be healthy).

Aromatic duck and the man tao (steamed and fried versions)

The famous Singapore chilli mud crab

To really experience Singapore's amazing food culture you have to go to their many hawker centres which is like a massive food court offering a variety of food stalls. There you'll get to tasty many different cuisines and dishes for the cost of a coffee! Many dishes there cost around $3 - $5 so you can grab a few to try. The one that we went to which serves more local food is Lau Pat Sat. 

Some tasty food that you can get at many of the Hawker Centres

Ice cream in a slice of rainbow bread that you can find on the streets

Singapore Zoo would have to be my favourite zoo as it's the one zoo that I know that doesn't have cages (at least for 98% of the animals) as they have designed it in a way that the animals cannot come out and human can't go within. We had a special Jungle Breakfast with the Orang Utans that you can organise at the zoo. It's a buffet breakfast so that is plenty of options and then they bring out the Orang Utans to join you for breakfast and the keepers provide you with a history of them and what they get up to and enjoy. The best bit is that during the breakfast is that you get to get up close and personal with the Orang Utans and get a photo with them. Amazing! 

Restaurant where the buffet breakfast is served

To have breakfast with the Orang Utans, you had to book online. I would suggest getting in early as it gets booked out. It costs $33 pp (adults) and $23 pp (children 6 - 12 years old) for the buffet breakfast with the Orang Utans and $32 pp (adults) and $21 pp (children 3 - 12 years old) entry into the zoo. After breakfast you can then spend the rest of the day at the zoo exploring all the other animals and attending some of shows; which for me I had to attend the Elephants of Asia show. Elephants are my favourites so I couldn't miss that show.

Mother and baby Orang Utan enjoying breakfast with us

Baby Orang Utan chilling out and being cute during breakfast

Elephants of Asia show

Chinatown and Little India are a couple of places worth experiencing. I found Chinatown more fun and interesting with a lot more to do and see. Little India was a great place to go to if you really want to buy a sari dress and gold. Chinatown had markets to explore and traditional foods to try.

You haven't been to Singapore if you haven't been to Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling; the original Singapore Sling. So of course we made a trip to Raffles Hotel, to Long Bar, where the original Singapore Sling was invented. I'm not really a cocktail girl so we ordered one for my friend and I had a whisky. The hotel is beautiful and kept in its traditional 1920's style and the service is fabulous; the bar staff are quick to attend to you and will offer to take your photos with the famous cocktail in hand.

With my whisky at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, Singapore

Laneways or Arab St is another place you should experience while in Singapore. Not only is it the place to go get some amazing Arab food but the laneways has some unique boutiques to explore and some great street art. You can wonder through the streets and just explore the different stores and cafes. Arab St also has many fabric stores so if you're after some beautiful fabrics, I would suggest going there. 

Haji Lane (parallel to Arab St), Singapore, with many boutique stores to explore 

Colourful wall art along Haji Lane, Singapore

Marina Bay Sands is also another place to visit especially if you're a shop-a-holic and a shop-a-holic of high-end fashion brands. Here you'll find the likes of Alexander McQueen, Kate Spade, Channel and Dole & Gabbana, just to name a few. Whilst there we treated ourselves to high tea at TWG Tea, the world's finest tea. 

One of the many TWG Tea places where you can enjoy high tea or lunch

We were provided with the tea menu and no joke, there was seriously, thousands and thousands of different teas to choose from. Not being a true tea drinker, it was like stepping into a unknown planet! Feeling a little under pressure to choose a tea, I fittingly choose a tea under the heading "day time tea" assuming that you drink these tea during the day!

Preparing for our tasty high tea

Singapore's Merlion

Sentosa is a little island that is part of Singapore and is a short tram ride or cable car ride across. We took a cab to Faber Peak to get the cable car across to Sentosa. At Faber Peak you can view the city of Singapore and from there get the Superhero themed cable car to Sentosa which crosses through a building and provides a stinging 360 view of the southern precinct. There are plenty of things to do at Sentosa so it does warrant either a full or half day there. If you have kids then it would have to be the perfect place to go to as there is a movie world there with activities and a (man-made) beach there were you can enjoy and relax.

Superhero cable car from Faber Peak to Sentosa

This time round I have experienced and viewed Singapore in a different light and I would happily say that I'll be more than happy to come back and spend a few days here; mainly for some light shopping and the food.

Thank you Singapore (and Bintan Island)…until next time.

Jo x  

Where we stayed?
While in Singapore we stayed at:
Orchard Hotel Singapore
It's located on Orchard Rd and the closes MRT is Orchard MRT. I totally recommend this hotel for anyone as it was comfortable, modern, friendly staff and very central to everywhere you need to go to in Singapore. 

Mexican Feast at Playa Takeria

Finally caught up with a lovely friend of mine last friday night and I know how much she loves Mexican so I decided to surprise her with dinner at Playa Takeria in Darlinghurst. It was a first time for me as well so it was a great excuse for us to go to catch up, she loves Mexican and I've been wanting to try Playa Takeria for a little while now. 

It's a very cute little restaurant taking residence in the old Fish Face on Darlinghurst Road. The art works and colours encapsulating the restaurant really stands out so there is seriously no way for you to miss it; even if you were walking in the pouring rain like we had. The furniture and the plates used are so colourful and pretty that it made me want to clear out all of my plates at home and re-stock with these stunning pieces. It also reminded me on being in Mexico and for a moment there I thought I was there and started to plan my next visit back!

We had a later dinner booking, 9pm, and it was still packed with people so we still had to wait a little bit while they got our table ready. It was fun to see that they gave flower headbands to the customers (females) to wear so it made it a really fun atmosphere. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the blokes wearing them too….if they dare! While we wait for our table we ordered a "Striptease" cocktail ($19) each which was a coconut margarita style and is apparently the number one drink in Playa. Seriously off the chart! I could drink this all night long so I'll definitely be back for this drink.

We were taken to our seats (outside) and ordered everything to share which included: Guacamole Playa V (Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Coriander, Lime, Salt, Mexican Love, & Corn chips - $14), Elotes de Barrio V (Grilled Mexican Style Corn - $5 each), Taco Don Paster (The F….Famous Tacos of Mexico - Adobo Marinated Pork roster on A Trompo with Pineapple - $5 each) and a Gringa Santanera (Paster marinated Pork, Mozzarella Cheese, Chipotle & Flour Tortilla - $10). 

The food here is amazing and really tasty. The salt and chilli spice on the corn chips for the Guacamole was WOW. The salt, I believe, was a lime salt as the flavour of the lime really popped in your mouth and made the whole dish. My favourite would have to be the Grina Santanera, which essentially was a quesadilla - who doesn't love these?!? I think I could have eat three plates of these just to myself; it had just the right amount of flavours that kept me wanting more and more. 

Of course no meal is complete without dessert and of course we couldn't go pass the Churros Condesa (Spiced Mexican doughnuts, cajeta caramel, strawberry mayan melted chocolate - $15) to share. It completed our Mexican meal for sure. The carmel sauce was delicious and one that I could have just drank on its own. It wasn't too sweet but yet just right and creamy; it was a nice change to having salted caramel. 

Was so excited to eat these that I forgot to get a photo before….

The atmosphere of this little cute restaurant is fun and the service is good. Also the prices were reasonable. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting a Mexican feast and it's somewhere that I would come back to for sure. If you haven't tried this place, please do check it out. They also have a great list of Tequilas and Mexican beers and wines available.

Jo xo

Playa Takeria
132 Darlinghurst Rd,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010.

Emads...Lebanese Restaurant, Surry Hills

With our hectic schedules the girls and I finally found a night to catch up over some amazing Lebanese food. We met at Emads Lebanese Restaurant in Surry Hills. It was on Monday night and like most places, it was quieter than usual but that was a bonus for us, it meant that we had a lovely section of the restaurant where we could chat, laugh and be loud. 

This was the first time for me to Emads. They have been around for many years and have always had a great reputation but in the last year they have changed management. 

Seating are adorned with beautiful cushions.

Although the management has changed, the food and staff hasn't. Great news for us! The food and service was impeccable. A couple friends, who are Lebanese, commented that the food reminded them of the food that their mothers made; a honour any restaurant would want. Beautiful home cooked food just down the road for me - lucky!

Lebanese cuisine is a favorite of mine so to have one that tastes like eating at a friend's place is a bonus for me. Obviously, we ordered the banquet to share; it's the only way to eat as it means that you get to try everything. The starters came out consisted of falafel, vine leaves, stuffed cabbage rolls, various meat and vegetable pastries, babaganoush, hummus, tabouli and Lebanese bread. Oh, the hummus! One of the most amazing hummus I've had in a long time; it was smooth and delicious and I seriously couldn't get enough of it {I cheekily order another plate}. 

We are girls who can seriously eat and won't apologise for it. I would have to admit that we pretty much inhaled the starters like we hadn't eaten for a week. Then came the meat feast; grilled chicken, grilled lamb, beef kofta's, and more hummus {yes, I believe I can live off this dip for the rest of my life}. 

The food was beautifully cooked, so tender and juicy with every mouthful. We were getting full but at the same time, just couldn't stop. Everything is made from scratch and it shows through the taste; so yummy and amazing. 

Then as we undid our jeans button and belts, chatted and laugh, our coffees and dessert of baklava and Turkish delight came out to truly finish off the tasty meal. 

I totally recommend Emads if you haven't been. On Friday and Saturday nights they have the traditional belly dancers and the awesome thing is that Emads is BYO - bonus! I'll be back for sure. Thank you for the amazing food!

Jo xo 

Emads Lebanese Restaurant
298 Cleveland Street,
Surry Hills NSW 2010

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, I Scream for Ice Cream

Friends and family who know me well know that I have a sweet tooth and from this sweet tooth I have a weakness for ice cream. Being summer in Sydney at the moment, it's the perfect excuse to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner {seriously, I would do this!}

I do love all varieties of sweets especially tarts, biscuits, Asian and Middle Eastern sweets. But my love for ice cream is on another level; I guess it's the combination of sweetness, creaminess and happy guilt all rolled into one. It's a pleasure I'd be happy to take to heaven with me.  

I'm so glad I don't have any issues with dairy and although there are some great alternatives in the market now (such as almond milk and coconut milk ice cream), you cannot beat a traditional cows milk ice cream. Takes me back to being a true kid again where I have a fond memory of having a bowl of vanilla ice cream with my brother who introduced me to adding milo on top of it; I believe I pretty much added the entire contents of the tin.

So, I thought I would share with you some of my favourites and amazing ice creams that makes me smile and be a kid again. 

Pat and Sticks
I have always been a fan of ice cream (obviously) and biscuits and as a kid I really loved Monaco bars. Do you remember them? I had even joined a Facebook page to bring them back a couple of years ago. So when I came across Pat and Sticks I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They were everything I wanted but more exotic. 

Pat and Sticks are famous for their ice cream sandwiches, but they aren't like the typical monaco bars. Their biscuits {or cookies as some like to call it} are so tasty and just the right consistency for bitting into; not too soft and not too hard. My favourite is the lace cookies….yummmmm. 

Ben & Jerry's

Funky! When I think of Ben and Jerry's I really think of being a kid again. I'm not sure why but I think of their flavours being fun and cheeky. The combinations and the names they give each of their flavours are just so much fun and child-like to me which is probably why I think of them as being funky and fun.

Gelato Messina

Who hasn't had an ice cream from Gelato Messina? If you haven't, then I would say that you have been living under a rock! No excuses! Messina has soooo many different flavours that it is so hard to choose which one you want each time you go and on top of that they produce many different limited editions each week which means you HAVE to go each week.

However, my all time go-to favourite flavour at Messina would have to be the salted caramel. It's one that I can't seem to say no to even when I always have the intention to have something else; but it never really happens. 

Their ice cream cakes are the bomb! Not only are they ice cream cakes but the delicate designs and creations of these cakes are in a league of their own. My favourite cake there is still the mushroom cake, I just love the crackle of the grass as it has popping candy in it. I'm so lucky to have one down the road from me so clearly, I spend a bit of time there {at this rate, it's my summer holiday house}.

Looks too good to eat. (Photo credit)

Oh the options! (Photo credit)

N2

Science and ice cream coming together to harmonise as one. What geek wouldn't love this combination? I wouldn't call myself a geek (at all) but I love this combination; the fact that the ice cream is made in front of you is unique and something you don't see anywhere else so the idea is pretty awesome. 

They create many different weird and wonderful flavours; combinations you wouldn't dream of, but N2 does. They create flavours around holiday themes such as gingerbread for Christmas and they also create some very weird random flavours such as Chinese cough syrup. Yep, they made one with the same Chinese cough syrup I remember having when I was young - I couldn't bring myself to try this flavour. I remember they even made one with spam….spam….. Who would have thought of using tin meat for ice cream and to be honest, I like spam. 

The flavours change pretty much weekly or fortnightly with special limited edition flavours and some unique ones making a reappearance because of customer demands which is great to see. 

Ice cream science (Photo credit)

Cow and Moon

Enough said! They won the world gelato championship in Italy last year, 2014, and they are right here in Sydney! Get yourself over to Enmore and taste the award winning ice cream in the world. 

Other ice creams I love from when I was a kid are: Gay Time and Maxibons. Oh, and do you remember Bubble-O-Bill? They were fun to eat and saving the chewing gum for last - oh, the memories. What were you favourite as a kid?

What is your favourite ice cream? What is your favourite flavour? Is there an ice cream brand/variety or place you think I should go try? Have you tried any of these places/brand? If so, what do you think of them?

Jo xo