Brunching at Blacksmith Surry Hills

It had been a little while for the girls and I to catch up and what better way than to catch up over brunch; a serious lifestyle pastime that we all enjoy. This time we decided to go try out Blacksmith located in Surry Hills. I've walked past this funky cafe many times and had it on my 'brunching' list so this was perfect!

The menu layout has been thought about with leather and denim 

When I first walked into the cafe my first impression was 'wow'; the styling was unique and funky and very hipster like and I didn't realise how big it was inside. Not only have they thought about the type of food and drinks they are to have on the menu but also the styling of the cafe which includes the little things like the saucers, spoons, tea pots and water bottles. The cafe is also great for those with children as it's big enough to fit prams and right across the road is Albert Park.

The spacious interior 

I ordered by usual skim piccolo to start with as I studied the menu; everything sounded amazing and I was pretty hungry. One of the girls decided to check out their Instagram to help with deciding on what to get; it just made me want to order every breakfast item!

The unique Blacksmith spoon and saucer

I had finally settled on the 'Rough-forked Avo' which consisted of smashed avocado, goats cheese, black quinoa on sourdough toast with a side portion of bacon (~$14 + $3.50 for the bacon) and the 'Energiser' juice (~$5) which consisted of apple, pineapple, ginger and mint - this seriously filled me up that I didn't even need lunch.

My tasty Rough-Forked Avo

One of the girls ordered the brioche french toast with fruit and maple syrup and me with my sweet tooth just couldn't resist tasting it. OH.EMMM.GEEEEE - next time I'll be ordering this for sure!

I really liked this cafe and thought that the food was well presented and very tasty; I will be back here for sure. One thing to note though, which is a drag for them, is that they don't spilt bills so either come prepared with cash or note that someone in the group with be paying on their card and collecting from everyone else. 

To Blacksmith, thanks for the experience and the tasty dishes. 

Jo x


Blacksmith Surry Hills
116 Chalmer Street, 
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: 02) 9690 0103

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

Kepos & Co.

Last Sunday my cousin and I went to check out the Senasian event at Mojo by Luke Mangan. But before going to indulge in some sweet sweet desserts by Black Star Pastry, Katherine Sabbath and N2, we decided to have brunch at the new Kepos & Co. It's the new restaurant opened by Michael Rantissi who also owns Kepos St Kitchen located in Redfern. 

Kepos & Co. is located in Waterloo inside a little hideaway. The styling keeps to its traditional middle eastern theme with the inside beautifully decorated with stunning tiles and exposed bricks and amazing lighting. The menu is completely different to what is offered at Kepos St Kitchen which makes it hard to decide which of the restaurants you will want to go to as both are amazing and unique in its own way. 

Exploring the menu with our coffee

The stunning lighting

You can see the chefs cooking through the exposed brick wall

Sunday serves brunch between the hours of 9am - 3pm. We started of with a coffee whilst we explored the brunch menu trying to decide what we wanted; it was hard as everything sounded so tasty. Looking around at dishes coming out to other tables also gave us food envy which also made it hard for us to choose. 

We settled on ordering a couple of dishes and sharing. We had ordered the Pide stuffed with sujuk, picked chilies, kashkaval cheese and kalamata olives ($19) and the Potato tortellini with goat's curd, za'atar and asparagus ($24). Both dishes were amazing and so tasty with the potato tortellini being my favourite of the two dishes.

Our dishes for brunch; looks so good

The sizing of the dishes were just right, not too much to be in a food coma and not too little to still be hungry. Then as a little surprise, we were treated to a slice of their own chocolate and hazelnut brownie; wow, so moist and tasty!

The delicious brownie surprise

Kepos St Kitchen was and still is a favourite of mine and now their new Kepos & Co. has become another favourite. If you haven't gone to try either restaurants, I totally recommend that you do and let me know what you think. 

Jo x

Kepos & Co.
Shop 5, Casba
18 Danks St,
Waterloo NSW 2017
Tel. 02) 9690 0931

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

The Oscars in Sydney 2015

I know I've been a bit quiet of late and haven't written any post for a little while or even been very active on my Instagram account. My 9 to 5 daily job has seriously been keeping me busy and I've been interstate or working late nights and have been so tired in between; then there's time spent catching up with family and friends, attending birthdays, hens night and volunteering in between. Life can be so full on at times!

Last Monday night, Sydney time, I attended "The Oscar Challenge Academy" (OCA) 4th Annual Oscar Challenge that was superbly organised by my boot camp friend, Annette, the OCA President. Annette absolutely loves the Oscars and is excited about it premiering each year, so the OCA began 4 years ago in her lovely lounge room with her bestie, Adam, OCA Vice President, and a few of her friends.

From her small little humbling Oscar Challenge in her lounge room in Sydney's northern beaches, it has since grown and in its fourth year, it had over 35 people (friends of friends) attend and the location moved to a theatre in Fox Studios Australia at Moore Park. For my first time attending, it was an awesome location and my first time driving through Fox Studios - so cool!

Our very own Oscar Awards

The entire event was thoroughly thought through and organised perfectly. Everyone attending had to come (fancy) dressed up as any character from any of the Oscar nominations and the effort that everyone made was outstanding and serious business. I'll have to get on top of that for next years event for sure! There were awards for Best Dressed, Most Films Watched, Newcomer, and even a Quizmaster, which I failed miserably but it was fun!

The night consisted of us walking down a red carpet, being interviewed along the way, taking photos, being treated to champagne, dinner, popcorn and plenty of lollies to out-do a kids party. 

It was the first time I had ever watched the Oscars from start to finish and I would have to say it was so good and probably because it was challenge. I love a challenge! We had to complete a ballot of who we believed would win in each category and then on Monday we were all in media lock down (which included Facebook) so no-one was allowed to know who or what won so that the evening can be a surprise and fun for everyone, which it was. If you love the Oscars and love to get involved in some serious fun games, I would suggest coming to this even next year!

If you love the Oscars and think that you can take home the gold man then why don't you join in on the fun with us next year and the bonus thing is that you get to meet some amazing people and make some incredible new friends. 

The Amazing Presidents

Got to love Lego!

To the OCA team, well done on an amazing event and thank you for inviting me. I loved every minute of it and am so pumped for next year to at least walk away with one Oscar!

Jo x

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