Archive for the ‘Modern Australian’ Category
V Rating: V-ware I was recently treated to a lovely lunch at Aqua Dining, located on top of the North Sydney pool and within spitting distance of some of Sydney’s best-known harbourside landmarks. Despite the fact that the Aqua adjoins a swimming pool, the spectacular harbour views ensured Aqua would be a modern Australian, fine dining restaurant rather than your average chips and icy-poles sports venue cafe. The upshot is that you can eat gourmet food while idly watching swimmers toiling through their laps below. If watching exercise curbs your appetite, the other windows overlook Luna Park and the Harbour. We sat at the end table which offered a very close-up view of Luna Park’s eerily surreal giant face. The eyelashes are amazing - coyly curled yet unbending in the strong harbour wind. Aqua gets a pat on the back for having a separate vegetarian section to the menu, and for ensuring a vegan option for entree and main. However, with only only one vegetarian main, and two vegetarian entrees, I’ve given them a V-ware. I tried the tomato, haloumi and asparagus salad for entrée, which was lovely. The pieces were served as a stack in a reflective metal plate artistically smeared with pesto. The grilled haloumi was salty and seared, but without being over oily. The asparagus was crisp and lemon dressed and with the fresh slices of tomato it made a good complement to the haloumi. For an entrée the serve was large – in fact it was bigger than my main. The other vegetarian entrée was stuffed bonsai-sized zucchini flowers - if you’re not vegan go with the haloumi salad. The vegetarian main was stuffed eggplant rolls with a side of spicy beetroot. The eggplant rolls were delicate, while the beetroot mash was deceptively spicy and had me gulping my water with unladylike haste. While I wouldn’t recommend Aqua for special vegetarian occasions, at least they make sure that vegetarians and vegans can still eat there with a minimum of fuss.
V-Rating: VVV Cafe Giulia opened two doors down from my apartment block a few weeks after I moved to Sydney. Every Saturday and Sunday morning I’d trot / stumble down there for a lazy brunch. I thought, ‘Sydney is great. There are amazing cafes located on your local corner that have extensive menus with interesting, gourmet food. Serving sizes are generous and yet most dishes cost little more than $5!’ And that is how Cafe Giulia ruined me for all future Sydney brunch experiences. I’ve since found that Sydney brunch often means a trade-off between price, quality, location and atmosphere. Perhaps this is why I idealise Cafe Giulia - it is my brunching rosebud. Since moving to Bondi I haven’t been back to Giulia many times. Perhaps it was fear of disappointment, or just the commute. Whatever the reason I went back recently and was relieved to see that they still make a great breakfast. Just like the old days, I spent ages deliberating in front of the huge blackboard menu. Haloumi bagel? Feta omelette? Avocado, ricotta and tomato on toast? Na-ah. I went for my all time Giulia favourite, olive tapenade, smooth feta, fresh tomatoes and basil on toast. Cafe Giulia has a good range of vegetarian food for both breakfast and lunch. There are not a lot of ostensibly vegan options on the menu because most breakfast dishes include cheese or eggs. However, many of the dishes seem easily adaptable, particularly as most food is made fresh in the open plan kitchen. The foundation stone of the Cafe Giulia’s success is that the owner knows how to make simple, original food extremely well. Combined with a beautiful modern interior that still has touches of Chippendale’s working class history, a sunny courtyard decorated with colourful paper parasols, and friendly artiste type customers, Cafe Guilia is undoubtedly one of Sydney’s best brunch spots. Reviewed 8/4/06. KP.
V-Rating: VV Concrete is discreetly set on the busy junction of Harris St and Pyrmont Bridge Road. The design is modern and welcoming, with a warm charcoal exterior, open and light eating space, and a shaded outdoor area. The menu isn’t extensive, but the dishes are interesting. The lunch menu is divided into sandwiches, salads and mains. One dish in each section is vegetarian, as was one of the specials, although vegan options are limited. I tried the grilled haloumi salad with asparagus, rocket, green beans, avocado and macadamia nuts with a summer lemon and oil dressing - so did 80% of the other female customers. The flavours were fresh and well set off by the lemon, although there was a touch too much oil for my liking. One of the nicest parts of the experience was the friendly, attentive and speedy service. All up, Concrete is a lovely spot for a casual lunch or whiling away the hours. Reviewed 27 March 2006.
V Rating: VV I didn’t mean to eat at Jarrah’s Brasserie. Oh no, Andy and I were going to eat at a great vegetarian restaurant on King Street, then wander leisurely towards @Newtown to catch Bonnie Prince Billy. However, after running late, spending half an hour in the queue, and being told that Bonnie Prince Billy would be on a good hour and half before he finally showed, Andy and I decided to risk Jarrah’s Brasserie rather than miss out on part of the show. It turned out to be a reasonable experience. At first sight the menu looked like a vegetarian wasteland. The only options were chilli bean nachos and a wild mushroom and rocket risotto. Fortunately, three of the four specials were vegetarian. Andy chose the pumpkin, sage and goat’s cheese risotto and I had grilled veggie and haloumi skewers with a mint yoghurt dressing and lentil salad. My meal was lovely. The capsicum and red onion were bursting with sweetness and were complemented nicely by the saltiness of the haloumi. The fresh taste of the lentils and mint sauce also went well with the overall meal. Andy’s risotto was quite creamy but pleasant, with large pieces of pumpkin offsetting the base. It struck me as unusual that so many specials would be vegetarian when so few of the main items were. The (vegetarian) waitress helpfully explained that 2 - 3 of the 4 specials are always vegetarian to correct the balance. While the menu is initially daunting, the fact that Jarrah’s provides some interesting vegetarian alternatives through the specials menu lifts it to a VV rating. Jarrah’s will never be a first choice restaurant given the plethora of great Newtown eateries. However, it is a good option if you’re going to one of the great @Newtown gigs and want to be sure to score a good seat. |
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