Archive for the ‘Location’ Category
V Rating: VVV On a recent Friday night, Andy, our visiting friend, Adam, and I were driving aimlessly between my work and the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney as I tried to think of a new Italian restaurant to try. Sensing that we were literally on the road to nowhere, Andy announced that he was taking us to one of his old haunts: Isabella’s in Randwick.
Isabella’s is a friendly, warm, characterful restaurant. It has the offbeat charm of a local, student-friendly restaurant (if not the prices). The walls are brightly painted, with large mirrors and low-hanging lights. Although the restaurant is in a single room, the area is broken up by sidings and high arrangements of flowers, so you feel like you’re eating in more intimate surrounds. There are even a few tables on the sidewalk outside, overlooking Alison Road and a park. Isabella’s offers six vegetarian starters and six vegetarian pasta dishes. I was impressed that the vegetarian dishes weren’t the standard ‘napolitana’ and ‘mushroom risotto’ options, and looked like some thought had gone into making them. Adam tried the verdura, a vegetable pasta with feta served in either a creamy tomato or basil sauce.
I had the creamy sundried tomato pesto sauce.
Andy tried the arrabiata, a tomato sauce with roasted eggplant and capsicum, chili and garlic. Unlike most of the Isabella dishes, this came without cheese or cream, so seemed suitable for vegans.
Our dishes were large and filling, if not exciting. I love broccoli so was very happy to find a pasta where it was the feature ingredient. I’m not a fan of cream sauces, but mine was light and moderated by the tomato base. I can’t review the seafood side of Isabella’s as none of our party eat creatures of the deep. However, it did occur to me that Isabella’s might be a good choice of venue for seafood-loving families stuck with a rogue vegetarian, given the menu caters well for both. Another bonus feature is that Isabella’s is BYO, and is right next door to a bottle shop with a great range of wines from Australia and overseas. I was really taken with Isabella’s friendly ambiance and left of centre charm. It felt like the kind of place you turn gratefully to on a weeknight or lazy Sunday evening, when you want a pleasant, homely, no strings attached experience.
V Rating: VVV Nothing is more synonymous with Bondi Beach than a sprawling blue sky, breaking surf, and a long stretch of white sand curving from cliff to cliff. But every time I walk by Le Paris-Go Cafe on Hall Street, it’s like a snapshot of a certain idly beautiful lifestyle that’s also contributed to Bondi’s fame. Perhaps that’s why Le-Paris Go has become something of a Bondi institution. On Saturday morning I wandered down for an early morning breakfast. It was already busy, but I spied a stool at bench at an open window and bumped my way through the throngs.
There were people squeezing onto couches, striped banquettes, outside benches and small wooden tables. Adding an appropriately Parisian touch were wall murals of the Palais Versailles and a cheeky looking gargoyle. Dogs waited outside, keeping an eye on their owners sitting barely a metre away. Best of all, two walls of the cafe had long windows that opened completely, filling the cafe with fresh air and letting the outside life in.
Despite the crowds, my coffee came quickly. There was a choice of ten vegetarian options, and plenty of ’sides’ if you preferred to make up your own meal. But I couldn’t go past the breakfast burrito with refried beans, guacamole, scrambled eggs and sour cream. It wasn’t the best breakfast burrito I’d had in my life. I liked the fact it came with a salad but the tortilla was a little greasy, and there was a slight vinegary taste to the refried bean and guacamole filling. But you know what? I didn’t care. With the wind quietly blowing in through the open window, a great soy cappucino under my belt, and soft guitar music playing over the sound system, I was happy. V Rating: VVV This restaurant has a fabulous view over the Labrang Monastery and is right in the Tibetan part of Xiahe town. The food is predominantly Tibetan, but there are also Chinese dishes and western breakfast foods on offer. In terms of Tibetan foods, the options for mains are fairly limited. (However, there is a good range of vegetarian dishes in the chinese section of the menu) I had been hoping for some vegetarian momos (Tibetan dumplings) but they only had the yak variety.
The only vegetarian Tibetan main dish is thukpa, which is a soup with a slightly spicy broth, flat and long noodles, spring onions, green pepper and coriander. The soup was delicious and had a great flavour, although was pretty heavy on the noodles. There was also a range of traditional Tibetan foods made out of yaks cheese/butter, sugar, flour and spices. We tried two types: choozin and tsampa. I found the mix of sweet and salty to be initially a little off-putting. The choozin was served in thin slices and had a taste best described as a mix of milo and salty cheese. The tsampa had a more moderate flavour and was served as soft balls.
Tibetan breakfast foods are also on offer. The following morning I tried a mix of yaks butter, sugar and hot water to make a dipping sauce for thick white Tibetan bread. The bread was nice, but once again the contrast of sweet and salty and the overpowering taste of yak makes this perhaps an acquired taste. The best thing about the Nomad restaurant is really the experience, the ability to sit back whilst surrounded by colourfully attired locals, take in the view, and sip on bottomless cups of chinese or muslim tea (tea leaves with sugar and fruit).Tibetan breakfast foods are also on offer. - Anth from Temporary Dwellings V Rating: VVVVV Xu Xiang Zhai Vegetarian Restaurant is a great place for vegetarians to enjoy an all you can eat chinese buffet. An extensive range of foods are provided from soups, stir fries, casseroles, hot pots and sushi. Many of these incorporate faux-meat substitutes. The buffet also includes asian desserts, soft drink, ice tea, and coffee. It is best to arrive early, as we arrived around 7.30pm and found the selection to be a little luke warm and much picked over by the many chinese diners filling the restaurant. The restaurant itself is nicely set out, with small alcoves lining the side of the room and the buffet presented at the front. Individual dishes can be ordered, in particular cook-it-yourself vegetarian hot pots seemed to be very popular with the other customers. Downstairs from the restaurant, in the cafe, a small selection of vegetarian and organic ingredients are on sale. - Anth from Temporary Dwellings.
V Rating: VVV I didn’t have to be asked twice when some friends asked if we’d be interested in an Indian meal on Saturday night at Darbar on Glebe Point Road. However, I kept my excitement in check because Indian restaurants in Sydney have been one of the great disappointments of living here. I’m sure great places exist, but to date I’ve largely encountered places that have great food and no atmosphere, or lovely decor and unispiring food. That doesn’t stop me hoping to find Indian nirvana but after 3 plus years in sin city I prepare myself for disappointment before trying somewhere new. Despite my pessisism, my first impression of Darbar was positive. The restaurant has exposed sandstone walls and glass partitions, which evokes a sense of history without the dark, squashed interiors of many older buildings. At the sight of the menu, my lips began to smack. There are 13 vegetarian entrees (and the rest of the entree section which follows is just called ‘non-veg’), and nine vegetarian mains. Our friends were seasoned Indian travellers and so we took their advice when ordering. We ended up with a family-sized masala dosa for entree.
For mains, we had the Aloo Ghobi Methi Ka Tuk, Palak Paneer, Darbar Tadhka Daal, and the Gutti Vankai. We also ordered the Darbar Chaat, which is an entree, to accompany the mains. I judge all Indian restaurants by their palak paneer, and on this count Darbar stacked up. The spinach sauce was quite light, and the chunks of paneer were large and tasted fresh. The slices of fresh ginger as a garnish was a nice touch.
What made Darbar stand out from other Indian restuarants I’ve been to in Sydney is that they offer more than the standard Indian fare. I loved being able to have the masala dosa for entree, and the chaat, in addition the standard Indian curries.
Darbar isn’t quite Indian nirvana, but the food and atmosphere are a cut above the average Indian restaurant in Sydney.
V Rating: Super V Still Thoughts is tucked away in a hutong down a hutong but is well worth the search. Run by Buddhists this restaurant serves excellent dishes with no meat, onion and garlic. A range of faux-meat dishes are on offer, and it is an excellent way for vegetarians to get a taste of traditional Chinese dishes without actually eating the meat versions. Our favourite dishes include entree serves of “pork” sausages (complete with fake fatty bits), which were described by my carnivorous dining partner as the meatiest non meat food he had ever eaten, and muslim style lamb shashliks deep fried and covered in cumin. For the mains we had a wonderful eggplant dish served on a sizzling plate stuffed with “mince meat” and “pork” bits and a dish of “beef” coated in cumin and sesame seeds deep fried and served on a cow shaped hot plate with fresh coriander. Still Thoughts is a newcomer to the Beijing Buddhist vegetarian scene and rated as one of my favourites. The staff were very helpful and the menu had both photos and english descriptions. A range of herbal teas are available very cheaply at 8 yuan a teapot. - Anth from Temporary Dwellings.
V Rating: Super V We only just found Baihe Vegetarian Restaurant. Like many good Beijing restaurants it is hidden down a hutong (alleyway). After our search on bicycles through the busy streets we were happily met by an oasis of calm, soothing background music and Buddhist literature. We walked through a sunny courtyard and dining room before settling in a comfortable corner in a room at the back of the restaurant. We perused the menu to find a range of beautifully presented Chinese dishes with faux-meat substitutes. The menu is all in mandarin but photos are provided. We weren’t always exactly sure what we were ordering but it was unfailingly tasty each time!
On our first trip to this restaurant we had a light lunch of fresh salad with cucumber, capsicum and mint with a sesame oil dressing and tasty smoked firm tofu served with a chilli and sesame sauce and brown rice noodles with a chilli oil dressing. The tofu dish was a little oily, but still a refreshing change from the usual heavy, oil ladened chinese food I had eaten so far. On subsequent visits we had more substantial meals with dishes such as faux-deep fried pork ribs (complete with pretend bone made of some soy product!) with a mushroom and pineapple sweet and sour sauce and stir fried pork sausage with fresh beans. One clear stand-out dish was the somewhat mysterious, but utterly delicious, dish of mushroom chunks with a sweet apple and chilli sauce presented on a hot plate with roasted peanuts, dried chillis and spicy peppercorns. The flavours were strong and contrasted excellently with the burnt taste of the chilli, the sweet sauce and the peppercorns. I am not sure what type of mushroom was used as our mandarin phrasebook stopped short at simply “mushroom”. However, it was a firm textured mushroom that gave the dish a real meaty feel. Baihe restaurant also serves freshly ground coffee and a large range of organic teas however these are relatively expensive from 20 yuan a cup. - Anth of Temporary Dwellings |
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