The Empty Fridge - A Hungry Couple and their Dining Odyssey

Dos Senoritas, Gladesville

2012-01-06T01:36:00.000+11:00

Oh hey there my neglected friends of the fridge!

First things first, a very happy holiday season to all of you - please don't be mad about my absenteeism.. here's to more empty fridge action in 2012. Its been a busy fiesta season but lets hit the ground running shall we? And what better way to do it then in typical and true Empty Fridge style with

DEEP FRIED BURRITOS

For anyone that enjoys a little viva la mexico in their life, then man have I got the place for you! I first came across this little pocket on Victoria road Gladesville while I was stuck in life sucking traffic. There he was, a jolly man - donning a poncho and shaking his hips to the strums of his own guitar. There and then in the life sucking traffic of Victoria Road, I knew I had to visit Dos Senoritas.

What perfect excuse for fiesta time then a burrito throwdown with Demos and our favourite fiesta buddy the Goose Man (long story short..the name came from the numerous sessions we've had emptying bottles of Grey Goose) Since we all lived within a 2km radius from Dos Senoritas, the three of us were keen to engage in some sillyness with the option of stumbling home.

After the complimentary corn chips and salsa are rolled out and line our stomachs we were keen on throwing a couple down. My margarita ($12) was strong, salty and sour..definitely emphasising the strong part and their generosity with the tequilla and thats coming from me! But there were burritos to be had, and I had to limber up. The boys refused to partake in margarita madness and drink from girly glasses settled on some local mexican cerveza - bottles of Pacifico at $8

Dos Senoritas claim to be the only authentic Mexican food in Sydney, pretty heavy call right? But I'm on their side in this one. This restaurant is very casual, colourful and fun..no air of "cool-ness" and just straight up Guadalajara-n heart. The menu covers all the mexican dishes we Sydney-siders have grown to love during this recent mexican cuisine explosion..Taquitos, Quesadillas, Enchilladas, Guacamole..The "specialties" section of the menu however is where the real excitement is.. its where the real mexican dishes like Mole (the green Poblano kind and the Dark Chocolate Oaxaca kind) and Tamales are listed.

Hello, Guadalajara indeed!

Considering all the choice we had..(there are a whopping 8 varieties of burritos on the menu) we did something never seen in the history of The Empty Fridge. I would go as far as saying that this breaks the main rule of food blogging, but hey - the three of us ordered the same dish despite all the choice. Why?

SuperCheesyGoeyChimichanga

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Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills

2011-12-11T13:27:00.002+11:00

So friends of the fridgers..we are on the home stretch to the christmas break and if you are like us, you are probably clinging on to every ounce of sanity you have left while yearning for the long holiday break! Forget the fact that its close to mid-december and yet to send out Chrissy cards or do gift shopping - but lets focus on the good things shall we. We are all about the good things here - shittyness goes elsewhere.

I have a strong belief that Japanese food fixes everything. If you are sick, a bowl of ramen cures anything. If you are sad, karage chicken is a great perker up-erer. If you are feeling guilty for indulging, then sashimi gives you "I had something healthy with no carbs for lunch" glow. Excuse my fuzzy logic for just wanting to eat good japanese food all day every day.

I blog alot about how going out for a nice meal is all about celebrating and having fun and getting together. Often, its not about the celebration - its about the comfort. Its finding a nice meal after a tiring day, or taking someone out to cheer them up. Now I cant remember what needed fixing on this particular night but without out doubt Izakaya Fujiyama fixed it. This is how.

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El Loco Mexican Cantina, Surry Hills

2011-12-02T22:02:00.001+11:00

My fondest memories growing up had to be hot summers in downtown Los Angeles running amuck in Olivera St - A little laneway which was a destination for some yummy authentic mexican food. My family would always take me to this awesome mexican restaurant and little Gianna had tacos to her hearts content, if I finished my meal and managed to behave myself I would get to buy some mexican jumping beans from the street vendors. I was easily amused back then, as I still am now.

For the last couple of years, we Sydney-siders have been deprived of some banging mexicano - sure we've had cafe pacifico, baja cantina and flying fajitas in Glebe, but in just in the last year a number of new places have been jumping up like those little jumping beans. Many stress the point that El Loco isn't authentic..oh really?

What I love about it is that it captures the fun and it the whole "celebratory" feel of mexican food. Cafe Pacifico has done this brilliantly, and without a doubt - Barrio Chino is pretty rad too - but El Loco is a lively and casual place where anyone can grab a quick taco or twenty, some mexican beers other than Corona and get that fiesta vibe.

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The Hardware Societe, Melbourne

2011-11-28T23:54:00.002+11:00

Sleep-ins. They are not supposed to exist in the Empty Fridge holiday schedule. Not even when your flight arrives Melbourne at 10pm and your roam the streets until you find a wine bar than make friends with a bottle of red until 4 in the morning.Why are sleep-ins the enemy? Because in most cases they make you miss the breakfast menu.

I love sleep more than anything but when in a different city where there are streets to roam, I feel a bit guilty for not being out and about. This shits Demos to tears and this is the reason why we have never had a "relaxing" break. I try to fit in as many activities as humanly possible.

After few late night cheeky drinks at our favorite Melby rooftop bar Siglo.. we stumbled back to our temporary hotel home and ready made bed. I already had my heart set for Breakfast at Hardware Societe.

And then the unthinkable happened. We didnt forget to deactivate our alarms. There were no noisy hotel neighbours. The curtains blocked out sunlight. The pillows were ridiculously comfortable. We slept in, and I missed my Hardware Societe breakfast menu.

After a short stroll to Hardware Lane, we found that 11:59 am was close enough to midday so ordering some of their sweet homemade ciders were totally acceptable. A glass of pear and another glass of apple - these ciders were so refreshing. We were able to miss the early breakfast crowd and perch ourselves on the barstools by the busy kitchen.

As this was a weekday, Breakfast was on from 7:30 am to 11:30 and then its lunch all the way to 3pm. Now try and say no to an empanada on a chilly morning.

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Sassy's Red, Westfield Sydney

2011-11-15T23:56:00.003+11:00

Exhilarating. Now that is one way to describe a lunchbreak right?

When your venue of choice is the food court at Westfield Sydney it surely is an exhilarating experience. One would think that all the hoopla would have died down but day in and day out that level 5 food court is bustling and hustling away. Its a one stop food wonderland, what ever your craving or your state.

Amongst the Burgers, The Sushi, The Snags and even the Spit Roast above - Sassy's Red has been holding its own among CBD dwellers, fixing everyone with their delectable Malaysian offerings. Located in a back corner of the food court the vibrant red walls, neon signage and almost kitschy asian decoration is quite eye catching. Sassy's space is a treasure trove in itself with the walls lined with colourful bottles of sauces. It is a break from the standard marble and leather set combination within the food court.

Oh look, a door in the ceiling. Standard. Which is why Sassy's is such a quirky lunchtime escape on its own. Owner Simon Goh's (Of Chinta Ria fame) elegant but fun touches are all around.

My go to dish at Sassy's is Donny's Chicken Rice. Donny's identity is somewhat of a mystery but this chicken rice of his is a gift to the masses. Nothing quite comforting like a serve of this and lucky for us Sassy's dont skimp on portions. The fragrant ginger rice is generously topped with pieces of juicy chicken with a crisp skin and the ginger throughout the dish cures every lunchtime ailment.

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Bootleg Bar and Italian Restaurant, Potts Point

2011-10-31T22:49:00.004+11:00

Hello friends. Apologies for the brief absence, no excuses here - just be assured that I have missed you friends of the fridgers. Now lets get back to all things boozy, tasty and ridiculously good and forget about me going M.I.A. and slipping into a black hole of bleagh.

So here we go... Let me start with a confession. I dont consider myself as bonafide foodie; I don't fit the description of "Living, Breathing and OBSESSING over food" which is quite odd for a food blogger, no? The focus of this blog has always been about the experience - the good times and the fun times involving food. I've had a thinky thinky moment while I've neglected this blog and realised that although I do love a great meal; I'm more about the experience, the stories, the atmosphere... the fun, getting people together, the memories. Queue segway...

Good food experiences shared with a bunch of friends make for a great night out. Along with our friends Lu and E; Demos and I led the way to our venue for the evening. Bootleg was buzzing with the Potts Point crowd and was pretty busy for a school night - we were able to score a table in the back corner and get acquainted with a medium bodied bottle of Negroamaro. Such a thirst quencher on a balmy night and not too heavy to overpower the meal ahead. The lighly battered calamari ($17) could not be ignored on the menu. Light and crispy; we fought over the last few pieces and drowned them in lemon juice. Simple Pleasures really.

The arancini that came next were not your usual standard Italian fare ($10 2/pc). Topped with a tangy and almost relish like tomato sauce with some bitey provolone - it was a taste sensation; especially as we bit into the crunchy coating through to a treasure trove of more melted provolone.

Once inside and away from the hustle of Kings Cross, once can be forgiven when thinking about Bootleg as an escape. Framed photographs with scenes from a very hip circa 1990 New York era put a smile on my face as did the boomboxes and random religious statues. They could be channeling Harlem or Queens or Compton perhaps - without overdoing the kitsch factor and making it feel like an awkward themed Christmas party venue. Comfortable booths and tables line the walls and the neon lights above the bar give Bootleg a subdued liveliness..save the bright lighting for the Coca Cola sign around the corner.

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Four ate Five, Surry Hills

2011-10-15T17:45:00.000+11:00

There is nothing I love more than writing up a weekend breakfast post. Its kind of our thing here at The Empty Fridge, a weekend just isn't a weekend without a brunch adventure of some sort. Due to so called "society" rules, we often can't mix our love for a good brekky with other passion - boozing. Okay, we are not that bad - promise.

Enter the Pina Colada Pancakes ($16).

Yes, you heard right. Everyone's favourite song/girly drink of choice masquerading as a pancake. One morning, Demos and I were travelling along Crown St and just as luck would have it - we got a car space right out front. The food and parking gods were smiling down on us, and just like that - four ate five beckoned us to sit out in the sunshine and order this breakfast special.

Fluffy pancakes topped with a dark rum maple syrup, crumble, warm pineapple chunks and ice cream. Shut the gates, this was bananas..(except in this case it was..pineapple) This definitely was a cracker of a brekky dish gets 10 points for originality and fun. How can you honestly say no to Pina Colada pancakes? Im not usually a fan of sickly sweet maple syrup but this tart variation mixed with the pineapple was the perfect match. It is quite a big dish to get through but the chunks of sweet crunchy crumble kept things interesting.

As stated in The Empty Fridge mealtime rule book, section 457 - you can't have two sweet breakfast dishes together, there should always be a sweet dish and a savory dish - otherwise it is offensive to an Empty Fridgers tastebuds and it would be too boring to do a "swapsies" half way through the dish.

Enter the four ate five pulled pork sandwich ($13).

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Toko Japanese Restaurant, Surry Hills

2011-10-11T22:57:00.000+11:00

When you say Japanese there are a few places that come to mind. One in particular though stands out above the rest. Toko. One of our favourite restaurants where we have spent many a night eating and boozing away.

Toko is one of those really effortlessly cool restaurants. Moody lights, long communal tables, the large open kitchen and of course the awesome cocktails all make for a beautiful dining experience. More often then not there is a long wait for tables, with their no-bookings policy. This has never deterred us as on most occasions we found ourselves annihilating the cocktail list as we wait on the bar. The cocktail list here is something else - utilising hard hitting but flavoursome japanese sochu and endless sake options. One of my favourite visits involved sake bombs with the staff as G and I perched over the bar.

Throughout the BB years (Before Blog) we frequented this place so much that the hostess started to recognise us and told us she worried about us during the weekends we didn't turn up. Funnily enough, we got seated so much quicker those days! So yes, after many Toko nights we have become quite familiar with the cocktail menu and of course an absolute favourite is the Saru Caprioska $18.00. Pineapple, lemon wedges and lots of clear spirits served in a beaker. It really does go down too easily. On this night we also settled on a Japanese beer - Yebisu $10.00

As well as having really good drinks, the food at Toko is amazing. In particular the sushi. Its the menu that kept us coming back here and the quality of food has remained consistent on every visit. On this night we ordered some California Maki $15.80 which as expected was amazing. Perfectly presented and super fresh, these small rolls had blue spanner crab and avocado. And its real crab, none of this seafood extender rubbish!

Round One - the Rolls.

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We won a 2011 Pedestrian TV Blogger award!! (And celebrated with Tapas at El Bulli, Surry Hills)

2011-10-02T15:27:00.001+11:00

What a way to start the long weekend. The winners of the first ever 2011 Pedestrian TV Blogger awards were announced and this little blog took out the "Food Blog" category - yeeeew! Demos and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us in the final round. We have some ridiculously awesome and supportive friends of the fridgers who spammed their Facebook walls, threatened all their staff and bribed co-workers to get us "like" votes until the last day. Big big thank you to those who voted and just got excited.

The cool kids at Pedestrian TV made the final call on friday and we could not have been happier, I was ready to stand on my work desk and bust out some confetti from the hole puncher but sensibility kicked in. So yes, shoutout to Pedestrian TV - we do love your work and your daily e-newsletters are actually one of the few that I actually open up and read. We are really cheering that we actually won something to so shake that bottle and make it pop - time for some champagne showers and whiskey sours.

Okay now back to the food.

Yes, the last couple of posts have been of Birthday Celebrations for yours truly and I kid you not, there is still more to come. Here at the Empty Fridge, every night out is a celebration of some sort - its the way we roll. Having a good time and acting a fool is what we are all about here so extending a birthday for a whole month is just the norm, but lets take a short break from birthday posts and celebrate the little blog win.

Last night we got Tapas with dear friends Lu and E, collectively known as the babes. No this was not couples night, we refuse to be cheesy like that. I think Lu and E are our only "couple" friends. Let me pause for a second and think about that one as to not offend any other couples we are friends with and totally just forgot about (sorry.)

The rule of the night wath to thalk in a thpanish athent like we were having thapas in Barthelona. But that didn't last long of as there was no point in having a conversation... EL BULLI IS THE NOISIEST RESTAURANT IN SYDNEY. With the band playing right next to us we resorted to sign language which proved to be tricky of course, although I've learnt how to sign the word "badonkadonk"

Since conversation fell short of everyones now deaf ears, I left all the ordering to E. With this food blog, friends automatically expect you to be all day everyday into food and be picky and fussy and wanky about food. For me, dining out is all about the experience, the fun and how delicious food fits into that whole equation. Thats what I get excited about. I mention to E that a boring meal could lead to a lame night, so the pressure was on him to deliver and now our evening rested in E's selection.

He did well with the jug of Sangria ($24) of course, and that kicked the night off as the SUPER LOUD band kept playing. Its very dark inside El Bulli but very very spacious. The long wooden communal tables across the restaurant is filled with people that look like they were here for a good time. From with rowdy bride to be's that can't hold their alcohol to the birthday celebrants on each table, everyone was getting into the spirit and digging the spanish vibe.

This was my first visit to El Bulli and I have been very keen to try their tapas. What gets my attention from the start is the garlic sauce that accompanies the slices of fresh bread. WOW. Garlicy goodness that would kill any chance of romance. I started craving for some lebanese charcoal chicken because this dip tasted just like toom.

The Babes have frequented El Bulli and managed to get me super excited about the Patatas El Bulli ($10.50). A restaurant favorite of Crispy Potatoes covered with a creamy tomato aoli. "Like Big Mac Sauce?" Well, not quite - but it was tangy and so very addictive. The serving seemed never ending and we were picking on this dish until the potatoes were lukewarm.

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Buzo Trattoria, Paddington

2011-09-30T12:48:00.001+10:00

September is a favourite time of year. Spring is in the air, warmer weather and the prospect of longer days around the corner. It is also a month of birthday madness because we love having month long birthday celebrations, that's how we roll. It's an Empty Fridge thing. So to celebrate our beloved Gianna's birthday I thought it would be nice to have a Buzo birthday bash. We have both been wanting to come and check Buzo out for a long time so we were in luck that 'said' Princess had a birthday that fell on a quiet Monday night.

Upon entering and being seated we felt quite at ease. Buzo is a cosy and intimate place and what better way to capitalise on the mood but with a bottle of wine. Seeing as though it was Monday night there was no mucking about. I mean you have to have a drink on Monday to cope with the start of the work week. The wine list is quite extensive and well worth reading through as there are quite a number of really nice sounding wines. We ended up settling with a Blaufrankisch Austrian bottle. Such an easy drink that went well with the food that was to follow.

To get things started we ordered a bowl of warm sicilian green olives with fennel &lemon $8. Nothing gets a party started quite like olives. Sicilian olives are a favourite and we simply couldn't say no. Little round spheres of green salty goodness lathered in olive oil are quite addictive. Yum.

Carne crudo $20 was something that stood out on the menu for me. Whilst perusing through the menu; glancing over the words hand cut wagyu topside was burnt into my retinas. With oil, parsley, lemon and chunks of crostini it was most definitely on for young and old.

The dish was beautiful. A nice mound of nicely garnished wagyu was brought out and of course some nice pieces of crostini to eat it all up. There is a certain roughness and simplicity behind this dish that makes it a definite pick when seen on any menu. Whether it's called steak tartare, carne crudo or cruda, do yourself a favour and give the fresh dish a go at least once. You won't be dissapointed.

Deep fried chicken wings, chilli, garlic, parsley, fennel pollen & aged balsamico $20. Looking back I don't think under any circumstance this dish could've been avoided. Just thinking back and looking at the photos makes me hungry. Perfectly crispy skin, juicy chicken and beautiful seasoning made this an absolute winner. Combined with the aged balsamico made it even better. A really nice combination of flavours and really unexpected find in an Italian restaurant. Bravo I say.

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Barrio Chino, Potts Point

2011-09-23T08:28:00.002+10:00

Taco's and Tequila - Barrio Chino would always be a place after this girls heart.

Continuing the birthday celebrations, I decided to take the little familia out for a mexican fiesta at this cool new place at Pott's Point. I was lucky enough to visit Barrio Chino on opening night and got my first taste of their potent margaritas and delectable dishes, I was certain that the place would be perfect for a celebratory dinner.

And what a celebration it was! Mexican beers was came in from every direction, and on a warm night the Tecate was quite popular on our table. I've tried this before at Mamacita's with the other half, where they laced the can with salt. I much prefer the light flavour with just the lime. We were adamant that Tommy's Margarita ($16) had to be present that night. After knocking back a few during the opening, I was craving that deliciously sour and potent tequila hit. The drink menu spells it out in the description "No Shitty Tequila. No Sour Mix" can't say no to that! I also tried the Barrio Mule ($16) Herradura reposado tequilla, lime and ginger beer - hands down better than any vodka mule by far

Barrio Chino can be found in the heart of Pott's Point, or King's Cross rather and taking up the old site of Zachary's. Its a great new addition to what is now becoming my new favourite eating strips. Could it be the old age? I'm now dining on Bayswater road instead of stumbling out in the footpath? We'll see.

Okay amigos, now for the food. There is plenty to cover so for the sake of your mexican cravings I'm going to keep this easy and brief. I am loving that the BBQ Corn Cob ($6) is so present in Sydney at the moment. I'm finding that it's the dish I have to order if its on the menu. The Bario Chino version is light on the mayo creaminiess (which I quite liked) but the spicy flavour hits you good. Its not buried under a ton of cheese either so you can enjoy the sweet and smokey corn kernels.

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Booth Street Bistro, Annandale

2011-09-19T23:56:00.001+10:00

Oh September, the best month of the year! Once you get that first breath of warm air into your lungs then you know that the time for hibernation is over. September is my favourite month because I celebrated my birthday on Monday and my goodness did we drag on the celebrations! Since my birthday this year was on a Monday, I figured that I get the weekend before and the weekend to celebrate away.

Demos and I kicked off the weekend and the boozy celebrations that followed with a birthday breakfast at Booth Street Bistro in Annandale. It was a very very late breakfast after a long weekend sleep in and it look like we had beat the breakfast rush, but hey - the sun was out, so whats the rush?

Well, we really aren't in the business of lying to you guys..we were curing a few sore heads as per usual so the espresso and piccolo latte kicked off the recovery. There was no better way to start the day and the (first of several) birthday celebrations. Demos and I were able to drink our respective coffee's without any sugar and I know I find that when you have that first coffee of the morning this allows you to appreciate the flavour so much more. This morning, the strong caffeine flavour was the first to attack my tastebuds and that lovely bitterness lingered on until our food arrived. The booth street beans are provided by single origin roasters and it was a great, potent blend.

I had been craving some serious complex carbohydrates as usual.. and this particular selection does not fall into my standard fare. Nothing could sway me from choosing the Sauteed Potatoes with a poached egg, and chilli jam $13.50

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Xanthi Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney CBD

2011-09-09T00:15:00.002+10:00

Xanthi is a city in Thrace, North Eastern Greece. Generally speaking, somewhere down my Greek genetic line there is some ancestry there. Apparently, I come from a line of barbarian warrior Greeks of the North; fitting isn't it? Geography and family olive trees aside, Xanthi is the spectacular new Greek restaurant in the premium dining precinct at Westfield Sydney. It is owned and run by David Tsirekas of the legendary Greek Restaurant Perama. Lucky for the Sydney dining scene; David has forged his blood, sweat and tears in this new project.

You can say that Xanthi is a bigger, badder and better Perrama. It's unfair to draw comparisons between the two but if the restaurants were two rival warring Greek nations Xanthi would definitely be Sparta. Just rest assured it's pretty badass. Like Gerard Butler in 300 badass. Just look at that vertical spit; if that doesn't get you hankering for a mean meal, then stick to your yeeros mate.

So after a long and very strenuous day of shopping (suprisingly; it was me who came out victorious, and not the warrior princess this time around) we could think of nothing better than to go and enjoy Xanthi for ourselves. Now when Greek food comes to mind most people think of big banquet style meals that fill you, just like Sunday lunch at Yia Yia's. However; Xanthi has a menu where you can pick ouzomezedakia, small plates of food to pick on and share whilst sipping on some ouzo or wine. The thought just takes me back to the motherland. Of course we settled on the BBQ Haloumi $10.00, always a standard pick being a favourite Greek dish. Served in a small black bowl and garnished with oregano you can't go wrong. Make it swim in lemon and it's like you are back in Greece. Well not quite but it's nice to think that you are.

Our next small plate was the Fried school prawns $9.00. This was tossed in honey, fish sauce, sesame seeds and almond flakes - the combinations of flavours make it an absolute winner. This was easy to pick at and share; having a more complex flavour than your average salt and pepper school prawn offerings. Ouzo would've made a very nice accompaniment, an idea for next time.

Feeling drained from the days activity's and the fact that it was still early on, we didn't have any ouzo despite the novel ouzo trolley standing by. It's a nice touch that Xanthi has one of the largest varieties of ouzo, tsipouro (aka lighter fluid) and Greek brandy. One can sit back and pick at some food, shoot back a shot or ten and flick those worry beads whilst going through a pack of Marlboro reds. Sorry, we're not in Greece. It's easy to forget while in Xanthi, so you can do everything except the last part. So instead of having ouzo we had some beautiful Greek wine, a glass of Notios Agiorgitiko for myself and Ramnista Kir Yianni for Gianna. We do love our vino here at the Empty Fridge and both wines were delicious enough for Diyonysus' approval. Another fun little fact is that Xanthi has one of the largest Greek wine lists and is well worth perusing. It's a different style of wine and I personally think that its the flavour that compliments the food which is the key for Greek varieties.

Fried veal sweetbreads $10.50 were one such dish that went well with the wine we were having. Little bundles of sweetbread crumbed and deep fried. Once again that wedge of lemon on the plate was there to drown those little bad boys. Crispy on the outside and full of soft juicy sweetbread goodness on the inside. My only complaint was that there wasn't more lemon, David had a laugh when i told him this and Gianna was quick to remind me that we were not at my grandparents place. There was no need to drown everything in lemon. Its a Greek mentality I think.

Fried Veal Sweetbreads

The kitchen has been designed to be open to view from the dining room so you can see the hustle and bustle going on as David works his magic with his team. He tells us that after working in the tiny Perrama kitchen in Petersham, he has finally gotten his dream kitchen.

The decor inside the restaurant is really nice. With a large Middle Eastern-esque rug taking up the floor space, drapes running the walls and the feature ceiling and gorgeous lamps. It feels like another world from the super bright and modern interiors of Westfield Sydney. You can definitely soak up the exotic atmosphere here.

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Workshop Espresso, Sydney CBD

2011-09-06T23:25:00.000+10:00

Maybe its my optimistic nature that helps me believe that a great coffee and a hit of carbs can turn the most awful of days around. Okay, I do skate the thin border between caffiene afficionado and full blown coffee bean fiend..but there is no doubt that sitting down and enjoying a good brew can bring even the most dazed and confused zombies back to normal.

Workshop Espresso is the at the halfway point between my office and Demos' building. Sure is convenient! Located within the Galleries Victoria complex on George Street, right across QVB is this small hole in the wall with a super strong following. In the short time I've been working in the city, there has never been a time where I have been the only one waiting for a coffee alone and without a line.

You could easily walk past this unnasuming nook in the heart of town without noticing is, that is, if it wasn't for the faithful following queued up for a caffeine fix. Before work, at Lunch or to help combat the standard 3:30 pm mush - Workshop Espresso saves CBD zombies one espresso at a time.

Turkey and Crispy Pancetta toasted roll, $9.50 Picollo Latte, $3.50

Now I did briefly mention earlier that carbs, just like caffeine can turn a day around. This Turkey Roll is perfectly built with Sonoma bread which is stocked on hand. This roll can satisfy the biggest of lunchtime carb cravings with the salty crunch of the pancetta and lean turkey slices. But if your feeling a little precious at the start of the day, I'd say that this would cure a mean hangover too.

I know we Empty Fridgers need to change it up a bit with out coffee selection but I have no doubt in my mind that I will always be a picollo drinker. Full Fat/Leaded milk because I CBF asking for skim! After numerous visits, I realise that I am so at one with the Workshop Espresso following. The flavour is rich and bold hitting you with gusto and leaving a faint flavour to linger, putting an end to those caffiene cravings.

I do enjoy escaping to this little cafe when there is an opportunity to get out of the office. Light fills up the long and narrow space and reflects all throughout the warehouse inspired interior, reflected in the corrugated steel walls. This actually gives the cafe a sense of warmth, especially as you perch up on the bar stools and watch city life buzz by.

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Hunky Dory Social Club, Oxford St Darlinghurst

2011-09-03T08:09:00.001+10:00

"Hunky Dory" is a standard response to something just fine, just dandy, not too over the top and exciting, something that is just... hunky dory.

My first visit to Hunky Dory was early this year when it initially opened. I couldn't help but notice the cool little set up while I was driving through Oxford St, a new cocktail bar? I was so there!

Demos and I decided to sneak a cocktail in on a very very busy friday night. Hunky Dory is a seriously cool little venue and its easy to love. There are three levels, all very effortlessly cool - they have an Italian Restaurant, Bruno's on the ground level, a small bar area and DJ set up on the second level and on the third level, a rooftop bar overlooking the madness that is Oxford Street.

Demos always teases me about being one of those birds who are just drawn to random shiny objects and takes them all back to the nest and stashes all the sequins. Yup, thats me. I was drawn to all the shiny fixtures around the rooftop bar, everything fell into place so beautifully and was a contrast to the venues very worn down and industrial feel.

A bit of light reading in a cocktail bar?

A very adorable way to present a killer drinks list, golden books never fail to put a smile on my face! The cocktail menu has had a few additions since our initial visit, but that particular night we ordered the recommendations of a "Killer White Lady" and a "Highland Swig" both $18.

It was a long long wait to get served at the bar, the top level was particularly heaving on the night we first visited it was an absolute shoulder to shoulder struggle to get to the small bar.

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Luxe Bakery, Newtown

2011-08-28T12:11:00.000+10:00

I love coffee. I love breakfast. I love Luxe Bakery. / End Post

Okay fine, I know I need to elaborate a bit more but to be perfectly honest - I'm just about ready to run back to Luxe Bakery at Newtown as I write this post. Why you ask? I'm an absolute sucker for the smell of warm and freshly baked treats and a bang on cup of coffee.

Ham & Cheese Croissant $6

Come on, who can say no to a deliciously crunch toasted ham and cheese croissant? Not that I come to Luxe just to have this to start my day. And you know.. years of seriously researched studies show that the best start to any day is with a toasted ham&cheese croissants but coffee here is the main drawcard!

Picollo's ($3.50) are predictably ordered by us (I followed it up with a takeaway strong small latte too..) The Single Origin Roasters beans are roasted to absolute perfection, giving a creamy but strong dark lingering flavour that has you loved up with coffee all morning.

Luxe Bakery is a one stop shop. You can get your superb coffee fix, A sweet or savoury breakfast treat or a sandwich for lunch - and you can take some of their freshly baked bread loaves home too. Convinient!

Yes, nothing like sweet sweet carbs to start your day. Demos and I share a Blueberry Danish and an Almond Tart ($4.50 each) on top of the Toasted Croissant. The sweet pastry flakes away and are so light and sweet - a perfect companion to the strong flavoured coffees we ordered. Am I the only one getting excited about food and coffee pairings here?

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Yum Cha at The Eight, Haymarket

2011-08-27T20:01:00.002+10:00

Its amazing how your weekend can be dictated by your dining experiences. You shuffle dinner plans, catch up over breakfast or as often is the case for us - lunch after a big night out to cure some serious hunger pains! What better way to sort this out than with a big Yum Cha lunch at The Eight Chinese Restaurant in Haymarket. By the time Demos and I stumble around and adjust our eyes to the light of day, it was 1:30 pm on a Saturday and being a self proclaimed yum cha veteran - I knew it would be peak hour madness.

After shoulder charging through the crowd to get a precious ticket, we use our smarts and avoid the heaving crowd and wait it out at the adjacent Chatime cafe kiosk. Hydration when its needed the most! I think with any weekend Yum Cha visit - you have to know what you are in for. Let's be honest here - and I'm not speaking just for my immediate friendship group..but Yum Cha is THE BEST HANGOVER FOOD and we were at The Eight for this very reason.

That being said there are aspects of Yum Cha that do not appeal to that particular state of being. The crowds and the never-ending wait can definitely tip anyone over the edge, add to that the Yum Cha boss lady on a power trip with her portable microphone machine.. its survival of the fittest. If that doesn't break you then i'm sure the fluorescent lights will.

But enough about that, once seated - if its food you want, then its food you are going to get! With Yum Cha, I always feel like its luck of the draw. You either get a good table where all the trolley ladies seem to pass, or a pretty average spot in the corner where you get all the boring dishes leftover. This instance, we were seated with a prime positioned table and as long as the wait was - the food came hella quick. See that tidy table pictured above? Its about to get messy!

I practically tackle every lady with bamboo steamers in their trolleys to get to my favorites - Steamed Pork Siu Mai and Steamed Prawn Gow Gee. I was quite impressed by the generous size of these dumplings and both were very very tasty. We were off to a good start with these two dishes.

Before even denting our dumplings, another lady with a tray of Peking Duck Pancakes passes by and I immediately grab her attention. I know from experience that you have to fight for these and that you have to be quick! Again, impressed by the generous chunk of duck in the pancakes - not just a sliver of meat here! The skin is still oh so crispy and both the duck meat and the pancake wrapper are still very warm. The plump meat with the sweet hoisin sauce made me want to hunt that tray down again!

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

The Fern, Redfern & a Dessert favorite.

2011-08-20T10:33:00.002+10:00

"Poached eggs, smoked bacon, bacon gravy over english muffins" have I got your attention now? Because seeing that description on a breakfast menu certainly did, and boy did it get my heart in a flutter. But we'll get to that again later. Weekend Breakfasts are definitely our forte here at The Empty Fridge and boy do we love them. The more interesting, the better and everything about The Fern has grabbed my attention thats for sure. It is another eatery located in the up and coming fipster (foodie hipster) mecca of Redfern.

Gone are the days of Redfern being a rough and tumblesome neighborhood, dining precincts are popping up around the 'hood and what better way to spend a Saturday morning than getting to know a great new venue. Of course we start our mid-day (thank you weekend sleep-ins) with standard piccolo latte's. The freshly roasted Gravity Espresso blends from Melbourne add some cool coffee cred to The Fern, and of course a good caffeine fix is just what we coffee fiends need to get cracking.

Things slow down once the coffee comes, and I do believe it's a tactic to get everyone calm down and enjoy the quirky surroundings. Taking advantage of some recent sunshine we prop ourselves in the courtyard and spot as many mini chairs and random objects we can find. The restaurant could just be mistaken for any small terrace in the area if it wasnt for the bustling customers dropping by. The "front yard" is quaint and leafy with added pops of colour from the mini chairs - super nostalgic for those childhood days when i'd actually fit into one of those kindy seats! Mis-matched furniture, vines and herbs growing and even a little chilli bush is quite a relaxing surrounding and fipster points for having issues of Vice and Acclaim magazines on hand.

Now here's what we came here for.. the food. Grab on to your screens folks and behold The Fern Benedict. An English Muffin topped with two poached eggs, thick cut smoked bacon rashers and BACON GRAVY. Forget about your standard eggs boring-dict, this slaps it right in the face.

Oozy Egg. If this dish sounds a bit too sinful for you, don't fret. This breakfast dish is not just about the shock value, but very delicious also. The Bacon gravy isn't overpowering at all, and reminds me of a thin pasta carbonara sauce when the egg is mixed into it. Very very tasty - and that bacon? Thick rashers of bacon is the healthier bacon option right?

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Mamasita, Collins St Melbourne

2011-08-19T09:16:00.006+10:00

Hola amigos, who isn't always in the mood for Mexican. I mean, what could be better than downing some tequila and tacos. Have a second to think about it. I thought so, pretty hard to come up with anything better isn't it? Yes I know there is more to Mexican than tequila and tacos, however we have a soft spot for that special twosome. So one evening as we meandered about the streets of Melbourne during our last interstate visit we thought it was a good idea to have a bit of a snack revolving around that trouble twosome and ventured to one of the best Mexican spots in town, Mamasitas!

Up at the very top of Collins St it wasn't hard to miss Mamasitas despite its unassuming entrance, there was a line of people pouring out the door. We put our names down and waited in line as we were told the wait was roughly an hour. It was pretty early in the evening but it seemed bustling with activity as the noise filtered down the stairs. People were popping in and out of the line but we persevered as the allure of Mexican food was too hard to say no to.
So upon surviving the line we made it upstairs where we could see why the wait was so long, it was packed out. Our friendly waiter seated us by a window bench and gave us the menus to look at at and of course we said yes to the question it asked. Un Tequilla..Duh.?

Totopos - Tortilla chips with guacamole & salsa $8

To kick off proceedings we got stuck into the tortilla chips with the salsa and guacamole. So so good. The salsa had a nice spicy kick and the guacamole was incredibly smooth. Of course I couldn't resist napalming the salsa with some green and red habanero sauce, I can still feel that burn but so worth it.

Having made plans to go out late in the evening we weren't really after a massive meal but we couldn't help ourselves so we ordered the filete de Cerdo Con Tamarindo $25. Pork fillet, tamarind chipotle glaze, braised cabbage, cranberries & apple pico de gallo. Really loved everything about this dish. It was presented on a slim wooden board and tasted as good as it looked. The pork was tender and the tamarind chipotle glaze was so tasty. The different combination of textures really worked well and just made us want to have more and more. No mucking around with bells and whistles, just plain and simple good food.

What visit to a Mexican restaurant would be complete without tacos? None. So of course we had to order some tacos as well. We picked three to share; de Pescado $6 - grilled fish, lime, achiote paste & red onion salsa; de Chorizo $5 - chorizo, cabbage, chipotle, coriander & onion; de Frijoles con Nopales $6 - baked black beans, catus pico de gallo & queso fresco.

The tacos were soft and packed with flavour. They really didn't last long, a blink and they were gone. The chorizo was a favourite and of course had to have a bit of extra kick added. The habanero sauce available may seem like a good idea at the time; lets just say I'll leave it at that.

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney CBD

2011-08-17T22:34:00.002+10:00

Yo Stop.. Ramen time! Yes folks - as part of our growing CBD lunch escapades, I have developed a dangerous new addiction. Menya Noodle Bar in the heart of the city completes the CBD ramen trinity for me and is a fantastic place to kill some ramen cravings.

Crowds seated around the open kitchen

Most of the time we make the mistake of getting there during what I often refer to as lunch break peak hour. This place is heaving with hungry peeps patiently waiting for their ramen fix, so best try and hold off till a bit later after 1pm. Lucky for everyone involved, the service is super speedy and our big bowls of noodle goodness arrives in a flash.

Tori kara-age ramen with Natural Salt soup ($11.90)

Now really, do you think I would order anything else? With a big bowl of the most flavoursome soup and a more than generous serving of crispy succulent chicken, you just can't say no. The broth is a natural salt based soup made from a combination of rock salt, chicken and fish broth - beware of the dehydration that ensues after consumption, make sure you have a bottle of ice tea handy. These soups are pretty good for getting rid of those lunch time hunger pangs. Big servings of noodles, flavoursome soup and copious amounts of toppings will be sure to fill up the hungriest of those ramen raiders and CBD lunchers alike.

Menya Box - Terriyaki Chicken $10.90

Our lunches have become quite the family affair with my mom, Mrs Fridgemagnet walked over from her office to join the lunch date. Her no fail pick is the Menya Box which is pretty good value for $10.50. A big portion of tasty Terriyaki Chicken, Miso Soup, Green Salad and unlimited rice refills. The Menya box is available with Chicken Kara-age, Chilli Beef, Teriyaki Fish and also Salmon Sashimi for $2 extra.

And of course, where there is food - my brother of Pho-An food trip fame also appears during his uni break! His favourite is the Cha-shu lover's ramen with miso soup. This broth consists of the same special chicken and seafood stock but infused with miso paste. It is a very strong flavour that goes so well with the slices of roast pork this dish is served with. This bowl comes in at $12.50

Demos' ramen du jour is the Chilli beef ramen at $11.50. This bowl is packed with a spicy flavour hit and generously topped with tender strips of beef, spring onions and chilli. The shoyu based soup is made by combining soy sauce with seafood and chicken stock and is really well balanced. The clear void is devoid of any 'funkyness' and just tastes amazing with that kick given by the fresh chilli. It's a very hearty soup given that there is a decent amount of beef to eat as well as noodles and of course the soupy goodness. Add a bit of rooster sauce to give things a bit of napalm flair and you have a winner.

More of that Kara-age ramen to tempt you...

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Brother Baba Budan, Melbourne

2011-08-10T02:14:00.002+10:00

Coffee. We all know it and we all love it. With so many different types and combinations everyone has a favourite. Everyone loves coffee just ask them. If they don't... shoot them, they are clearly zombies and have lost all cognitive ability. Drinking coffee is one of the more pleasant life experiences one can partake in as we did at Brother Baba Budan in the beautiful city of Melbourne, synonymous with all things good. Especially coffee.

There is nothing better than having the time to sit back and enjoy a cup of freshly made hot coffee, maybe even a bit of a sweet pastry. I'm a firm believer that coffee time should never be rushed. With nothing but time on our hands whilst on holiday mode and meandering through Melbourne town we thought that a visit to Brother Baba Budan was warranted to get off to a good start to the day. Having been told that it was the place to have the best coffee in Melbourne we thought that it would be a crime not to visit. Didn't really need to twist my arm really but it had a cool name.

Located in what can be described as adventure wear alley (because of the large amount of mountain climbing/trekking clothing stores around), Brother Baba Budan is quietly tucked away next to a lane way with walls covered in awesome graffiti. Blink and you will miss it. A small and cosy space with jars of cookies on display and where chairs adorn the ceiling. Pretty cool is what I say. Being a work day we were able to get a space and order our coffee staple, the piccolo latte. I owe this coffee selection to a close friend of mine who introduced me to it back in the days of university and have been drinking it since. Small enough to be served nice and hot and with enough milk to still deliver that caffeine punch. One of the favourites to drink when wanting to take in the surroundings. No cappuccinos here at the Empty Fridge, take your chocolate milk elsewhere.

Brother Baba Budan is the sister cafe to Seven Seeds and is the name of the monk who smuggled the said 'Seven Seeds' to bring coffee to the world. Luckily he did because i'm sure the majority of the world would barely be able to function without. The coffee we had admittedly was very very good, one of my all time favourites. I don't profess to be a coffee snob but it was hard to find any fault. Not overly bitter, strong and flavoursome and made by a barista that clearly knows how to make coffee. With the team behind Seven Seeds running a cafe, roasting, research and tasting centre it's no surprise that the coffee at Brother Baba Budan is so good.

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Taste Baguette, Westfield Sydney CBD

2011-08-03T23:58:00.004+10:00

The young professionals powerlunch.

Thats how you'd describe the couple next to us..tapping away on their blackberry's, syncing their calendars and skulling their short blacks in all black corporate wear. Totally not us...

Its been a whirlwind couple of weeks and Im sure I have mentioned this in a previous post - I have recently started working right in the heart of Sydney CBD. Yes, I know what you are all thinking..so much food to conquer - every lunch break, every day. Its a very different lunch scene from my Paddington days (where I really frequented that one place) for sure! So friends of the fridgers, expect more CBD express lunch posts on this blog - might make it an ongoing series as im sure we all want to to spend our lunch-money and time wisely!

The second best thing about my move into the CBD is that I can have a cheeky lunch date with Demos since we are both in the vicinity! Im still getting used to being able to catch up with my lovely other half in the middle of my workday but i'm sure the novelty will wear off! So what is the first best thing then? Well the award goes to Taste Baguette of course! While the power couple next to use was busy solving America's debt issues, we were content in falling into a baguette coma.

This particular branch of Taste Baguette is Located in Level 2 of the new Westfield Sydney, close to the basement entrance to the David Jones food hall. This cafe tends to be overlooked in favour of the gazillion options on the Level 5 food playground, and although it still is busy during the lunch hour you can still score a seat or wait a short while to take away a freshly baked baguette from their tempting counter. They serve a mean cup of Campo's coffee here but out eye was on the prize this time - we are here for the legendary baguettes!

Roast Pork Belly and Brie Baguette..and yes that is crackling peeking through that distracting lettuce.

How could you not say no to this bad boy? The pork on this roll is perfectly cooked with the kind of crackling that has you craving for more. I am a fien for this crispy crackling..salty and crunchy, rubbed with fennel seeds which is a perfect contrast to the creamy brie cheese. Each baguette is made fresh on the premises and oui oui they are good - the bread is baked every 15 minutes too!

As much as Demos wanted a pork belly baguette of his own, rules of food blogging dictate that we cannot order the same thing, duh! He has the 'baguette du jour' (fancy way of saying sandwich roll of the day) Today it was a wagyu roast beef, slice of Jarlsberg cheese, tomato and more of that distracting green stuff called lettuce.

Both baguettes were $9.50 and from what I am starting to gather, its quite a challenge to get a meal under $10 for lunch anywhere in the CBD. This seems that this is the going rate for CBD sandwiches - but i'd rather this than having a subway footlong or another hastily prepared roll elsewhere. Taste Baguette has quality fillings and damn that freshly baked bread is good!! They did ask us if we wanted a white or wholemeal baguette - but I figured since we were going all out with the pork crackling and brie, would I really worry about complex carbohydrates?

As our meal came to an end we were curious to see what the young professionals decided to order. There is a bigger selection of baguetter available and some sweet pastries and a pretty colourful selection of Macarons.

Unfortunately for them, the young professional power couple left after their small blacks..moral of the story? Don't be like them on your lunchbreak. Sit down, put the blackberry away and enjoy an awesome lunch with someone who will gladly order some crackling, creamy cheese and carbs!

Taste Baguette, you definitely live up to your name!

Taste Baguette - http://www.tastebaguette.com (check out their other locations)

Also in Westfield Sydney:
Charlie and Co -CLICK for full post
Cloudy Bay Fish Co & Via del Corso - CLICK for full post

Restautant Balzac, Randwick

2011-08-02T23:15:00.002+10:00

Restaurant Balzac hands down would have to be one of the most elusive restaurants we have had the pleasure of visiting. There isn't really any reason behind this other than the simple fact that we had always wanted to go yet never actually found the time to do so. It became a running joke with us because despite every intention we never went. Since the Taste of Sydney festival though it has been Gianna's mission to get us there. Emails, text messages; subliminal messages in my ipod were all ways to try entice the words "lets go to Balzac" come out of my mouth. Sure i'll take the blame for not going. Im sorry ok. But luckily one day when I was at my weakest (hungover); and all the stars and planets were in alignment, Gianna said lets go to lunch at Balzac. Who would've thought?

Located at The Spot in Randwick I can say that making the trip is incredibly worthwhile. Stepping in past the thick sandstone blocks, you are taken to a very nice slice of the world. The surroundings are simple and elegant. Nothing over the top and exuberant, where you can appreciate and take in the characteristics and features of the heritage building you find yourself dining in. The setting is incredibly relaxed and once seated you can't think of anything better than looking forward to the food at hand. We were seated in the down stairs dining section in front of one of the sandstone foundation walls. As you can imagine I had to be told to sit on my hands as there was a nice pile of sandstone grit building up on my side of the table. Our lovely waitress could see the anticipation and brought out the menus to begin.

The waitress was incredibly helpful and went through the menu for us. At Balzac the menu changes quite regularly based on the seasonality of produce. So what you eat one day may not be around the next. Having some helpful floor staff on hand makes picking and choosing the food a somewhat relaxed and enjoyable affair.

It was hard to decide on what to eat despite the helpfulness of our waitress. Gianna proceeded to order from the special lunch menu which is a 3 course selection for $39, which consists of and entree, main and dessert. I decided to order a main and some oysters for an entree a la carte. First cab off the rank was the Amuse Bouche - a creamy palate cleanser to get the ball rolling and some bread.

For the life of me I can't remember what soup it was that Gianna had as the first course of her lunch special. All I can remember is that it was incredibly smooth and creamy, had hints of truffle and tasted amazing. With the ever changing menu it's hard to go back and check even in retrospect. You just have to take my word that it was brilliant.

Freshly shucked oysters with red wine & shallot vinaigrette and pink verjuice granita $22 1/2 dozen came out along side the soup. Cold, incredibly fresh and tasting of the sea. One word, fantastic.

Rolled saltbush lamb shoulder with butternut pumpkin & sage was the next course up for the lunch special and how very tasty it was. Pretty on the plate and tasting even better, it was a beautiful dish. Salty and soft juicy lamb, hard to go wrong. The colours were vibrant and you could tell how fresh produce makes a world of difference as the pumpkin would melt in your mouth and mix in with the lamb.

Berkshire pork belly, black pudding, pomme boulangerie and jus charcuterie $38 was the other main ordered and wow is all I can say. Beautifully presented and well structured are two things I thought when I saw and the taste, just divine. Salty and incredibly crisp crackling, soft and juicy pork meat combined with black pudding and potatoes just all worked well together. The different flavours and textures when combined were amazing.

In the simple and elegant surroundings the food really is the centrepiece and you can see how Matt Kemp's restaurant philosophy translates into the food. Fresh and seasonal produce combining gallic influence with British comfort food to create something for everyone making every visit worthwhile.

So after such an enjoyable lunch there was still another course to go, desert. A rhubarb tart with creme anglaise was brought out and shared between Gianna and myself. Not too sweet and cut with the nice tartness of the rhubarb it was a great way to finish lunch.

No hard feelings Maison De Balzac.

So sitting back and looking at our experience I can only kick myself as to why it took us so long to go to Balzac. The food was beautiful and amazing, the staff were friendly and the restaurant itself is in quite a pretty building. Im glad that the stars and planets were in alignment and all signs had pointed to yes because even though it all came together in the end and we had our lunch at Balzac, I know that it won't take too long in between visits.

Restaurant Balzac - www.restaurantbalzac.com.au

Gumshara Ramen, Chinatown & Ichi Ban Boshi, Galleries Victoria - A tale of two Sydney Ramen Houses

2011-08-01T23:59:00.002+10:00

Ramen Cravings - once it hits you on a cold winters night, it is the hardest to shake off. I know that when the cold gets into my bones I most certainly become a slave to ramen hallucinations. Some of you may find this familiar.. your sitting at home, minding your own business and watching SVU - then you get a bit chilly. As you search around the home for a spare blanket in the ad break.. you notice a big steaming bowl casually following you and tip toeing around behind you. This is how the ramen cravings creep. You think your safe...but in the blink of an eye that imaginary bowl of salty and eggy noodles has jumped behind you and has got you in a chokehold. There really is no escape now!

I have two game plans to help combat these very common hallucination and I am a firm believer that all cravings must be appeased, imaginary ramen wrestlers have quite the grip on the old chokehold. Gumshara Ramen at the Eating World Complex in Chinatown and Ichi Ban Boshi at the Galleries Victoria CBD are two distinct places where one can conceed to the cravings and get a ramen fix. They are very different from one another and many people are divided as to which they prefer. Admittedly, there will always be a faithful following at each venue.

Gumshara Ramen is traditionally speaking, the more authentic of the pair. This is where the hardcore ramen aficionado's flock to. Before I start waxing lyrical - I need to stop to acknowledge my ramen illiterate readers. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. No, it is not "just like fancy maggi two minuite noodles". Ramen is a delicious, salty, hearty, eggy, broth based noodle soup and studies have shown that is the lifeforce of human kind.

Gumshara's legendary tonkotsu broth is an intensive labour of love - pork bones are boiled for days to create the thick, collagen enriched miso base. This thick, cloudy and super rich soup coats each noodle strand and in a matter of seconds you slip into a delicious food trance. if you listen closely you can hear your belly thank you after every spoonful. I was lucky enough to order the pork spare rib with my tokotsu ramen ($14.50) there is a 10 serving limit each day. And of course, to add to the collagen richness I couldn't say no to a gooey soft boiled egg topping.

Demos had his eyes on my pork rib slab but was content in the Tokotsu ramen toppeD with BBQ pork ($13) slices and load of chilli oil and flakes.
[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Longrain Restaurant & Bar, Surry Hills

2011-07-20T13:24:00.004+10:00

I'd like to start this post by saying "Immmmm baaccckkk!"..... Yes after a long hiatus what can be more fitting than to sit and share with you yet another fabulous dining adventure with the ever so lovely Gianna. Yes that one girl whom we all love who happens to have an affinity for allergic reactions to coriander at the drop of a hat. I mean what could be better than tempting fate yet again by going to Longrain, a Thai restaurant which has defeated us once before. Well just as it so happens tonight was a bit of a different story.

So on the way to a friend's birthday party we were feeling a bit peckish and seeing as though we were in the area we thought why not stop past for a quick tipple and a bar snack before partying the night away. We had not been since Gianna's 2nd 22nd Birthday so why not. Walking into Longrain brought back fond memories of betel leaves, egg nets and coriander infused dishes that I valiantly ate to stop Gianna from succumbing to asphyxiation. It was a truly Herculean task having to eat all that delicious food. We thought it would be a safe bet to start with only a few drinks but this thought didn't last long as we felt the need to put our names down for a table. Finding an inconspicuous corner we sat and enjoyed one of our favourite ciders (Rekorderlig) and a beer while we mused about the last time we had visited.

A few things had changed since the last time we had visited. Mainly the fact that I couldn't remember the bar being downstairs. A very nice addition I might add. The bar has a very raw warehouse feel to it with a lot of block-work, concrete, steel, brass and worn out timber. The space is dim with cool looking lights, a long bar and comfortable camouflaged seating for those wishing to stealthily sip away at their drinks and lapse into a state of chill. It's too easy to get lost in a sea of cocktails and spend your night drinking away in the bar especially because they do bar snacks. One could be content with this and opt to not go upstairs. Having ordered a small snack of betel leaves with prawns, peanuts, roasted coconut and ginger we were contemplating skipping out on staying for dinner but could not resist.

Sipping away on my beer I thought to myself that this time we had to do things differently, we should both have the chance to enjoy a meal without the possibility of a night in intensive care. We didn't want a certain coriander allergy to come back with a vengeance. As these thoughts were swirling around my head I couldn't help but put it out there in the twitterverse. Then it hit me, the simplest of things to do that we have never done before because of someones 'hero' complex. Why not ask to 'hold' the coriander. No; such an outlandish idea, how can one do such a thing in a Thai restaurant. Well my friends, apparently not. Our lovely waiter for the evening said that they happen to take allergies quite seriously and would do their best to accommodate. Game on.

Grilled Octopus with Crispy Pork Belly and Watermelon with Cuttlefish and Ginger

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

Apertif with Chefs Miguel Maestre & Manu Fidel

2011-07-12T23:37:00.001+10:00

"Am I the only chef in Australia who cooks these days?" the firey Miguel Maestre jokes as he spied his other half Manu Fidel demonstrating some suave salsa moves to a group of swooning women. It seems so fitting that over the weekend, Manu has taken the "Dancing with the Stars" crown. Not that I ever watched an episode but I was definitely engaged in the playful banter that these two chefs were throwing around.

How can one refuse and invitation aptly titles "An intimate evening with Manu Fidel and Miguel Maestre" yes ladies, let your imaginations run as you wish with that line! Demos and I found ourselves at Aperitif in Kings Cross (or Potts Point, whichever you prefer) which is owned in partnership by both chefs. I was very excited to re-visit this restaurant after it changed hands last year, having only previously stumbled through the front gates after some late night boozing.

As soon as we walk in we notice the very striking decor - Demos comments that its a far cry from the old late night cafe that also occupied the space, Deans (im told they made the best snickers milkshakes known to man) The space was filled wall to wall with mostly women and poor Mr Demos gave me the distinct "Why did you take me here glare" Fangirls stopped both chefs in their tracks and both Manu and Miguel were so eager to mingle and pose for photos - it was lovely.

And now for the tapas!

[ CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE..LOTS MORE TO GO!.... ]

New Look Empty Fridge! Hooray.

2011-07-09T20:21:00.001+10:00

It has been painfully cold day today, and so what better excuse to get my geek on. I spent my day changing up the Empty Fridge - so I do hope you like it! Out with the old and in with the new they say! I have been dying to change the look of this blog for so so so long.

Before tequilla.

After tequilla.

"I'll do it when we hit one year.." "I'll do it when we hit 100 posts" "I'll do it when I get my photo in the newspaper.." (hehe, had to throw that in..) Well..all these milestones have in fact passed already! So much change has happened in the last couple of months for me..both great, and not so great (I HATE my new hair colour..) so why not just spend some quality time with my old mate photoshop.

A Blog change is as good as a holiday..and since my last holiday seems like an eternity ago, this should do the trick. Im still going to work on it - but for now, let me know what you think! I really wanted to have a cartoon fridgeman with nothing but vodka inside him and with a top hat, walking stick, bow tie and mustache - but somehow as you can see by my bodgy layout - my graphic skills are very limited. One day, ill find someone to draw me my fridge man.

So yes friends, thanks for dropping by - it is still a work in progress but it's getting there. Its still the same old empty fridge here, nothing fancy - just the same old Gianna and Demos rambling on.. like this photo taken three years ago - some things never change - we eat, we drink, and then we act a fool.

Keep warm and have a great weekend, friends of the fridgers xx

P.S. Let the record show that it was Demos' idea to add the photo of Domo in the luchador mexican wrestling mask. He said the style had a very mexicano feel to it, so then of course I had to add the tequilla. Creative Design Development, he calls it. And apparently - I can't say he doesn't contribute to this blog ;)

Winter Cocktails at Cohibar, Darling Harbour

2011-07-05T23:01:00.002+10:00

Doing Dry July wasn't a very well thought out decision. In fact, it was one of the silliest decisions I have ever made..or thought I could make. Im sure you can already picture how this story ends. It was 11:45 pm on the 31st of June.. maybe it was late night trash t.v. that clouded my judgement. I thought to myself "hey, dry july - one month with no alcoholic drinks..I can totally do this!"

All the enthusiasm and commitment to the cause comes second after my love for cocktails. Silly me thought that being that its the middle of winter.. who in their right mind would be drinking up a storm? Parties are scarce in the wintertime, people go into hibernation mode because the can't be bothered brushing their hair and being social.. all because of the cold. Well dear friends, let me tell you - on Friday, the first of July - I had a glass of champagne in my hand at 4:45 pm. Dry July and I had a great run of approximately 16 hours.

The fact that there are less pool parties or beach barbeques in the wintertime does not necessarily mean you'd be hard pressed to have a fabulous night out. Recently, I braved the cold for the promise of some delicious cocktails at Cohibar's Winter Cocktail Launch, and let me tell you - it was well worth it! Cocktails "to cure all ailments" was enough to get me to this venue quick smart!

Keeping to a very Prohibition-esque theme, the new winter cocktails held an old-world charm. The expert bartenders were mixing up a storm in their 1920's style outfits - such a fun touch! Cohibar is one stylish "speakeasy" and is a place where nobody would judge you for breaking your dry july "commitment" - if I could even call it that. Since these alcoholic beverages were for medicinal and not recreational purposes, I thought a few drinks could do no wrong!

The night kicks off with the first perscription - the sexy sounding Agua de Jamaica. I cant resist throwing around the "Jamacan me crazy" line when ordering this drink. Based on a traditional Jamaican drink of hibiscus flowers, ginger and all spice flavour mixed with some Appleton Estate Rum by the skilful bartenders - It is a perfect potion to get you going. The spiciness makes for an exotic winter escape and provides a sweet but not overpowering flavour, with a strawberry to garnish it was a hit with the ladies.

Now for a steamy and equally exotic temporary escape - we try the warm Jamaican Punch. Im taking quite the liking to the Appleton Estate rum and this time it is served with lemon and an orange wheel. The punch is served warm in a double walled glasses and is almost fragrant like a cup of warm tea. This is the perfect winter cocktail to cosy up to and a great companion for a cold night!

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The Dip, GoodGod Small Club CBD

2011-07-02T10:32:00.002+10:00

"Ohh no...not the DIP!!!!"

Children of the 80's and 90's would remember this riveting line being yelled out by Jessica Rabbit in "Who framed Rodger Rabbit?" - it's one of my favourite movies of all time. Growing up at my grandmothers place in Los Angeles, I always had my betamax copy of that movie on repeat. If I behaved at my Grandma's I would be rewarded with a foil wrapped chilli dog from one of the many outlets around downtown LA. Score!

Sydney has always been light on good hotdog options. I've replaced my Rodger Rabbit betamax with the DVD, but I have always been hard pressed finding the perfect hotdog here. Enter "The Dip".. my inner 5 year old lit up upon finding out that increasingly popular eatery inside GoodGod Small club was not only referencing my favourite movie, but was also a late night eatery.

Now before we delve into hotdog territory, here's the Southern Smoke sandwich ($12). Now can there be anything sexier than a 12 hour smoked and pulled pork? The super soft and tasty pork was pulled into a burger bun with Barbeque Beans and an Apple and cabbage slaw.The burger is so delicious and in hindsight we should have ordered five of these.

Southern Smoke Sandwich and Lev's Dawg ($12)

"It's hotdog happy hour tonight.." one of the awesome staff members tell us, and was the best sounding news we have heard ALL DAY. Hotdogs make the world a happy place to live in and thank the hotdog gods that The Dip has recognised this. Hot damn these hot dogs were good, the sausage actually tasted like meat - not the rubber that you have to resort to when you have a hotdog craving and head to the nearest Wendy's for a shake and a dog. It happens to the best of us, friends - and this is what salvation tastes like.

The kosher sausage is smoked, and not sitting in a vat of water and rolled in heat plates like the Shell or Caltex variety. Theres some charred goodness present, topped with fresh tomato salsa, peppers, and the same mustard they use in sidewalk hot dogs stands in the USA. It really is delicious and a fresh change from all the rancid hotdogs that people automatically think of when they see the word. Ladies love the levdog.

Demos smashing the pulled pork sandwich.

When at the dip, go on an all out comfort food annihilation.

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Toku Toku - Wine and Sake Bar, Glebe

2011-06-27T22:34:00.002+10:00

So Friends of the Fridgers, How do you like to to spend your Sundays? We have experienced some glorious sunny days in the last two weekends here in Sydney! What better way to spend Sunday in a sun filled courtyard kicking back with some midday drinks and great food? Last week we found ourselves heading to Glebe counting down to miday. Our mission was to visit Toku Toku, a relatively new Wine and Sake bar on Glebe Point road. Named after the sound that sake glasses make after it is poured into your glass ("toku toku, toku toku, toku toku") the midday countdown was by all means necessary - its only socially acceptable to drink after 12 right?

We start off (mind you, this was before we had any breakfast..) with 2 glasses of Umeshu, A sugary sweet Japanese plum wine that is super refreshing when poured over ice. Umeshu has to be one of my favourite drinks and yes I am also partial to any of the Japanese clear spirits. There is a lengthy list of Sake and Wine as one would expect from an Izakaya, and a local Australian Sake variety was also on offer. I didnt get a chance to study the drinks menu, being fixed on the food on offer of course...

Toku Toku is located on Glebe Point road next to the Primary School and if you are familiar with the area on weekends this is where the Markets are held. Like I could ever say 'no' to a beanie with a penguin head!! The staff tell us that not many people realise that there is courtyard seating out back complete with a little footbridge over little koi fish pond. The sun filled area is quite the oasis and the empty wine and sake bottles decorating the space adds a fun reminder of where we were (and what we were there for ;) )

We start with the Popcorn Prawn ($19) a dish that was very hard to ignore from the menu. We have tried and loved a similar dish previously at Sake where they used shrimp, this Toku Toku version uses huge crystal prawns. The juicy prawns are lightly battered and coated with a creamy yet tangy kim chi mayonnaise - a homage to the Korean background of the owners.

Does it come as a surprise that I ordered something green? The Soyu Cabbage Salad ($14) was a dish I could not resist from the menu and it also came highly recommended by our helpful waitress. This braised cabbage was dressed in light white truffle vinigarette. The tangyness penetrated through all the cabbage layers and the toasted garlic and walnuts provided a little crunch. The truffle flavour was not overpowering and with half a head of cabbage to get through between two people - we definitely ate our share of greens that day.

Cabbage Cross section and some Coriander - HELLO!

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District Dining, Surry Hills

2011-06-24T23:01:00.000+10:00

The Empty Fridge night out can be classified into two nights. The after work or late night food crawl, The ridiculously boozy meal or the more civilised of the latter - Date Night. One very rainy (and by this I mean torrential) night we managed to score a late booking at District Dining, a restaurant in the "to eat" list since it opened late last year. We were down for some casual, fun, relaxed but above all else - delicious dining. As it turned out, District Dining ticked all these boxes.

Fruits of the Vine 2010 'Le Grenache' Barossa Valley $55, Sourdough Bread $4

Of course date night isn't complete without a good bottle of Vino - come on friends, you should know this comes standard with us by now. Our delightful waiter, Joe (I hope that was his name, as that was the name on the Bill) suggested we taste the 'Le Grenache' because we wanted to eat as much as we could from the menu. As always, we were looking a medium bodied red that went well with anything. Joe was spot on with this recommendation as it was more savoury and not overly fruity. This was a lovely drop and since that night we have been spotting it all over town so it seems to be quite popular! A winter favourite!

Snacktime Platter of Fried Goodness to start

Now we were faced with an assortment of dishes to order and Joe steps in again during decision time. The ethos behind District Dining is that their dishes are meant to be shared and enjoyed together. I have not been to Assiette which is Chef Warren Turnbull's 2 Hat restaurant (also in the..district) but I have been told that this is his less formal but equally tasty offering. Each dish on the menu makes my mouth water - its my kind of food - real, delicious and fun food that piques your tastebuds after ordering. District Dining is not a place where you have to google what exactly a e pied de cochon is and act like you knew that when it arrives at the table. Without being too formal, there is still a casual elegance about.

Crispy Quail Eggs served with Tarragon Mayonaise $14

Of course the word crispy before anything warrants an order and my grin widens as it arrives. I find it quite ingenious that these golden balls of goodness are kept upright in the original plastic containers that the quail eggs would have been encased in. Served with a dollop of tarragon mayonaise I generously slathered this on bite after bite. A runny yolk also provided some creamy goodness.

Beef Chimichanga with Curry Avocado $10

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Pho An Restaurant, Bankstown

2011-06-23T23:45:00.008+10:00

"Start counting" says little bro as soon as the friendly Vietnamese man takes down our order. "Once you get to 17, our order will be on the table"

"Shut yo' pHO mouth" I reply.

Little brother and I took the Yaris out one cold afternoon for a quick food run. For the longest time has been wanting to take me to his favorite unassuming restaurant in Bankstown - Pho An. He regularly treks down there with his uni friends and though that it was his brotherly duty to get some Pho in my belly. I have heard nothing but great things about Pho An and its extremely addictive reputation, so no doubt little bro was on the right track.

Being deathly allergic to corriander, I tend to tread with caution when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine - but this Empty Fridger likes to live dangerously. "Did you bring your anti-histamenes and your puffer?" little brother asks. "No." Being as awesome as he is, he carefully instructs our waiter to please make sure that there is no corriander added to both bowls..he even forgoes his serve of coriander just so it doesn't get mixed up in my dish! bless! In the blink of an eye, we had a plate of herbs and beansprouts and a bowl of fresh chillis arrive at our table - speedy service that surpasses any fast food outlet. Efficiency is the word for the day here!

Pho An definitely has its art mastered and HAS their expertise a locked down with the Pho - it is the only dish served. No Fried Rice, Spring Rolls, Dumpling or any of that sort to be seen here. I think our waiter actually smirked at me when I took a while to decide what to order..so I left this in the capable hands of little brother. This is where you go for Pho, and hot damn they make it good. Ok, I admit, my bowl of Cooked beef pho (Medium Bowl, $12) looks a little sad without the lashings of coriander that they top these humongous bowls with. Little Bro reaches for the plate of beansprouts and herbs to to his Large bowl of Rare Beef Pho. ($12)

Of course someone had to get all creative and start reaching for the sauces as well. Some Chilli, a bit of Hoisin and then there is nothing but silence. It was a sunny afternoon, and neither of us were sick but our bowls of Pho would be like a comforting hug if it was the opposite. The complimentary tea in little glasses also give some warmth but I ordered the Viet Iced Coffee for that mid afternoon sugar kick too.

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Sushi Bar Makoto - Sydney CBD. The Empty Fridge Celebrates its Blog-iversary and all things Awesome.

2011-06-17T00:47:00.004+10:00

Neglect. Sorry my friends, I have been guilty of this. With a million and one excuses, I plan to make it up to you. The last 3 weeks have been a double tornado. For those of you who are not familiar with the term - it is the chaotic equivalent to the serenity of a double rainbow. In a nutshell I resigned from my job, started a new job, had a total career (and yes, a wardrobe) overhaul, battled a meatball addition, built Ikea furniture, and quietly celebrated The Empty Fridge turning one. Okay, not so much chaotic but busy and emotional nevertheless. But we'll touch on that soon ;)

In this relatively short amount of time there has been so much change, and also been plenty to celebrate. New career does tend to equal several new pairs of shoes in my books but how does one celebrate this "little blog that could" turning one? And a little brother turning 19? And having an emotional goodbye to your office home and snack drawer for the last few years..? Enter my happy place.

Makoto, my happy place, has been a constant in my life for the last 8 years. So yes - this will be an extremely biased blog post. In fairness, I won't talk about each dish..I'm going to talk about how much one humble sushi bar in the World Tower complex has been present in almost every aspect of my adult life. I'm not even going to say it is the "best" sushi in Sydney even though I'm yet to find better. This is my Makoto story.

The Sushi Train / Miso Soup $2.50

In life, I consider this place to be my rock. If this was MySpace, Makoto would be number one in my top eight. If this was Facebook, you'd see "Gianna is in a relationship with Makoto". Now my life is not as dramatic as your average Marissa Cooper, Blair Waldorf or Lauren Conrad (although I do hope that it could be as stylish). Through many stages of my little life - Makoto sets the backdrop.

Handrolls! From $3.60

During High School my free periods and half days would mean a train ride to the CBD, a bar seat by the conveyor belt for one and my extension history textbooks on the ground. I distinctly remember the manager at the time "Jun-Ichi" teasing me that he would contact the school and tell them I was a truant.

Fresh Tuna Sashimi - The Masuya Group buy daily at the Sydney Fish Markets

My fondest memories were that of the floor staff looking baffled when I'd ask for 2 Teriyaki Chicken hand rolls instead of the usual 4 - how I miss that teenage metabolism. The last minute panic on eve of my HSC exams I'd walk over after cramming at the state library. It was my happy place.

Sushi Selction on the Conveyor Belt

I think I celebrated nearly every birthday since turning 18 at Makoto. If we visit fancy restaurant for dinner, then I would be there for lunch, or have to sneak a meal in the day after.My equally addicted little brother has also done the same.

My Family and the Sashimi Selection

I guess when you are working weekend shifts at Target, Makoto was considered a proper and fancy restaurant. From a young age I had love Japanese food and through dining here I was able to really appreciate quality sushi. I remember cringing at the thought of sushi from the train station take away shop that my school mates had after school. Was this the makings of a sushi snob?

Ebi Fry with Egg and Mayo salad topping $3.60

My high School Boyfriend - (Demos skip through this section please) Although he was king of the deadshits and poured battery acid (twice) on my car and stalked me, he did appreciate my love for Makoto and for every single "date" we had - we ate here. Me and the crazy deadshit.

Spicy Tuna Roll - with cucumber, avocado, capsicum and sesame seeds $3.60

I remember one time, the deadshit and I had a fight at the restaurant - he walked out of the restaurant leaving me to hold back tears. I stayed in my spot because the teriyaki chicken hand rolls had not arrived yet.

The freshest of fresh prawns $5.60

After High School, I was accepted into UTS but to my dismay I was based at the Kurring-gai Campus at Lindfield. Proximity to Makoto was an issue for me and thankfully I had classes at the city tower one day a week. It was at this stage that they opened the branch at Chatswood which was 10 minutes away from Lindfield. The sushi gods answered my prayers. "Jun-Ichi" had moved to this branch and called me a traitor!

The Sashimi Platter

Of course the deadshit boyfriend did not last long and I think it was second year where I took a Uni boyfriend here (Demos, sorry, still not you..scroll along) This lovely boy was at that stage in his life where sushi was new and all he ever was exposed to was traditional Italian food. "I've never had Japanese food before" Lucky for me we both went to UTS so it was a midday lunch break destination.

Pork Katsu rolle with Avocado and Cucumber $3.60

The "I've got an assignment due tomorrow and I'll be at the library" line more often than not turned into "I'm at Makoto". It was my haven from all the now seemingly unimportant stresses of uni life and paved the way for the expert procrastination that only exists in the world of a uni student.

A thick slice of Premium tuna belly $4.60

One memorable Makoto visit involved a run in with the deadshit ex and the Uni boyfriend. Ohhh that little altercation was one for an episode of "The Hills". From that day I knew - I have to specify that I get custody. We break up, Makoto is mine and if you go - may you choke on your tuna. Only kidding. I'm not vindictive but consider this a warning Demos.

Karage Chicken $5.80 and Special Salmon Roll $6.60

Working as a nurse was beyond insane. The hours, the workload, the emotional baggage and of course the distance between the hospitals and Makoto really took it's toll on me. It made me burn that Uni boyfriend scored a job a block away. I'd trek it into the CBD after a strenuous morning shift to meet him for lunch but in reality - Makoto just was able to make everything better.

Tempura Prawn Hand roll $3.60 and Unagi (eel) Hand roll $5.60

Our bad romance came to an inevitable end and we parted ways. I was not quick to realise that emotional eating at Makoto had become a coping mechanism. Some girls reach for the ice cream, the chocolate, the vodka..I dealt with my breakup with a stack of sushi plates of course. The clear spirits had to be saved for later..

Soft Shell Crab with Roll hand roll $5.60 (in Chatswood this comes with an egg omlette)

With bad romances, comes love at first fight. Yes Demos - this is where you come in. Yes, we bonded over double espresso dates, but for the longest time at the start - we hardly dined out. Who would have thought that now dining out is what we do best?

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Robo Cog Cafe, Surry Hills

2011-05-21T10:21:00.001+10:00

Robots, Bikes and Brunchtime Burrito's - Oh My! These are a certain Empty Fridger's favourite things, in the one convenient location - Robo Cog in Surry Hills. The other Empty Fridger happily waddles along with the promise of Burrito's. Can you guess who that one that was? But that's it; shut the gates, the promise of toys and good food was enough to make any either of us happy so we decided that a visit was much needed to this super cool cafe on one of our weekend dates.

Chill Frappe - Mint, Rockmelon and Pear

Piccolo latte

Robo Cog is not your run of the mill cafe - for starters it is an unassuming white converted cottage. Hungry patrons spilling onto the sidewalk was the only indication we had found the cafe. We talk about toys we had as kids over a first and second piccolo latte. The coffee here is fantastic, with the Green Bean Coffee roasted on site. Inside there are pieces of cool art and robot motifs that adorn the walls. Littered about on shelves and invading almost all the spaces, the variety is amazing. They are just the coolest thing ever, and this made someone feel particularly regretful for neglecting Megazord all those years ago.

The robot theme runs supreme and does the name of the cafe justice. The other part though involves that of the bicycle. The cog component of the cafe is in reference to the owners love of all things bicycle. On our visit the brick wall bicycle display was that of a yellow Cinelli fixie. A certain Empty Fridger is quite the bike enthusiast and tends to wax lyrical about frames, wheels and italian bike brands that sound like pastry names ("What are you eating?" "Oh this..it's a custard filled Cinelli..you should try the chocolate Pinarello"). Whist thinking about bike pastries, a certain opportunist also manages to swindle a fruit frappe whilst the other remained distracted by the colourful objects.

RoboCORN BACON BACON Brekkie

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Speedos Cafe, North Bondi

2011-05-15T10:41:00.002+10:00

Summer. It all seems like a distant memory now that many of us are getting last winters heaters, flanelette sheets and cozy jumpers out from their hiding places. A few weekends ago Demos and I caught one of the last beach days of the season and enjoyed a lovely brekky with one of my best girlfriends CJ at North Bondi.

Now my lovely CJ is every bit the baywatch bombshell that her nickname suggests and I affectionately refer to her as my other, other-half. We have been best friends since high school and more recently she has moved to the east. I believe this move was motivated so she could easily stalk a particular Bondi Vet. I've actually just realized that I haven't actually mentioned her in this blog before- but our eating escapades go way back. It's probably because when we are together inhaling pizzas most likely there is hardly any time to get snaps in between our lengthy gas bagging sessions.

And of course Demos is used to all this. CJ and I actually made his life hell when we all met in high school (D was in the boy school next door) and I do believe he hated our bitchy guts back then ;) 8 years later, we still give him hell - the poor bloke just cant have his breakfast in peace. Speaking of Breakfasts - which is what we are here for..

Speedo's is a very busy and crowded cafe tucked away off the main drag at North Bondi. With a name that pays homage to the budgie smuggler, it seems fitting that they are blessed with a great panoramic view of Bondi Beach. Its a very relaxed atmosphere and the staff are kept on their toes by the weekend customer traffic filling in. Our coffee's and CJ's fruit frappe understandably takes a while to arrive.

South African Boerwors Sausage on Turkish.

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Uccello - Ivy Complex, CBD

2011-05-14T20:32:00.002+10:00

Taking a joke to far. Thats the best explanation as to what happened one ordinary evening. The usual suspects - The Boss Lady, Wiki Mel, Demos and Myself assembled after work at Uccello. Now Demos, bless his little heart, has become used to the company of us three rambunctious (his words) females. Of course being the gentleman that he is - he arrives on time and patiently waits for us as we file into the restaurant. One by one we greet our favourite male companion "Happy Birthday" ever so loudly and apologise for being a tad late.

Demos' birthday is in November and this dinner was during an outing in April, so of course the poor boy was confused. But hey, we needed something to get excited about and celebrate. We toasted to Demos' imaginary birthday - and because this was an after work dinner, I know I speak for my dining companions when I say the vino was much needed.

As we get comfortable in our lovely booths, we arrive quite early and it seemed like we were the only people there. Uccello is a elegant Italian restaurant located in the Ivy complex. During the day the sun just fills up the whole room and reflects so beautifully off the white marble tables and bright yellow accents. You have a wonderful view of the Ivy pool and bar on one side, a expansive wine collection on another, and an bustling kitchen on the other side.

Selection of Italian style cured meats with marinated olives $27

The last time us Empty Fridgers visited Uccello, it was back in the day where Massimo Bianchi was at the helm. Chef Fernando Riva has now taken the reigns at this establishment and we were all very curious to try his take on Italian fare. We start off with the Salumi platter and a bowl of mixed olives. The cured meat selection was top notch - Prosciutto San Danielle, Wagyu Bresciola, Spicy Salami but unfortunately it did not go too far with 4 hungry patrons who do love their antipasti.

Heirloom tomato, Ligurian olives, basil and caramelized Spanish onion $15

We find our other starters very tasty, however the portions didnt seem to be big enough to share. We did fight over the sweet chunky slices of tomatoes in the heirloom salad - it was a beauty to look at as well with Demos making the comment that he only wanted to eat the yellow pieces because yellow Lambourghini's go quicker then the red ones. I'm sure this was said to throw some random masculinity in the mix being the only male on the table.

Tuscan style calamari, baby spinach, chickpeas and spicy tomato sauce $24

The calamari was one of the favourite dishes of the night and WikiMel happily let us attack her plate and try it even thought he serving was quite small. The chickpeas cut the acidity brought by the spicy tomato sauce, but the winner definitely was the fresh and tangy calamari pieces. We all wanted more!

Spelt tagliolini, seared scallops, roast pumpkin, basil and pangrattato

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Spice I Am, Surry Hills

2011-04-30T08:53:00.001+10:00

Late night thai food cravings - we've all been hit by them at one point in time or another. But on this particular evening a craving for some thai food hit me like a ton of coconuts. Sure there are the other Thai street food haunts such as Home, House and Chat Thai - which we do frequent when these cravings can't be turfed - but I am a bit ashamed that this was my first visit to Spice I am. This Surry Hills fixture has been feeding the masses of hungry patrons since 2004, so what have I missed in the last 7 years? Plenty.

They were out of Thai Milk Tea that night so Demos opted for the Young Coconut Juice ($4.50) but not before attacking my Lemon Iced Tea first ($4.00)

A little bit of happy snapping while we wait of course.

Looking around and we see a constant turnover of tables, it really is a busy place! Now I have to clarify for you curious observers - there are 2 Spice I am's in Sydney and we are at the bustling "original" and more relaxed location on Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills. There is a fancier Spice I am restaurant in Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. Chef's Padet Nagsalab and Sujet Saenkham really created a food institution and the writing is on the wall with several food award displayed.

The busy dining space at Spice I Am

Chicken Pad Thai $13.90

Now, for what we are for - annihilating the food cravings.

Chicken Pad Thai is just one of those standard dishes that we tend to order when at Thai. Doesn't everyone? Demos has the obsession of finding Sydney's best Pad Thai - I guess its a dish that takes us back to our broke uni days where we would live on this dish. The Pad Thai on offer is a very substantial portion and could easily be shared by a group. The noodles are not oily and the flavours are not overpowering - a tasty dish. Snaps for not being stingy on the chicken too, as my pet hate is pad thai with minimal protien and peanuts.

Fried Rice with Crab Meat $17.50

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Hugos Bar Pizza, Kings Cross

2011-04-27T21:43:00.001+10:00

"Hugo's Sunday?"

There was a phase not too long ago when this text message was received clockwork at around 7 pm on a Sunday night. The troops would be gathered, we'd put on our Sunday best and indulge in Hugo's $5 pizza's and cocktails on their balcony at Kings Cross. My lovely friends (affectionately nicknamed the Mediterranean Gossip Girl - we are far less glamourous and all we like to do is eat) would dance the night away and dread monday mornings all together.

Barbera d'Asti $50.00

One particular Sunday, we decided to get together for dinner at Hugo's Bar and Lounge, a place we have often ignored as we'd walk up the stairs to the club..or stumble back to our cars.

Although they have a mean cocktail list, we did the adult thing and ordered two bottles of Barbera d'Asti. The vino went perfectly with our Italian meal - it was not overpowering or bitter, and very easy to drink with dinner. We took our places by the window sill in the beautiful dining room and looked upon the groups lining up to get to the club, dressed to impress.

Pumpkin & Sage Tortellini $28.00

The first dish we tried was the Tortellini filled with pumpkin and mascarpone in a burnt butter and crispy sage sauce. This was an impressive and hearty pasta dish, the burnt butter sauce was not too overpowering or oily and each tortellini was generously filled with hot pockets of pumpkin and creamy mascarpone.

Polenta Chips $10.00

The polenta chips arrived as a side and they smelt divine. They were thick portions and had that delicious crunch - so fresh that when you split them, a burst of steam comes popping out. The polenta chips came with tomato chutney which was nice and tangy and also a plain whole egg mayo dip. We would have all love the added naughtiness of a gorgonzola sauce to slather these bad boys with.

Sicillian arancini filled with pork ragu, mozarella $18.00 Salad of figs with prosciutto di San Danielle, buffallo mozzarela & apple balsamic dressing $24.00

More delicious entree's arrived to share. The arancini's were of perfect rice and filling proportion and glued to a bed of sauce that is packed with the tanginess of tomato. Now for the prosciutto salad - could there be any better pair than this wonderful meat and fresh figs? Our group had to make sure our proscuitto slices were shared evenly as we all could not get enough. The apple balsamic added a punch to the greenery and before you know it our plate was empty.

Fig Pizza $26.00

I think there was a phase where my friends needed to book me into therapy because I was heavily addicted to Hugo's pizza's. There is nothing like them - thin (tick) crispy (thick) super tasty (double tick). For Christmas, I even asked Santa for the Pete Evans pizza oven.

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Fog Bar and Restaurant - Prahran, Melbourne

2011-04-20T10:55:00.004+10:00

Its never a relaxing holiday with us Empty Fridgers. My poor other half - he knows that there is no sleeping in, no lazing by the pool and no romance as such. Demos and I have travelled together on mini breaks but we have NEVER had a romantic holiday getaway by the beach. Although we blame the lack of a beach body, the palm trees we usually chase are those that line Rodeo Drive. Which is why we are off to Melbourne for this Easter weekend. One short plane ride away and your at the beck and call of wonderful rooftop bars, wonderful basement bars, late night wine bars and umm.. wineries. Im not going to lie, its a fun place for your favorite boozehounds, well that and there's plenty of dining gems to discover to.

Now a while ago, I had to fly to Melbourne on a day trip to work. I came up with strategies - yes, strategies. Im a strategic planner - when it comes to food of course, and most of my trips away do involve a high level of obsession as to where to eat. Needless to say, my flight got delayed (Of course I booked the earliest flight to fit in two breakfasts..) and when I left to go to lunch - i had walked all the way down Chapel St only to find that I left my wallet in the office.

Thank God for interstate friends who rescue sleep deprived disheartened eaters. We get to Fog and immediately I knew that this was exacly the place I wanted to be. Distincly cool interiors, a hip and not so corporate crowd (okay, it was a school night) and a beautiful bar.

Vino's and Veuve - oh my!

Fog has a very large dining area as well as an outdoor section, which I was told, get filled to the brim on weekends. Its such a lovely space, roomy and well laid out. To orientate us Sydneysiders, its just off the Prahan side of Chapel Street, on the very uber cool Greville Street. This place is super sleek, shiny black laquered columns - very sexy.. but now what about the food?

We started with the Spicy fried calamari with hot sauce, fire roasted peppers, chorizo and garlic aoli ($22). I was a bit apprehensive when I saw hot sauce, but im currently trying to build my tolerance from spicy foods. Some people exercise, I tame my tastebuds. My strategy was to dunk it in the tangy garlic aoli to cut the fire, but suprisingly I was able to tolerate it. The calamari was cooked perfectly, not ruberry and dusted with a light spicy coating. The serve was also generous enough to start off two hungry diners. 10 points for Fog.

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Duke Bistro, Surry Hills

2011-04-06T22:45:00.004+10:00

Late one evening we stumbled up the inconspicuous stairs to the side of the Flinders hotel; on a mission to make it to Duke and duke it out with the promise of awesome food, imagine the horror to be told that we had no chance of getting a table that evening. Not too disenchanted we thought we would save it for another night, we here at the Empty Fridge are used to the new and cool places around Surry Hills not taking bookings, Duke being one such cool place. Luckily though one of us Empty Fridgers had the sense to call ahead a few weeks later (good work Gianna.) and managed to get a table at a reasonable hour on a balmy Friday night.

Having heard nothing but good things about Duke we were really keen to try it out. Not only does it have one of the coolest names but the food has been touted as some of the best in the Sydney food and bar scene. With fried chicken on the menu and plenty of alcohol, it's pretty hard to get any better of a mix. Somethings are meant to be together, it is our belief that fried chicken and anything alcoholic just works and makes the world go around. However there is more to the Duke menu than fried chicken - with ex Tet's chef Thomas Lim and 2010's Young Chef of the year Mitch Orr in the helm they truly keep things exciting. There were a number of delectable dishes that are well worth making the trip out to try including Smoked Eel with Saba and Pancetta but being indecisive we relied solely on our waitress' suggestions.

So what does the Empty Fridge duo do best when they are at a bar or anywhere licenced at all? Well they order a drink or four of course but being on their best behaviour (both of us had made the mistake of driving) we ordered some Monteith's Apple Cider ($8.50) and an Italian Highball - Campari, grapefruit and Fever Tree Tonic ($16). Refreshing drinks for a warm night and before anyone makes the assumption - the photo above is a bottle of water; served in a gin bottle, keeping in line with the Duke's left of centre approach to the dining experience. There is a wordly wine selection available, plus a mean cocktail list to match. Why oh Why did we drive?

The bistro has a really cool vibe with a mixture of cool lights adorned with old veuve bottles and of course a boars head by the bar. It really is a pretty cool place and rightly so given that it's a right smack bang in the middle of Surry Hills hipster scene, with heaps of Sydney's cool kids coming out to eat and have a drink. Yes even Sydney's hipsters eat believe it or not, how can't they when the food on offer is as cool as Duke's.

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A Cooking Class with South Australia's finest Chefs - Sydney Seafood School, Pyrmont

2011-04-03T23:35:00.002+10:00

Its an exciting time for the dining scene in South Australia with plenty of creative juices flowing from up and coming young chefs taking the local produce new levels. We were lucky enough to learn first hand from chef Cole Thomas, Callum Hann, Lachlan Colwill and Emma Shearer as well the best produce South Australia had to offer.

Scallop with Squid Ink Soil, Trout Roe and Fennel puree

The venue for the evening was the Sydney Seafood School above the Fish Markets in Pyrmont. It is a very modern cooking theatre, complete with TV screens focusing on the preparation bench, where you can see in detail each demonstration taking place. Its like being back at Uni all over again for us Empty Fridgers, complete with fold away tables only this time we were attentive and well behaved students. Not even the Barramundi skin wallpaper could distract us as we wanted to pick up on any techniques and skills on show.

Sardine Spring roll and Chef Cole Thomas at work

Exciting stuff is happening within the dining scene in South Australia and Chef Cole Thomas enthusiastically tells us about some newly opened restaurants. He is the Executive Chef of Hentley Farm at the Barossa Valley and also owns Cullenetic and the Adelaide Central Market Kitchen. Cole is all about innovative cuisine has a strong focus on optimising quality focus. He tells us of a dish he has developed a dish which involves levitating a small piece of tuna at the table giving new meaning to "flying fish".

Cole prepares a deep fried Spring Roll with macadamia nut pieces, apricots, capers, cabbages and a sardine fillet. Chef Cole has directly worked with producers in South Australia to shine some light on the under-utilised species of fish readily available. The sardines are just that, as well as flavoursome and an interesting addition. A Scallop entree is also prepared and Chef explains that the variety produced in South Australia is smaller but more dense compared to the water-pumped American counterpart. The scallop is served with squid ink soil, trout roe and a fennel puree. Both starters were interesting dishes showing how a mix of unlikely ingredients can be mixed together to produce great flavours, much like what is happening with the food scene in South Australia.

Chef's Emma Shearer and Lachlan Colwill were up and ready to go for the next demonstration. The duo work together for the Trim Hospitality Group, The Grace Establishment and the Manse Restaurant where Lachlan runs the kitchen operations and Emma heads up the dessert pastry menus and is the Senior Pastry Chef. Lachlan also runs Sparrow Kitchen and Bar in North Adelaide. Emma demonstrates tonight's dessert which is a Barossa Vache Curd Mousse, Meringue, Lime Curd and Freeze Dried Passionfruit.

Vache Curd is produced by Barossa Valley Cheese Company and is similar to goats curd but uses cows milk instead. It takes two days to make the curd - one day for fermenting the milk and then another day for the curd to set. It was a good thing that both chefs were working together to make this dessert as Lachlan spent the whole time whisking the lime curd over the stove. The result is an interesting and loosely constructed cheesecake dessert with contrasting textures and flavours. The soft vache curd mousse adds a strong tart flavour, which contrasts the crunchy sweetness of the meringue. The freeze dried passion fruit scattered on top packs a vicious punch of unexpected flavour also.

Callum, everyone's favourite Masterchef runner up contestant hails from the Barossa Valley and was here to represent. Pairing up with Lachlan; the pair proceeded to demonstrate how to carve up a duck, showing techniques that can be applied to other winged creatures. The large duck we are working with tonight is from Waechter Dux, a free range duck far within the Barossa Valley. The ducks are on a special Barossa grain diet and lead a happy life roaming the farm fields.

The duck breast meat was to be part of the dish we would be recreating later in the evening. Lachlan demonstrated with ease how to carve out the breast from a full duck. In a nutshell the wings and legs are extended and the bones broken and cut off. Any joints are used as an indication of where to cut through the skin folds. Lachlan made this look very effortless, however this might not be the case when trying it at home. We were then showed how to cook the duck breast, pan frying it until golden and then popping it in the oven for 8 minutes to finish the job. Meanwhile Callum was showing everyone how to concoct the swede puree we would all be cooking later in the evening.

After the lesson in poultry carving we were presented with a big Kingfish. More specifically it was a Hiramassa Yellow Tail Kingfish, farmed by Cleanseas in South Australia. Lachlan was explaining that the quality of the fish is amazing because the flesh is not damaged or bruised. It's the perfect fish for sashimi because it is fleshy and full of flavour.

He procees to then explains to us how fresh this partucular fish is with its firm texture, glossy sheen and as morbid as it sounds - the bright red blood. After a "gutting" demonstration, Lachlan expertly slices the fish along its spine from the base of the head working right down to the tail. With surgical precision, he produces a fine piece of boneless hiramasa fillet and proceeds to slice it into bite sized pieces.

And now, it was our turn to re-create these delectable dishes.

The second part of the Seafood School was the fully equipped modern kitchen. We were assigned groups and provided with the recipes to recreate the Kingfish and Duck dishes demonstrated earlier. Our group of five consisted of Bridget aka The Internet Chef, Carmel aka @CarmR, Bianca from the PEPR team and this Empty Fridge duo. Teamwork was cruicial in getting the two dishes underway and everyone was given a component of each dish to complete.

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