Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

If "All I have in the world is my Mozzarella and my Word" then after promising to "write a post tonight" for so long, all I am left with now is just my Mozzarella and there will be cheese aplenty in this post! The faithful trio of myself; Demos and the Gooseman wound up finding ourselves at Buffalo Dining Club, another new addition to the Darlinghurst precinct off the main drag of Victoria Rd

Buffallo Dining Club is a two storey super casual eatery. It's  fun and rowdy, just the way we like it. It was a busy saturday night and although they don't take any bookings we missed the first wave of diners. There are no menus, only a chalkboard and a very reasonably priced wine list. A great bottle of Santa Cristina Sangiovese ($42) was the pick of the bunch and was one of the several bottles listed that was under $50. 

Now for the food. With a name like Buffalo Dining Club, I know I was picturing another new eatery riding the american food wave and serving buffalo hot wings with cowboy hats. No friends; the buffalo in question here is buffalo mozzarella and LOTS of it. Lactose Intolerants need not apply. No seriously, just don't. 

Starting the proceedings was a serving of Burrata, with a side of potato croquettes and chilli brocollini. $15 gets you 125 grams of Burrata (or 100 grams of fresh buffalo mozzarella) and a selection of two sides from the chalkboard menu. Aside from the two we selected they offered other dishes such as balsamic baby carrots, portobello mushrooms, honey roasted fennel almonds and so on and so forth. What about the meat? 

Bootleg Bar and Italian Restaurant, Potts Point

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.

Apertif with Chefs Miguel Maestre & Manu Fidel

"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! 

Hugos Bar Pizza, Kings Cross

"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.