El Loco Mexican Cantina, Surry Hills

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.

Sassy's Red, Westfield Sydney

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.

Taste Baguette, Westfield Sydney CBD

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

Toku Toku - Wine and Sake Bar, Glebe

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!

10 William St - The Wine bar with no name & amazing food, Paddington

Extended Birthdays, Date Night, Wine Bars and Italian Food are things we hold dear to our hearts here at  the Empty Fridge.  We have been wanting to try this "mysterious" new establishment in Paddington since it opened, walking past it everyday as I go to and from work. From the day it opened its doors - the number of patrons just kept growing. I remember distinctly walking past on the first day of trade, looking at the front window and thinking "Has anyone actually noticed that a pigeon is just casually sitting on the pane?" No need to contact the Department of Food Safety and Sanitation, the Pigeon is stuffed. 

Once seated, we knew we were in for quite a treat. The downstairs bar area is always crowded, so we head to the second level which is still empty at 5.35 pm on a Friday. We were here quite early, don't judge  - you have to be as it gets packed in no time, and secondly - lucky Gianna, works just a few doors down. We decided to come here before we were to kick off Demos' birthday drinks at the Beresford in Surry Hills, trying to get as much to eat before the boozing was to begin. This was a good idea - it ended up being one boozy night.

Vessel Italian, King St Wharf

Tuesday night date night had come around once again. Fortunately there was not much to think about this time around because luckily enough we were invited to come and dine at Vessel Italian. Situated on the ground floor of the new Macquarie building it is easy to get to and would be perfect for those wanting something to peck on after the Friday booze sessions especially as the silly season approaches.  

After finding parking on nearby Hickson Road Gianna and I meandered down toward Vessel lapping up the sun on this balmy Tuesday night. I must admit that nothing beats the summer weather, sun shine and good food - exactly what was in store for the evening. Having booked an early table, we were able to admire this beautiful restaurant before the other guests started to arrive.

Vessel has a very good location and when the sun is out and fills the space inside you can't help but feel that you are out having Sunday lunch, such a good respite for those slogging through yet another rough day at the office. Its location is prime for CBD workers who just want to whisk themselves to a elegant space and forget about looming deadlines. It is a beautiful venue and makes good use of the space. Open, airy with lots of light and accentuated with glass, steel and timber - it's like an architect's dream. I really liked the chairs, honeycomb openings matching the honeycomb cladding of the building, a nice touch. Once settled and seated we were given the menu and our friendly waitress suggest we begin with stuzzichinni (starters).

Along with the delicious bread, a selection of mixed marinated olives arrive with some crunchy grissini, a perfect accompaniment as we go through the menu

We also started with Suppi 'al telephono - fried saffron risotto balls with mozzarella and basil. There were a few starters that sounded quite delectable such as the asparagialla milanesse - grilled asparagus with poached truffled egg and parmesan but we settled on something small to get going. Nonetheless I think you can't ever go wrong with olives. Throw some bread in the mix, some olive oil and salt and you can sit quietly and eat to your hearts content. Well that's what I think anyway, must be the Greek in me - please ignore my momentary Mediterranean inspired musings.