Tio's Cerveceria, Surry Hills

Im going to start this post with a blurry photo of the bar because I wouldn't be the empty fridger you have grown to love had I been able to hold my camera straight at Tio's - a fun new establishment dedicated to a liquor close to my heart.

Instead of the usual tea and scones Myself; Demos and our ever reliable honorary fridgemagnet The Gooseman found ourselves at Tio's for a casual and lighthearted tequila throwdown. Well casual and lighthearted was the idea but then when we found ourselves at a tequila bar, all bets were off. This was not a time to do things in halves.

I might start of listing beverages in order of alcohol content. Candidate number one is little miss mexico - the little Coronita. The opportunity was not missed to showcase its teeny tiny size next to Demos' face.

As this was on a Sunday afternoon, the bar wasn't at all packed and we had the attention of the tequilla experts behind the counter. Not that I counted but apparently there are over 70 different types of tequilla on the bar shrine. Now where to start?

Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills

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.

District Dining, Surry Hills

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

Robo Cog Cafe, Surry Hills

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

Spice I Am, Surry Hills

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  

Duke Bistro, Surry Hills

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.