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.

Xanthi Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney CBD

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.

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!

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

Uccello - Ivy Complex, CBD

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