side dishes...in sydney

China Doll - Woolloomooloo

Whenever visiting Sydney we stay at Blue in Woolloomooloo, the rooms are great and below the hotel are some of Sydney's best restaurants Otto's and China Doll to name a few. Having booked a later flight we had 4 hours to spare..."why not eat?" we said.

Even though last nights dinner was decedent tea and sandwiches wasn't an option. Off to China Doll we go. It was such a lovely way to finish my brothers 21st Birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday little bro xo.

Being a Monday lunch it was quiet....like really quiet...like four other tables quiet. This meant the service was attentive, not in your face though. The specials were addressed early on, with a few being fancied. The place is beautiful, the feature wall is a blown up picture of the Blue Willow print (see last picture), your dinner plates the same. I don't often comment on toilets...unless they are gross. China Doll have pretty toilets, shiny dark multicoloured tiles. The food was impeccable, I came to China Doll when it first opened, I was a bit younger and found some of the food frightening, but today's lunch was scrumptious with nothing left on the plates.

Entree (special): Chicken salad with chilli, mint, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber. The dressing was a sweet red sesame sauce with hints of lime and fish sauce. Don't be fooled by the picture this was AMAZING. I never order salad (boring) so thanks to the other lunch guests for ordering this.

Entree (special): Crab, prawn and green pea dumplings. Wish we got two each :(

Main: Chilli salt squid. Looks like little chippies, tastes delicious. Needs a dipping sauce of some sort. The calamari was so soft it was cooked perfectly, the seasoning and outside was tasty tasty.

Main: Eye fillet with black bean and capsicum. Three different capsicums to be exact. Eye fillet was delish, charred to perfection and the sauce and veggies crisped it up just right!

Dessert: Small dessert platter - Sago, rice pudding and assorted sorbets. Hmmm all were nice the sorbets my favourite, the texture of the other two desserts didn't do much for me. Saying that they had nice flavours. It was good to try something new.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY x

To yum things up: everything was perfect, get them to read the specials they are the two best meals of the day, don't expect lemon chicken or spring rolls (not that I was)!

Shop 46 Woolloomooloo Wharf, Cowper Wharf Rd

Sydney, 2000

(02) 9380 6744

side dishes...in sydney

Fratelli Paradiso - Potts Point, Sydney

For those of you that are tired of the same old breakfast haunts Fratelli Paradiso is for you. There is no menu just daily specials read out by the handsome Italian waiters, usually 2/3 hot dishes, fruit dish and a porridge or muesli surprise. The coffee is hot and good, you will most defiantly have to wait for a table on weekends but if your impatient there's a bakery attached where you can pick up a freshly baked pastry and coffee and be on your merry way.

We were in Sydney to celebrate my little bro's 21st, and what a weekend we had wining and dining at some of the best restaurants whilst celebrating a special milestone in my brothers life.

 Kicking off the weekend with a laugh, my beautiful Mum and brother xo

 "Strappazate" Scrambled eggs on a roast pumpkin, spinach and ricotta tart with a balsamic reduction and tomato puree.

 Nom nom nom

We tried to be adventurous and order something different each but it was early and we felt like eggs. Oh and we came back the next day, and I may have ordered the same thing it was that yummy.

To yum things up: a must visit breakfast haunt (don't know what it's like for lunch), be adventurous, have a coffee.

16 Challis Ave

Sydney, 2011

02) 9357 1744



The Botanical - WARNING - Don't Even Bother!

This place is the pits, awful service, terrible coffee and disgusting food.

This was the second time we've come here for breakfast after our standard Saturday morning run around the tan. Usually we opt for Cumulus Inc but on the two occasions we visited the "Bot" it was only because we were in a rush and it's convenient. Next time this happens I would rather starve than go here and pay money for rubbish.

Where do I start, we were seated for 10 minutes before we had to literally grab the waitress by the arm for menus and even then I thought she was going to walk off and ignore us. No offer of coffees when the menus did come...something that wait staff should automatically do with new customers! We shouldn't have even bothered ordering the coffees because they were beyond horrible, the Asian bakery near my work makes a better latte!! And no water to wash the taste away, the wait staff failed to take away the customers water glasses from the previous sitting! Once again had to flag down the staff to place an order, porridge, corn fritters, scrambled eggs and a serve of toast was ordered.

Corn Fritters - over cooked, dry, relish "not that amazing", if these were a bit more moist and had a little sour cream or creme fraiche with it they would be yummy. Good size and a side of bacon would make them perfect.

Porridge - glug, glug, glug. It didn't have that nice consistency you hope for. It had started to set so it was becoming hard around the edge and if I wasn't continuously stirring it I could have made a porridge pudding out of it. Oh and isn't rhubarb in season? Yes, then why did I only get a teaspoon of it on the top. How could I forget the amateur cut banana sprinkled on top...really for a "up market" restaurant you couldn't even caramelise it?

Scrambled Eggs - The person eating that didn't complain.

Toast - I had to laugh, after struggling to get 5 mouthfuls of porridge down I decided to leave it and at least settle my hunger with some toast. Overcooked but not burnt, so dry that it was cutting my mouth and the stingy amount of butter they give you topped off what was one of the worst breakfast experiences I have had in a long time. The bacon and egg cart at Meredith Music Festival had a better front of house team and edible food.

I think The Botanical needs to have a look at itself, after reading the rest of the reviews on Urban Spoon there have been a lot of unhappy customers. Although it will most likely always be busy because of the spot it's in that doesn't mean its ok to have shitty wait staff and even shittier food and drink.

To yum things up: won't be returning EVER