Thai Riffic Randwick

46 Parouse Road
Randwick
NSW 2031

BYO

We'd been to Thai Riffic in Randwick a few years ago when visiting the in-laws and decided to try it again on a Saturday while staying down the road in Coogee. It was pretty packed when we got there with our BYO beers from around the corner.

We kicked off by sharing the tofu satay, which was fresh out of the fryer and super hot. The exterior chewy rather than crisp, with a tender and soft interior. The satay sauce was suitably peanutty.

The veggie and tofu green curry was good without being exceptional.

The better half had the Chicken Pad Thai which came with some unusually large slices of meat and more veggies than I'd normally expect.

The bill for our food came in came in around $45. The service was OK given how busy it was. Our table did have a whiff of having been cleaned with dirty water which was a bit off putting. Overall the experience wasn't amazing and I don't think we will be rushing back.

Royal Albert Hotel

140 Commonwealth Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010

While visiting Sydney for work, a friend from school, Neil suggested meeting up at the Royal Albert Hotel on the corner of Commonwealth and Reservoir streets in Surry Hills.

It looks like a classic Sydney Hotel from outside and inside plenty of traditional touches remain. The bar taps though, with their selection of craft beers and distinct absence of modern Aussie standard brews are amongst the clues of recent changes. We didn't venture into the Bamboo Dumpling Bar, but did sample the Young Henrys Real Ale, which reminded me of the UK beer in a good way, and very appropriate for the occasion.

I decided to take a look at the burger menu, and decided on the soft shell crab. After a short wait it arrived with its asian 'slaw and wasabi mayo. The serve of crab was generous and the flavours worked nicely. The crinkle cut chips came with a red sauce, which in the dim light could have been tomato, fortunately I was warned about the spicy chilli before dipping!

A little later Neil went for the spiced up Royale with cheese featuring a Jalapeno mustard!

The burgers were around the $16 mark, and perhaps took a little longer than I'd expected to arrive, although the re were a good number of orders from the bar area, along with a reasonably busy sounding dumplings section. The bar staff were friendly and the vibe relaxed. The Royal Albert lives up to its billing as a crafty little corner joint and is well worth seeking out for the burgers as well as the beers.

Bandstand Cafe

Green Park
301 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst
NSW 2010

Occupying an old Bandstand in Green park, in front of St Vincent's Hospital, the Bandstand Cafe was fairly quiet when we visited for a mid week late breakfast.

The coffee was fine.

The scrambled eggs, tomato, toast and salad with extra mushrooms looked nice but apparently the mushrooms were too heavily herbed.

I had the poached eggs, roast tomato, salad and toast. The eggs were inexplicably cold, something I've never encountered before.

The service was fine, but the cold eggs mean I wont be rushing back.

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Ms.G's

155 Victoria Street
Potts Point
NSW 2011

A little way down the hill from the centre of Kings Cross, on the slightly seedy Victoria Street, Ms.G's is. It describes itself as: "Modern, decidedly Asian and unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before..."

The restaurant is split over a couple of levels, off the street the first area was dominated by a bar and large table, we were offered a tiny table by the wall we we arrived on a Monday evening. There weren't many other tables on either level available. The look of the place was fairly trendy bar like, including lots of mostly empty jars on the ceiling.

 The grilled corn on the cob with parmesan and lime was rapidly devoured.

The D.I.Y. Sang Choy Bao featuring Sichuan chilli lamb, smoked eggplant and sambal was full of interesting flavours.

The stir fried greens in oyster sauce and shallot oil arrived next and alone, which seemed strange to me, eventually our rice came after we asked for it. The greens were fine but a bit boring on their own.

The Vietnamese snapper curry was nicely flavoured but didn't feature that much fish.

I found the service off hand and unfriendly, and didn't like the atmosphere, but I'm sure others may feel differently. The food was fine, but I'm probably a bit spoiled by the great Vietnamese and Asian food available on my doorstep in Footscray, this meal seemed overpriced at $80 with a couple of drinks.

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Manly Wharf Hotel

Manly Wharf,
East Esplanade,
NSW 2095

The Manly Wharf Hotel is situated meters away from the ferry terminal on the harbour side of Manly.

We visited on a sunny spring Monday lunchtime,  and while it was fairly busy, there were still plenty of tables available. We got a table inside with a view across the deck to the harbour.

 The salt and pepper calamari was fine but a bit bland.

I had the fish and chips, which were the Monday special, $16 with a drink... The batter was crisp and the fish moist and flavoursome, the chips were good too.

The chilli prawn and salmon fettuccine with cherry tomatoes, mint, parmesan and lemon, had nearly tempted me and certainly looked good and substantial when I collected the meals. It was too much for Annabel to finish, but she seemed to enjoy what she did eat.

The service was pretty efficient and friendly for a larger establishment, and with its spectacular location it is understandable that it is popular, the meals are good value and I'd happily go back if I was in the area.

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Oggis

Shop 2 22 Allowrie Street
Jamberoo
NSW
2533

After a walk to the falls in the beautiful Minnamurra rainforest we stopped at Oggis on the main street of Jamberoo for lunch.There were a few other patrons around enjoying coffees and lunch.

I had the soup of the day, which was minestrone, and proved a popular choice on our table. The soup was packed with veggies and was nicely flavoured, but I missed  the beans that are often an ingredient, the serving was on the small side too.

The service was OK if a little on the basic side, and an omelette didn't come with the requested ingredients.Not a bad spot if you are the area though.

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Seascape Cafe

91 Foreshore Road
Port Kembla,
NSW 2505

We were taken to Seascape Cafe while visiting some locals, and probably wouldn't have found it tucked behind the maritime centre at Port Kembla without our guides. It must be fairly well known, as it was pretty busy when we were there on a Saturday lunchtime.

Three of us ended up choosing the Salt and Pepper squid salad, which pretty much delivered what was expected, although the squid was a little more nugget style than usual.

The steak sandwich was a decent size and kept Bruce happy, the chips came in pseudo paper wrapping and looked great.

After a neighbouring group of dinners left we soon had some new company, watch out for the gulls!

The best thing about the cafe in the location, with fantastic views to the north, we even spotted whales to the north while we were dining.

The service was pretty prompt and friendly, and the location and views certainly make it worth while checking out.

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Perfect Break Vegetarian Cafe

115 Fern St
Gerringong
NSW 2534

The Perfect Break Vegetarian Cafe is part of the Natural Necessity Surf Shop on the main street of Gerringong, up stairs boards and surf wear surround you as you dine or sip. You can't see the ocean from the cafe but you certainly know you are near the coast!

 The all vegetarian menu, including dairy but no eggs fish or meat has breakfast and dessert options, as well as main dishes.

Down stairs on the boards there were a range smoothies and juices as well as coffees and teas on offer. I went for a mango based option and it was fresh, zesty and great. I don't often plump for smoothies these days, having worked for innocent drinks while in the UK

After some consideration I went for the veggie lentil and rice burger, the turkish bread was certainly packed with the patty which had broken up a bit, salad, hummus and the satay sauce. It all went well together and was very enjoyable, almost up there with our favourite from Jerry's.

 The bean quesadilla with guacamole and sour cream looked to be both tasty and healthy too and was completely devoured.

We enjoyed our lunch and would certainly make a bee-line for Perfect Break if we are back near Gerringong again.

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The Berry Hotel

120 Queen Street
Berry,
NSW, 2535

The Berry Hotel is a historic pub in the quaint southern NSW highlands town of Berry. Inside the bar has the feel of an English pub.

We visited for dinner and we seated outside in the small front covered area, perfect for a mild summer evening.

After grabbing drinks and perusing the menu featuring a range of modern australian dishes and takes on some pub classics as well as a few pizza's we ordered food in the busy inside dining area.

The entrée sized 'crisp cider braised pork belly' with a roast pear, rocket and walnut salad was pretty generously sized and looked good.

The main dish of salt and pepper squid with a Thai salad and dipping sauce was even bigger. The squid was tender and the salad and sauce packed with south east Asian flavours, in fact towards the end of the dish it was almost too strong. Perhaps the dish works best as an entrée!

I caved in to temptation and had the beer battered barramundi and chips. Apparently the batter was made with James Squire golden ale, but I couldn't quite tell, it was certainly crisp. The barra fillets were great and went and house made tartare sauce, the chips were good and the salad made me feel slightly less guilty.It was washed down with a Longboard Pale Ale, which I hadn't tried before, and enjoyed.

The meals were around $25, the service was very friendly. I'd be happy to go back again if visiting the very pretty part of the world.

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Stone Wall Cafe, Kiama

8 Manning St 

Kiama
NSW 2533

We arrived in Kiama looking for a late lunch and stumbled upon the Stone Wall cafe which seemed to have more quick and healthy options on the menu than the nearby dining spots. It's probably named for the local dry stone walls not General "Stonewall" Jackson or the Stonewall Inn...

The newly opened courtyard was a tranquil place to wait for our order, we'd arrived just after a table of six and our wraps took about 15 minutes to arrive.

Fortunately the delay was worth it, I had to open the wrap to check we'd got the right ones. It was filled with falafel, hummus, salad and sweet chilli sauce, and was fresh and tasty. It was no problem when we each asked for one ingredient to be left out, I passed on the sour cream.

The service was friendly if not super speedy, the wraps were $9 each after a dollar was knocked off. We'd certainly pop in again if we were in the area.

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