Adriano Zumbo Patissier

I have been a fan of Adriano Zumbo macarons for a long time. For a while, I had a tradition of trying new flavours every time I visited Sydney, but it’s been some time since I’ve stopped in. After breakfast at Sokyo at the Star, we couldn’t resist the multicolour, sweet-filled window of Zumbo’s. I’d tried all of the macaron flavours on offer, so looked further along the window to the tarts. There was an impressive array, but my eye was drawn to the peanut butter and raspberry combination called ‘Peter, Bob and John’ (PB&J). The tart was a good size and prettily presented with chunks of raspberry and peanut brittle on top. The first mouthful was silky smooth – the chocolate ganache was creamy and soft, and a perfect contrast to the sweet, slightly crispy base. The second mouthful was all about the raspberry gel (the ‘jelly’ in PB&J), which is tart compared to the sweet ganache. The peanut brittle added great textural pops, although I thought that the peanut butter flavour could have been stronger. Overall a delightful treat combining two complementary flavours. Zumbo remains the king of sweets.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW http://adrianozumbo.com/

Ippudo

Apart from making excellent ramen, Ippudo explains that they consider it part of their mission to ‘promote regional ramen from other parts of Japan’. Who am I to argue with that? This was my first time trying a seasonal special – the Tokushima Niku ramen, made from a blend of pork and chicken broth and topped with a soft egg, slicd beef, bamboo, spring onion and chilli. Mmm. Before the ramen though, my friend and I shared gyoza – delicate and flavoursome – and pork buns – very tasty, with a good bao-to-meat ratio. I also had a glass of umeshu on the rocks, my favourite Japanese drink. They offer a couple of different brands, but I like the sweet Choya one. Anyway, back to the ramen. I took the waiter’s recommendation that it be served with white rice, and delved in to break the beautifully runny egg. The beef was sweet and tender, thinly shredded and generously portioned. The broth was quite light but complex, without being overly salty. It complemented the beef, egg and bamboo to create a harmonious blend of flavours. The ramen had great bite to them and I’d recommend getting the rice with this one – it works so well. Seasonal ramen you say? Yes please.

Ippudo, Westfield Sydney, Level 5, 188 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW                            http://www.ippudo.com.au

New Shanghai

I really love dumplings. A lot. So on a recent visit to Sydney I took the opportunity to spoil myself at New Shanghai in Chatswood Chase. There was about a 10 minute wait for a table, but once inside we were seated at benches and got stuck into ordering. My first pick was the pork xiao long bao – they’re reliably good here, with a vibrant broth and just the right amount of filling. The menu warns to open the dumpling before eating to avoid burns, and I second this advice! The soup inside is hot! Next up was the shallot pancake, which came with four pieces, perfect between two. Not even close to being healthy, these were thin, crispy and utterly delicious, although I had a bit of order envy looking at the couple next to us who had the pork belly bao – definitely getting this next time. We had two more plates of dumplings – prawn wontons with peanut butter and chilli oil, and the prawn duplings. The former were much better than the latter, with a real kick from the chilli and pieces of prawn inside providing a good textural contrast. I’ll be back to perfect my order!

New Shanghai, Chatswood Chase, 345 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW    http://www.newshanghai.com.au

Reuben Hills

Surry Hills is definitely Sydney’s Braddon (read: hipster central) and as such has more cafes than you can poke a stick at. Chosen for their unique menu, I met a friend at Reuben Hills to try a South American-themed brunch. It turned out that my friend had already visited once before, and recommended the ‘NOT Reuben’ – their take on the reuben sandwich, which is a favourite of mine. Meal decided. We also both ordered the cold pressed juice – beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger, lemon and apple – which came out quickly in a large glass with a wedge of orange, and felt very healthy to drink. The NOT Reuben arrived in a plastic tray (diner-style) and was huge! I only managed to finish half of it, but it was a scrumptious half. The brisket was crusty and thick but melted in your mouth, and the pickled slaw was packed in, fresh and crispy. Without a doubt the horseradish mayonnaise brought the whole thing to life and the rye was gently toasted = perfect. They also kindly gave me a takeaway container for the other half. A thoroughly lovely place to enjoy a lazy weekend morning.

Reuben Hills, 61 Albion Street, Surry Hills, NSW    http://www.reubenhills.com.au/

Sokyo

A friend had recommended Sokyo for top tier Japanese in Sydney; unusually, they offer breakfast, so I booked in to try it out. Located at the Star, Sokyo has quite a large space decorated in an elegant minimalist style, with an impressive breakfast buffet designed primarily for hotel guests. Diners have the option of the full buffet or an a la carte dish with tea/coffee and a juice from the buffet. We opted for the latter – I ordered the ‘choushoku’ traditional Japanese breakfast, but was disappointed to hear that it had sold out. I had been excited about having fish for breakfast. Not excited by curry udon as the other authentic Japanese alternative, my second choice was the eggs benedict, served with miso hollandaise and edamame. The plate was beautifully presented, and the brioche bun was buttery soft to cut, making the dish quite light. The eggs were perfectly poached but arrived cold, and I couldn’t taste the miso in the hollandaise. The highlight was the steaky bacon, which was sweet and crispy, in contrast to the texture of the edamame. Sadly the juice from the buffet wasn’t fresh, but the genmaicha (tea) was excellent. Overall a mixed bag – get in early for the good stuff.

Sokyo, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW                           http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/pages/sokyo.aspx

Anvil Coffee Co

Oh my – Anvil has such a stunning location that I had to take a minute to soak it in before finding a table overlooking the water. Tucked into the side of Kirribilli Wharf, this little gem serves breakfast and lunch as well as takeaway coffee. I took my time with the menu, but eventually decided on the Something Savoury – chorizo, smashed peas, broadbeans and leek with salad on sourdough. Sadly they’d run out of chorizo, but I was offered smoked salmon as an alternative (yes please). I was a bit disappointed that they don’t offer fresh juices, and I didn’t enjoy the bottled ‘green power’ juice I ordered. My meal came out on a beautiful plate with all of the components piled up neatly and topped with a slice of lemon. I would have preferred a wedge to drizzle, but I managed to get some of the flavour from it. The toast was extra crispy and tough to cut, but the smashed greens were very filling and the overall flavour was lovely. There was plenty of salmon and I couldn’t finish the salad. A couple of tweaks needed, but overall a nice breakfast with lovely views.

Anvil Coffee Co, Kirribilli Wharf, Hobrook Avenue, Kirribilli NSW                           http://www.anvilcc.com.au/

Mr Crackles

Normally I’m not really a sandwich/roll kind of person. I’d much rather eat the filling itself as 100% of the meal, rather than 40% filling and 60% bread. However, my Dad was so excited to go to a pork and crackling-themed place when we were in Sydney that even I started to consider how good a roll jam-packed with meat could be. Mr Crackles is a small store that caters largely for takeaway, but which has a couple of seats for dine in. I opted for the ‘chicken katsu’ roll with a cup of crackling. The roll is quite substantial, and yes, the filling-to-roll ratio isn’t quite as good as I’d like, but it was better than 2:3. The filling had a bit of bite with wasabi mayonnaise mixed into the coleslaw. The chicken was lovely and crisp on the outside and tender inside, and in reasonably sized pieces. The cup of crackling was generously sized, although I’d expected it to be served hot and it wasn’t – it was a bit tough to break to share, but was very tasty. I’m not entirely converted to rolls, but food coma aside, I’d definitely come back to try another one.

Mr Crackles, 155 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW     http://www.mrcrackles.com.au/