White Rabbit

This was a mostly icecream dessert, so here it goes for #icecreamthurs this week! Let me say straight up, White Rabbit has beautiful cocktails and delicious desserts. This is a great place for a special treat, and I started by ordering The Dodo ($20), with gin, orange bitters, lemon and blueberry syrup hiding under a thick layer of passionfruit foam. Yum, yum, yum. This was utterly delightful – a nice balance between sweet and tart, I will be back for this drink. For dessert, I ordered the fried brioche sandwich ($16), with peanut butter gelato and raspberry swirl sorbet. When the dish came out, it was clear that the brioche was more soldiers than sandwich, topped with a nut crumble (be warned those with allergies, this is not noted on the menu) and edible flowers. The brioche was very rich, but somehow dipping it into the raspberry jam and melting icecream helped. The peanut butter flavour was great in the super creamy icecream, and although it took a while to find the raspberry swirl, when I did it added a great tartness to the otherwise very sweet dish. This is one for the sweet-tooths, to be sure.

White Rabbit Cocktail Room, 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra ACT,

Tokyo Bird

My dream has come true. There is an authentic Japanese izakaya in Australia. Tokyo Bird sits in a little Surry Hills laneway and fulfills all my izakaya needs – an extensive drinks menu, lots of ‘little bites’ to eat and a vibe that’s buzzing. We started with cocktails – I chose the Breakfast Martini, with gin, curacao, lemon and yuzu marmalade. There is so much citrus happening there that my cheeks puckered, definitely in a good way. Dinner started with the Assorted Pickles ($6) and Katsu Chicken Nuggets ($9). The pickles were lightly done and dusted in  spicy togarashi seasoning – excellent for nibbling slowly. The katsu nuggets were the best thing ever – tender chicken bits deep fried in panko and served with kewpie mayo. Needless to say, they disappeared very quickly. We then picked four yakitori dishes. I loved the Negima (chicken thigh with shallot) – tender, charred nicely and basted in the magic yakitori sauce, it was probably my favourite of the four. The Tonton (pork belly) was lovely and fatty, and the Hatsu (chicken hearts) were tasty, although slightly tougher than the other meats. Finally, we both loved the Nasu (eggplant and miso) – beautifully salty with creamy eggplant, we were in izakaya heaven. I will be back as soon as I possibly can!

Tokyo Bird, 2/226-228 Commonwealth Street (entry on Belmore Lane), Surry Hills NSW, http://www.tokyobird.com.au/

Provini

Provini has been on my to visit list for a while, and it moved up the list after reopening with a new look and refreshed menu. I started with the pig’s head slider ($8 each), mostly because it was the most exotic-sounding item on the menu. The meat was tender and perfectly crumbed, sandwiched between two knots of panini and enhanced by the sweetness of roasted peppers. Tick. Next up was the meatballs ($16), which came with four meatballs in a pot of delicious sugo topped with cheese, and a large chunk of bread. This was the pick of the night – the pork and veal meatballs were perfectly cooked and packed full of flavour, the bread was excellent and perfect for mopping up what little sauce remained after we devoured it on the meatballs. We chose a pasta to share for the main, opting for the pappardelle ($26), with pork, veal and a white wine ragu. Unfortunately the dish was only just warm when it arrived (after quite a long wait) and there was no real ragu to speak of. The meat was lovely – it had been pulled into tender strips – and the pasta was al dente, but it needed much more sauce. We certainly didn’t leave hungry though!

Provini, 50 Bunda Street, Civic ACT, http://www.cocu.com.au/provini/

Gondola Gondola

Gondola Gondola is my new happy place. I started with the Weaboo cocktail ($18) – rum, yuzu liqueur, nashi pear shrub, lime, mint and soda. This drink was basically refreshment in a glass, well-balanced and perfect for a hot day. Up first  was the salt and pepper bean curd ($12), fried so lightly that it formed the thinnest, most perfect skin over the soft curd inside. It’s super salty (in a good way), and the salad it’s served on packs some heat and epic ginger action! There were a generous 6 pieces to enjoy. Next up was the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake, $22) with pork mince, prawn and sprouts, served with lettuce, purple leaves, mint, coriander, carrot and pickled cabbage. Whilst it looked big, this was a fairly light dish – a bit like san choi bao in that you wrap the ingredients in the lettuce and add sauce. Messy, but a great mix of textures and flavours – the coriander in particular brings it all to life. Finally, we had the bun cha ($22), which was our pick of the night – the pork was utter perfection, with a super crispy skin and tender meat, plus the noodles were fabulous! Everything here is packed full of flavour and perfect – take me back!

Gondola Gondola, 1 Peel Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.gondolagondola.com.au

Ruby Red Flamingo

Ruby Red Flamingo (RRF) is a lovely hideaway in North Adelaide and was packed out when we went on a Friday night. The staff here are really friendly and welcoming! I started with a mocktail, the Cicciolina, with pineapple, orange, lemon and soda, packed with fresh orange, lemon and lime wedges for extra freshness. Dish one was the beetroot cured salmon carpaccio; elegant and fresh, although I would have liked a stronger salmon flavour. The fresh fennel on top went well. Things only got better with dish two – the BEST ARANCINI I’VE EVER HAD. Seriously. The perfect balance between crisp, moist, tasty, cheesy and with a really moreish flavour combination. Please go and eat many, many of these for me. Next up was the utterly heavenly eggplant pasta – thick, flat tubular pasta doused in a rich tomato-based sauce with perfectly-cooked pillows of eggplant throughout, and plenty of parmesan for bite. The only thing that could have made this better was some kalamata olives, for a salty boost. Last up was the whole chicken, splayed and served with amazing roast veggies. The chicken was tender and succulent, whilst the veggies (especially the potatoes) were super tasty. I know I over-ate, but when the food’s this good, I dare you to try and stop!

Ruby Red Flamingo, 142 Tynte Street, North Adelaide SA, rubyredflamingo.com

Bread & Bone

I wanted to kick the new year off with a 10/10 post – a meal that I had completely, utterly loved. So, ladies and gentleman, here is Bread & Bone Wood Grill. I started with the Dark & Stormy cocktail ($12) – a perfect blend of rum, ginger beer and lime that packed a punch but at the same time was just right (so much lime!). On the waitress’s recommendation, I ordered the B&B Burger ($18), the house specialty. Cooked on their eponymous wood grill, the beef patty was done to perfection, blushing pink inside, and had fantastic flavour. To be honest, after my first bite, I didn’t deconstruct the burger in order to be able to give you a blow-by-blow – I devoured that sucker without another word. So, all I can tell you is that there is some sort of magic mayonnaise/sauce, lovely thin bacon and that the whole damn thing is so tasty you’ve made me want another one right now just thinking about it. The fries were also top grade, well-seasoned and super crispy. With flawless service, great atmosphere and heavenly food, add Bread & Bone to your must-visit list for 2016.

Bread & Bone Wood Grill, 15 Peel Street, Adelaide SA, no website

Gin Garden

Circular Quay on a summer night is a lovely place to be, but with the pop up Gin Garden at the Museum of Contemporary Art open from 4pm, it suddenly became even better! Shared with the MCA’s Graze restaurant, the Gin Garden is delightfully decorated with shrubberies, flowers and fairy lights, not to mention a sweetheart swinging chair. There are several cocktails on the menu; I chose The Rose Garden ($18), with Archie Rose gin, Earl Grey tea, ginger beer and Rose’s marmalade, all served in a gorgeous glass and topped with cucumber, rose petals and rosemary. I loved the light spritz from the ginger beer, the sweet-but-not-sweet twang of marmalade and the complexity of the gin and tea combination. The whole concotion was utterly delightful and not sickly sweet. I was surprised at how generous the serving was, and unless it becomes part of a bar menu somewhere else, I’ll have to give making it a go at home. I wish I’d gone when I was hungry – the food menu looked mouthwatering, with everything from grilled flatbreads through to more substantial fried calamari on offer. Make the most of the Gin Garden’s season – it’s only open for the summer.

Gin Garden, open all summer at MCA, 149 George Street, Sydney NSW