Home Thai

Dining alone can be a strange experience. Some people find it very uncomfortable – I find that if I have something to do (book to read, notes to write etc.), I can eat out alone comfortably at dinnertime. This is what I ended up doing after arriving quite late in Sydney one night for a conference in Darling Harbour. Not much was open, but a quick google threw up Home Thai as a trendy option that was open at 9:30pm for dinner. I waited a while for a table, but was excited to see how much the place was buzzing – always a good sign. I am a sucker for dumplings, and on a cool evening I wanted something warming, so opted for steamed dim sum and a bowl of tom yum goong soup. The plate of dumplings came out with a mound of corriander and drizzled with black vinegar, which suited the pork and prawn mix. The tom yum was fresh but unbelieveably spicy – sadly, but it was a bit too much for me and I needed some rice to be able to eat it – I’d recommend asking for a mild version. Home Thai gets a tick in the solo traveller box!

Home Thai, Shop 1-2, 299 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW http://www.homethaisussex.com.au

Mickey’s

Ok, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that we had a burger whilst in Turkey, but after an eight hour meeting I think we were entitled to a menu we could navigate without too much thought. Mickey’s offered an inviting outdoor setting where we could enjoy the summer sunshine. We started with daquiris – I had a strawberry one, which came out in a big glass and was sweet and not overly alcoholic. Whilst the menu offers food from a range of non-Turkish cuisines, we both opted for a burger – I had the ‘Mickey’s burger’, with beef, cheddar cheese, caramelised onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles and relish, and accompanied by fries and coleslaw. The beef was tender and went well with the sweetness of the relish and caramelised onions. The sauce was very oozy but had a good kick, and I soaked up the excess with my fries. Overall it was a very filling meal – if I went again, I would order the smaller of the two sizes – and whilst it wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, it was a good, reliable meal at the end of a long day.

Mickey’s, Arjantin Cd, Gaziosmanpaşa Mh., Ankara, Turkey http://mickeys.com.tr/

Supernormal

My friend and I visited Supernormal for a Friday night dinner and waited for about 45 mins for a table – while we waited we devoured the Supernormal Smash cocktail with gin, tonic and seasonal syrup – it was a perfectly balanced cocktail with the right amount of sweet and bitter. We were told that the dishes are best to share, so started with the sesame cucumber (2 pieces included), which had a lovely pickled flavour and came served on a stick, followed by the raw bar tuna dish. As our lobster rolls arrived we asked the kitchen to slow the service down, as the plates were piling up. The roll was a highlight, with tender strips of lobster meat and a sweet brioche bun. My overall favourite, though, was the duck bao – cooked in Peking duck-style, the meat was cooked to perfection with a thin crispy shell, and served with hot, soft bao. So, so good. We finished off with the miso and pink lady soft serve, which had a fascinating flavour combination that just worked. We added the snack petipas given at the start of the meal on top to make it even better. Five hours later, we left full, happy and wishing we had a second stomach for more!

Supernormal, 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC                   http://www.supernormal.net.au

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

The Rum Bar

I met a friend for drinks at The Rum Bar on a Tuesday night and we were delighted to discover that they also offer 2-for-1 tapas on Tuesdays, making their dishes very good value. After ordering our drinks (wine for my friend, Captain Morgans with Coke and lime for me – try it, it’s amazing!), we browsed the food menu and picked one plate each to share. The food didn’t take too long to come out, and it was no hardship sitting outside admiring the waterfront while we waited. The pork belly with pumpkin, walnuts and ricotta salata came out first – it was beautifully presented on a stone plate with the pumpkin puree smeared underneath the two pieces of pork. We cut them up to share and I thought the pops of nutty flavour really made the dish. The pork itself was lovely and tender with a comforting roast flavour. Our other dish was the octopus with almond gazpacho, olives, compressed cucumber and tomatoes. I adore octopus and these pieces were thick but very tender, and went perfectly with the almond gazpacho. The olives were very small but the cucumber added a fun flavour (more like a pickle). I really enjoyed the light food and the fabulous view – try it sometime.

The Rum Bar, 6/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT                                      therumbar.com.au

Smoque

Smoque is somewhere I know I can always get a reliable, good value meal, although their food wouldn’t exactly fall into the ‘healthy’ category. This visit was spontaneous, and the three of us ended up ordering the same meal and some sides to share. We were all tempted by the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, with sliced beef, rosemary aioli, caramelised onion and cheese. I ordered mine with pickles, but was disappointed that the extra pickles weren’t half-pickles like the one on the side, but tiny grated mini pickles – not worth bothering with. My friends kindly gave me their pickles (you guys are the best). That was the only disappointment though – the sandwich was incredible. Packed with far more slow-cooked, tender beef than I’d expected, the rosemary aioli was flavoursome without being overpowering, and there was a perfect filling-to-bread ratio. We also had a side of tater tots (better known as potato gems) with spring onion, sour cream and bacon bits – these were tasty but not as tasty as the hand-cut fries, which were wolfed down and went perfectly with the aioli overflow. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for a casual weeknight meal.

Smoque Woden, 10 Bowes Street, Phillip ACT                                                             http://smoque.com.au/

Elk and Pea

Elk and Pea isn’t the first place I would think of for dinner, but when a friend wanted to try somewhere different to eat, off we went. We got a table without a booking easily on a weeknight and ordered a plate of wedges and the jerk chicken to share. This turned out a) to be an excellent decision and b) to be a heck of a lot of food. The wedges were beautifully presented, covered in corriander, tomato, cabbage, radish and sour cream (hello!), and drizzled with lime, they were scrumptiously soft and we couldn’t help but graze on them all night. We were warned that the chicken could be a 45min wait, but it came out in about 20mins and was visually very impressive. The chicken was hidden under a mountain of fresh salad, with cucumber, radish, carrot and cabbage, which was so light and contrasted the rich jerk chicken perfectly. The chicken itself was melt-in-your-mouth tender and is by far the best chicken dish I’ve eaten at a restaurant anywhere. Even better, underneath was the most delicious almond puree – denser than mash but very tasty. There was a fight over who got what for leftovers. I will be back!

Elk and Pea, 21 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT                http://www.elkandpea.com.au/