Cow & the Moon

When you’re awarded the best gelato in the world, you have some serious bragging rights. Cow & the Moon has earned those bragging rights – but does their gelato live up to the hype? I visited on a Saturday after lunch and was delighted not to have to line up. We got a few flavours to share, starting with the sorbets – apple & wasabi and black on black (blackberry). First up, let me say that the texture of these sorbets is really something special. They’re so thick and creamy for something without dairy! Black on black was tasted just like biting into a blackberry chewy lolly – rich, a bit tart and really luscious. I expected the wasabi to hit me in the face with the apple sorbet, but instead it was beautifully subtle, rounding off the sharpness that green apple usually has and adding complexity on the back palate. Yum. We also tried the hazelnut roche (so, so good), but my highest praise went to the divine fig and walnut gelato – it tasted golden and I could have devoured bowls and bowls of it. So the answer is yes, it does live up to the hype – check them out!

Cow & the Moon, 181 Enmore Road, Enmore, NSW, no website

Sosumi Sushi Train

My colleague recommended a sushi bar near our meeting venue at lunchtime, so off I went into the GPO building seeking a light meal and some raw fish. Sosumi didn’t disappoint. The staff were professional and attentive, and I launched right in with a plate of salmon sashimi. There were 4 slices on the plate with a small salad underneath for garnish, and each slice was plump, tender and very tasty. Yes the pieces were smaller than you would get in Japan, but by Australian standards, it was quite good. Next up was the seaweed salad, which was quite generous and had a flavour just like those I’ve had in Japan. I tried a plate with four mini raw tuna rolls, which were quite small but also very tasty, and I was then lucky enough to scoop up an aburi salmon plate (my absolute favourite) – the salmon was thin and there were only two pieces, but it satisfied my craving for sushi nicely. Be warned though, Sosumi offers quality, not value, so don’t expect to walk away full without a significant spend.

Sosumi Sushi Train, Lower Ground Floor, GPO, 1 Martin Place, Sydney NSW     http://www.gpogrand.com/sosumi-sushi-train-sydney-cbd.html

Brewtown Newtown

Brewtown has been on my to visit list for a while, so with an afternoon to while away in Newtown, I made a beeline for their store. It occupies the former home of Berkelouw Books on O’Connell Street, and is well-known for their take on the cronut – the Brewnut. I was seated right away at a share table near the window, and ordered a soy hot chocolate and a fruit and nut Brewnut. While I waited, I admired the tasteful decor – from the white tiled tabletop, to the fresh flowers and old-fashioned Newtown fire department sign on the wall. My hot chocolate arrived first and was a real delight – Sydney’s inner suburbs really know how to steam soy. There was just the right amount of sweetness, given the sugar hit that was about to follow. The Brewnut was a towering cavalcade of fruit and nuts – pistachios, almonds, pecans, crystalised ginger, raisins and dried apricots all vyed for space on the layers of luscious, deep-fried pastry. Yes, it was sugar overload, but oh man, these guys know how to bring the flavour. Without a doubt it was the most creative, well-executed cronut interpretation I’ve tried to date. Yum.

Brewtown Newtown, 6-8 O’Connell Street, Newtown, NSW               http://www.brewtownnewtown.com/

The Butcher’s Apprentice

Sometimes a meal just blows you away, and that’s exactly what happened at our shared dinner at the Butcher’s Apprentice. I started with the Butcher’s Mistress cocktail – gin, lychee, basil, citrus – it was well-balanced and very refreshing. We were offered the ‘dry chips’ as a snack while deciding on the rest of the menu (very classy upselling!) and enjoyed every bite of the crisp potato, sweet potato and taro, salted delightfully with paprika. Next was the ‘crackle and pop’ – pork and chicken crackling with popcorn and more paprika. The skins were served cold and crispy, in perfect bite-sized pieces. The chacuterie plate had a very generous serve of cured meat, with a creative tomato jam and slightly charred, oiled bread. Next came the main – pork cheek served with rainbow chard, pickle, watermelon rind and a mound of orange blossom floss. The sweetness of the floss went so perfectly with the melt-in-your-mouth pork cheek! The star dish had to be the ‘chocolate’ dessert – a chocolate panna cotta lined the base of the bowl, topped with dark chocolate pearls, white chocolate flakes, chocolate floss and marmalade. Heaven! The Butcher’s Apprentice offers just the right pitch of fine dining with friendly, welcoming staff and truly exciting, creative food.

The Butcher’s Apprentice, 17 Redleaf Avenue, Wahroonga, NSW, no website

Gumshara Ramen

My first visit to Gumshara was simply fantastic – I was amazed at how authentic the flavour of their tonkotsu ramen was, so on this visit I was keen to try one of their other broths. I picked the shoyu ramen, which is made with a light fish broth, with added soy sauce. Gumshara’s bowls are huge, but somehow always seem to be the right amount of food for dinner. Unlike many ramen places, here the noodles always have just the right amount of bite, and they’ve recently started offering thin noodles as an option. I picked the thick noodles and after a short wait sat down with my big bowl of happiness. The pork slices were lovely and thin and melted in your mouth, and the fresh spring onion added flavour and texture. There were plenty of noodles and the broth itself was light as promised, although that certainly didn’t mean watery – it just wasn’t as rich or fatty as the tonkotsu, which suited me fine. There’s no post-ramen-drink-three-litres-of-water saltiness, just incredible flavour. Whilst not the cheapest bowl of ramen in town (expect to pay around $13), I would have to say that this remains my favourite ramen in Australia.

Gumshara Ramen, Shop 211, 25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket NSW, no website.

Miraku Japanese

On a work trip to Sydney I caught up with a friend for a quick lunch at the Hunter Connection food court,  famed for fast, cheap eats. We arrived right before the lunch rush, so secured a table and went to order from Miraku (I couldn’t go past Japanese!). I’m a sucker for a good udon, so picked the ‘ebi udon’, which came with two battered prawns. Our orders were ready fairly quickly (good to arrive ahead of the crowd) and the bowl I brought back to the table was full of yummy-looking udon. The broth was around the middle range of my experience – a nice flavour, but quite salty and slightly too fishy for a standard udon broth. The noodles themselves were nicely soft and springy and whilst you would never get carrot in your udon in Japan, extra vegetables should never be sneered at. There was plenty of spring onion, and at the counter you could help yourself to sesame. I really loved the huge prawns, which softened nicely when dipped in the broth. Considering the meal was just over $10, it was well-sized, filling and tasty – excellent value in the city centre.

Miraku Japanese, F9 Hunter Connection Food Plaza, 7-13 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW, no website.

Opera Bar

I’m beginning to see why people like living in Sydney. Leaving Canberra on a chilly 14 degree day, I arrived in Sydney to a balmy 27 degrees for the ballet at the Opera House. It was perfect weather to meet up with my friend in between performances (I went to the matinee, she to the evening show) and so we decided to go to the Opera Bar. We sat near the band, but the sound wasn’t up too loud and their song choices were quite mellow. We wanted a light snack and so ordered a serve of the soft shell crab and kimchi bao to share. I waited for quite a while at the bar to collect our drinks; my friend’s berry mocktail looked amazing, full of muddled blueberries, lychee and mint, I would definitely try it next time. The bao came out fairly quickly and whilst the bun itself was a bit dry and thin (not light and fluffy like they should be), I couldn’t fault the filling – crispy deep-fried soft shell crab, with kewpie mayonnaise, corriander and spicy kimchi. Perfect for a warm evening catch up.

Opera Bar, Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW                http://operabar.com.au/