Sydney Restaurant Tips by pchamlis

Restaurant Name: Darling Harbour / Cockle Bay Restaurants

We met VT member llauraa for dinner one evening at the Blackbird Cafe. The site was Laura's recommendation, and what a splendid choice it was. The Blackbird is upscale and yet unpretentious. The menu is exciting and still comfortable. You'll find all sorts of interesting twists on old favorites, and you'll find your old favorites, too. And, there's the lovely view looking out onto Darling Harbour and the Cockle Bay Wharf area.

The service is efficient and quite affable. This is the sort of place where you'll eat excellent food and still joke around with the waiters. All in all, the best of all worlds. Without sounding trite, the Blackbird might just be the perfect combination of Commander's Palace (New Orleans, LA USA) and a Denny's Diner. Summing up, we really, really had a nice time.

Perfect choice and recommendation, Laura.

Favorite Dish: The menu is so very eclectic and entertaining. Here are a few items to ponder...

(I had the...) Char grilled Thai beef on glass noodle salad, with Thai basil and roasted peanuts. (A$ 14.90)

(My wife and daughter had the....) Simple fish 'n chips. Fish of the day in a crispy beer batter w/lemon and sauce tartare. (A$ 15.90)

(Laura had the....) Red lentil Dahl with hot stone bread, tomato and mint salsa and yogurt raita (A$ 7.90) NICE LIGHT VEGGIE dish!

Some other good stuff included...

Tasmanian mussels in tomato sauce + grilled casalinga bread

Pan-seared wild salmon fillet w/roasted eggplant, garlic mash (Aussie for mashed potatoes), & puttanesca sauce

Char-grilled octopus w/black bean sauce and asian greens over jasmine rice

Warm prawn wonton salad w/fresh tofu, mixed leaf, light soy and sesame seed dressing.

HOT STONE PIZZAS, among the types were margharita, pumpkin (those Aussie and their pumpkin...), Nicoise, Saltimbocca, and Aztecan (chorizo, jalapenos, fresh tomato, red/yellow capsicum and spanish onion over mozarella and napoli base!!)

Great coffee treats included..
Irish (Jamesons), Mexicano (Kahlua), Jamaican (Tia Maria, mon), Irish Monk (Baileys and Frangelico), and Italiano (Amaretto)

They have some really nifty "house special cocktails", too..

SWEET NOVEMBER..bacardi, massenez ginger liquer and fresh mint, shaken with limonata

GIRLY DRINK...passion fruit, 42 below, peach schnapps, topped with guava and cranberry juice, mixed with mint.

MISTER GREEN...42 Below and midori muddled with fresh kiwi fruit. Topped with cloudy apple juice.

Desserts? How about baked ricotta cheesecake with summer berry compote? Or, devil-liscious chocolate mud cake with chocolate sauce and ice cream? Or, sticky date pudding w/butterscotch sauce and double cream? And, I'm always a sucker for blueberry cheesecake...this one came with whipped chantilly cream.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9283 7385
Address: Balcony Level, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Park
Directions: East side of Darling Harbour promenades, balcony level. (Go up the spiral staircase......you'll see it, trust me)
Website: www.blackbirdcafe.com.au
Other Contact: 02 9283 7381 (fax)

Restaurant Name: Gelateria Caffe 2000

Caffe 2000 is one of my VT friend Aussiedoug's favorite places. Doug took me and my family over to eat at Caffe 2000 on our first night in Sydney.

Caffe 2000, owned by the affable Tonino Lo Iacono (aka Tony), is a genuine little Italian pizzeria, serving some of the more tasty and unique pies you'll ever taste. The crust is thin and flavorful. Differing from the pizzas we have in the US, Tony's pies have no "tomato sauce", per se. You can get tomatoes or capsicum as one of your toppings. Other toppings include such diverse items as broccoli, zucchini and hard salami. You can buy an entire rectangular pie, or purchase your tasty please by the "slice". My personal favorite was the simple proscuitto and mushroom wonder.

And for dessert? Caffe 2000 is also a top-notch gelato place, with the scrumptious freeze made by Tony right in the back of the shop.

There are other items on the menu, including salads and soup. I remember that Doug's wife Kerry had pumpkin soup.

All in all, this is a happy and friendly place. Tony is there to see that it's always so, too.

Favorite Dish: It's all good, but the truly unique and special item at Caffe 2000 is probably the gelato. Please read the following, which appeared in a Sydney restaurant website called smh.com.

"Tony Lo Iacono's gelato, which he makes in very small batches at the back of the shop, has been called Sydney's benchmark product. He makes only a handful of flavours - his tiramisu of illycaffe, zabaglione and rum is sensational - and, unusually, he makes many of his own flavour bases."

BTW, I had the zabaglione as one of my two choices. The other was a lemon cream. Very very good. My daughter, a true chocoholic, had the super-deep cioccolata...and I tried it, too. My goodness was THAT special.

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9555 6032
Address: 650 Darling Street, Rozelle, NSW 2039
Directions: From the CBD, drive "around" the edge of Darling Harbour and proceed to the Anzac Bridge. Cross the bridge, proceeding towards Rozelle on Victoria Street. Turn right on Darling Street.

Restaurant Name: The Rocks and Circular Quay Restaurants

If you get hungry while your roaming the Rocks, I'd suggest checking out Zia Pina. Quite a few famous people have, judging from the photos on the wall. I remember seeing Joe Montana and Jerry Seinfeld, to name two.

Zia Pina is a cramped little pizza and spaghetti joint right smack dab on George Street. They also serve gelato and nice, cold beer.

Like most pizza we found in Australia, Zia Pina's didn't lean towards tomato sauce. Instead, it featured a healthy layer of mozarella cheese and fresh toppings. The crust was thin, and gently seasoned in that pleasing way of Italy.

Favorite Dish: Well, two things...

The pizza was very very good. It really "hit the spot", as we were getting kind of hungry at the time.

And, the nice schooner of beer was refreshing, too. At this place, I tried another Aussie brew, Victoria Bitters, aka VB. It was good, although I later decided that James Boag Tasmanian Brew was my favorite suds in Australia.

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9247 2255
Address: 93 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Directions: From the Circular Quay, proceed along the Cahill Expressway area until you can turn right onto George Street....ie heading into "The Rocks".

Restaurant Name: Cafes For Breakfast & Lunch only

We arrived in Sydney at 7 am local time on a Friday morning. Much to our delight,clearing customs, passport control and quarantine took almost no time. We found ourselves ready to roll into Sydney by 7:30 am, and we ran into Tan of Tan's Tours.......another smooth transition. Long story short, we were AT the Victoria Court Hotel by 8:30 am. Our room wasn't quite available, but we checked in, and then went exploring the Potts Point area. We'd boarded a plan some17 hours earlier, and had only had minimal sleep. WE NEEDED A BIT OF COFFEE.

I saw a little place called the Craic Pott Cafe. Upon entry, I was informed of its proper pronunciation, "Crack-Pot Cafe". This irreverent little joint was just what we needed on our first hours in Sydney. They had several splended coffees and coffee-based drinks for purchase, along with fresh breads, muffins and such. You could even get a hot "brekkie", Aussie slang for breakfast. I wasn't quite ready for anything heavy, and neither were Bonnie and Sara, we just chose the simple stuff below.

And, the fellow behind the counter asked if we'd like to sit outside to enjoy our coffee. We looked at him a bit askew, as it was slightly chilly in the morning shade of Victoria Street. He said "no worries on the chill, mate. I'll start the heater." He then proceeded to fire up a lovely "over table" propane heater. So, we sat out in the fresh air, warm and toasty, enjoying our coffee.

The Craic Pott was a perfect start to our relationship with Australia. Informal, friendly, and maybe a little puckish. The guys running the place reminded me of that famous line from Crocodile Dundee, where Paul Hogan says "they're just kids having fun".

Favorite Dish: Well, we went for coffee and snacks. Bonnie had her usual black coffee, aka coffee dark in Oz. Being the most informed coffee aficionado in our family, her pronouncement of "very good" speaks for the family. Sara and I, being coffee lightweights, went with a cappuccino, which was also well done. For our snacks, we shared homemade banana-walnut muffins, and a few slices of homemade cinnamon raisin bread....nice and thick, hot from the toaster with butter. Ummmmm.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: From the King's Cross Station (Darlinghurst @ Victoria), walk about three blocks down Victoria. The Craic Pott is on the left, a very unassuming little brick structure that looks more like an office building.

Restaurant Name: Woolloomooloo Restaurants

Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Wooloomooloo is a Sydney institution. The diner is now in a fixed location, but apparently years ago it WAS on wheels. The owner would wheel it into place each day down by the harbor. His mission in life in those days was to serve up hot Aussie meat pies for hungry sailors, and anyone else who had a hankering for cheap and filling food.

And, since 1945, Harry's Cafe de Wheels has pretty much been doing just that. Eighteen hours a day, they're there cooking up a variety of tasty meat and vegetable pies, all going for about A$4 each, tops. One item on the menu is a "pastie", which some will claim is the national dish of Australia. It's a concoction of mushy green peas and potatoes wrapped in a flaky crust. It's better than it sounds, actually. But in truth, I prefer the ones with meat.....I'm such a carnivore.

There are many places in Australia to find yourself a "pie". And if you're like me, you'll probably have several while you're Down Under. But, EVERYONE in Potts Point insisted that going to Harry's was akin to a takeaway eating religion. And, after seeing and enjoying the Cafe de Wheels, I'd kind of agree.

I'm not a churchy type of guy, but I can dig this sort of pastry pilgrammage. : )

Favorite Dish: The pies, mate. I like the ones with meat and potatoes....and maybe a few veggies, too.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9357 3074
Address: 1 Cowper Wharf Rd @ Brougham St, Wooloomooloo, NSW
Directions: From downtown, let's say Hyde Park, go east on William Street (which IN the park is called Park Street). At Brougham Street, turn left and go until you dead end at Cowper Wharf. There's Harry's !!

Restaurant Name: The Bells Hotel Pub

Bell's is a harborside pub and bar-food establishment that has a lot of local character. Bare walls and stone floors, coupled with terrific service and a friendly staff, make Bell's a great place to have a pint and some snacks.

To tell you the truth, I don't know if the place is still a hotel, too...... If it is, I bet you could find a nicer place to stay in Sydney.

But, if you need to wet your whistle down on Cowper Wharf Road after you've spent all day walking through the Botanic Gardens or down to the Circular Quay, then Bells is a good stop.

Favorite Dish: Nice cold beer, and some hot chips. (French fries to us Americans.)

Just a nice place to enjoy beer and local conversation. You can sit outside, right along the street, if the weather's to your liking. Then, you can talk with the folks walking along Cowper Wharf road, too.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9357 1656
Address: 1 Bourke Street, Wooloomooloo, NSW 2011
Directions: From Hyde Park, go east on William Street (which is Park Street in the park...). Turn left on Brougham Street. Go until it deadends at Cowper Wharf (at Harry's Cafe de Wheels). Turn left....go about 2 blocks, Bells in on the left.

Restaurant Name: Cafes For Breakfast & Lunch only

This one falls into the category of being a "quickie tip". I don't have a lot of information on this little coffeeshop, no official address or phone number. But...

If you're in Sydney visiting Hyde Park, and you're in the mood for a mid-morning or even mid-afternoon cup of Joe, check out the little coffeeshop at the Elizabeth Street/Liverpool Street corner of the park. (Near the ANZAC Memorial)

This little shop really hit the spot one morning for us. We'd just returned from a jaunt down to Chinatown, and really needed some morning fuel to get through to lunch. Our continental brekkie at the Victoria Court had been quite a few hours earlier. : )

Our friend Aussiedoug has mentioned to us that this little shop had good muffins, pastries and (of course) coffee. And as always, Doug was on the mark.

Favorite Dish: Well, it's a coffeeshop, soooooo the proof in the pudding, so to speak, will be their coffee.

Darned good brew, folks. Hearty, flavorful and rich. As always, my wife had black (coffee, dark) and my daughter and I did cappuccino. We also had some freshly baked muffins for a "snackie".

Good stuff. If you need a refueling stop, I'd suggest giving this little stand a try. AND....there's public restrooms right next to them, which is always a welcome sight when you're out on city walkabout.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Liverpool/Elizabeth Street(s) corner of Hyde Park

Restaurant Name: Mrs. MacQuarie's Chair....the little hot dog stand

Another "quickie tip" from pchamlis......

If you've been hanging around Mrs. MacQuarie's Chair taking pictures, and find yourself hungry, you migh wonder to yourself...

"I wonder if the food is OK over at that little hot dog stand?"

Well, the short version of the answer is YES. The food is tasty takeaway, and there's a pretty decent little variety. There are meat pies (as everywhere...although I'd go somewhere like Harry's Cafe de Wheels to try Aussie pies...), hamburgers, hot dogs, various "cut sandwichs" and all sorts of liquid refreshments. I THINK they had beer, too, but I didn't get any on my visit.

Anyway, it's just a little stand, nothing special. But if you're hungry and don't want to walk back to Cowper Wharf or over to the Opera House/Circular Quay areas, you can put the feedbag on here. : )

Favorite Dish: They had good hot dogs, a variety of crisps (potato chips to we Americans) and some other sandwich offerings.

BTW, I also was introduced to another Aussie candy favorite after finishing my hot dog....

Tim Tams. They're a little bit like a cross between the American candy bars Kit-Kats and Twix. Tasty little chocolate cookie-covered goody. Give 'em a whirl. They're nowhere near as good as a Cherry Ripe Bar, but they'll do in a pinch. ; )

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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Right AT MacQuarie's Chair
Directions: Walk down Mrs. MacQuarie's Road, beyond the Botanic Gardens, out to the point and MacQuarie's Chair. Then, turn around and look up on the hill, beside a bunch of big ficus trees. : )