Sydney Restaurant Tips by aussiedoug

Restaurant Name: Cafe 2000 Gelataria

I have been using this cafe since it first opened approximately 3 and a bit years ago. Tony (Tonino) & his wife Anna are the owner/operators.
I more often than not (till last year when I moved out of the city to take up a Primary School Principal's job) had breakfast there & often bought lunch there. As a Family we also have usually had Friday evening dinner there.
Tony has gained wide acclaim (&deservedly so!) for his handmade gelato. He uses fresh ingredients and they truly are delicious. If you have been lucky enough to enjoy ice-cream at Berthillon's in Paris then you really shouldn't miss the gelato at Cafe 2000!

Favorite Dish: For Breakfast I often have the Firenze Speciali (Florence special), which is 2 poached eggs on English muffins with spinach and a light tomato-ish sauce accompanied with my favourite mocha coffee.
For lunch I often have the Vegetarian Arancini with a serving of Broccoli &, more than likely a mocha (surprise, surprise!)
For dinner, as often the 4 of us eat here on Friday evening, Keely, Bessie & I will have Zucchini Pizza & Broccoli Pizza (by the slice) while Bess & Mum will also have a slice of Mushroom Pizza. To drink, the Limonata San Peelgrino & of course will finish with Tony's famous Gelato. If Kerry & I have coffee this will all come to around $40Aust so those of you trading Euros or U.S. Dollars are really getting good value!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Italian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: Will have to check & add later
Address: Dar;ling Street, Rozelle
Directions: See my off the beaten path tip for Sydney to get bus directions from the city to Rozelle

Restaurant Name: The Italian Village

Just 2 nights ago this was were we had a lovely little VT dinner. Helen (hailun), Berni (BerniShand),her husband Carl (camcorderman) & humble me were in attendance.

To be totally honest the food is good, but I wouldn't rave about it. Now, I don't mean to be critical by saying that just honest. I did enjoy everything I ate, especially the dessert.

The ambience was pretty darned good! Helen thought somewhere around the Quay would be a good spot to have dinner with our British guests & found the website for this place. So here we ended up. We sat at an outside table & were rewarded with a fabulous view across the water to a beautifully lit up Sydney Opera House.

Carl enjoyed the Aussie beer even though Helen couldn't quite understand why he was drinking a Victorian beer (VB) & not a N.S.W. brew. I could understand.

It was a fantastic dinner with excellent conversation going from the silly extreme to the serious extreme with some gr8 humour interspersed. Berni & Carl kept us entertained with their "renovations" stories.

Maybe that's why I didn't notice the food that much as the conversation was just so enjoyable.

Favorite Dish: Those of you who've read my Les Andelys restaurant tip know how much I enjoy my Salmon & again the other night I got to enjoy it once more & get my fill of healthy Omega oils.

I ordered Salmone alla griglia which was chargrilled salmon with warm spanish onion & gree, cherry & pear tomato salad with a basil dressing. Hey what's not to like out of that! With this I had a side dish of Asparigi con parmigiana - asparagus with freshly shaved parmesan.

This was accompanied with a glass of Taylor's Riesling from the Clare Valley of South Australia, the best Riesling producing region of Australia.

To finish the meal perfectly I indulged in dessert. Now I say indulged because I'm on a bit of a diet which means I can only have bad stuff 1 day a week & I hadn't had any all week. Boy, did the Bodino di cioccolato e nocciola hit the spot. Yes, the warm chocolate hazelnut pudding with chocolate fudge sauce & hazelnut ice cream was absolutely delightful. Now don't all you sweettooths just wish you had been there with us?

Leave a Comment

Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: 7 Circular Quay West, The Rocks
Directions: On the left hand side of Circular Quay ( opposite side to the Opera House) walk past the Museum of Contemporary Art on your left, the old Overseas Terminal on your right.Just past that on your left is a row of 3 restaurants. It's the last one.
Website: www.italianvillage.com.au

Restaurant Name: Aria Restaurant

Funny how things happen. I've said that before & will undoubtedly say it again. This wasn't on the agenda at all as I was supposed to be taking my eldest of 3 brothers-in-law (Gavin) to a wine tasting, but for some reason that didn't come off so instead he took me out to dinner.

This place is nothing short of "SUPERB" in every possible way from the moment we walked through the door to the time we left. It is expensive, but boy oh boy you are getting what you pay for here & it is worth every cent. If you can afford to I recommend that you DO NOT PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY OF DINING HERE!!!

My title sums it up perfectly. It oozes class from the moment you step through the door to be met by the maitre' d. The wait staff are elegantly understated in the attention to you with their excellent service in every way. The menu is just perfection & the wine list is almost beyond belief with an excellent balance of Australian & particularly French wines.

After we had ordered we were presented with some "unordered & compimentary" hors d'ouevres" - one each, that were tantalisingly delicious. Also at the end of our meal, after dessert, we were brought petit fours (think I got my French spelling wrong there - please correct me).

I've almost forgotten to mention the view of the Opera House, the Harbour & the Bridge. Click on the photo to get an idea. It's from a postcard-type advertising thing of the restaurant Gavin picked up & gave to me.

Favorite Dish: Prepare yourselves for a mouth-watering few minutes now.

I began with Baked Fig with goat curd salad & cod brandase. Excellent subtle flavours & just the right amount. (A$36)
Gavin began with Lobster Ravioli with citrus burnt butter & baby herbs (A$39) which he enjoyed immensely.
Moving on to the mains & we both ordered the same thing.
Baked Sandwich of King George Whiting with asparagus & truffle dressing (A$49)
Along with this we ordered two sides. One of steamed Broccoli & herb butter & one of Desiree potato & truffle mash.
With this we thoroughly enjoyed every drop of a bottle of 2002 Pouilly-Fume Serge Dageneau from the Loire Valley, France (A$70).

What a magnificent repast so far! But we weren't quite finished. Knowing me as you do you know dessert beckoned & again & I finished my meal perfectly with:
Caramel Cigars & Lemon Curd with a salad of strawberries & strawberry sorbet. It could only have been better if I'd been in Paris & it hand been framboise - raspberries. (A$20).

Check the website & upload the menus & wine lists for yourself to see what you will have when you come to Sydney.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 61 2 9252 2555
Address: 1 Macquarie Street, East Circular Quay
Directions: This is in the first building in Macquarie Street as you come up from the Opera House & Circular Quay.
Website: www.ariarestaurant.com.au
Other Contact: mail@ariarestaurant.com

Restaurant Name: Latte Bros Cafe

After visiting the Bridge Pylon Lookout I needed to have lunch before heading back out of the city.

When you are in the Rocks you are met with a bit of a plethora of choices & quite frankly it's hard to know in advance what will be a tourist trap with rip off prices or what will be reasonable value with reasonable food.

Well I got the latter with Latte Bros' Cafe. Being a lovely spring day it was very enjoyable sitting out on their little verandah overlooking Nurses Walk (there is some historical info behind that name, but that can wait for a future must see tip I think & no I didn't see any nurses. lol!) as it was in the shade, but still warm enough.

The food was quite satisfactory & met my needs of something light enough, but still substantial enough with a fruit juice then followed by my usual Mocha on Soy Milk.

Latte Bros Cafe was a finalist in the 2003 Metropolitan Excellent Coffeeshop Awards & I wonder how they'll go in this year's awards.

They are open for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea & also offer devonshire teas thoughout the day. They have a take away (take out for you Americans) service as well. Also, one of the good things is that they are BYO so you can bring your favourite bottle of Vin Blanc/Vino Bianco or Vin Rouge/Vino Rossi without breaking the bank paying outrageous mark-ups in as you do in licensed restaurants.

Favorite Dish: What I selected on the day for lunch was just what I needed & I was pleased with both the quality & quantity.

I had a very tasty Tuna, asparagus & cottege cheese wrap in crisp tortilla bread served with a green side salad & little cherry tomatoes.

I thought the Apple Juice I had with it was a bit expensive at $3.80, but when it arrived it was a large one & then I thought it wasn't too bad value after all.

My coffee was quite good too. Mind you I think I'm going to have a hard time finding coffee to match that at Cozzi Cafe in Coogee so I have to be careful not too be too hard on these other cafes.

All in all a gr8 little, good value spot in the Rocks for lunch. I would be happy to go back again.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9252 2055
Address: Shop R2 Nurses Walk, The Rocks
Directions: The Nurses Walk runs parallel to Harrington St & Circular Quay (between the two, but I found it off a little walkway going down to Circular Quay from the Bridge.

Restaurant Name: Bar Adyar

Don't be mislead by ny title above as there is a trendy looking cafe right behind St Andrews with lots of glass & chrome, but it is not BAR ADYAR.

Bar Adyar is almost a little "hole in the wall" type cafe & that helps make it all the more interesting. I only stumbled upon it by exiting one of my usual city carparks via the higher Kent St exit & not via the lower Sussex St exit.So, seeing it on the way up, I decided to lunch there on my way back.

Amanda Paine is the delightful proprietress of this gr8 little place. She's a Novocastrian now living in Rozelle. She's a typical Newcastle gal, not only a good sort, but also a gr8 personality, down to earth with a ready smile & laugh.

But what about the food I hear you asking. Don't worry I'll get to that, but the above explains a little of the ambience.

Bar Adyar is open from 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday

Favorite Dish: And so for the food & the above title. Yes, dear reader, healthy eating in what I'd call an oasis because of the construction taking place nearby & the general hustle & bustle of pedesrian & vehicular traffic.

This place not only provides healthy, tasty eating choices on the menu, but is also gr8 value & also serves rather nice coffee (almost up there with Cozzi Cafe at Coogee & you know how highly I rate that - no small praise I'm dishing out here. No pun intended, well not much. lol!)

I enjoyed a Vegetable Frittata with Baby Spinach Salad along with a juice (apples, pink grapefruit & raspberries), finishing off , of course with my customary Mocha on Soy Milk. This came to a total of $12.70 (Australian).Euro users take about 40% off, US$ users take about 23% off & Japanese Yen users take about 20-21% off. Gr8 value indeed. The most expensive item on the menu was $8.50. Pretty good I reckon.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Health Food
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 02 9283 1443
Address: 484 Kent Street, Sydney
Directions: Walk down Bathurst St & turn left at Kent St which is the first one as you walk down the hill. Bar Adyar is on the street level of Theosophy House's Kent St entrance.

Restaurant Name: Portobello Caffe

Click on my attached photo to enlarge it & you'll see what I mean when I say that the view IS the ambience!

I had a late-ish breakfast there this morning & it was a genuine pleasure to sit outdoors ovelooking the waters of Circular Quay & Sydney Harbour while looking at the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge slightly to my left with our other tourist icon, the Opera House about 50m away slightly on my left. To enjoy this on a lovely warm morning with a lovely mild breeze cooling me down just nicely & there's not a lot more you can ask for.

Favorite Dish: The title above alludes to what I had. The "Aussie Breakfast" is $20 and for your $20 (Australian) you get the following:

2 fried eggs,
4 rashers of bacon,
2 halves of tomato,
3 slices of wood fired bread - toasted with butter,
juice of your choice (apple for me)
& either espresso coffee or tea. I actually had a mocha & I was not charged any extra for it even though a mocha is more expensive than an expresso on their menu.

Now I have to be perfectly honest with you. I wouldn't rave about the food. I much prefer either poached or scramble eggs, but neither was a choice either as part of the "Aussie Breakfast" or as a stand alone dish. The coffee was not too bad, but certainly not great. Having said that I am rather fussy when it comes to my tucker (aussiespeak for food) & maybe even more so when it comes to my coffee. I am sure that many people would enjoy that Brekkie much more than I did so I will look forward to any VTers who try this place telling me their honest opinions. We are all individuals after all & see things differently.

You have to order & pay,first & then are given a number after which you find a table, sit down & put your number up on your table. So, if you are 2 or more then, 1 person order & pay while the other/s ges/get the prime position closest to the water. That is if you are a couple. All the table of 4 are back one row from the water's edge. I was lucky as I was looking like I'd be sitting at a 4 tabel, but a lady left while I was procrastinating & I was able to grab that table. Again I say, click on this photo to see, not the remains of my brekkies (lol), but just part of the lovely view I enjoyed.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 61 2 9247 8548
Address: 3 East Circular Quay
Directions: Walking around Circular Quay towards the Opera House you will see a little old red brick building on your left. The first place is the Sydney Oyster bar on the left & Portobello is on the righthand side of that building

Restaurant Name: Obelisk Cafe

This, my seventh restaurant tip matches up with my eighth must see activity where this very good little cafe does indeed overlook the verdant, historic little triangle which is Macquarie Place, named after the man that I believe was the then Colony of New South Wales' most visionary Governor. He was responsible for many of the historic buildings that we can still see today in Sydney.
The ambience here is very much linked to the lovely green, relaxing coolness not so much the history itself. If you want to escape not only the hustle & bustle, but also the higher (tourist oriented) prices of Circular Quay & its eating places then take a less than 5 minute walk & eat with the workers from nearby office blocks & businesses. Learn a little of our history & save yourselves a bit of money while enjoying the best coffee I've found in the city of Sydney. Almost as good as the coffee at Cozzi Cafe in Coogee.

Favorite Dish: Now I can't tell you my favourite dish from here as I only used it as a break from walking, a bit of a brief pit stop, so to speak, to refuel & recharge before continuing on my little journey of exploration.

Of course the vital ingredient in that is good coffee & here I found the best coffee yet in my exploration of the cafes & restaurants of Sydney. The "CALIMA" Colombian coffee served here is lovely. My usual mocha on soy milk was excellent. I also enjoyed a blueberry friand & a large (their standart serving) apple juice. These 3 items came to $10 (Australian).

Their breakfast special of Bacon, 2 eggs on a Vienna roll with juice & either tea or coffee was $9.90 compared to Portobello's $20 Aussie special (which was virtually the same foood & drinks). Mind you I think I would have preferred their "Yummy Pancake with mixed berries, maple syrup & juice & tea or coffee", for a mere $8.90.

Lunch options ranged in price from Salads from $10 to $12& their most expensive lunch item was a Club Sandwich with Turkey & I'm not sure what else as I can't read my scribble from the other morning!!!!

It is table service so grab a comfy spot (all have nice relaxing outlooks) & wait for one of the lovely waitresses to take your order.

All in all a very good value option in a lovely historic spot with excellent coffee!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 61 2 9241 2141
Address: Macquarie Place
Directions: From Circular Quay find Customs House. Walk up the small road on the right hand side of Customs House & all off 30 seconds later you will see the verdant triangle that is Macquarie Place. Obelisk Cafe is the first place with the outdoor seating

Restaurant Name: Beanbah Espresso

Dare I say yet again, "funny how things happen"? But I have to because I set out to have lunch at Beuno Vista Cafe on Level 14 of the Law Courts building with fabulous views & good value food, but it was way too busy when I got there & didn't have time.....,

So I ended up right next door at street level at this little gem of a place that I've walked past before, but never gone in.

Wasn't too busy so knew my limited time would fit in nicely so in I went to be greeted by either the manager of owner with real personality & character. Not only him (who may have been of Italian, Greek or Lebanese descent), but also the wait stuff had the gr8 Aussie attitude to relaxed openness & friendliness. Often this attitude can result in service also being a little laid back, but not here. It was spot on!

Things I like about this place:-

The food, so read on below.

The service with a smile & a good amount of attentiveness. Let me elaborate on that. They actually asked when I ordered whether I wanted my coffee straight away or later on. Most places I have to specify later on as they automatically bring it out straight way, often with the cold drink you've ordered. Not only that, but I was asked just a few minutes before finishing my meal, if I would like my coffee then received just as I was swallowing the last mouthful ...., excellent timing. Not often you get that at a down to earth eating place such as this

Speaking of coffee, they stock Calima Cafe de Colombia coffee just as Obelisk Cafe in Macquarie Place does & I find it very good indeed.

I will definitely be going back here again & I recommend that you give it a go if you are in this part of town during your stay.

Favorite Dish: You are beginning to understand that I enjoy my tucker & that I am a little bit on the fussy side without being too picky. I enjoy risotto as a dish, but frankly have had a lot of rather ordinary ones. Not the case at Beanbah. I chose the Chicken & Asparague Risotto. It was a beautifully creamy risotto, but not too liquidy & had a reasonable amount of chicken & asparagus. It was an ideal amount for lunch too. Very enjoyable indeed.

I had a cold drink (had been walking extensively though Hyde Park for a couple of hours in the sun) of Splitrock lightly carbonated Pink Grapefruit drink. And of course, as you've read above a very good coffee.

A couple of points to finish off with.
No credit cards so cash only. They are open from earlyish breakfast through to late afternoon. They provide free jugs of water (too many don't)

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 61 2 9231 5555
Address: Shop 1, 235 Macquarie Street
Directions: Almost at the sthn end of Macquarie St where it meets Hyde Park. It is almost directly opposite the Hyde Park Barracks Museum.
Other Contact: 61 2 9389 3194 (fax no.)

Restaurant Name: Le Renaissance patisserie Francaise

I could easily have been back in Paris sitting out the back in the courtyard enjoying the view of old bricks & sandstone, but with a twist of Sydney as some of the highrise buildings poked above the old skyline enclosing this courtyard. And then there was the greenery that gave this spot added ambience a sense of relaxing & enjoying your food.

So now I must move on to that very topic.

Favorite Dish: Had a "just right" lunch after having visited the Museum of Contemporary Art this morning.

So what did I have:

Chicken Chasseur Pie with mixed leaf salad. The pie was very tasty & I say this as definitely not being a "pie type of guy". lol! The mixed leaf salad that accompanied it was very good, substantial in both quantity & quality with a light French mustard cream salad dressing. Often when you get a salad on the plate with your meal they aren't that good, but this one was very good (am I repeating myself? lol! sorry!)

But then I saw a young lady coming out with a rather yummy looking piece of cake so I thought I might as well have a little dessert too with my mocha coffee. So, I went back in & after extensive perusal of the selection settled upon the Larme de Gaugin, a
tear-drop shaped cake; crowned by a light creamy mixed berry mousse which is also through the sponge mould & is decorated with mixed berries, today, a half strawberry, a raspberry (Aah the framboise I fell in Love with in Paris, Oct 03) & a blueberry. It was absolutely delicious, light & with such delicate flavour & texture. Check the accompanying photo!

Now you know how good this must have been when I haven't even mentioned the coffee yet! lol! Running out of characters space so suffice to say it was good too. Not matching Cozzi Cafe in Coogee or the Cafe Calima de Clombia of Obelisk Cafe & Beanbah Espresso, but quite good.

Leave a Comment

Theme: French
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 9241 4878
Address: 47 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Directions: If you are heading along George St, towards the Harbour Bridge (north) with Sydney Cove -Circular Quay on your right then turn left into Argyle St & it's only 20m up on the left.
Website: www.larenaissance.com.au
Other Contact: 9241 4811 (office phone & fax)

Restaurant Name: Gum Nut Tea Garden

This historic sandstone cottage, with the main entrance listed as the address below, combines enjoyable food with a modern edge, a leafy courtyard garden in which you can almost forget you are in a bustling city.

Speaking of which, click on my attached photo to enlarge it. That was my view from my table of choice at the Gumnut Tea Garden. Not bad considering it's in the very busy Rocks part of the city. Very relaxing spot to enjoy breakfast or lunch.

Now a little explanation re' the title of this tip. Snugglepot & Cuddlepie were the central characters in May Gibbs who, through her books, aimed to engender in children her own love of nature. These two were the Gumnut Babies who had battles against "The Bad Banksia Men".

Favorite Dish: Have only been here the once having breakfast before beginning a busy morning's explorations of the city. If you've read a few of my "brekkie" tips I'm sure you have guessed that I had eggs of some description.

And, yes you are correct. On this occasion it was 2 poached eggs with 2 slices of wholemeal toast & of course accompanied with a Mocha coffee. The eggs were good with lovely rich orange coloured yolks. There's nothing I dislike more (when eting eggs that is. lol!) than to be presented with pale yellow yolked eggs. YUK. So, very pleased with these eggs. Coffee was quite good too.

Must go back & give it a try for lunch to give you a more indepth guide.

If you are staying in The Rocks then definitely give it a try for either breakfast or lunch.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 61 2 9247 9591
Address: 28 Harrington Street, The Rocks