Postcards and Morsels from Our Sydney Trip - Day 1

Postcards and Morsels from our Sydney Trip - Day 1

Frangipani bloom in Peter's mother's garden

When my Twitter friend and fellow food enthusiast, Karen Lateo @VanityFare1, learned that Peter and I had planned a quick trip to Sydney after visiting Warilla and Wollongong, she threw herself into gear and organised what would be an outstanding itinerary of food tasting and dining. I've compiled our trip and the event into a series of postcards and morsels, starting with lunch at Bombora Seafood Restaurant on the Wollongong Harbour.

Wollongong...

Bombora Seafood Restaurant is a venue we visit regularly in Wollongong and always enjoy. It has a friendly, busy vibe and great setting.

The food is good! I chose the Vietnamese Prawn Salad... delicious, refreshing and light after all that festive eating!

Pelicans relax on the harbour, reminding us to unwind and enjoy the fresh salty air and lull of the seaside

The Harbour front at Wollongong

On to Sydney...

Next stop, Sydney. Coffee is an essential part of life for us! Before meeting up with our tour guide, Karen, we pop in to Reuben Hills in Surry Hills and try one of their Salted Caramel milkshakes, which was referred to by @Gosstronomy on Twitter as 'sweet Jesus, that's good'. Indeed, it was not bad at all. We would like to try the Dogg's Breakfast next time, which is an ice cream sandwich with a serve of the salted caramel ice cream. Reuben Hills opened on New Year's day and was two years in the making, according to Nathan Borg, who co-owns the establishment with Russell Beard. 'We have created a place where we can roast and cup; a great place for people to come for coffee and food, and a great place for us to work'. Visit the web site for more information.

Reuben Hills in Albion Street, Surry Hills

Nathan Borg at Reuben Hills, coffee roastry and cafe. 'We wanted to create a great place for people to come to and for us to work'.

And so, The Tour begins... day one

Karen picked us up outside The Sebel and our two-day Sydney tasting and dining tour began. We started at Fratelli Fresh, in Danks Street, however (note to self), no photographs are allowed without advance notice and the prior written approval of management. The produce is very good. For Canberra readers, it is 'Wiffens' quality. There are three levels, which include a very busy cafe, Sopra, and cooking classes. 

Next stops were Sonoma Bakery and then Danks Street Depot, where we enjoyed a coffee and shared a superb bread and butter pudding! Then on to the mind blowing 'fine family butcher', Victor Churchill, in Woollahra. If you haven't been, you must indulge your senses and visit! And make sure you try the Biltong Wagyu.

As you will see from popping in to the web site, Victor Churchill's is quite an experience. The store offers butchery and cooking classes, gourmet seminars and tours of the shop. All of the staff are qualified butchers and/or chefs and the produce on sale (both fresh and cooked) is simply amazing.

Victor Churchill, 'fine family butcher', established 1876

Chef (ex Bathers Pavilion and Bird Cow Fish) and butcher Darren O'Rourke, busy doing his thing at Victor Churchill. He loves working here.

Confit of carrots ready to take home. Oh my, the aromas!

French trained chef, Romeo Baudouin, braising carrots. Romeo produced charcuterie for Harrods in London and also worked with some of the best in Sydney, including Guillaume

Traditional maple glazed ham. Sensational! The recipe is available on the Victor Churchill web site.

Chef and slicer, Luke Twemlow, provides expert culinary advice to shoppers

A visit to Jones the Grocer was on the agenda and I had promised to pick up some cacao for a fellow Canberra blogger.

Peter hadn't yet experienced the Sydney Fish Market, so we enjoyed a whirlwind tour of the stores and then sat by the water to devour some freshly shucked (unrinsed) oysters for afternoon tea. Delicious!

Freshly shucked (unrinsed) oysters at the Sydney Fish Market

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Osteria Balla

On Friday evening, we treated ourselves to a meal at Osteria Balla, Stefano Manfredi's latest venue at The Star, a contemporary, 'fresh and fun' restaurant where he promises (and delivers) 'simple dishes cooked with great ingredients'. Here is a snapshot of just some of the dishes we enjoyed.

As guests enter the dining room at Stefano Manfredi's Osteria Balla, they are greeted with a display of fresh seafood

We start with bread and fine olive oil

Followed by an assortment of salumi with Balla grissini

And then Cecina al Forno, baked chickpea tart topped with percorino... delicious

Wood grilled fish of the day - smoky King George Whiting served with salsa verdi, salmoriglio. I enjoyed a seriously good insalata with this.

Maccheroncini, gamberi di fiume e sesamo: maccheroncini with butter, parmesan, yabbies and sesame seeds (I vote this 'the star')

Cassata al pistaccio: pistachio and caramel cassata - a lovely not too heavy finish to the meal

The verdict: an amazing and delicious day, which concluded with a superb meal at Osteria Balla. Thanks so much to Stefano Manfredi and his very knowledgeable and attentive team. And many thanks also to our wonderful tour guide, Karen Lateo.