Chinta Ria Mood for Love (Sydney)

On a busy Thursday night leading to the Christmas shopping week, we caught up with a friend from Canberra for a meal at Mood For Love in Westfield Sydney – a new venture of Chinta Ria. We got seated outside of the rather dimmed dining room.

The excellent fried chicken entrée gave us an exciting start of the meal. The reputed beef rendang was available – meat was tender and the sauce went very well with the fragrant coconut rice. The cassava cake was simple and not too sweet.

Given its prime location, the girls went straight to shopping after…

Details:
Chinta Ria Mood for Love
Westfield Sydney
Level 6, Shop 6009
188 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.chintamoodforlove.com/

Daruma (Sydney)

Daruma is a Japanese restaurant up on the first floor in a commercial building at the edge of Chinatown. It is a popular place among the Japanese locals in Sydney, shown by restaurant full of diners.

The quality of food reflects its popularity. Prices are tiered from $2.90 to $9.90. A good variety of dishes are available from sushi, sashimi, okonomiyaki, and noodles. The fried dishes and gyoza were particularly good. With a whole table of food, dinner cost less than a visit to the sushi train for us.

Details:
Daruma Japanese Restaurant
Level 1, Prince Centre
8 Quay Street
Haymarket 2000

Pony Lounge & Dining (Neutral Bay)

We visited Pony at Neutral Bay for breakfast, our second visit to the group after our dinner at Pony The Rocks earlier this year.

The food was flawless and innovative. We definitely found the dishes to be a step up from the typical big breakfast served at many cafes in the north shore. The Spanish omelette was perfectly seasoned and well balanced by the rocket leaves, while the toasted brioche worked perfectly with the poached berries and custard curd. Service felt slightly rushed considered the need of a slow Sunday breakfast.

Details:
Pony Lounge & Dining Neutral Bay
Shop 2, 19-25 Grosvenor St 
Neutral Bay
NSW 2089
http://www.ponydining.com.au/pony_neutral_bay.htm

Azuma (Sydney)

We took a friend on a business trip to the original Azuma restaurant at Chifley Tower on Friday night. Conveniently located in the CBD and right opposite the hotel in which our friend was staying, the restaurant still provided the attentive service and had quite a few business diners that night.

The highlight food-wise was the stirred fried abalone and scallop which was perfectly complimented by the mushroom absorbing the sweetness of the seafood from the butter sauce. The tender pork belly was also excellent and went well with rice.

Details:
Azuma
Chifley Plaza
Level 1, 2 Chifley Square
http://www.azuma.com.au/chifley/home.php

Prime Steak Restaurant (Sydney)

Prime Steak Restaurant is my favourite steakhouse in Sydney. Situated at the corner of the basement at the GPO building, I always find the secluded dining room the perfect place for a dinner for two.

On a Friday night we decided to go all out and have the $295 full blood 9+ wagyu chateaubriand for two. The steak was amazingly soft yet full of flavour. It was not as fatty as we anticipated but still good. I would suggest the 6+ F1 wagyu chateaubriand to be better value. Make sure you have the silky smooth potato puree on the side.

Details:
Prime Steak Restaurant
GPO
Lower Ground Level, 1 Martin Pl 
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.gposydney.com

Bavarian Bier Café (Crows Nest)

We went to the newly opened Bavarian Bier Café at Crows Nest, at the former Counter Burger site, for a weeknight dinner. The newly refurbished restaurant matches the décor of the rest of the chain, with a bar at the centre anchoring the long benches and roomy booths. Service was polite and attentive.

The food was consistent to my other experience at Bavarian – generous portions of sausages, pork knuckle, schnitzel and other German fare. The pork knuckle was huge, not too salty (which we liked) but the meat was slightly dry. We will come back for the schnitzel challenge…

Details:
Bavarian Bier Café Crows Nest
118 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest
NSW 2065
http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com