Cornersmith Cafe (Marrickville Sydney)

On a lazy Saturday, we chose Cornersmith Café at Marrickville for brunch. It is a popular café so do prepare for a 15 minute wait.

I had the ham sandwich on special and the highlight was the pickled vegetables which was a perfect complements to the main fillings. The freekeh salad with hazelnuts, pickles and a soft boiled egg was also delicious and made a great start to the weekend.

Details:
Cornersmith Café
314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
http://www.cornersmith.com.au/

Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)

We have made Osteria Francescana the main dining event of our honeymoon trip. We chose to stay at Bologna, which is a 45 minute train trip from the restaurant’s town of Modena.

The classic menu offers a twist to all the regional cuisine and ingredients. Every dish was a highlight but my favourites would be the “5 ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different temperatures and textures” (self-explanatory), “all the tongues in the world” (very tender veal tongue with exciting choice of sauces), and “foie gras crunch with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar” (best pre-dessert I have had).

World #3 ranking well deserved.

1. Tempura with carpione
2. An eel swimming up the Po River
3. Caesar salad in Emilia
4. Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different temperatures and textures
5. Cotechino 365 days a year
6. Snails under the earth
7. All the tongues of the world
8. Foie gras crunch with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena
9. A potato waiting to become a truffle


Details:
Osteria Francescana
Via Stella 22
Modena, Italy
http://www.osteriafrancescana.it/

Your Place Dining (North Sydney)

Catching up with friends on a Friday night, we decided to stay local and went to Your Place Dining. The restaurant operates as a café during the day and a fine dining Thai restaurant at night.

We always judge our Thai restaurant by the duck red curry. This particular one did not disappoint offering a generous portion of duck with nice, thick gravy. Do try the salmon soufflé for entrée which gives an interesting texture for a fish dish – I liken it to an hybrid of fish ball and marshmallow.

Details:
Your Place Dining
182 Blues Point Rd
Corner Blues Point Road and Victoria Street
McMahons Point
http://yourplacedining.com.au