Hugos Manly - great view, shame about the food

We were planning on catching up with friends at Hugos Manly wharf last night, however work commitments meant they couldn't make it.  We'd been to Manly a few days earlier and checked out Hugos while we were there, and given the beautiful setting on the waterfront we decided we'd keep the booking anyway.

We arrived right on time for our reservation, however chose to wait for a spot to come free on the windowsill looking out to the harbour. We had a couple of drinks while we waited and enjoyed the after-work social atmosphere.

We'd read that Hugos was awarded Best Pizza in Australia 2010, so figured we'd better have pizza for dinner.  I had scallops for starters (looked lovely, but essentialy had no flavour), Simon had the prawns, which funnily enough, also seemed to be somewhat lacking in flavour.

Next we had the Kingfish pizza and the Mushroom pizza.  Both looked lovely, but had an unexpected sweetness to them that we concluded must have been lemon. All in all, these were also fairly bland to taste.

We did have cocktails - both of which were lovely.  We'd heard good things about the dessert pizzas but after we'd dubbed our meal 'bland, bland, bland' we decided to skip dessert.  The funniest part of the evening came when the waitress cleared our main course dishes and asked how everything was. I paused, and emphatically stated 'it was OK'.  To which she laughed.  Very genuinely and heartily she laughed.  Hmm.  Guess they don't really care whether or not you enjoy the food after all.

Anyway, the setting was truely lovely, the cocktails good.  But I'd suggest not bothering with the food.

Cafe Sydney - amazing buzz, views & food

One of the restaurants we were determined to go to while in Sydney, based on a couple of recommendations from friends and from what we saw on their website, was Cafe Sydney, at the top of Customs House overlooking circular quay.  I booked this one from home, knowing that you can't usually get a table without a reservation.

The first thing that strikes you as you exit the lift and enter the almost alternate reality of Cafe Sydney is the incredible vibe and sophisticated party atmosphere of the place.  The bar area is enormous - bigger than the restaurant at a guess, and furnished in a manner I can't help but call 'hip'.

We were lead through the throngs of suited gatherings, had the steps pointed out to us (they must have heard about me and steps!), and wound our way through the restaurant and out to the balcony (we'd requested a table outside - knowing that the views are amazing and that blankets are provided should you be cold).

We started with a shared garlic naan bread (they seemed to do naans as their starting bread offering), then waited quite a while for our entrees to arrive.  (And funnily enough, although the wait (which was close to an hour) frustrated me at the time, the whole experience was so good that I had forgotten about it until now).  I had the Morton Bay Bug salad.  This was fantastic - so full of flavour, with a touch of avocado and fresh citrus. I'm not sure that I've had bugs before, but I would certainly have them again.

Simon had Peppered Tuna & Veal Carpaccio - this was beautifully presented and very flavoursome.

For mains - Simon had the S.A. Jewfish and I had the Queensland Grilled Prawns.  Both were lovely, my prawns were the biggest I've ever seen.

Simon had the special dessert - a mango & coconut trifle with mango sorbet and sesame crisp - absolutely delicious!

I had the Dark Chocolate Pave, which was exactly what I was hoping it would be (sorry about the over exposed ice cream scoop in the picture).

We had a fabulous evening, thoroughly enjoyed the friendly and polished service, the vibe of the venue, the amazing views and the wonderful food.  Yes we would dine here again, and yes we are recommending it to anyone visiting Sydney and wanting a classy meal in a fabulous location.

Sydney WildlifeWorld

Sydney WildlifeWorld is located next to the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour and has lots of wildlife from throughout Australia, including Butterflies, Crocodiles, Penguins, Kangaroos, Koalas, Snakes, Giant Ants and many other critters.  It’s worth a visit.

Relaxing at Manly

Manly is a 30 minute ferry ride (on the standard ferry) from Circular Quay in Sydney CBD, and is like a laid-back beach location.  It is nice place to relax, yet have lots of great cafes and luxuries around.  It is however a very busy location, but it has a great buzz and is still a nice place to visit.

Great Cajun/Creole in Sydney - South Restaurant

One of the things I was hopeful of finding while we were in Sydney was a Cajun/Creole restaurant, knowing that we don't have one at home and with fond memories of the Creole Cafe we found in Launceston (Tasmania) last year.  I was delighted to find South Restaurant online and swiftly made a booking!

I'd read a fair few reviews before we went (there is another Creole restaurant in Sydney (Crows Nest) however South seemed to have better reviews and a more southern focused menu), so knew to expect a fairly tiny space, and based on some of the reviews I was expecting the prices to be a little on the higher side.  Yes it was tiny (but still comfortable) and the prices were absolutely fine - and even better for the fact that we'd turned up on a Monday when all of their hot wings starter items are half price.

We both had the 'Wing-Tips' for entree - this is a tasting plate (ha! it's a very generous taste!) of their hot wings (omg smell the vinegar, taste the spice, to die for!) and BBQ rib tips, served with a blue cheese sauce and fresh, crunchy celery sticks.  We would both go back for this dish alone - absolutely deliicious, and even at full price of $AU16 is a cheap eat. Oh and I appreciate the little details - being provided with a bowl for bones and with refresher towels to clean your hands after you've finished licking all that scrummy goodness off them!

Next we both chose items that we've not had before - Simon going with the Crawfish Etouffe and myself the Shrimp Creole, both with rice.  While we both enjoyed these, Simon wasn't sure that the sauce with the Etouffe was entirely him (but he did completely clean his plate). There were plenty of other items on the menu that we would have love to have tried, but alas, we've managed to fill all of evening meals for the rest of the trip.

The couple sitting next to us heard we were going to look at the dessert menu and strongly recommended we try the Cherry Cobbler a la mode (with vanilla ice-cream) - and then they managed to order the very last cherry cobbler!! So that was sadly not to be.  But Simon had the pecan pie instead - which was fantastic - not too sweet and sticky, but absolutely delicious, and I had the lemon merinque pie which I had read in other reviews was to die for.  It surely was pretty darned good. 

We both left thorougly replete and knowing we'd talk about the meal for months (if not years) to come. The service was relaxed, friendly and welcoming (the hotel had actually stuffed up our booking so we didn't have a reservation after all, but they were incredibly good about this and even phoned their other restaurant to check that the reservation hadn't been made there - and of course they found space for us - phew!).

Thanks South Restaurant, we will be recommending you to anyone visiting (or moving to) Sydney (yes I&G we're looking at you!!!)

Darling Harbour and the Sydney Aquarium

Darling Harbour is a lovely area of Sydney (despite being very touristy) and I love how art is just naturally part of the landscape.

After standing in line for about 15mins to get tickets to the Sydney Aquarium (there is a lesson here in ensuring you buy tickets online prior to arriving) we then made our way into the enormous aquarium where we saw sharks, penguins, turtles, sting rays, coral, jelly fish and lots and lots of other sea life.  It is well worth the visit.

Harts Pub, The Rocks, Sydney

Harts Pub is an iconic pub in The Rocks area of Sydney that has an excellent selection of craft beers.  I thoroughly enjoyed a Byrnes Red Ale and a Porter last night to accompany some lovely char-grilled Kangaroo Skewers. Jane had the Brewers Burger and found this to be good, although the bacon could have done with being cooked for a little longer.

It was a good pub meal, with decent sized portions, and we would happily return.

Night Noodles at Hyde Park, followed by Wine & Cheese in the Hunter Valley

After a great night out at the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Market with friends (and a zillion other people, with huge lines to boot, but an excellent experience none-the-less) on Thursday night, we headed up to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley wine region on Friday (via one cache on the way).  Approximately two hours drive from Sydney, the Hunter Valley comprises myriad vineyards and surprisingly (to me at least) lots of cheese dairies.

The Hunter Valley Cheese Factory was the first dairy we visited and we found a very high calibre of cheese.  I particularly liked their washed rind cheese (which had a nice bite to it) and their blue cheese (that was very light in blue flavour but lovely and creamy).

After checking in at our accommodation on Hermitage Road we headed along the road to Emerson’s at Pokolbin  for lunch. They have only been open for 3 weeks (according to the chef/owner) and are doing tapas style meals.  The duck liver pate was divine and one of the best we have had.  We also had garlic prawns and calamari, both of which were okay although lacked a wow factor.  We were impressed however that the chef/owner came out and asked us what we thought of the meals and took a genuine interest in our feedback.

We then ventured on to Piggs Peake for our first wine tasting and they were okay but nothing noteworthy.  They were very friendly and gave generous tastings.  I do wonder though whether since they were the first vineyard for the day and our first for this region whether I was being overly critical.

DenMar was our second vineyard and there was yet again nothing jumping out at me.  I also found that their Pinot Noirs weren’t to my palate, but I think that may be more so due to me being more in-tune with NZ Pinot Noirs.

Tintilla Estate was my pick of the vineyards on Friday, also helped by the exuberance of the wine salesman.  He was a member of the family and consequently knew lots about their huge selection of wines and was very open to all feedback.  I particularly enjoyed their Semillon 2010  and their Sangiovese 2009.  I also really enjoyed tasting their selection of fortified wines.

We then quickly grabbed a lovely cheddar cheese from Binnorie Dairy before they closed and had a taste of their washed rind cheese (which I enjoyed).  We will return tomorrow for a proper tasting.

Another glorious day in Sydney (but beware the seagulls)

We had another glorious day in Sydney today and started with a train trip out to Single Origin Roasters, which is a very busy little cafe hidden away in a side street in Surry Hills, where we had a lovely breakfast and superb coffee; Jane however wasn’t too fussed with her Chai Latte.  We would happily return.

We then walked along to Harmony Park and found a geocache before jumping onto the free bus that goes around the city and getting off at Circular Quay.  We spent some time people watching and enjoying the lovely day around by the Opera House before heading around to the Rocks.

The Rocks is one of those areas of Sydney I enjoy walking around the streets and looking at the old buildings.  It has a nice feeling, all-be-it quite touristy.

Our stomaches were craving some food so after deciding that most of the restaurants on the waters edge by The Rocks would be a bit too heavy on our wallet for lunch we went to Cruise Bar at the Circular Quay end of the The Rocks promenade and had a lovely lunch, whilst fending away the seagulls and narrowly missing being shat on.  We then were engulfed by hundreds of firemen/women who were preceded by a band.  We have no idea what they were doing there, but it provided a nice buzz.

They keep children in cages in Sydney (and other things we found out today)

After a nice bite to eat (and a good coffee) across the road from our hotel at Bluestone in O’Connell Street we ventured to George Street where Jane noticed that there was brail next to the button to cross the road.  Something so simple, I imagine can be extremely useful.

As were were finding our first geocache for the trip in Lang’s Lawn we even found that they cage children here.  We were however pleased to see that we weren’t the only people looking on very curiously.

We then wandered along to a board game store called The Tin Soldier at 40 York Street that is down in the basement of the building and has an excellent range, where we bought a card game (Backpacker) but may yet return to buy something else.

We then wandeWe then ventured along to the glorious Queen Victoria Building before it was time for Jane to spend ages and ages in a costume jewellery store; she eventually emerged with a couple of items.

Walking through an underground corridor we emerged at Myers and then wandered across to David Jones where the array of ladies shoes was mind-boggling.  After investing in some shoes for Jane we then watched a very serious chess match over at Hyde Park.  After 5 minutes we still hadn’t seen a move taken and the concentration was very intense.  I do like the idea of the outdoor chess set.

After a nice salad for lunch in the lovely Strand Arcade at Strand Expresso we then headed back to the hotel for a bit of R&R before I got bored and wandered along to Custom House (by Circular Quay) where there was a pipe art form just begging for photos to be taken.

I then proceeded from here along to the Opera House and got a bit trigger happy with the camera (as I’m sure most people do) and took the obligatory shots.

I don’t know where we’ll head to for dinner tonight.  We had an excellent meal at the Bavarian Bier Cafe in O’Connell Street last night, with a schnitzel that was ridiculously large finished off with schnapps (a cow bell was even rung as the schnapps arrived, which is apparently tradition).  Perhaps we’ll go to the Japanese restaurant the concierge has recommended.