» Sydney - East @ Not Quite Nigella

Category Archives: Sydney - East

Eating adventures in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney

Glick’s cakes & bagels at Bondi

When I was growing up, my best friend lived at Bondi Beach so I know all about the fantastic Jewish delis and the Paris cake shop (the place to go for cakes way back then and probably still is). I have an affinity for Jewish food, I am not sure why but perhaps it’s because her mum was so lovely to me that I felt like I was part of the family. Glick’s, founded by Mendel Glick, operating since the 1960s in Melbourne turns out some of the best real bagels (filled or unfilled), as well as an assortment of cakes, pizza, ready made foods and pastries. Reportedly turning out about 70,000 boiled bagels a week, it was a business built on the humble bread. Mendel Glick is in his 80s but still works at his business 6 days a week. I’ve made real boiled bagels before and they were absolutely the real deal - there is no comparison to a real boiled bagel to the bagel imposters out there, you know the ones I mean, that are merely round rolls with a hole in the centre.

$Glick\'s at Bondi Cheese Danish$

Walking through the plastic PVC strip panels in the entranceway we see that on the right there is a display of various types of biscuits which you help yourself to with the tongs and pay per weight. I came in merely to perv and buy a bagel today but am lured by the selection of Jewish food on offer. Your Honour, I didn’t mean to purchase but if you show me Gefilte fish, cheese blintzes and salmon patties you know I’m going to have to buy some. Indeed my husband who thinks I have just popped in to buy a couple of bagels simply rolls his eyes. I choose a few things and they pack them up for me. Things are ludicrously cheap with bagels at 90c-$1 each, gefilte fish patties for $1.60 up to a massive cabbage roll for the princely sum of $5.

$Glick\'s at Bondi Salmon Patty$

Spicy salmon patty ($2.25)

12 comments | May 30, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Tea Inn Taiwanese Fast Food & Tea House at Kingsford

If you start to see a pattern of me reviewing restaurants around the Kingsford way, you are indeed sensing a theme. My husband and I are houseminding for my parents who live in the Eastern Suburbs and we thought that while we were here, we might take advantage of the fascinating eatery studded strip of Anzac Parade.

Tea Inn is a Taiwanese Fast Food and Tea House that I haven’t been to for years. It’s just the order this one afternoon when we need to eat something sustaining but quickly. I don’t eat McDonalds so this is the next best thing. It’s full with students and young people no doubt from the nearby university.

Bubble Pearl tea is like the Coke of Asia, the chewy fat pearls of tapioca sucked up through the fat straws in a satisfying way. My husband loves these so we order the most interesting coffee combination: Pomegranate Coffee with pearls $3.80. We also ask what is good and authentically Taiwanese. The waitress suggest the Sa Cha Beef and rice ($8) and the deep fried chicken in salt and pepper with noodles ($8). For dessert we choose a shaved ice dessert topped with peanuts, sweet lotus seed and black plums for $5.80 (any of the sweet toppings can be ordered in a singular shaved ice for $4.80 each). The menu is huge and seafood dishes top the range at $14-$15 whilst other meats such as chicken or pork dishes are $12 and there are also Laksas ($9.5) and noodle dishes ($8) as well as 2 pages of drinks and desserts of the shaved ice variety.

There are even $5 dishes such as pork mince on rice for the truly frugal and a ridiculously cheap afternoon tea menu featuring dishes from $4.80-$7.50 which includes a drink.

Pomegranate Coffee with pearls $3.80

We’ve asked them to hurry as I need to make a beauty appointment and within minutes, our dishes are making their way to the table. The Pomegranate coffee is surprisingly delicious and lightly tinged pink. It’s not particularly strong in pomegranate flavour though but it is good-it reminds me of Japanese iced coffee or coffee jelly. Curiously, the cups of water we ask for are a little salty in taste!

13 comments | May 24, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

The Market versus Supermarket produce challenge

It’s no secret that there is a trend towards moving away from buying fruit and veg from the supermarket and buying it from greengrocers or specialist fruit and vegetables shops. We’ve all heard of the apples being in the deep freeze for months before reaching the supermarket shelves and the proof is in the eating and the staying power. Whatever you’ll buy from the supermarket will last less than a week while you’ve paid a premium price. The point was really hammered home to me when I started buying produce from Kirribilli markets. It was a revelation. My lettuce lasted for ages without going brown and shrivelled. The avocadoes ripened quickly and beautifully and when I sliced them open there was not a speck of black, only the most gorgeous unblemished green. The Spanish onions were cheap and lasted for weeks, perhaps more but we used them all. If I could buy all of F&V there I would but since they’re only at Kirribilli once a month, I’m left to fend for myself in the F&V wilderness.

Kirribilli markets

When I heard that Flemington markets had set up a markets to you delivery service where they delivered to you a box of fresh F&V for $45 I was curious. $45 is the Movers box, ideal for couples. There is also a Standard box suited to a family of 4 for $55 and a Family box which is 1.5 times the size of the Standard box for $68, all delivery costs included. I never get out to Flemington markets, it’s too far away and they close too early on weekends for me. So this was the next best thing. And I love being a guinea pig so I was eager to try this service.

Ordering was fairly easy, they have a website where you specify which items you want and don’t want and then pay online. You can also choose 1/2 size, full size or double size serves of a particular fruit or veg. There was a glitch in the payment area, I didn’t get the chance to put in my credit card but the website thought that I did. A customer service person Patty rang me that afternoon to take my credit card number and she gave me some hints as to how to order. She suggested taking out celery and lettuce and items that take up a lot of room. I told her that I really love baby spinach, mixed salad leaves and rocket and a function where I could put a preference for certain items would be useful. She let me know that I would receive an email asking for feedback and that I should put that in.

My haul $45

One thing I did have issue with was the courier, Fastway couriers. I’ve previously had very bad experiences with them as our intercom doesn’t work all of the time and despite being given instructions to call us they never do so we don’t get our packages. I expressed my concerns to Patty and she said that she would try and get one of their own delivery people to deliver it to me. She called back later saying that she wasn’t able to get them to deliver to our area on that day but she had put a large note on top with our number and not to leave it at the door.

The note about the intercom, of course ignored by the courier …

And of course you guessed it, on the day of delivery, Fastway just left the box downstairs at the front door without calling us. Luckily there was no-one wanting a free box of fruit and veg. And of course there is a very clear note on the top saying “CUSTOMER WILL BE HOME ALL DAY, DO NOT LEAVE AT FRONT DOOR. PLEASE CALL XXXX XXX XXX FOR CUSTOMER TO COME DOWN” which was promptly ignored.

I received a 45cms x 30cms x 30cms box about 2/3 rds full (it should have been about 1/2 full). This is what I received, a rather impressive haul I thought:

Apple: 3 x green = 380g
Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g
Baby spinach: 86g bag
Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g
Bean Sprouts: 250g bag
Broccoli: 1 head 384g
Capsicum: 1 red 246g
Carrots: 5x=470g
Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g
Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg
Continental parsley: 1 large bunch
Coriander: 1 bunch
Cucumber: 2x=258g
Eggplant: 1x small=250g
Grapes: 1 bunch 398g
Lemon: 1 large 186g
Lettuce hydro: x1
Mandarins: 6x=510g
Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag
Onion: 1x red=164g
Oranges: 3x=924g
Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental)
Parsnip: 1 large 284g
Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg
Rocket: 92g bag
Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg
Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots
Sweet Potato: 2x =680g
Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g
Zucchini: 2x= 300g

Total cost $45 including delivery -13.8kgs including box weight

I missed out on 1 spanish onion, a lot of baby spinach, rocket and mixed salad and 1 parsnip. However I can’t complain in the slightest as I suspected I had overpacked my shopping list. However as I mentioned, a facility where you can rate the importance of the items would be useful as I would have happily ditched the oranges, some potatoes or chinese cabbage for my beloved salad leaves.

Rocket with brown spots (1/4 was unmarked)

After 4 days

Capsicum with worm-organic without the benefits

As the week went on, I noticed that some items went bad quite quickly, a mandarin turned black within 3 days, my one and only red capsicum had a large worm boring through it (yes I heard from my vegetarian in laws that it means that it’s closer to being organic but do I care? I needed to go to the store now to buy a replacement for the dinner party), the rockmelon started to go bad after 3 days, most of the rocket had brown spots on it and a tomato started to go bad after 4 days.

After 1 or 2 days

The worst item (apart from the capsicum with the ghastly worm) was probably the hydro lettuce which I tried to eat a day or two after receiving it only to find that it had brown spots all over it and I could only salvage a tiny handful of the entire lettuce.

After 1.5 weeks most of the items had started to deteriorate so I wouldn’t necessarily use this for a 2 week shop like some people might want to. The items that remained in good condition for a 2 week period were the sweet potatoes, chinese cabbage, cucumber, apples, parsley, grapes, lemon and onion.

I am in two minds about ordering again. Quite frankly if they are going to use Fastway Couriers I think I’d hold off until the body corporate fixes the intercom (and knowing body corporates, it might be never) . Also the good thing about picking things yourself is that you notice the little things and you take care and time and pick the best produce yourself-I could tell from the start that the red capsicum that it wasn’t quite right. I had a potato that was burnt on one end that could easily have been seen had I packed it myself. They have a refund policy if you find that your F&V isn’t up to scratch, you photograph it and send them the pic but you may get sick of taking pictures of bad fruit and vegetables.

Potato with burnt part

In any case, I contacted them to let them know my feedback and they gave me a $7 credit for the substandard fruit and vegetable. When I asked if the credit could be in the form of a refund they agreed to that but said that it would be 3-4 weeks before it appeared. Patty also told me that they were no longer using Fastway Couriers for the North Shore as they had received a lot of complaints about them in this area so instead, her husband would take over the deliveries but would only be able to do Thursdays. So there is hope!

There is an offer, if you mention someone that has referred you, you will get $10 off your first order and the referee also receives $10 off their next order so feel free to mention “Lorraine Elliott”!

Coles

To buy this from Coles it would have cost me:

Apple: 3 x green = 380g $1.51
Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $1.72
Baby spinach: 86g bag $1.72
Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.82c
Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.89
Broccoli: 1 head 384g $0.91
Capsicum: 1 red 246g $1.47
Carrots: 5x=470g $1.16
Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $2.48
Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $2.96
Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.98
Coriander: 1 bunch $1.98
Cucumber: 2x=258g $0.76c
Eggplant: 1x small=250g $2.48
Grapes: 1 bunch 398g (black Muscats were on sale at my Coles) $1.58
Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.64c
Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.68
Mandarins: 6x=510g $1.50
Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $1.98
Onion: 1x red=164g $0.81c
Oranges: 3x=924g $4.60
Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.98
Parsnip: 1 large 284g $2.55
Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $5.35
Rocket: 92g bag $1.83
Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $3.48
Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.88
Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $1.34
Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $4.90
Zucchini: 2x= 300g $1.19

Total: $61.13

And as friendly as the Coles F&V guy is, the produce does look a bit sad at times but the proof is in the lasting and it certainly doesn’t last very long. This is my local Coles at Warringah Mall, obviously there will be slight differences in price according to area.

Woolworths

To buy the same box from Woolworths it would have cost me:

Apple: 3 x green = 380g $1.89
Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $1.71
Baby spinach: 86g bag $2.22
Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.86
Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.78
Broccoli: 1 head 384g $1.52
Capsicum: 1 red 246g $1.47c
Carrots: 5x=470g $0.79
Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $1.85
Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $2.98
Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.98
Coriander: 1 bunch $1.98
Cucumber: 2x=258g $1.28
Eggplant: 1x small=250g $1.99
Grapes: 1 bunch 398g $2.20
Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.92c
Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.24
Mandarins: 6x=510g $2.02
Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $2.84
Onion: 1x red=164g $0.81c
Oranges: 3x=924g $3.66
Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.98
Parsnip: 1 large 284g $2.55
Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $4.63
Rocket: 92g bag $2.66
Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $4.97
Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.98
Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $2.02
Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $4.90
Zucchini: 2x= 300g $1.43

Total: $65.11

Woolworths is definitely the more expensive of the two supermarkets although they do push the “Fresh Food” line a bit. They also have white corn and I have to say their produce looks a bit better than Coles, however I rarely buy from Woolworths so I don’t know what the lasting power is like. We priced this at Woolworths Neutral Bay (note: not such a hot pick up joint any more!)

Paddy’s Markets

Paddy’s Markets

To buy it from Paddy’s markets, it would have cost me:

Apple: 3 x green = 380g $0.38c
Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $0.35c
Baby spinach: 86g bag $0.86c
Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.77c
Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.20
Broccoli: 1 head 384g $0.76
Capsicum: 1 red 246g $0.49c
Carrots: 5x=470g $0.47c
Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $1
Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $1.50
Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.50
Coriander: 1 bunch $1.50
Cucumber: 2x=258g $0.26c
Eggplant: 1x small=250g $0.75c
Grapes: 1 bunch 398g $1.39
Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.30c
Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.00
Mandarins: 6x=510g $0.91c
Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $1.00
Onion: 1x red=164g $0.32c
Oranges: 3x=924g $1.37
Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.00
Parsnip: 1 large 284g $1.42
Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $1.42
Rocket: 92g bag $0.92c
Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $1.50
Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.20
Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $0.68c
Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $0.87c
Zucchini: 2x= 300g $0.30c

Total: $27.39

However with a lot of Paddy’s fruit and vegetables, a lot of it is slightly bruised and in some cases on it’s last legs. I never buy things like tomatoes there. Things such as eggs and noodles and fresh herbs aren’t bad but generally you’re getting end of line produce and diving into the crowd is an experience in itself. It is however terribly cheap so you balance the crowds and potential for short shelf life F&V with price. Paddy’s Markets is also only open Thursday-Sunday and we went to do our price check on Sunday afternoon, when the prices were at the lowest.

Paddy’s Markets

Flemington Direct: http://flemingtondirect.com.au/

Paddy’s Markets: open Thursday-Sundays. Hay Street, Haymarket Sydney: http://www.paddysmarkets.com.au/

28 comments | May 7, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Restaurant Balzac at Randwick for Birthday Dinner

There are some advantages to having a mid-week birthday. Usually I feel lucky if my birthday falls on a Saturday, thus making it easier to plan my birthday. However this only happens once every 7 years. One advantage to having a mid-week birthday is spreading out your birthday dinners to cover two weekends, thus prolonging your “Mememe It’s MY birthday” moment.

I’m not one of those people who hates celebrating my birthday like my mother in law, or one that doesn’t care about my birthday like my husband, an attitude borne out of being given rocks from the back garden for his 10th birthday present from well meaning alternative parents. It’s an unashamed “ME” fest and I am trying to coax the inner kid out of my husband and make him love celebrating his birthday too by giving him a full birthday weekend of activities and surprises and loads of gifts. I think I’m getting him to like Christmas too, he was also traumatised by a Christmas gift box of toilet cleaning supplies from his mum received about 8 years ago so he was similarly unenthusiastic about Christmas. My aim is to have him as enthused about birthdays and Christmas as I am.

So with my friends Teena, Philippe, Gina and Hot Dog, we decide on Balzac. Housed in a lovely sandstone building that has previously housed a Pizza Hut for over 10 years and changed hands many times over, it’s finally settled on Balzac. The 2 hatted restaurant featured in the SBS show Heat in the Kitchen was one that we’ve always been meaning to go to but for some reason never have. The couple Matthew Kemp (ex Banc chef) and Lela Radojkovic were living in their parent’s garage while the restaurant was starting up, giving us a glimpse into the hard life of a restaurateur and we shared their relief when they got their first hat and now they have their second.

The main thing when dining with this particular group of friends is the service. Hot Dog is one of those patrons that loves to make friends with the waiter or waitress but on his terms. He loves to cajole and tease them and try and get them to give him something for free or refer to an item as “Item 24 dollars”, and this is especially true when we visit expensive restaurants . Some waiting staff have been unsure how to deal with him slinking away uncomfortably with a scared expression on their face but some just laugh along with him and tease him right back which he loves. So it’s fortunate tonight that our waitress Yasmin is extremely lovely and seems to be a deft hand at dealing with Hot Dog. She has him eating out of the palm of her hand.

There are 6 mains to choose from and between the 6 of us we manage to sample 4 of them. Hot Dog is the only one to order an entree and I have a quick peek at the dessert menu which looks promising.

Our Amuse Bouche is the first to arrive and it’s a fennel veloute with harissa foam atop served with a salmon croquette. The tiny cup of soup is lovely and creamy and foamy but the harissa, usually a spicy and hot ingredient is very mild with virtually no chili taste to it at all. The salmon croquette is freshly fried and packed with salmon and an instant hit with the table and certainly does it’s job of exciting our tastebuds.

Big man+ small cup - Philippe takes a dainty sip

The accompanying bread is soft and warm, almost like a damper with a slight panini crust to it. It’s delicious and even a confirmed low carber like me takes a roll with the perfect temperature butter.

Smoked Salmon en Papillotes with Vichyssoise Mousse and House Smoked Oyster Vinaigrette $24

Hot Dog’s entree arrives, Smoked Salmon en Papillotes with Vichyssoise Mousse and House Smoked Oyster Vinaigrette. The mousse and potatoes are lighter touches and I expected to taste a more sharp flavour via capers or the usual smoked salmon accompaniments. Nevertheless Hot Dog is a satisfied customer and any grumbles he may have about the size are quickly quietened after his first bite.

Beef Short Rib with Smoked Ox Tongue, White Onion Puree and Mustard Dressing $36

Our mains appear at the same time, starting with Philippe and Gina’s Beef Short Rib with Smoked Ox Tongue, White Onion Puree and Mustard Dressing and it looks impressive. I try some of Gina’s rib and it’s deliciously soft, and prying it from the bone is easy. I wish I had ordered this instantly and the softly textured beef is fragrant and unctuous. The Ox Tongue is very thinly sliced and despite preconceptions of it being chewy, is delicately delicious to eat.

Confit Pork Belly with Shaved Cuttlefish, Chorizo, Chickpeas and Capsicums $35

I try Hot Dog’s Confit Pork Belly with Shaved Cuttlefish, Chorizo, Chickpeas and Capsicums and whilst he isn’t that impressed, Gina and I adore the taste and find it full flavoured and beautifully textured with the slightly crisp on the edge fatty pork belly perfect against the soft capsicums and other flavours. Another dish I wish I had ordered.

Ballontine of Chicken Leg with Pancetta, Potato Fondant, Baby Leeks and Parsley Jus Gras $34

I try some of my husband’s Ballontine of Chicken Leg with Pancetta, Potato Fondant, Baby Leeks and Parsley Jus Gras. It was nice but not as wowing as the other two mains. Granted he only gave me a bit of the actual Ballontine of chicken leg so I didn’t get to try it with the accompaniments which may have been cause for the less favourable comparison.

Barramundi with Duck Confit Rillette, Lentils and Thyme Butter $38

My Barramundi with Duck Confit Rillette, Lentils and Thyme Butter is covered with a foamy thyme butter sauce which is mildly fragrant. The barramundi is beautifully cooked, being slightly undercooked in the centre but not raw so that it is beautifully moist. The piece of fish needs a little more seasoning. The Duck Confit rilette is delicious perfection, soft and stringy in that glorious Duck Confit way and the pebbly lentils provide a textural contrast to the softness of the fish and duck.

Mixed Leaf Salad with Walnut Dressing $7

I try our sides, the Mixed Leaf Salad with Walnut Dressing is full of herbs and mixed leaves but a little light on the dressing.

Roast Sebago Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Thyme and Garlic $8

The Roast Sebago Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Thyme and Garlic sound the most promising and look glisteningly so but the potatoes themselves are awfully starchy and dry inside, they’re like eating roast potatoes that have been sitting under a buffet heat lamp for hours: dry and unappetising.

We take a short break before we’re lured by the dessert menu. Teena and I choose the Chocolate Bombe Alaska with Hazelnuts and Hazelnut Liquer, Gina chooses the Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream and Philippe chooses the Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with ginger ice cream and custard, $2 of which will go to the HeartKids NSW for the month of May.

Pre-dessert: pannacotta with sweetened stewed plums and a praline top

Before our desserts arrive, we are given our pre-dessert which Hot Dog mishears for a Free Dessert which makes him rather happy but he was hoping more for ice cream with chocolate sauce. It’s a pannacotta with sweetened stewed plums and a praline top. It’s gorgeously soft with the crunchy praline on top providing the necessary crunch and ending.

Chocolate Bombe Alaska with Hazelnuts and Hazelnut Liquer $17

It’s not long before our desserts arrive and I dig into my Chocolate Bombe Alaska, the outside is nicely singed and spiky like Lisa Simpson’s hair. The inside ice cream is rich with bittersweet chocolate ice cream and it’s surrounded by hazelnut liqeur foam and crushed, roasted hazelnuts.

Our waitress is not happy that my Bombe has arrived sans a birthday candle so she has a word to the kitchen and she brings me out a lit candle with 3 petit fours: a cranberry fudge square, a chocolate fennel fudge square and a Chai truffle. It’s a lovely little touch to make me feel special. The Chai Truffle is very interesting, certainly very heady in scent. The fennel fudge isn’t very strong in fennel and tastes mainly like a rich dark chocolate fudge whereas the cranberry fudge square is lightly flavoured with cranberry resembling a slight cranberry flavoured jersey caramel.

Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream $15

I try Gina’s Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream. Being Canadian she is very well versed in Pumpkin pie and makes a mean pumpkin pie, draining her pumpkin mix for days to ensure that it’s the right consistency. She finds it too spiced for her liking and indeed it is very heady with nutmeg and cinnamon. The pumpkin seed ice cream is delicious, resembling a pistachio ice cream studded with lots of nubbly nuts.

I don’t get to try Philippe’s dessert, he is a little averse to sharing having grown up in a family of boys where mealtimes are a fend for yourself event but I am assured that it was indeed delicious. I adore the little copper pot serving style and mini jug of custard.

As we’re leaving our waitress wishes us a nice night and a Happy Birthday to me again. Hot Dog proclaims the service to be the best he’s ever received and we can see why it won the Silver Service food award from the SMH. High praise indeed for the service fussy Hot Dog!

Restaurant Balzac

141 Belmore Road Randwick NSW 2031
Tel: + 61 2 9399 9660
Fax: + 61 2 9399 6929
Email: restaurantbalzac@tpg.com.au
Web: www.restaurantbalzac.com.au

Open Tuesday through Saturday
Dinner from 6 pm onwards
Fridays for Lunch 12- 3
Last Sunday of Each Month for the Seasonal Degustation Dinner - 6.30pm onwards

15 comments | May 5, 2008 - 8:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Doyle’s takeaway at Watson’s Bay

I’m not terribly fussed about Doyle’s the restaurant. I had a really, really bad meal there several years ago consisting of a boring piece of fish and the lumpiest, driest mashed potatoes I could imagine and from my distant memory I can recall some very soggy vegetables and a pretty big bill so I’ve never really wanted to venture back. One thing that I do go back for consistently is the Doyle’s Fisherman’s Wharf seafood takeaway, specifically the seafood basket. For $16.50 there’s enough freshly fried seafood for two people and it’s not just fish but also prawns, scallops and calamari. We were lent a convertible car this one particular weekend and we thought what would be the best use of it on these seemingly few and far between sunny summer days. Watsons Bay and the scenic drive seemed the right order.

We find a park right next to the usually frantically crowded Doyle’s which means that the food gods are looking after us. The stretch of grass in front is full with tourists and people enjoying the sunny day and eating their takeaway. I line up as I need little time to decide - of course we are having the seafood basket. There is a rather unfriendly grumpy man behind the counter who seems intent on being rude to everyone in sight. Unfortunate but seeing as he stands between me and the seafood basket I place my order with him. Our seafood basket, a large tray with definitely enough for two emerges a few minutes later. Instead of sitting picnic style on the lawn, we opt for the large tabled area to the right and back of the takeaway.