What’s with all the stoner food on Sydney menus? The Abercrombie, The Duke and now I find The Beaver capitalising on the ‘green’ dollar. Although here they tell me it’s food for North American ex-pats and Aussies après-Whistler. I guess for everyone else, burgers and frickles (deep fried pickles) are comfort food for drowning out working 9-5. There’s a chummy bar in the front for loners, and dark booths in the back for intimate couples – just what you want when sharing tacos. Genuine corn tortillas, soft and open with clumps of flavour, are all grinners but the Chicken Tacos ($4.99) with coconut and mango win by a nose. Burger selection is vast with a smug (but deserved) ‘no changes’ policy, especially as their Happy Pig ($12.99) is perfection in a bun. The pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and coleslaw will have you rolling in the proverbial mud. The J-Lo ($17.49), isn’t Jenny From The Block, but a friend’s creation of tequila, wine and ginger beer – after this, you’d get down with either of them. Their signature dish, French-Canadian Poutine ($14.99) with planks of hot chips, cheese curd and gravy, is a sight for sore eyes. buith a Miller ($6.99) also perfect for Sunday sore heads.

The Stuffed Beaver Dining Parlour
271 Bondi Road, Bondi
Ph: (02) 9130 3002
American $-$$

We are seated on the verandah of this 19th century mansion, looking down on Watsons Bay picnickers. Feeling like characters in an Oscar Wilde play, we are served cucumber sandwiches by mistake – the irony is too delicious to fault. Sunny days in Sydney lead us to Oysters ($3.50/each); the lubricating mignonette goes down a treat.  A Tortellini of Prawn ($18) with gently grilled octopus and a duo of cherry tomatoes soon steal the show. The Wagyu Burger ($23) is elegant and stacked high like a royal fortress, with relish, cheese and beef all executed with ease. The Roast Barramundi ($25) is rather small and the huge piece of lemon on its side is completely out of scale, but the crispy skin and delicate bean salad warrants your forgiveness. Plus if you’re as hungry as I was, you can call for the Tuna Carpaccio ($18). The tuna is as good as an illicit kiss, and if that’s not your thing, it has a secret weapon – a goat’s cheese cigar. Our dessert of Warm Chocolate Tart ($12) should’ve been savoured however a wedding party arrived and we were pressured to leave. Overall I left happy anyway, and as Wilde would say, too much detail is vulgar.

Dunbar House
9 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay
Ph: (02) 9337 1226 www.dunbarhouse.com.au
Modern Australian $$

After wrestling yet another pub out of the clutches of pokies, pongy carpet and misogynist old men, Bang Gang DJ Jaime Wirth hands ‘em to Melbourne designer, Michael Delaney. Delaney’s got a way of retaining character while delivering a theme – in this case Scottish pub meets American frat-house – saying no to backlit marble, stainless steel and Dyson Airblades; and yes to clutter like boobs, bagpipes and bookshelves. It’s backed by a commitment to providing value at prices even uni students can afford! Trays of $3 Tacos trek past my table, depositing a Sailor Jerry Taco ($3) accompanied by an equally well-priced Sailor Jerry with Ginger Beer ($5). Suspecting the kitchen must be cursing ‘Taco Wednesday’, I show mercy by ordering some extremely delicious Mac and Cheese Balls ($12) instead. Be still my defibrillating heart! The dainty Scotch Egg Slider ($6) of sausage-wrapped-soft-cooked-quail-egg ain’t likely to prolong life either, but it sure is tasty. After sticking 000 on speed-dial, finish yourself off with a Deep Fried Golden Gaytime ($7) – dessert worth dying for. Value and youthful exuberance is also obvious behind the bar – try the Berocca-Colada ($13) pre-emptive hangover strike, and Rave Juice ($13), the only (legal) fun you can have involving a baggie and a straw.

The Abercrombie
100 Broadway (Cnr. Abercrombie Street), Sydney
Ph: (02) 9280 2178 www.theabercrombie.com.au
Pub Bistro $-$$

Bondi Restaurant News
Now that’s a tasty burger! It had me drooling and that was before I found out that local restaurant, Moo Gourmet Burgers, is supporting ethical farming practices by using only morally farmed and sustainable produce in their burgers! Owner Adam Gerondis should be proud that his is one of the first Aussie burger joints to heed the cry of consumers demanding to know where exactly the beef they’re buying comes from. At his Bondi Beach and Coogee stores you’ll now be eating Australian Angus Pure Natural Beef®, a naturally grazed pasture beef free from antibiotic treatments and growth hormones. If you prefer his juicy lamb burger, it’s Saltbush Lamb. The fishies are Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon, and it goes without saying his chicken breast and eggs are free-range.
www.moogourmetburgers.com.au

Previous Bondi local, Klaus’s Brasserie, have exchanged their old Hakoah Club location for cushy new digs at the Paddo RSL. So if you’ve been missing their stick-to-your-ribs European comfort food, head on up to Oxford Street. I’ve been meaning to revisit ever since I got wind of a Reuben Sandwich on their new menu. (I’m a sucker for well-corned beef). They also a finalist this year in the 2011 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence in the best restaurant in a club category, so wish them well while you’re there! If you’d like to book, get them on (02) 9331 2833.

Last, but not least, keep your eyes peeled for the inaugural Orange Wine Trail, set to hit Bondi from the 22nd-28th August! It’s a great way to try a whole bunch of Aussie wines and expand your drinking repertoire whilst supporting local Bondi restaurants like Brown Sugar, Sean’s Panorama and Ravesi’s.
www.tasteorange.com.au

Bronte Boy Wins
Last month in Australian Ham Week local Bronte ham producer David Lucas of Lucas Quality Meats took out the top gong for the best ham made from one hundred percent pure Aussie pork! I bet you didn’t know that MOST of the hams sold here (a whopping eighty percent) use imported frozen pig! So if you want to buy combat Australia’s vague and ambiguous labeling laws by making your own informed decision to support our farmers, and get guaranteed high quality Aussie product, look for the Australian PorkMark label. It’s a fail-safe way to easily identify products made from one hundred percent Australian pig, produced in line with Australian on-farm practices. Oh and get on down to 48 Macpherson Street, Bronte to try David’s ham! Incidentally it’s his second accolade this year – his low fat bacon got second place in the Bacon Awards for Excellence back in March.

Cook Book News
Feel that kiss of spring in the air? I certainly do, and with spring comes the need for ice-cream. If you’ve been avidly watching Masterchef and their almost too frequent use of the blast-chiller, get into some homemade ice-cream and sorbet of your own. Elaine from Capricorn Link tells me that Ice Creams, Sorbet & Gelati: The Definitive Guide [RRP $49.95] is a cracker of a book from Grub Street, who just won the highly prestigious Guild of Food Writers award for this book. Heston Blumenthal says: ‘What Robin and Caroline Weir don’t know about the history of ice cream is not worth knowing.’

While we’re talking Masterchef, the mystery box challenges are my favourite segment. It’s just like the challenge your average housewife faces every day – what can I make for dinner from limited ingredients in my fridge and pantry? If you’d like a bit of help getting better at this everyday challenge, pick up a copy of Trish Heagerty’s Out of The Pantry [RRP $35]. She’s organised her recipes by well-known pantry staples. Had a can of beans sitting there for ages? Here’s your chance to use it up with recipes like Chilli Bean Pie, Beef and Black Bean Stew or White Bean and Crispy Pork Salad. Your family will appreciate the variety, and score your dish accordingly!

Cakeage
Yeah I know, they’re all the way over in Gladesville… but if you love your partner as much as my friend Madellen’s husband clearly loves her, you’ll buy them a ripper Baked By Design cake for their next special occasion. This is Madellen’s fabulous birthday cake for her significant birthday (by significant, she means thirty – sniff).  Jenny Matek, who favours bright colours, has a strong graphic sensibility, and does excellent lettering, made it. If you want to see more of her stunning cake-work, look up the store on Facebook or call her on (0404) 047 944. I turn even more significant on the 9th August this year… just sayin’.

Typical Sydney- keeping the dream alive! It’s a cold April evening but Helm’s magnificent overhead heating means I can enjoy my meal on their wooden deck overlooking Darling Harbour and still feel like it’s summer. A similarly salubrious menu, their Thai Mussels ($19.50) with ginger, chili, coconut milk and strands of lemongrass are swimming in flavour. Have a nautical affair with the Seafood Paella ($25) with generous helpings of prawn, mussels, octopus, prawns and chorizo. The 300g Black Angus Scotch Fillet ($26) is char-grilled and cooked to your liking, with a green peppercorn sauce and humble shoestring fries. And if you’re still not feeling on top of the world, a rustic Moroccan Lamb Salad ($17) with whole chunks of pumpkin, chickpeas and lashings of mint yoghurt is a generous accompaniment. If Europe does mulled wine in winter, contemporary Sydney does beers in the cooler months. In May and June, they’re celebrating specialty beers to lure you out from hibernation. Chef Frederic Booms is decking the halls with a ‘beer & fare‘ special, pairing a boutique beer and a dish, with that dish also using the beer as a key ingredient. Combined with the radiant panel heating, your cheery spirits will say good riddance to indoor weather.

Helm Bar & Bistro
Aquarium Wharf, 1 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour
Ph: (02) 9290 1571 www.helmbar.com.au
Modern Australian/Seafood/Burgers $$-$$$

Popularity can have its downside. I headed back to Opera Kitchen for an early pre-show meal intent on sampling the offerings of MissChu, only to find the store had sold out of almost everything! One fluffy BBQ Pork Char Sui Bun ($3.50) and a few tender Scallop and Prawn Steamed Dumplings ($9.50) later, my hunger was far from sated. Luckily the arrangement down here is conducive to a progressive dinner; and a Chef’s Selection of Mixed Sushi ($14) from Kenji Japanese seemed like the right place to begin. Speedy waiter service had it on the table before my cocktail, a Hemmingway Cooler ($17), which lacked a little of the pizzazz I usually expect at this price point. The corners were filled by The Charlie Chilli Dog ($19.50), which didn’t quite rival the burgers I tried on my last visit. More Parmesan and Truffle Fries ($10) however were a given. From Cloudy Bay Fish Co. I sampled The Fish Grill ($24.50) that let down the side a little with a disappointingly overcooked piece of Kingfish. Since it’s still early days, a few hiccups and shortages are forgivable – especially when a Banana and Salted Peanut Brittle Tartlet ($6) from the Becasse Bakery had me moaning with pleasure.

MissChu @ Opera Kitchen
Lower Concourse, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Ph: (0450) 099 888 www.operakitchen.com.au
Vietnamese/Bar Food/Burgers/Seafood $$

With the school holidays in full swing, the Darling Harbour precinct was packed with families! The beer garden bistro on the lower level of Helm Bar seems just the spot to combine a spot of ‘please-everybody’ lunch with a visit to one of the neighbouring attractions – Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World and the National Maritime Museum are all within cooee. The daily specials represent the best value – Saturday’s Prawntastic ($25) delivers a kilo of prawns. The hot and sweaty work of peeling them necessitated a bottle of Blue Pyrenees Luna NV ($43) – I suspect the branded shade umbrellas influenced our selection! The Seafood Stand for Two ($70) is hugely popular, though I’d prefer to see it carried like an expensive lunch rather than a bucket! The straight-up Wagyu Beef Burger ($12) will win fans with a two-inch patty, melted cheese and a rasher of bacon – I’m a pickles girl myself. The fireworks came with a slightly risky pot of Australian Black Mussels in Blue Cheese and White Wine ($19.50). Apparently the combination is common in Belgium, but it’s the first time I’ve tried it here. It’s a knockout! While they do come with fries, I strongly recommend Garlic Bread ($6) to do the crazy-good sauce justice.

Helm Bar & Bistro
Aquarium Wharf, 1 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour
Ph: (02) 9290 1571 www.helmbar.com.au
Modern Australian/Seafood/Burgers $$-$$$

Until I find a better place to while away the hours of a lazy afternoon, I’m going to keep returning to this Annandale gem. Besides, I got order envy when I saw a sizzling skillet of Revolver Big Brekkie ($16) delivered to a neighbouring table. However today’s Lime Marinated Tofu Salad ($15.50) was littered with interest – from hunks of sweet pumpkin baked in the skin, to cashews and well-cooked oyster mushrooms – it was so compelling I finished all the leaves. A Grilled Chicken Salad ($15.50) was equally engaging. Why is it that whenever I add pickled beetroot to a salad at home I get something resembling a slaughterhouse, whereas here, mixed with free-range chook, Cypriot haloumi, candied walnuts, baby spinach and lemon tahini dressing, it looks and tastes mighty fine? If the last golden rays of sunshine are inspiring you to stay put, investigate the cakes made by owner Rod Jones’ Ma.  You can expect your Melting Moment ($3.50) to be just that – an epically good instant of softly crumbling biscuit and glorious, sweet cream. An equally excellent Iced Coffee ($5.50) will wash the last dusty fragments down, leaving you with just the compelling desire for another. Never fear – they come in chocolate too.

Revolver
291 Annandale Street, Annandale
Ph: (02) 9555 4727
Cafe $

This week Alex Harmon, a 27 year old doing her Masters in Writing by correspondence at Swinburne University, will fill my column inches with a piece on eating well in Newtown. The suburb’s dining outlets have been getting a bit of a bad rap of late, particularly in other publications, so Alex is geared to defend it. She’s loved writing about food ever since she exposed the terrible cafeteria practices at UNSW as a writer for Tharunka. Her current project is a novel about food, music and sex that isn’t set in South America – rather it uses suburban Australia as its backdrop. Let me know if you’re keen to hear more from her…

By Alex Harmon

Newtown has more diversity than the Brangelina family, and like them, it just keeps growing. Ever since Clover Moore said “small bars”, Newtown sprouted them in every crevice. Corridor, as its name suggests, is a cosy bar with one prized table at the front that you won’t want to leave. Sitting there makes you feel like you’re camping out for concert tickets, except that you’re being served Mojitos while you wait. As it goes, ‘Moore is less’ so food is small and utensils are sparse – I recommend the Mezze Plate - artichokes, marinated mushrooms, stuffed tomatoes, chorizo and dips washed down with a Coopers Long Neck. I’m going to let Newtown take the credit for lifting long-necks out of the gutter and onto the menu.

If you’re after something a little less hip, Thai La-Ong has been feeding Uni students for years and their menu, prices and décor have never changed. Because there’s no corkage charge, the college kids have taken this literally, rolling up with casks of wine, bottles of vodka and their own selection of mixers. They don’t really care that the Pad Kee Mao is the most flavour-packed plate of noodles in Newtown for under $10, but it’s worth mentioning.

Like a Che Guevara T shirt, Newtown is socially aware but it appeals to the masses. It boycotted McDonalds in the 90’s, which paved the way for burgers with heart. Moo Gourmet Burgers is the third gourmet burger joint to hit King Street in recent times, but this one doesn’t feel like you’re eating in a waiting room. You may think there’s not much else you can do between two buns, but think again. The Duck and Bacon Burger is a winning combination. Spiced duck (make sure you’re a coriander lover) mediates the saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the orange jam. Fries are served in an old fashioned cone – I recommend the aioli and the sweet chilli jam sauces- and mix them together for the perfect blend. Finish it off with one of the many shakes that cleverly combine your favourite chocolate bars – I like the Just Nuts (think a Snickers with chocolate and caramel syrup.) Service is warm, as are the brightly coloured walls and the mismatched furniture.

African Feeling is the St. Peters end of King Street, which still has the old-Newtown feel to it. It’s fluorescent décor and African artefacts on the wall make it look like a souvenir shop, but the food means business. Start off with the Taste Bud Safari For 2 so you can try a selection of entrees. The plantain chips are a good staple, the African cigars – Moroccan spiced mince in deep-fried pastry, similar to a Lebanese ‘lady finger’ only smaller – are delicious. A decent goat curry is a rarity these days, but the Bua here, from Ghana, is spicy, rich full of garlic, ginger and tomato and comes recommended by the native Ghanese Chef, Hudu. Cool yourself down with an African Spiced Ginger Beer – the perfect digestive aid for those seeking dessert. Personally I’d like another cigar.

Like the out-dated wedding tradition, Newtown covers it all- new, old, borrowed and the (out of the) blue – hello Gloria Jeans. But they exist side by side on King Street, the colourful prayer flag that throws commercial caution to the wind and unites us all.

Corridor
153a King Street, Newtown
Ph: (0422) 873 879

Thai La-Ong
89 King Street, Newtown
Ph: (02) 9550 5866

Moo Gourmet Burgers
232 King Street, Newtown
Ph: (02) 9565 4001

African Feeling
1/501 King Street, Newtown
Ph: (02) 9516 3130

Finally the Sydney Opera House gets the food it deserves – fast, casual dining suited to a pre-theatre dinner or a post-theatre snack. Venture to the lower concourse to order at the counters of a range of dining options spanning Japanese, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, fish, decadent sweets, pastries and quality burgers. Your meal is conveyed to the table by a team of impossibly handsome staff, accentuated by flimsy white t-shirts. I cornered Michael who jokingly explained he “just had to send in a photo” to get the job – clearly untrue, as he was competent as well as pretty. Plonked squarely between two of the country’s most iconic structures, this is premium real estate. While prices keep this in mind, they’re still unlikely to break the bank. Justin North’s Wagyu & Co. Burger ($21.50) with beetroot relish, pickled gherkin and aged cheddar comes on a nice-looking, tasty brioche bun. His Hand-Crafted Chilli Crab Burger ($21.50) is delightfully crabby, with Asian greens and a splash of lime. My only quibble – take the fries off the burgers, because after trying both, everyone needs the better Parmesan and Truffle Fries ($10). You can even get a beverage; my Ketel One Vodka ($9) went down a treat. Fast food has never looked so inviting!

Charlie & Co. Burgers @ Opera Kitchen
Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Ph: (0450) 099 888 www.operakitchen.com.au
Burgers $$