Simple, seasonal Italian fare.
I really can't remember exactly what I ate. I was really lazy taking notes.
There was some kind of just-set cheesy goodness and a nice squid something for entrée.
The main was slow braised goat with cavolo nero. I will not forget that dish in hurry. The best.
Other dishes included silky house-made pasta with a shit-load of cheese, and a seriously tasty spatch-cock dish.
Prosecco and Pinot.
I know this review is short. It is late, and have yoga in the morning. Go check this place out though, it's damn fine. The small, seasonal menu changes regularly.
62 Stanley St
Darlinghurst
http://www.sagrarestaurant.com.au/
Showing posts with label Dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinner. Show all posts
Monday, 16 December 2013
Monday, 16 September 2013
Boston
Ah yes. The city of the Tea
Party, Red Sox, and Mark Whalberg; Bostonians enjoy their rough yet warm and
welcoming reputation. It is a history-steeped city full of Irish hospitality
(take that how you will) and packed full of intellectuals who have attended one
of the many fine institutions in the area. Food is not a thing many people
venture to Boston for, beyond the local tradition of clam chowder (‘chowda’),
oysters and Boston cream pie. Despite this I have found that wherever there are
young, ambitious people there are bound to be a few dining gems. I didn’t get
round to everywhere I wanted to. I have listed at the bottom of this article those
places that came highly recommended but that I just couldn’t fit into my
schedule, or my stomach.
Drink
One thing you need to know about
Boston; this is a Barbara Lynch town. The woman has about seven restaurants,
all of which do an insane level of business. This is her first venture into the
liquid side. A hidden, underground speakeasy beneath her casual Italian
offering (Sportello; see below) with a bar that zig-zags across the floor space
so that every customer gets the best seats in the house. There is no cocktail
list, instead the team here concoct you a drink based on your mood and
preferences. I start easy; a tequila based negroni. They do a top-notch job.
Next I challenge them to make me something with Hendricks and St. Germain. The
result is an MOP (Means of Preservation), a martini minus the slap. It contains
the aforementioned, as well as vermouth, celery bitters and grapefruit. New
all-time favourite. Even better than the Hendricks with Szechuan bitters at Mr.
Wong’s (Sydney). I round things off with a Rum based blazer, perfectly prepared
by Will Thompson, who is more than happy to prop up against the bar and talk
shop. Here they hack the ice up from once huge block using Japanese cleavers
ensuring that the size of ice cube they put in your glass is suited to the
drink you are partaking of. Food-wise they have a selection of small plates
designed to be shared or eaten solo. Apparently the burgers here are amazing. I
tried on two occasions to get one, both times they had already sold out! A
great endorsement in itself. Instead I have the griddled (their spelling)
cheese (jaffle) with orange and caramelised fennel. Orange and fennel are a
classic, but adding them to a cheese toastie is the best idea ever. I’m going
to be gourmet-ing my toasties from now on! If you only get to one place while
you are in Boston, get here.
Sportello
Upstairs from Drink is Sportello,
a casual osteria with a similar sit-at-the-bar format. This gives you a better
view of the open kitchen. The bar again takes up most of the space, with only
one or two tables for larger tables. Sportello also has a bakery, desert,
takeaway counter that is stocked with items baked fresh by the team each day.
More than once I stopped in to pick up their special pastry of the day, the
cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid) is particularly nice. If you have time to
sit and enjoy lunch (or brunch from 10:30 am on weekends) I advise you do so.
Soft polenta with lamb ragu is tasty, however I could have done with more lamb.
Cream is added to the polenta so it is mega-rich. A stock-based version might
have been better suited. The aperol spritz washes it down nicely once it
finally arrives. On the second occasion I had the chicken breast, heirloom
carrot and barley salad. While they really stretch the definition of salad, (there
was more protein than green, and it was warm) this dish is one of the best
chicken dishes I have ever eaten. It is juicy, and tender with crispy skin. The
entire dish is perfectly seasoned and well balanced with the earthy barley
complementing the sweet chicken and al
dente baby carrots. The waiter even throws in some free macarons (which are
pretty lack-luster, jam instead of ganache? Really?). They have a fun selection
of ice tea mocktails, each named after one of the staff members. The ginger and
green tea (Monica? I forget) is refreshing and not overly sweetened. I didn’t
try any of their pasta, but judging from the happy noises from fellow diners,
it must be pretty good.
Beehive
Even if you aren’t going to eat here,
you need to check this place out. It is in Boston’s trendy South End and is
fairly unassuming from the street. The bar is at ground level, but the real fun
is downstairs; an underground jazz bar! The place has a really bohemian/New Orleans
feel to it, an effect only magnified when you are hanging out with a bunch of
Quebecians! The furniture is mismatched and squished together, red velvet
drapes hang from exposed brick walls, waiters in vests ferry copious amounts of
wine to tables. It is chaos, and it is wonderful! The menu celebrates comfort
home food with a French bistro twist. Think blackened fish tacos or lemon sole
with clam sauce. I opt for the tuna tartare; raw tuna with all the standard
steak tartare trimmings. Light and refreshing. In Boston this is the place to
party!
Mare Oyster Bar
Oysters are somewhat of an
institution in Boston and the best ones I sampled were at Mare Oyster Bar. This
little restaurant would be at home along any of Sydney’s beaches; the smallish
room is blue with white accents, a large bar runs down one side of the room
behind which a large mirror touts today’s oyster selections and specials. The French
windows are thrown wide open to admit summer’s cooling evening air and snatches
of street performer music. The beautiful people linger at tables over glasses
of crisp white wine. My new Boston friend, Bubbles, a Brit ex-pat bring me here
once she hears (inevitably) how into food I am. Can I just say – thank you! As
we settle into our table, sticking out like sore thumbs I am flabbergasted by
the number of oysters on offer. How on earth am I going to choose? Luckily the
good people at Mare have this covered. The oysters are listed on a small slip
of paper with their region, size and taste described. You can then fill in the
sheet as you desire; one of some varieties, three of another. Each one is
absolutely perfect. For mains I opt for some crisp-skinned salmon with
white-bean puree and roasted fennel. The salmon is perfectly cooked and all the
components work well together, but it isn’t anything I haven’t tried before.
Bubbles opts for the lemon angel hair pasta with pan-seared diver scallops. The
scallops are beautifully plump gems and the pasta is tasty. A solid meal, go
for the oysters.
Papagayo
So due to proximity Mexican food
in the U.S.A. is meant to be worlds ahead of Mexican anywhere else (save Mexico
I guess) so I have to try at least one right? This place is close to the Boston
convention centre so due to the persuasive ways of proximity, this is where I end
up. This place is casual as they come, with bare wooden furniture and heaps of
space to plant your bum. They have s huge selection of tequila which I would
love to sample a hefty amount of, but as I am here on work I don’t think that
would be a terribly good idea. They have table-side preparation of ceviche and guacamole.
The ceviche is zingy but bulked out with prawns, so the beautiful fish becomes
a bit lost. The guacamole on the other hand is stunning. I don’t even need
nacho chips to accompany it, I could just eat it with a spoon! I get some tacos
al pastor, the huge portion of meat is tender but bland and served with a pineapple
salsa. The refried beans are essentially mush. It’s filling and cheap.
Top of the Hub - Prudential Towers
The main reason to visit this
place is to check out the view. Boston is no New York, but watching the sunset
over the bay while listening to live jazz while enjoying some wine and a
lobster roll makes this place the perfect touristy guilty pleasure.
Barrington Coffee Roasters
They have great coffee guys! As
in a beautiful espresso coffee with perfectly heated milk. I went here every
morning for my daily pep-up. The shop is mainly polished concrete with solid
wooden furniture; the main business here is take away, as such there aren’t many
places to perch yourself. They also have a nice selection of pastries. For
breakfast though I am unable to go past the toasted muesli with some lovely
sheep’s milk yogurt with ginger.
Artu
A lovely casual Italian eatery
with plenty of space to perch yourself at the bar to eat if (like me) you are traveling
solo. The staff are really helpful with choosing a nice American pinot noir,
and the lemon sole I order with quinoa is beautifully cooked. I keep
overhearing snippets of conversation, some in Italian, some with a thick Boston
accent. I tune into a conversation in time to hear ‘the whole family died in
that house…’ and tune out. Go for the food, and to spot a mobster.
Places I wanted to try but just couldn’t squeeze in…
The Butchery
Cappolo
B & G Oysters
No. 9 Park
Menton
Monday, 1 July 2013
Sticky Bar
Apparently when my friends invite me out for dinner they feel the need to impress me. The benefit of this is they take me to their favourite local eatery. It is a very personal affair; they hope I love it as much as they do. It's kind of like meeting your significant other's family for the first time. The HUB (as in network, not the other kind) mentioned a $15 Wednesday roast including a glass of wine at Sticky Bar. Sweet. Grab those bikes, get our trendy on and let's go.
A blank double storey white building greets us. There is no clear way in. The HUB leads me round the back of the building where a sign indicates we need to press the button and say the secret password 'Wednesday roast' to gain entry. How covert. The Chef lets us in, we park our bikes and head up a series of barely lit stairs. The first floor opens up into a bar space with two huge communal dining tables in a sunken space off to the left. Apparently they focus on functions here, but do the occaisional dining night where anyone can grab a seat and have a feed. Up another floor to sticky bar proper where chalk board walls display the days specials, the wine selection and an impressive sketch that changes regularly (today it's a young Charlie Sheen). The furniture is a mix of beat up elegance and solid wood.
We order two veal roasts with a sardine bruschetta to start. The bruschetta consists of zesty sardines on a broadbean paste with nice sourdough, a really enjoyable dish. The veal is perfectly cooked, served with mash that could be a bit smoother and somewhat boring 'slaw style salad, sans mayo. Wine is a shiraz from the Margaret River. Fine as a wine to go with dinner, but nothing special.
For a Wednesday night feed Sticky bar gets my vote. The atmosphere is cosy and chilled, and for $15 it is a really good deal.
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Melbourne
Had a
little sneaky visit to Melboure in February for a conference and got around to
a few places I wanted to share. I know it is now May, but I'm a busy lady
alright? Besides everyone has their own favourites when they get down to
Melbourne; those hidden gems they proudly dsiscuss when anyone asks where they
should go when they visit Melbourne. Here are a few of my choices:
Mamsita:
The hip place to be at
present in Melbourne. Queues down the stairs, waiting an hour plus for a table,
minimal seating but some amazing Mexican food washed down with excellent
margaritas. If you get in early you can grab a spot at the window and do some
good old people watching. Recommend: the pork loin with almonds and
pomegranate.
St Ali: Great little coffee joint on Southbank. I had the pork terrine
sandwich. A little cumbersome and dry to eat, but tasty. I spent a good couple
of hours reading a book in the corner sipping coffee and just watching the
comings and goings of people. Recommend: the coffee!
Cumulus Inc: A licensed breakfast and lunch joint in
the Melbourne CBD that is super sleek all over. The menu is classics done
exceedingly well. The full English comes with smoked tomato, blood sausage
bacon and fried eggs. Each individual component is perfection; the heirloom
tomato is strong enough to cut through all the other rich components. The
bloody mary here kicks arse and so do the freshly baked lemon curd filled
madelines. Recommend: madelines.
Gigi Baba: Turkish
styled share plates in one of the best fit-outs I have ever seen. Wall to wall
rugs, long filament light bulbs and a large central marble bar make this place
cosy and cool. The eggplant dip is green and, while still smoky, has a vibrant
flavour you don’t get in most babaganoush. The lamb cutlet was beautifully
cooked in another dish we had. There was a chocolate and prune cake for desert.
I think it was a special, but if they have it on the menu for the love of god
get it! The prunes add a complexity to the chocolate that take this thing to
the next level. Recommend: that chocolate-pruney-cakey thingo.
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