Sydney Rowers Club - Dedes Restaurant - Australia Day

Last minute decisions on where to go on Australia Day. Unfortunately I have just had a knee operation and I can't walk around for very long so what else can one do, but to go somewhere nice and have lunch. So we caught up with some good friends Narelle and Steve and we took off towards Balmain. We first stopped at the sailing club at Drummoyne but it was too busy and we had to sit outside. too hot. So we decided to go  to the Sydney Rowers Club at Abbotsford. We had been there once before but had not eaten in the restaurant only in the bistro. It was also busy but we managed to get the last table in the restaurant. It is very nicely appointed very spacious and good large windows so you can take in the water views. It was also very cool which was fantastic as the temperature was rising into the mid 30's.

After settling back and having a cold Corona we looked through the menu and decided on our selections. Service was good given it was quite busy. We decided to share a Smoke Salmon Brucetta and order a main. There was a good selection for mains from whole fish to Pork cutlet to steak, seafood platters  etc. We decided on The Pork chop, whole snapper and I had the grilled John Dory. One side only of Fetta, Peppers and Eggplant which my wife said was the highlight of the meal (not that the fish wasn't good either). In fact the fish was excellent moist and tasty. The John Dory was also cooked to perfection. The wine selection was a Watershed (Margaret River) Savingon Blanc Semillon Great with seafood.

Smoke Salmon Brucetta

Whole Snapper

whole baby snapper with lime, asparagus & coriander salad and chilli soy dressing on the side

Grilled John Dory

pork cutlet – murray river

As we were eating we noticed many people were ordering a share plate of deserts which looked very tasty so we had to indulge. It was just the thing to finish off a good afternoon.

baked lemon tart, passionfruit cream, meringue
dark chocolate and cherry trifle, raspberry nougat
mango & coconut crème brulee
summer pudding, gingerbread icecream


Overall I thought they did an excellent job on such a busy day. The service I could not fault, the food was delicious and the waterviews were great so I have rated this a 7/10. Well worth going and going back again. By the way it would also be a great place for a wedding reception.

To reserve a table at Dedes Bar & Grill:
PHONE: (02) 9712 1199

The Basement circular Quay

This landmark music venue has been around for a long time and still is after my visit last week. However, there is one word of warning do not eat there. The food is not up to scratch by any definition. Apart from the food the wine list is also very unimpressive which simply means that this is one place you go to listen to music have a few beers and maybe a wine if you can find one. Now you might think I am being a little hard but the entrees looked like something out of the seventies with a prawn cocktail and avocado on the menu which turned up as a half of avocado with 3 prawns on top and no vinaigrette. Steak came out medium rare, more rare than medium which normally for me is ok but it was cold in the middle like it had just came out of a cold fridge. The sweets were ordered by one of our guests and didn't turn up.

Although yes, we did not go there to eat but we would expect the food to be edible. Unfortunately this rates 3/10 for both food and service. I didn't take any pictures as it was not worthwhile.

Cruise Restaurant - Circular Quay

Looking for a place to eat which is not cuisine specific and has a view.?Well not easy to find unless you want to eat at a 3 hat restaurant. So I had some guests from WA who wanted exactly that and after an exhaustive search I found the Cruise which is above the old international terminal at Circular Quay above Wild Fire. What I didn't tell you was this was Friday morning and I needed the booking for Friday night. Impossible! not quite. I booked a table for 8 for 8pm. The good news about this place is you can go downstairs to the cruise bar before hand and have a drink whilst viewing one of the best harbours in the world. It was a buzz packed with workers on a Friday night and people just walking around. We had a drink and if you want something different in a cocktail ask for a "Hello Sailor" sensational!. Lots of juice, alcohol, lychee's, passion fruit etc. no cream.

After a few drinks we went upstairs for dinner where we had a table facing the window and the view but the downside was that half the people were sitting with their back to the view. They try and help this by having mirrors at the back of the people facing the view so the other people can see the reflection. Not bad. The menu was not extensive but there were a few interesting items on the list. Although this was only 8pm the disappointing thing was that they were out of a number of things already, like Yellowfin Tuna entree, scallops entree and they had no ice cream for an Affogato. Apart from this we tried the smoke salmon cannelloni, another scallop dish, gnocchi and Alaskan king crab. All were presented well and tasted good. With the mains I had Rabbit which was overcooked and a little tough, the steak was also overcooked. The grilled Barramundi was excellent as was the Pigs Trotters.

Pan fried deep sea Canadian scallops with a salad of granny smith apples, celeriac, rocket cress & apple balsamic

Tomato water Ravioli of Alaskan king crab with black zebra tomatoes, avocado, fennel & zucchini flowers

Sweet potato gnocchi, rapini, yellow tear drops, black truffle, tarragon & a truffle foam

Pan roasted salt water barramundi fillet, warm salad of sweet corn, peas & eschalots, sweet corn puree, pencil leeks & a tarragon cream

Pigs Trotters

Boned & rolled leg of Macleay Valley white rabbit filled with truffles on a warm salad of slow braised loin, wood ear fungi & baby rocket

Only one person had dessert which was a chocolate delight and tasted great..........

A summer landscape of chocolate & peppermint with chocolate soil, peppermint sorbet with a vanilla scented cream & caramelised

The service was pretty good, the view was excellent, the food was ok but not great and more effort could have been made to ensure all items on the menu were available. Overall my guests from WA my brother in-law Michael Bataille and his family had a very enjoyable night and had exactly what they were looking for so all in all a great night. I have rated this only a 5/10 due to the food being overcooked and the unavailability of some items. Would I go back. probably.

Bistro Moncur in Woollahra

This is an absolute favourite of mine and I keep going back as the food is always good and the service excellent. Although it is attached to a pub it has a great ambiance about it and the chef Damien Pignolet is well known and an icon in Sydney. I had the pleasure of going their just before xmas for lunch and if you do not already know you are unable to book so first in best dressed. I seem to always have the same entree as there is nothing like it anywhere else. I have the Blue swimmer Crab and sweetcorn Omelette with Beurre Noisette, which is very light and rich in taste, its one of those dishes that you do not wish to finish. For a main I have the Sirloin Cafe De Paris done medium rare. For dessert I have the Eve's Chocolate cake which has a story of its own. Apparently Damian wanted the recipe for the cake but Eve would not supply it until she wanted one of his so they swapped recpies and now we have the benefit of a wonderful dessert. The wine list is also good and worth having a browse. I rate this an 8/10 as I am yet to have a bad meal here over many years.

East Ocean chinese NYE experience

We decided with a couple of friends to go into Darling Harbour last night to see the fireworks etc and to take in some of the new year spirit. We were all a bit nervous about driving in and then making our way through the crowds and then finding somewhere to eat. Well let me tell you it was fine and we had an excellent night. We decided to get into town about 5pm and head to Chinatown where we met up with another couple, to have a drink and then find somewhere to eat. Chinatown was a buzz, the place was packed and there were food stalls up and down Dixon Street selling Dim Sum and kebabs etc. We stopped in at the pub on the corner of Dixon street and Hay street called of all things "Covent Gardens" and had a few beers (the pub was not packed at all). We then started looking for somewhere to eat and decided to go into East Ocean which has always been a favourite of mine for yum cha and to my surprise we got a table for 6 as they were also not all that busy. The food as always was good from the roast duck to the Bokchoy and mushroom dish for Jenny our vegetarian friend. Good service which is not always what you get here especially at Yum Cha time and overall a very pleasant experience. I have rated this a 6/10

We managed to pull ourselves away from the food and we finally got to Darling Harbour to see some of the fireworks at 9pm with about a million other people. Although there were lots of people we found getting through the crowd easy and well managed. All in all a great night out and we will  be doing the same again next year. so thank you to Jo, Denis, Peter and Jenny for a wonderful night.

Happy new year to all.

Quanjude Queen St Melbourne

If you are looking a for a great Chinese restaurant out of the hussel and bussel of Little Bourke St then try this one which is on Queen St. This was recommended to me by a friend and it is a welcome change to the normal chinese you get. The waiter was very friendly and told us the story of the restaurant which apparently is a chain in Beijing and this one is an exact replica of the one in Beijing. Their speciality is Peking Duck which we tried of course and it was very good. However, all of the dishes were good and served up in individual portions. I understand that the Flower Drum is hard to beat but this is worth a visit. Suggest you also try some of the vegetarian dishes which were inventive and very nice. From heavy chlli to sweet and sour I think this place is well presented. Service was excellent and I rate this a 7.5/10.

Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay

This has always been a favourite of mine in particular because of the Snapper Pie. Yes it is it's signature dish and so it should be, as it is delicious. A word of caution though it is very rich in truffle and cream so it is not for anyone with a weak stomach. They specialise in Oysters which come in a number of different options however the Sydney rock are always the sweetest and best.The service is excellent and the wine list just ok. The dinning experience is worth a visit as the view and ambiance makes it a great place for lunch. Not so much for dinner.Overall it rates a 6/10. If you do not want the pie there are a number of other dishes worth a try but it lacks something ?

Manta at Woolloomooloo

This was quite good especially since we were sitting near Megan Gail. However, back to the food. This time of the year I am told that John Dory is spawning and so it is very fat and juicy. Now even though that sounds quite awful I decided to try it. It was very good and was presented well and agree if you see it on a menu around this time suggest you order it. I also had their house smoked salmon as an entree and it was also something special. Service was good given how busy it was and rates a 8/10.

I must say that all the restaurants in this area are good and worth visiting.

Cutler & Co, Melbourne

This restaurant in Melbourne has it all.   Great service, great wine list and sensational food. I suggest you have the degustation because you do not want to miss out on any of the tastes generated by this fabulous chef!  Of all the restaurants and all of the cafes in Australia, and i go to a few, this is definately my number 1. rates 9/10