Four Ate Five Cafe

It's a sunny Sunday morning and a few of our Supper Nights crew have gathered for brunch at the very popular Four Ate Five cafe in Surry Hills. And it sure is popular - we've wisely called 15min ahead to add our names to the waiting list (a handy tip) but even so it's still quite a wait. There's a decent jumble of people waiting for their turn to eat despite other cafes in close proximity looking like less of a wait. I think to myself that this place must be really trendy or have really good food.

There's a few little tables on the pavement enjoying some winter sun, the occassional takeaway coffee being purchased and a display of baked goods at the front window reminding you that you're getting hungry. Finally our names are called and we are seated at a table. The place is small and busy with a bit of a hippie feel but not so crowded that you can't hear your own voice. Our waitress was friendly and efficient - in no time we had perused both the breakfast and lunch menus and placed our orders. 

Hello there mr brownie and miss carrot cake and mr lamington..

Watch out for the stepasaurus!!!!

Drinks are first up. There are a few tempting choices including marsala chai tea brewed with milk and honey but I've decided to go for something light and choose the watermelon, pear & mint juice ($5.50). There's not much pear or mint flavour, I can only taste watermelon - maybe a slight boo boo? Meanwhile the table next to us has fresh mint tea and they look like they're having fun with the 'honey guns' that come as a vessel of sweetening the tea. The others opt for fresh fruit smoothies ($7.50). Strawberry and vanilla has the promised fresh strawberry taste while the banana, cinammon & honey tastes of all those things. In one word - yum! They are both so tasty that I almost regret not ordering a smoothie but I remind myself that I have to save room for the food...

Mmm smoothie tastes good, juice on the other hand - more pear and mint please!

Should have got the fresh mint tea... should have got the fresh mint tea...

Everything on the menu sounds good. After the long wait for the table I expect the food to take a while but it's surprisingly quick. The first meal to arrive is the beef burger w/ pickled beetroot, aioli, cheddar, onion relish, lettuce & tomato chutney, served w/ hand cut chips ($17 from the lunch menu). I like the chips as they've got a squidgy potato-ness to them and the sample I got of the burger is everything a burger should be - fresh and full of taste. Then there's roast beef w/ onion relish, fresh tomato, dijon mustard, aioli, polski ogorki & cos lettuce on grilled sourdough ($13, also from the lunch menu). It's slightly more modest and healthy in comparison to the burger but still full of flavour - another winner.

Roast beef sandwich - now that's a sandwich.

Out come the two breakfasts that us girls have ordered - free range eggs with toast ($9). Steph's chosen the fried eggs and added beef chipolatas ($3.50) and I've opted for scrambled eggs with potato & fennel hash ($3.50). We've both got haloumi too ($4) - briney, squeaky and heavenly. Jess would have definitely gotten the haloumi too because she is a certified haloumi fanatic! (hee!) Everything is cooked nicely although we both find the toast a little tough to bite through but it's more of an observation than a complaint.

Beef burger with hand cut chips? Eggs and toast? It's all good but haloumi is where it's at!

In no time we are full and satisfied and I think everyone's enjoyed the food as much as I have. As to whether Four Ate Five is popular because of trendiness or food? It is indeed a bit trendy but I think the food is definitely the reason why people are willing to line up - it's not overly complicated or fancy, the ingredients are fresh and it's cooked well and that makes for a good brunch.

Last but not least, a message to Jess and Dave - be safe over in London and take care!


What: Four Ate Five Cafe
Where: 485 Crown Street, Surry Hills 02 96986485
How much: check out their website for the menu and prices

Bentley Restaurant & Bar

C's birthday was a while ago now. But even now, just thinking about the birthday dinner makes me want to eat it again!

I thought a long time about where to take C, we've been to so many great places together and I wanted something good to impress him with. And so I decided that our destination would be Bentley Restaurant & Bar. It's a small place, cosy and with a nice atmosphere. C loves tasting menus so there wasn't much thought needed when it came to time to order. Two tasting menus, one with the matching wines for C.

I must confess, it's been so long that I have probably forgotten some of the small details but I'll do my best...

First up as always is the bread - crusty on the outside with nice squidgy insides and served with olive oil which I love. It's a good start to the meal and we eagerly anticipate the first course which is Mud Crab with Sweetcorn, Ham and Prawn. We're immediately impressed by the presentation. Quite simply, it's gorgeous. I can't bear to ruin the beautiful ensemble but at the same time I can't wait to taste it. We bring our forks down through the layers - it's even more delicate and light than it looks and the taste is.. mmm! All the components are in harmony - the sweetness of the crab and the corn with a savoury accent - we both really enjoy this.

C's matching wine, bread and olive oil, a wall of wine.

  

It tastes even better than it looks, hard to believe but true!


Next up is Pickled Garfish with Cracked Wheat, Celery Emulsion and Walnuts. Again, the presentation is lovely - the spiral of the plate complementing the spirals of garfish. The texture of the pickled garfish offset nicely by the crunchy components.

Coils of tastiness.

Jamon Poached Tuna with Khoi Rabi, Squid Ink and Black Sausage Crumbs is next. Somehow I can't recall the black sausage crumbs - here's my memory failing now! But I do remember the tuna - it was cooked perfectly, it's a rich tasting piece of fish and meaty with the flavour. The other components on the plate complemented the richness of the fish.


Jamon Poached Tuna? The best of both worlds.

After the three courses of seafood, there's a clever transition to the meatier dishes in the form of Lobster with Lamb Sweetbread, Black Bean & Coconut Curd. We're duly impressed when it's set down in front of us. It's a unique combination of strong flavours which work so well together. The pretty piece of lobster is juicy and flavourful, the lamb sweetbread rich and meaty. The sauce and coconut curd really make this an intersting dish and I'm a little sad when I realise that I've gobbled it all up.

It's different, but it works. It works fantastically.

Pork Belly with Wattle, Garlic Milk & Rhubarb comes in the form of two cute little squares, the presentation is simpler than some of the earlier dishes but I like it. The pork is tender and rich, I really like this and it tastes lovely with the sauce.

Pork Belly.... enough said!

The last savoury dish is Fillet of Black Angus Beef with Carrot, Azuki Bean & White Sweet Potato Cake. Uh-oh, where's the sweet potato cake? I remember there being a puree type component - maybe this dish was a little bit different to the description on the menu as there are sometimes variations with tasting menus. Whatever the case, it looked darn good when it came out. I love the presentation here too. Simple but striking, the accompaniments look great but the beef is clearly the centrepiece. And so it should be - perfectly cooked and full of flavour, it is one nice piece of meat. The sauce is just so and the vegetables prevent the dish from being too heavy. There was some powder on one side that I can't for the life of me remember the name of, but the taste was very unique. C loves this dish a lot so it's a good finish to the savouries.

The centrepiece of beef is deservedly in the spotlight.

And dessert? Frozen Goats Cheese Mousse with Violet, Buckwheat Praline & Passionfruit Ice Cream. This is nice, the texture of the frozen mousse is interesting - it's like gliding through the lightest cream cheese ever, the passionfruit ice cream stops the whole ensemble from being too sweet, the cake base gives it a homely feel and violet is nice floral accent.

Yum.

It was great from beginning to end. Gorgeous presentation and interesting flavour combinations all worked together to make a very memorable meal that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. C - I hope you enjoyed this more than I did, because it was especially for you. I hope you had a great birthday and even more than that, I hope we can celebrate all your birthday's together!

What: Bentley Restaurant & Bar
Where: 320 Crown St, Surry Hills 2010 (02) 9332 2344
How much: Tasting menu is $120 per person, $70 extra with matching wines (Vegetarian tasting menu also available)

Porteño

About three years ago I travelled in Argentina for a month and fell in love with the place. It's a beautiful country full of amazingly good people and to top it off, some of the best meat in the world. I would go so far as to say that it is a carnivore's heaven and a vegetarian's hell. I ate so much meat over there that when I came back to Australia I didn't want to see steak again for several months. It's not just the fact that we ate so much of it, but we were spoiled by the quality and taste. So when I first heard that the talented people of Bodega were going to open Porteño, I knew I would be making a visit to see if I could find a little piece of Argentina here in Sydney.

We arrived at the restaurant after driving countless circles around Surry Hills looking for a parking spot. After placing our names on the waiting list we went upstairs to the bar and were seated. The bar is has got great atmosphere and all the staff look very rockabilly cool which I loved. There were a lot of interesting sounding cocktails and C chose the San Carlos whereas I asked for a mocktail of "something fruity" since I was designated driver. We also ordered a tapa from the Bar Menu - I can't remember the exact name but it was a tartare of kingfish and avocado served with tortilla crisps (about $14 or $18). What I do remember is that it tasted awesome. It can get a bit difficult to scoop up the tartare with the tortilla crisps so one might have to resort to fingers which means you get to lick your fingers too.

Finger licking good tartare, the cool bar area and funky cocktails.

We were then taken to a table downstairs and happened to be seated right near the bar, asador grill pit and parilla grill which made for a nice view of the action. Unfortunately both the Cordero a la Cruz (woodfired lamb) and Chanchito a la Cruz (woodfired suckling pig) were sold out so instead we opted for a few other dishes. Our eyes lit up when our waiter brought out chimichurri and salsa - "just like Argentina!" we exclaimed. And so it was with the Chorizo Porteño ($12), both meaty and juicy. Repollitos de Brusela Frito (Crispy Fried Brussel Sprouts with Lentils and Mint, $14) was like a vegetable epiphany. I'd never been a fan of brussel sprouts but these were crisp with a hint of vegie-bitterness and the mint is a perfect touch. Finally the Tira de Asado (beef short ribs, $34) arrives and it's this dish that takes me back to the land of meat aplenty. They were perfectly cooked and so flavoursome. I could almost say "please sir, I want some more" but the serving size is extremely generous and we are practically bursting at the seams by the time I've eaten the last mouthful (the last mouthful is naturally eaten by me, because I am the slowest eater in existence as all my friends know).


Working the parilla grill in style, the best brussel sprouts ever, chorizo and the downstairs bar.



Estrella beer, Tira de Asado and Chimichurri - 3 things to transport you to Argentina.

Our rockabilly-cool waiter said he was impressed that we finished it all and asked if we could even fit in dessert? During the meal I had seen some desserts wafting past to other tables and knew that I needed to make myself acquainted with at least one of them despite being full. So I told the waiter that I would be making use of my dessert stomach and he understood, saying that we were kindred spirits (heehee). The decision wasn't hard, Leche Quemada (burnt milk custard with cumquat jam, dark chocolate ice cream & salted popcorn, $14). On ordering we were informed that the jam was to be made with cherries instead - no complaints from me as cherries are my favourite fruit! The custard was rich and sweet but perfectly balanced by the bitterness of dark chocolate ice cream (when it comes to chocolate icecream, the bitterer the betterer I say) and the other components of the dish. I scraped every little bit off the plate, the only thing left to do would have been to lick it but I decided to exercise some restraint. And when the waiter came to take the plate away? He simply commented "No words need to be said". And so it was with the entire meal, I couldn't fault a thing even if I tried - the service, the atmosphere, the cool-without-attitude attitude and most importantly the fabulous food.

Leche Quemada - no words need to be said.

What: Porteño
Where: 358 Cleveland Street Surry Hills
How much: It ain't cheap but it's worth the money for what you get.