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Surry Hills

Gogyo

Sydney is a city full of good ramen and discerning noodle-slurpers, so for a bowl of ramen to stand out, it really has to be something special. And in late 2017, that came about in the form of Gogyo and its burnt miso ramen, which had the city lining up for a taste. So what’s the deal with this ramen? Well for starters, it’s definitely not your regular miso ramen. Instead of miso paste worked into a broth, the daring chefs heat a ladle-full of pork lard until it’s at a searing 300oC, before dousing the (sometimes literal) flames with miso and chicken broth. The result is an alarmingly dark broth, suspended with globules of charred pork fat. IT’s easy…

02/10/2019

Asian, Izakaya, Japanese, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), Surry Hills

SaltVine

Call me naïve, but when I first moved to Sydney, I was astounded by how much everything cost. Having grown up in Melbourne, where things already don’t exactly come cheap, I scoffed at everyone who lamented at the cost of living in Sydney. After all, how much worse than Melbourne can it really be? As it turns out, quite a bit. Not only was rent mind-bogglingly expensive, the food was also markedly dearer. What started as a joke between Chris and I that one Sydney dollar is worth one-and-a-half Melbourne dollars became woefully true – we did indeed find that if we multiplied the cost of what we think a meal should be in Melbourne by 1.5, we ended up…

28/08/2019

Impress Your Date ($35-$50), Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Surry Hills, Tapas

Poly

Nothing tastes as good as a celebratory meal, and oh do I have reason to be celebrating today. After barely 3 years out of university, Chris (aka my other half) has been promoted to a senior software developer! He’s of course stoked, and don’t tell him I said this because he’s already had so many congratulations that he’s running the risk of getting a big head, but I’m also completely thrilled – for him, and for this excellent excuse to splash out on dinner at Poly.

01/05/2019

Best Of Sydney, Hatted, Modern Australian, Mr. Moneybags ($50 Plus), Surry Hills, Wine Bar

Surly’s

Seriously, is there anything better than a feast of American BBQ? I honestly can’t think of many things more enjoyable than a platter of smoky meats, served with heaping bowls of mac and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread. Coupled with the fact that decent BBQ isn’t all that common in Australia, and how I won’t let myself indulge in it very often, it is a real treat when I do get to have it. Despite having been in Sydney for over a year now, I’ve only had BBQ once, at Bovine and Swine. This travesty was finally remedied with a long overdue trip to Surly’s – a heavily American-themed sports bar in Surry Hills.

17/04/2019

American, BBQ, Impress Your Date ($35-$50), Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), Pub, Surry Hills

Spice I Am

Doctoring aside, one of the things that excited me the most about moving to Sydney was regular access to all the amazing Thai restaurants. Melbourne may be a culinary big-shot, but they never seem to get Thai food right, not in the way Sydney does. Even my local take-away in Sydney is as good, if not better than the top Thai places in Melbourne. And seeing as I haven’t been in Sydney long enough for the novelty of good Thai to wear off, I was rather excited about my visit to Spice I Am.

21/03/2018

Asian, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), New South Wales, Surry Hills, Thai

Bills

For all the raving I’ve done about the food in Sydney, I haven’t forgotten about Melbourne. After all, who could forget the hipster cafes, hidden laneways, and excellent brunch on every other street corner? So it was with a mixture of nostalgia (already!) and curiosity that Chris and I visited Bills, one of the most-lauded brunch spots in Sydney, to see how it stacks up against home.

05/01/2014

Brunch, Cafe, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), New South Wales, Surry Hills

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