Le Monde, Surry Hills

Finally managed to find the time to drag Husband out for breakfast! We left early enough to hopefully beat the traffic in the CBD due to the light rail road works and score a free parking spot almost directly outside the cafe.
Unfortunately caught Husband on one of his healthy days so we had to forgo the signature Matcha Pancakes that I wanted to order.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee, $5 and a Skim Piccolo, $3.50

Double Bacon and Egg Roll, with Garlic Aoili, $9

Despite objections from me, Husband decided to go with this simple roll for breakfast… and BAE can never really do any wrong.

Crunchy Potato Rosti, with smoked salmon, $16

Loved the surprise addition of parsley inside the rosti, although it could have had a bit more crunch factor to it. The was also some saffron Hollandaise that tasted amazing.

There is ample street parking outside the cafe, and you should be able to score a table during most of the day, as there was a pretty quick turn over.

Le Monde
83 Foveaux Street,
Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW

Bistro Hulu, Sydney

On Friday 27th March, The Food Zoo was invited to Bistro’s Hulu’s first anniversary party. Say what? I have never even noticed this place! Situated on Liverpool St and tucked away in a tiny shop front behind the Three Monkey’s Bar, this little Chinese restaurant has a lot to offer!

After a lengthy chat with restaurant owner Rosetta, we understand that Bistro Hulu is genuinely passionate about bringing the best of traditional Chinese cooking and delivering it to Sydney foodies with a modern and innovative twist. The first year has been slow but they have really started to take off! Unfortunately I don’t have all food photos from the night (stomach was hungrier than the camera this time) but sit back and enjoy the photos that my camera did manage to capture first!

Steamed chicken with Chilli Oil and Shallots

Super tender and juicy steamed chicken – this was my favourite dish of the night with just the right [light =P] amount of chilli and fresh shallots.

Canapés – Duck Smoked in Oolong Tea

One of the better smoked duck’s I’ve tasted in my time. Well and thoroughly smoked but not too overpowering which normally happens when tea-smoked duck is served. This was also highly rated by other foodies that night!

Canapés – Soft Shell Crab, Aberdeen Style

I am a complete sucker for garlic – and this soft shell crab was just covered in that stuff… Win!! I’m actually not quire sure what Aberdeen style is meant to mean though… Quick search online seems to reveal cooking centered around butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Can anyone please verify this?!

Canapés – Goji Berry and Osmanthus Jelly

Last but not least, what would a meal be without some dessert or something sweet?! I loved the light fruity/floral taste and the solid jelly texture. Seems healthy too! Double win for the night.

Live music – Thanks Danielle!

Congrats again and Happy Birthday Bistro Hulu! Wishing you the most success for the future. And some news for you North Shore-ans: Bistro Hulu is coming to Crows Nest in May 2015!

Hope you all enjoyed the post and sorry if you’ve seen them on Instagram already (@thefoodzoo).

Bistro Hulu

2/88 LIverpool St,
Sydney (Chinatown)

Piccolo Me (Nutellagato), Sydney

Yes, yes this is a special post for my lunch trek to Piccolo Me at Castlereagh St! It’s just off the main road at the top of Martin Place but you can’t miss the bright yellow logo outside! After my constant badgering on Instagram, Roy kindly invited me to sample the Nutellagato (affogato variation with Nutella ice-cream).

Nutella and banana roll ($6.50)

The Nutellagato – Before (complimentary)

The Nutellagato – During (complimentary)

The Nutellagato – Ready to eat! (complimentary) 

Pulled pork & rocket wrap

The Ricky Ricardo – Salami, tomato, cucumber & provolone dolce ($8.00)

The Food Zoo experience: The lunch wraps/salad options are on the lighter side so you know you’re not going back to the office for a food coma. It also means more room for the nutella bomb or *drumroll please*…. The Nutellagato! A double ristretto shot + Nutella ice-cream. I love all things nutella so needless to say I will be going back for more! For those who are wanting to try it out, the Nutellagato is available starting August 11th at all stores =)

Piccolo Me

1 Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000

House of Crabs, Surry Hills

After so many failed attempts at organising dinner here, we finally managed to secure a booking for a chilled out Friday night. When booking, reservations for more than 10 require a deposit, there are two sessions for either 6 or 8PM. These restrictions are quite disappointing as the restaurant seemed hardly busy! On a brighter note, the service was lovely and the set up is really cute though with either booth seating, table seating or shared tables.

Complimentary spicy popcorn

Assortment of mocktails

Mocktail shared between two

Lobster fries with thousand island salsa and chipotle mayo ($14.00)

Crab, blackbean & chorizo balls ($15.00)

Lobster fries – with lobster gravy, bacon & corn ($12.00)

Moreton bay bug – 500g ($34.00)

SA Mussels ($19.00)

King Crab – 500g ($45.00)

Fried chicken ($22.00)

Waffle sandwich ($12.00)

Banana pie – oreo cookie base and caramel centre ($10.00)

The Food Zoo: I have to say, the experience was quite mixed at House of Crabs. Perhaps a bit over-hyped by my friends? I was genuinely disappointed with the lobster fries… I was thinking there would actually be lobster pieces in the fries but it was only lobster gravy… And then I couldn’t taste any lobster at all. Nevertheless my friends will know that I do really enjoy any form of fries! The dessert was unique and to be honest, my favourite dish was the fried chicken *gasp*shock*horror* I loved the idea of getting your hands dirty but honestly, the effort to reward ratio of eating crab is just way to high for my liking!

House of Crabs

The Norfolk Hotel
Level 1, 305 Cleveland St
Redfern NSW 2016