Lemoncello Cafe and Restaurant

Lemoncello is located in the suburb of West Pennant Hills. It was suggested by NF when we were trying to decide where we would go for dinner. He had been there before and had enjoyed his meal.

So we headed there, and I was surprised at how full the place was. It turned out to be a rather popular Italian restaurant. Good thing we booked for dinner a few days earlier.

We had a lovely meal, chatting and enjoying our dishes. It was a good catch up. Admittedly, it was not one of those quiet restaurants, i.e. there was quite a lot of background noise, so it was a little difficult sometimes to hear each other but we somehow managed.

For entree, we had Mushroom stuffed with chorizo and served with pumpkin mash (one of the daily specials) and Char-grilled field mushrooms served with haloumi cheese. I quite enjoyed my stuffed mushroom and EF's field mushroom dish was quite a large serving and she did struggle to finish it.

Pumpkin mash over the stuffed mushroom

Grilled field mushrooms

Balla

Dinner at Balla on a Saturday night entailed having to find a parking spot at the Star. This is a small challenge in itself as the Star has a casino which is quite packed at the weekends, plus all the dining venues now operating there plus musical theatre events on show throughout the year.

I was relieved to find one lone spot which I quickly took up. I had not been to the Star in quite a while, as a matter of fact I haven't been there since the relaunch of The Star. So I was curious to see what new changes have been made and scout out the new and happening restaurants, such as Balla, Black by Ezard, and Momofuku Seiobo.

Tonight my friend and I are dining at Balla. This is our first visit and we were looking forward to catching up with each other and trying out the food. I liked the way the restaurant was fitted out. There was a brightness to it that emoted a modern and upbeat vibe. Being a Saturday night, the restaurant was full.

We perused the menu and decided on an entree and a main each. This is what we had.

Charlotte's 21st Birthday Afternoon Tea

It was such a windy day and the original plan to have an afternoon tea picnic was abandoned and the location moved to EF and NF's home. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon, with heaps and heaps of food, good fellowship and lots of fun with the kids and most of all Charlotte having a ball opening her presents!

Croutons Soup Bar (Take 2)

Well, I am back at Croutons Soup Bar. Kelvin, the owner of the soup bar, had read my recent posting about the soups I had at his place and kindly posted a comment on my blog. Most especially he wanted to comment on my comments of the Boston Clam Chowder (Croutons Soup Bar).

He found my comments on the chowder constructive and invited to me to drop by and sample the revised clam chowder. Honestly, I was stoked that Kelvin had found my post and responded to my comments. It is great that he was not dismissive of my blog and felt compelled to provide me some feedback.

Kelvin - the proprietor

I introduced myself to Kelvin, who showed me the revised Boston Clam Chowder. The colour of the soup is much lighter than before and a few things have been tweaked. Firstly, the carrots are now added to the soup towards the end of the process and not in the beginning (as it used to be and caused a lot of colour bleed). The butter used has been changed. I was given a sample taste and I must say it did taste very nice, I even managed to get a nice piece of clam which was lovely! So, thank you Kelvin, a much, much nicer clam chowder!!!!

Boston Clam Chowder

The sampler I tasted

While I was there, I thought I should try out another soup. It was a perfect day for a bowl of hot soup. It was grey, wet, and windy, very windy!!! So this time I ordered the Indonesian chicken soup, better known as Soto Ayam. It was delicious and having the chilli jam tossed into the soup gave it the right amount of kick, which I so enjoyed!

So far, this one is my favourite.

Thanks Kelvin. It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to hearing news of you opening your second outlet sometime in the near future.

Croutons Soup Bar
Shop G27, Metcentre
60 Margaret Street (enter via Jamison Street)
Sydney

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Red Spoon - Castle Hill

There are a few Red Spoon restaurants dotted across Sydney (one in Gladesville and the other in Top Ryde) and another in Castle Hill. I met up with a friend and had lunch there recently. It was my second visit and I do like their food and how generous they are with the servings.

I noticed how quick they are with their service. I guess it makes sense to have a quick service as it is located in the Piazza in Castle Towers and being in a retail dining spot, people do want to come and have a quick meal before they move on their next activity. When I first came for dinner last year, it was packed to the max and there were many diners who wanted a quick meal before heading to the movies.

This time we ordered two main dishes to share. We had the Chicken Panang and the Pad Thai King Prawns.

They were both delicious and as you can see, generous in serving size. The king prawns were huge! The Pad Thai dish was beautifully presented.

I have yet to be disappointed dining at Red Spoon. Having this Thai restaurant in Castle Towers has provided another dining option that was sorely missed for quite a while.

Red Spoon Castle Hill
Castle Towers
The Piazza
NSW
Website: http://www.redspoonthai.com/

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Rockpool Bar and Grill - Sydney

Finally, I get a chance to check this place out. For a Friday lunch time, the bar was packed to the max. We didn't book so we had no idea if we could even get a table. Most work days, we don't even take a real lunch break as there is lots going on and not enough work hours in the day to meet project deadlines. But once in a blue moon, we feel like taking a real break and this time we thought we would try the notable Rockpool Bar and Grill.

As we didn't want to wait for a table, we went for the 'sit at the bar' option. It was the quickest way to have our lunch as all the tables were full.

I was looking forward to having a meal here. So I ordered the very famous wagyu burger and had a bowl of chips with it. My friend had a share of the chips too, together with his wagyu burger.

Look at the melting gruyere!

My verdict: What a delicious piece of burger meat!!!! It was succulent and tender. The melted gruyere cheese went so well with the meat; the bacon and pickles completed the blend of flavours. The chips were good too!!

Another angle highlighting the bacon

I felt so full after the lunch. It certainly was a complete meal. I did like the atmosphere of the bar area. The barmen were very friendly and I loved looking up to the rows and rows of glasses hanging down from the rack.

I took a photo of the Art Deco architecture of the main restaurant. Fascinating building....will I come back?!? Oh yes!!!!

Rockpool Bar and Grill
66 Hunter Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Tel: +61 2 8078 1900
Website: www.rockpool.com/sydney/bar-and-grill/


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