District Dining...neighbourhood style

And it appeared...

District Dining, Warren Turnbull's neighbourhood diner was the site of our February adventure. What a find. Up a set of stairs to a beautiful open space. Huge glass windows, dark furnishings, pale walls, District Dining oozes New York loft.

Share plates seem to be the Sydney 2011 plat de jour. While District Dining allows both shared and individual plates our waiter explained that the menu is designed to share, and who was I to turn down the opportunity to try several dishes rather than one or two!

I'd have never thought that I would be writing about ordering chicken nuggets. But well, we did. District dining style. "Jouzed" up nuggets with coleslaw and chilli aioli. I wasn't convinced and am still trying to understand their place on the menu, but that aside, tasty they were.

Other entrees included a delicious porcini mushroom, pecorino and caramelised onion pizza and as if Ms G's did not provide our fill of prawn toast, a fresh and modern prawn style cocktail, peppered with prawn toast was also amongst the offerings. A loaf of rustic hand made bread infused with roasted heads of garlic accompanied the entrees.

For mains we shared ras el hanout lamb rump with pumpkin hummus and honey feta along with crisp pork belly served with watermelon, cashews and pickled daikon. Both were divine.

As Adventurers recently returned from visits to Melbourne's Press Club and a birthday dinner at Quay, we lived vicariously through their menu choices.

Adventurer E, bemoaning a broken oven and cook top, was offered menu solutions. And I was challenged to embark on my 2011 cooking resolution...the macaron!

After all that talking it was time for dessert. I could not go past the meringue. A crumbling, sticky sweet mess, served with raspberries, delicate flower petals and a vanilla cream. With the exception of Adventurer K, who opted for the buttermilk pannacotta served in a jar with spiced peaches and mint, it was meringue all round- we can thank Terry Durack for that, Yum!

While the menu left me somewhat confused and pondering its place, what I can say, is that District Dining is well worth the visit. A gorgeous and welcoming space. Make it your local.

The Quirky Ms G's

My fellow adventurers and I got 2011 off to a cracking start. Dinner at Ms G's in Potts Point.

Ms G's is an up, down and round about affair. Set over several levels it's perhaps more nightclub than restaurant. But something tells me that that's how they like it



Ms G's is quirky. From the tablewear to the menu and everything in between.

After perusing the menu, we settled our order. Adventurer L was most pleased to order prawn toast...but this was no ordinary prawn toast. Served with yuzo aioli it was a good choice.

Egg noodles served with the family's XO sauce and braised duck, Buddhas's delight (as opposed to Stoner's Delight- but I'll get to that), grilled prawns, cultivated mushrooms, and pork belly were amongst the orders.

The mushrooms and Buddha's Delight- a gorgeous textural vegetarian salad- got me. Oh, the mushrooms. As our waiter brought them over, he asked, "who ordered these, they are fabulous". And fabulous they were. Stir fried with brown butter and garlic shoots, they were meaty, juicy and everything mushrooms should be.

After hearing rave reviews about the egg noodles (served with XO sauce, braised duck and a soft egg) I was a little let down. Good- but no wow.

We enjoyed our meal, served on retro seventies plates, with a lovely jasmine tea. A sign of festive over indulgence.

Now to desserts. With the exception of the Pandan cake, the dessert list was very, well, un-Asian. "Jam Doughnut", "Splice" and "Stoners Delight" were the chosen options. The Stoner's Delight was an arrangement of banana ice cream, chocolate, rice bubbles (think Mars Bar slice),peanut brittle and marshmallow. While I can see how it got its name it served a purpose for one of our pregnant adventurers, with a current penchant for all things sweet.

The Jam Doughnut was, what can I say, kooky. Jam Doughnut, somehow dehydrated, and mushed into icecream. Hmmmm. Not quite my thing but as I looked around there appeared to be empty plates and looks of satisfaction.

The Splice (pine lime granita, lychee sorbet and cream was given a rave review.

As our evening drew to an end a group of "frat boys" loudly took up residence at the other end of the room. It was our queue to leave. It was after all a school night.

Ms G's is a fun, noisy, tasty and creative addition to Victoria Street food scene.

Ms G's (not to be confused with Mr G of Summer Heights High!)

Looking forward to checking out Ms G's, the location of our January adventure.

In the meantime check out the new Adventures with Knife and Fork facebook page

Jared, Kris and Some Very Happy Adventurers!

Tuesday saw my fellow adventurers and I taking in Cotton Duck, Jared Ingersoll's, newish Surry Hills venture. It was our final adventure of the year and we were one happy group of foodies!

Cotton Duck's menu is an uncomplicated, yet interesting mix of seasonal and sustainable dishes. Broken into 'smalls', 'entrees', 'mains' and 'desserts' diners are offered a 2, 3 or 4 course option. While I wish I could report taking the 4 course option, I opted for 2. Main and of course, dessert. As we debated our menu choices (there was so much of interest to choose from) half the group settled for an entree and main, the other half were strictly in the dessert camp.

The cannelloni, with blue swimmer crab and scallop mousse, seemed to be the entree of choice. And by all accounts it pleased. As I heard a fellow adventurer remark that she could taste a "hint" of something, I burst out laughing. This adventuring business was becoming serious. Was it the breeding ground for the next round of Good Food Guide reviewers??

Mains arrived. Amongst them were quail, free range pork and king salmon. Each was beautifully and carefully plated providing our visual senses a workout too. With Jared Ingeroll capably commanding the pans, my king salmon with spring vegetables and mussels was delicate, yet full of delightful spring flavour. My fellow adventurers were as equally pleased with their choices.

The wine list, 50% of which is dedicated to NSW wines, provided a Sav Blanc from Orange. The perfect accompaniment to the meal so far.

Dessert arrived and was met with a collective "ohhhhh". The pumpkin pie, which was filled with a pumpkin and gin curd and served with a brandy snap filled with pumpkin seed cream hit all the right marks. The texture delighted my palate. Adventurers also enjoyed the summer pudding and a chocolate and rhubarb tart, both resulting in a resounding yum!

Of course, being our final adventure of the year, there was some Kris Kringling to be had! Each adventurer had carefully thought through what they could contribute to the gift exchange. Some beautiful home made honey, some hand made Italian panforte and hand crafted Christmas cakes were amongst the offerings. I was thrilled with my fennel crackers- to be served with a pungent cheese!

As the evening progressed there was the usual banter. Oprah. Do we get it? Celebrity chef. Are we at saturation point?

As the evening drew to a close and madelines were served, there was collective agreement that Cotton Duck is an exciting addition to the Surry Hills restaurant stakes. Jared Ingersoll- thank you!

A Christmas Adventure

My fellow adventurers and I are gearing up for our final adventure of the year...Cotton Duck http://www.danksstreetdepot.com.au/page/cotton_duck.html Jared Ingersoll's (of Danks Street Depot fame)Surry Hills project. Watch this space for my review.

In the meantime I am contemplating what to make for our Kris Kringle...food themed of course?

What's in a name...November at The Battery

November’s sojourn saw my fellow adventurers and I taking in The Battery, the newish fish and chipper in Burke Street Surry Hills. I must confess, I was not initially a fan of the name, it conjures up all kinds of images. Good thing I have put that behind me.

The Battery is white and minimalist. The menu, a daily changing white board affair setting out a selection of local Aussie fish. Spiced oven baked Tassie salmon, crumbed bream fillets and grilled swordfish were amongst the offerings.

I opted for the salmon. It was fresh, tasty and nicely spiced and accompanied by salads and hand cut chips to share. The homemade tartare and aioli were the perfect accompaniments, as was the New Zealand sav blanc to wash it down.

Now to the agenda…there were announcements to be made…a pregnancy and an engagement!

Immersed in conversation with the bride to be- about the wedding menu of course, I seem to have missed the ordering of desserts. Thankfully my fellow foodies had it in hand. Pineapple and mint granita, churros with chocolate sauce and banana fritters with caramel sauce mmmm!

As we savoured our sweets we engaged in lively debate. Junior Masterchef – foodie kiddie beauty pagent Vs legitimate competition for highly skilled kids?

But alas, November’s adventure was an early one…Rafters was on.

Anyone for Pho?

Our August adventure saw the group taking in Pho at Pasteur, a Vietnamese eating house on George Street in Haymarket.

"It's rustic" a fellow adventurer said.

"Well that's one word for it", I thought to myself as I entered the building.

Pasteur is one of those places you would be unlikley to set foot in without some prior knowledge or recommendation. It was basic and unassuming, but as I stepped through the door my memory of travelling Vietnam came flooding back and I exclaimed to my waiting adventurers, "this place smells like Vietnam." Well hello to you to!

The group opted for fresh rice paper rolls to start, followed by a number of beef and chicken phos and a salad of vermicelli noodles.

My beef pho was the perfect antedote to a cool winter night. The broth was both warming and flavoursome and the fresh herbs made it. As I washed it down with a Vietnamese lemon soda, I thought to myself, I could be in Hanoi.

As usual, our agenda was filled with discussions about food. And as our conversation turned to the Good Living section in Tuesday's herald and places that had been recently reviewed we noted that the "three of a kind" section seemed to be mirroring our adventures. Bomb alaska, ragu and cassoulet...hmmmmm, were we also setting their agenda?!?

Of course the standing agenda item of where to go next month was also discussed, and as the group settled on Tapas I declared my apologies for the next meeting. Buenos Aires here I come!

So here, I hand over the blogging reigns to my fellow adventurers. Adios!