Sydney Eats

With age comes wisdom, independence and a reduced tolerance for all things annoying. Also, a slower metabolism and a reduced ability to go out for big greasy meals without feeling like a garbage dump for the next few hours. More and more, I am favouring restaurant meals that leave me feeling light and nourished, not clogged up and overly full.

Asian food, especially Vietnamese fare is often a winner. I’m slightly obsessed with the quirky ambiance of the tiny corner establishment Madame Nhu. Their fresh tasting pho leaves me feeling positively angelic, that is until I find my legs taking me up the road to have the best gelato I’ve ever tasted at Gelato Rivareno. Other fabulous pics in the area are Xage, Yullis and Miss Chu, which serves a knockout frozen crushie besides the flavoursome food. If you go to Yullis, you really must leave room for dessert. Further into the city lights is Home Thai, which offers cheap, fast and no-nonsense Thai street-food.

If you don’t want to find that elusive empty parking spot in the city, Saigon Bowl offers good, authentic suburban Vietnamese fare. I won’t order the dumplings anywhere except New Shanghai, where you can watch them being made and really taste the quality ingredients in the fillings. I have daydreams about their prawn wontons that are served in a divine peanut and sesame sauce.

Bamiyan, also suburban, offers Afghani cuisine, which feels a bit like a lighter version of Indian cuisine. As a bonus, you will probably be able to park right outside, a real luxury in Sydney.

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Being an Italophile, I seek my fix at La Disfida, also a suburban gem. Again, order dessert here or I will have to seriously reconsider our friendship. Sven Viking Pizza has been a pleasant surprise. I had no idea the Vikings made pizza but gosh they do it well! My most recent mouth-watering discovery is Soffrito, where they make handmade pastas that melt in the mouth. I dined here with two friends and each of our meals were flawless.

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of indulgence however and the Chicken Institute will sort you out for all of your fried chicken needs. You’ve ruined the diet anyway so you may as well follow up by gorging on some Turkish ice cream at Hakiki.

For some more dining recommendations, have a peek at Stay.com’s new travel app.

This post was sponsored by the super clever people at Stay.com but all opinions and recommendations are my own.

When it comes to the raw food movement, I have always been somewhat of a sceptic. I suspect it has something to do with my ethnic background. After all, us Indians are known for cooking things to within an inch of their lives. So for me, going to a restaurant and paying for a meal that isn’t cooked seems preposterous to say the least.

When a dear friend announced that she had quit her job and was going travelling indefinitely, I was insanely jealous but also keen to catch up with her before she left. When she suggested we do lunch at Ungaro Raw, the sceptic in me was seduced by her description of their Mint & Coconut Chocolate Truffles. She promised they would be an explosion of flavours in the mouth (her words, not mine) and I was sold.

Ungaro Raw is nestled in the fun end of Darling Street in Rozelle, opposite the markets. This place is so shiny and new that even tracking a phone number down for them is difficult and their website promises that it is the ‘future home of something cool’. Don’t let that put you off from trying out their mouth-watering menu though. Not everything on it is raw but it is all vegan, organic and made up of wonderful, fresh produce.

My friend and I were initially drawn to the display of desserts in the front glass cabinet, which I thought was an excellent tactic on their part. We convinced each other we should really eat something sensible first and sat at one of the insanely cute vintage tables outside. The rustic vintage decor stretched throughout the little restaurant, and sunshine streamed in the two huge doors, giving the place a gorgeous feel. The sunshine must have been contagious as we found all the staff to be bubbly, very helpful and incredibly welcoming.

A vege burger was ordered and devoured- fragrant crusty bread, scrumptious lentil pattie and all. There was a plate of corn and millet fritters which my friend seemed to almost inhale, assuring me that it was delicious. A berry smoothie was had; thick, filling and not over-sweet as so many other smoothies seem to be.

And after what seemed like an eternity, it was time for dessert. We decided to order two very different dishes. The lemon cheesecake had a cashew cream filling that meant it was not only gluten free, but lactose free as well. The filling was unlike anything I’ve had before, leaving a satisfying, nutty flavour in my mouth that I wanted to savour every second of.

As for the Chocolate Mint slice, it’s beautifully textural layers were just what I was hoping for with just the right level of sweetness and refreshing mintiness to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Don’t think I had forgotten about those Mint & Coconut Chocolate Truffles! One of those babies as well as its’ neighbour, a Chocolate Orange ball came home with me in an innocent looking paper bag. Both of them may or may not have reached home in a half-eaten state. And as for these after dessert desserts, I can think of no better way to describe it than the incredibly chocolaty taste explosion I was promised.

Ungaro Raw may make a convert out of me yet. And you? Well, all I can say is, you’d better get in there before the rest of Sydney hears about the new kid in town.

Ungaro Raw is on the corner of Darling St. and National St. in Rozelle. They do breakfast and lunch 7 days a week and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tel: (02) 8964 9223

ungaroraw.com (coming soon)

Where I like to eat

OSP @ Ungaro Raw, Rozelle

Sydney Eats

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