BUTTER - Surry Hills, NSW

I mentioned that I had a disappointing experience with southern fried chicken lately right? Worry not, this disappointment quickly disappeared when I had the opportunity to dine at BUTTER a couple of weeks ago. Ever since they opened up, I'd been dying to hit up BUTTER but I hadn't had the opportunity to (I'd walked past the outside heaps of times but never got the chance to dine there with the Mrs). We finally got our chance a couple of weeks ago when my sister invited us out for drinks in the city. We decided to head out and hour or two earlier to the city so we could grab dinner before drinks. Ever since the George St closure, the city has become a horrid place to try and find parking (it was pretty bad before but now it's just unbearable). Surry Hills still has some parking but if possible, I'd suggest avoiding the drive altogether.

We got to BUTTER around 5:30pm and despite being Saturday, it was still pretty quiet (in terms of the expected crowd).This place is in no way "quiet", as soon as you walk past the gigantic glass wall of flashy sneakers, you hear gangster rap fill the room with a strong bass line and the rapid succinct flow of the wordsmiths. Everything from the deliberate neon lights to the menu and beyond points to one theme: this place makes you feel like a baller. The same decadence can be identified in their menu.

Being just the two of us, we opted against getting the size 13s ($60 worth of fried chicken served in a shoebox) but instead, the Mrs left me to order the appropriate amount of food for the two of us. To that end, I opted to grab a 3 pac, chicken sandwich and fries. To quench my thirst, I also decided to grab a melon slushie. To be honest: I could have done without the slushie...it taste very much like the artificial watermelon lollies and whilst it was an interesting flavour to begin with, it lost its charm rather quickly and left me wanting a more refreshing alternative.

In my opinion, southern fried chicken needs to meet 3 basic requirements: the batter needs to be extremely crunchy (lots of little crunchy bits sticking out), the coating needs to have a strong taste of the spice mixture used and the meat needs to be white meat (I'm normally all for coloured but in this one case, it needs to be white meat). BUTTER definitely meets these requirements and more...in fact, I don't think I've had southern fried chicken as good as they make it at BUTTER (maybe Hartsyard?). The chicken meat is so wonderfully juicy and tender and it's covered in this spectacularly crunchy shell. You get four choices of hot sauce ranging from O.G to some super hot level I'm tempted to try one day. Since the Mrs was having the 3 pac, I decided to keep it light and pick the O.G. I'll be honest, I appreciate hot sauce with my chicken but this tasted wayyyy too much like the korean chilli sauce that you have with noodles. If it actually tasted a bit different, I think I could have appreciated it much more. The slaw was really good though! Creamy and crunchy, it does initially taste just like KFC slaw but as you continue to savour it, other layers come in and make it a much more interesting experience.

Now, the next dish I've been craving for ages. It perfectly encapsulates the experience that is BUTTER...decadent and excessive but in all the right ways...utter and absolute gratification born in the form of the chicken sandwich. The same delicious fried chicken is wedged in between a milk bun that's been soaked in this delicious dashi butter with a pickle or two. As you take each bite, the crunchy batter, chicken juice, succulent chicken meat, fluffy milk bread and smooth, savoury butter all intertwine and make this overwhelming reaction of deliciousness. This reaction extends and permeates your entire body until it hits your stomach...and eventually clogs your blood vessels. Seriously, if you love heavy, thick flavours then this is the ultimate sandwich for you.

We also had the fries which were great in that they were really well seasoned but I could have done with not having the smoked aioli...too tart in my opinion and didn't really add to my experience. Overall, I really, really enjoyed my night at BUTTER. In fact, in the weeks since, I've recommended it to everyone and a few have found their ideal restaurant in BUTTER. If you too, love fried chicken, champers and rap music...I'd definitely recommend giving BUTTER a try.

Ghostboy Cantina - Chinatown, NSW

At the moment, I'm making a mad scramble to catch up on my posts. I've been eating out so much recently and I've let the content build up. I really, really don't like leaving things too long as I find I can't visualise the flavours as well the longer I leave it. That said, there are places you eat at that you can't really forget...such a Ghostboy Cantina. You will rarely find a place which has you dreaming about it each and every day.

Although it wasn't too long ago that I dined with them, I feel like it's appropriate for me to write about them since they left such a deep impression on me. Firstly, their name is mad hilarious! I literally figured out the meaning as I was standing there waiting for my tacos...you see, Ghostboy is located near the back of the Dixon House food court which is in the middle of Chinatown. As if not the most out of place store there, they take it a step further by making a tongue-in-cheek prod at that fact: when translated to Cantonese, ghostboy become gwai zai or "white boy"...yes, as in young Caucasian lad.

That said, the titular "gwai zai" is mad impressive: Toby Wilson, who was the previous owner and head barista of Wedge Espresso in Glebe has a magic ability of seamlessly blending Asiatic and Latin flavours and presenting it in a bite size package of absolute flavour. I managed to sample all their current offerings by visiting twice over the course of two weeks. On my first visit, I was stressed for time so I could only really order takeaway. 

I chose to order the beef and pork with an order of fries knowing that I'd be back for their cauliflower taco. You'd assume that being takeaway, it wouldn't be as good anymore but no, you'd be wrong...it's still bloody fantastic. I bit down on the beef taco and as I do, the thin, double layered flour tortilla (which is actually toasted peking duck wrapper) gave way to the tender, rich beef. All the other ingredients: the onion, coriander, salsa and bean sprouts combine in your mouth and just for a moment, a familiar joy floods my mouth as I feel the sensation of a delicious bowl of pho compounded into one, single bite. I just stand there...smiling like a dork.

From my second visit

I think I ate the tacos in the wrong order because after the beef, the pork (which, according to Instagram is actually the crowd favourite) just really didn't bring me the same happiness. I mean, it's still a great package: fatty pulled pork sits on top of the same toasted wrapper with crisp, fresh and sweet peach cubes, basil, salsa roja and verde...still a great taco but just not at decadent and moreish as the beef.

On my second visit (last weekend), I shared some tacos with the Mrs and my good mate. There, I had the beef and pork again but this time, we also ordered the cauli. This led to another mind-blowing moment because the cauli was also intensely delicious!! Fried florets of cauliflower, salsa verde, onions, herbs and this amazing cashew and macadamia cream...all topped with fried shallots. If you don't like vegetables...you will after to take a bite of this.

Both times I've visited, I also made it a point to order the fries which were great (well seasoned and slightly tart) but really, when you have tacos as amazing and well made as the ones described above...nothing else matters.

Toby has stated in an interview that he doesn't know how long Ghostboy will stay around but Toby, if you are reading this: you're doing amazing work and I'm sure hoping you'll be around for a long, long time.

Spago - Beverly Hills, NSW

We are honestly rather spoilt for choice in the south with our abundant Asian options and various areas where you can get a good feed, but when it comes to contemporary Western cuisine, there's only really one place that stands out to me. When I think about how long it's taken me to write a blog post about this place, it amazes me because anyone who talks to me knows I won't shut up about this place. I am convinced that Spago is the BEST that the south has to offer. Which is why when it came time to celebrate my birthday, the choice was obvious. It was definitely not the first time the Mrs and I have been here so it really didn't take long for us to decide what to order (we were so quick that the waitress was rather surprised).

Our entrees came shortly after we had ordered. I stuck with what I knew was good and ordered the Angus Beef Carpaccio. This dish amazes me in it's flavourful impact and sheer simplicity. The texture and taste of the raw beef meshes so well with the capers and cheese that you just can't help but love it. The hint of Truffle aioli on top really kicks it up a notch for all those who love truffles. The Mrs chose the Octopus salad which based on previous experience, is rather impressive. The octopus was unbelievably tender and rather well seasoned which worked really well in the crisp and fresh setting of the salad of rocket and red onions.

For our mains, I chose the more indulgent experience by ordering the rump steak with cafe de paris butter and hand cut chips. As the butter melts over the seared exterior of that beautiful piece of meat, the flavours of the herbs and spices melds together with the charred. beefy meat to give you a delightfully moorish steak. In particular, the tart and savoury flavour profile of the capers really highlights how well prepared the dish is. 

The Mrs stuck with what she knew was good (and had been craving for a while) and ordered the squid ink spaghetti. In all the times where I've had the pleasure of eating that pasta, I've never once had a bad experience with it. Like always, the pasta is cooked al-dente and coated ever so lightly in a light olive oil sauce. The cherry tomatoes are ever so slightly cooked to accentuate the natural sweetness and the bits of crab is perfectly flavoursome. For good carby measure, we also ordered the fries with truffle aioli...I mean, how could you not? 

For dessert, the Mrs let me choose her dessert (which came as a part of the Weekday deal we ordered) and I chose for her the Panna Cotta. The panna cotta is rather seasonal as each time we've ordered it, it came with a different fruit compote. I believe this time it was a berry compote as it had bits of strawberry on top which worked really well in cutting through the smoothly sweet cooked cream.

In continuing the theme of indulgent dining on my birthday, I opted to have the triple chocolate mousse cake as my dessert. Indulgent is a pretty apt description of the dish as it was layered with hazelnut, dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse. This was all set on top of a chocolate and almond cake and covered with a chocolate mirror glaze. This was a chocolate lover's dream (which was great for me cause I don't like anything sweet but chocolate) and despite the heavy sounding description, it really wasn't that filling as I had expected to be bloated after the meal but wasn't.

As I mentioned above, I don't ever really stop talking about this place and they never really give me a reason to stop. With each subsequent visit, I just find more and more to love about the work that they do there. The quality of the service and food really speaks volumes about how much dedication the team there puts into the menu and the food. Pair that with excellent service and an incredibly decent price (the weekday deal is the best value ever), Spago becomes that one gem that you can never pass up.

Jamie's Italian Trattoria - Parramatta

Normal people adore musicians and celebrities right? I don't, I fanboy over chefs. I follow people like Dave Chang, Chase Kojima, Dan Hong, Nic Wong and Anthony Bourdain more closely than I do the Kardashians. That's mostly because I practically learned to cook before I learned to run and it's the chefs I saw on TV and in the cookbooks that fostered my intense love of the culinary (special thanks to my dad as well). That's why when I found out (about a month or so ago) that one of my all-time idols; Jamie Oliver was opening a restaurant in Parramatta...I made it my life mission to go. This was rather convenient as the Mrs and I also had a monthsary to celebrate so we booked a table as soon we had a chance. We didn't choose to dine on a busy day so it wasn't immensely packed and upon being seated, we had our orders taken relatively swiftly and so, the date night started out spectacularly.

Now, I'd heard rumors about the long wait times for food at Jamie's Italian in the city so I was rather worried at first but surprisingly, the food came rather quickly! First to come were the porcini mushroom arancini and crispy squid & zucchini. The arancini was fried to a nice crisp on the outside but unfortunately, the rice was a little undercooked in my opinion. It also lacked a bit of the deep mushroom flavour I was expecting from the porcini but the sauce made up for it with it's intense depth and richness.

The squid was perfectly crispy and spicy, almost reminiscent of an italian version of salt & pepper squid. The zucchinis were slices super thinly and the squid was cooked to a perfect tenderness. The chillies gave it a decent amount of heat which really complemented the way the dish worked with the zesty lemon juice and aioli. Honestly, the dish was a wonderfully crunchy and appetising way to start dinner.

The meatballs came shortly after and it looked visually amazing. The piping hot sauce covered the bottom of the dish with five plump little meatballs sitting in the middle. The odd numbered balls made it slightly harder to share but it worked out fine in the end cause the Mrs was more interested in the other dishes to care.

After our plates were collected and a short intercession, our much anticipated mains arrived at our table. The Mrs stayed safe and ordered a prawn linguine which was good but according to the Mrs, lacked a bit of heat. The bowl it was served in also retained heat so well that the pasta continued to cook in the indirect heat. Still, she was satisfied with her dish and that's what matters right? Portioning was large too despite the small looking dish. 

My dish was heaven in a bowl (to me). I ordered the truffle tagliatelle and honestly, I wouldn't have wanted anything else. To meat? No veges? No problem...it was just you, the carbs and the sensory overload of truffle. Despite the intense aroma wafting into the air, the dish was surprisingly light in flavour which made I really appreciated. We had also ordered the rosemary scented skinny fries which I had the absolutely brilliant idea to throw into the truffle sauce thereby creating truffle fries. Waste not want not right?

Overall, I was rather impressed with Jamie's Trattoria. To me, it tasted exactly how I'd imagined Jamie's food to taste (rustic and homely). Definitely a big plus that there were minimal wait times for food and ample seating. Parramatta now has another great foodie destination.

Cibo e Vino, Rouse Hill.

Upon checking my email inbox on Saturday morning, I came across an advertisement. Normally I would simply ignore it or send it to my spam folder, however, this particular email came from a restaurant I had rather fond memories of. The first time the Mrs and I dined at Cibo e Vino, they were still based in their old location in Castle Hill. I distinctly remember being mesmerised by the high quality of the food and the brilliant service I received. So, I decided to go back as they had recently relocated and were offering a discount for re-opening.

We arrived rather late - around 8pm and it was rather empty (though I suspect it has something to do with the fact that they just opened).

We ordered two pastas, a pizza and a side of the parmesan fries. (Mrs: #forevereating #fatlife) The fries were about the same as I remembered the first time I had them: herbaceous with a good amount of kick. The portion was a lot larger than I remember though which is a good thing.

Pastas were cooked al dente and the sauces were made quite well. Though I have to say I am disappointed they decided to lose the hand made pastas which I loved the first time.

The pizza was also pretty good with a good amount of smokiness lending to a pleasing texture and taste.

Would we return? Yes.

Recommendations? The anti-pasto pizza was the highlight of the evening.

Areas of improvement? The service was quite good but the sooner they get their alcohol license the better.