Nomad - Surry Hills, NSW

I'm really glad that the Mrs and I are super corny. Despite having just been married, we both still care deeply about our dating anniversary and make an effort to book dinner in celebration. Yes, part of it may be an excuse to dine at really good restaurants and eat great food but still, a large part of it is because we'd both like to uphold a meaningful tradition. This month, being 6 years to the day that I got together with her, I took her out to a restaurant that I've been wanting to go for a while: Nomad. 

I knew almost nothing about Nomad other than the fact that they produced a number of great chefs...needless to say, I had no idea what was in store for us. We arrived 15 minutes earlier than our booking time and they were kind enough to accommodate us which already set our night off to a good start. We were then seated at a small, intimate table where we had great lighting and a good view of the open plan kitchen...second tick of approval. Quickly thereafter, we were attended to by a very friendly, helpful and jovial floor staff member. Not only did he bother to converse with us (you'd be surprised how often that's not done), he really helped in sorting us out and picking the appropriate amount of food to order (a lot)...hats off to you good sir!

We started our night with an order of okra which really surprised me in how good it was. I like okra but the carnivore in me tends to shun any attempt to appreciate vegetables...this dish made that same carnivore stop and do a double take. Smokey, salty and with a nice aniseed-ey flavour (from what I guess is the fennel seed), it's the perfect way to pique your appetite for the coming feast. I especially liked the peppery element which came on gradually and left a tingling sensation on your tongue...very fascinating.

Our second snack came shortly after and quickly became on of my (our) favourites of the night: smoked brisket empanadas. A golden, thin and crunchy dumpling that yields this meaty, rich and fatty beef that is not only moist but ever so moreish. They also provide a jar of hot sauce for you to add an additional but of heat and vinegar to cut through the richness.

Just when I thought I couldn't be more impressed, then came the small dish that almost stole the show: zucchini flowers served with pecorino and truffle honey...oh man, this was good. The coating on the zucchini flowers was so airy and delicate that it cracked and crunched with the lightest bite. The pungent smell of truffle wafts through the air but gives is veiled behind velvet smooth honey and pecorino cheese.

The food just kept getting better and better as we moved onto the kingfish ceviche with finger lime and coriander crackers. The Mrs is normally not a big fan of ceviche as it can occasionally get slimy depending on the freshness of the fish but this was spot on, cubes of the freshest hiramasa is mixed with tiny pieces of finger lime, chopped coriander, chilli flakes and delicious avocado cream and then eaten on herby, crunchy crackers. It was the most refreshing thong to have on a scorching hot Sydney night.

Our feast then hit a crescendo with the main: the ranger valley hanger steak served with squid ink aioli, grilled cucumber and mustard. The wait staff who brought this dish to our table expressed his passionate love for this cut of beef and after we ate some, we agreed with him. Imagine the richness and fullness of flavour that you get in brisket, compacted into a tender, meat steak...that's how good this is. Nomad does this particularly well as it was cooked to a perfect pink middle and had a delicious crust on the outside. I also thoroughly enjoyed the grilled cucumber as I never thought of cucumber as something you could enjoy as a side to steak...really crisp and clean which worked really well in cleansing your palate for the next bite of steak.

As an additional side to our steak, we also ordered a side of cauliflower which was fried and served with middle-eastern accents, to which I mean labne. The herb and cauliflower was rather tart by themselves but have it with a decent dollop of that middle-eastern yogurt and it becomes sensational: creamy, savoury and equally meaty to the steak, if you aren't completely stuff by this point you will be.

In certain ways, my dinner at Nomad was very reminiscent of the amazing experience I had at RONIN in Hong Kong: both were examples of amazing food served by passionate and lovely people. Both were genuinely wonderful experiences that I'd be happy to have again and again. I'm glad that our 2016 is getting off to a good start. Despite both of us having moved out and having more responsibility thrust upon us, neither of us has been really cranky with each other (yet). I'm so grateful that we both have the energy and resources to go out and enjoy a nice night out like this every now and again. 

Mejico - Miranda, NSW

When you've moved out of home, you will occasionally get a little sentimental and home sick. Even if they're only half an hours drive away, life normally gets in the way of you seeing your family. There is a good side to it though...it really highlights how you should cherish the time you have with those that are important to you. Spurned by that thought, the Mrs and I headed down south to Miranda to grab some dinner with my younger sister.

I used to work in Miranda prior to the redevelopment of the shopping mall but since, I haven't actually gone back all that much. We took this opportunity then to introduce the Mrs to the suburb and survey all the new eateries that have opened up. On this occasion, we chose to dine at Mejico which is a popular and well known Mexican eatery. The Mrs and I have always wanted to try the place but we'd never really found an opportune moment. Fortunately as well, since we'd never gone, the responsibility of ordering went to my sister who was a regular at that particular restaurant...woohoo!

We ordered quite a bit to share but we started with their most well known guacamole which is made right at the table and served with plantain chips. All the ingredients are brought fresh to your table where the service staff will personally prepare the guacamole in front of you in a large mortar and pestle. Tangy, creamy and refreshingly light...the guacamole makes for a wonderful dip for the moreish chips.

After the guac, our tacos started to come to the table in quick succession. We ordered the chicken tacos, Salmon Tacos and Pork tacos. I'll elaborate on them a little from the ones I liked the least to the one I liked the most (bear in mind, all of these tacos were amazingly delicious in their own right). Of all three tacos, I personally liked the pork the least which is a little disappointing because I love pork but to me, the tacos had a deep and impressionable impact at first but quickly became overly heavy on the flavours. Texturally and flavour-wise, there wasn't enough to cut through the intensity.

After the pork, I would rank the chicken tacos second best. The chicken is flavoured really well and goes nicely with the chorizo. The cucumber and other spices help to create a layered and complex combination that works together really well.

Finally and most surprisingly, my favorite of the night were the salmon tacos. I normally strongly dislike cooked salmon as it's so easy to overcook it and make it mediocre but the small and well portion salmon pieces worked really, really well in this instance. Cooked to absolute perfection with a delightfully smoky char, made just that much better with a sour element from the cabbage, spice from the jalapenos and the creaminess from the mayo....it just works so wonderfully.

Additional to our tacos, we also got the salmon ceviche which was really good but I'd say something I'd pass on ordering next time. The crunchy radishes and creamy creme fraiche work really nicely with the salmon but I'd have to say that the salmon flesh was chewier than I'm normally used to. On top of that, the tortilla strips came off as a little stale to me.

We'd also ordered the beef short ribs and patatas bravas to share between the three of us but they sort of forgot our order so it took some time before we got to dig in again. No complaints after the first bite however as the beef was so amazingly tender I couldn't have cared how long it took. This dish was all kinds of fatty, beefy goodness with a chipotle chutney that really helps add a tang to the generally heavy and moreish meat. Beef always goes well with carby, starchy potatoes...especially when they have a crunchy, crispy exterior and it's all smothered in a rich, decadent spiced aioli.

It was a great night out catching up with family whilst having amazing food and drinks, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have had our Friday night any other way. Now, I know the Mrs and I have been a little quiet lately but if we haven't mentioned already, a very, very important event is edging dangerously close and we've been flat out trying to keep it all together...which is to say, we haven't forgotten about our readers but we'd like to ask everyone to stick with us a little longer as we have exciting news coming soon!