Outback Steakhouse Australia Event - North Strathfield, NSW

So this sudden resurgence of my motivation to write is...odd. My last post was at the end of August (almost 2 months ago) and though I may have mentioned here and there why I suddenly stopped, I never went into full detail. This sudden hiatus was caused by a multitude of factors but mainly, something had happened between someone else and I that I thought it best not to mention but regardless...it made me lose faith in the community (of food bloggers). Let's just say: try not to meet your heroes...they probably won't be who you expected them to be.

For a while, I was out of it and that, compounding with the increased momentum at work...I became really, really dejected. I really thought it was all over for me...then I got invited to an event by Outback Steakhouse Australia.

I mean, I'm not in it for the events but...it's Outback Steakhouse. That name may only mean an Australian themed American restaurant to most but amongst the Mrs' circle...it's the communal hangout where friendships and good times are forged. People in the north western community gather around the Parklea branch like a community hub...first jobs, gossip, news and occasionally, lunches where you ask for permission to marry people are had there. So I had serious bragging rights when I could say that we were personally invited to attend an event.

We originally assumed that it was just a small event over drinks but oh, we're we so wrong. The turnout was surprisingly big and despite all that, it felt really tight nit. We got to see someone we knew and got to meet a some new people who were really, really nice! Shoutouts to Drool Worthy World! It was really nice meeting the both of you and we can't wait to see you again at another event.

Now, the unfortunate thing is that it's been some time since the event so I can't clearly recall every detail however, I still have the photos from that night and you know what they say...a picture speaks a thousand words:

Needless to say, there was plenty to eat, drink, share and snap so the event turned out to be a really, really lovely evening. We even got a signature Outback Steakhouse mug to take home as a prize which was really an added bonus. Overall, the Mrs and I had a wonderful time enjoying Outback Steakhouse's phenomenal hospitality. Not that we didn't already know they were amazing but this experience really just cemented the spot they had in our hearts as long-time, loyal customers.

Thievery - Glebe, NSW

Kleptomania...the urge to steal, usually without a need to or consideration of personal profit. I seriously had a intense case of this last night when the Mrs and I went to celebrate our 68th monthsary (yes, we celebrate the day we met each and every month). I'd been setting up this dinner for the better part of a month now and it's been really, really hard to keep a secret from the Mrs. However, I stood my ground til the end and as we walked through the doors of our chosen restaurant, I just couldn't contain the excitement I had for what we had ahead of us. 

Thievery is a modern take on middle eastern fare run by the guys who also pioneered the Sydney food truck scene, Eat Art Truck. I had dined with the truck before on two separate occasions and was thoroughly impressed on both occasions so I was expecting quite a bit from them. Their menu is also supposedly "stolen" from a very famous chef so that must mean they're good. The setup is like a middle-eastern themed wine bar which is really great because the small, cosy space lends a lot to the intimacy of the diners...almost like you're conspiring to commit a crime. The bar and the bartender was also legitimately in the room with you as there was no bar table separating diner from the establishment. The Mrs also really,really loved the background music (90's R&B and the like) which set our night off to a great start.

Upon arrival, each table is provided with a small dish of lupin beans which our waitress advised was "kinda like firmer edamame beans". The menu also clearly states that they can kill you (if they aren't cooked properly)...nothing like a little adrenaline from the fear of imminent death to spice up date night right? But, in all seriousness, it was a great snack albeit a bit harder to ngaw out of the skins than edamame is. 

The Mrs and I also ordered two cocktails: the Mo-Money Mojito and the Hotel Georgia. I had the Hotel Georgia which I found to be surprisingly good. Surprising because I liked all the ingredients when I read it on the menu but as the drink came, I smelt a strong whiff of almond. Now, the ingredients didn't say it had almond in it but I smelt it and usually, I can't stand the smell of almond but in this case, I was really taken aback by how great the drink was. Sweet yet tart, I could help but keep drinking away at it. The Mrs had the Mojito which she claims "is the best mojito she's ever had". Can't argue with her at all as the drink was really refreshing and well balanced.

The first dish to come was the Baba Ghanoush which was a smoked eggplant dip with pine-nuts, sheep's milk yoghurt and burnt butter. I was originally going to order the Hummus (as the menu clearly stated it had burnt butter and I'm obsessed with that stuff) but I did some research before hand and according to notquitenigella, the Baba Ghanoush also came with burnt butter. This had to be one of the best decisions I made that night as the dish was amazingly good. The smokey eggplant works really well with the nuttiness from the pine nuts and burnt butter but that sheep's milk yoghurt just wins. It is to die for...so intensely creamy and moreish.

We had almost succumbed to the suggestion from our waitress for more flatbread but we abstained which was a great decision because it gave us a small window to cleanse our palates for the next delectable arrival: the LFC or Lebanese Fried Chicken with Squid Ink Toum. The Mrs asked me what was so special about this chicken, to which I told her that this chicken was made with 72 spices. Yes...72, and you can almost taste all 72 flavour profiles as you bite into that crispy yet succulent and juicy chicken. The amount of spices may sound overwhelming but it really isn't. It's so well balanced that you can enjoy the taste of the tender fried chicken and still comprehend and feel the impact of the spices. The squid ink toum was lacking some impact (the Mrs and I are used to EJ's toum) but was added to the overall experience when added to your chicken.

To round off our dinner, the last dish to come was our orders of the Slow Roast Lamb Kebab and wagyu beef sharwarma kebab. The lamb kebab was really well packaged as the richly fatty roast lamb was complimented really well with that creamy sheep's milk yoghurt and the pickled garlic really helped cut through that creaminess and fattiness. It can get a little intense for those not accustomed to the taste of lamb which is why the portioning really helped keep it all in check. The beef is a entirely different case as I felt as though there just wasn't enough. The portion size was exactly the same as the lamb but because the beef was so damn good that I just wanted more. I cannot even put into words how good the beef was...the Mrs said I had a moment where I was in pure bliss and in all honesty, I genuinely felt like I was brought to tears with just how great it was. That spice from the harissa and smoked garlic, the kick from the pickled pepper and that herbaceous flavour from the coriander all compounded by the intense meaty flavour of the beef and complemented by that doughy flatbread....just heaven.

Sorry if this looks different from the other photos, other pic just didn't look great.

You get the idea that Thievery is a great place to dine and it really is. They execute each dish with so much finesse and balance that you find yourself wondering if you'll eat anything else as good. I can honestly say that I won't be able eat another mediocre beef kebab again...I wanted to steal that beef recipe from them so badly but alas, we'll have to wait till the next time we dine there.