Rockpool in Sydney

Rockpool
http://www.rockpool.com/sydney/



This past weekend I did the ridiculous. I flew down to Sydney on Saturday night to eat at Rockpool and flew back on Sunday.

Along the way, we...

• Nearly missed our fight (final, final, final boarding call... they were literally taking away the steps to the plane as we were running up)
• Accidentally went to the wrong Rockpool
• After walking to the correct Rockpool, realized we were lost, got in a cab and amusingly found ourselves going past the wrong Rockpool again
• Couldn't find the hotel afterwards
• Got bored and were tearing at each other's throats by the end of the trip
• Were sharing a cab when the cab ran out of gas, in a tunnel, and we ended up pushing the cab through busy traffic

Quite an adventure.

What wouldn't I do for a good feed?

Phat Burgers

Phat Burgers
www.phatburgers.com.au/



I was trekking through the streets of Toowoomba City when I walked past a burger joint that really grabbed my attention. It was closed at the time but had grafiti on the walls and mad tag writing. Have I ever mentioned that in highschool, I went through a phase of writing everything tag-style? Anyway, Phat Burgers was part of my calling so I grabbed a menu flier and vowed to return.



We're getting into a routine of eating out on Thursday and last Thursday, we were excited about giving Phat Burgers a go. I had been studying the menu pamphlet all week and was close to being able to recite burger combinations from memory.

Eggs for breakfast, lunch and tea

Eggstatic over eggs
Home Cooking



I won't deny it. I ran through all the to-be-expected (eggspected?) egg puns before finally settling on this one. Eggcellent. Eggciting. Eggs... okay I'll stop now.

Why am I jumping up and down over this humble and understated pantry basic? Because Byron has just opened my eyes to what an amazing food item it really is.



We've thrown away the idea that eggs are a 'breakfast item' and have indulged in amazing scrambled eggs and soft boiled eggs for dinner the past 2 nights. Not that I would say 'no' at breakfast time.

Shinbashi Yakiniku

Shinbashi Yakiniku
http://www.shinbashi.com.au/



Antarctic Circle was one of my family's frequent haunts since it first opened. My grandparents are great steak lovers and it was perhaps the stone grill at AC that introduced us to the legendary wagyu beef (before it became as 'mainstream' as it is now).



The good guys at Antarctic Circle have opened up a new joint called Shinbashi - directly opposite their other restaurant. Shinbashi offers Japanese coal barbecue and in fact, yakiniku means 'grilled meat'. My family headed over on Saturday to give it a crack.

Mill Street Tavern

Mill Street Tavern
142 Campbell Street, Toowoomba



I've probably mentioned in previous posts but I don't often get the luxury of having a 'proper' Friday evening. By that I mean: inclusive of the whole 'YAY FINISHED FOR ANOTHER WEEK LET'S GO NUTS AND UNWIND AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE NEXT MORNING' sense of relief. The reason for that is I work most Saturday mornings and have been doing so since... well, since highschool basically.



And that's not going to stop me from having some fun.

Angelo's House

Angelo's House
http://www.angeloshouse.com/



I'm starting to take on recommendations for local restaurants. One of my dental assistants told me she had a lovely lunch at Angelo's House once. I was sold on the fact that it's an Italian restaurant and I always get excited about having Italian out (even though, let's be honest, it's often a disappointment).



We drove around in circles before we finally found then place... then we promptly drove past the car park. This is not because Angelo's House is at all difficult to find. It's because I have an annoying habit of not wanting to use my GPS until absolutely necessary. Instinct driving is great, until you realize you're WAY OFF.

Pho Hung Vietnamese Cuisine

Pho Hung Vietnamese Cuisine
Market Square, cnr Mains Rd and McCullough St, Sunnybank



I remember eating here a couple of times but the most recent, something had changed. I think they've renovated the place and updated their menu. The menu looks good! What got me excited was a section with Vietnamese-style dishes for sharing. Most Vietnamese restaurants have rice, noodle or salad dishes that are individual serves.


Having said that I didn't actually try the shared dishes. We got together for a casual lunch last weekend and Market Square is such an easy 'go to' option.

Gip's Restaurant

Gip's Restaurant
www.gipsrestaurant.com.au/



We knew about Gip's because it's near where I live in Toowoomba. Driving past, it seems like such a lovely establishment with the renovated Queenslander look and hidden among some trees. No wonder it's used for wedding receptions.



Though I wanted to try Gip's on several occasions, it's veering on 'fine dining' and hence not an easy expenditure to justify. Last week, I came up with the excuse that I'm working a few intense 6 day weeks and the meal seemed necessary to keep me happy and sane.

Spoon Deli Cafe @ Festival Towers

Spoon Deli Cafe @ Festival Towers
http://www.spoondeli.com.au/



I had a bit of an interesting night last Friday. It was very representative of letting our hair down and going crazy at the end of a week of toiling about at work. We started off with food and drink at West End, migrated to Southbank for more drinks and ended up in Brisbane city. No one had any intention of going home so we found a hotel that allowed check in at 2am in the morning (it wasn't easy, mind you), went out some more and crashed in our room at the end of it all.



Come morning, the first thing on our minds was breakfast (second was 'it is too bloody hot'). We figured that on the way from the hotel to the car, there would be at least one good place to eat. Spoon was the first we passed that looked decent so we stopped in.

Soman Restaurant

Soman Restaurant
Shop 22-23 Sunny Park Shopping Centre, Sunnybank



As much as I like to think I am the food authority in my family, mum and dad are catching up as the ones who are in the know with new Asian restaurants in Brisbane. They told me they tried Soman a few times and predicted it would be right up my alley. I thought it was time I took my family out for dinner for a change (as opposed to mooching off them) so I decided to take their recommendation.



When we got there at lunch time, we must've been early because the restaurant was empty and the sign said closed. Dad tentatively poked his nose in and saw my grandparents were already seated inside. Good timing, yeh?