Sydney Weekend in May 3 - Dessert at RivaReno Gelato

RivaReno Gelato Barangaroo
http://rivareno.com.au/

After our delicious dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill, an ordinary couple would've been full and content to give their stomachs a rest. Not us!

Marc knew of a gelato store that had recently expanded and it was getting glowing online reviews. We happened to pass through the area on our way back to the hotel (more accurately we Googled the address and spent an hour getting lost in construction sites but determined to get gelato) and finally came across the shop front.

Sydney weekend in May 2 - Dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill

Rockpool Bar and Grill
http://www.rockpool.com/rockpoolbarandgrillsydney/

Because of my anxious personality, I always need to plan things well in advance. If anyone asks me to think of a restaurant to visit on the fly, I freeze up and my mind goes blank. It's alright for when I'm in Brisbane because I live here and have a supply of general 'go to' places (mostly eateries around Sunnybank) for when I have no other ideas. On an interstate trip, it's less desirable to be unplanned because I don't know other cities well so unless I have a booking made at a restaurant pre-researched, I assume we'll sit down somewhere unremarkable.

Sydney weekend in May 1 - Lunch at Izakaya Yebisu

Izakaya Yebisu
10/501 George Street, Sydney

I managed to do that thing again last weekend, while we were in Sydney, where we ate at so many places that I simply got overwhelmed by the amount of blog posts I had to write. The end result is that I procrastinate and put it off and end up writing nothing. This weekend, I'm forcing myself to do some reviews before I forget everything and make it harder on myself.

Food and Drink at The Apo

The APO
http://www.theapo.com.au/

The older I get the more I learn to appreciate any opportunity I have to catch up with good friends. A couple of weekends ago, a group of us met up for share plates and (lots of) drinks at The Apo in Fortitude Valley.

Crustacean Feast at St James Crabhouse

St James Crabhouse and Kitchen
22 Baildon Street, Kangaroo Point

This was my MOST anticipated restaurant opening of 2016. I heard about these guys around the start of the year when they announced they were opening Brisbane's first American-style crabhouse. Since then, I've been following them religiously on social media and listening out for news and updates. St James opened its doors not that long ago and already, it's generated a lot of hype. All of my friends were talking about it and all the Brisbane lifestyle news forum I followed were raving. I couldn't wait to try it out.

I gave it a couple of weeks for the restaurant to find their footing and for the initial chaos to cool. Tidbits of information were flowing through my food network from people who had tried it or wanted to try it and the word on the street was a) they don't take bookings and b) it's a small restaurant so be prepared to wait. Marc and I are really impatient and have a general principle of not waiting for food. We decided to only go on a weekday when it was less likely to be busy.

Lunch at Madtongsan IV

Madtongsan IV
Market Square, Corner Main Road and McCullough Street, Sunnybank

When I was studying in the city, I was a fairly regular attendee of the Madtongsan franchise. The Sunnybank branch has been open for a long time now but last month was my first time trying it out.

I was starting to come down with a cold and my remedy for sore throat is always, always spicy soup. To some that may seem counter-intuitive but for me chili is the best medicine.

Dinner at LONgTIME

Longtime Restaurant and Bar
http://www.longtime.com.au/

There's no shortage of Asian-themed bars in Brisbane. Just off the top of my head, Kwan Brothers and Madame Wu come to mind and both left fairly positive impressions for me. You would think my mental quota for this genre of venue would be satisfied but for whatever reason, when I heard of Longtime, I was newly intrigued. I'm not sure how long ago Longtime opened; it seems 'newish' but not brand new. When it opened, I did a spot of casual research and found that they were hosting a theme night with guest chef Dan Hong from Ms G's in Sydney. I loved that restaurant so I was super keen to try this special event but alas I was working on the nights it was on.

Fast forward a year or so and I still hadn't been to Longtime. A friend of mine was visiting from Sydney and requested someplace 'cool' to dine. I know there are funky, thematic venues littered throughout Brisbane but my skeptic's voice told me there wasn't going to be anything on par with Sydney or Melbourne. My mind went blank and I panicked momentarily until Longtime presented itself as an option. It's difficult to know whether a restaurant classifies as 'cool' when you haven't been there yourself but the website looks hip and the font is edgy so what the heck, I made the booking.

Thai Terrace for Dinner

Thai Terrace
http://www.thaiterrace.com.au/

I was in a burger mood a couple of weeks ago and Marc suggested we try this burger place we saw that had just opened in Rosalie. When we got there, we realised it had already closed down and after lamenting over how fickle and competitive the hospitality industry is, we settled in for some Thai instead.

Thai Terrace is a restaurant I've walked past numerous times and always found inviting but never actually ventured into before. The external wall has these lit up pink window panels that I really like the look of. It's like... a classy lounge bar setting for Thai food.

Dinner at Spaghetti House Trattoria

Spaghetti House Trattoria
http://www.spaghettihouse.com.au/

Marc and I stumbled across Spaghetti House once, many years ago when it was in West End. I enjoyed the food we had that night and kept meaning to go back but things got in the way and suddenly there were all these new other restaurants to try. Before I knew it, Spaghetti House had relocated to South Bank.

Revisits continued to alude me and once we then moved to Sinnamon Park, South Bank was a chore to get to. Last weekend, our group of friends caught up over dinner. When brainstorming for dinner locations, dozens of new establishments jumped into my brain for attention but for whatever reason, I got hooked on the idea of Spaghetti House. It was an irresistible combination of nostalgia, promise of carbohydrates and their limited edition lobster gnocchi that drew me in and blocked off all other suggestions.

Bare Bones Society for Brunch

Bare Bones Society
http://barebonessociety.com/

Moving to the west of Brisbane, the restaurant I was most keen to try was Bare Bones Society. It has been on my radar for a long time but always felt too far away. Now, it's barely 5 minutes drive so there were no more excuses.

I've been to Bare Bones twice now for weekday brunch. They're also open for dinner on Friday nights with a changing menu. The restaurant is smack bang in the middle of the Homemaker Centre in Jindalee, so there are lots of parking spots.