Spending a year traveling around such a large country, you end up eating in some amazing places. When writing this post i discovered that a lot of mine where in Sydney, and i suppose that is because i used this city as my base. I was there at the beginning, at the end and other occasions during the middle of my trip. Therefore i present to you a list of My Top Five Restaurants/Cafe's In Sydney (in no particular order). Now i know that Sydney has a thousand and one places to chose from food-wise, and i only managed to visit a small portion of these places therefore my list only includes my personal favourites and the meals i ate there.
1. Clean Slate Cafe, Katoomba.
We stumbled across this small independent cafe after viewing the infamous Three Sisters, on a foggy rainy miserable day, and let me tell you something. This is by far the best eggs benedict that i have ever tasted. I mean, just look at that presentation. The poached eggs oozed perfectly when cut into, and the perfect amount of hollandaise sauce was poured over the top. I had mine with smoked salmon and spinach, but other options were available. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
This cafe is on the main road through the town, and there's about about twenty independent cafe's to choose from. The coffee here is great too, and i could have easily guzzled down a whole kettle full!
Katoomba is about forty minutes to an hour away from Central Sydney, depending on traffic. So this is only a place that you would visit if you were going this way, which you should because i mean who goes to Sydney and doesn't visit The Blue Mountains? So if you're heading this way, then this is the place for you!
2. Moo Burgers, Bondi.
I got off the bus at South Bondi, and the rain was beginning to fall. It was midday and i had not yet eaten, so i decided to stumble into this restaurant that i passed that just so happened to be called Moo. Focusing on a whole selection of different burgers, this small restaurant is now a place i would recommend to anyone visiting Sydney. The restaurant at Bondi Beach gives you a spectacular view of the famous sand and sea.
I opted for the falafel and halloumi burger, that comes with tzatziki, sweet chilli and hummus all on the side. I ordered with a portion of really great sweet potato fries. This burger can also easily be made vegan for all you out there that are, by simply not adding the tzatziki. It was delicious and i have already gone back for seconds, giving the onion rings a try this time round. Why did i not get them the first time? Amazing.
3. Searock Grill, The Rocks.
I love a good curry. And when you can eat in a what you would call 'posh' restaurant for an okay price, with good food and an even better view, you just can't go wrong. We had finished work for the day (picking fruit, for those wondering) so decided to drive into Sydney and have a walk around, grabbing lunch as we went. We were making our way to The Opera House when we saw this restaurant with a lunch deal, we could choose a meal and a drink for a set price. We had been living off noodles for a while now so some proper food sounded great.
This was a seafood curry, with coconut, prawns, mussels, scallops, vegetables and probably other ingredients that i'm not aware of. A delicious meal mixed with a Corona and a view that stretches across the harbour makes you feel well and truly content, especially with the sun shining down on you.
You can choose to eat outside or on the inside. But let me warn you now that there are quite a few seagulls that fly around, attempting to also get their fill.
I did go back later on in my trip, but the lunch deal wasn't on as it was later in the day, my own fault really. So i settled for a tuna panini which was great, but that's a meal that you don't tend to have too many expectations for. So definitely try and get their before the deals end for the day.
4. Mamaks, Chinatown.
One piece of advise i have for anyone visiting Mamaks is too get their as early as possible. This place constantly has a queue, and i don't blame them because the food here is outstanding. It's an award winning Malaysian restaurant.
I have eaten many things off the menu and i couldn't pick a favourite. The roti is spectacular, the satay is full of flavour and that's before you even get to the mains. Whatever you eat you just make sure you leave room for the giant roti cone at the end. Sweet, crisp and mouth watering good. I've never seen nor tasted anything like it. So good, i'm even putting two pictures on!
If you only eat out once in Sydney, this is your place of choice.
5.
The Potting Shed, The Grounds, Alexandria
Out of all the places i have mentioned so far, this one stands out for one particular reason. It's hard to describe but as the name suggests, imagine a potting shed. Hanging plants, pretty pots, timber beams, everything with a garden theme. Homemade lemonade and iced teas, cocktails that you can drink from a hanging bucket (not as weird as it sounds). Burgers are served on a shovel, and even the salads have flowers in them.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which was more then enough to feed at least two people. It came with sweet potato scallops which were insane, and coleslaw.
The Potting Shed takes full advantage of the Australian sun shine, making you feel as though you are outside even if their is a roof over your head. It's like being in a greenhouse, even to the point where there are small sprinklers spraying mist to keep you cool.
I feel though this is a place that many people would miss, and one that Sydney goers are keen to keep to themselves. A place to meet, eat, drink and relax with friends from lunch time to the evening. I love it, and i know whoever goes will love it.
Be sure to let me know if you have ever been to any of these places, and what you thought of them? Also if you have any recommendations for me, for when i am next out in Sydney then please let me know.
Thanks for reading,
xo
