The Fish Shop.

I had my very first job interview on Thursday! I was so so nervous, but it went very well, so fingers crossed something great comes out of it! The office was located in Potts Point, an area full of great restaurants, bars and cafes. After the interview, I met the family for a bite of dinner at Merivale's 'The Fish Shop' on Challis St. I love a good themed restaurant, and this place seemed to have all the quirks. The waiters were dressed as fishermen, the menus were entertaining and the decor was like something you'd see out of a movie set!

As I waited for the family, I sipped on natural coconut water from a whole coconut, which definitely kept me entertained for a good half an hour trying to scoop out the coconut flesh until they arrived!

The menu was quite simple, i.e. fish and chips, share platters, oysters, potato scollops, burgers (for those who arent fish fans) etc. However, up on the wall were the daily fresh fish catches which brought a more gourmet feel to the restaurant. The fish of the day were Mahi Mahi, Trout, Barramundi, and Blue Eye. Each fish was paired with a different sauce and side and cooked a different way. The fish specials sounded incredible, which made it very difficult to decide which one to have. 

Dad and I both decided on the pan fried Barramundi with a vietnamese salad. It was unreal.

Steamed blue-eye with Bok Choy and a ginger, soy sauce.

Traditional fish and chips.

Quinoa tabouleh with feta, tomato and parsley.

The cocktail menu was extensive and fun. Along with the traditional favourites, The Fish Shop had some quirky cocktails unique to their restaurant, for example, the Dark and Stormy slushy served in a snow cone, and the Bloody Caesar (like a Bloody Mary but served in a mug!) Along with these crazy cocktails, is the traditional extensive Australian wine list, beers and ciders.

All in all, another super fun restaurant by the Merivale group. I'd recommend this place to anyone wanting a fun dinner with family or friends. The food is fresh, of high quality and the price ranges to suit all different budgets. Only problem is, parking is not easy, however, public transport to kings cross is easy, and its only a 10 minute walk from the station. Plus, Gelato Messina and Wow Cow are nearby for a delicious dessert to end a fabulous meal.

Here is the website: http://merivale.com.au/thefishshop

Loz xx

Acai Madness

On a recent trip to the USA, I became completely, totally and utterly obsessed with Acai berries. I had heard of them before from my Brazilian friends (Acai is a native Brazilian berry), yet never thought twice about them, until a good friend of mine who lives in the OC took us to a cafe called 'Banzai Bowls' in Newport, specialising in Acai bowls and smoothies. Since that moment, I was hooked.

Acai is known as an antioxidant 'super-food' containing essential omegas, amino acids and fibre. But more important than the berry's fantastic health benefits, is its taste. Since my obsession began in the USA, I was determined to find a place in Sydney that made a decent Acai bowl, however, haven't been lucky as of yet. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and made my own. Here is how I have made my own delicious purple bowl of goodness.

I stumbled across a health food store in Bondi (Earth Food Store), which sold packets of frozen Acai puree, with a recipe on the back to make the perfect Acai bowl. I followed this recipe, altering the ingredients to suit my tastes as I went along.

 I emptied the contents of one pack of Acai puree into a blender (this was done after running the packet under water for a few seconds to soften the ingredients).

 Then, I added 75ml of soy milk, half a banana, frozen raspberries and chia seeds to the blender.

I then blended the ingredients until the mixture was soft, like ice cream consistency. 

 I poured the Acai mixture into a serving bowl.

 I then topped the Acai mixture with shredded coconut, granola, more frozen raspberries and the other half of the banana. You can add whatever toppings you like, some other common additions include strawberries, apple, sultanas, dark chocolate chips, kiwi fruit etc. Some people even add coconut water or apple juice to the Acai mixture.

And let me tell you, it tasted DELICIOUS. Acai bowls or smoothies, are such an easy and absolutely healthy snack or breakfast meal to make. It pretty much tastes like a fruity gelato (but healthy)! Now who wouldn't want ice cream for breakfast, huh?

Enjoy

Loz xx

They say good things come in threes...

Sunday brunch was spent in one of my favourite areas of town, Bondi beach. Cafe Trio, on Campbell Parade, has your not so typical breakfast menu. It was hard to choose as everything looked beyond delicious. Im an absolute sucker for anything baked eggs, so chose the Shakshouka- two eggs poached in a smoky tomato ragout, with Turkish bread and hummus.

Trio Breakfast Burrito: Scrambled eggs, roasted peppers, guacamole, and a tortilla.

Bircher muesli with fresh fruit and honey yoghurt.

Green Shakshouka: two eggs poached in a ragout of green tomatoes, green capsicum, spinach and chilli, with Gluten Free bread and hummus.

The food was fresh, healthy and very filling, and a decent price too. The 'Boss Scrambled Eggs' with feta and truffle oil looked out of this world. Anything with truffle oil is a hit with me, oh well, might just have to go back and try it next time!

Loz xx

A Taste of Mehico

I found this fabulous and super easy recipe off Taste.com.au for Chili Con Carne. I fell in love with this dish on my most recent trip to the USA. It is so simple, uses fresh ingredients and takes only a short amount of time to make, so perfect for those constantly on the run and requiring a nutritious, yet delicious and easy dinner.

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/29115/chilli+con+carne

I served the chili con carne with an easy Mediterranean salad, but it is easy to serve with tortillas, rice, or anything you have in the cupboard really.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Brown Onion, Finely Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1 Red Capsicum, Seeded, Finely Chopped
500g Beef Mince
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander
2 Teaspoons Sweet Paprika
Pinch of Dried Chilli Flakes
400g Kidney Beans, Rinsed, Drained
400g Heinz Big Red Tomato Soup

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, capsicum and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika and chilli and cook, stirring for 1 minute, or until aromatic. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.

2. Add the kidney beans and Heinz Tomato Soup, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

3. Divide the chili con carne amongst serving bowls.

Serves 4

And its as easy as that!

Loz xx

22 Years Young

I was absolutely spoilt on my birthday, i'm luckiest girl in Sydney. I woke up on the 3rd of January to a Peanut Butter Chocolate cake for breakfast made by my gorgeous sister Emma.

I spent the day in Manly with my family. The sun was shining, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. We went for a long walk from Queenscliff to Shelly Beach and back, making a pit stop (obviously) at the ever so delicious Adriano Zumbo Manly store. I knew we were having a big dinner that night, so I avoided the big desserts and went for one of the world famous Zumbaroons. I chose the Malted Milkshake flavour, ahhhhhmazing!

Dad had given me the task of choosing a restaurant to celebrate my birthday at that night, so after vigorous research (about 10 minutes haha), my sister and I found this new restaurant called 'O Bar and Dining'. O Bar is a rotating restaurant located in Australia Square, where the old 'Summit Restaurant' used to be. The restaurant menu draws inspiration from the healthy eating philosophy in chef and owner Michael Moore, where many of the dishes use subtle substitutes for common ingredients making them healthier in general, not to mention, the view adds to the incredible dining experience.

We started off at 'The Argyle' for pre-dinner cocktails (the 2 for 1 cocktail special on Thursday nights is always a hit).

The views of the city from 'O Bar and Dining' are spectacular, especially when you get a rotating view overlooking some of Sydney's best monuments like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Every item on the menu was beyond incredible, which made life very difficult when it came to choosing just one main (only one?) I was tossing up between the steamed fish with green onions, garlic, ginger, coriander and soy, the garlic spinach rotolo with lemon, garden peas, and crumbed fetta sardo, and the roasted lamb rump with eggplant, piquillo peppers, farro and fetta. After a long time deciding the pros and cons of each, I decided on the lamb rump. A fabulous choice of course.

My sisters steamed fish:

We also got sides of Nicola potato fries, a tomato and watermelon salad, and steamed greens.

Of course, dessert was just as difficult to decide. But I was set on the Strawberry Milk Pudding with a strawberry lychee salad.

I could not recommend this restaurant highly enough. It caters for any type of appetite, with the taste and ingredients always maintaining the highest quality.

Here is the link to the website: http://www.obardining.com.au/index.html

To top off my birthday weekend, I caught up with a few girlfriends for a breakfast FEAST at Kazbah Darling Harbour. This place is a Middle Eastern/North African chain, serving the most incredible, exotic and delicious meals.

My sister tried the turkish coffee. Lets just say it woke her up well and truly!

I ordered the breakfast tagine with lamb mince, sucuk, spinach, roast capsicum, roast tomato, caramelised onion, fetta and eggs. Words don't describe how tasty and exotic this dish was!

Here is the link to the website: http://www.kazbah.com.au/default.htm

Lets just say, I ate very well over my birthday. But people who know me well know that there is nothing more I would rather do than eat good food!

Loz xx