Adventuring with J and C : 2014

Monday 22 December 2014

BALLA AT THE STAR

WHERE: Level G, Harbourside, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street Pyrmont NSW 2009.

We came to Balla at the star for JCs birthday. This is our second time visiting after having a very satisfied experience on our anniversary, so making a decision was not a difficult choice. We were seated in a nice secluded area, with a view.

Sadly I was feeling sick during that week and lost my taste buds and could not enjoy it as much as I wanted. I was really envious of JC enjoying every bite from these dishes. What the birthday boy gets, wants.

First to start was the prosciutto, which is our top of the list starter. The prosciutto is very thinly sliced and just melts in your mouth. This is accompanied by soft bread. Please tell us where you get this from! This stuff is to die for.

Prosciutto di Pino, Prosciutto San Daniele, Bresaola, Pancetta, Mortadella, Soppressa, Finocchietta Balla (2 servings) $18

Here are some photos of our mains and dessert.

Squid ink tagliolini with spanner crab, broccolini, chilli and garlic $28

Seared scallops with corn and saffron vinaigrette $22

Veal fillet wrapped in prosciutto, pumpkin purée, onion and balsamic $41

Black angus beef fillet with crispy Jerusalem artichokes $44

Rocket and Parmesan salad $12

I was too busy taking a video, that I forgot to take a close up of the dessert.

Coffee Brulee $16

Everything was a highlight and the dessert was just beautiful and light to finish. Balla yet again left us feeling delighted. This place is a perfect venue for any special occasion, as it has a relaxed atmospehere. It is definitely one of our favourite places to dine. Thank you chefs!

Much love J and C

Sunday 7 December 2014

PAPER PLANE CAFE - PARRAMATTA

Where: Shop 5 / 2 Horwood Pl Parramatta, NSW 2150

Filled with lovely decor, Paper Plane to the eye looks quite pleasing. As we walked towards the cafe, we noticed a line of eager customers waiting to be seated. We waited for roughy around 10-15 minutes.

We ordered the big breakfast, the tiny dancer and an ice coffee. The staff were friendly, however we couldn't help feel that they were bogged down by a cafe full of busy customers.

The food came out on a well presented chopping board, which seems to be a staple for many "surry hill-esque" cafes.

The Big Breakfast: Sunny side up eggs, bacon, chorizo, hash brown, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, side salad and sour dough bread.

The Tiny Dancer: platter of poached eggs, smoked salmon, capers, avocado, sauteed spinach, tomato, asparagus, bocconcini, crusty bread with hollandaise sauce.

It was great to see descent portion sizes, and the food tasted great. However they forgot about our drinks and we had to physically walk up to them to remind them half way into our meal.

Overall Paper Plane gets our thumbs up, however be prepared to wait a while.

Much love J and C

Thursday 27 November 2014

THE WESTIN LOBBY BAR AND LOUNGE

Where: 1 Martin Place, Westin Hotel Sydney

Sorry long time no post guys!

Have been busy with work and whatnot. Last weekend my friend and I decided to try out high tea at the Westin Sydney. We were trying to find parking and coincidently entered The Westin Sydneys carpark without noticing it was right next door. Perfect! . Some photos were taken on the iPhone 5 and some on her camera.
Without further ado, here are some photos of what was being served on the Mad Hatters menu.

Unlimited tea and coffee. The cups were huge.

Friend got excited that honey was free was her green tea.

We would of preferred if there were more savoury appetisers rather than sweets because we loved them a lot better. Additional to this, we were feeling extremely hungry and having the high tea as a first meal during the day made us feeling overloaded with sugar. Other than that, it was an interested concept with plenty of drink options to choose from in a very relaxing atmosphere.

Much Love C