Romance Russian Restaurant: 14 Course dining deal for 2 for $69, Kingsford (1 Oct 2011)

36-38 Gardeners Road, Kingsford NSW 2032
http://www.romancerest.com.au

A one-stop Russian experience

Thanks to Ricky Chong from Food Morning for providing me two deal vouchers to sample the 14 course dining experience deal ($69 for 2 people) at the Romance Russian Restaurant. The deal roughly saves you 50% and includes a glass of wine for each person. I wanted to try this place more out of curiosity because I remember when it used to be an Italian restaurant many years ago under the same name. It's still a bit kitsch and has a very nostalgic atmosphere, especially when you hear the live pianist upon entering. Red clothed seating reminds me of a wedding room and there's plenty of Russian decor around to spot. The first dishes are brought out pretty quickly since they're all cold starters and I noticed some of the larger tables already had them in place. You don't have to wait long to start eating which is a good thing. Our Traditional Russian black bread with butter never appeared at the start of our meal so I had to ask for it when I noticed it on other tables during our mains.

The Salad “Olivier” of classic potato salad with chicken and vegetables and other cold dishes got a bit of a nod from our fellow Russian diner who said it reminded him of his grandma's christmas dinner. The Salmon Platter included some salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings which I learnt was something to eat after a shot of vodka to help neutralise the alcohol taste. The Eggplant Rolls looked interesting but I was hoping for more flavour in them. The Bliny (crepes) with mushrooms were interesting and ended up being a bit of a table pleaser. I think I would have preferred the filling to be a bit more creamy and cheesy to make it even more tasty for me. The main hot dishes of Fish with mash potato and Beef Stroganoff were quite hearty meals. The fish dish tasted better than it was presented and was a bit of a comfort meal with familiar tastes that worked together. At first I didn't even know there was fish under all the mash and white sauce. The Beef Stroganoff was OK but perhaps could have had a bit more depth of flavour and a slice or two of bread on the side would have been appreciated to soak up the gravy sauce.

If you've come here for the tea or coffee then I think you'd be sadly disappointed. After being served an empty tea cup we waited 18 minutes before service finally brought some tea around to fill it. Unfortunately it was pretty lukewarm. For straight black coffee it was a 32 minute wait before we actually had the empty cup filled. Although it was pretty hot it was also a bit rough around the edges and definitely needed some sugar to smooth it out and make it more drinkable. There was no sign of dessert which was ashame. On the website menu it mentioned 'mouth-watering honey cakes' which I never saw. Natasha Morozova's singing is the main entertainment for the night and if the right crowd is in the audience be prepared to see the dance floor come alive. On the night I visited there was a large table booking of Russians and another table for a hens night. The combination of both of them wanting to party certainly created a fun atmosphere. Natasha's singing was actually pretty good and quite infectious. If I had drunk a bit more (vodka) and was with a larger group I think I definitely would have joined the dance floor that night. All-in-all it actually turned out to be quite a fun night, mostly due to the entertainment and fun-loving vibe of the customers who enjoyed dancing to the live music.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Dinner and live entertainment in one place so it becomes a complete night of entertainment, Friendly natured service staff, You can buy a carafe of 250 ml of vodka, Menu apparently changes regularly although what you see on their website might not be what you get, Plenty of street parking in the area

CONS: Service was a bit absent at times — especially when it came to filling table water and tea & coffee, Didn't seem to get any dessert, They only serve black tea and coffee which wasn't particularly good and had to wait a long time for it, Limited drinks menu including no Russian beers

MUST TRY: Eating the salted Russian herring after a shot of vodka

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Cold Meat Platter - Chicken-roll and roast-beef

Marinated mushrooms with garlic and dill

Russian style crisp pickled gherkins

Eggplant Rolls - Tomato wrapped in slices of lightly fried eggplant

Salmon Platter - Smoked Tasmanian Salmon, salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings bliny (crepes) with savoury filling

Waldorf salad

Salad “Olivier” - Classic potato salad with chicken and vegetables

Green Salad

Cabbage rolls with sauce

Bliny (crepes) with mushrooms

Traditional Russian black bread with butter — wasn't served at the beginning and had to ask for it due to being forgotten

Fish with mash potato and white cream sauce — tasted better than it looked

Beef Stroganoff

Tea cup received 9.51 pm but no tea or coffee to be seen

Tea filled 10.09 pm - 18 minute wait

Coffee filled 10.23 pm - 32 minute wait

Table water, although service didn't replenish until being asked

Rawson's Retreat Chardonnay, a shot of vodka following by a salted Russian herring with potatoes and Spanish onion rings to help neutralise the alcohol taste

Limited beer menu — no Russian beers to be had

Pianist to start the night off

Natasha Morozova singing to the audience

Seating

Dancefloor popular

Decor details

Trading hours Friday and Saturday 7 pm - 12 am

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Cherubini Espresso Bar: Café, Darlinghurst (4 Sept 2011)

85 Boundary Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
http://www.cherubiniespressobar.com

Big breakfast for a small kitchen

Thanks to Food Morning for inviting me to sample the All Day Breakfast Breakfast and Coffee Deal ($9.50, normally $21.80) at Cherubini Espresso Bar. It included any one choice from the All Day Breakfast Menu although if you're after value for money then you're better off going for the Cherubini BIG Breakfast ($18) because everything else is much cheaper. You get two free range eggs, poached with bacon, fresh avocado, roast roma tomato, lemon herb mushrooms and organic sourdough toast. It's served on a large plate although if you're going to call it a BIG Breakfast then surely it should come with perhaps sausage as well. They only have a tiny kitchen so I'm sure this has a bearing on what's achievable. It all tasted pretty good except the poached eggs were overcooked and not as runny as hoped and I would have preferred the side salad of lettuce to be sauteed English spinach instead. The Eggs Benedict ($12) was ordered with ham and the two poached eggs were unfortunately slightly overcooked as well, probably by only a minute I'd say. The Scrambled eggs with roast tomato & organic sourdough toast ($10) was ordered with an extra side of crispy bacon ($4). Now when you describe bacon on the menu as crispy you're expecting it to be crispy but due to the low fat cut of the bacon it wasn't although it was still nice and a healthier version as well.

The Chai Latte ($3.80) was well-spiced with decent flavour and the Mocha ($3.80) had a nice balance of coffee and chocolate with a slightly roasty flavour. My well-presented Cappuccino ($3.80) also had roasty notes which wasn't too bitter so I didn't need to add any sugar. If you're thinking of eating inside then you might find the seating arrangement a bit crowded for sharing and table space comes at a premium if you're consuming anything more than a coffee. I forgot to check if they had a toilet available but I'm assuming they hopefully would being in such an isolated and quiet part of Darlinghurst.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Decent coffee and well-presented, Friendly and down-to-earth service, Free WiFi, Quiet location

CONS: Possibly crowded and awkward seating arrangement inside, Very limited table space, Poached eggs were a bit overcooked, Crispy bacon isn't crispy but it's low fat, BIG Breakfast doesn't come with sausage, Limited menu due to small kitchen including no pancakes or freshly squeezed juices, No prices on website menu

MUST TRY: Coffee

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Cappuccino ($3.80)

Chai Latte ($3.80), Mocha ($3.80)

Cherubini BIG Breakfast - two free range eggs, poached with bacon, fresh avocado, roast roma tomato, lemon herb mushrooms and organic sourdough toast ($18) — would have loved some sausages and hash brown to be included

Poached eggs not as runny as hoped

Eggs Benedict - 2 poached eggs on sourdough toast with hollondaise sauce with ham ($12) — poached eggs not as runny as hoped

Scrambled eggs with roast tomato & organic sourdough toast ($10) with side of crispy bacon ($4)

Coffee menu

Coffee beans and tea

Coffee details

Coffee bean roasting machine

Fresh muffins and table condiments

Very limited table space for cutlery, a magazine or even elbows

Friendly staff

Chalk drawings

Rainforest alliance certified 100% arabica beans signage, magazines

Limited seating inside, low seating options outside


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