McDonald's: $1 Cheeseburger Deal, Randwick (11 Feb 2012)

Shop 20, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre

73 Belmore Road, Randwick NSW 2031

http://mcdonalds.com.au

Half the price or twice as much

I'm not sure why McDonald's has a discount pricing fetish for cheeseburgers of late but for fans they'll sure be taking advantage of the deals. It was only a month ago I tried the Double Cheeseburger for $2 and now you can get a normal Cheeseburger for $1 between 12-1 pm for a limited time. That means an extra bun, extra mustard, extra ketchup, extra onion and an extra pickle to throw up at the ceiling if you don't like them (which used to happen in the old days) — plus the extra calories of course. Some may think I shouldn't be eating these at all, including my mum who thinks my cholesterol is too high, but this blog is not only about the good but also the bad and the ugly. Also my willpower to resist things that a ridiculously cheap fails me sometimes when I should know better. I'll leave it up to you to decide which category the long-standing cheeseburger falls into in your world. In any case I think they used to taste better when I first worked at McDonald's at the age of 15 and up. Perhaps it was because I was young and naive and loved the taste but now they taste less juicy and more processed and lacking tasty flavour. Do I regret eating it — no. Should I eat a sustainable organic salad that supports local farmers instead — yes. Will I eat a $1 cheeseburger again — probably not, but if the bring out a cheap Triple Cheeseburger then that might be another story.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Very cheap, Plenty of locations, Available 10.30 til 11 pm

CONS: Not particularly healthy, Tastes rather processed, Deal available only for a limited time until end of Feb, It's hard to resist ordering fries as well, Limit 4 per transaction

MUST TRY: Avoiding to eat too much fast food

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$1 Cheeseburgers

Double staking the cheeseburgers

McDonald's advertisement from Facebook group

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McDonald's: Double Cheeseburger for $2, Randwick (10 Jan 2012)

Shop 20, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre

73 Belmore Road, Randwick NSW 2031

http://mcdonalds.com.au

Extra cheese to please

“We asked for 1,000 likes and you gave us over 9,000! What are we gonna do? Add an extra slice of cheese and bring back the $2 Double Cheeseburger! Available between 12pm – 1pm, from 28 December … http://www.facebook.com/McDonaldsAU/posts/295669047142702”

A late night tv ad brainwashes me to want to try the Double Cheeseburger for only $2 between 12 til 1 pm the next day. Unfortunately I generally don't like eating hamburgers without a side of fries as well bringing my total guilt factor to 68% of my daily fat intake combined with 71% of my daily sodium intake. My Double Cheeseburger ($2) arrives with a messy ketchup mishap but I guess that's to be expected if the order has been rushed. The bun wasn't as soft as expected so I'm thinking it might not have been as fresh as I've had before. McDonald's Fries ($2.90, large) are generally a pleaser and thankfully these were pretty good. The McDonald's in Randwick has food court seating available and is kept fairly clean and the staff seemed pretty on the ball in terms of fast service. My favourite McDonald's burger is probably the Big Mac with its addictive special sauce although I'm also a fan of the elusive McFeast which seems to have John Farnham come backs from time to time but I still think a slice of beetroot would make it even better.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Cheap, Predictable, Available everywhere

CONS: Not particularly healthy, It'll never look like the menu image

MUST TRY: Getting McDonald's to put Battered Fish & Chips on the menu for beach side stores like Coogee Beach

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Double Cheeseburger ($2, available between 12-1 pm promo)

Some misplaced messy ketchup

This is how the Double Cheeseburger is advertised. Apart from probably being impossible to actually look like this, have you noticed the extra pickle in the burger?

The notorious pickle — although I do like them

Double cheese and meat patties

Double Cheeseburger + Large Fries = 68% of my daily fat and 71% of my sodium = healthy salad tomorrow

I didn't realise there was a Triple Cheeseburger

Large Fries ($2.90) — Did you know it contains no sugar?


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Gotham: Cocktail Bar and Dining, Darlinghurst (15 July 2011)

35 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9283 1891
http://www.gotham.net.au

CLOSED - Noticed January 2012

Music for drinking not eating

Thanks to Natalie Triglone from Folke for inviting me to dine with a party of four at Gotham to sample some of the cocktails and dishes. I’d recently visited on 19 May for some pre drinks before The Falconer close next door and thought the menu looked pretty tempting to come back one day to try. Overall I really enjoyed the food but would have loved the place more if the music wasn’t so damn loud. It’s totally fine if you’re there for some drinks and bar snacks but when you’re trying to dine and have a nice conversation the noise factor can become a bit too intrusive for a relaxed dining experience. Gold star goes to the men’s toilet though for having privacy screens — you don’t see that very often these days, and it’s very much appreciated.

Starting the night with a Hemingway Daiquiri ($16) is not for the faint-hearted. It had a liberal amount of alcohol just like the one at La Bodeguita Del Medio — Mr Hemingway was on a good thing. On the other side of the scale the Mocktail ($7) was done really well and had plenty of nice flavours for the designated driver. Complimentary bar snacks (pictured above) on a Friday between 5 and 7 pm were a nice bonus for anyone drinking at the time. The Lychee & Ginger Martini ($16) had the right combination of flavours and the Mai Tai ($18) was a bit stronger on the alcohol. Large sized Stuffed Green Olives ($12.50) were crumbed & deep fried and flavourome — how could you go wrong. The Grilled Sourdough with Crushed Cherry Tomato Olives Basil & Goats Cheese ($9.50) had lovely fresh flavours and ingredients but not the easiest thing to eat with grace. I thought it might have been presented a bit more orderly for easy picking up and eating. The Crisp Chicken Wings with Lime Mayonnaise ($12.50) were good and I’d happily order again. A generous serve of Fried Zucchini Flowers with Parmesan & Lemon ($10.50) were good value and tasty. Batter was thin but perhaps a touch more crispiness would have been even better.

Crisp Skin Chicken ($24) was nicely done and had a decent crisp skin as hoped. The Linguine with Tomato Garlic Basil Olives & Extra Virgin ($18) had lots of flavour although I thought the pasta could have been a little more al dente for my liking and there was a noticeable amount of oil in the dish. The smashed olives and freshly shaved parmesan added extra depth of flavour. The Grilled Angus Sirloin with Fries & Beurre Marchand ($26) was cooked to medium rare as ordered. Had a little bit of gristle but was acceptable. The fries were good although I have a pet hate about them getting soggy with the juices on the plate. I tend to prefer if served in a side dish like at Mad Cow to keep them crispy at all times. The Panfried Fillet of Ocean Trout ($25) was well liked with crispy skin as hoped and the Salad of Torn Iceberg with Mint Parsley & Mustard Vinaigrette ($8) had plenty of flavour and crispness although I wondered if it could have been presented a bit nicer like Kingsleys iceberg salad. For dessert the Warm Madeleine with Sauternes ($11) was a table pleaser and I really liked the use of toffeed pecan scattered around the Warm Chocolate Brownie with Double Cream ($11) making it extra decadent.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor and lighting, Flavoursome dishes, Nice presentation, Fresh ingredients, Daily specials available, Upstairs function space available, Reasonably priced ‘To Share’ menu, Privacy screen in men’s toilet

CONS: Music too loud for relaxed dining, Once you’re seated in a booth you’ll need people to move out if you need to get out again

WORTH TRYING: Anything on the menu that tickles your fancy. The Stuffed Green Olives, Crisp Chicken Wings and Fried Zucchini Flowers go well as bar snacks to share

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Hemingway Daiquiri - White rum shaken with maraschino liqueur & grapefruit ($16), Mocktail ($7)

Lychee & Ginger Martini - Muddled lychees & fresh ginger shaken with vodka & crème de gingembre ($16), Mai Tai - Havana Anejo shaken with two rums, lime & orgeat ($18)

2009 Norfolk Rise Pinot Grigio, Mt Benson, SA ($9), 2009 Baby Doll Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ ($9)

Complimentary bar snack between 5-7 pm on Friday

Stuffed Green Olives - Crumbed & Deep Fried ($12.50)

Grilled Sourdough with Crushed Cherry Tomato Olives Basil & Goats Cheese ($9.50)

Crisp Chicken Wings with Lime Mayonnaise ($12.50)

Fried Zucchini Flowers with Parmesan & Lemon ($10.50)

Crisp Skin Chicken with Roast Potatoes Watercress & Anchoide ($24)

Linguine with Tomato Garlic Basil Olives & Extra Virgin ($18)

Grilled Angus Sirloin (150 day Grain Fed) with Fries & Beurre Marchand ($26) ordered medium rare

Fries get a little soggy with all the juice

There was a little bit of grizzle but not too much. It's better when you don't get any at all though

Panfried Fillet of Ocean Trout with Lentil Vinaigrette ($25)

Salad of Torn Iceberg with Mint Parsley & Mustard Vinaigrette ($8)

Warm Madeleine with Sauternes ($11)

Warm Chocolate Brownie with Double Cream ($11) — the toffeed pecans were a nice touch

Specials each day

Bar area

Intimate booth seating

Seating options

Front bar section near entrance

Back lounge area with comfy couches

Mens toilet has privacy screens — tick of approval

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The Norfolk: Pub bistro with courtyard, Redfern (18 Mar 2011)

305 Cleveland Street, Redfern NSW 2016
http://www.thenorfolk.co

Popular inner city watering hole

The Norfolk seems to advertise itself as wanting to be in Surry Hills but technically I believe it’s actually in Redfern according to Google Map. After what seems to have been some cosmetic renovations it’s now attracting a huge clientele of inner city devotees making it very popular and hence loud and crowded. I’m not sure if it’s due to the young attractive service girls at the front bar or the new tempting menu that seems reasonably priced. The leafy rear garden courtyard is a very sought after location to set up camp. Wine isn’t particularly cheap starting at $30 a bottle unless you go for the 500 ml carafes of house wine for $16 but the 2009 Tylers Stream Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough NZ ($32) hits the quaffable spot. The Soft shell tacos ($20 for 4) look pretty good which I hope to try next time. For extra heat there’s Salsa Habanera sauces available for your free pouring.

The sizeable Chicken schnitzel with parmigiana ($18) comes with chips and is tasty enough to fill the stomach. The Chicken schnitzel with Napolitana ($18) is also simply presented and comes with a small side salad of lettuce that could do with some extra dressing. Spiced Norfolk fries ($7.50) are good and definitely more flavoursome than your stock standard fries. My Chicken caesar salad ($17) is fairly decent although missing some much loved anchovy for a salty hit. Lettuce is fresh and there’s plenty of dressing but possibly too much. Due to our meals taking so long to arrive because staff couldn’t find our clearly displayed order number on the table we received a complimentary bottle of Swinging Bridge Sauvignon Blanc from management to say sorry — much appreciated and something I wouldn’t have expected to find in such a pub.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Reasonably priced meals, Interesting menu and décor, Garden courtyard at rear, Upstairs seating available, Affordable What’s On specials during the week

CONS: Can get very crowded and loud, Wine isn’t particularly cheap

MUST TRY: Tacos next time and more of the bar menu like the Deep-fried pickles with ranch dipping sauce which sounds pretty wicked and the Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert which comes with toasted brioche, caramelised banana, ice cream and dulce de lece

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Beef soft shell taco: Beef short rib, queso fresco, scallions & lime, salsa mojo ($20 for 4)

Chicken soft shell taco: Chargrilled chicken thigh, red onion, guacamole, lettuce, chipotle mayo, cucumber ($20 for 4)

Salsa Habanera sauces

Chicken schnitzel with Napolitana ($18)

Chicken schnitzel with parmigiana ($18)

Spiced Norfolk fries ($7.50)
WORTHING TRYING :-)

Chicken caesar salad with chicken tenderloins, bacon, croutons, parmesan, egg and caesar dressing ($17)

Soft shell tacos menu

Bar snacks menu

House sparkling and schooner of beer

Gin & Tonic — pretty small glass

2009 Tylers Stream Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough NZ ($32)

Complimentary Swinging Bridge Sauvignon Blanc because meals were misplaced

Front bar

Middle bar

Upstairs seating and wall of chalk graffiti

Garden courtyard

Weekly What's On specials

Suggestive magazine cut outs as wall decor

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