Bistro Avoca: Bloggers Dinner, Modern Australian, Randwick (29 Nov 2011)

133 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

Phone: (02) 9399 9667
http://www.bistroavoca.com.au

Tempting menu to choose from

Thanks to Charlotte Foot Public Relations for inviting me to dine as a guest of Bistro Avoca as part of a bloggers dinner. I've previously enjoyed dining when it first opened a few months ago so I was looking forward to seeing how it was going. Bistro Avoca seems to be one of those frustrating restaurants which has a menu that all sounds so good it's hard to make a choice (for me anyway). Most of the dishes I tried were worthing of recommending but my favourites would have to be the well-flavoured Thai oyster shot ($3.50 each), good flavour combination of the Seared sea scallops ($17) and the tasty and tender Salt & pepper squid ($9). I'm sure the vegetarians will enjoy the Linguine with heirloom tomato, zucchini flowers ($14.50 entree). Overall I think the dishes are quite reasonably priced for the quality. Flavours seem familiar and mostly balanced without being too daring nor overly boring. Definitely leave room for the desserts which are well-presented and seem to hit the spot most of the time for a satisfying sugar hit. My Affogato with Frangelico ($16.50, or $8.50 without liqueur) thankfully came with a decent amount of ice cream and if you really can't decide on a dessert then I'd recommend the simplicity of the Crème brûlée with strawberries marinated in orange syrup ($14).

Other visits to Bistro Avoca:

• 29 Nov 2011 - Bloggers Dinner

• 6 July 2011 - Thai Oyster Shot, Scallops, Tempura Prawns, Lamb, Confit Duck, Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding, Creme Brulee

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor, Good menu variety, Quality ingredients, Well-presented dishes, Friendly service, Reasonably priced wine

CONS: Possibly a bit out of the way for those who don't live in the Eastern Suburbs

WORTH TRYING: Thai oyster shot, Seared sea scallops, Salt & pepper squid, Crème brulee with strawberries, Affogato with Frangelico

NEXT TIME: I must try the Pacific oysters topped with rice wine & eschallot vinaigrette and Atlantic salmon caviar

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Freshly baked crusty bread roll with butter ($1.50)

I love taking photos of bloggers taking photos

Thai oyster shot with fresh herbs and ginger, garlic, chilli, lemongrass & lime nam jim ($3.50 each) — robust flavours although may have overpowered the oyster this time

WORTH TRYING :-)

Blinis served warm with sliced smoked salmon, pickled Spanish onion and dill sour cream ($16.50) — flavours work together although a little awkward to eat as a blini in one go. Perhaps with a bit less salmon would make it easier

Seared sea scallops, cauliflower puree, bacon crumble and pesto oil ($17) — a good combination of flavours

WORTH TRYING :-)

Duck & shitake mushroom spring rolls, pickled ginger & rocket salad, sweet chilli dipping sauce ($14.50) — decent size, crispy shell although I found the filling a little dry and wondered if cutting diagonally in half would jazz up the presentation a bit like the lady fingers at Lebanon & Beyond

Salt & pepper squid with spring onions, chilli and lime ($9) — tender, nice flavour, crispy outer, decent size for price to share

WORTH TRYING :-)

Linguine with heirloom tomato, zucchini flowers, extra virgin olive oil and parmesan ($14.50 entree) — nicely cooked, good fresh flavours, flavoursome vegetarian dish

Market fresh fish of the day (bream) in crisp beer batter, chips, salad leaves, tartare sauce & lemon ($25.50) — looked like a generous size

Black angus sirloin steak, Irish colcannon, fresh asparagus, sugar snap peas and red wine jus ($28.50 specials menu) — simply yet nice flavours, sugar snap peas retained their crunch

Black angus sirloin steak ordered and received medium rare

Crisp skin Atlantic salmon, lemon, pea, mint & fetta cous cous, lemon scented labne ($27.50) — nicely cooked, flavour combination worked together well

Pork cutlet, crushed potato, fennel & mustard, french beans, green apple & cranberries with maple ($28.50) — didn't try but looked like a lot of different flavours on the plate, maybe too many?

Noisettes of lamb, caramelised sweet potato, zucchini ribbons, brocollni and onion marmalade ($28.50) — didn't try, looked pretty good and a hearty size

Rocket, pear and parmesan salad ($6.50) — simply flavours, decent size for price, although I much prefer the larger leafed rocket they serve at Fix St James

Affogato with frangelico ($16.50, or $8.50 without liqueur) — decent amount of ice cream served which gets a special tick of approval from me

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

vxdollface going in for the shot of my affogato, Baileys Liqueur coffee ($9.50) above right

Coconut pannacotta, lime jelly and fresh mango, coconut biscotti ($14) — very limey jelly, maybe a little too tart for some

Crème brûlée with strawberries marinated in orange syrup ($14) — simple yet satisfying

WORTH TRYING :-)

Vanilla and raspberry bombe alaska with rhubarb confit and praline ($14) — looked great, nice flavours

Warm soft centred chocolate pudding, kahlua crème anglaise ($14) — rich flavoured chocolate which delivered on the soft centre, a bit awkward to add the crème anglaise though without making a mess I think

Shortbread, vanilla bean ice cream, butterscotch sauce & honeycomb ($14) — looked pretty decadent but perhaps the least sophisticated in presentation

Vanilla pannacotta, sour cherries and pistachio biscotto ($14 specials menu) — strong tasting cherries possibly overpowers the pannacotta but it's all quite nice

Sticky toffee pudding, stuffed dates, butterscotch sauce and ice cream ($14 specials menu) —I tried this dish on my first visit which didn't have the dates before. I found the hard toffee a bit thick making it a little harder to eat without breaking your teeth, nice flavours although pudding perhaps could be more moist

2008 Parker Coonawarra Estate Favourite Son Chardonnay ($7.90), 2011 (2010 on menu) Villa Maria Two Valleys Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($7.80), 2008 Mount Langi Billi Billi Shiraz Barossa Valley ($6.50) — reasonably priced

Bloggers in the house including Cupcakie Dolly, vxdollface, Richard Elliot's blog, Miss Feathers, Star Loz and KayB's Cakes

Decor and specials board

Main dining room including large mirrors and acoustic panels

Back room dining area

Clean and functional unisex toilets — maybe some fresh flowers would add a nice homely touch

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Candelori's: Italian, Smithfield (10 Sept 2011)

685 The Horsley Drive, Smithfield NSW 2164
Phone: (02) 9729 1155
http://www.candeloris.com.au

Italian haven in Smithfield

On recommendation from my brother the family heads out to the industrial suburb of Smithfield to check out an Italian restaurant of massive proportions compared to its misleading shopfront. A 40th birthday of around 50 people is already in progress as we enter via the rear entrance close to the outside parking area for our 6.30 pm booking. The large dining area is divided near the middle by an impressive sized bar displaying bottles of spirits and wine. The kitchen doors are in constant flux of service bringing out tempting looking dishes so luckily we’re not sitting too close to it. Most of the customers seem to be Italian so that’s a good sign. To start my NV Astoria ‘Baby Lounge’ Prosecco Cuvée DOC ($13.5) is pricey but decent and my brothers Peroni Gran Riserva ($12) will set you back more than your average local beer. For entrée the Garlic bread ($5) is nicely toasted and full of garlic and butter flavour as hoped. The Bruschetta bread ($8) is flavoursome and not overly topped so it’s fairly easy to eat without becoming too messy. House bread is complimentary showing a bit of Italian family hospitality. The Pan-fried olives ($9) is a nice tasty starter although I prefer the large sized ones over the smaller ones.

The Calamari fritti ($23) is surprisingly very tender although I was hoping for a bit less coating like I had Lucio Pizzeria. Zucchini flowers filled with ricotta cheese & spinach ($23) are pricey although worth it for their crispiness and tasty filling. The Baked figs & prosciutto pan-finished with gorgonzola and mascarpone cream ($23) are seasonally available. They tasted better than they looked although at $7.50 each I thought they were quite expensive. Now for lovers of seafood you might want to check out the Linguine con aragosta, gamberi e cozze ($36) which comes with a half lobster, tiger prawns and mussels. Pretty reasonable I thought although I preferred the pasta flavour in the Spaghettini with scampi & scallops ($28) which actually had a decent kick of chilli which wasn’t mentioned on the menu. The scampi looked impressive although actually don’t provide much meat in the end.

My dad was pretty happy with his Quaglie saltimbocca ($29) of roasted quails wrapped with prosciutto which I think contained a whole quail family. The Lobster, prawn, crab ravioli ($27) comes with plenty of sauce although bordering on perhaps too much. The ravioli was huge and filled with lobster, crab & prawn meat but I tasted more prawn meat than anything else. For dessert the Nougat toblerone ($17) was a crowd pleaser although I was expecting a bit more crunch from the crushed nougat. The house made almond biscotti was very good. Some decent flavour was to be had in the Tiramisu ($16) albeit at the price and my Hot chocolate ($4) was nicely flavoured. I’m not sure who ‘Ray Hadley's Morning Roast’ is but he seems to have a permanent advertising spot on the cup saucers — I wonder if he’s Italian? All-in-all a pleasant experience except for a bit of absent service towards the end due to being busy. The sizzling hot pots looked good so perhaps next time.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Lots of seating although book ahead especially on Saturdays as it’s very popular, Quite nice décor, Big focus on seafood, Service seemed down-to-earth and friendly although got a little absent towards the end, Parking available around the back, Function space available

CONS: Some of the 2 seater tables towards the back near the wall are right next to service pathway so not ideal, I had trouble sitting my feet under the table comfortably due to table support in the way

MUST TRY: Sizzling hot pots and pizza next time

WORTH TRYING: Garlic bread, Bruschetta, The Linguine con aragosta, gamberi e cozze comes with half a lobster for only $36 which seems like pretty good value

DAMAGE: $314.50 for five people

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NV Astoria ‘Baby Lounge’ Prosecco Cuvée DOC, Veneto, Italy ($13.5), Lemon, Lime & Bitters ($5)

Peroni Gran Riserva, Lazio, Italy ($12)

Garlic bread - woodfired garlic ciabata bread ($5)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Bruschetta bread - woodfired ciabata bread topped with diced tomato, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil ($8)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Complimentary house bread

Pan-fried olives with lemon zest, rosemary, dry chilli and extra virgin olive oil ($9)

Calamari fritti - tender calamari lightly floured and pan fried ($23)

Zucchini flowers filled with ricotta cheese & spinach; lightly pan fried ($23)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Baked figs & prosciutto pan-finished with gorgonzola and mascarpone cream (seasonal availability). We source our figs from NT, QLD, NSW and California ($23)

Linguine con aragosta, gamberi e cozze - long thin pasta, pan tossed with a half lobster, tiger prawns, mussels, virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, garlic, chilli & white wine ($36)

Complimentary side vegetables with main

Quaglie saltimbocca - roasted quails wrapped with prosciutto; pan-finished with virgin olive oil, sage, garlic, white wine & served on a bed of lentils ($29)

Lobster, prawn, crab ravioli - large ravioli filled with lobster, crab & prawn meat; pan finished with diced tomatoes, basil & extra virgin olive oil ($27)


Spaghettini with scampi & scallops - spaghettini, pan tossed with white wine, garlic, virgin olive oil, parsley, shallots & cherry tomatoes ($28) - actually had a decent hit of chilli

Impressive looking scampi but more shell than meat

No crab meat left behind

Nougat toblerone - crumbled biscuit base filled with soft cream cheese, toblerone chocolate & crushed nougat; served with white chocolate gelato, warm dark chocolate & house made almond biscotti ($17)

Tiramisu - layered savoiardi biscotti dipped in espresso, zucchero and vecchia romagna brandy; finished with mascarpone and shaved dark chocolate ($16)

Hot chocolate ($4)

English Breakfast tea ($5)

Ray Hadley's Morning Roast tea cup — WTF?!

Bill $314.50 for five people

Interesting bottled fruit although is a star fruit Italian?

I had trouble sitting my feet under the table comfortably :-(

Sugar and toothpicks — the only time I usually see toothpicks is at a Chinese restaurant

Dining area — very large

Lots of free car parking at rear

Opening hours

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