Slip Inn: Tapas at a Sydney Bloggers Network Meetup, CBD Sydney (2 Feb 2012)

111 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://merivale.com.au/slipinn

Google surprise at Meetup

“Feb 9-16 Is New York Fashion Week, which kicks off the 2012 Fall Season and is followed by Fashion Week in London, Milan and Paris. Bloggers interested in Fashion blogging, styling, fashion photography: show us what you’re up to!”

A casual Meetup named 'It’s Fashion Week Somewhere!' organised by Jordan from Sydney Bloggers Network brings me down to Slip Inn on a rainy night in the hope of learning something about fashion photography. Apart from food blogging I also have a passion for fashion, burlesque and modeling events which I share on Simon Leong Design, which should probably be renamed Simon Leong Photography. I find these type of events very challenging to photograph because lighting is usually varied and the subject can be moving quickly and be very unpredictable. It definitely helps me to learn more about using my camera and I enjoy the challenge of capturing the moment. To help share this with the group I printed out a selection of photos and passed them around the table. Unfortunately I seemed to be the only one that had actually prepared something to show but it was nice to meet new people and find out what blogs they had and what they were passionate about.

A late surprise attendance by two ladies (Inci and Lisa) that work for Google Blogger was very much welcomed and enjoyed by the group. Apparently visiting from Silicon Valley and wanting to meetup with bloggers they welcomed enthusiastic questions and shared as much information as their knowledge could muster. I wanted to know why my blog automatically had 'au' added to the end now and mentioned that my 'quick edit button' function has recently disappeared on my blog and I have formatting troubles when I use the multiple image uploader rather than using the basic single image uploader.

For dinner I tried the tapas menu (3 tapas for $21) which seems to be a new addition to Slip Inn offerings. The Tempura prawns with a wasabi mayo dipping sauce (3 tapas for $21) was worth trying for the fairly decent sized prawns coated in a light and crispy batter. I couldn't really taste the wasabi in the dipping sauce though. The Pork and mushroom tofu skin spring rolls with a spicy miso dipping sauce was a small portion and not as crispy as hoped which made it a bit of disappointment. I was hoping for maybe three crispy fried and tasty spring rolls and the menu did say 'rolls' not 'roll'. The Spicy pork and spinach, steamed dumplings with a soy ginger dipping sauce were OK. Perhaps the pastry could be more silky and softer and the filling a bit more juicy for my liking but they were nice enough as a quick and easy snack.

PS. Also I must apologise if my breathe smelt like garlic and fish sauce as I had a Papaya Salad at lunch at SAAP Thai — I forgot to prewarn everyone.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Get to meet different people and learn new things at meetups, A good opportunity to show & tell and networking with like minded people

CONS: You're never too sure who you might meet and if you're going to get along with them, The venue was very noisy so not the best place to be able to talk and hear other people

MUST TRY: Going along to other Meetups that sound interesting if I have time

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Tempura prawns with a wasabi mayo dipping sauce (3 tapas for $21)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Pork and mushroom tofu skin spring rolls with a spicy miso dipping sauce (3 tapas for $21)

Spicy pork and spinach, Steamed dumplings with a soy ginger dipping sauce (3 tapas for $21)

The Meetup attendees (plus Lather Rinse Repeat had to leave early)

Organiser Jordan (centre) and the Google Blogger Girls Inci (left) and Lisa (right)

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Simon's 41st Hawaiian Birthday at the Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick (15 Jan 2012)

147 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coachandhorseshotel.com.au

Celebrating another year older

After having a casual lunch at the Coach and Horses Hotel I was inspired by the improved menu to have my 41st birthday in The Red Room function space on level 1. Sundays usually incur a $1000 minimum spend on the bar for private functions but since my event was held during the day and I knew it wasn't going to be a big drinking affair I was able to convince management to thankfully waive the minimum spend. A $200 refundable security deposit was still required and I organised five different platters of food for guests which were brought up by Barry who was friendly and accommodating along with Hiro who looked after the bar area. The theme for my birthday has been Hawaiian for many years now — how else would I get to wear my Hawaiian shirt and lei. Bar prices for drinks was pretty reasonable with the cheapest bottles starting at $23. Making it affordable enough to order a few Mt Lawson NV Brut ($23 bottle) at the very start. The private function space worked out really well and was separate enough from any public thoroughfare so security of the area could be maintained. The decor and seating was comfortable and roomy enough for 48 adults and 9 kids.

The Vietnamese Vegetable Rice Paper rolls ($50, 25 piece platter) were very good and I was impressed to see the flavoursome dipping sauce was homemade. The decent sized Moroccan Lamb Skewers ($50, 30 pieces platter) were better than I expected with nice flavours and tender meat. Prawn Wontons ($50, 40 pieces platter) were tasty and cooked with a nice crispy outer wonton shell. The Vegetarian Arancini ($50, 30 piece platter) had nice flavours too except the packaged grated parmesan used was really smelly which could be easily fixed by using freshly grated parmesan. You could smell it from across the room when it arrived — I even thought it might have been baby Isabelle needing a nappy change. The Vegetable Cocktail Spring Rolls ($50, 50 pieces platter) were crispy and tasty as hoped — I'm such a lover of spring rolls at parties. The Wedges ($8) were hot and crispy as expected and a good way to fill any hungry stomachs at the end. Chef Anthony did a great job in providing above average platter food and hopefully freshly grated parmesan will be used in the future for the arancini to make it a winner. My birthday cake was made of mini cupcakes from Coles ($30, 72 pieces) which came in two flavours, chocolate and vanilla — with a tonne of sugar. They're probably not the healthiest cupcakes in town but they suited my requirements to be affordable, bite-sized and not needing cutting or cutlery. I could also spell out '41' on the platter.

Other birthdays for Simon:

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel

• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel

• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ

• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

Other visits to Coach and Horses Hotel:

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday in The Red Room, Function platter food

• 5 Jan 2012 - Octopus Salad, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Piri Piri Prawn Skewers, Barramundi, Atlantic Salmon, Prawn Spaghetti, Beer Garden

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Decent platter food, Friendly staff, Nice decor, Reasonably priced drinks, Function space suits around 50 people and sectioned off from public access, Easy access to bar area

CONS: Packaged grated parmesan used on Arancini making it very smelly — hopefully fresh parmesan used in the future, Minimum spend conditions may apply

MUST TRY: Vietnamese vegetarian rice paper rolls, Prawn wontons

BABY ON BOARD: Lift available to level 1, Plenty of space in function room and separated from main bar so pretty good for security of area

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41st birthday cake made with mini cupcakes from Coles ($30, 72 pieces)

Vietnamese Vegetable Rice Paper rolls ($50, 25 piece platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Moroccan Lamb Skewers with Yoghurt & Mint Dipping Sauce ($50, 30 pieces platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Prawn Wontons with Nutty Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce ($50, 40 pieces platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetarian Arancini ($50, 30 piece platter)

Vegetable Cocktail Spring Rolls with Sweet Chilli ($50, 50 pieces platter)

Wedges ($8)

Mt Lawson NV Brut ($23 bottle)

Drinks menu

Function room — plenty of comfy seating and easy access to bar

Babies on board

Poker and Thai boxing next door on level 1

After party drinks with an Aperol Spritz

After party munchies with Doughboy — really like their Malabar pizza (right) with prawns at the moment

$41 for 41st birthday — clever idea!

Hang loose

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Bò 7 Món THANH TÂM: Vietnamese, CBD Sydney (25 July 2011)

50 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: (02) 8252 7815

Gaining lunch time popularity

Options for decent Vietnamese around the Hunter Street area is pretty limited so it's good to see this place gaining popularity over the months I've been casually visiting. Sometimes during peak lunch times it gets so popular I can't get even get seat (which isn't good for me), and there's a lot of seating available compared to Malay Chinese next door. I've discovered another favourite of Fried spring rolls ($6, 4 pieces) which reminds me of the ones at Pasteur which you wrap in lettuce with fresh mint. The new special of Steamed chicken rice ($8.50) is pretty moist and tender as hoped and comes with soup and Chinese vegetables although missing cucumber and tomato as you might find with Malaysian versions. Only thigh is available so you'll need to look out for the bones. Wish they did a boneless version like Singapore Shiok although I'm suspecting it'll become a popular choice for the regulars. The Grilled pork and spring roll with rice noodle ($10.50) is worth trying although be prepared for your breathe to smell like garlic from the sauce that you pour over it. Vietnamese coffee is available and comes with condensed milk then poured over ice. It pulls no punches on both sugar and coffee taste. A bit of an acquired taste I think but seems fairly palatable — you might like it.

Other visits to Bò 7 Món THANH TÂM:

• 25 July 2011 - Fried Spring Rolls, Steamed Chicken Rice, Vietnamese Coffee, Grilled pork and spring roll with rice noodle

• 29 Nov 2010, 3 Dec 2010 - Beef Noodle Soup, Crispy Chicken with Egg Noodle, Pork Chop, Chicken Rice Noodle Soup, Pork Rice Noodle

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Plenty of seating, Reasonably priced, Tasty dishes, Alcoholic drinks available at the bar, Toilets available, Friendly service, Open for lunch and dinner

CONS: Queue for ordering can get long when busy, No windows or natural light, Decor could be perhaps nicer, Tables are sometimes not cleaned of dirty dishes as quickly as hoped

MUST TRY: Fried spring rolls

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Fried spring rolls ($6, 4 pieces)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Steamed chicken rice ($8.50) — a variation of the Malaysian version. Ginger and shallot sauce was pretty salty though

Steamed rice bone factor — they only serve as thigh

Grilled pork and spring roll with rice noodle ($10.50)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Vietnamese coffee

Chefs and owners Mrs Anh Tran and Mr Phuoc Hoang

Menu specials

Seating options

Ask for a soup spoon if you prefer

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