@ restaurant is one of several Japanese restaurants situated on the busy Pacific Highway in Crows Nest. The cosy eatery was full on the Saturday night we visited. We started with the Beef tataki which was beautifully seared. The sprinkling of the fried onion on top added a nice crunch and the ponzu dressing tied the dish together.

The agedashi tofu is a tried and tested favourite and @ Restaurant's version was no different- I especially loved the flavoursome bonito stock.

The sashimi mix included a selection of salmon, tuna, kingfish and snapper. The servings were quite generous and it was evident the fish was very fresh.

The Wagyu potato nest was definitely the highlight of the meal. Hidden underneath the best of thinly sliced potato chips were bite sized wagyu beef. The chips, seasoned generrously with salt and seaweed, were super crispy and highly addictive. The cubes of wagyu beef were very tender with just the right amount of marbling. ​

@ Restaurant has been added to my list of neighbourhood gems, offering quality Japanese cuisine at reasonable prices. Definitely one to come back to.

Formerly a garage, the large industrial space has been converted into an upscale bar and restaurant, Riley St Garage in Woolloomoolo. The interior is dark and chic, with a large oval shaped bar in the middle.

The menu is made for sharing and we started off with the Smokey Soy Truffle oysters. Beautifully presented, the smoked soy really enhanced the flavour of the freshly shucked oysters and I could easily have eaten a few more!

Heirloom tomato, burrata and basil is a tried and tested combination so we couldn't go wrong with this dish!

The Seared scallops were large and plump and cooked perfectly. The yuzu koshu garlic buter added great flavour to the dish, and again, I could have consumed a few more easily!

I love eggplant and I love miso so the Sweet eggplant miso gratin was definitely a dish for me. The miso gives it a salty hit but when mixed together with the gooey eggplant, it's really well balanced.  

The Chorizo corn dog sounded intriguing. Teamed with the dijon mayo, it was definitely fancier than your average corn dog from the Easter Show! 

The Grilled Fremantle octopus with white bean and chilli mayo was delicious and had bold hits of Mediterranean flavour. The octopus was beautifully tender and a joy to eat.

I don't often order a chicken dish in fancy restaurants as I feel that it's relatively easy to cook myself. But the Riley Street's Organic half chicken with apple and onion vinaigrette was definitely worth ordering! The chicken skin was wonderfully crispy and the meat was remarkably tender. The creamy truffled mash that accompanied the dish was ridiculously smooth and aromatic, one of the best mash that I have had.

Looking for a sweet finish to the meal, we ordered the Dessert platter. The presentation is absolutely spectacular and definitely one of the highlights of the night. The chocolate mousse was rich and decadent, and paired well with the mascarpone ice cream. The creme brulee had the crunchy crust on top with just the right amount of sweetness.

All in all, I was very impressed by Riley Street Garage. The space reminds me very much of New York. Service is efficient and friendly, flavours were fantastic and I loved that the menu is designed for sharing.

Chanoma is a Japanese cafe in Regent Place, also home to Aqua S, Chef's Gallery and Izakaya Yebisu. Its menu consist of a selection of Japanese hot dogs and all things green tea flavoured.

We ordered the special lunch offer available to Washoku Lovers members - it comprised of one Chanoma Dog (a Japanese Hot Dog), chicken nuggets and either a iced matcha/ grapefruit juice.

The Japanese Hot Dog came with a Kransky sausage and a curry flavoured cabbage & salsa minced meat sauce. The meat on meat combo somehow works and the curried mince sauce was delicious but a tad salty.

The Matcha Latte had a strong green tea flavour without being too overpowering or sweet. It went well with the hot dog and nuggets. I was also keen to try the grapefruit juice, which was served in the fruit itself. I learnt that the fruit is juiced inside its skin using a Cajyutta, a high tech fruit drill. The grapefruit juice was tangy and refreshing, great for a summer's day.

Chanoma Cafe is a great alternative to your standard fast food fare in the city. I'm keen to try out some of their other green tea flavoured desserts.

Ms G's is one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney and my last outing there was no different. It ticks all the right boxes in terms of atmosphere, service and food (both in quality and inventiveness).

In recent years, franken food have begun making its way onto menus (e.g. ramen burger, cruffic and cronut to name a few). Here at Ms G's, they offer ​Cheeseburger springrolls - it sounded too intriguing to resist. Biting into one of these, we felt like we had entered food heaven! So what does it tastes like? Exactly like how you would imagine it would taste - it's like having a bite sized cheeseburger wrapped in deep fried pastry! 

The grilled corn on a cob is a staple on the Ms G's menu and paired with the lime and generous shavings of parmesan, is absolutely delicious.

The Vietnamese style steak tartare comes with prawn crackers rather than croutons. The steak tartare was tender with the sweet, salty and tangy notes that Vietnamese cuisines are known for. I also loved the addition of the fried eschallots sprinkled on top.

The photo doesn't do our next dish, the Nasi Goreng hitam justice. It's a twist on the Malaysian classic with the rice fried with chorizo and squid ink. The dish was bold in flavour, with a good degree of heat, and topped off with a sunny side up egg.

For dessert, we went for The BOSS - primarily because it contained kaya French toast, which I discovered whilst holidaying in Malaysia recently. The mixture of coconut, pandan, egg and sugar in the kaya spread is just intoxicatingly good. But that wasn't all that I loved about the dessert - the thai milk ice cream was velvelty smooth and intense in flavour, and the blueberry jam added a touch of freshness. Together with the puffed rice and honeycomb, it was definitely a fun dessert to eat though it did get a little too sweet by the end.

Once again, Ms G's has delivered. It's fun place to go for a date or with a group of friends. The only downsides are the lack of parking and poor lighting for food photos!