The two-hatted Sixpenny had been on my go-to list for a while and it certainly delivered in terms of flavour, texture and service. We were seated in the private dining room, where we had a full view of the kitchen watching the chefs weave their magic. 

Our 8 course degustation started with a trio of snacks. Side note: each dish is brought out by the chefs and they take great care to explain the dish to you. The Green tomatoes, grown in the Blue Mountains, looked like tomatoes but tasted like sour grapes. The Pumpkin Scallop is a tasty morsel of confit pumpkin deep fried and topped with some pumpkin seed salt. My favourite of the snacks though were the Cheese gougeres. They were delightfully fluffy, covered with a layer of cheddar shavings. The filling of cheese combined with the green tomato jam was simply delicious. 

The Spanner Crab with Clam Butter and Trout Roe was a very delicate dish, with quite a strong hit of saltiness.

The Venison Tartare looked striking as it hit the table, though the tartare itself was actually hidden under a layer of hazelnut shavings. The combination of the earthy beetroot with the sweet hazelnut and the gamey-ness of the venison is genius.

Potatoes are often just a side accompaniment but here at Sixpenny, they take centre stage. The mini cylinders of potatoes are cooked in an oyster butter emulsion and paired with slices of raw mushrooms and mushroom powder. It's amazing how so much umami flavour can be generated from such a simple selection of ingredients.

The Spanish Mackarel with Radicchio was another highlight. The mackerel was beautifully cooked but the star of the dish for me was the tomato and fermented cucumber essence. It provided a lovely sweetness and contrast to the bitterness of the radicchio. 

Onto the last savoury course of the meal, the Lamb rump with roasted leek and caramelised pumpkin juice was another good dish, but lacked the wow factor of its predecessors.  

The pre-dessert was another deceptive simple yet spectacular dish. The Mead Vinegar Custard was silky smooth and together with the frozen beads of raspberry and the intense flavour of the strawberry consomme definitely made my tastebuds sing.

The Feijoa Granita with the white chocolate cream and white chocolate disc was slightly on the sweet side for me. 

Our final dish was the Cocoa Ice Cream with Wattleseed Caramel and Toasted Farro. The ice cream was super smooth and the addition of the toasted, salty farro added a really interesting dimension to the dessert.

In the unassuming suburb of Stanmore, Sixpenny lives up to its numerous accolades and deliver a great fine dining experience.

Bloodwood has been a feature of Newtown's dining scene for a few years now and it's easy to see why it remains as popular as ever. The restaurant has a cool vibe with both indoor and outdoor seating on the terrace.

I was told that whatever we order, don't miss out on the Polenta chips. I normally find polenta quite bland and boring, but even I was a convert after tasting this. Freshly cooked, these chips were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, and matched so well with the creamy Gorgonzola sauce, 

The Fried chicken ​was succulent and moist, with a hint of spice form the Szechuan pepper and sweetness from the maple syrup. Not my favourite fried chicken of all time, but definitely no complaints.

Bloodwood offers a wide array of vegetarian options, including the Socca - a chickpea pancake topped with zucchini, dukkah, kale and persian feta. The base had a lovely crunch, and the toppings were aromatic, creamy and full of flavour. It's a dish that I would definitely return for.

Continuing with the vegetarian theme, the Sesame mushrooms with seaweed, smoked eggplant and daikon was a simply, humble dish done well. It was a very textural dish and had a real depth of flavour.

The Sticky Fried Beef brisket fell apart at the slightly touch and the enoki, heirloom carrots and quinoa made for a great combination.

The food at Bloodwood is very impressive and definitely some of the best you can have in Newtown. The food is original, without being pretentious. It's a great place to come with a group, since everything is designed to be shared. 

Being a big fan of tea, I had been eager to check out The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar in Redfern. The cafe had a cool vibe and is beautifully decorated. There's a mini retail store inside with lots of displays showing the dazzling array of tea you can choose from (and purchase to take home).

The food in the menu all incorporates some element of tea into it. We went for the Green tea noodle soup with miso broth, shitake mushrooms and ginger dumplings. The broth was delicious and the dumpling filling was equally tasty. It was a very light and healthy dish, with just a hint of green tea from the noodles.

We also ordered the Slow cooked beef in black tea sandwich. It's hard to go wrong with a freshly grilled sandwich but I was still very impressed with the flavour combination. The beef was soft and the balance of the pickled cauliflower and the cheddar was spot on.

Not surprisingly, there are lots of tea to choose from in the drinks menu. After much deliberation, we went with the Gunpowder Green Tea (a suggested pairing with the green tea noodles) and a Ginger Snap Latte - which came in an adorable cup, with its own rabbit tail.

We were craving something sweet and opted for a Lavender and vanilla marshmallow. Great texture and flavour, it was just the little sugar hit we were after.

We definitely enjoyed our trip down the rabbit hole and it's great to see an organic tea bar thriving in Sydney. I'll definitely be back.

Housed in the Harris Farm complex, Salt Meats Cheese in Drummoyne offers everything from wood fired pizza to a gelato bar. The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived just prior to midday, already developing a strong following despite only being only since late last year.

We started with one of the specials of the day - Grilled peaches with proscuitto, buffalo mozzarella and a balsamic glaze. The grilled peaches had a lovely sweetness and was complemented so well by the prosciutto, the creaminess of the buffalo mozzarella and the tanginess of the balsamic glaze - I would be happy to eat this anytime!

The Slow braised octopus Tagliatelle was another standout. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the slow braised octopus were incredibly tender. The classic flavours of garlic, chilli, parsley and tomato meant you really couldn't go wrong with this dish.

The ​Truffle pizza had a great aroma from the splashings of truffle oil. The edges of the pizza are fluffy and there's a slight hint of smokiness that comes from the wood fired pizza oven. The fior di latte was deliciously creamy, just wished there was a little bit more of it!

Salt Meat Cheese is a welcome addition to Drummoyne. Everything feels extra fresh because you are surrounded by the beautiful produce, seafood and flowers on offer in the stores surrounding the eatery. Despite being very busy, service was friendly and the food came out quickly. Will definitely be back!

Kepos Street Kitchen had been on my list of cafes to try for a while. After a 15 minute wait, we were seated inside - the sun filled room felt warm and inviting. The menu had Middle Eastern influences and it was hard to make up our minds on what to try. 

We started with some iced teas/ mocktails, which looked amazing served in mason jars. I had the Pear and Elderflower spritzer and it was refreshing without being overly sweet. There was also a generous serving of fruit to go with our drinks. It's nice to see a cafe with not just your standard juice/ smoothie drinks selection.

The Tunisian style seared Yellow Fin Tuna salad was a spectacular dish packed with flavour. I loved the combination of the perfectly seared tuna with the eggplant, soft boiled egg, potatoes and the harissa dressing. 

I have never been a fan of vegemite, but I was intrigued to try the vegemite tahini dressing that went with the Moroccan lamb and pinenut cigars with a soft boiled egg. The hint of vegemite was slight so did not overpower the dish. The cigars were crisp and tasty, and who doesn't love a good soft boiled egg.

My friend ordered the Southern Fried Chicken sandwich, which is basically a burger and it's huge! The coleslaw and Chermoula mayo goes really well with the crunchy, tender chicken in a delicious brioche bun. 

For dessert, we were informed by the waitress that there is no point of putting the desserts n the menu as it's ever changing and best to be seen at the front counter. A clever strategy as after you have inspected the array of sweets on offer, it's simply irresistible. We opted for the Pistachio and date tart and it was both crunchy and chewy, and not too sweet. 

In my mind, Kepos Street Kitchen definitely deserves its hat and it's no wonder there is often a queue out the front. Service is fast and friendly and the food is great quality. It's the perfect place for a catch up with family or friends, and it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

On the hunt for a KFC fix (not the fast food, but Korean Fried Chicken), my friends and I ventured to Strathfield Sports Club where Red Pepper resides. The place resembles a typical sports club - Keno machines, a TAB counter and giant TVs showing football games. What is different is their extensive KFC menu. Looking around the packed restaurant, every table had at least one plate of KFC on their table.

With 6 of us, we decided to order nothing but fried chicken in order to try as many flavours as possible. The chicken was really juicy with a crunchy skin. There were a few pieces that were a bit boney but still great value. 

First up was the Hot and Spicy Gangjung. It was hot and spicy indeed. The first few bites were pretty mild but then the heat really kicks in. 

I preferred the Sweet and spicy Chicken to the Hot and Spicy - the succulent pieces of chicken were very flavoursome covered in a sticky glaze.

The Spring Onion Chicken was my favourite. I loved the dressing which was predominantly soy sauce with a tinge of wasabi, and the ample amounts of spring onion added some freshness to the dish. 

I'd recommend coming with your friends so you can try more types of KFC. I am keen to come back and try the rest of their menu as well, as some of the noodle dishes and stews looked amazing.

The most intriguing KFC was the Snow Cheese Chicken, crispy skinned chicken coated in parmesan cheese powder. It definitely is not a flavour combination I would have thought of but somehow it works. 

Having recently been crowned with one hat in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide, what better time to try out this modern Korean joint than Father's Day with my parents. First step was finding the entrance, which is not easy as there's no clear signage apart from a printed menu by the front door. The fit out is sparse and minimalistic, but does its job. There a $65 banquet menu but we decided to go with the a la carte option.

For entrees, we started with the sea urchin and black garlic on seed biscuit. Sea urchin is an acquired taste. I love the gooey, melt-in-your-mouth texture of sea urchin. The sesame crisp complement the strong sea urchin taste and is offset by a yummy black bean type sauce.  

Next was the smoked eel with puffed wild rice on shiso leaf. The puffed rice looked like little caterpillars on a leaf! This reminded me of the betal leafs from Longrain. The eel was the highlight - it had a touch of smokey flavour and had quite a meaty flesh. The chilli sauce gave it just the right amount of kick. 

The dishes at Moon Park were wonderfully presented, none more so than the confit trout with pickled carrot and kimchi. It was almost too pretty to eat. Kimchi can sometimes be overpowering but it was beautifully balanced within this dish. 

Can't go to a Korean restaurant without having the bimbimbap. This was not your standard bimbimbap though - with oxtail and walnuts as its main ingredients. It was not served in a traditional stone bowl so didn't have those crusty bits which I love. The servings of this dish was a bit small for three people. However, what was served was really tasty. All the ingredients worked well together and the ox tail was very tender.

I ordered the Dotorimuk because it sounded like an interesting combination: mushroom, tofu, acorn jelly and fried Brussels sprouts. The textures worked well together but it lacked the punchy flavours in their other dishes. 

Our last main was the Wessex pork belly with diamond claims. The pork belly slices were generous in size and well cookd. Clams were a bit salty as it had soaked up all the sauce. Would have loved some extra bibimbap to go with this!

For dessert, we scanned the tables around us and opted for the most popular option - the Moon pie, Moon Park's take on its American namesake. This was a much more gourmet version with prunes, ginger jelly and white chocolate pudding. Again, it looked like art on a plate. I loved the texture of the soft, pillow-y marshmallows but it was a bit too sweet for me - the ginger jelly was refreshing and provided a hit of spice. 

Overall, it was a great introduction to modern Korean food. Don't come expecting your typical Korean fare. Instead, be entertained with unusual flavour combinations in beautifully presented dishes. 

Welcome to my first post! I intend on posting new content regularly and sharing with you my eating adventures.

My bf and I ventured to Newtown on a rainy Saturday to try out Brewtown Newtown - mainly to try out the famous cronuts (or Brewnuts as they are known here). I had been warned that the wait could be as long as an hour but luckily, after about 20 mins, we were seated on one of the communal tables. 

Before getting our cronut fix, we shared two items from the Brekky and Lunch menus. Brioche is one of my favourite breads so couldn't go past the Mini Eggs benedict on brioche roll. The egg was cooked perfectly with an oozing yolk and the brioche was soft and buttery.

We also tried the Curried Israeli cous cous with wood smoked salmon, kale and poached egg. I had recently discovered Israeli (or Pearl) cous cous - it has got a puffier texture than the traditional cous cous, more like risotto. The dish was sensational, flavoursome without being overpowering. The salmon was soft and flaky. Could have easily had a second serving of this!

Feeling satisfied with our savouries, we ordered the Passionfruit jam brewnut/ cronut. I have read and heard a lot about this croissant/ donut combo. I don't usually like donuts, but I love croissants so I was interested to see what I would think of them. Verdict: a resounding thumbs up. The outside flaky pastry reminds me of a croissant. When I bite into it, the denser texture reminds me of a donut. The tang of the passionfruit offset some of the sweetness. It was so good my bf and I decided to order another one - this time, we tried the Chocolate crumble brewnut - which had a thick layer of rich chocolate on top. I can see why these fly out the door - there was a continual stream of takeaway customers, all getting their cronut fix. 

Service was friendly and attentive, without being overbearing. Would definitely be back again!