@rusticpearl, @hanahana

Rustic Pearl

Lamb ragu fettuccini w/ olives, spinach & a hint of chilli topped w/ gruyere

It really does look incredibly appetizing as I look back on these photos again, however the pasta was a little bland. It's not to say it wasn't pleasant, but for the price we really could have done a bit better.

rp. b'fast bun ~ Schulz smokehouse bacon loin w/ fried egg, rocket, seeded mustard tomato relish & hollandaise, served in Sonoma French style brioche

This was definitely a bun with a gastro pleasing attitude. The tangy mayo prancing around with the peppered egg, the crunchy tender bacon and rocket was a sure winner to my snack craving belly.

***

Hana Hana

Hana Hana is a cute, decorative eatery that has a whole array of Japanese style noodles downstairs, with delectable desserts upstairs. The udon/sides were pretty good; extremely cheap so definitely a plus, but it's the dessert I want to talk about. The decor upstairs is an immediate pleasure for the eyes, and then you get to feast on small chocolate delights and sip on creamy, smooth coffee. There's a variety of options, such as crepes, ice cream, waffles etc. in different flavours like chocolate, strawberry, banana...and you pretty much get the gist. I love the chocolate waffle as they have small mochi pieces inside, so you get a chewy texture when you bite into it, with the serving of ice cream and cream on the side! Definitely worth a visit as it in no way harms your wallet, and is an enjoyable experience all round.

@bills

Corn fritters

I would love to say this tastes as good as it looks, but unfortuneately it was rather plain. The only part I enjoyed was the bacon, and the rest was just mediocre. Really not worth the price, and I fail to understand why this place received such praise from people we know.

Chicken sandwich

This was overall quite refreshing and zesty despite it’s simple look. As a lover of anything fused with coconut, it enabled me to accept that the bread was a little too hard to chew. The tender chicken with the refreshing crunch of the cucumber made a light tasty lunch =)

@thereddoor

The two entrees; (The menu on the website is different to the one at the restaurant, so it's slightly difficult to remember the names, but the first one is duck and sausage)

The tender ducks did succeed in making me hungrier as i longed for more succulent meat.

To me, they were both delicious, and a good start to the meal (almost better than the actual mains).

Herb baked leather jacket

This was absolutely divine. So soft and tender that it just melts in your mouth. The sauce complements the fish perfectly, and together this combination is a knock-out.

Roasted veal sirloin with mushroom puree, parsnip, upland cress and thyme jus

We were actually looking forward to the meat dishes the most, but overall they didn't meet the standards set by the fish dishes. So if you do ever visit, I strongly recommend one of the two fish plates.

This was my favourite dish of the night, the flavoured crispy skin texture combined with the tender fish was nicely complimented with the crunch of the tangy salad.

The meat was quite tender, well complimented with the bittersweet sauce but i have tasted better, and quite average for lamb chops at a fine dining restaurant.

Mushroom pearl barley, parsley, fondant leeks, crispy enoki mushrooms and carrot air

Interesting mash of flavours but nothing too distinct or memorable about this dish.

This was probably my least favourite, but mostly because it had no meat, so to me it didn't feel like it was worth the same price as all the others, especially if you're only choosing one option.

***

The Red Door, had quite a nice private, mystical yet strict ambience. As the name suggests, a bright red door greeted us at the entrance. Due to its steepness and well established appearance, I walked in with expectations of fine taste. Personally i was a little disappointed (this is what happens when you expect), as the atmosphere of overly hosh poshness failed to equate to the quality of the food. Perhaps if it was more friendly it would of made the "fine" dining experience more pleasant. Not to compare, but Anna and I had a great experience at Masterchef's George Calombaris's restaurant "The Press Club", it was quality food worth the price with very friendly service that topped up the experience. For this reason we may have felt a little alienation to be able to "connect" with the taste of the food.

Overall it was still a satisfying evening, although it probably didn't meet the standards set by the price and snobbery of the place. And don't worry, we didn't eat all this by ourselves. Not only would we have not fit it all in, but it would have been waaaay out of our budget! We went as a group of five, so we had the opportunity to order every one of the five main courses, thus were able to taste most of what they had to offer, rather than having to form an opinion based on one dish. Anyway the fish dishes are well deserving of the praise they received, so those are definitely recommended!

@monkeymagic

Eating at this place was sort of one of those curiousity driven encounters, because although it was suggested by one of Alvina's colleagues, we were just looking for anywhere to eat in Surry Hills and came across it. Not to pass up any opportunity to try a quirky, hidden little treasure, we entered the interesting restaurant with the even more interesting name, only to find it packed and busy with people.

I was generally quite satisfied with this place =) . Although I’m usually not a fan of woody interiors with densely packed people (as it tends to induce indigestion for me), the distinct tastes of each dish was enough to cover it up.

The lotus chips: Crispy, lightly flavoured and not too salty, it was the perfect snack to start teasing the belly and arousing the taste buds. I’m craving for more as I write this…

Duck pancakes: The pancakes were softly cooked which really complimented the saucy, tender flavoured duck. The sauce really made this dish for me as it added a bit of twang & juiciness to the soft textures.

The duck really was so soft...it just melts in your mouth.

Pork: All i can utter is *DROOOOOL*, the pork had a very savoury flavour and boasting with juices that melted in my mouth. Another drool factor was that it basically sliced itself as its tenderness enabled only a mere tip contact with the knife. Would definitely come back for this one.

Beef: I actually preferred Alvina's dish overall, but the sauce on mine was a tiny bit better, so I kept dipping the pork with my dish's Asian influenced sauce lol.

Banana pastry with ice-cream: I am worried about my keyboard as it is drenched in my drool.. This was one of my favourite desserts i ever tasted in my life! I think it had to do with the fact that for me, i had a very nostalgic connection with fried pastry & banana as a child. The crispy pastry perfectly blended with the sweetness of the warm banana, topped off with melted smooth ice-cream lavishing my mouth. (I sound like a bit of a drama queen but for me it was divine….)

Maya

Appetiser

 Nice and crispy. A great start to the meal!

Was nice to have a pre snack because i love snacking !

Bombay Aloo $11.90; Potatoes tempered with cumin seeds, aromatic spices, tomatoes and coriander.

I’m not much of a vegetarian, so out of the vegetarian choices we went with this one, cos potatoes are pretty much the only vegetable I can tolerate. This was really nice, almost so that it makes you forget it has no meat in it. There were a lot more options on the menu, and this restaurant seems like a good place for a variety in vegetarian dishes, that are healthy and taste good. I feel like I wrote vegetarian/vegetable about 50 times in this one paragraph!

The seasoning of the potatoes were quite well done with a hint of spiciness for that extra kick, the flavour of the herbs really got through with the right softness of the potatoes making it a perfect blend!

Makhani Dish $15.90; A mild dish cooked in a rich creamy, tomato based sauce with fragrant spices and finished with a drizzle of cream. Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken).

Yummm…can butter chicken ever taste bad? We kinda went for the fail-safe option, which is a good choice for first-timers. Apart from the four measly pieces of chicken, this was delicious and not too extreme for our picky little tastebuds. This is a good dish to have for those who are just being introduced to Indian cuisine (sorta like us since we’ve only really ever had home made butter chicken).

As Anna said above, you just can’t go wrong with butter chicken =) . Although it was indeed four measly pieces of chicken due to the other side dishes this was still very filling and perhaps allowed more focus on the flavour of the soft curry with the jasmine rice, so no major complaints there ~

Pulao $2.90; Steamed long grain basmati Rice. 

 I love jasmine rice, but apparently it’s not good for you. It really can’t be helped though. You just have to get it with curry, they’re the perfect food coupling =) It’s a good idea to get either rice or bread with the curry dishes, and I chose the rice cos i’m pretty much an all round rice lover. Pretty big portion for the price (unlike the Spanish place where it was half the quantity for double the price).

The texture of the rice was perfect to contrast with smooth curry, narrow and tasty!

Cheese Naan $3.90

A perfect alternative to rice, if you prefer bread. The bread is subtle so it doesn’t take over the flavours of the curry, and they taste delicious together. The cheesiness is a little extra flavour if you prefer a mini taste explosion in your mouth haha!

This is just my favourite when it comes to combinations with curry, the cheese just melts in your mouth and adds a chewy dimension when you dip it in the curry just delicious.

Maya Da Dhaba

431 Cleveland Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

Phone: (02) 8399 3785

Lonely street

This is actually an alleyway, don't think it has a name to it...which technically doesn't make it a street? Either way it's such a fun place to muck around in because there's not many people, and even if there are, they give us one glance then walk away. Okay..well sometimes there are those people that just like to stare, but we don't really do anything worth staring at.

Anyways, we haven't done an outfit post in a while, but we're meeting up a lot more which = a lot more outfit posts! And maybe more food ones too ^^

Marcs top . Wrangler jeans . Alannah Hill necklace . Mimco heels & studs

So..this is my new short-ish hair =) I like it a little wavy rather than just plain straight, but now i’m kinda missing my long straight hair too.. Oh well, it’ll grow out soon enough!

Another Shop acid washed jeans . Decjuba jacket . Graniph tee . Cotton On sunnies . Wittner pumps



I have a tendency to twist my ankle like this when I stand up straight. Have no idea why…I guess it’s just a random habit.

 

Received stares from random man on platform and glares from old lady security guard in the train but WHATEVER =p 



Nails are OPI An Affair in Red Square



the colour of the sea ♥

This is the second half of our day in Surry Hills, where practically all the shops were closed. But that made it more fun wandering around and taking photos in the empty streets :)

white silk top made by sister, MNG shorts , thrifted watch , BALLY leather bag

 

 

gorman shirt, insight shorts, sportsgirl hat, mimco bag, human shoes



I have no idea why I look so angry here..because I really wasn't! I should smile more :)

xoxo