Al Aseel @ Greenacre

Coming from the west, there is a little part of us that love a good Lebanese feed. My favourite place to hit is Al Aseel.  Al Aseel continues to expand with restaurants now  open in Burwood, Surry Hills, Newtown and Lakemba. The Greenacre restaurant moved to a few shops down where it is now renovated and gives the vibe of a fine dining experience, without the price tag. All the servings are generous, and will definitely fill up the stomachs of all those hungry mouths. This dining experience was with 7 people, and ended up being $20 each! 

Lemon & lime drink

A classic drink that is usually served at a lot of mediterranean restaurants. It is a mixture of lemon, lime and soft drink. In this case, it was a bit more like soft drink, as other times it has a strong lime and mint taste.

Al Aseel Fattoush

Fattoush is one of my favourite salads. All the fresh ingredients of cucumber, radish, onion, parsley and mint. The best part of the salad are the toasted crunchy pieces of lebanese bread that are placed on top and through the salad. The dressing is made using sumac (a spice) but in some cases pomegranate molasses which reminds me of a sweeter balsamic vinegar.

Al Aseel tabouli

You can't go to a lebanese restaurant and not order tabouli. I normally don't like tabouli, but this may be the first time where I was able to consume a lot of it.

Hommus and pickled vegetables

I generally pass on the pickled vegetables, and I used to pass on the hommus. But, I am now in love with hommus. All of those chick peas made into a paste/sauce, I was eating it by the spoonful. I was dipping my hot chips in the hommus as if it was gravy haha.

Good ole hot chips and tomato sauce 

The chips were a perfect side to the meal, where we ordered 3 bowls, and they all vanished.

Mixed plate

Most of the meat plates comes with extra sides. These sides include a salad, falafel, garlic sauce (mmmm garlic sauce), babaganoush and hommus. They kind of mixed up this mixed plate when they put 2 chicken skewers instead of one chicken, one beef and one lamb.

Lemon and herb chicken plate

This was the first time trying the lemon and herb chicken and it was extremely tasty. The chicken was smothered in a delicious sauce. My friend found the sauce so nice, that they were literally wiping the sauce away with the lebanese bread.

Mixed skewers platter 

The mixed skewers plate provided 2 skewers of lamb (kofta), chicken and beef, and of course garlic sauce. All the meats are juicy, including the chicken (but there are some moments they can be dry).

I have been to Al Aseel my handful of times, and I am consistently presented with great quality food. I admit, the service can have its highs and lows, but the food doesn't disappoint.

Good food, good times!

Baroque Pantry @ The Rocks, Sydney

Baroque is one of my favourite Sydney based restaurants, they provide exquisite food in their bistro, and beautiful desserts. So, when I found out they were introducing a new concept of Baroque Pantry (January 2013), I was extremely excited to be able to dine at Baroque for breakfast/brunch. With the new concept, they have set up a Parisian themed lounge area on the outside of their restaurant, allowing diners to enjoy the lovely Sydney weather.  They also have a bicycle outside their restaurant which sets a Paris aesthetic (I thought it was a random bike, but after walking past a few times I realised it was part of the restaurant). This post contains two of my visits to Baroque Pantry.

Crispy pork cheek and cucumber salad

Mmm pork cheek! This pork cheek was marinaded in a BBQ style sauce, with a lovely sticky nature. Due to the sauce though, the skin wasn't as crispy as I would have enjoyed. The fresh cucumber salad was vibrant with greens and purples. The cucumber was slightly pickled, which added a tang against the quite sweet pork cheek.

House smoked ocean trout, green mango and young coconut salad with cucumber.

This was a fresh salad with a great taste. The green mango was the highlight for me, the light sourness with the sweet coconut was exquisite. A lovely salad to help balance the dining experience. 

Heirloom tomato tartlet, fresh gongozola cheese, basil and balsamic dressing 

A pastry filled with flavour. You can't go wrong with anything with tomatoes as the main component. The use of gongozola cheese is extremely strong, which was balances with the diced tomatoes and drizzle of balsamic vinegar. My friend loved this dish a lot.

Pompadour - Raspberry mousse, passion fruit cream centre and almond nougatine

Now to the desserts. Baroque offer lovely cakes and pastries in their cabinet, but on their dinner menu they also offer other desserts such as souffle and creme brulee. The pompadour is a delight, with the combination of the beautiful taste of raspberry and passion fruit. The macaron shells on the outside provide a crunch to the delicate mousse centre.

Baroque chocolate eclair - Chocolate choux pastry,Valrhona chocolate ganache and chocolate crumble

Mmm eclair! This is new to the Barqoue cabinet of delights. The choux pastry was filled with a chocolatey centre and topped with tempered chocolate. This is perfect for the lovers of chocolate!

Baked egg with mushroom, thyme and garlic 

On the Baroque menu they are know as Egg Cocottes aka baked eggs. Baked eggs are one of the best ways to have eggs (including poached eggs). My friends ordered this dish, and it was her first time trying a baked egg. The yolk was runny, and all the flavours were beautifully combined. The only down fall was that there was a bit too much butter on the bread. Other then that, a pot of joy!

Eggs benedict with spinach, ocean trout, hollandaise sauce and sourdough 

An all time breakfast favourite - Eggs benedict. Oozing eggs with spinach and trout can not go wrong. The sour dough was crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I asked for the hollandaise sauce on the side, because I am not the biggest fan, but I did eat a bit and there was a creamy texture with a slight tang.

Mango, coconut & lime and strawberry macaron

As always, Baroque is known for their wonderful macarons so I couldn't leave with out purchasing some little treats for myself. The mango, coconut & lime was beautiful, with all the flavours merging together. The strawberry was tasty as well, with a strong flavour of strawberry. Baroque is one of my favourite places for macarons!

I have not had a disappointing baroque dining experience, and with great service and great food I hope that stays the same.

Good food, good times!