Sixpenny & Co with Dan Hunter

What a greedy guts I am. When the opportunity arose to attend a once off dinner at Sixpenny with guest chef Dan Hunter, it was a complete no brainer. It's been almost a year since I first visited this little Stanmore restaurant and I've been singing its praises ever since. Dan Hunter ex-Royal Mail Hotel just happened to be between jobs, as he is on the cusp of opening his own restaurant called Brae. All the better for us Sydneysiders to nab him for an exclusive Good Food Month dinner.

This dining room for 30 is a Scando minimalist gem Photo credit: Foolscap Studio

Tonight's event would be a special treat, a 'clash' of food philosophy and the finest ingredients our country has to offer. Call it the sustainable food brains trust. Hunter has spent the last several years as head chef at the much lauded Royal Mail Hotel, known for its play on modern Australian cuisine (which remains a rather cryptic phrase if you ask me). Previously head chef at Mugaritz (ranked #4 restaurant in the world), Hunter's food is very much based around the land and using what is immediately at hand, foraged or found in season. Simple as that, right ;)

Unleashing the beast...

Kipfler potato chips (L) and rye cracker with oysters and sea lettuce (R), the latter a delightful mouthful, as if straight from the sea

Prawn on prawn cracker - the meat, so delicate and refreshing

Golden beet, baked in salt crust (L) and linseed cracker with wallaby tartare (R).  The first dish, presenting just like a bird's nest and the latter a DH dish, something entirely new to me and exciting ++

A note on service. Sixpenny has the curious custom of chefs bringing out each dish to the diners' table. Not only is this particularly labour intensive, it runs as if finely orchestrated. The front of house staff are particularly attentive, I suppose it's not too much of a stretch if your wait station is right there! One of the many reasons why I've come back for Sixpenny seconds... 

Dan Hunter's garden: new season asparagus, frozen radish and nasturtium. The technique really enhances just how gorgeous those ingredients are. Eat before it disappears into a puddle on the plate!

Ogle away because this dish is just about my favourite of ALL TIME. The stakes are  high. Steamed snow crab, macadamia milk, chamomile and shaved macadamias. A smooth and creamy consistency, it simply melts away on the palate

A 'simple' dish of mulberry and leek. I'm just imagining the old tweezers getting a good work out here. The leeks were so sweet

Another Hunter dish: WA marron, sea lettuce juice, artichoke and rose. Don't those ingredients read beautifully? The subtle flavours of the lettuce etc allow the marron to work its magic. Glorious.

A rather demure looking bass grouper from South island NZ, sea nettle, burnt butter, steamed nettle sauce. A Sixpenny dish, the sauce was a deliciously creamy concoction, and let's not forget the fish!

The final savoury dish for the night, a Dan Hunter creation. Squab a.k.a pigeon, charred radicchio, quandong and beetroot. How beautiful does this plate look, and vibrant! Ending on a high, the pigeon was cooked so well I think duck might have a new rival...

Parsnip, blueberries, caramelised apple and creme fraiche (L). Pear, toasted milk crumb, vanilla ice cream & pear and chocolate ganache (R). It's a dessert face-off, DH has it by a whisker for sheer originality

Sixpenny's killer version of a salted caramel TeeVee snack and chocolate doughnuts. OMG

Back for more, this meal did not disappoint. I could rattle on about everything Sixpenny for days but I will resist. Dining here is all about the experience, with more substance and less pomp. Chef Dan Hunter's food fit the degustation like a glove. It's no wonder Sixpenny was awarded 2013 Restaurant of the Year by Time Out Sydney. It was well deserved in my book.

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand

P.S. a big congratulations to Sixpenny's sommelier Seb Crowther who has recently been awarded Master Sommelier

Poolside

Heralding in the warmer months, there really isn't anywhere better to be than Sydney (sorry, Melbourne). Spoilt for choice between sandy beaches and innumerable harbour vantages, our love of outdoor dining is no surprise. Today I'm jotting some notes on two venues owned by husband + wife team Gary & Stephany Burton, adding a distinctive twist to the humble poolside café. I remember back to the days of drenching hot chips in salt and vinegar! Welcome to another Sydney café round-up post, it really is a never ending story...

Poolside Café

Andrew Boy Charlton Pool
1C Mrs Macquarie's Rd, The Domain

I was half expecting to be getting plastic cups by a pool but no ;) Bring on a jug of Poolside Pimm's!

A pleasant stroll away from Mrs Macquarie's Chair or Woolloomooloo wharf, Poolside Cafe takes casual dining up a notch at Andrew Boy Charlton Pool. With a liquor license and the venue even available for hire, it's a great indoor-outdoor cafe for a lazy lunch after your laps in the salt H2O. The drinks menu is a good one, order a jug of Pimm's or sip on a smoothie (I had a delicious açai berry, coconut, banana, almond and honey concoction). The menu is a la carte but can I recommend choosing one of the Chef's specials. Soak up that sun and while away the afternoon listening to Flume in a sombrero. Yeaah!

Making the most out of beautiful weather, take up a table outside and you will be offered a sombrero to wear (super stylish, ja) Source: Poolside Cafe

The wait for the food was perhaps longer than expected but this really was restaurant type food we were getting here. Et voilà:

Grilled barramundi with capsicum broth and fried zucchini flower ($29.50). A perfect size for lunch, the barramundi was soft + flakey with a crisp skin. The fried basil leaves were a nice touch and the broth (more like a capsicum passata) was mopped up without hesitation

Chef's Risotto: pea, prawn and fennel risotto ($23.50). Pretty as a picture, this is a classic risotto combination

"Signs point to yes": try Poolside next time you're scratching your head as to where to go (as I often am)

Meadow Café

Prince Alfred Park Pool
105 Chalmers St, Surry Hills

The newly redeveloped Prince Alfred Park pool in Surry Hills has opened just in time for summer and with it, Meadow Cafe. The café has a 1950s Miami feel in all the details. With generous splashes of yellow and sky blue about the place and blankets draped over the back of seats (just in case), it's definitely time to break out the cossie. This café is much more relaxed compared to Poolside, you can definitely sidle up barefoot and in your bathers and have a bite to eat. Do it.

All we wanted: for the longest time the P.A.P site was a dirty hole in the ground.  Now, a pool with a bit of style and some good eats Photo credit: Brasserie Bread

Drinkies on a warm day: açai berry (left) and banana, date, almond and vanilla (right) smoothies. Bringing back the paper straws too, v. retro

Daily special: pork and coleslaw burger with french fries. The toasted Brasserie Bread bun was delish, though I found the meat a little bit dry. No matter, those chips were good, if not great

Hope you're hungry! Roast chicken sandwich with crispy bacon, slow roasted tomato, lettuce, aioli & chips ($16)

Bright, airy and very yellow, Meadow is a win for residents and visitors alike Photo credit: Brasserie Bread

Does anyone else feel like a swim now?!

Thanks for reading!

xGourmand

Buffalo Dining Club

Michael Fantuz is onto something. He has encapsulated the secret to a rollicking good time. Owner of Table for 20 and now Chester White in Potts Point - his empire is quietly expanding into tiny nooks in the East. Buffalo Dining Club lives in this wee terrace on Surrey St, Darlo where cheese and wine are Italian styley BFFs. Recently named People's Choice in the Time Out Sydney Food Awards, the hoards that surround this place of a weekend don't lie.

Trading since 2011 and going strong if the wait list is any indication. Logo design by Tony Zafirakos Credit: Desktop Mag

But be prepared, the Buffalo is of the no-bookings tribe so you'll be slapped on a wait list as long as the night. We made a detour to Li'l Darlin across the road for an apéritif (or several), camping out for the wait. The wait comes as no surprise actually when you step inside to be met with waves of noise, vino and cheese wafting out at you. Did I mention noise? It is tiny! Shepherded upstairs to our table, it took some serious contorting to read the black board menu. The wine list is a single A5 page, and not too shabby/exxy. The Malbec was my personal favourite. 

My round-up of the food stakes:

It's in the name: buffalo mozzarella, Jamón Ibérico (peeking in the distance), potato croquettes, grilled broccolini, toasties and taralli bread. The Jamon and buffalo were obvious stand outs, obviously. A perfect way to start an Italian fiesta

Them cured meats, closerrr Credit: Best Restaurants Blog

Lamb ragù orecchiette: this pasta had a nice tender ragù, the orecchiette was slightly overcooked however. A hearty serve to complement that splendid glass of red

If there ever was a signature dish, the cacao e pepe would be IT. Served with theatrical flourish out of a whole wheel of buffalo milk pecorino, this simple pasta dish consists of 5 things: spaghetti, pepper, cheese, parsley & olio = dynamite, apparently! I was quite amazed this was such a hot ticket, lots of people could give this a good crack at home

Enter tirumisu entry #456 (no, seriously). Freshly made in-house, this dessert was light & delicate with a good kick of coffee. I think the appropriate word here would be 'demolished'

The Darlinghurst masses have been flocking to this place for years now (well, 2). A full house (given it seats 25-ish) every night can't be a bad thing. The man himself (Durack) has given it a solid 13/20 in the Herald. Buffalo has set out for a singular purpose: the anti-establishment (fine dining, that is). Conceivably not one of Sydney's culinary finest, come to BDR for wine, nibblies and assured good times. That is all ;)

Word as art: the typography wall by Georgia Hill Source: Behance

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand