Sushi-E

I went back for another Merivale special - this time at Sushi-E. It's a Japanese restaurant, and for the special we were seated at Hemmesphere. We got to sit out couches in this bar. It's a bit trendier than what I'm used to, but I didn't feel out of place. The scallop salad was delicious - actually some of the best scallops I've had - I love them as sashimi. Then came the dynamite roll which was pretty good. The tempura was not so good - the tails of the prawns were cut off so they didn't resemble prawns at all. They didn't have dipping sauce either. My friend who ordered the steak probably got the best pick of the mains. Service was okay and I enjoyed my meal, but if you're going to pick a Merivale special - go to Sailor's Thai!


Entrees
Soba noodles with roast chicken salad
New style salmon sashimi with ponzu dressing
Spicy scallop sashimi salad with thai style dressing

Mains
Angus striploin with miso and sesame
Prawn tempura with a spicy citrus dressing
Grilled miso cod with baby ginger root

3rd course option
Hemmesphere roll (salmon, avocado, baby capers, mixed cress,
jalapeno mayo and Spanish onion)
Spider roll (dry fried soft shell crab, cucumber and jalapeno mayo,
rolled I/O with spicy tobiko and chives)
Dynamite roll (spicy tuna marinated in 7 peppers, chilli and sesame oil,
sweet onion and cucumber rolled I/O with spicy tobiko)

2 courses, including a glass of wine or beer for $39, $45 for 3 courses
sushi e, level 4, 252 George St, Sydney
$39 Lunch and Dinner Menus available Monday to Friday.
Bookings essential: 9240 3000

Sydney film festival

I saw two films at the State Theatre as part of the film festival, both good.

The Runaways - based on a true story of Joan Jett and her band the Runaways.

Cyrus - a comedy starring John C Riley and Jonah Hill about a guy that gets involved with a lady who has a closer than usual relationship with her son. Johah Hill made an appearance doing a Q&A session.

Sailor's Thai at the Ivy

Sailor's Thai at the Ivy is awesome! It's a big call but it's one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. Sailor's Thai at the Ivy is new, and is their canteen style menu which is same as the one at the Rocks, and I hear they have one at Pott's Point too. The surroundings are luxurious, with flowers, shiny surfaces with everything looking new. And the food was amazing - all true to the food in Thailand. Merivale is offering some specials, and the four of us shared the following:

Entrees
Betel leaves with Queensland spanner crab, roasted coconut,
chilli, lime, ginger and peanuts with caramel miang sauce
Deep fried prawn and chicken sausage wrapped in bean curd skin,
homemade plum sauce
Pork satay, peanut sauce and cucumber relish

Mains
Grilled Tasmanian salmon, chilli, lime and saw tooth coriander
Roasted duck breast and asian celery salad, red vinegar and
plum dressing
Green curry of beef with roti

Desserts
Black sticky rice and caramel custard
Tapioca and young coconut pudding
Banana fritters with vanilla ice cream

I loved the service - they encouraged the four of us to dine Asian style and share. They even gave us a few extra items such as one extra dessert and larger entrees so the four of us we could sample everything. They never tried to up-sell us on anything, so we could enjoy our $45 meal including a drink. That was very much appreciated. We were never hurried either. It was my first time at the Ivy and I can't wait to try some of the restaurants there - in fact I'll be there Friday to try Sushi-e

The special
2 courses, including a glass of wine or beer for $39, or 3 for
When: 12 - 2pm; 6 - 8pm
Where: Sailors Thai ivy, level 2, 330 George St, Sydney
www.merivale.com/whatson#0_20100615_0

Cockatoo Island and the Sydney Biennale

The Sydney Biennale's on and it's worth taking a free ferry to visit Cockatoo Island. This island has many contemporary artworks on display - some of the huge, and some interactive! Cockatoo island's one of Sydney's harbour islands which was once a shipyard. Just bring your own food because my sushi box attracted jealously from two people - they haven't got their catering organised.

http://www.bos17.com/biennale/venue/2

Hannibals

This is a huge Lebanese restaurant in Surry Hills. Quite impressively they were able to accommodate our large group of around 25 in a room. Most dishes were okay, some were quite ordinary. It would have been much better to serve the hommous, meats and bread at once and eat it together rather than sequentially.

This isn't too bad an option for a large group, at $32 for the banquet, but the food and drinks seemed to take time. I wouldn't really recommend the restaurant and particularly not the banquet for a smaller group.

557 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9698 8288

1945

This is an amazing little new place, doing lots of small tastes of Dutch East Indies cuisine, ie Indonesian. I really enjoyed my experience there. I think it's only been open six weeks, but both times I went they were full.

I went there once, I was so impressed I booked it for a function. They managed to give the big group a great night. I ordered a tasting platter, which they call a 'rice table' for 2. They have a whopping 17 items, portions are small, but the variety is noticed as you eat through everything, and I was full by the end. They have some usual Indonesian food I would usually have cheaply, but manage to present it better and I think it does taste better. There was beef rendang, satay, coconut rice, grilled eggplant ... and finished with a chendol. We had a great night with food coming out quickly, friendly service, and not charging me a booking fee. This was very good value, and I hope this place does well.

Asian food generally aims for the cheap and cheerful type of market, but more and more are polishing up for a better dining experience and more cash. The small dishes are from $2 - $6, and you need to spend about $30 per person to have a decent meal.

2/42 Harris St Pyrmont, NSW
(02) 9660 9699
www.1945.com.au

Jasmin

Some seriously yummy Lebanese food at great value. My friend and I ordered a mixed platter. I thought it was two servings but it was only one. Between us it was $13, and I'm a big eater and I was full.

A whole plate of pickles and veges - chilies, olives, tomato, fresh mint and an onion
A range of meats with baba ganoush, hommous and a whole lot of garlic sauce. All with a mountain of lebanese bread. I had the best felafel I had ever eaten, and maybe I won't be able to eat any other ones it has raised the standard so much.

They have a high rating on Eatability.com.au of over 8, which is a very good rating.

I bought some sweets nearby, which were great, and did some ethnic grocery shopping. Unbelievable how many supermarkets there are - more than 10 over the main strip of Lakemba, serving many ethnicities, and can get all your spices and nuts for way cheaper than at the supermarket.

Highly, highly recommended.

30B Haldon Street, Lakemba
Ph: 97403589