Yen For Viet, Marrickville – Take 2

Mr Black and I first visited Yen For Viet when it was brand new (see my first post here). Since then we’ve been back a few times – when we can get a table! Even on a weeknight they’re pretty busy, and deservedly so. Their food is excellent quality and, while not as cheap a most places on the Illawarra Rd strip, is still fantastic value. They are both BYO and licenced, which is great because there are no bottle shops anywhere nearby!

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Booth St Bistro, Annandale

With so many great value weeknight restaurant specials around this winter, Thursday night dinners with my mum are getting more fancy by the week. Tonight we popped down to Booth St Bistro, just a few blocks from her place.

Lamb shanks braised with pomegranate, balsamic, tomato and bay

I got some lovely lamb shanks at the Addison Road Markets today and was feeling indecisive about how to flavour them. Preserved lemon? Red wine and bay leaves? Lemongrass and star anise?

Hideaway, Dulwich Hill

I love a good, local, family-run restaurant, and Hideaway is a perfect example.

They call the cuisine ‘international tapas’, a variety of dishes offered in two sizes (tapas/main) and designed to share. It’s a great way to eat and suited our group of four beautifully: we simply ordered a tapas size of (almost) every dish! I always think tapas-style is a great idea for a simple/family-run restaurant, as dishes come out in any order and there’s no waiting for everyone else’s to arrive.

Sem-sav quaffing

 Though I’m not usually a fan of the semillon grape, this semillon sauvignon blanc had just the right amount of tropical sweetness to balance our rich, spicy Malaysian meal at Old Town Kopitiam in Melbourne. In keeping with the down-to-earth style of the restaurant, this bottle was a mere $18 (not BYO sadly) and kept our total meal cost to less than $50 for two of us.

Sushi Bar Rashai, Annandale

I love this place. I even had my 30th birthday family dinner here, partly because it’s such great food, and also because kids are made very welcome. Kids under 10 can even choose a free gift! Lucky ducks. Adults get a free meal on their birthday too if they’ve preregistered.

Kammadhenu, Newtown

I’ve been to Kammadhenu many times over the years, and I’ve always been impressed by the food and blown away by the value. The service can be erratic but it’s always friendly, and when you’re paying $15 a person for delicious food I can deal with waiting a little longer for the bill/glasses/whatever.

Osvaldo Polletti, Leichhardt

Another weekend, another dinner voucher to use! This time at Osvaldo Polletti, a ‘home-style’ Italian restaurant on Norton Street. My first impressions were good – the decor is beautifully simple and comforting, and the staff are clearly pros. I love their chairs too.

Tetsuya Degustation Dinner

Recently, my good friend Chef Al and I had the opportunity to meet my favourite chef, Tetsuya Wakuda. We were so inspired by the simplicity of his dishes that we decided to hold a degustation dinner of our own for some special lady-friends. Each lady-friend brought along a wine to match one of the courses plus a stinky cheese to help round off the night.

Let’s Eat Thai, Marrickville

 Fantastic, authentic, cheap and sophisticated Thai in the Inner West – huzzah! We’ve been waiting for you, Let’s Eat!

I can’t praise the food here highly enough. Every dish, every mouthful was perfect. The menu is extensive, and the specials board particularly enticing.