Happy Mother’s Day ^^! Hope you are all treating your Mothers especially nice and spending lots of quality time with her today instead of reading or writing posts

Here is an awesome helical ‘Lucky Bamboo’ that my brother picked up at DJs for dear Mumsy

I do not have a special Mother’s Day post but I am planning to cook her a dinner which I may or may not post depending on photos and quality of my dinner haha so here is a review from a little while ago.

After strolling the Manly Corso and enjoying some ore-dinner dessert with Copenhagen AND Movenpick, we decided to do some real dinner at Hugos, another place I have been wanting to try for a while now

Hugos!

Yayy the bar-staff also posed for me ^^!

The outdoor seating area with screens to block out sun/wind/bugs

I was very pleased with the atmosphere as it was casual and relaxed but also got the mood lighting going. There were heaters on every single ceiling beam so even during the cooler months, the outdoor seating is where I would opt to chill out. The staff were all very friendly and playful (as observed above hee hee) so it is a wonderful place for any relaxed occassion. Since we were not too hungry we got a few pizzas to share and a pasta since my Uncle felt the need for more carbs hee hee.

I am very disappointed with the food photos as they were all too yellow >_< I should had used flash but oh well, please keep in mind that the food did not all taste like yellow!

Mushroom ($18) – field mushroom, taleggio, buffalo mozzarella & basil

The flat bases of the pizzas were all done very nicely, not too hard but with the right amount of crispness to them. The mushroom topping in this one was done very nicely as well, with juicy slivers of mushroom but could have done with more buffalo mozza in my opinion hee hee.

Pork Belly ($26) – slow roasted pork belly wiht sweet & sour onion and raddiccio

I know that it was given the thumbs down by NQN on her visit but I had forgotten hee hee *smacks forehead* and the sound of slow roasted pork belly was too much for me to handle. The pizza did disappoint us and was our least favourite but it was still ok haha. It was a bit weird, though, in the way that the around the rim near the crust it was very very salty/peppery but towards the centre it was better and more flavoursome instead of just salty/peppery bite. The pork was thin and scarce but the onions and radicchio were nice.

Pumpkin ($20) – roasted pumpkin, zucchini, sweet & sour onions, gorgonzola and pinenut

This one was my favourite with the pinenuts contrasting a nice crunchy texture with the soft luscious pieces of pumpkin. Overall a great combination of flavours and textures in this pizza made it a winner!

Rigatoni with Queensland prawns, basil pesto & baby spinach leaves ($28)

The pasta had been very enjoyable as well although the pasta was a bit bitey in my opinion. The flavours of the basil pesto worked very well with the prawns and baby spinach leaves. It is a very modest serving but was worth trying it out.

I cheated a bit as this awesome setup was on the otherside of the wharf hee hee

Overall, the pizzas are the way to go at Hugos and just relax with good friends and some cold ones The atmosphere and environment is spectacular and I will definitely be going back to take muuuchh better photos XD

Hugos Manly

Shop 1, Manly Wharf

East Esplanade, Manly

Ph: (02) 8116 8555

FFichiban

Since I had figs and white nectarines aplenty at home I decided to create something out of them but had no idea what to make. When figs are in the question, there is only one site to go and that is a blog with fig in its’ name – Fig & Cherry by Christie ! Checking out her favourite fig recipes, my eyes immediately zeroed upon this one recipe. A Warm Fig, Apple and Gorgonzola Flatbread by Steamy Kitchen, so a big thanks to these 2 lovely ladies for sharing ^^!. As soon as I clicked on the link, the photos had me mesmerized so dinner was decided! I altered the recipe as you can see and I sorta of just impromptued (this isn’t a real word is it?) the method as well.

Warm Fig, White Nectarine & Boccocini Flatbread

Mmm yummy figs!

Juicy and sweet White Nectarines

Basically, I just cut these up into eighths and scattered them all over the flatbread.

Cherry Boccocini

Add a generous dotting of cheese balls among the figs and nectarine slices mmmmm cheese.

Chuck it into the oven at about 160 degrees C and oven it for about 10 – 20 mins.

Tada!

I should have actually cooked it for a bit longer but I was starving at this point haha and the smell was soo good ^^!

Drizzle generously with good quality honey and then dig in!

The combination of the the 2 sweet fruits, with a mild cheese and a dosage of honey created the perfect light meal for hot weather.The soft and juicy nectarines create a nice contrast to the firmer figs with their seeds and these is cheese so I am a happy camper ^^! The only problem is that the juices from the nectarines may soak through the flatbread so eat it quickly, hot and fresh out of the oven!

FFichiban

Red tomatos and a chilli painted on the floor

The specials board and other Italian artefacts which are very interesting to take a look at when you enter

Red, red and more red!
The staff here were polite and friendly, and the waiter who read out the specials to us had a Italian accent which was as rich as the red interior. I can see why Miss Honey was so taken with the staff hee hee. The atmosphere was warm and there were some interesting paintings hung up around well.

The female body is a thing of beauty
Tomatosalsa and Kthxbye got into a discussion about which one were the best hee hee.

Fridge full of chhhheeessse and cured meats mmmm just wanna grab one and go munch!
After rechecking some of the toppings on the specials since the first waiter’s accent was a slightly hard to understand at times as it was just a bit too seductively thick, we ordered. The service was prompt and we did not wait long before the food arrived.

Here Comes the Food

RossoPomodoro insalate ($15.50) – Italian Mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, baby spinach, olives and sundried tomatos
I think this was pretty steep for a salad but the flavours all mix wonderfully to create a fresh starter to this meal. The chunks of mozzarella were flavoursome and the rich tomatoes added a sweetness to the salad.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota
Once again I come across this beautiful cured meat but this time, the experience was quite the contrary of last time. All the rich tastes from the Jamon Iberico have been either cooked out or overpowered by the rest of the flavours in the pizza, which is mainly just Italian mozzarella. This ended up pretty tasteless and mediocre.

Valtellina Tartufata
The other specials pizza was the winner and highlight of the meal though. The slices of meat were actually thin slices of beef which was a bit surprising but there was a deep, rich truffle flavour from the truffle oil drizzled over the pizza.

Della Casa ($22) – Italian mozzarella, sausages, hot salame, baby spinach and shaved parmesan
The sausages were cut up into nice little chunks of tasty meat and the salame did pack quite a punch behind it. The baby spinach provided a nice crisp with each bite and being a cheese enthusiast, I loved the how the 2 types of cheese provided contrasting flavours.

Since we had dinner after dessert at Adriano Zumbo we didn’t try any of the desserts here but they have some very tempting selections like a homemade tiramisu and a few others.

Just outside was this awesome lights display hee hee

Rosso Pomodoro Pizzeria
Shop 90-91, 24 Buchanan St
Balmain (White Bay)
Ph: (02) 9555 5924

FFichiban

Specials board that I took a photo of but forgot about until after our meal
First impressions are a very important thing and I must say, this place gave me one of the worst. We had a party of 7 but Pupu and I got there a little bit earlier than the others. It might have been because it was reasonably busy but their service aloof and quite unorganized. We were asked 3 times by 3 different people if we had a reservation and for how many people. The last time was after Pupu and I have sat down in our tiny corner table. That probably annoyed me the most.

Named after a style of coffee but instead of a shot of espresso with a touch of milk, the food here is modern Australian with a touch of classic Italian cuisine
After sitting and calming down, this place seemed alright. The atmosphere was bright and warm (would have been better with a better table) and the menu seemed fairish for city prices .

Harooo everyone!
We were a bit skeptical about the food after the service being so meh but when the food came out we were met with a pleasant surprise. Their portion sizes were reasonable but the taste of proper wood fire pizza is unbeatable.

Here Comes the Food

Iced Chocolate
These were a bit disappointing as they were lukewarm for some reason :S and only with a mediocre flavour.

Garlic & Cheese Pizza ($13)
Shared amongst the table, this was a great start to the meal. There could have been more cheese haha (I think I say that about everything) but the crispy crust and garlic infusion had me craving for more than one slice.

Penne Boscaiola ($17.90)
A creamy sauce with well-cooked pasta. A great combination of flavours which does not get too much/rich even after the whole plate.

Angelo ‘Agnelo’ ($24.90)
Tender slivers of lamb fillets with caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. The lamb was really good and they were generously topped on top. The other ingredients all added up to create a well balanced and tasty pizza.

Texas ($20.90)
My personal favourite of all the savoury pizzas and not because I ordered it Most likely because I am a carnivore and this one had the most meaty goodness on it. A combination of chicken, cabanossi, chorizo, ham, mozzarella and bbq sauce created a sweet and meaty sensation. Stringy cheese perfectly melted on top and a few sprinkled basil leaves for extra herby flavour

Margherita ($16.90)
For the vegetarian of the group, there was a selection between 2 pizzas and he went with this one. Fragrant Roma tomatoes and mozzarella always make for a simple yet delicious meal. I thought it could have donw with a few more basil leaves but we still have the beautiful flavour in some of the bites.

BBQ Chicken ($18.90)
Chicken tenderloin, grilled onions, tomatoes, mozzarella and a drizzle of bbq sauce can’t go wrong unless the chef is really really incompetent. The chicken pieces were soft and tender and the sweetness of the ingedients were enhanced by the bbq sauce.

Bombay ($19.90)
Tandoori chicken, onions, mint yogurt chutney and more mozzarella goodness. The sweet red onions work well with the tandoori chicken. The yogurt was refreshing and overall another great choice.

My ultimate pizza (missing a slice)
Nom nom nom but now for some dessert!

Apple and Custard Pizza Pie ($11.90)
Another highlight in the meal was this pizza pie. The soft french dough was fluffy, thick and created the perfect base for this dessert. The apple and cinnamon fusion is one of my favourite ones and mixed with ice cream and custard it was irresistible. I did find that the custard left a dry sensation in my mouth afterward.

Quality pizza oven wood haha

I found the art on the roof really interesting and added some pizazz to this place.

Wood fire oven
Hmmm deciding whether to come here again was the tricky part because the service is a major part of the dining experience. Service = bad but food = good :S I think it is worth it to try again as that could have been a one off.

After being full and content we took a stroll around and came across this amusing little place and I must have a little bit of Japanese in this post

With a cool advertising poster:

Hee hee do you guys think that this sounds more legit and hence more likely to try it out?

Macchiato Pasta and Wood Fire Pizza
338 Pitt St
Sydney

FFichiban

Considering they are gourmet pizzas and were delivered they were decently priced. Whoever came up with the idea of delivering gourmet pizzas is a genius because having this in the comfort of your own home is just a splendid way of spending a quiet and relaxing evening while watching some movies or TV series (Kitchen Nightmares XD).

They have locations around NSW, Queensland and Victoria and you can easily locate the closest one to your humble abode through their website store locator.

Crust also aims at turning pizzas into a healthier food instead of the usual perception of pizza being junk food. They have a variety of pizzas with the Heart Foundation Tick and the freshness of their ingredients can be tasted in their pizzas.

Reading through all of their different varieties of pizzas from their online menu got me drooling especially when there are ingredients like caramelized onions, buffalo mozzarella, gorgozola blue cheese, french brie, boccocini cheese etc mmmm so I wanted to order one of each! But alas I am only human and settled on three choices this time. The wait is not too long but once the pizzas had arrived we quickly opened them to release the indescribable aroma of fresh gourmet pizzas.

Roast Beef Tick Pizza – Roast Beef Fillets, Whole Button Mushrooms, Oven Roasted Potato, Caramelised Onions, Roasted Capsicum, Mozzarella Cheese ($15)

Trying to stay healthy we tried out one of the Tick pizzas. The tick pizzas are only 10″ so they are smaller than the L-sized pizzas and I was thinking that the smaller serving contributes to it being a healthier choice. This pizza had a light flavour without being bland but the highlight for me were the caramelized onions. The sweetness of the onions just lingers on the tongue a little bit longer than the other flavours and just tantalizes your taste buds. I found the beef a little tough as it was most likely rump and I am accustomed to marbled wagyu haha. The potatoes slices were slightly undercooked but complimented the beef well.

Sausage Duo – Italian Sausage, Chorizo Sausage, Roasted Capsicum, Caramelised Onions, Buffalo Mozzarella (M-$18 L-$22)

The combinations of the ingredients and flavours in this pizza were perfect. The subtle spiciness of the sausages were matched beautifully with the sweetness of, again, the caramelised onions. I was a bit disappointed with the amount of buffola mozzarella though. I was hoping for a generous serving of it as I absolutely adore buffalo mozzarella but this was a very good choice in pizza and hence it being listed as an award-winning pizza (which award I’m not quite sure but it is worth ordering in my books).

Peri-Peri – Portuguese – style chicken breast fillets, roasted capsicum, caramelised onions, shallots, Bocconcini cheese topped with a hot peri-peri sauce (M-$15.50 L-$19.50)

This selection would have to be my favourite out of the three I have tried. The peri-peri sauce was just divine… when you take the first bite the mouth explodes with a sweetness and then a slower spiciness seeps in. If it was up to me I would have made the sauce a bit spicer as it was too mild but it was very good nevertheless. The chicken breast were surprising not dry at all and very tender. Once again I shall mention the onions as a complimenting ingredient but so were the shallots and capsicum.

My first experience of Crust was definitely a memorable one. I would like to specifically mention that they are quite generous with their toppings so there are no bare patches of base anywhere. The most disappointing issue was their crust/base even though they are called Crust, I think their base was just slightly undercooked. The toppings were cooked to a nice crisp on top and melted cheese throughout but the base was still a bit doughy in the middle, just slightly. All in all this is the best delivered pizza I have had and I will be ordering again for sure ^^!

Crust
Store Locator
Menu
Opening Times may vary from store to store but usually open 5pm and close 10:30pm

FFichiban