FORKING AROUND SYDNEY

WHERE: On The Grand Parade in Sans Souci opposite the beach. WHY: For extremely well executed cafe food that presents and tastes fantastic without leaving a big dent in your bank account. MVP: As much as we enjoyed the Fried Chicken & Waffles and Fish & Fries (those superb waffle fries!), the Panna Cotta + Latte won our hearts, eyes, and stomachs. Stunningly presented in a glass, the ruddy and velvety panna cotta wobbled like Santa Claus' belly and its combo with chocolate dust, mascarpone, and seasonal berries was a wonderfully light and refreshing contrast to the savoury dishes. And to top it off, its pairing with a red velvet iced latte keeps the cool going on a hot summer's day. WTF: There is nothing more frustrating than having a conversation about behavourial economics interrupted by the constant roar of lorries treating The Grand Parade like an F1 track. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your POV) in this day and age, some people prefer staring a

WHERE: Inner city area of Waterloo. WHY: For the most Instagrammable food you are likely to find anywhere in the harbour city. MVP: The Taro Hotcakes ticks all the right boxes when it comes to Instagram. The plating is beautiful and precise, the colours are kaleidoscopic, and the textures are alluring. Thankfully, it tastes great as well, with the sweetness of the gorgeous fluffy hotcakes and black sesame ice cream balanced nicely by the tartness of the various fruits and edible flowers. However, I'm guessing the inclusion of so many types of fruit (strawberry, dragonfruit, mango, blackberry, raspberry) is more colour palette-related than a function of their taste. WTF: Ice cream atop the Taro Hotcakes is not exactly healthy breakfast eating. IN A NUTSHELL: One of the prettiest and most well-decorated cafes in Sydney, Social Hideout is a must for Instagrammers. The wall mural featuring an iconic Audrey Hepburn image should have you whipping out your camera in a heartbeat,

WHERE: Inner west suburb of Wolli Creek, a short 5-10 minute walk from the train station. WHY: For excellent Modern Asian cuisine which recently received a well-deserved hat in the latest Good Food Guide (2019). MVP: Can a side of rice be the best on a menu loaded with impressive dishes like the fried squid and smoked katsu chicken? You betcha. Yan's olive rice is a unique winning blend of rice, olives, sesame seeds, and spring onion. Our aversion to olives is totally forgotten as they work wonderfully here and the rice pairs brilliantly with everything else on the menu. Oh, and if you don't like it (which is unlikely), bad luck, as it's the only rice on their menu. WTF: Their side of crispy brussels sprouts is so good it will convert any non-believer. Hard to believe but trust me. IN A NUTSHELL: Yan is the Chinese word for 'smoke', and most of the dishes here are permeated with a delicate smokiness that gives the restaurant its uniqueness. Every dish is

WHERE: Newtown on bustling King Street near the Newtown Hotel. WHY: For quality Italian food in an area which has its fare share of popular Italian eateries, but there is an asterisk. MVP: The spaghetti Tucker Dal Bush is a delicious Antipodean-inspired dish using 'roo mince, bush spices, and a sauce which gives it bite. WTF: Their misleading "Happy Hour" promotion (20% off every day 5.30 - 6.30pm for a limited time), which is advertised on their Instagram page and on a poster outside the restaurant. Apparently, it does not apply to walk-ins off the street (which we were), but must be booked. Does it say that in their ad? No. Did the person whom we paid the bill to care? Nope. Did they respond when we messaged them on Facebook? Nada.  (EDIT: The restaurant owner's wife finally messaged us a week after our initial complaint, explaining she was responsible for all social media feedback but was overseas. She said she has clarified the promotion with her staff a

WHERE: Hurstville, at the Forest Road entrance to Westfield Shopping Centre. WHY: For quality Chinese food that is better than most in this mini Chinatown. The classics (such as sweet and sour pork) are well done while there are enough tweaks to modernise the dishes. MVP: The plump and bouncy freshness of the prawn and pork wontons makes this an easy choice, especially with the added spicy kick of the moreish Sichuan sauce. WTF: Its underground location without any street frontage isn't ideal. IN A NUTSHELL: In a suburb full of Chinese food alternatives, Chefs Gallery delivers the goods with reasonable prices commensurate with the high quality of the dishes. Prawn and pork wontons in spicy Sichuan sauce Sweet and sour pork Wok-fried short grain rice with roast duck and mustard seeds CHEFS GALLERY Shop A1 and B1 Westfield Hurstville, Forest Road, Hurstville NSW 2220 02 9580 4524 http://chefsgallery.com/hurstville/ MENU

WHERE: On hilly Foveaux Street just a short walk from Central Station. WHY: For top-notch fast food where the menu is strong from top to bottom. MVP: It's hard to split the Ze Chips and the Twix Tacos. The Ze Chips are the best loaded fries we've had: a tantalising balance of salty, sweet, crunchy, and loaded with crispy maple-smoked bacon bits and umami. The Twix Tacos meanwhile is the ultimate fast food dessert whose description (deep-fried Twix, red velvet pancake 'tacos', ice cream, brownie salsa, shaved Milky Bar) is utterly ridiculous, but the result is a delectable combo that is a sweet tooth's wet dream's wet dream. WTF: Like a lot of modern eateries, the trend towards a single unisex toilet sucks. The cubicle here is definitely large enough to be split into two, but OH&S regulations likely requires toilet facilities to be wide enough for wheelchair access. Having said that, the size of Ze Pickle should mandate the inclusion of more than one

WHERE: King Street Wharf, between Darling Harbour and Barangaroo. WHY: Only if you have a hankering for yum cha and cannot be bothered going anywhere else. MVP: The crispy bbq pork buns, which is essentially a deep-fried version of the classic Cantonese yum cha staple. You can't go much wrong deep-frying. WTF: For a restaurant proclaiming to be the "Best In Sydney" for all-day yum cha, their self-confidence is way off the mark, and this was exempified by their Russian pelmeni dumplings (see pic below) which looked nothing like their menu picture and were deep-fried to buggery. Most other dishes were average and we have had much better elsewhere any day of the week. IN A NUTSHELL: Avoid the overpriced dim sum and go for the more interesting a la carte dishes instead. Crispy bbq pork buns Cantonese steamed pork and prawn dim sims Shanghainese xiao long bao soup dumplings Steamed scallop and prawn dumplings Chicken spring rolls Pan-frie