FORKING AROUND SYDNEY

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 ...