Renato's at Coogee Sydney - Good Italian Eatery

Recently spent a few days in the pleasant beachside suburb of Coogee.  Weather generally warm, afterall it was November, and quite relaxing.  Have had a few stays around Coogee this year, so the place is familiar........but had not eaten out locally.

Decided it was an opportunity to meet the locals.  Some confusing signals - ate at a decent italian eatery - in Sydney, with Italian staff, but run by a Singoporean.  But it was good!

 In Coogee Bay Road, Coogee, a few steps up from the beachfront. 

Italian food that is excellent quality and value.  Busy to very busy on the few times visited, and especially Saturday evening.  Has the standard Italian mains – pizzas, pasta dishes with a wide range of sauces, lasagne, cannelloni as well as all the usual favourite scaloppine choices, and an excellent prosciutto wrapped veal fillet as mains and a modest choice of seafood.  Salt and pepper squid [really good] and fried zucchini flowers among the entrees – both recommended.

Does a decent garden /Italian salad and the olive oil is good too.  BYO and a bottle shop close by, if you forgot. 

Good atmosphere. Not Italian fine dining, but a good choice – more upmarket trattoria, and family groups of Italians were eating there, as well as a number of obvious locals back for a repeat visit  - that would seem to be a good recommendation in itself.

Can be a bit noisy if full and closed up [hence the trattoria tag], but also has al fresco dining, weather permitting.

Christo's Fish Cafe - Darwin

Good restaurant operators tend to do it well, whether it be a hamburger take away or a swish upmarket a la carte restaurant. They just seem to have the knack!

Christou Phillipou has run restaurants in Darwin from humble beginnings as a hole in the wall takeaway eatery to several very posh and extremely good local Darwin restaurants. Often with the moniker of “Christou’s” something or other.

Then he left town, and did his thing in SE Queensland .

He is back in town and now operates Christo’s Fish Cafe at Tipperary Waters on a marina about 2km from the Darwin CBD, just off Tiger Brennan Drive. It is hidden behind trees, and is reached from a service road [ Frances Bay Drive] so if unfamiliar with the area, a map or directions might be needed. There is usually plenty of parking inside the complex area, behind the shops on the street, rather than in the side street. See here - http://christosfishcafe.com.au/index.html

First.......it is not air-conditioned. Is that a problem? Probably not, as we have been there many times and there are good and plentiful overhead fans and the restaurant is actually on the boardwalk overlooking the marina, and there generally seems to be a breeze, even in the hot November – December period and there was a good breeze when visiting there recently at that period.

It is a fish cafe, not a restaurant, so the setting is along those lines – alfresco dining with tables and chairs to match, as well as some tables with fixed seating, down closer to the water on a lower level.

Our experience with fish meals has been excellent. They do a fantastic calamari – based on a recipe of his mother’s , Kate’s Calamari - and probably our favourite. But we have been with other who have had barramundi, threadfin salmon and other fish dishes and been extremely satisfied. A neighbour recently visited and had bugs......which were not to their liking. Our own experience has been very positive. Even the souvlaki and the Caesar salad were very good.

Meals are of a good size, entrees are also, and the greek dips with flat bread are a well liked entree option of many customers. There is a modest selection of desserts including some of the usual greek delights such as baklava and milleefa .

Contrary to some comments on the internet, cold water – yes, from the tap in a bottle – is readily available and free!! And you are not expected to buy from the drinks menu either......water is just fine, if that is your tipple.
The menu is here - http://christosfishcafe.com.au/menu_1.html .

Would I go back? Very definitely, particularly if looking for a feed of calamari. And I am probably a bit biased.......as have been there a few times over the past few months.

Should you try it? Well, Darwin is a fish town. It is on the harbour, this restaurant is about 200m from the fish markets and there are local fish trawlers operating out of Darwin supplying fresh fish, and above all, Darwin is THE home of the mighty barramundi, a great eating fish.

And the locale is attractive.

But remember........the whole Tipperary Waters area can have bad midge problems at some times of the year. Be prudent and wear long trousers or slacks and use some DEET on potentially sensitive skin before arriving if you are a bit sensitive to insect bites, especially round the lower legs and ankles, as you will be seated outside. They cannot control the midges, I am sad to report. That said, have not had a problem myself, but know others have.

Oh......of course, as is the thing today, Christo’s is on Facebook too.

A map is here - http://www.truelocal.com.au/business/christos-fish-cafe/stuart-park

And for you yachties........they do a pretty mean breakfast too.

They can be busy, especially in the Dry Season, so a check is worthwhile to ensure a table. You can have takeawy too.

Out To Pasture???

No posts for a while.......but definitely not out to pasture, nor in the long yard today [ Slim Dusty song about old horses].

Activity and travel has been restricted due to post operative dramas and an incomptent and uncompromising hip that has stubbornly refused to shape up after hip replacement surgery in Adelaide. That is where the hip operation took place and so the posts on Adelaide places in November happened then........a few weeks to really try them out!!

All is not lost however, as there have been some short visits to local eating houses in Darwin. That has had to happen quite a a few times during the hip replacement repairs - standing and preparing food has been an issue at times, as has some really crappy hot weather over the past two months. Can be very hot to stand and prepare and cook food with a gammy hip!

So, will post a few comments on some Darwin eateries, from a local.

Watch this space over the next week or so.

Eating at Norwood, Adelaide

Eating on the Parade at Norwood – Bravo and Buongiornio

Good food in the suburbs? Well yes, why not you say. It has not always been that way, with traditionally the better restaurants being in the city, or even well within the CBD.

Probably has not changed a lot, but there is a developing range of decent eateries removed from the CBD. These are not necessarily top flight restaurants with attendant stars and awards but good solid restaurants and eateries – from smaller local restaurants with a good table service and a reasonable wine list [or even better BYO], bistro style and “pub grub” that provide good value for money and decent food for both locals and visitors. And with pleasant staff – that is a big plus!

Adelaide has a range of these venues for example, along the Parade at Norwood, with two notable places being Caffe Buongiorno and Cafe Bravo on diagonally opposite corners on The Parade.

They have a strong returning clientele, decent food and coffee and a good to even great atmosphere. Local lunch time patrons, those for a quiet coffee as well as some coming for a coffee and a chat, mothers with kids in tow and / or their parents, business people for lunch. A typical bustling scene with a somewhat noisy background reminiscent of a good Italian trattoria!

A recent extended visit to Adelaide had a few visits to both of these cafes / bistros – for both coffees and food. You can feel the vibe when you visit. A look around sees locals and visitors, staff being pleasant and treating customers with appreciation – and a smile, a busy kitchen, customers obviously enjoying themselves, plenty of food being prepared and served, a range of patisserie offerings and reasonable prices. And guess what ?...........they always seem to be busy!!

Check out both of these locations for decent reasonably priced food when in Adelaide. They do a decent coffee too.

Caffe Primo - Mawson Lakes, near Adeaide

Caffe Primo – at Mawson Lakes

There is a campus of the UniSA at Mawson Lakes along with a nearby light aircraft and training airfield and the area has a developing Business and Technology Park with quite a few medium sized developing businesses. Mawson Lakes has also been a site used as part of the Tour Down Under international cycle race in January each year – sometimes as a criterium or a start location. It has a fair share of business visitors, who now have a few locations to stay, rather than in Adelaide itself.

While there are some eateries along the Promenade and overlooking the lake that have been the main location to service these visitors, location does not always ensure decent service and food.

A recent extended stay for several weeks at Mawson Lakes recuperating after surgery has meant opportunities for a more than one visit assessment of some of the local eateries, and at different times of the day. One is a bit vunerable when unwell, and a bit rickety on the legs, a time to assess how staff operate with people not as vigorous as normal.

The best of the bunch award would have to go to the local Caffee Primo on Main Street. This is a combination of coffee shop, bar and restaurant, with the prominence of the component s of the mix varying over the day and week. Hard to miss, with a very large outdoor sign draped across the upper building levels [ also serves to stop the western afternoon sun].

Coffee shop in the morning can become a bar at night, yet the food service is generally pretty good at all times, with a decent weekend buffet breakfast on offer too, although not during the week – it is a cooked breakfast style “to order” then, and that is a reasonable price, a lot better than a motel “breakfast pack”.

They offer a modest range of well priced lunch meals [about $13] including pizzas and a range of pastas as well as a la carte meals. The chicken Caesar salad is particularly good value and very tasty, and has been my number one choice. Wine is available by the glass [reasonable range] and bottle as well as beers and spirits.

Dinner has essentially the same range as lunchtime plus a wider range of more expensive meals including steaks and there is a complimentary pancake and ice cream dessert too.

Meals are a good size, and the pasta range especially is very filling. The pasta is of good quality, obviously fresh and very tasty.

Staff have been exceptionally pleasant and helpful, and pull a decent coffee too. That alone is quite important for a coffee shop – both the staff and of course the good coffee! All the staff have been tremendous - without exception; a pleasant smile, a "hello" and that is seen when they deal with other customers too -it does bring out the pleasant side of your customers, almost always.

Tables are more bistro style, and they have some outside as well. Some of the original leather chairs are a bit run down, but are obviously being replaced, since most have already gone, with similar style wooden ones as replacements.

Observations over several weeks would indicate a steady stream of regular customers for both meals and coffees.

A recommended good value choice for meals and coffee in Mawson Lakes.

Pompidou - THE Cafe NOT that other place in Paris!!

The coffee and cafe scene in Brisbane some think, starts and ends around New Farm and the Valley. Those trendy areas are full of the young and [ think they are] beautiful. Good for observations, but are the areas all that good for coffee?

There is good coffee in Brisbane, with di Bella coffee a stand out producer of an excellent range of coffee blends, and their products are used around the area as well as at their own site in Bowen Hills, on Abbottsford Road. Even have a drive through coffee bar.

But most have a desire to sit down for a coffee.

Try an easier location with a visit to Pompidou in Balmoral. Relatively easy parking on a side street, around the corner from their location at 236 Riding Road. A great di Bella coffee blend, and a well produced cup of coffee. And pleasant staff.

The site has been there as a coffee shop for a while under a prior name and owner, with the new owners operational now for several months. The changes are not monumental, but evolutionary, with a subtle but welcome change of menu and coffee brewing.

Try the place if out on the southside of Brisbane - Norman Park, Balmoral, Murrarie, Bulimba all are close by.

They do a great well priced range of breakfasts, and the eggs benedict are excellent!

Mt Lofty House - Accomodation on High

Mt Lofty, the high point of the Adelaide Hills also has a great older converted house as up market accommodation, very close by.

Actually, on the east, below the edge of the hills, so you miss the westerlies, although when there are southerlies or sou' easterlies, well they do come up the valley.

It is a rebuilt old established estate house, originally built in the mid 1800s, but burnt down in bushfires a few years ago, and rebuilt and converted to accommodation.

Just up the freeway from the Cross and Portrush Roads / Glen Osmond Road intersection, and about 35mins to the airport. A great place for a weekend with some great views and options to do a few walks around the grounds or at the adjacent Botanical Gardens annex or even hit the bicycle [ for serious cyclists though- it is a bit hilly, so be prepared].

We have only been there in cooler months, and it can be cool,VERY cool at night during the winter.

It is well known as a restaurant for dinner, and even for breakfast they do a great muesli with yoghurt and fruit coulis [ I really like these - very addictive for a second one!]. Have not had dinner there but reputation is excellent.

They seem to have had a few specials on some of the accommodation web sites eg www.wotif.com over the past few months so check those for a good deal - and they have been!

Recommended, as something a little different. Their website is here - http://mtloftyhouse.com.au/ lots of photos