Grab Your Fork: A Sydney food blog: April 2011 Sydney restaurant reviews | travel

Even when your best-laid plans go awry, sometimes you can end up with the most brilliant night anyway.

We hadn't meant to eat dinner at Pizza e Birra. Our sights (and stomachs) had been set on Vini and we'd arrived early to secure a table. Too early, we soon discover, and we're directed across the road for a quick drink while they finish setting up.

121 BC, Surry Hills

EDIT: 121 BC has closed

Arancini $3 each

We wander up Gladstone Lane and find ourselves in a tiny bar, the glass doors simply marked with Cantina and Enoteca in a large frosted font. There is little indication that we're actually at 121 BC, the latest venture by the owners of Vini and Berta wine bars.

The bar is long but narrow, taken up primarily by a wide tile-topped communal table tucked under with stools. The table is wide enough so that the people opposite can't quite reach your wine glass, but as the bar quickly fills, it soon feels like we're at one giant dinner party - maximum guests: 25.

Zucchini, ricotta $8

The blackboard menus change daily, and detail the available wines and dishes of the evening. All the wines here are Italian, with white wines listed on the left, reds on the right. There are twenty-one wines are available by the glass when we visit, and the 100ml serving size makes for casual sipping and room to explore. The wines are reasonably priced too, starting at $5.50 and topping out at $13. Most hover around the $6 to $8 mark.

We start with a couple of pre-dinner snacks. Arancini balls arrive on a rustic wooden paddle, spoonfuls of creamy risotto coated in a light but crunchy golden crust. There's also room for a plate of grilled zucchini strips, sweet and yielding against the dabs of fresh ricotta.

By the time we leave at 6.30pm, 121 BC is packed. Hopeful arrivals are resigned to camp out by the door. Of course when we arrive at Vini, we find the restaurant is full and there's now a 30-minute wait for a table. We're merry with wine by this point and head up Foveaux Street instead. The hill is steep but we know we need the headstart on the calories.

Pizza e Birra, Surry Hills

Pizza-making in the window of Pizza e Birra

There's plenty of activity happening on Crown Street, but thankfully we manage to snag one of the last available tables at Pizza e Birra.

Olive ascolana $7

Large green olives stuffed with savoury mince, crumbed and lightly fried

We started with stuffed green olives, deliciously salty in a shell of deep-fried breadcrumbs. The benefits of any hillwalking have already been negated.

Gnocchi beetroot $22

with garlic, chilli and broccoli finished with smoked provola

There are seven pasta dishes on the menu and we choose the gnocchi beetroot. It's a lot spicier than we expected, with a chilli afterburn that seems to detract from the sweetness of the beetroot. The gnocchi are a brilliant ruby in colour, and although soft, they feel a little soggy.

Pizza Sicilia $23
Mozzarella, fried eggplant, fresh ricotta and smoked provola

Choosing our pizza is much more difficult, with over twenty options listed. We're torn over the zuccafunghi with pumpkin and pine nuts and the with mushrooms and gorgonzola, but eventually settle on the Pizza Sicilia that includes fried eggplant and fresh ricotta.

Pizza Sicilia and pizza upskirt action

The fried eggplant delivers on its promise: deep-fried cubes that are wondrously sticky and sweet. Only a light layer of topping keeps the pizza slices quite floppy, but the beauty is all in the crust. Throughout our dinner I'd been transfixed by the pizza oven, a roar of flames crackling over wood as pizza after pizza was slid in on a paddle.

We paused to admire the pizza maker on our way out, using his fingers to push out the dough into perfect circles before tossing it in the air.

Dessert? I say to Miss Veg, and as we trip down the street I mention how long it's been since I've had a dosai at Maya Masala.

Maya Masala, Surry Hills

Masala dosai $9.90

I. Am. A. Terrible. Influence.

We walk the few blocks to Maya Masala and even as we look at the trays of silver-foiled burfi, the bright orange carrot halva and syrup-soaked gulab jamun, all we can think about is dosai.

We're already laughing at our gluttony, and although it takes about 20 minutes for our dosai to arrive, it's worth the wait. The folded crepe is ridiculously crispy, audibly crunchy from each end to its centre.

Potato masala dosai has always been my favourite, the texture and flavour of the spiced potato working so well against the sour tang of the crepe. The dollop of potato has a surprise bonus - pan-fried again so the edges are crispy.

We leave nothing but crumbs on the plate, although I was tempted to finish those too.

SYDNEY FOOD BLOGGER IN MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA

Did you spot Sydney's favourite food blogger in the trailers for the new season of MasterChef Australia? I cannot wait to tune in and barrack for Billy from A Table for Two - he's a talented cook, photographer, karaoke singer and dear friend.

MasterChef Australia Season 3 kicks off this Sunday 7.30pm on Channel 10 and ChocolateSuze will be hosting a live MasterChef chat during every episode. Head to http://www.chocolatesuze.com/chat and join in the fun with a heap of Aussie food bloggers. And go TEAM BILLY!

Don't make Billy cry! [1:37]

FREEBIE FRIDAY WINNER

And congratulations to Mel M who has won two tickets to the GourmetRabbit Baza'ar at Efendy Balmain! View Larger Map

121 BC (CLOSED)

~~50 Holt Street, Surry Hills, Sydney~~

(entrance on Gladstone Street)

Tel: +61 (02) 9699 1582

Opening hours:

Monday to Wednesday 5pm-11pm

Thursday to Saturday 5pm - 12midnight

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Pizza e Birra

500 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 9332 2510

Opening hours:

Monday to Wednesday 5.30pm-11pm

Thursday to Saturday 12noon-midnight

Sunday 12noon-11pm

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Maya Indian Sweets and Maya Masala

468-472 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 9699 8663

Opening hours:

Open 7 days 10.30am-10.30pm

Related Grab Your Fork posts: Maya Masala, Surry Hills

Oh Malaysia photos. I haven't forgotten about you. A five-day weekend (how great was the break?!) was the perfect opportunity to delve into the archives. Sure none of us want to be back at work at our desks today, but here's a photo-rich post to get you back into the swing of things...

My last Malaysia post left you in Penang, Malaysia. We woke up early the next morning to make the 350km drive from Penang back down to Kuala Lumpur, ready for the next leg of our trip to Thailand.

Nasi lemak bungkus

Breakfast was at a truckstop along the way. Unlike comfort stops in Australia, there were no fast food chains to be found here. Instead we headed into a simply furnished food court circled with hawker stalls, half of them still closed at this hour of the morning.

Nasi lemak bungkus was clearly the most popular breakfast of choice, a takeaway version of nasi lemak that is wrapped tightly in banana leaf and a coversheet of brown paper. Inside is a mound of coconut rice topped with fried anchovies and spicy sambal sauce. It's delicious, but small in serve so we top this up with a couple of fluffy steamed buns filled with lotus paste and sweetened black bean paste.

Mee rebus

Billy has the mee rebus, yellow egg noodles swaddled in a thick curry gravy, served with fried shallots, deep-fried tofu and a hard boiled egg.

Salak madu or snake fruit

On our way back to the car we pick up a couple of snacks. Forget bags of chips or bars of chocolate - all that is on offer here is fresh fruit, available loose or pre-peeled and sliced and packed up into plastic bags.

Ciku madu or sapodilla fruit

We arrive in Kuala Lumpur about 4 1/2 hours later, enough time to sneak in a quick shop and late lunch at Mid Valley Megamall.

Ying Ker Lou, Mid Valley

Pu'er tea RM4 (about AU$1.40) per teapot

Mid Valley Megamall is a gargantuan shopping centre with 430 shops littered across five floors. After a brief zip-around, we head to Ying Ker Lou for lunch, which specialises in Haka cuisine. Even on the run, we are determined to make every meal count, although the presence of air-conditioning is also welcomed.

We're immediately impressed by the seriousness of the tea menu, set out just like a wine list with separations by variety and then graded by quality (and price). We try the standard pu'er tea and notice differences in fragrance and flavour between this and the more expensive gong pin tie guan yin oolong tea (RM6 or about AU$2.15 per teapot) and the top level South Mountain supreme oolong tea (RM10 or about AU$3.60 per teapot).

Hakka yam abacus RM17 (about AU$6.10)

What I'd been most keen to try was abacus beads, something I'd been curious about ever since Poh Ling Yeow cooked this dish on MasterChef Australia. This dish is so-named because the little dumplings made from steamed yam and tapioca flour look just like the wooden beads used in a Chinese abacus, an old-skool calculator.

These aren't as chewy or glutinous as I thought they'd be, but we enjoy the contrast between the yam and mix of dried shrimp, squid and crunchy black fungus strips.

Crispy pork belly with fermented bean curd RM22 (about AU$7.85)

The crispy pork belly has taken on a salty sweetness with its coating of fermented bean curd and the Dong Jian-style bean curd is also a hit. I relish the braised pork tail with peanuts, carefully extricating skin and flesh from each cylindrical stump.

Dong Jian-style stuffed bean curd in hotpot RM23 (about AU$8.20)

Braised pork tail with peanuts RM25 (about AU$8.90)

We jump in a maxi-cab to the airport. Traffic is truly insane in Kuala Lumpur. Kilometre-long stretches of freeway seem to reach a standstill. There are no accidents or roadworks to blame. There are simply so many cars on the road that everyone is used to spending half their time waiting in traffic.

McDonalds ayam goreng fried chicken RM10.35 (about AU$3.70) for two pieces with chips and drink

We reach the airport with plenty of time to check-in. There's even a chance for one last snack before we board the plane. I'm not usually one for fast food chains either at home or abroad, but the offer of fried chickens is enough to sway my mind.

Ayam goreng, or fried chicken, is a standard offering at McDonalds in Malaysia and when we receive our order, I immediately toy with the idea of buying more. The batter is all kinds of nubbly bliss, and beneath the crunchy golden batter is piping hot chicken that is tender and juicy.

Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Making Thai iced coffee

Our flight lands late in Phuket, and it's a one hour drive from the international airport to where we're staying, Kata Beach. It's one of the quieter areas on the island, unlike the brash and garish Patong, and we wake early the next morning to explore.

Frothing the coffee

There's no better start to a day than coffee and we gravitate to a roadside stall like excited school kids. We're already feeling hot and sticky in the humidity, and the iced coffee is cool, strong and deliciously sweet with condensed milk.

Iced coffees to go

Kata Beach

Kata Beach

Mobile satay and som tum stall

Literally a mobile stall

Dino Bar, Phuket

Dino Bar

Okay sometimes you get suckered into the weird and wacky. And besides, Pete has a craving for burgers. We end up at the Dino Bar for lunch, a kitsch and touristy food bar that looks straight out of Bedrock from the Flintstones.

Our drinks come with elaborate garnishes and we have a full view of the kitchen from our stools. This soon becomes a form of torture as we watch each order being painstakingly prepared and delivered to every customer but us, until at last! Lunch arrives!

Beef burger and pork burger 180 baht (about AU$6.20)

Red Boat Seafood & Thai Food

Red Boat Seafood and Thai Food

So lunch wouldn't have won any gourmet awards but we fare better when we head into the town of Patong for dinner, a fifteen minute drive away. The difference in traffic and the number of tourists is staggering, the roads teeming with tuk tuks and the footpaths spilling over with hastily set-up street stalls selling watches, sunglasses, wallets and souvenirs.

It's hard to find any restaurant not rowdy with tourists and waiters urgently cajole you inside as soon as you glance in their direction. We eventually settle on Red Boat Seafood, one of several restaurants that make up the open-air Patong Seafood Food Court.

Pineapple mango shake 60 baht (about AU$2)

[Clockwise from top left]: Fresh coconut juice 60 baht (about AU$2);

fried chicken wrapped with pandanus leaves 150 baht (about AU$5.15);

fried prawns with garlic and pepper 180 baht (about AU$6.20); and

papaya salad 80 baht (about AU$2.75)

We order a mix of dishes but there's not much relief from the chilli - everything is deliciously spicy. The chicken in pandanus leaves is sweet and caramelised from the grill but to my surprise one of the highlights is the spicy shrimp soup, arriving in a ringed cauldron so it stays hot throughout our dinner. The soup is peppery with chilli but also rich with the flavour of a dark prawn stock.

[Clockwise from top left]: Fried squid with black curry paste 180 baht (about AU$6.20);

beef salad 120 baht (about AU$4.15); and

spicy shrimp soup 350 baht (about AU$12)

We walk off dinner by exploring the streets of Patong. Eventually we find ourselves on Bangla Road, a chaotic pedestrian strip that is every nightmare your mother ever imagined and more. The noise is relentless, with music blaring from nightclubs and strip joints, flashing neon assaulting your senses, and loud drunken tourists every which way you look.

Every few steps we're approached by spruikers, or hopeful locals selling cheap trinkets or toys. The spruikers point eagerly toward their strip clubs, where young women gyrate with forlorn resignation in their eyes. Large groups of men stop to stare at the dancing lady boys, jostling each other for a better view. It's seedy, harrowing and depressing, and the walk feels much longer than it actually is.

Power cables galore

Fish foot spa

I'd had much more fun earlier that day, when we'd headed to a day spa looking for a traditional Thai massage. For one hour we were kneaded, twisted and pulled by young Thai women who were infinitely stronger than they first appeared.

My foot in the fish spa
- So tasty, but only 14/20?

I couldn't resist a fish foot spa either. Fish pedicures involve placing your feet in a tank filled with live garra rufa fish that nibble the dead skin off your feet. I admit I was nervous as I prepared to lower my feet into the water. What would it feel like? Would it hurt?

I sit next to Billy and we look at each other before we submerge our feet. And then I laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

The sensation is like a cross between pins-and-needles and having your feet tickled with hundreds of feathers. I'm extremely ticklish and soon I'm bent over double, convulsing with laughter in that please-stop-I'm-about-to-have-an-accident kinda way. The tickling is relentless and everyone else is laughing at my hysteria.

It takes some time before I can bear to open my eyes and watch the fish. Nibbling at my skin. Their mouths opening and closing like greedy little chicks. I can feel the flick of their tails, like the brush of a feather as they swarm about hungrily. It takes another couple of minutes before I dare to spread my toes. They dive right in. The feeling is bizarre.

And the result? My skin is definitely smoother, and it's hilarious to see whose feet the fish attacked with more vigour. And I haven't laughed so much in my life. Or since.

Kata Markets

Vegetable stall

We'd also stumbled across a wet market in Kata, offering well-timed shelter from the monsoonal rains. The covered market is a world away from Bangla Road, and we happily while away our time exploring the aisles.

There is much to see and the glimpse of local life in Kata Beach is quietly earnest.

New harvest rice for sale

Shrimp paste

Pre-packed eggs

Petai beans or stink beans

Dried fish

Threading flower garlands

Stallholders' kids playing in the markets

Shy but curious

Fried chicken

Time for a quick snack

Anywhere is good for a nap

Market stall worker

Fresh pig trotters

Pig heads

Crabs

Choosing the best seafood

Live frogs

Corn fed chickens

Local butcher or Mr September?

Pepsi bottles for recycling

> Read the next Thailand 2010 post (James Bond Island, Phuket)

< Read the first Malaysia 2010 post (Kuala Lumpur)

Don't forget entries close tomorrow for the GourmetRabbit Baza'ar at Efendy Balmain. You could win a night of Turkish canapes for you and a friend, access to free tasting stations, a copy of GourmetRabbit Issue 2 and a take home goodie bag.

Enter here!
Entries close Thursday 28 April 2011 at 9.30pm AEST.

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Ying Ker Lou

The Gardens Mall, 2nd floor, S231 & 232

Mid Valley

Lingkaran Syed Putra

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 (03) 2284 8480

Dino Bar

47 Karon Road, Karon Beach

Phuket, Thailand

Tel: +66 (76) 330 625

Red Boat Seafood and Thai Food