Cafe Lounge, Surry Hills

I planned ahead and finally got to book a table at Cafe Lounge on a cold autumn night.



I was running late, as per usual, and tried to get a taxi and failed. So I had to walk the length of Goulburn Street to Cafe Lounge. Cafe Lounge is defined as a small bar. If you want a table, I suggest booking early. If you walk in, I suspect you'll be standing around waiting for people to leave their table. It wasn't super busy when I got there. Though as we left at around 9pm more people did seem to be coming in.

It has a very cosy vibe and I loved all the decor.







In terms of food, it was kind of limited. They really only have pizza and then some sides. We ordered two pizzas and we waited quite a while for them to arrive at the table.


Ducks Nuts - $12


Chorizo - $12

Instead of numbers for your table they have little cute toys like these:




We also ordered jugs. All jugs are $25 each. I guess because we had 4 to a jug, the alcoholic effects weren't really felt.


Mon Mon Sangria. There was something about this that tasted a little different to sangria that I've had in the past.


Pimms Garden

I liked that it was so cosy and cute and a little bit hipster. Though, I don't know what that word means anymore! A couple of the bartenders and the clientele are British, if that's your thing. XDD

• Find Cafe Lounge at 277 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

The Carrington, Surry Hills

I was googling, trying to find somewhere to hold an early birthday/end-of-PLT event and The Carrington was one of the names that turned up in the search. Its menu looked amazing too. My first choice was Cafe Lounge but I didn't inquire early enough for that.

I had pre-drinks already at my old work and was running terribly late and had to take a taxi there. By the way, so difficult to get a taxi on a Friday night, on the street. Also, kind of embarrassing when a full taxi just drives right by you. XD



It was pretty packed. Lots of people standing. I asked the bartender if it's always like this. He says that on the other weekdays it's pretty quiet. Btw, these photos are like later in the night as people had left the place.




And here's what I ordered:


Calamari Slider - $6; Meatball Slider - $6

Both so good. And I love that they're mini in size because you can eat 2 sliders and not just one!


Jalapeno and smoked cheddar croquettes - $14


Pretty sure this is the kingfish pastrami on rye - $4, though feel free to correct me.

It had a pretty good vibe to it. I hope to come back to eat more of their food. The bartenders were super nice. They do take EFTPOS. Though I'm pretty sure they have a minimum before you can use it. I can't remember what amount it was though.

There are other places for functions. One day I'll like to book out The Apartment. Seems like it'd be a fun time.

• Find The Carrington at 563 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Le Pelican, Surry Hills

Last Thursday my friends and I headed to contemporary French Restaurant Le Pelican in Surry Hills. Though I think Surry Hills is a bit misleading XD. We GPS'd our way to it and walked the backstreets. We didn't realise that if you continued up Oxford Street for a bit and then turn right you'll find it much more easily.

There was about 30 of us. I'm guess-timating here and we had the $70 A la carte menu.

They placed a copy of the menu at every seat. Once everyone arrived the ordering process was explained. The waitress would come around to each person and take the orders for all 3 courses: Entrée, main and dessert.


Complimentary bread

Entrées

“Pâté Maison” onion jam & cornichon
Out of all of the entrees, this would have been the most filling. But I suppose, that's not what entrees are for.


Seared scallops, new season garlic, braised cos, guindilla & mullet roe
I was expecting more scallops, to be honest.

Mains

Coorong Angus onglet, potato mille-feuille & sauce vierge


House smoked Flathead pie, “lobster bisque”
This was pretty good. And rather filling. That bowl is deep. I barely finished it because I was getting pretty full.

Dessert

Soufflé "Retour du marché"
Don't let the colour trick you. It's strawberry or berry flavoured which was totally unexpected when I took a bite.


Buttermilk Vacherin, dried fruits & maple syrup
Too much crushed ANZAC biccie and not enough sorbet.


Chocolate fondant, thyme ice cream
When you open it up, chocolate gushes out. The chocolate's not too sweet but it's still good.
Overall, it was a good dining experience. The interior was very pretty. Food presentation was amazing. The food itself, wasn't as amazing as I expected for the price. But it was good and it was good to try somewhere different.

(NOTE: The names of the dishes might differ from what they are. I got the names from the online menu but it appears as though they're not exactly like the menu that we had on the night. And I didn't take a photo of the menu!)

• Find Le Pelican at Shop 2, 411 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.