10 Sydney restaurants that use Ubereats

Uber entered the food delivery service in March 2016. Here are 10 Sydney restaurants that are signed up to Ubereats that will up the ante on that office party or desk-side lunch. 

Satisfy those crazy fried chicken cravings with a shoebox full of fried chicken from Butter. Image: Supplied

Butter
There is something devilishly good about the fried chicken from Butter, the Surry Hills storefront that sells fried chicken alongside sneakers and Champagne. This is chicken thigh dressed to impress, wearing a spicy red jacket that is best quenched with a slushie served on the side. Kick back in your high-tops with a bunch of mates to enjoy executive chef Julian Cincotta's streetwise incarnation of fried chicken and a tangle of shoestring fries. Vegos listen up: order the fresh ear of corn, which arrives anointed with a splodge of miso butter, and a 'shroom burger for a meat-free fest. Those with a love of food, fashion, music and culture take note: Butter has launched a new e-commerce streetwear concept store housing a range of sneakers and apparel. Butter, 6 Hunt St, Sydney. Buttersydney.com.au

Faster pasta when you get Ubereats to deliver a bowl of pasta. Image: Supplied

The Italian Bowl

Part old-school Italian-Australian trattoria, part innovative eatery, the menu options on offer at The Italian Bowl run by Vince Muscolo and Alexi Spyridis let you choose your own adventure - allowing you to pick your favourite pasta shape and pair it with a sauce to suit. Tasting notes: give pesto with penne a go or fuse fettucine with an arrabiata sauce. Aside from pasta dishes, the chicken parmigiana, veal with mushroom sauce and king prawn risotto are hugely popular for those hankering for hearty meals. Stick with tradition for dessert and order the tiramisu.  255 King St, Newtown, theitalianbowl.com.au       

The average time it takes to get a Love Supreme pizza delivered is 11 minutes and 39 seconds. And go! Image: Supplied

Love Supreme  

Love Supreme is the highly-evolved version of the much-loved Arthur's Pizza run by Vlad and Bosko Vujovic, who take the unleavened flatbread up a notch with 'with-the-works' toppings.  Follow the @lovesupremepizza Instagram account for updates to the menu and you will know that back on deck this week is the Gabo - Brussel sprouts, smoked bacon and a balsamic reduction. Pizza Sam demonstrates how amazing seasonal produce can be on a pizza: think pumpkin puree, sheep feta, smoked almonds and confit cherry tomatoes. 180 Oxford St, Paddington, www.lovesupreme.com.au

Seared albacore plays a starring role in this slightly spicy tuna poke from head chef Mark Jensen at Salmon & Bear.

Salmon & Bear
The first thing you need to know about poké, the Hawaiian-style sushi salad in a bowl, is how to pronounce it: it's pokay, okay? The second thing you need to understand about this island-inspired dish is that it has been reimagined with great effect by Salmon & Bear executive chef Mark Jensen. Say aloha to a poké with prawns in a lemon and coconut dressing served with edamame beans, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomato and snow pea sprouts. If your stomach is really growling, devour a Salmon 'BEARger' stuffed with cos lettuce, tomato, pickles, salsa verde and aioli.   6 Defries Avenue, Zetland, salmonandbear.com.au

Wrap your laughing gear around this whopper of a fried chicken sandwich from BL Burgers. Image: Supplied

BL Burgers
Chickpea and kumara burgers, pulled pork rolls with peppers and coriander, and a Blame Canada special starring maple-glazed streaky bacon on a beef pattie are just a few of the whimsical creations on offer at BL Burgers in Bondi. BL Burger's piece de resistance is the Classic Cheese burger, which head chef Allan Boque assembles on a St Malo Bakery milk bun with a beef pattie, slice of American cheese, pile of pickles, swirl of ketchup and slick of mustard.  BL Burgers and its big sister Bar Luca also serve first-rate fries. 1/151 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, blburgers.com.au

A feast of Syrian proportions at Almond Bar in Darlinghurst. #cookforSyria

Almond Bar
Almond Bar is a Darlinghurst gem that peppers its menu with updated Syrian classics that are close to the heart of co-owner sisters Carol and Sharon (head chef) Salloum. The Salloum family's passion for Middle Eastern food and culture is evident in the cooking, with all the food designed to be shared. Order an array of dips such as traditional hummus and labne, followed by pumpkin kibbeh, falafel, fattoush and tabouli. Carnivores will be kept happy with the shawarma and chef's Syrian duck. Watch Episode 10 on Food Safari Fire on SBS On Demand featuring Sharon Salloum. 379 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, almondbar.com.au

The Guilty pleasure: a cocktail and a Calamity Jane hit the spot at The Guilty. Image: Supplied

The Guilty Take a billowy bun, filled with everything from American cheese and bacon to McClure's Pickles, add a calorific side of creamy mac and five cheese with pretzel bits and you will understand why The Guilty is in burger buzz feeds around the world.  The Weetbix fried chicken sandwich is - true to form - an absolute guilty pleasure. Chef James Hurlston (of Jimmy's Burger fame) also puts you through your paces with the Triple Kecksburger served with jalapenos and bacon. Eli's Ruby, an old-school Rueben that pairs pastrami with a kale kraut, is a slightly more virtuous option. 248 Palmer St Darlinghurst, www.facebook.com/GUILTYSYDNEY/

Butter up the boss with a selection of handmade Kakawa Chocolates. Image: Supplied

Kakawa
David Ralph and partner Jin Sun Kim, a chocolatier and pastry chef, know a few quick-fire ways to the heart: from hot chocolates to pralines and specialty slabs such as strawberry and pink peppercorn or chilli with dark chocolate. Dive deep into the Kakawa Chocolates menu to find ice-cream sandwiches, caramels and fudge or Easter-inspired options such as the hot cross bun, Peek a Boo Egg or pun-tastic Eggception. Getting a fix of raspberry and mint crisps and passionfruit rocky road is like getting a big hug from an old friend. This is chocolate as an art form. 147 William St, Darlinghurst, kakawachocolates.com.au 

Friend or pho? Step aside soggy sandwiches. A bowl of steaming pho from So. 9 is just the ticket. Image: Supplied

So. 9

So 9 celebrates the inspired street food of Vietnam - from the toasted baguette known as banh mi to the coveted crispy banh xeo pancakes. Diners are asked to customise their own banh mi by choosing their own combo from the salad, roll and banh station menu where the flavours of pate, grilled pork, mayo, chilli and coriander sing of Southeast Asia. If you're feeling indecisive when ordering pho, go for chef Hien Pham's recommendation for a fragrant pho tai (noodle soup with sliced beef), which is your passport to Hanoi.  The eatery is named after the No. 9, a lucky number in Vietnamese culture. Shop 1, 18 Danks St, Waterloo, so9.com.au  

Get an order away on Ubereats for ACME and boom! It's there on your desk to enjoy. Image: Supplied

ACME
Andy Emerson, Cam Fairbairn, Mitchell Orr and Ed Loveday are the brains trust behind ACME, a restaurant that gives chef Mitchell Orr the creative freedom to cook contemporary cuisine that reads like an inspired mash-up of multicultural Australia. How about pine mushroom with pecorino custard and lardo?  Or strozzapreti with braised enoki and kale?  The squid ink malloreddus with calamari and broccolini hums with flavour.
60 Bayswater Rd, Ruchcutters Bay, weareacme.com.au

      

Five of the best places to Instagram autumn in Australia

Mt Tomah in the Blue Mountains' Botanic Garden puts on a spectacular autumn display each year. Image: Supplied

Take a swathe of perennials, a few arches of trees ablaze in copper and orange tones and throw in a few perfectly placed park benches and you have yourself a happy place. After a stroll through the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mt Tomah, you can gaze across the valley, which has pockets of vivid copper and red foliage. The hatted Tomah Gardens Restaurant is a great place to enjoy a kaleidoscope of autumn colours and enjoy all the region has to offer. Time your visit to coincide with the annual Leura Harvest festival. Click here for some Insta inspo. 

Fall's gold: Canberra turns on a riot of red, gold and yellow during autumn.

Autumn in Canberra is every bit as stunning as it looks. The beauty of doing some leaf-spotting in the national capital is that it's so easy to get amongst it. The bike lanes in Canberra are one of the best things about the city and the vast parks, nature strips and tree-lined streets make it one of the best locations to peep at #leafporn.  Book in to a Mushrooms and Minibeasts Family Walk at Canberra's Arboretum in the April school holidays, which includes a hike through the Himalayan cedar forest. See Visit Canberra for inspiration.

Treehuggers unite at Centennial Park in the centre of Sydney. Image: Chris Gleisner

The woodlands of Centennial Park in the heart of Sydney, NSW, can be easily covered on foot, skates or pushbike. Picking one must-see spot is a challenge but circumnavigate the park and you are sure to satisfy your urge for some seasonal leaf spotting. Strolling around this park is such a peaceful way to celebrate the season and bid farewell to summer. Make the most of the great outdoors in the milder weather and book in an outdoor movie at Moonlight. BYO blanket.

Moss Vale Garden is one of the jewels in the Southern Highlands' crown. Image: Destination NSW

Walk around the historic township of Moss Vale before veering off the path and finding your very own Highland hideaway. Leighton Gardens are situated in the heart of town and perfectly situated for family picnics. The best fall foliage happens at the start of the season. Visit Southern Highland Food and Wine Clusters for inspiration. One for the calendar is the Festival of the Roast Autumn Foodie Field Day at The Loch, Berrima

A few of my favourite island getaways

Picture this: you are supine on a banana lounge, sifting sand through your sweetheart’s toes, studying cotton-wool clouds that appear to have been Velcro-ed onto the sky.  You have just slurped down a chilled mojito from the beach bar and are mustering up the energy to walk over the crystalline sand and slip into the turquoise sea. Before you can say “mi wantem bia”  (“I’d like a beer”) I give you a few of my favourite island getaways.

InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa. Image: Justin Mott (Mott Visuals).

Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa 
Chances are you won’t venture far if you stay at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa. The resort is all about indulgence. Soak up the sun on a day bed by the infinity pool, sip cocktails as the sun slips over the Pacific in the uber-cool KamaLounge  or just mosey over to Natadola Beach to continue your schedule of lazing the day away. Located on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, the resort is about 40 minutes’ drive from the airport.  Visit fiji.intercontinental.com/

The lobby of Anantara Layan Phuket.    Image: Supplied

Anantara's The Residences, Phuket
Located along Phuket's stunning sunset coast, The Residences at Anantara's Phuket Layan resort overlooks breathtaking Layan Beach. The boutique collection of 15 spacious private pool residences is next level: perched on the side of a jungle-clad hill with panoramic views of the Andaman Sea, The Residences will make you want to bask in barefoot luxury for the remainder of your days. It's the ultimate rock-star hideaway where you can bring the entire entourage and skinny dip in your private plunge pool away from the paps.
phuket-layan.anantara.com/residences.aspx

Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia is paradise on legs. Image: @carlagrossetti

Pangkor Laut Resort
White-sand beaches, clear greeny-blue seas and villas with skinny legs standing knee-deep in the sea makes this feel like the poshest piece of paradise. Intimate, tranquil and elegant all at once the island is a fixture on the A-lister circuit. Rimmed by lush vegetation, the island is renowned for its abundant birdlife and electric sunsets. Cue couples canoodling in the sand, friends sharing cold beers by the bar and the more active doing laps of the island in a kayak. The late and great Italian tenor Pavarotti declared Pangkor Laut paradise. Expect opera on the playlist. www.pangkorlautresort.com

The Champagne Pools on Fraser Island are one of many reasons to make a beeline for this island.

Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island
The beaches on this, the world’s largest sand island are, as expected, pristine. But it’s the translucent blue of the freshwater lakes and craggy cliffs at Indian Head that are the real show-stoppers. By respecting their surrounds, the eco resort’s staff really go the extra kilometre in inspiring guests to reduce their environmental footprint, too.  Visit www.kingfisherbay.com/

Iririki Island Resort has recently undergone extensive refurbishment.    

Iririki Island Resort, Vanuatu
Staff at Iririki Resort start working their charm the minute you are spat off the ferry from Port Vila. A highlight of staying at the resort is that it stays true to that laidback South Pacific vibe. At Iririki, expect your day to go something like this: wake up, enjoy coffee and breakfast on the verandah at Micheners, meander down the palm-fringed path to the beach, swim, kayak, have lunch, enjoy a siesta, flick through a book, enjoy a cocktail and kava by the pool, have dinner, go to bed. Iririki offers an annual special:  get a resort credit of $200 with any room booking of 5+ nights.  www.iririki.com/holiday-specials/

5 Reasons to Celebrate the 2017 Tomato Festival

Tomatoes are enjoyed all over the world -- in salads, sugo, passata, pickles, bruschetta, pizza, chutney, relish and sauce. So the time is again ripe to give the Lycopersicon esculentum a bit of love at the Royal Botanic Gardens' award-winning Tomato Festival in 2017. Choose from spicy events that range from a 72m-long table lunch to a produce market selling heirloom varieties as well as various talks and workshops with gardeners, Michelin-starred chefs and celebrated local artisans. Best of all, because of the festival location in the #BotanicGardenSydney, visitors get to relate their food back to botany.

Tomato purists unite for the annual Royal Botanic Gardens' annual Tomato Festival 

1. The Pomme d'Amour Lovers' Dinner
Want to get a bit saucy? Squish in alongside your lover for this new romantic dinner set on the harbour foreshore. Make your Valentine see red at the first-ever Lovers' Dinner in the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney with a three-course dinner and open bar. Surprise your paramour with a bouquet of roses and personalised invitation to join you at the candle-lit dinner as part of the package. Visit website.

The Pomme d'Amour Lovers' Dinner is a new addition to this year's Tomato Festival. 

2. Learn How to Make the Ultimate Pasta Sauce
Tomatoes are at their peak at the tail-end of summer which makes it the perfect time to embrace a cooking class with Two Michelin-Star and multi award-winning chef, Milan-born Luca Ciano, who joins the line-up at the Tomato Festival's cooking and learning hub. You can also give Ciano's specialty pasta sauces a twirl as they are available to taste and buy at the event. This is Italian cooking at its best. Seasonal. Simple. Bellissimo. Click here for more details.

3. The Longest Tomato Lunch
Enjoy the humble fruit from the nightshade family at Sydney's Longest Tomato Lunch, which returns this year on February 18 and 19. Expect a tomato supper of Roman proportions with dishes such as: gazpacho; semi-sun-dried tomato focaccia with Pepe Saya butter; tomato-braised chicken and Chermoula spice; red and white quinoa, pumpkin, currant and chilli eggplant. The 72m-long table will be set for 250 people and laid out under a gorgeous white marquee in the Flower Bed Lawn at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. Tickets on sale now until February 10. Visit website

The Longest Tomato Lunch was a sellout success last year. This year, there will be double the tomato love. 

4. Pizza Plants for Kids
Talk about a pizza with the lot. While the parents are busy enjoying the Longest Tomato Lunch, the kids will be entertained on an interactive adventure through the garden. Pizza Plants will take children on a treasure hunt to find pizza ingredients, plant yummy herbs to take home and make a mini-pizza to eat. Click here for more details. Also new this year is the Tomato Odyssey, where children grab their tomato passport and go on an adventure around the Mediterranean to enjoy fun Greek-themed activities such as tomato throwing and Olympic sack races.

Did someone say mini pizza-making classes for kids? Bring it. 

5. The Second Mouse Cheese Company
Located in Orange, the Second Mouse Cheese Co. is all about artisan cheeses that are handmade with love including camembert, haloumi, quark and feta. Tomato and cheese are, let's face it, the perfect plate mates - whether on a sandwich, pizza, or stacked on top of a pile of fresh basil.
For bookings, visit the Tomato Festival website

Where to eat and drink in Surry Hills

Surry Hills wears its gritty history on its sleeve, with many of its bars and restaurants embracing the rough-hewn element of postcode 2010 and proudly celebrating its past. While the tangled streets around Surry Hills once reverberated with the whir of sewing machines and hum and clatter of manufacturing equipment, it is now more widely known for being knitted with fab places to dine and drink. This is largely due to an influx of artists and creative types who have, since the 70s, helped transform the neighbourhood once known for its brothels, rag traders, razor gangs and sly grog shops, into one of Sydney’s most fashionable suburbs. Here are six of the best.

Enjoy the passing of time at The Clock Hotel's The Whisky Room.                                                           Image: Supplied

The Whisky Room
Totter up the stairs at The Clock Hotel to find this cosy den crammed with eclectic collectables such as sporting trophies, leather-bound books, vintage maps and ye olde things. Bag a comfy leather booth near the bar and ask manager Daniel Molnar to unleash something wonderful from the malt vault, which features more than 100 of the world’s best whiskies. Better still, bunker down for one of the monthly whisky flights designed to celebrate a country, region or brand. Get set to swizzle with a Whisky Sour or Malt Express (Black Bottle, fresh espresso, vanilla syrup and Amaro). Aaaah, whisky. You are so much more than just a code word representing the letter W.
The Whisky Room, 470 Crown St, Surry Hills + 61 2  9331 5333, clockhotel.com.au

Cute as a button: The Button Bar wears the area's ragtime history on its sleeve.                   Image: Supplied

Button Bar
This cute-as-a-button bar is the little sister of both the Pocket Bar and Stitch, with all three proudly pinning the area's ragtime history to their sleeves. Just see how many puns you can drop about the bars having things sewn up before bearded bartender Brett Harris entices you to button your lips with the Last Word: a clean crisp cocktail shaken with gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice. The dark wood-panelled bunker of a bar has a bit of a pirate theme running as well as a playlist that you will want to Shazam. Alternatively, you can hem and haw about whether to imbibe a Jolly Roger or Berocca Fizz. Top off a few drinks with a margherita pizza to share.
65 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, 02 9211 1544, button-bar.com.au

Harpoon Harry is spearheading a campaign to encourage diners to eat more Latino food.          Image: Supplied

Harpoon Harry
Make like a barbed missile and shoot straight to the ground floor public bar at the 100-year-old Macquarie Hotel, which is spearheading a campaign to encourage diners to eat more Latino food. Harpoon Harry is barbacoa heaven, using aromatic woods such as ironbark and hickory to cook sustainable meats that please the crowds of liberal, literary locals. Head chef Paul Wilson’s menu speaks Spanglish, with the focus on authentic Latin cuisine: think big, butch cuts and roasted vegetable dishes made to share: pork barbacoa served with mole, beef brisket with fried bread, roasted eggplant and sweet potato bravas. Vive la revolucion.
Harpoon Harry, 40-44 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, 02 8262 8800, hotelharry.com.au 

Goro's is a Japanese word used to express approximation and it's madcap vibe makes it lots of fun.        Image: Supplied

Goro’s
Goro is a Japanese word used to express approximation. Fittingly, the fun and loose izakaya-style bar has been modeled on a character called Goro, who may or may not be an approximation of a real human. For that reason, the venue has the potential to be almost anything you may want it to be. The food and drinks are Japanese in influence and the huge space has more than a few spots to sit and sip sake. While the menu is full of unfussy Japanese street food such as yakitori, karaage and gyoza, the wacky interior is filled to bursting with items collected by someone who is either well travelled or has watched too many episodes of Iron Chef while wearing a onesie.  84-86 Mary St, Surry Hills, 02  9212 0214, goros.com.au

Head to Surry Hills Eating House for a taste of regional Thai food with Chinese/Malay influences.  Image: Supplied.

Surry Hills Eating House
The Surry Hills Eating House sums up what makes Sydney such a vibrant dining destination.  Chef Sujet Saenkham and the Spice I Am and House team has taken over legendary Harry’s Chilli Crab restaurant and given it an overhaul. While Harry’s has crept crablike down to 188 Elizabeth St, SHEH has been given a makeover, zhoozhed up with polished wood floors, a sexy tiled bar and light pouring through the arched windows. A highlight of the menu, which bases itself in southern Thailand with a few side trips to Malaysia, is gai pae sa, comprising chicken poached in a rice wine sauce served with a blast of chilli ginger dip. SHEH, Level 2, 198-200 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills. 02  9212 4092, www.spiceiam.com   

Ask the bearded bartenders, 'what's up brew?'at The Keg and Brew.                                   Image: Supplied

Keg and Brew
Sure, Sydneysiders love a dirty grungy pub. But we are also partial to a craft beer. The recently refurbished KB Hotel on Foveaux St is now more gentrified than grungy, but it also showcases the sheer brilliance of local brewers such as 4 Pines, Young Henry’s, Batch Brewing Co and Willie the Boatman who are committed to ensuring we are all sated. At KB, it’s all about the Bourbon, beer and bites. After a few boutique brews, kick back in the leather seating and weep for joy at breaking your carb fast with a pulled pork po’ boy and deep-fried Twinkie. The centre bar and original wall tiles remain, as does the down-to-earth vibe. 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, 02 9212 1740, kegandbrew.com.au

The lobster roll has well and truly landed in Sydney. This is the Keg and Brew's take on the traditional New England fare.

VINIQ cocktail worth a shake

VINIQ liquer gets its shimmery shake on in this bespoke cocktail created to celebrate the launch of the liqueur.

Viniq Liqueur launched in Australia this week. The liqueur, which is a fusion of premium vodka, Moscato and natural fruit flavour gets its shimmery shake on with a pearlescent sheen when it's shaken all about.  

To celebrate the launch of the liqueur in Australia, follow the recipe for this bespoke cocktail created by VINIQ ambassador and Australian bartender of the year Kurtis Bosley. 

VINIQ-ly Chic recipe: 

Ingredients 

• 50ml VINIQ liqueur 

• 15ml vodka 

• 10ml Creme de Peche de Vigne 

• 30ml fresh lime juice 

• Dash of rhubarb bitters 

• 10ml fresh grapefruit juice 

• 4 mint leaves 

• 1 cucumber strip 

Method 

Add all liquid ingredients and 2 mint leaves into shaker, add ice, shake hard for 10 seconds, double strain into a vintage coupe, add ice, garnish with a cucumber strip and mint.   

VINIQ is available from Dan Murphy's stores for $24.99