Sydney Winter Holiday 2014 (Day 4): Hurricane's Grill Bondi Beach ~ Review

After cafe hopping and beach hopping all the way from Newton to Bondi, we headed off to Hurricane's Grill for dinner. This restaurant is another staple whenever we visit Australia and I know that this a favourite of a lot of people too.

It was a weekday evening so we easily got a table without reservation. Really like the laid-back ambiance and the staff were really attentive until the restaurant started to get busy. I can see they were a little shorthanded. The location is very strategic being near the beach, shops and other eateries.

So here's what we got:

Pumpkin Soup. I really like the thick consistency and the richness of the pumpkin. The croutons were very crispy and buttery as well :) yummmm

Garlic and Herb Roll. The bread is warmly toasted, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outer layer.  You can taste the difference between the herb and the garlic bread too. The portion was really generous but for next time, I'd say just skip these because they do not taste differently or spectacular in any way. Unless you need to have bread as a starter, I'd say leave more room on your tummy for other stuff.

The Barramundi was grilled with light marination to showcase the freshness of the fish and I must say, it was a fresh fish. The fish meat was so soft and the slightly salty marinate added a nice hint of taste to the fish. Top it off with a drizzle of the fresh lemon squeeze and you're good to go.
Mixed Ribs. Here we have lamb, beef and pork ribs. Again as I mention, I am not a fan of lamb and though this meat is tender, I can still taste that distinct lamb taste so I'll pass. The beef were pretty good too - tender, the meat rips off as soon as you sink your teeth in, and glazed generously with its marinate - but nothing compares to the gigantic pork ribs. I am always amazed by Hurricane's pork ribs. Why? 1. It's gigantic 2. The meat is thick, juicy, and tender (it just rips off with a bite or a slice of a knife) 3. The marinate BBQ sauce is also very very good - sweet, savoury, so rich, and so generous. Yummm. I don't think you can look at pork ribs the same way again after you've seen the Hurricane's pork ribs. It is my all-time favourite pork ribs.

Wagyu Beef Burger. A special menu of the day. Hmmm.. I have mix thoughts on this and in conclusion I'd say pass. Just get the pork ribs, seriously. Though the burger taste fresh and was tender and perfectly cooked in medium, the taste falls quite bland, especially after eating the ribs. The fresh vegetable and warm golden crispy fries were some good points from this dish. But then again, just get the pork ribs - the burger is rather bland.

Caramel Pear and Sticky Date Torte. The combination of this dessert sounds so wow but the truth is.... it kinda fell flat for me. I was wishing for the contrast between the pear, caramel and sticky date to be fireworks in my mouth. Instead, for me the dessert only served its base purpose - to taste sweet. I did not remember feeling the taste of the pear or the dates in the dish but I do remember the vanilla ice cream tasting pretty awesome - soft, milky, cool and vanilla-rich. I'd say skip the dessert and head to Gelato Bar or grab some Fried Mars.

In summary: get that gigantic pork ribs. get it.

Sydney Winter Holiday 2014 (Day 3): Outback Steakhouse ~ Review and A Funny(?) Story

On our way back to the city after our little adventure at the Blue Mountain (see below for pict), we headed to Outback Steakhouse for a dinner stop.

Outback Steakhouse in SG is one of the many few dining place we often visit because of my dad and little brother. Hmm what's the difference between the branch in SG and Aussie? Ambiance, interior, concept... Just about everything is the same I guess. The dimmed light and laidback feel is there. The one main differentiator that I notice though is that you get the Full Bloomin' Onion only in Australia (at least that is my experience so far) and there's probably wider option in the menu in Aussie.

I have a funny story to share about this particular dining experience...
So I was in the washroom when my Dad ordered the whole meal. For some reason, he ordered a Peach Strawberry drink in a huge jug.
The drink came and after 1 sip, he had this look in his face.
He asked the waiter "is there alcohol in this?" The guy said "yeah"
We were shocked*

*We are not shocked because we hate alcohol or anything. It's just that: 1. We are a family who cannot drink much, a little of alcohol makes us flushed so bad 2. Deep down we're (or is it just me) cheapo so we'd like to finish whatever we order. 3. I'm probably the one that can finish the drink but I just ordered 3 small glasses of Margarita -.-
My mom freaked as she imagined a car full of drunk kids.

So I asked my dad what he ordered. He showed me the menu and there it was "Peach Strawberry SANGRIA" and to make things even more funny, there was actually a description on what alcohol mix were inside the drink just below the drink's name (there was rum and something something). Had I known, I wouldn't have ordered the Trio Margarita.

Anyway, so here's what we got.

Complimentary bread loaf to start the dish with some butter on the side. I'm a sucker for warm toasted bread and this was no exception :p and it's complimentary (yeah I'm a cheapo like that)

Baked Potato Soup. It was too salty. They need to cut down a bit on the cheese, in my opinion. The texture should also be a bit more creamy. Oh, and more potato and bacon please. I've had better Baked Potato Soup so just skip this.

Trio Margarita. We (okay, it's just me most of the time) had the Original, Peach, and Mango. I especially like the Mango for its sweetness. But I have to say I really like these Margaritas. It taste so refreshing and not too strong.

Oh and the 2 red glasses, that's the Peach Strawberry Sangria we talked about. It is actually a pretty nice and sweet drink. The alcohol is a bit strong though. I shall not comment further on the drink mainly because I am not a good commentator in this area.

Fried Calamari. You can never go wrong with a fried calamari. You can definitely skip this though, it's not sensational or anything. The calamari is pretty tender but the batter is just so-so. The sauces accompanying the dish were also just so-so

The Outback Special. Yum. It was cooked medium rare and the meat was those that just melts in your mouth. The gravy was salty and savoury which accompanied the steak well. You could actually make do without the gravy just because the steak itself was already good.

The Baby Back BBQ Ribs. Hmmm... I'm a bit divided on this. Hmm.... I'd say skip and get those at Hurricane's Grill instead. The experience of eating a gigantic ribs are more fulfilling in my opinion. These at Outback were okay I mean the meat is tender but I felt the sauce needs a bit more kick - more sweet and savoury perhaps. But don't get me wrong, these ribs still taste okay.

Bloomin' Onion. The star of all dishes. I have to be honest and say this was the only dish I was looking forward to. The presentation is really beautiful as you can see the layers and cuts of different parts of the giant onion. The seasonings were also really nice - it's not too salty and I can't really put my finger into what herbs they're using, but I really like the herb-y kinda taste to it.





Overall: I would just get the Bloomin' Onion, Steak and some drinks (like the Margarita) if I'm going there anytime soon. But is this restaurant a must visit? I'd say no. You might as well spend your meal on a more authentic and unique Australian restaurant.

I am glad to say that my dad drove really well that evening although we missed an exit once and had to make a very long U-turn. The car wasn't filled with drunk people since my little brother and mom decided not to drink. However, my sister was kinda drunk and on the lift to our apartment, she kinda vomit................. anyway all is well :)

So these were the infamous Three Sisters we payed a visit to at Blue Mountain before heading back to the city.

Now legend has it that a father turned his 3 daughters into rocks to protect them from a monster with a magic stick. Sadly as he was running to save his life (by turning into a bird), he lost grasp of the stick and was never able to turn his 3 daughters back to normal. Moral of the story: Don't play with magic (please excuse my lame joke).