Brazilian
Munching on Meat District Co. at King Street Wharf
With summer fast approaching the kings of Meat District Co. owner Garry Simonian and his brother Coco has made people screaming for RIBS, BURGERS AND COCKTAILS at King Street Wharf. This two storey restaurant with water views, a room that displays cured meats and outdoor seating is the venue for everyone to dine at. It’s an ideal spot for those who like to celebrate TGIF and feed those who have a love affair with meat. Garry who also operates the Sydney-based Platinum Restaurant Group has plans to schedule another Meat District Co. in the Western suburbs of Sydney-Parramatta in 2015. When I first walked into Meat District Co., my eyes was already captivated by the industrial design and downstairs the open kitchen. Also not to mention that spectacular view of Sydney’s harbour whilst sipping on a cocktail or eating is breathtaking.
There’s a bar area at Meat District Co.
Spacious seating at Meat District Co.
At last a see-through charcuterie room!
We started to check out MDC’s bar which promises to deliver an ever changing molecular cocktail special. This cocktail will not be wasted as it is the kind of addiction you’ll be pleased to have in Sydney. It’s certainly unique for Nessy Eater girl and never have we come across this type of cocktail before. A spectacular start for the party season!
In the process of making molecular gastronomy cocktails
There’s a lot of steps to making molecular gastronomy cocktails
Mixologist Mirko Cacciola plating these cocktails up!
Disguised as delicate pearls the molecular cocktails ($M.P) will blow you away by their refreshing foams and be amazed by their edible spheres. This epic art of cocktail is inspired by the art of molecular science and has extremely taken to new heights of an ordinary cocktail in a glass. These spoonful of alcohol knows how to play innocent especially when they remind me of a particular method of remedy. Haha.
These molecular gastronomy cocktails are dangerously addictive.
Ready to feast your eyes?!
So it turns out actor Firass Dirani from Underbelly: The Golden Mile decided to join us for lunch at MDC. Hey I’m not complaining, it’s just I was so shocked a celebrity was centimeters away from me. You really can’t forget a person’s face, especially if you’ve repeatedly watched The Golden Mile three times on a television set and almost remember every scene his played in. Too my disappointed I didn’t get a selfie with him because I was too embarrassed to admit I loved watching him in Underbelly.
Is that Firass Dirani from Underbelly: The Golden Mile joining our table?
A glass of Catching Thieves Semillion Sauvignon Blanc
Happy waitress at Meat District Co.
Grilling makes almost everything taste better, however the grilled artichoke ($7.50) wasn’t our thing. We had a bit of difficulty on chewing the layers of artichoke. I felt like my jaws was in the same motion of a camel chewing plants. Besides the texture I certainly enjoyed the fantastic open flamed flavour and saltiness from the sprinkles of sea salt and if you zoom in a bit closer with your eyes the gribiche sauce together is simply divine.
Grilled Artichoke ($7.50)
Hot days call for juicy grilled watermelon salad ($8.50) paired with fresh flavours of goat cheese, sumac and dusted off with hazelnut. These pizza slices of watermelon are great for more than just a quick toss on the barbie. Their texture changes and simply screams summer sweetness, making it a great starter for pretty much any backyard affair. This is one unique and fabulous elegant twist to a summer salad.
Grilled Watermelon Salad ($8.50)
Unexpected and a real summertime crowd-pleaser is the beet salad ($9.50)– This may be the new salad to eat this summer as it provides a roasting fruit caramel flavour. I was impressed by the intensely flavoured thinly sliced roasted apples as well as the goat curd, radish, watercrest and walnut pesto. Whoever thought of roasted apples in a salad is a GENIUS. I was looking at this dish as if it was whipped cream on jello if you know what I mean. Hehehe *Wink Wink*
Beet Salad ($9.50)
I suggest you should make your body useful to the cured meat platter ($34 for 4 people)– The pungent smell of the generous selection of premium cured meats, olives and a smudge of creamy Greek skordalia is a stunner on a large wooden board. This plate knew how to lure me in so that my eyes, and inevitably my belly can feast on the slices of salty treats and be accompanied by the sweetness of fresh red grapes . It’s hands-down that I believe every table should have one! I was guilty of almost eating this entire board alone.
Cured Meat Platter ($34)
This charcuterie plate is a great trick to have up your sleeve MDC! It was a delicious way to start a meal and one of the great things about this board is it comes with triangle shaped olive bread, lavosh and grisini.
Now that’s a good selection of premium cold cuts.
Love the printed designs on the walls!
What a view whilst eating at Meat District Co.!
Don’t get chopped by this butcher knife shaped menu.
When Meat District Co. is so close to the water in Sydney, it’s essential to have a colourful display of cocktails/mocktails menu for the ladies. The chill out charm mocktail ($10) looked like a rockstar that attempted one lady on our table to order. With fresh and fruity mix of orange juice, strawberry purée, fresh lime and mango purée it makes sense why one would order this. Served on a tall glass and garnished with fresh slices of strawberries and orange it’s a real classic mocktail treat.
Chill Out Charm mocktail ($10)
After a full day of slicing fruits on “Fruit Ninja” I get hit by fruit ninja combo cocktail ($10)– This absolutely delicious refreshing fruity drink is perfect to serve those who are addicted to slicing fruits on their iPhones, but must be over 18+ to get a taste of this. Sweet with subtle fruity hints of mixed Passoa and Malibu strengthened up with Smirnoff Vodka, finished with pineapple juice, passionfruit and dash of raspberry cordial it’s no wonder this gets people shaking their hips.
Fruit Ninja Combo cocktail ($10)
The crispy battered onion rings w. truffle aioli ($7.50) was driving me mental as the batter puffed up around the sliced onion ring was so well made that they are the most scrumptous things to eat. I couldn’t resist crunching on one ring as they were very crispy and didn’t show evidence of being too oily. They certainly were well seasoned and the outside layer was divine! And about that truffle aioli it enhanced the flavours a lot with the added garlic flavour.
Crispy Battered Onion Rings w. Truffle Aioli ($7.50)
“Cause if you liked it, then you should put a ring on it!”
By now I was high on eating a lot of starter dishes and the sweet summer corn ($7.50) was added to that list too. It’s crazy how this corn can be dressed with chilli flakes, lime juice and truffle parmesan. You can really enjoy this tasty juicy corn alone but I do encourage you to share at least one chopped slice because the melted cheese is quite filling.
Sweet Summer Corn ($7.50)
Now if you ladies are going to leave the boys at home then I highly recommend ordering the brie burger ($14). The surprise knockout about this burger is the MDC beef patty with double cream brie, cranberry sauce, radish, rocket and horseradish mayo. The burger hits the spot of every ingredient and you must test the firmness of the bun. The added brie and cranberries does do a lovely combination of flavours and textures and you can easily be obsessed with this burger one the first go.
Brie Burger ($14)
I tried getting the 250g sirloin ($29) some alone time with me as it was crazy smokey that got me a little insane, but totes had fun eating it. This steak did not disappoint and I must confess it was beyond what I imagined. It almost headed to the direction of being wagyu in texture, but just missed it by a bit. It was slightly on the chewy side, but easily managed to melt after a few rounds of working my jaws. Served with red wine gravy I seriously think you are better off having this steak on its own so that you are able to concentrate those smokey flavours.
250g Sirloin ($29)
This may be the biggest hunk of steak I have ever tastiest for while and the smell of smokey meat had the table sniffing the air and continually drooling whilst I cut the steak into thick slices.
That medium rare smokey steak
My last name must be Robbins because the lamb hook ($31) rocked my world when it arrived at our table. I was so upset I didn’t order this signature meat on a skewer dish, but was lucky enough to see it to believe it was on a hook. I may of snuck my fork to grab a few pieces of lamb when the person who ordered it wasn’t looking. This is absolutely a winner dish, especially when the lamb was well marinated and insanely tasty with that smoky sweet flavour explosion and yeah it was juicy alright. Meat District Co. should be proud of introducing this unique dish, it will seriously get you hooked! This lamb was just the right amount for one person as it also comes with fries or a side garden salad.
Lamb Hook ($31)
Pretty impressed how fast this lamb hook arrives at our table considering the flavours are so in depth. It’s like the sauce was glued to the lamb for years! I’ll definitely be back for you little lamb.
Hooked on a feeling…Teehehe
There’s two levels at Meat District Co.
Oh my! Super popular meal of the day was desserts and what do we have here…something healthy for the BIG kids was the fruit platter that includes white chocolate ice-cream, blood orange sorbet and banana gelato with freshly cut rockmelon, orange and handful of grapes.
Fruit Platter
Moving on and we were covered with caramel tart that contains MDC’s caramel filling, salted caramel popcorn, crushed peanuts and banana gelato. This precious tart was a tad too sweet and my attempt to demolish it well…I failed you my readers. I’m sorry, but after eating half the tart I wasn’t too keen to continue as it made my tastebuds feel more dehydrated. I did end up finishing the entire scoop of the banana gelato as it tasted hectic.
Caramel Tart
I’m not a couples counsellor but I seemed very happy to be with the cookie & cream cheesecake as it had white chocolate ganache, chocolate soil and white chocolate gelato. The cheesecake sits in my HAVE TO EAT AGAIN category as it was just perfect. It wasn’t at all overly sweet and I gamely continued to eat this whole slice of cake till my very last spoonful even though my food baby bump was showing.
Cookie & Cream Cheesecake
Let’s face it, when you’re at a pretty restaurant and welcoming ambiance, you’re probably thinking “Jeez my wallet is going to be sore today” or “The food wasn’t that great…for that price“, well not at Meat District Co.. This restaurant knows how to satisfy Sydney’s hungry stomachs at a really REASONABLE AND AFFORDABLE PRICE and still manage to serve high quality food. You’d have nightmares if you haven’t visited this place and compare other restaurants that serve up similar burgers and ribs. Trust me you will NOT REGRET visiting Meat District Co.! I promise you’d be MIND BLOWN by their cheap cocktails, <$10 starters, their epic sirloin AND their effing burgers. I’ll definitely be needing a V.I.P card from Meat District Co. because this place is now listed as Nessy Eater’s chillaxed regular hang outs.
Disclaimer: Nessy Eater attended Meat District Co. launch (opportunity provided by Polkadot PR). Opinions are however, Nessy Eater’s own.
Photos by Vanny Tang
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Ferry Nice to be at Papi Chulo
Located right on the Manly Wharf, Papi Chulo will change the way you think about barbeque and meat. This place is not your usual American smokehouse as it intertwines with Brazilian and Latin American. Their menu is fantastic for the meat lovers and if you have any intention on ordering the entire menu, go ahead! However it’s best to bring at least seven foodie mates along, well at least we did. Ok, it felt right to organise another food blogger’s event with the opportunity to overlook Manly Wharf during the day.
Finally made it to Papi Chulo’s in 30 minutes flat from Circular Quay wharf.
Here at Papi Chulo the view is fabulous.
The only time you’ll notice me sitting in silence is when the Smoked wagyu brisket (300 gm) ($34) arrives. It’s too damn delicious and has abundant marbling that moistens the meat from the inside. Be sure to taste the natural smoked juices and yes you’ll know there is a difference. Reality is that their wagyu servings has limited availability for seven people but overall they were mighty good.
Smoked wagyu brisket (300 gm) ($34)
Just look at the brisket closely, it’s so hypnotising.
My eyes were also interested in the Smoked hot wings ($16) with comeback sauce. I must confess, I ate three out of nine. It was so hard to stop grabbing the entire bowl of mid-wings for myself because they were the most popular appetisers on the table. Let’s face it- the wings are crisped and create the perfect combination of smoked madness. It’s really wings that everyone will love.
Smoked hot wings ($16)
Curly fries ($9) tasted heavily on the tongue, but I personally liked it best when it’s bathed in the creamy spicy comeback sauce. They are somewhat twirly, if you dive your fingers into the basket and there’s so much fun when dunked into the sauce.
Curly fries ($9)
Although I didn’t have the opportunity to try Irene’s Zalamero smoothie ($8) because well her blog name already says it all (Irene’s Getting Fat). I can already imagine this tropical shake to be constant with creamy coconut milk and fresh passionfruit and mango sorbet. To confirm, you’ll have to ask Irene. Haha!
Zalamero smoothie ($8)
Love a bit of pea-NUTS in your beverage? Then the El Mani ($8) will probably be the best nutty treat everyone will love. Sorry to the peeps who are allergic to peanuts, you’re really missing out with rich peanut butter that is super thick and creamy, finished with Pringle shaped chocolate chips containing nuts, off course.
El Mani ($8)
So awesome to witness what Papi Chulo was cooking.
We were all in desperate need for some more protein so we had to order their signature dish, Papi Chulo BBQ platter (serves 2-4) ($86) – I don’t think there is a marriage more perfect than the one that exists between half rack lamb ribs, 150gm each of sliced wagyu brisket, chopped spicy pork and sliced pork belly . Another glorious fact is that they serve it along with a bowl of colourful pickles and super soft bread. I must say it does look tremendous on the camera. They key to devouring this platter is that there is no key. You’ll be in a race amongst six foodies to fight for the caramelised tender pork belly, smoky barbecue lamb ribs, shredded pork that is well marinated and slices of more wagyu brisket. All the meat falls apart so easily and does create a perfect intense pit barbeque flavour. As for the bread rolls, I ate three. In all seriousness, their rolls are well made with that fluffiness texture. I can guarantee that they won’t last long once served to the table.
Papi Chulo BBQ platter (serves 2-4) ($86)
Colourful sides of vegetable pickles
We know the main attraction here is the barbecue meet, so I guess the “Sloppy Joe” ($18) wasn’t a star at our table. Containing pulled kurobuta pork, pit beans, jalapeño, nacho cheese on two soft buns. You’ll be loving this if they didn’t serve Papi Chulo BBQ platter.
“Sloppy Joe” ($18)
What’s next Chef?
Arriving fashionably late, Amy from milkteaxx orders Papi Chulo burger ($18) With grain fed beef, bacon, American cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles and hugged by two honey- coloured soft buns. Seeing Amy’s hungry reaction, I think you’ll really enjoyed it.
Papi Chulo burger ($18)
I don’t think the #FoodiesatManly were going to just leave without ordering the entire dessert menu. Look who we have here, Banana Split ($14) with fresh split banana, chocolate fudge, peanut praline, banana ice cream, peanut butter ice cream, and cherry jam, whipped cream and glace cherry. A bit too ordinary, but we managed to finish it. I was expecting something extreme, for example maybe 100s of 1000s? Or maybe dressing it up with almond flakes and light sparkles? Yeah, I know…a bit extreme 😛
Banana Split ($14)
There is something special about the Warm chocolate chip cookie ($14). I don’t know if it’s the scoop of vanilla malt ice-cream or the drizzling butterscotch sauce or maybe it’s the crumply macadamia brittle. But this famous classic American cookie is warm and chewy and goes so well with a glass of cold milk.
Warm chocolate chip cookie ($14)
I thoroughly enjoyed the Pear and rhubarb cobbler ($14) with ginger crumble, crème anglaise, orange and ginger ice-cream. Can you smell the smallish chunks of fresh pear and rhubarb? It certainly had my attention with the perfect combination of flavours. The ginger crumble and ginger ice-cream kept multiplying with its own textures.
Pear and rhubarb cobbler ($14)
Papi Chulo is a great place to relax and enjoy the lovely bright casual atmosphere. It’s not hard to see why this restaurant is obscenely popular. Hospitality here makes it more welcoming place for everyone. I highly recommend you to catch the Sydney Ferries at Circular Quay because it’s difficult getting to Manly by car if you are not familiar with the area. As a bonus, you get to see the amazing Harbour Bridge and water views.
Catch the Sydney Ferries to visit Papi Chulo.
Photos by Vanny Tang
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