Big John’s Sans Souci

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve eaten at Big John’s, either dining in or getting takeaway, over the years. Having previously lived in the Shire, Big John’s at Sans Souci is an easy location to get to and offers big, value-for-money serves. Service can be a bit brusque when busy and the seating is cosy, but the food is tasty and always generous.

Funnily, however, I’ve never tried their pasta possibly because I get sidetracked by other things. Their Caesar Salad, at only $13.90 and large enough to feed 2 people as a main meal, has a creamy, garlicky and not-too-tangy dressing, hard-boiled egg segments and a smattering of bacon bits. Pizzas are generally thicker-based than I’d like but that’s so they can stand up to the all the toppings which make the pizzas a little difficult to eat without the aid of cutlery. A lighter option is their garlic pizza crust (not pictured) but be warned that this is not for the garlic-phobic. Or vampires.

Monsieur Poisson gave their American-style ribs a try on a recent visit. There are pork, lamb or half-half combination varieties and ribs are smothered in a smoky, tangy sauce on a bed of steak-cut chips for “relief”. The pork ribs are fall-apart tender and receive my mother’s stamp of approval. The sauce gets thicker and stickier on the surface of the ribs as they cool, but this makes for a wonderful caramel-y surface when they’re reheated.

And reheat you will, because you are bound to have a container or two of leftovers to take away with you.

Big John’s Sans Souci

502 Rocky Point Rd (between Sandringham St & Russell Ave), Sans Souci NSW

Tel: 9529 8094

happy eating!

Belgian Beer Café Epoque, 29 Jan 2010

‘Twas an evening of mussels…

I had just started my new job, was exhausted from a spurt of wedding planning following various places resuming business after Christmas/New Year break, and was happy to regain some semblance of a social life when Kiki invited Monsieur Poisson and I out for dinner. Although it was for mussels on a Friday evening and not, unfortunately, for Belgian Beer Café‘s Wednesday half-price specials, we looked forward to it nonetheless. Who can say no to sweet, plump mussels offered in a myriad of broths? And who, more importantly, can refuse those thick-cut fries served in true European fashion alongside creamy, creamy mayonnaise?

Most definitely not us! We have the usual suspects present and, between us, have the mussels Provençale (tomato, capsicum, herb, garlic), Belgian style sausages (with potato mash and sauerkraut), Tintin au Congo mussels (coconut cream, lemongrass, chilli) and mussels with mushrooms (vegetables, mushrooms, baby spinach, light creamy basil broth). They’ve all been ordered with beers as part of value-deals, although I stick to something non-alcoholic.

All the mussels are really well cooked with none of them being overdone and, except for the odd exception here and there, were pretty much all opened as well. I always wish there was some bread to soak up the juices left at the bottom of the pan after mountains of shells have grown alongside in the bowls provided, but seriously doubt it is possible to fit more food in after the mussels themselves and the fries. The sausages are pork and firm with the sauerkraut adding a nice tang although there is quite a lot of it.

Monsieur Poisson and I also order the ‘Pork ribs with fries & side salad’ from the specials board for something a bit different. The ribs are saucy although a little too tangy for our liking, as we were expecting perhaps for them to be smokier. The side salad is a welcome refresher from all the mussels and meat and, my goodness, ever more fries!

The Belgian Beer Café does get a bit noisy at weekends with the open windows at the front and patrons drinking, eating and generally being merry. Although the array of beers is wasted on a non-beer consumer like myself, it’s fun and relaxed surrounds for groups of friends in amongst the warm, cherry wood interior.

Belgian Beer Café Epoque

429 Miller St (near cnr Amherst St), Cammeray NSW

Tel: (02) 9954 3411

Opening Hours:  7 days  from midday

happy eating!

Mumu Grill, 27 Dec 2009

With our group of friends mostly being overseas at Christmas we didn’t get a chance to have our usual gathering, so we rounded up the few people who were around for a casual dinner a couple of days after the event. And with Mumu Grill being within our vicinity, I suggested it as a place to try for their grass-fed beef.

A reservation was made through their online bookings system. My only worry was that they may not have been open in this Christmas-to-New-Year period and that some lonely computer had spat out an automated email response to my request. However we arrive to a warming, wood-panelled restaurant that is most definitely open for business.

There is a lot of trouble between Monsieur Poisson and myself in deciding what to eat. For some reason we are both feeling rather unhungry that evening which results in us ordering only one starter and one main meal between the two of us. However friends of ours do not share this issue and start with the ‘Fried baby squid’ which are lightly dusted with spices and, if I don’t remember wrong, a side of aioli.

Monsieur Poisson and I start with the ‘Zucchini flowers stuffed with herbed ricotta’ which are fried to a beautiful golden brown. Though not as large or encased in as light a batter as those at Café Sopra, there is a light and fluffy centre of herbed ricotta to be found within.

The following ‘Slow roast Bangalow pork shoulder’ is ordered by friends opposite us but I can’t remember whether I tasted it or not. However the crackling does look beautiful, no?

And so with Monsieur Poisson and I having smaller appetites than usual, we go with the combination option of ‘Steak and ribs with chips’. The ribs in question are beef ones and the bones are huge! They taste quite tangy and by the end of our meal we still can’t place the mysterious tang-imparting ingredient. The steak is my favourite cut of sirloin and the chips come in a bowl on the side. The chips are lightly salted but, oh, how I wish there was some mayonnaise to go with these.

Unfortunately due to us not being very hungry, we didn’t get to try as many dishes as we would have liked. I was eyeing the list of ‘Small Dishes’ on the menu rather fondly but that will have to wait to another time for us to do them justice.

Mumu Grill

70 Alexander St (cnr Ernest St), Crows Nest NSW

Tel: (02) 9460 6877

Opening Hours:  Mon & Tues  5:30pm-10:30pm

Wed-Sun  12pm-3pm (lunch)

    5:30pm-10:30pm (dinner)

happy eating!

Hurricane’s Darling Harbour, 24 Oct 2009

On a weekend where both Weirdo and Ms Sourdough were in Sydney, we made a visit to Weirdo’s newfound favourite haunt of Hurricane’s Grill, Darling Harbour. Partly because of his low carb diet at the time, he seemed to have been eating here on what seemed like a weekly basis. Hurricane’s baby back ribs at both Darling Harbour and Bondi are finger-lickin’-good, so Monsieur Poisson and I were more than happy to accept an invitation to dinner.

Although it’s only late October, it is still quite sunny when we walk in. We extend the mood of the slanted light rays and long shadows by ordering a jug of sangria to share. It’s a drink that just evokes lazy summer days but I do have one small problem with it – how do you get to the fruit bits without having to stick your fingers into the glass? Perhaps the bits aren’t meant to be eaten but I quite like the slightly tart crunch of the apple pieces against the sweet red wine.

We order a serve of garlic mushrooms to share and I love these here as they are pungently garlic-breath-inducing! As soon as the dish is placed on the table, that unmistakable odour of garlic wafts up to you and begs you to eat those small, bulbous capped button mushrooms. And then, there is absolutely no stopping! You know there’s not going to be any kissing at the end of this evening as we’ve also ordered onion rings to share. An enormous bowl arrives all battered and brown and reminds me of those we enjoyed at The Counter. We probably only manage to finish half of this massive bowl by the time we leave.

The complimentary bread here appears on the bill at the end of the meal under the description of ‘brown roll’. It is an awfully banal way to describe what is a soft and sweet oat-topped bun that is served with one of my favourite brands of butter – Lurpak, from Denmark.

Weirdo and Ms Sourdough order baby back ribs to share, whereas Monsieur Poisson and I go for the ‘Steak and Ribs Combo’. There is a token bowl of steamed vegetables for us all to balance out our meat consumption but none of us manage to finish the chips that accompany said meat. However, the steak is beautifully charred but cannot beat the sticky, saucy, tender tastiness that is the ribs.

I can’t remember about anyone else but I, for one, most definitely could be seen licking my fingers unashamedly in satisfaction. A sure sign of a good meal enjoyed.

Hurricane’s Grill, Darling Harbour

Shops 433-436, Level 2 of Harbourside Shopping Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9211 2210

Opening Hours:  7 days  12pm-3pm (lunch)

                                    dinner from 5:30pm

happy eating!