Darlinghurst Blog: Plant Life: Jacaranda Tree

My correspondent from the Darlinghurst Flatlands, Ruby Molteno, sent me this colourful photograph earlier this week. Is it the first flowering Jacaranda of spring?

Darlinghurst Blog: Food: Third Village

When I spoke to a neighbourhood shopkeeper the other day about how I recently went to the Third Village cafe in Darlinghurst's Italian region, the first thing they said to me was, ''Did you see the chef's tongue?''

It was an odd question, but even stranger was the shopkeeper's description of this tongue. And no, it's not a piercing. I won't go into details either, you'll simply have to go in to Third Village and ask the chef to show you his tongue. I dare you. And please, pretty please, do report back. 

Anyway, with Ruby Molteno back in town after adventures abroad, I met up with her last week at the Third Village on Stanley Street. This little cafe opened in January by a Swiss couple called Eva and Benn and is so named because according to their menu, they support world aid projects:

''Third Village is not just a cool place to go, it is a place that connects you to the developing world through our developing social initiatives.

''In addition we only use coffee sourced in a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible way to improve the methods and rewards for growing coffee, tea and cocoa in developing countries around the world."

I don't know the specifics of which world aid projects they support, but I do know that back in January when floods ravaged parts of Queensland, Third Village donated the proceeds of their Muffin of the Week (mixed forest berry) to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. I hope they sold lots of muffins.

Third Village is a fairly small space with seating for about 20 people. I hope they have applied for outdoor seating, because part of the appeal of Stanley Street is sitting on the footpath and watching the world go by, which is one of the reasons I still often go to Bill and Toni's about three doors down (the other reason is for their excellent pinball machines). 

One entire wall of Third Village is covered in two massive murals by the lovely Potts Point artist Gary McEwan and they look quite impressive, despite my lazy photograph:

The Autumn lunch menu (even though it's definitely Winter) ranges in price from $7.90 for a cheese and tomato sandwich, to $17.95 for a rib-eye steak sandwich with caramelised onions, roast zucchini, tomato, rocket, avocado and aioli on Sonoma sourdough. Along the way there is also a soup of the day with the same bread ($12.90), a beef burger with beetroot, onion, lettuce, tomato, cheese and aioli, served with oven baked potatoes ($16.95), as well as an Asian style salad with coconut milk-marinated chicken, spinach, cucumber and mint ($14.90). 

Ruby, unusually, passed on the breakfast menu - which includes eggs cooked six different ways as well as the yummy sounding french toast with poached pear, mascarpone and maple syrup ($14.50) - and instead went for the creamy rocket and pumpkin penne pasta with grated parmesan ($13.95):

I had a taste and it was creamy and garlicky delicious. And even though I wasn't hungry, I devoured my lemon chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and Neufchatel cream cheese ($10.50):

I only had a glass of water as I was in a hurry and had to hop, but Ruby loved her flat white. They also have a range of ''things that are not coffee, but we still like them'', such as smoothies and fresh squeezed juices named after people such as Jay, Peggy and even Barry. 

Next time I go, I want to try their Iced Coffee, which is made from a "freshly extracted" double espresso blended with vanilla ice cream, milk and honey ($5.50). Sounds dreamy delicious and another reason to return in addition to checking out that tongue.

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Third Village

80 Stanley Street

Darlinghurst (East Sydney) NSW 2010

02 9361 5826

Third Village Facebook Page

Third Village Website

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Police Action

There was quite a bit of police action on Bourke Street in the early hours of Friday morning and my trusty spy in the Darlinghurst flatlands, Ruby Molteno, was on hand to capture it all. The incident began about 1.15am with the sounds of car tyres screeching and an almighty crash, followed by the thuds of people running and a police siren. The next thing Ruby heard was a policeman yelling, ''Hands behind your head, or you'll get shot''. 

The police had cornered two suspects in an empty lot on Wisdom Lane. After cuffing them, the police made them lie face down on Barnett Lane, aka Ten Buck Alley, as they waited for back-up. 

Soon after, the police dogs arrived and barking like crazy they ran sniffing around the laneways before homing in on another two suspects who had jumped a fence into someone's back yard. 

All four were taken to Kings Cross Police Station.

So what was it all about? According to police sources that Ruby spoke to, the four men (who, incidentally, had shaved heads and mullets) were allegedly travelling in a car on William Street, when they tried to evade a Random Breath Testing stop. They veered out of control - nearly hitting a policeman - before crashing into a bike rack on Bourke Street and then making off on foot.

Night owl Ruby, who was passing by at the time, managed to see most of the action and later captured these pictures of the car being towed. 

I don't know what the men were charged with, but the bike rack no longer exists.

Across the Border: Potts Point: Food: Ms G's

Based on my recent food-related blog posts, readers must think that all I do is swan about town drinking like a mad woman, stuffing my face with food and steadily putting on weight. Well, you'd be about half right. But this latest adventure in food-land has so far been the best and - even though it's only March - I would have to say that it was Lunch of the Year. It may even hold that position for the next nine months, for rarely do I have someone else paying for the food bill, allowing me to eat and swill to my heart's content.

The occasion was Ruby Molteno's birthday and I was very fortunate to be the number four at the lunch table with the birthday girl and her Ma and Pa Molteno.

It was a rainy old Sunday, so we initially planned to lunch in the cosy indoor dining room at Forbes and Burton, but upon arrival we discovered that the chef has scrapped the weekend lunch menu in favour of an all day brunch. While a menu featuring eggs and bacon cooked 15 different ways is Ruby's idea of heaven, Ma and Pa and myself weren't all that enthusiastic.

So we set off down Darlinghurst Road, passed the Poos on Sticks cross-ways and headed down Victoria Street, Potts Point to . . .  Ms G's.

The restaurant, whose name is a play on the popular Asian meat tenderiser, monosodium glutamate, opened late last year in a terrace house that was previously home to Neil Perry's XO and the flash Italian joint, Ego Ristorante Enoteca. The building is owned by Sydney playboy and bar baron, Justin Hemmes, whose family-owned Merivale group is behind the Ms G's venture.

The front door leads in to the small dining room and bar (above) and then a stairwell that zig-zags up and down the building's right side, takes diners to the various multi-levels.

The best level, and the one where we were fortunate to be seated, is up on the first floor (above). A large floor to ceiling window looks out to tree-tops and the CBD, while the room is decorated in Donkey Kong-style jungle ropes. If you are lucky enough to score a window seat, you can even see a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House:

The second floor is a little more laid back and features sofas, stools, coffee tables and walls covered in old pages torn from newspapers, magazines and books:

The stairs lead down to another dining room with booths and tree-trunk views:

And yet another floor down, you'll find the kitchen and chefs hard at work:

The menu is described as modern Asian and is designed to be enjoyed tapas-style in a group, so that you can taste as many dishes as possible.

There are four different food categories on the menu: Raw (as in oysters and sashimi), Salads and Smaller Plates ($14-$16), Larger ($18-$34) and Desserts, including the cheekily named Stoner's Delight, a grand pile of banana ice cream, chocolate, rice bubbles, peanut brittle and marshmallow ($12).

But the one menu item that began our drift in to food heaven was the cocktails, which range in price from $12-$14. 

Ruby's Pa had Ms G's Famous Yuzu Slushee, a refreshing icy-mix of Limoncello, Russian Standard Vodka, Yuzu Juice and Regan's Orange Bitters. It was so good, he ordered another.

I also ended up having two (or was it three?) Aloe Vera cocktails, a divine, frothy blend of Absolut Vanilla,  Limoncello, Crushed Lemons and Aloe Vera Foam (below left). Ma Molteno had an exotic sounding Purple Rain cocktail of Beefeater Gin, Purple Basil, Pomegranate and Passionfruit (below right).

It was a grand start to the meal, which slowly arrived, dish by dish, over the next hour or so. We began with four Sydney Rock Oysters with Lemongrass Vinaigrette ($4 each) and the Hiramasa Kingfish with Jicama, Guacamole and Finger Lime ($16), which was so much more impressive than we expected and a taste sensation too. Jicama, which is commonly known as yam bean, is a Mexican root vegetable that looks like a cross between a potato and a turnip, and is popular in Asia. It has a crispy texture like apple and was used shredded raw in the kingfish dish (below right) adding a nice fresh bite. 

The next dish to arrive was the Heirloom Tomatoes, Steamed Eggplant and Crispy Fried Tofu with Thai Basil ($22, below left). For such a simple sounding dish it was packed with flavour, which seems to be a theme of the menu at Ms G's. We also ordered Stir Fried Cultivated Mushrooms with Brown Butter and Garlic Stalks ($18) and it was a massive flavour and textural hit too. The mushies were so hastily devoured, I didn't even have time to photograph them. 

I didn't even need to photograph the Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Grain Fed Beef, Chili, Herbs and Peanuts ($18, below right) because the dish has left me with the most vivid flavour and texture memory, that is so good, I will be going back to Ms G's for it again and again. 

The last dish to arrive was the Grilled King Prawns with Sambal Matah, eschallot, lime and chili relish ($30). I'm not mad about prawns but Pa Molteno seemed very happy with the dish and the fieriness of the sambal, served in a baby cos lettuce cup. 

So who is responsible for these amazing flavour hits? It's hard to believe, but it's those two crazy-looking blokes below: Dan Hong and Jowett Yu. 

The pair previously worked together at Sydney's world class, Tetsuya's, and have been at Merivale's other Potts Point restaurant, Lotus (22 Challis Avenue), for the past few years, where Hong (with the bread rolls on his ears) was appointed head chef at just 25. 

Yu was raised in Canada and comes from a Taiwanese background, while Hong has Vietnamese heritage.  

The other great thing about Ms G's, apart from the food, is the carefully, if not overly, designed decor. The Merivale collection of restaurants and bars are all very design conscious, and while it sort of gives it a McHemmes feel, for some reason this attention to detail also gives me confidence in the cleanliness of the place. 

If they care so much about how it looks, the kitchen must be immaculate, especially considering you can walk right by and peer in. 

The details extend to the ceiling (above left) where hessian bags are stretched over frames; as well as the bathrooms (below left), with walls papered in print and buckets used as sinks. 

I had to look twice at this ''coffee-table'' (below right) which is essentially a stack of flattened cardboard boxes tied together. Cute. 

The bill came to $232 for the four of us, which works out at $58 a head. That's not bad at all considering we had cocktails, entrees and mains. Thank you Ma and Pa Molteno for shouting me such a memorable time and thanks Ruby for inviting me along. Happy Birthday, Ruby. I hope we have lots more memorable meals together and I can't wait to return to Ms G's.

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Ms G's

155 Victoria Street

Potts Point NSW 2011

02 8313 1000

http://www.merivale.com/#/msgs/msgs

Darlinghurst: Plant Life: Caldwell Street Garden

I wish I knew the name for this little patch of green. There are no visible signs to indicate what it's called so I have simply come to know it as the Caldwell Street Garden. 

It is places like this that make living in the inner-city bearable on those days when you need to relax your eyes with green, pat the leaves and rest your feet in the grass. 

I have had quite a few of those days recently.

The garden isn't much really, just a tiny triangle of trees and shrubs on the corner of Caldwell and Nimrod streets. But I am so glad it is there.

I remember being told a story once about how developers in the 1980s had eyed the garden off as a potential site for a building. What a waste of good space, they must have thought. Fortunately, others thought differently and there was a small and successful campaign to save what was known as the ''Convict Park''.
I don't know if that story is accurate, or if perhaps the person who told it to me was referring to the park on Surrey Street. If you happen to know, please contact me.

The garden is basically a small patch of grass with an eclectic mix of plants, two benches and two trees. 

If it is a hot day, I often make a little pit-stop here on the way home, to have a little rest and think. 

I recruited my horticulturalist friend Ruby Molteno, to come to the garden one day and identify the trees and plants for me. There is one pine type of tree in the street corner, which I forgot to ask her about. 

But the focal point of the garden is a Weeping Fig (Ficus Benjamina), pictured above, that has lots of berries hidden amongst the foliage.

The ground-cover (below) is called Tradescantia Zebrina and the ''upright, strappy succulent-like plant'' is some kind of Agave, according to Ruby. 

On one of the rocks surrounding a garden bed is this little plaque and dog tag, saying JOJO, surrounded by colourful bits of broken tiles and shells. The plaque reads:

"In memory of our good friend and neighbour, Michael Robertson, 1926-2007."

While walking home from the Caldwell Street Garden the other day, I noticed this paste-up on the wall of the Nimrod Theatre, which sums up my feelings after a moment among the trees perfectly:

Darlinghurst: Food: The Owl House

Night owls who don't like night clubs are hooting it up in Darlinghurst and the surrounding suburbs at the moment thanks to the City of Sydney council's new liquor laws, which make it easier for cafes to gain licenses to serve alcohol. 

Small bars with loads of character and cute names are popping up everywhere. For starters Darlinghurst has Pocket Bar (13 Burton Street), Ching A Lings (133 Oxford Street) and the Shady Pines Saloon (5/256 Crown Street), while Surry Hills has the Absinthe Salon (87 Albion Street) and Potts Point has Velluto (50 Macleay Street) amongst others.

Even so, I still miss Barons!

The Owl House opened less than a fortnight ago, sandwiched between a brothel and a gym-clothes shop on the William Street end of Crown Street.

My friend Ruby Molteno is a dedicated night owl, so when she spotted The Owl House last week, she was determined we go and visit and see if this new bar was perhaps her spiritual home. The only problem is The Owl House is only open to midnight, which doesn't seem very night-owlish at all.

The Owl House is spread across two floors with a ten-seater bar taking up most of the space downstairs, while upstairs there is a room with a mix of communal seating areas, tables for two or four and a small veranda that can seat two couples.

I like being where the action is, so we each grabbed a bar stool at the downstairs bar and set to work perusing the cute homemade menu that was held together with a length of wool.

The Owl House is owned by former New Yorker Amir Halpert and former Brit Paul Coulli, with chef Ruddy Nurkoo making North African inspired tapas. 

Surprisingly, The Owl House did not take advantage of the new liquor laws and instead holds a restaurant license because, Amir told us, he wants the emphasis to be on good food and drink, rather than booze alone. 

There are about a dozen items on the menu, which starts at $5 for a bowl of mixed olives and goes to $16 for a braised lamb shoulder in red wine with baby vegetables and chat potatoes.

We wanted to order the steamed zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and mint, over crushed peas ($8) and the braised chicken drumsticks on apricot, pistachio and coriander cous cous ($14). But they were both sold out. 

Luckily, they still had the garlic prawns, pan-fried in white wine and roasted garlic butter ($13):

And the portobello mushroom stuffed with ricotta, porcini, served with rocket yoghurt foam and balsamic glaze ($9):

As well as the Shakshuka, a mix of fried tomato and capsicum, baked with quail eggs and served with Iggy's sourdough bread ($9):

That's Amir laughing in the photograph above, because he thought he was escaping the prying lens of my camera. When not mixing drinks Amir doubled as happy, welcoming and talkative host. Ruby and I were having a jolly good time too because the food was excellent and the service even better.

One of my pet hates is flat sparkling wine. You can't imagine the number of times, stony-faced bar staff have filled my glass with the dregs of the bottle and then expected me to not only pay for it, but to drink it too. Flat sparking wine = migraine. 

There is no way I am touching the stuff and I always feel insulted when bar staff pour me a glass of flatness and don't even seem to notice. That inevitably means I have to ask them kindly to please pour me a fresh glass, which always seems to bother them, as if they can't see what is wrong with it in the first place. And it makes me appear as if I am some annoying, complaining hag, when all I want is the drink I am paying for.

My other pet drinking hate is when they pour wine from two bottles in to the one glass. Argh! Don't mix it, I almost yell. 

Anyway, I was so happy when Amir poured me a glass of sparkling wine, realised it was flat, and then immediately tossed it down the sink and opened a fresh bottle. I didn't have to say anything and I was so grateful for that. So The Owl House receives ten out of ten from me.

The other reason for their immaculate score, is their immaculate bathrooms. You can always judge a place on the cleanliness of their bathrooms:

Outside the door to the upstairs toilet was this cute little scene featuring an old fashioned laptop:

Inside the bathroom there was a book and cactus theme:

You must also visit The Owl House bathroom to see this view:

Another good reason to visit The Owl House and sit at the downstairs bar is for a bit of gossip about the neighbourhood. I love Darlinghurst gossip and information gleaned from business owners, who always seem to be the first to know about new developments in the neighbourhood. 

Amir told us that a new Woolworths is opening in the old City Ford building on the Woolloomooloo side of Crown Street. If that is true, it's quite good news for the residents of Darlinghurst Flats, who either have to walk up the hill to Coles in Kings Cross or go to the IGA in the Oxford Square shopping centre for their groceries.

I immediately set to work online, checking the City of Sydney council's development applications and approvals as well as the website for the Department of Planning, which approves major projects. But neither contained any applications from Woolworths or approvals for the Crown Street site:

Anyway, we will know soon enough as City Ford has already vacated the building and I doubt Woolworths will waste any time moving in and putting the $elf-$ervice check-outs to work.

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The Owl House

97 Crown Street

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

02 9357 5060