Even more not so recent dining out experiences

ratticus (58)in #food • 7 years ago

Eurobay Cafe Bar

Early this year (late January it seems), one of my housemates and I went down to Brighton-le-sands intending on going to 'Meet the Greek', as I had a voucher to use there. They were however between Lunch and Dinner service, and while open, the kitchen was closed. So we went next door where Eurobay was quiet, but open and serving food.

They have quite a reasonable menu, and quite a wonderful view out onto the bay.

The view improved when they opened the windows, but the traffic picked up and I never got a clear photo of the whole view.

We ordered Fries with Fetta on them, Penne something or other (that had prawns in it) and I ordered their Surf and Turf. I can rarely pass up the option of surf and turf, but need to feel like finances are doing ok as it's usually pretty pricey.

^{Our meals. We really didn't need the chips, and ended up taking pretty much all of them home in out leftovers}

^{About A$36. Pretty plating, but impossible to eat without dismantling}

This was quite a decent rendition of surf and turf. Could have done with a third prawn, but I really liked that they're plated whole. The steak could not have been cooked much better. It was spot on medium-rare, and the sauce went wonderfully with it. The mash was not bad, but it certainly wasn't memorable. One of the advantages of having the steak on top of it though is any meat juices that leaked out before making it to the table, soaked into the mash and made it tastier.

Website: http://www.eurobay.com.au/

Arisun

One evening after gaming ended I was still hungry, as I'd been running late and skipped dinner beforehand. Another gamer and myself wandered along to Arisun's Worlds Square store to grab some Korean BBQ. Well, we both ended up changing our minds and having other dishes instead, with him ordering Fried Buns with Condensed Milk and a plate of Fried Pork and Chive Dumplings. I gave in to my love of Dolsot Bibimbap and ordered their "Stone Pot Beef Bi Bim Bab".

^{Yeah, forgot to take the photo before mixing it all up. Oops.}

These were all interesting, and while the beers helped it go down, it was pretty much to be expected of a successful chain. Consistent without being excellent. There was nothing wrong with any of the food, and we certainly ate all of it, but at the price I'd have like a little something to make me remember something that stood out about the food. Consistency is good though, and I can expect that if I were to go in again, and order these same dishes, they'd taste pretty much identical to earlier this year when I was last there. And probably the same if I went into one of their other stores too.

Website: http://www.arisunrestaurant.com/

Big John's Pizza

One evening, Catherine and I decided to try some place random to eat dinner and we ended up here. This was probably not the best decision we've ever made when it comes to picking a place to eat.

I chose a pizza, and Catherine ordered lasagna. This was possibly the second, and biggest mistake of the night.

^{my pizza was decent, but not the best wood fired pizza I've had}

The biggest issue for the night was Catherine's lasagna. Do no order it unless you like your lasagna swimming in oil. When she'd eaten maybe half of it I asked what was wrong, and she just tilted the plate to reveal a pool of oil gathering in the bottom. From then on our enjoyment of the meal decreased so I can't give a really accurate view of my pizza that I was enjoying to that point. The place is dark, slightly crowded, and a little overpriced, but seems to get mostly good ratings online, though they may be more for their pizza cafe in Bondi from further looking. Their pizza might be good, but don't order the pasta may be the best advice possible.

Website: http://www.bigjohnspizza.com.au/

Bondi Pizza

I have to end on an upbeat review, and it seems Pizza is a thing I've had quite a bit of and not written about. With a store for this chain at the nearby Westfield shopping centre, it's an easy place to head to for a night out. I think we've been 3 or 4 times over the 3 years since I met Catherine, and I've never had a bad meal. The most recent time was in August for her birthday, with family and friends. We had a couple of pizzas and a couple of pastas between us, and while some of the pizzas are better than others, they're all good and the topping combinations work well together.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Linguini, Pumpkin and Sage Ravioli, Classic Supreme Pizza, and Chargrilled Lamb Pizza. Others at the table had the Cheeseburger and there was at least one salad.