Chocolateria San Churro opening in Glebe

Walking along Glebe Point Road near the corner where you turn to go to Broadway, I spotted a sign saying the Chocolateria San Churro is opening soon. (I would have taken a picture, but I was walking with someone from my mother's group, and I didn't want her to think I'm weird.) I've tasted their wares in Melbourne, and even though I wasn't particularly impressed with their overfried churros, the hot chocolate was to die for. (I'm easy that way.) So bring it on. I just hope they hire people who actually know something about chocolate, because the folks in Melbourne just gave me a blank look when I asked them if they sold chocolate pots.

Oscars Bar & Lounge

After much e-mailing and SMSing, Mum decided to celebrate my Dad's birthday at Oscars. Although our reservation was for 7:30pm, when Rob and I arrived at 7:40pm, we were the first ones there. We were clever enough to park at the new Coles carpark next door, which isn't quite finished yet and is therefore free. Free parking in Pyrmont? Well, it's virtually unheard of.

Mum arrived soon after, so we had a leisurely wait over drinks. Unfortunately, Oscars doesn't supply highchairs so there was no way to imprison the baby, whose attention span lasted long enough to pick up random pieces of cutlery and bang them about. Fortunately, we were seated at a long, corner position against the wall (cushioned seats) and next to large windows. This was great as we could then take KB out for a walk when he started feeling antsy and bring him to the window where he could prance around and amuse everyone.

The rest of the family trickled in and by about 8:15pm, we were ready to order.

I didn't even hesitate to place my usual order of baby back ribs. For $17, I really don't think you can get much better value. Some people argue that the sauce is too sweet, but I've never had any problems polishing those babies off. Most of my family agreed with me and ordered the same. The chips were superflous, much to KB's delight. He has a serious love of chips.

Oscars famous baby back pork ribs with tangy hickory sauce $17

Dad ordered the T-bone steak with mushroom sauce. Unfortunately, when you put the steak side-by-side with the ribs, you're bound to feel rather envious. He thought it was okay, but not the best he's ever had. I don't think heaping random greens on top really added much to the flavour, either. Actually, the salads accompanying our dishes looked decidely uncreative. Methinks a luscious tomato wouldn't have gone astray.

Chargrilled T-bone steak (400g) with mushroom sauce, creamy garlic mashed potato and roquette $18

Rob ordered the sirloin steak with mushroom sauce. He likes his steaks dead, which can be tricky as most restaurants either undercook or serve a charred mess, but Rob seemed happy with what he got. Again, the salad was uninspired.

Chargrilled sirloin steak (300g) with mushroom sauce $18

You'd think we'd be content after such big mains, but we persevered and ordered a sticky date pudding and a concorde to share ($10 each). They were average - neither bad nor noteworthy - but the babies went totally nuts. Duke (pictured) could not be pried away from the concorde.

I think Oscars has become my family's favourite dining venue for special occasions when Mum doesn't feel like cooking and cleaning up. It's not hard to see why. Prices are reasonable, servings are usually pretty generous, and while the service can be hit or miss, when it's good the staff is very attentive. I have noticed, though, that the ribs seem to undergo a price increase in the vicinity of $2-5 every time we visit. I dread the day it goes past my price threshold, because I really, really love those ribs!

Oscar's Bar & Restaurant
84 Union St, Pyrmont
02 9660 5933

Darling's Treat Patisserie

I used to have a part-time job in Balmain while I was at uni and it was here that I discovered the profiterole stack and the Nutella pizza.

It's been a while since Darling's Treat Patisserie has sold profiterole stacks as a matter of course. Nowadays, they only make them to order. Which is a bit of problem for someone as organisationally-challenged as I am. After about two years of planning to order, I finally did it and picked up my stash this morning.

But before I knew it, Rob wanted morning tea so we all sat down for a little snack and I went home with my dessert box a little lighter. That's right - I ate one on the spot.

It was oh, so very good. But to be honest, not as wonderful as I remembered it. The old profiterole stacks were drenched in soft chocolate, whereas my ordered batch were drenched with cream. I did mention this to the lady at the counter but I was quick to add that it was still very yummy.

It probably just means that it will be some time before I risk buying another one again.

Profiterole stack - $4.50 (order the day before, minimum 2)

Darling's Treat Patisserie
355 Darling St, Balmain
02 981 2301

Birthday extravaganza

Birthdays are one of those events when my Filipino and Aussie natures clash. An average party, by Filo standards, has an invitation list of no les than 80 people, which is about the size of a wedding reception by Aussie standards. The only way we'd be able to afford a party for 80 people would be to have it at our little apartment and do the cooking ourselves.

For my birthday? Cooking and cleaning? Forget it! I decided to forgo the pain of cooking, cleaning and watching people trample all over the carpet and reserved a table at Oscar's for a family lunch. And by that I mean 20 of my extended relatives - that's our standard minimum for any family gathering.

We practically had the entire place to ourselves and the manager served out table personally. Twelve of us ordered baby back ribs and when they came out, everyone's eyes bulged at the size of those suckers. I think we must have eaten an entire family of pigs just in those two hours. I wish I'd remembered to take a picture. Actually, I did remember but by that time, my hands were drenched in sauce and there was no way I could get to the camera.

The following weekend, I organised dinner with friends, KKB (kanya-kanyang bayad, also known as Dutch treat). A dozen people turned up to Talentino Restaurant - I'd been wanting to try the food out for ages but especially since I tasted their creamy mushrooms. At first, I was afraid the restaurant would be much too intimate and, well, quiet for our particular group but as the evening wore on, alcohol flowed, people arrived (my friends were totally used to Filo time and weren't fazed at all) and general merriment all served to raise the conversation hum to a comfortable level.

The food was great! The Pão Ipanema, much like bruschetta but with fetta, was just delicious and the sangria was so sweet, it flowed rather quickly (and with this crowd, that's saying quite a bit). Rob had a Portuguese steak, which came with a fried egg on top, which he reckoned it tasted like a Filo steak. I thought it was much like a tapsilog without the sinangag. I had the Espetada, which as the name suggests comprised of meat on a sword-like skewer was suspended with a metal brace that was clamped onto our table. My dish was supposed to be good for two but I managed to eat all but two and a half pieces. It's my birthday and I'll gorge if I want to...

Mum made me a mocha cake, by request, so we had that for dessert. The cake was so tall, I had trouble serving it onto the dessert plates. Mum's pralines were excellent and people kept asking me how to make them. Ummm, well, you do...something.....spread it on non-stick paper and then break it apart. As far as I know, "Mum makes it" is the way it's made.

There are quite a few June babies in my extended family so the weekend was filled with FOOD. I've been having my fill of Filo food while I can. I scored some sapin-sapin, which ate for breakfast the next day, along with some of my leftover cake.

For breakfast? I hear you ask in horror. Because I had to get rid of all the leftover desserts in the fridge. Because there was a tub of Homer Hudson Beyond Fudge Brownies ice cream in the freezer with my name on it.

After all, it's my birthday and no party is complete without cake and ice cream.

Oscar's Bar & Restaurant
84 Union St, Pyrmont
02 9660 5933

Talentino Restaurant
9 Union St, Pyrmont
02 9518 8000