Review - Red Onion - Karon Beach - Phuket

This is one of the best restaurants in Phuket for a quick authentic eat. Usually, I don't go to the same place twice when I travel but we returned here 3 times. Tasty dishes, delicious cocktails and never once did we pay more than $10/head for entrees, mains and cocktails. While all other restaurants we're half full, we always had to line up for Red Onion but never more than 15mins. The staff aren't as cheery here, especially the male/female who won't crack a smile regardless of how hard you try but who cares - the food/price overrules the customer service. I highly recommend the grilled seafood plate, garlic pepper prawns and chicken in leaves. Also get anything and everything duck - duck is super cheap in Phuket!!!

Review - El Gaucho - Karon Beach - Phuket

For extended version see my travel blog ... http://diariesofzrk.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/thailand-2012-phuket-day-4.html

El Gaucho Brazilian BBQ is on Karon Beach in Phuket and you can order off the BBQ menu or their Thai menu. We ordered off the Thai menu. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, anywhere in the world. We started with cocktails from their signature menu which were so delicious then shared a mixed Asian entree and rice paper roles amongst us - all of which were the best I have ever had. For mains Peggy had Pad Thai, JP had the seafood fried rice, John had the beef stir fry and they all said their meals were outstanding. My whole grouper with curry sauce, steamed vegetables and rice was nothing short of incredible. So fresh with such simple flavours - I can't emphasize enough how wonderful it was. We all had dessert - mine was fried bananas with honey which was so wonderful. The restaurant was the most expensive at 3,700 baht but that's $120ish for entrees, mains, desserts and cocktails for four so 'expensive' restaurants here aren't expensive by Australian standards at all.

Review - Oscillate Wildly - Newtown

We were a party of 3 the night we went to Oscillate Wildly. We were really impressed by the professionalism of the wait staff – small and weird thing to get excited by but I loved that they took and hung my winter coat and took my small travel bag. Having come from a work interstate day trip, it was nice to not sit swamped with jackets and bags. 2 of us ordered the standard degustation menu and A had the upgraded truffle menu. We forego the matching wines to get a bottle as we had driving to factor in. The wait staff were flawless with their wine knowledge and pronunciation – the perfect wine was selected.

What’s great is there are also little surprises here and there in terms of nibbles and how they present a hand towel (spoiler alert!!!). They literally have thought of everything.

My only complaints were: we had to go outside through the cold to an outback ‘dunny’ which was so strange that the restaurant is so chic yet the toilet is so classless. Also, the second last course was served at midnight - we left really late after I was ready to crash.  

Here’s some of the menu we had:

Foie Gras, Scallop, Hazelnut.

Amazing I have never has fois gras so light.

OMG I can’t remember what the second dish was!!!

Beetroot in a horseradish leaf

I really shouldn’t pretend I know what I’m talking about here as I’m good with food but what Oscillate Wildly creates and presents out of this world ... but I found going from the warmth of the previous dish to this very cold dish almost the wrong way round. Also being winter ... it was colder than what made sense to me. But I’ll shut up as I have no right to speak when I couldn’t do even one of Oscillate Wildly’s dishes.

Blue Eye, Pea, Hops

This was cooked to perfection – slight crisp to the skin but moist juicy fish and the peas were so flavoursome.

The Duck

Usually I don’t like duck breast when it hasn’t been slow cooked but this was great.

Scallops

Again, amazing – one of the most beautifully merchandised dishes ive ever seen

Dessert with Grapefruit and Puréed Celery

What a great combo of taste and textures!

Pandan, Rye, Milk Jam

While I appreciate the genius of the milk jam sitting in the burnt milk crust – I am not too keen on diary so I didn’t really touch mine. I tasted it but it didn’t work for me. I didn't really eat this one.

Review - Via Napoli Pizzeria - Lane Cove

Really enjoyed here! We went on a Monday night and it really filled up quickly so note to self to book next time. The menu is great - we went for pizza and there are lots of delicious options it was hard to decide. Its such a shame they don't do half/half on the 30cm pizzas. They do multiple toppings on the half meter and meter pizza - on that note must came back with a group as a meter pizza would be a bit o a novelty.

The salad we shared to start was a great mix of fresh ingredients: tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella. The eggplant pizza tasted great although a little burnt in some places as shown in the pic. Also the base wasn't crispy - when you picked it up, it went flaccid but obviously this didn't affect the flavour (just thought I'd mention this incase crispy is what you're after). Dessert was sinfully great - a nutella filled donut. It's rich so I'm glad we shared it.

Ill definitely be back - really keen to try the rest of the menu. Bill was $73 for 2 for the 3 courses and a bottle of prosecco.