Simon Food Favourites: Centennial Park

12 June 2013

Centennial Parklands Café, Centennial Park (6 Oct 2012)

Cnr Parkes Drive and Grand Drive, Centennial Park NSW 2021

http://www.trippaswhitegroup.com.au/our-venues/Centennial-Parklands-Dining/4

Kid friendly cafe in the park

Thanks to Amy Glancey from Trippas White Group for inviting me to sample the menu at Centennial Parklands Café. On a sunny weekend this cafe gets packed to the rafters with kids. This is great for families not wanting to worry about their hyper-active kids shouting and screaming but perhaps not so great for those looking for a quiet and relaxing bite to eat. The noise didn't bother me having my baby on board which helped to hide her cries of frustration of not being understood. Wagyu beef burger ($22) served on a brioche bun was moist and juicy as hoped although watch out for the beetroot dribbles. It was a decent size with plenty of tasty chips which made for a filling meal. Beer-battered hawkesbury river flathead ($27) came with a fennel slaw and was also generous in size. The batter was fairly thin and crispy. It's a premium price to pay for fish and chips although it could have been shared between two not so hungry people and the quality of the fish was good and cooked well. I think if you come on a rainy day you'll find it not so popular with the families with kids as they won't be using the playground nearby.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Pleasant view of the park, Kid friendly, Lots of free parking, Baby change table available, Kids playground nearby, Food tried was nice, Service was down-to-earth and accommodating, You don't have to clean up after your kids make a mess

CONS: Kids everywhere on a good day, Can get noisy, Prices are a bit more than your average cafe

MUST TRY: Returning to try other menu items

VERDICT: If you're looking for a kid friendly cafe in a park then this is the place for you although expect to pay a bit more than your average cafe

—

Wagyu beef burger, brioche, tomato, beetroot relish, pickled gherkin, chips ($22) — tender, juicy, decent size, good chips, watch out for beetroot juice though

WORTH TRYING :-)

Enjoyable chips

Watch out for beetroot juice drippage

Beer-battered hawkesbury river flathead, tartar sauce, chips, fennel slaw ($27) — decent portion, good chips, crisp thinnish batter

WORTH TRYING :-)

Phoenix Organic Ginger Beer ($4.80), Charlie's Honest squeezed orange juice ($4.80)

I prefer table supports that are flat without legs

Baby friendly change table in toilet

View Larger Map

01 April 2013

Taste of Sydney 2013: Food Festival, Centennial Park (17 Mar 2013)

Brazilian Fields, Centennial Park, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.tasteofsydney.com.au

Pigging out in the park

Thanks to Jess Brennan from Horizon Communication Group for inviting me to the Taste of Sydney to check out Peter Kuruvita's Dilmah Chef's Skillery talk. With my 15 month old daughter on hand I had to take things a lot slower this year. Usually I'd race around checking out all the restaurants, chefs and dishes but this time around I just focussed on strolling around (with pram) and made sure baby was happy and entertained. I did manage to visit Efendy which kindly let me try their Deboned roasted Sheep Head with local Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes Tandir which was definitely a mind over matter dish. It had nice flavours once you got over the fact you were eating brain, cheek and tongue. I even gave a bit of brain to my unsuspecting daughter and she actually seemed to enjoy it to my horror. I was told in Turkey brain was quite commonly fed to babies and is supposed to be good for them although I'm still not sure about that.

Back at the Dilmah Chef's Skillery talk Chef Peter Kuruvita was in his element talking to a large crowd of fans with Chef Martin Dulke. The decision to take the crowd over to his BBQ for a cooking demonstration was a bold move although way too crowded for me to get close enough to hear what he was cooking. After the talk Peter provided me a sample of his two dishes. BBQ Prawn Skewers had good flavour with decent sized prawns and his BBQ Petuna Ocean Trout had a nice flavour combination and perfectly cooked fish that won me over. Amongst the free tastings on offer the Real Coconut Water really impressed me and was probably the best tasting packaged coconut water I've had to date — I'll certainly look out for this one in the shops if available.

Other visits to Taste of Sydney:
2013 / 2012 / 2011 / 2010

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: A taste of some of Sydney's hatted restaurants, Opportunity to see the chefs in person, Free taste samplings to be found, Free parking

CONS: Weather dependent, Entry fee, Time limit per session, Can get expensive depending how many dishes you want to try

MUST TRY: Finding where they sell Real Coconut Water

VERDICT: If you're lucky with nice weather the event can be an enjoyable experience for those who love trying many dishes from different restaurants in one place.

—

Peter Kuruvita's Seafood BBQ: Chef plating of BBQ Petuna Ocean Trout and Tangy Mexican Street Salad with Citrus Jalapeno Dressing — nice combination of flavours and perfectly cooked fish

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Peter Kuruvita's Seafood BBQ: Chef plating of BBQ Prawn Skewers with Black Pepper, Curry Leaf Sauce and Sri Lankan Pickle — nice flavour and decent sized prawns

WORTH TRYING :-)

Efendy: Deboned roasted Sheep Head with local Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes Tandir — nice flavour although a mind over matter dish to eat when you know it's brain, cheek and tongue