Xanthi Restaurant & Bar: Greek, Westfield Sydney CBD (25 Oct 2011)

Level 6 Dining Precinct, Westfield Sydney
Cnr Pitt St Mall and Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9232 8535
http://xanthi.com.au

Sharing the spirit of ouzo

It was probably a brave move by Chef Owner David Tsirekas to close his successful and much-loved Perama restaurant in Petersham to start Xanthi in the dining precinct in Westfield Sydney but it seems Petersham’s loss is a successful gain to the CBD. There’s lots of tempting choices on the Ouzomezedakia menu (small sharing plates) which were reasonably price. If you order a 200ml bottle of ouza you’ll get 3 ouzomezedakia chosen by the chef to match making it quite a bargain. I first ordered the cheapest ouza of Barbayianni Green ($34, 200ml) to see what the kitchen would include and then ordered more dishes after. BBQ Haloumi, BBQ smoked lamb cutlets and Sheftalies were provided to match the ouza. Nicely cooked haloumi was tender flavoursome lamb cutlets were a treat I’d happily order again.

Our friendly and informative waiter Spyros recommended the Herbed skordalia croquettes ($7.50) which we thought were quite light on flavour but we preferred the Fried School prawns ($9) which were crispy and flavoursome and tossed in a honey making them slightly sweet. I still prefer the ones at District Dining, maybe because they’re kept more savoury than sweet. We found the Zucchini fritters ($8) a little disappointing. Not as fresh tasting and crispy as hoped and perhaps a bit cluggy inside but the Vine Dolmades ($9) were flavoursome and moist. We then had a particularly long wait of over 25 minutes for the Fried Calamari ($9) due to a busy kitchen we were told after asking about our order. It had nice flavours with a light batter I prefer but not as tender as hoped. I’d probably order it again though in the hope it would be more tender next time.

Due to the lateness of the calamari dish our waiter kindly offered us a glass of Samos Nectar dessert wine to try which was very nice and not overly sweet which went well with the Caramel Baklava ice cream ($13.50). Overall it was a nice meal which only came to $99 for four people which we thought was good value for the quality of dishes received and included a bottle of ouzo easy enough to share. I’d probably opt for a table in the middle next time as I found the booth seating a bit too squashed for leg room, especially when sharing with three other guys. Hopefully the kitchen can turnaround the dishes quickly under busy times so the restaurant can be a suitable lunch option for those with only limited time.

Other visits to Xanthi:
• 12 Apr 2012 – Lunchtime Express Menu $30
• 25 Oct 2011 – Ouzomezedakia

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Flavoursome dishes, Quality ingredients, 3 complimentary dishes come with 200ml ouzo, Reasonably priced if you can share with a small group

CONS: Booth seating was a little hard to sit on and slightly cramped, Toilets are located outside the restaurant

MUST TRY: BBQ Haloumi, BBQ smoked lamb cutlets

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Ouzo Barbayianni Green ($34, 200ml) includes 3 ouzomezedakia to match selected by the chef

Ouzo goes milky when you add ice — apparently if you want to dilute ouzo you should just add water according to About.com

Ouzo trolley and menu

BBQ Haloumi: Locally produced Cypriot style haloumi cheese ($10, included as dish 1 with Ouzo)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Sheftalies: BBQ Cypriot style spiced pork meatballs wrapped in caul fat ($11, included as dish 2 with Ouzo)

BBQ smoked lamb cutlets - BBQ smoked and cured spiced cutlets ($12, included as dish 3 with Ouzo)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Herbed skordalia croquettes: Creamy mint, dill and celery leaf skordalia crumbed in polenta and breadcrumbs ($7.50)

Loukanika: BBQ sliced Northern Greece village style loukanika ($9)

Fried School Prawns: Tossed in a honey, fish sauce, sesame seed and flaked almond dressing ($9)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Zucchini fritters: A mixture of shredded zucchini and haloumi with dill, mint and parsley ($8)

Vine Dolmades ($9)

Fried Calamari ($9)

Caramel Baklava ice cream: Sliced layers of vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce and baklava ($13.50)

Samos Nectar complimentary glasses due to lateness of dishes

WORTH TRYING :-)

Dessert wine menu

Menus

Seating

Booth seating actually quite awkward and a bit uncomfortable for four people. Seating was quite stiff and felt squashed in.

Athena inscribed on the knife

Tiny forks

Lamb in the kitchen

Outside seating

Bill $99 for four people - good value for quality of dishes

Outside entrance with window into kitchen


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The Coach and Horses Hotel: Beer Garden & Pub Bistro, Randwick (5, 22, 23 Jan 2012)

147 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coachandhorseshotel.com.au

Bistro gets a positive makeover

The renovations of the bistro in The Coach and Horses Hotel are looking a lot better these days and it's good to see the menu has also stepped up its game. Formally quite a basic pub grub place the new look and thankfully reasonably priced menu is much more enticing. The Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce ($8) was quite tasty and reasonably priced on the limited tapas menu. They're more fried than the ones at York Lane and a bit less spicy but would still pair well with a beer. Piri Piri Prawn Skewers ($8) came with a tasty sauce which wasn't overly hot and decent sized prawns which were properly deveined. Was expecting them to be served on a long skewer but the mini serving sticks work well. Barramundi fillets in Crispy Beer Batter ($18) came with two decent sized fish pieces with crispy batter as hoped. My King Prawn Chilli Spaghetti ($18) had about 7 decent sized prawns and a well-flavoured sauce of white wine, tomato, basil and parmesan. The Baked Atlantic Salmon ($23) was served on steamed Asian greens and better value than having grilled fish from A Fish Called Coogee which is just served on its own.

I'm always tempted when I see Home Made Tiramisu on a dessert menu but didn't have enough stomach space this time around. I'm already hoping to visit again to try more dishes on the menu as I was quite impressed with the quality and value for money on this visit. The Smoky BBQ Marinated Pork Spare Ribs and Sizzling Pot of garlic King Prawns in Olive Oil & Shallots is calling my name. With baby Isabelle on board in a pram the disabled toilets got a baby review. With no table available it was a challenge to change a nappy and there was also no bin available for disposal. Something I've mentioned to management and hoping the next visit will be more baby friendly with a few minor improvements.

Other visits to Coach and Horses Hotel:

• 23 Jan 2012 - Lambs Cutlets, T-Bone, Surf n Turf Rump

• 22 Jan 2012 - Oysters Kilpatrick, Chicken Pie, Beef & Cheese Burger, BBQ Pork Ribs, Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Chocolate Mudcake

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday in The Red Room, Function platter food

• 5 Jan 2012 - Octopus Salad, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Piri Piri Prawn Skewers, Barramundi, Atlantic Salmon, Prawn Spaghetti, Beer Garden

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Reasonably priced menu, Decent menu variety, Plenty of seating in beer garden, Friendly staff, Quite nice decor upstairs, Function space available

CONS: Not all tables are non smoking around bistro

MUST TRY: Buffalo Chicken Wings with a beer on a sunny day, Home made tiramisu next time

BABY ON BOARD: Lift available to level 1, Use ramp entrance on Avoca St for pram, No baby changing table or bin available in disabled toilet, Be aware smoking allowed on some tables in beer garden

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5 Jan 2012 — Visit #1

Char-grilled Octopus Salad tossed with Rocket, Tomato, Cucumber & Spanish Onion served with Hummus ($15) - ordered without onion

Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce ($8)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Piri Piri Prawn Skewers ($8) — could be even a touch spicier

WORTH TRYING :-)

Barramundi fillets in Crispy Beer Batter served Chef's Salad, hand cut chips and House Tartare Sauce ($18)

Baked Atlantic Salmon served on steamed Asian greens, crispy shallots & light soy sauce ($23)

King Prawn Chilli Spaghetti tossed with White Wine, Tomato, Basil & Parmesan ($18)

22 Jan 2012 — Visit #2

Oysters Kilpatrick ($28, dozen) - quite nice, lots of flavour and bacon on top

Chicken, Tarragon and Vegetable Pie with Chips and Salad ($16, specials board) - pretty decent size

Grilled Free Range Chicken Breast with Lemon Thyme ($18) - was well liked

Deluxe Beef & Cheese Burger with Hand Cut chips ($14) - pretty decent size although to be a deluxe burger perhaps some bacon would be good too, and maybe an egg!

Smokey BBQ Marinated Pork Spare Ribs ($22) - could be a bit more smokey in flavour, pretty tender meat though

My ribs side salad didn't have any dressing making it a bit plain and dry. I think this might have been missed in the kitchen.

Blueberry cheesecake with ice cream ($8) - ice cream was unfortunately a bit icy in parts, would have been nice with some berry coulis too to counteract the cheesecake

Chocolate mudcake with ice cream ($8) - fairly moist and rich

Homemade tiramisu ($8) - pretty good, had noticeable alcohol, nice flavours

The polite left over pieces of dessert

Bistro service counter and specials menu board

23 Jan 2012 — Visit #3

Herb-crumbed Lamb Cutlets with Creamy Mashed Potato, Sweet Peas & Tomato Relish ($22) - nice cutlets and relish

Tender T-Bone 400g ($22)

Surf n Turf 400g Rump with Pan Fried Fresh Green Prawns ($24) - for $2 extra you get prawns compared to just the rump steak meal which is pretty good

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Gin & tonic served in a tall glass but I prefer short glasses for my G&Ts. Had to ask for some fresh lime.

Most tables are reserved for No Smoking in the beer garden although unfortunately some are also for smokers near the bistro seating which is a bit unfortunate.

I spy with my little eye something beginning with 'Home Made Tiramisu' — hopefully will try next time.

Bistro service counter

Bistro menu

Beer garden seating

Beer garden lounge seating

Red Room on level 1 available as a function space

Level 1 decor and seating

Level 1 pool tables

Level 1 beer garden

Disabled toilet near bistro on ground floor. Would be better if a small table and bin was available so nappy changes can be done. Had to place the baby changing mat on the floor.

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