Bloodwood, Newtown

You remember my Pal from the Pasticceria Papa post, yes? Well, it was her birthday a while ago, and to celebrate, she treated us all to dinner at Bloodwood in Newtown, with drinks at Kuletos (a few minutes walk away) beforehand. I think it's customary to treat the birthday girl rather than have it the other way around. Whoopsies :D I promise I'll make it up to her for my birthday!

My Pal put all our names down for the 'Set Menu', which was awesome. We started off with crusty, warm sourdough and olive oil. I noticed how everyone else at the table saved some to have with the rest of the dishes, while I myself greedily polished off my share in record time. Sorry guys, but clearly I really love my carbs.

I did have a little left to have with our next course, though. There was chicken liver parfait, marinated olives, cured meats and pickles. I mopped the parfait dish squeaky clean with the last bits of my sourdough!

(Before I forget - my apologies for the poor quality of the photography in this post. We dined in relative darkness :D)

At this point, I took a break and went downstairs to see a bit more of the restaurant (but mainly for a bit of reprieve from the parfait.) There's definitely a gothic vibe about the whole place. But with a name like Bloodwood, what else was I expecting, Martha Stewart-inspired decor?

Back from my little jaunt, I was greeted at the table by what looked like mounds of gold bars. Oh wait, those were the famed polenta chips, with gorgonzola sauce on the side. This was what I've been waiting for all evening (oh, and the pleasure of my friends' company, of course). And it did not disappoint. Lip-smacking salty, crunchy goodness on the outside, with a core of fluffy and still piping-hot polenta - the gorgonzola sauce wasn't at all necessary, but I've never been one to say 'no' to a bit of extra fat in my diet. We were given two plates of these to share between the six of us, which was more than enough, even taking into account our massive, post-Happy Hour appetites.

Next to arrive - sticky glazed chicken wings. I think a side salad would have been very welcome at this point. Still, the chicken was tender and the glaze deliciously sticky, as promised.

I like how we were allowed to take our time sampling each dish before the next one was brought out. The baked mushrooms in green sauce proved to be a favourite at our table, with those who still had some bread left going nutso on the green sauce. What is 'green sauce'?, you ask. Hmm, that's a good question.

(Oh look, extra bread! Which meant I could go nutso on the mysterious green sauce as well.)

The grilled cuttlefish salad was very refreshing, and much needed by yours truly.

The king prawns and pippies in XO sauce tasted like my grandmother's! What a mish mash of flavours we've had so far. Guess this is what you call a 'fusion menu'...for real!

Our last savoury dish was the grilled lamb with yoghurt sauce. A seemingly Greek combination, but with some undertones of Indian curry spices. I'm tellin' you - FUSION.

And then it was time for desserts! Firstly, there was the deconstructed cheesecake, which had all the elements of a berry cheesecake...simply deconstructed. Personally, I like my cheesecakes just the way they are, biscuit crusts and all. I guess the 'cheesecake' bit was more like a mousse here. Served with fresh strawberries, a wobbly blob of jelly, and biscuit crumbs.

The dessert to die for (or because of) - the chocolate torte, which was richy, creamy and dreamy. The bitterness from the dark chocolate enhanced the thick mouthfeel. It made me want to sink into a river of cacao. (see - even thinking about it makes me act like a madwoman)

(Goes into foodgasmic paroxysms)

And to round off our feast, the Bloodwood trifle, which resembled the deconstructed cheesecake somewhat, but had grapes, pound cake, port wine jelly, peach anglaise, and vanilla bean yoghurt. Guess this was a 'deconstructed' trifle :D And be warned - the jelly's made with real port wine. I got a hit with a head rush of alcohol when I, unknowing, took a giant bite.

Thank you, my friend, for that amazing dinner experience! I promise to reciprocate some time soon by taking everyone out to Bloodwood again - after all, I really want to try the chickpea socca :D

Bloodwood restaurant & bar

416 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Phone: (02) 9557 7699

Website: http://www.bloodwoodnewtown.com/

Luxe Bakery, Newtown

How does that song go again? Something along the lines of, "don't it always seems to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone". During my brief stint at the University of Sydney (I got a transfer to another university the following year), I never used to venture off the central King Street strip in Newtown when it came to lunchtime options. And I pretty much stuck to the same foods - pad thai, pad kee mao or pad see ew day in, day out. Heck, I didn't even learn about the existence of Campos Coffee on Missenden Road until I'd already submitted my transferral form.

And that, my friends, was how I completely overlooked the gem that is Luxe Bakery.

It was only after I had left the hallowed grounds of USYD for good (and hence removing any possibility of popping into Newtown for lunch on a uni day ever again) that I got clued in on such hot spots as Max Brenner, Berkelouw Books Cafe, Black Star Pastry and Buppa's Bakehouse (which I hear is now sadly closed). Guess that's what the holidays are for :D

So when I did get the chance to visit Newtown again, I made it a point to have lunch at Luxe Bakery, having heard about their superlative sourdough and nutritious lunchtime options. I grabbed a few friends, and we ordered a dish each and shared for variety's sake.

There was the antipasto platter:

Luxe Bakery does their own pickling. I saw it with my own eyes - jar upon huge jar of pickled vegetables lining the shelves behind the counter. The ones we tasted here were so good that I asked the staff whether the jars were for sale. They told me very nicely that they weren't at the moment. Does that mean they will be eventually? :D

The antipasto came with a basket of freshly toasted and sliced baguette, brushed generously with olive oil.

My choice from the menu (displayed on a ceiling-to-floor blackboard and updated frequently) was the smoked trout salad. It came with avocado and yoghurt, atop a bed of greens. Beautifully seasoned, well-balanced across the various components, and enjoyed by all three of us.

The last dish that arrived was my veggie-loving friend's order: the eggplant bake.

This was truly a dish for the vegetarians...which only made me want to become a vegetarian! The flavours were all so vibrant and fresh. And, oh my, the colours of everything we ate that day. The visual appeal and superb presentation of all the dishes stimulated our appetites, and the three of us had no problem with polishing everything clean off of the plates...before heading over to Buppa's Bakehouse for peanut butter pie.

Luxe Bakery

195 Missenden Road

Newtown 2042

Phone: 4677 3739