Sea Treasure - Willoughby Road Crows Nest

There is always an air of expectation, excitement and anticipation when visiting a restaurant that has received a coveted SMH Good Eating Guide Chef's Hat.

While I suspect the Chef's hat was awarded for the a-la carte menu, I thought the Yum-Cha offerings would reflect the quality found in dishes served later in the evening. The layout doesn't exactly lend itself to efficient delivery of yum-cha treats and the waiters are made to earn every penny by carrying around piping hot bamboo pots by the half dozen, rather than wheeling around traditional trolleys you will find in Chinatown.

It is a good idea to get into Sea Treasure at 12 or just after as the restaurant quickly fills. Parking on the street is almost impossible to find but close by is a council car park which will give you two hours free parking, enough time for a sumptuous yum-cha lunch.

About 15 minutes into our meal we are already sampling our favourite yum-cha delights. I could taste the freshness of each dish and without a doubt it was as delicious as any yum-cha restaurant in Sydney. As time goes by though, and each waitress comes around we do notice a lot of the same dishes and our 'No Thanks' quite overwhelmingly outnumbers 'Yes we will take that'. Of course you will find those 'special' dishes significantly ups the final price circulating throughout your meal. After a little while we gave up and opted for some dessert. Mango pancakes, coconut jelly and egg tarts were all available and they did not disappoint.

If you are working in the area, again this would satisfy your yum-cha cravings, but if you are looking for a bit more variety, then Chatwsood is 7-10 minutes away and offers a more complete yum-cha experience. Also at $20 per person, Sea Treasure does come out more expensive than it's North Sydney neighbour, Greenwood, yet it is somewhat more relaxing atmosphere to enjoy lunch. Would I come back, Yes! But not for Yum-Cha rather I would opt for a dinner to see whether the Chef's Hat in my eyes is deserving.

Rating : ***

Aqua Dining - Paul & Northcliffs Street North Sydney

Many restaurants claim harbour views among their attractions/selling points, but Aqua Dining must take the cake for best harbour views. Depending on your seating position, the harbour bridge will dominate your vision.
Aqua caters to those after a relaxing dining experience, by providing a balcony. You can soak up some rays, and watch the dedicated and disciplined comeplete laps of historic North Sydney Olympic Pool while you pile on the calories. For a more formal occasion, the main dining room is another optoion and gives you a chance to escape the elements.
Immersed in the views and location of the restaurant, it is easy to forget tha the main objective here is to sample the fare.
My team mate and our director shared a half dozen Oysters. On first inspection, the oysters seemed miniscule and after the tasting complete, there was agreeance that the oysters were less than spectacular. Oysters seemed to be missing flavour.

I was told that the salmon was excellent. Judging by the picture, it's hard to see why this would not be a sure bet. Top and bottom had been seared and the middle was pink throughout. A fantastic creation and the sated look on my team mate's face said it all. The key to this dish is simplicity, yet good food is at its best also when fresh.

My selection was plump Yamba prawns with a fine Italian pasta. Tomatoes along with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar completed the dish.

The pasta was good, the prawns excellent. My first bite of the prawns was a pleasant surprise, as there were punch of taste as well the usual prawn flavour. My only gripe was for the amount of money I was paying, I was not getting much seafood on the plate. Without much trouble, I was able to clear up pasta and prawns.

Wine options are available, and on the dessert list I spotted a 1988 Hungarian dessert win at 195 a bottle. These people either cater to the rich or those on their way to "rich" street.

Bookings for a weekday was simple.

Overall a good dining experience, but given the competitive restaurant market, cost exceeded expecations.

Looking for first date options or the "pop" question venue, this is it!

Rating : ***

Bacino Bar North Sydney

In a first, I am actually going to write a review just about the coffee. Yes, time to dispense with the staid practice of walking to the office kitchen and loading up on Nescafe Blend 43. Go out, grab some fresh air, oh by the way grab a real coffee, though the purists out there would refute the claim that a cappucino or latte is not real coffee and that espresso is the real deal, it is close enough to the real thing.
So why I have chosen Bacino Bar, well quite simply, this the best coffee in North Sydney. It may even be the best coffee in Dee Why and Manly as well, as the establishments bearing this name can be found in these beach side havens. At Bacino the guy that makes coffee, does nothing else. His focus is solely on the coffee, nothing more nothing less. All care is taken in the preparation, so if you are in a rush, perhaps come back later. The wait is well worth it. Freshly ground coffee, Italian espresso machine producing the coffee, warm frothy milk and to top it off real chocolate flakes. First sip and it's perfect, smooth, not too strong, no bitterness, you can also taste the melting chocolate flakes. Coffee heaven!
The half dozen to dozen people out front waiting for their coffee at any given time of the morning confirms that this place is good!
If you are on the northern beaches check out Bacino for a great breakfast as well!

Rating : **** (for the coffee)

La Botte Ercole- Willoughby Road Willoughby

Who says you need to head out Leichardt or Haberfield to get good Italian food. In Willoughby you will find La Botte Ercole. Nestled amongst an ecletic mix of cuisines, this tiny restaurant almost resembles a home and you do feel that you are visiting a friend when Ercole bellows out a welcome on entering the main dining area.
We were seated by the kitchen but that was fine, we knew though that we would be straining our vocal chords this night as the guests to the right of us had obviously already enjoyed a bottle or two of the Italian house wine.
Menu options are many and varied. You have a range of breads, pastas, pizzas and mains. The specials board is full of enticing treats, and it is a shame that I was craving a good pizza.

Our breads arrived promptly, I had chosen the foccacia. Serving size was huge, there were at least 8 pieces of bread. A good start to the meal.

The salmon pasta was perfect. Not too heavy and the freshest of ingredients. It was one of the many specials on the blackboard.


The only negative was that this main arrived about 10 minutes before the other mains, and as it was a family dinner, my sister and I were left waiting for our pizzas while dad launched into the pasta.
On a cold, damp night, I thought some spice would heat me up. My choice was a mexicana pizza. Perhaps not exactly paying homage to Naples, where pizza originates, this looked the best bet.


Olives, peppers, onions, anchovies and sausage. Toppings were delicious, though the only let down was the base and the sauce.
Sure there are better pizzas in town but I still enjoyed the fusion of flavours.
A quality pizza will not leave you bloated and feeling sick and Ercole & Co's creation did not leave me feeling this way.

After filling up on pizzas and pasta, there is always dessert and coffee. I could not resist a cappucino and was glad after taking my first sip. Not too bitter, and nice creamy milk. It was a fitting finish to dinner.
Waiting staff were friendly and helpful. Hats off to our waiter who went through the more than half dozen specials. Ercole is a real character and wanders around injecting his warmth on to every table he visits.
A good honest restaurant that caters well to families and small gatherings. In an immensely competitive restaurant scene, this restaurant does not disappoint.
I would definitely come back to try the specials.

Rating : ***