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Creating delicious works of edible genius from Izy.Aki’s diminutive kitchen, owner Darren Templeman and head chef Bonnie Yu have levelled up Sydney’s omakase scene.

This is omakase, but not as Australia’s seen before.

As we sit down at the counter that takes up most of the narrow restaurant — very much like the izakayas of backstreet Kyoto — Christina and I ponder how this instantly feels different to other omakase experiences we’ve had.

Far less formal and a more relaxed pace, Izy.Aki is more about enjoying the atmosphere, chatting to the staff and taking your time over a dish.

Not only is this more conducive to a romantic dinner, it also allows you to appreciate the sheer attention to detail. Here, the experience is all about you and your evening.

This is kappo yakiniku omakase.

What is kappo yakiniku omakase?

The Japanese trend of omakase dining has taken Australia by storm, pushing the popular degustation dinners of the 2010s out of the way with a sumo shove.

Born in the 1980s when businessmen had neither time nor inclination to choose their meals, Tokyo C-suiters would task the chef with omakase — ‘I leave it up to you’. The kitchen would then present what they had on hand to the busy diner.

Sydney has since adopted this style of eating with vigour, but Izy.Aki is taking things to the next step.

If you haven’t heard of kappo yakiniku omakase before, don’t worry; this is a first for Australia.

Kappo means ‘to cut and cook’ and yakiniku refers to the charcoal grill used in particular restaurants. So instead of being primarily sushi and sashimi focused, kappo yakiniku is also about grilled meats and personal service.

Our 10-Course Omakase at Izy.Aki

We slip into our seats at the long white marble bar that stretches out to the back of the room and squeezes everyone in at the elbow.

From here, we can see everything going on; every cocktail stirred and sake poured, and the parade of dishes prepped, plated and presented along the bar.

We love this kind of dining.

Beginning with a couple of superbly crafted house cocktails (Christina has an Izy-groni and I’ve gone for a Nip on Molasses), we settle in and watch the show.

It’s important to note that Darren and Bonnie change their menu all the time so expect different things than we’re detailing here. Regardless, you’re still guaranteed a spectacular dinner.

Dish 1: bluefin tuna tartare

Soon, our first dish — the first of 10 — arrives, and it’s clear that although the atmosphere and service is relaxed here, the menu takes itself pretty seriously.

There’s no such thing as scrimping or sub-standard ingredients. The food focuses on finest form and best quality, and in this there is no compromise.

The mound of jiggly red and orange cubes turns out to be bluefin tuna tartare and dashi jelly, and the snow on top is none other than shavings of pate de foie gras. Flavours are intense and almost peppery, with delicate textures of tuna that become even more tender when we get to the jelly.

Dish 2: The Egg

Izy.Aki’s signature dish and a real wow moment of the meal.

This is a free range hen’s egg that has been emptied then refilled with a wonderful array of flavours. Smoked eel, more foie gras and golden trout roe create a dish of incredible depth of flavour; rich, salty, packed with umami, yet light as air with the occasional pop and bite from the roe.

The shell has been perfectly scalped using a weighted cutter that head chef Bonnie enthusiastically shows off to us.

It’s little wonder why this dish has made such waves on the internet.

Dish 3: Sashimi time!

Plated with infinite delicacy, these three perfect tokens of wild kingfish from Ulladulla come with a salad of okame seaweed, edible flowers and red salmon roe. Dotted on each of them is an emulsion of house-fermented black garlic.

This isn’t as zesty or fresh as I was expecting after the opulence of The Egg. Instead, the silky richness and umami from the exquisite combination of flavours keeps the savoury ball rolling.

Dish 4: Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi is a kind of savoury egg custard and is traditional for kaiseki ryori (a multi-dish meal). However, Izy.Aki has pushed back against convention a little, serving theirs cool or at room temperature rather than piping hot, making this dish quite refreshing.

The dollop of real oscietra caviar on top is only just the start of the lavishness of this dish. Below, bathing in the silken custard and seafood dashi are pieces of pomelo, scallion and shredded Alaskan crab.

The ensemble brings sweetness, savoury notes and sharpness under the banner of the velvety custard.

Dish 5: Seafood Soup

With a base of seafood dashi — a great start to any aqueous dish — the luxury of abalone, octopus from Fremantle, Patagonian prawns and fresh lotus root make this so much more than a mere soup.

Dish 6: Lobster Tail

The extravagance keeps on coming as Darren brings us each a whole lobster tail from WA and Misty Valley mushrooms.

You’d expect the mushrooms to play second fiddle to the lobster, but not here. Having said that, the lobster is superb; tender, sweet, flavourful and perfectly cooked.

Keeping everything together though is the rich unctuous sauce made with house-fermented chilli butter. If this had been at home, I’d have licked my plate.

Dish 7: Beef Brisket

Somehow, Darren and Bonnie upstage the previous dish yet again with a monster of flavour: this 12-hours slow-cooked beef brisket that’s been finished on the yakiniku grill is so tender you can pull it apart with your fork.

The fat that rendered from the beef has been used to cook the delicate green cauliflower blossoms, and the rocher of mushroom miso butter creates such a range of profoundly deep flavours it’s almost overwhelming.

Dish 8: Wagyu Sirloin

Just when we think we’ve reached the deepest depth of flavour, Izy.Aki takes us to the Mariana Trench of umami with a beautifully grilled black opal wagyu sirloin (MB9+) from Victoria. The yakiniku grill has worked its magic again with this cut, creating the perfect Maillard crust on the outside while keeping the middle pink and tender.

With the steak comes a range of condiments — two types of freshly grated wasabi, a sour tamarind sauce and a fermented soy bean chilli, which I could just spoon up on its own. As a side (because we need more food!) is a bowl of house-fermented white kimchee and saffron fronds.

As Darren explains, this is a kind of choose-your-own-adventure thing, where you can pick how your steak tastes with each of the delectable condiments. This is a real wow dish.

Dish 9: Dessert #1

At first sight, we think this could be the one that kills us: a big scoop of rich dark chocolate cremeux, yoghurt sorbet and crunchy puffed rice.

However, this is a well-balanced dessert that’s surprisingly fresh and zesty. It somehow scratches the sweet itch after all these super savoury dishes, but is also far less filling than it looks.

Dish 10: Soufflé

The final dish is a real centrepiece. Rising high about its ornate pot, the Hokkaido matcha and raspberry cheesecake soufflé is really something to behold.

Freshly baked and puffy, the top hides a secret stash of gooey cheesecake and raspberries at the bottom, so it’s important to push your spoon all the way down.

This dish has changed my mind about matcha, which I never really held in high regard before. The creamy quenelle of mascarpone ice cream adds texture and a lovely hot-cold contrast to the soufflé.

Sake at Izy.Aki

I think it’s important to point out the bar here at Izy.Aki is not only packed with some outstanding spirits (there’s even a bottle of Sullivan’s Cove here), but its sake options are almost endless.

We finish with some junmai ginjo sake, which is earthy and funky, yet still fresh and clean. The sake is decanted into a silver vessel then poured into silver cups. The bottoms of the cups are smelted into the zodiac signs of the Lunar Calendar, which is a fun touch.

I must say, I do love the artistry and pageantry of omakase.

Along with the convivial service of a restaurant that leans halfway towards a Kyoto izakaya and halfway towards slick Paddo experiential dining, Izy.Aki’s omakase does all the thinking for you, bringing you a meal you never thought you needed.

The only problem now is all we can think about is going back for more!

We dined as media guests of Izy.Aki, but our opinions and experiences remain our own.

The post Romantic and Intimate — omakase dining at Izy.Aki, Paddington appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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While the fine-dining scene has been working through some things, growing into its next life stage, Atelier in Sydney’s Darling Harbour has been ahead of that particular curve since it opened in 2017.

Atelier’s intimate, service-forward ethos brings out the feeling relaxed refinement and luxury that most other top-end restaurants are still wrestling into place.

It’s that fine balancing act of harnessing the traditional without being stuffy, the high-end without being snobby, the elegance without the side eye.

Read our full review of the Sofitel Darling Harbour here.

Dinner at Atelier in Darling Harbour

Being part of the Sofitel Darling Harbour, you expect Atelier to have that ‘just another hotel restaurant’ vibe, but that’s not the case here.

None of the usual hotel trappings that tend to leak out into the dining experience at Atelier. This is a self-contained in-its-own-right restaurant that attracts just as many people not staying in the hotel as actual guests, if not more.

Having said that — and this is my only reservation with Atelier — entering the restaurant is a bit… strange.

From the maitre d’ station at the entrance, you have to walk through a large room full of empty tables and chairs before you get to Atelier. This is where the hotel serves breakfast and it just feels a bit uncomfortable, a bit deserted.

The kitchens are also in the breakfast room, which is a shame. These are open kitchens and it would be nice to feel a bit more connected to them during dinner.

The food coming from the distant kitchens, however, is excellent and the atmosphere in Atelier proper is cosy and convivial.

Entrees

Choosing entrees at Atelier is actually quite challenging; but that’s what happens with a paradox of choice. You want everything, but because of that, you can’t pick one.

After lengthy negotiations, we settle on the charcoal-grilled octopus from the kitchen’s specialised Mibrasa grill, which acts as a combination grill and oven. This specialised Spanish oven sears, cooks and smokes all at the same time.

The octopus is butter tender and comes with a kind of ratatouille, though there’s a freshness and crunch in the capsicum and a light creaminess too. On top is a wonderfully velvety saffron sabayon that slowly collapses on itself adding richness and umami.

It’s a clever dish that can only come from a kitchen that knows its stuff.

We also order the O’Connor black angus beef tartare. Christina and I have made a pact that if there’s ever a tartare on the menu, we have to order it. Boy, are we glad we did this time.

Quite possibly the best we’ve had, this tartare is really something. Dressed to impress, the steak is plated with tiny geranium leaves, parsley and edible flowers. For the all-important acidity, the kitchen has gone with pickled onion petals as well as capers, and the egg has been confited until it’s slightly gelatinous.

Buried deep inside the tartare is a rich remoulade, a kind of gently spiced mayonnaise, that brings a voluptuous creaminess to the ensemble.

We each have a glass of La Comtesse Chardonnay from Mudgee-based winery De Beaurepaire that cuts through the richness of the entrees, but also has a lovely creamy body all of its own.

Mains

Because of the kitchen’s special Mibrasa oven, we feel duty-bound to order a steak (yes, it’s a tough life, isn’t it) and it turns out to be an excellent decision.

The black angus tenderloin (cooked rare) is a thick generous cut. The Mibrasa has given the outside a beautiful crusty char while the inside is red and rested.

In terms of sauce, I have opted for the confit garlic and herb butter — basically a luxed-up cafe de Paris — but to be honest the steak doesn’t need it; there’s so much flavour and juiciness here. However, it does go well with the duck fat roasted Andean sunrise potatoes.

One of the other unique things about Atelier is the kitchen dry ages its own ducks. You can see them hanging in the cabinet next to the Mibrasa.

Of course, this influences our other choice of main: the dry-aged corn-fed duck breast from Moorabool Valley near Geelong.

The duck breast is perfectly cooked: pink where it should be, bronzed like a Greek god everywhere else. While the meat is quite salty on its own, the glossy rocher of apple sauce is acidic enough that it balances everything out to the point of buoyancy.

With our main meals, we have a glass of De Beaurepaire’s Perceval Pinot Noir and a bold Grenache from the Other Wine Co in McLaren Vale.

Dessert

Somehow our server Gabriela convinces us to squeeze in dessert, specifically the Vietnamese dark chocolate, coconut, pandan and mint delice.

We’re apprehensive at first, but it turns out to be a lovely dessert. I’m not a fan of pandan, but its delicate floral flavour works well with the coconut and mint.

Gabriela also treats us to a glass of De Beaurepaire Botrytis, which blends so perfectly with the sharpness of the mint and the depth of flavour of the Vietnamese dark chocolate.

This is an outstanding dining experience, full of romance and wonderful food. Atelier is the perfect place for a romantic meal or to celebrate a special occasion.

We dined as media guests of Sofitel Darling Harbour, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post French Fine-Dining in Sydney — Atelier by Sofitel appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Bangkok is one of those great paradoxical cities of the world where the only time you should be surprised is when nothing is out of the ordinary. It’s a place of the unexpected, and the hotel bar of the Four Seasons in the riverside district of Sathon illustrates my point to a tee.

As we disgorge from the taxi into the sweltering heat of the Bangkok afternoon, Christina and I breathe in the warm air before stepping into the delicately scented air conditioning of the hotel’s beautiful lobby.

We’re here to check out the watering hole of the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River: the BKK Social Club, recognised as one of the world’s best bars.

Since 2022, this bar has won a swathe of awards: 14th best bar in the world, 10th best bar in Asia, number one in Thailand… an impressive haul, but we’re curious to see what the best bar in a city like Bangkok looks like.

BKK Social Club, Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

We pass slowly through the hotel, elegantly decorated and interestingly furnished. The gleaming white marble floors give way to occasional water features that trickle and tinkle behind subtle music and the muted chatter of other guests.

Winding our way to the back of the hotel where the broad milk tea waters of the Chao Phraya River sweeps by.

On our right are tiered pools that step down towards the riverbank, but on our left is the bar itself: the BKK Social Club with its grand dark doors flung wide for us.

Check out our other stories that explore Bangkok, its nightlife, food scenes and accommodation here!

This is our favourite food tour to do in Bangkok!

Click here for the best prices on Bangkok accommodation!

Once we’re welcomed in and seated in a comfortable booth, we take in the majesty of our surroundings.

Hugely vaulted 5m ceilings hold up beautiful art deco lights. Hanging from scalloped pendants that glide into gilt geometric patterns, this pairing of colonial Latin America and traditional Southeast Asian architecture is so striking.

From the ceiling, towering columns glimmer in the low light, while the bar gleams golden along the back wall. Along both sides of the room, booths like ours sit under high-arched facades, and the middle of the bar are tables and comfortable lounges.

Food and Drink at BKK Social Club

As we sit down, a non-alcoholic welcome drink and some snacks arrive on our table. The drink seems to be chilled rosella but with a flare that gives us an insight into the wonders within the pages of the cocktail menu.

As for the food, the bowl of crisp veggie chips and mini tacos of corn and chipotle make us realise that we’re actually quite hungry.

Round 1

Soon, our cocktails come out: a Carratera and a Jimador. The Carratera is a smoky yet balanced mezcal negroni blended behind a wall of coffee vermouth and the sweetness of pineapple Campari.

The Jimador, a tequila cocktail, is fresh and perfectly balanced with its flavours of citrus and pistachio.

To go with our delicious cocktails, we have beef tartare on wonderful little discs of purple corn tostada that crumble rather than crunch. The beef is diced to finely it’s almost a paste then mixed with smoked capsicum and eggplant, cipolline onion and guacamole.

We also have some soft tacos filled with the most incredibly tender barbecue pork belly. The dish is smoky and moreish, and the hint of spice from chimichurri goes perfectly with our tequila and mezcal cocktails.

Round 2

For our second round of drinks, we go barrel-aged with the Pique and the Since 1942, Don Julio Old Fashioned.

Named after the World Cup mascot from Mexico 1986, this clever cocktail is like biting into a crisp apple, bringing out all the rich flavours of the Japanese whisky while the touch of heat from the Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur warms you from the inside.

Using decedent Don Julio Extra Anejo tequila, Since 1942, the Don Julio O.F. is easily the most expensive cocktail on the menu and the most opulent too. Along with this exquisitely balanced old fashioned style drink comes some serious food theatre flex that only the Four Seasons could think of.

Borne on a silver platter, the cocktail’s only garnish is a perfectly clear ice block with the bar’s insignia melted into it. Next to the thick crystal tumbler is an amuse bouche of pandan jelly and a bump of beluga caviar. It’s a crazy drink, but the flavours gallop and party in your mouth for days.

We’re not finished yet!

Just as we’re about to leave, we’re told there’s a leaving drink. We should finish with a frozen margarita. The fruit changes every day (today’s is strawberry) and — to quote our server — it’s “the tastiest, booziest frozen marg you’ve ever had!”

I tell you what, she was right.

And while we’re quoting people here, these are some of the snippets of conversation we overhear during our visit to BKK Social:

• “That’s the best cocktail I’ve ever had.”
• “Every cocktail tonight has been perfectly balanced.”
• “That’s one of the best smelling bathrooms I’ve ever been in.”

If that’s not enough to convince you that this is the best bar in Thailand, I don’t know what will.

The BKK Social Club is a superlative bar, completely in tune with Four Seasons’ ability to create a bar worthy of any world-class city’s drinking scene, but that fits with this city’s identity perfectly.

We visited the BKK Social Club as media guests, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post World’s Best Bars To Visit — BKK Social Club, Bangkok appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Sydney’s Inner West has long been synonymous with craft beer. Its Inner West Ale Trail has processions of thirsty pilgrims marching the streets of Marrickville, Enmore and St Peters every weekend.

But now it’s our distilleries’ turn.

Running from Balmain and Rozelle to Lilyfield and Marrickville, the Inner West Distillery Trail is more than just a bar-hop around the suburbs — though you can do that if you want!

It’s more like a treasure map littered with Xs and each one has its own liquid booty (that sounded better in my head).

Check out our video of the Inner West Distillery Trail – a rendition of the video that now sits at the top of the Distillery Trail website:

Follow the Inner West Distillery Trail

Going from north to south, here are the distilleries you’ll find on the Inner West Distillery Trail.

Blackwattle Distilling Co – their Classic Dry Gin is a winner

This little ripper is secreted round the side of a courtyard in White Bay in Rozelle, almost next door to where White Bay Brewery once was.

These guys don’t have a full bar licence (yet), so front of house is not much more than a couple of barrels where you can taste Blackwattle’s delicious spirits and a shop, but this is a great start to the Trail. Blackwattle’s Classic Dry Gin is the one to look out for, winning Best in Class at the 2025 Australian Gin Awards.

Red Mill Rum – for their Stout Cask Rum

Just across the road from the Rozelle Bunnings on Mullens Street, Red Mill Rum is such a striking distillery.

Taking up an enormous warehouse that was once used as a munitions store in WWII, Red Mill’s home is now packed with barrels, rum and history lessons. Book a private tour to get down amongst the barrels, taste their goodies and learn more about this distillery that has a history going back to 1933.

My favourite rum here is the Stout Cask, packed with lovely roasted oats and chocolatey goodness, but everything here is outstanding.

I took some mates to Red Rum recently. Click here to see how it went.

Otter Craft Distilling and Bar 26 – for food and cocktails

If you want ‘tucked-away’, you need to visit OCD and its superb front-of-house bar. Hidden in the back streets of Lilyfield and through a door that feels like you’re going into an apartment block, Bar 26 gives ultimate speakeasy vibes.

While the juice here is supremely well made (limited release Shiraz barrel whisky and mesmerising Gold Leaf Vodka especially) and well mixed into meticulous cocktails, the food at Bar 26 is off the charts.

House-made woodfired pizzas, and charcuterie boards full of carefully sourced meats and cheese are a knockout.

Lily Fields Distilling Co – for G&T and a roll

While the actual still of this distillery is based elsewhere, Lily Fields’ bar is in one of the best spots possible.

Prime position on the garden side of Leichhardt Bowls Club (which in its turn is just on the Lilyfield side of the Leichhardt border), this bar is the perfect spot for a cheeky G&T or two and a barefoot roll with friends.

If lawn bowls aren’t your thing, grab a table close to the bar and work your way through the cocktail menu of this award-winning gin distillery.

Moonshiner – for a great range of gin (and people-watching)

This tiny gin bar has burrowed right into the middle of Marrickville’s brewery district. In spite of its small stature, the range of gins and liqueurs on offer here is astounding.

With so many different types of gin featuring everything from cumquats to walnuts to gin rested in ex-maple syrup barrels, it’s worth coming for a tasting session or at least a couple of cocktails.

What’s more, the tables in the little street-side courtyard make for superb people-watching while you sip!

Poor Toms – for food and their Sydney Dry Gin

Part beer hall, part ’80s disco, this distillery, pizzeria and gin bar is a perfect spot for friends to get together in the heart of Marrickville.

We met owners of Poor Toms – Jesse Kennedy and Griffin Blumer – in their first premises when they were just starting up all the way back in 2017!

Poor Toms make some delicious gins, masterfully stirred into cocktails by friendly bar staff, and the permanent collab with Oltra Pizza adds an extra highlight on the Inner West Distillery Trail.

Ester Spirits – for gin tastings and pure creativity

There’s something about Ester Spirits that makes me feel like I’m in the inner circle of hospo secrets. This cool distillery bar in Marrickville has the mix of grit and glamour just right.

Ester turns out some pretty special spirits such as its highly awarded Strong Gin to its Old Tom, which took home Best in Show at the 2025 Australian Gin Awards. Ester’s gin flight tasting is a must, where you get generous pours of four different gins and liqueurs as well as two cocktails.

Unexpected Guest Distillery – for quirkiness and their London Dry Gin

Full of fun details and artwork, Unexpected Guest Distillery and its bar is a lot of fun.

Not only does this central Marrickville bar have a wonderfully comfortable vibe, it’s home to some outstanding gins as well. Indeed, their Bobby’s London Dry Gin notched up the highest score of all Aussie gins at the vaunted London Spirits Competition in 2025.

Eureka Distilling – for liqueurs and whisky

Although these guys don’t have a visitable cellar door, the spirits they make, not far from the banks of the Cooks River and the southern border of Marrickville, are excellent.

Look out for Eureka’s gins, vodkas, rums, whiskies and liqueurs in all good bars and bottlos around the Inner West or shop online.

Click here to start your trip along the Inner West Distillery Trail!

The post Get Into The Spirit Of Sydney’s Inner West — following the Inner West Distillery Trail appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Close to New South Wales’ southern border, Merimbula and the beautiful Sapphire Coast is home to some of the best seafood in the country.

Long famous for its Sydney rock oysters and seafood, the region has also developed a strong culinary reputation. Restaurants on the Sapphire Coast all seem to be able to turn the incredible local produce into unique, masterful dishes packed with flavour and creativity.

Tidal Restaurant and Wine Bar, which opened in 2021, is in the hands of partners Chef Gavin Swalwell and Fiona Myers, both of whom have a long list of venerated venues in their resume.

We visited Gavin and Fi at Tidal during the annual Eat Merimbula food festival in March and were lucky enough to enjoy their Seafood Extravaganza dinner event.

Obviously, this event is not available all year round, but the a la carte options, which change seasonally, offer a whole range of delightful dishes we will definitely be exploring the next time we’re in town.

Tidal Restaurant and Wine Bar—Seafood Extravaganza

The airy restaurant, with its wide windows open to the sea breeze and ocean views, has a lovely atmosphere. Tables, which are politely spaced around the restaurant and none are parallel, soon fill with excited patrons.

Gavin and Fi are at the door and welcome us to our seats

We start the evening with cocktails. My Manhattan and Christina’s Hugo Spritz are not only delicious, but surprisingly affordable. A glance at the menu reveals one of the best priced drinks lists we’ve seen—especially in such a fine venue with this kind of location.

Cocktails are all under $20, the wine we choose to go with dinner (local Pinot and Riesling) are $10 and $12 respectively, and even the single malt whisky is kind on the wallet; a tot of Hellyers Road Pinot Noir Finish will let you back just $12.

Dish #1

Dinner is to be a multi-course degustation showing off the flavours of the region. There are also some guest speakers we’re looking forward to hearing from, but to start off with, our entree of scallop wrapped in prosciutto arrives.

It’s a great start. Somehow, the prosciutto is crisp while the scallop within is perfectly cooked. Plump and juicy. And the corn puree underneath is velvety and sweet. It’s an eloquent dish that shows just how good the kitchen is.

Dish #2

Next is a dozen rock oysters from nearby Narooma with a barrel-aged mignonette. The onion in the mignonette is a bit chunky for my liking, but the oysters are so creamy and full of mineral qualities, and the barrel-ageing of the vinegar are beautiful.

Before the next course comes, we’re entertained by the evening’s guest speakers: Mick ‘Banjo’ Young, who runs Banjo’s Oyster Farm, and Ryan Morris, who is a second-generation abalone and sea-urchin diver for ATSSU Divers here on the Sapphire Coast.

They both have such interesting stories to tell.

Banjo talks about the difficulties he’s faced being an oyster farmer for over 33 years (and how he can play the banjo) and Ryan explains how it takes at least 17 people in the chain to process a single sea urchin.

It puts in perspective our previous dish and what we’re eating now.

Dish #3

Laid out on a plate, Southern Ocean tuna carpaccio has been sliced so thinly it’s transparent. And crowning the carpaccio is a lobe of sea urchin that melts into creamy liquid as you cut into it.

These two combine into such a delicate mouthful that embodies the flavour of the sea.

Dish #4

The last of the savoury dishes comes out next, and what a dish it is. Each person is served their own half a Sydney rock lobster from Narooma with a butter sambal on a bed of bok choy and watercress.

There’s just so much tasty tender meat in these lobsters. And to make it easier for everyone, they’ve been prepared by the kitchen with all the meat extracted and put back into the shell.

Dish #5

Next, we see the sweet skills of the kitchen come out. From berries grown in the restaurants own garden, the strawberry sorbet palate-cleanser is something else. The flavours from this sorbet are extraordinary and the texture is almost gelato-smooth.

A beautifully crafted leaf-shaped biscuit tuille somehow accentuates the strawberry flavours.

Dish #6

Finally, the last dish comes to us: baked peach and Chantilly cream, topped with a shard of toffee and a plump glossy toasted meringue. What a dessert this is. Real food artistry.

We leave Tidal feeling perfectly full yet not overindulged. The warm breeze floating over the inlet charms us and we fairly float home to our bed in the Hillcrest Motel looking down over this wonderful coastal town.

We dined as guests of Tidal Restaurant & Wine Bar and of Eat Festival, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Seafood Extravaganza at Tidal Restaurant, Merimbula NSW appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Let’s face it, ‘going bush’ doesn’t mean what it used to. I mean, you can still grab a swag and a full water bottle, and trek into the big green yonder if you want, but you don’t have to.

As we travel through Kakadu National Park, one of the most magnificent natural treasures of Australia and a place we’ve been lucky enough to visit more than once, Christina and I are struck by how easy it is to get around.

We find immaculate roads, clear and relevant signage, and—as we pull into Cooinda Lodge—the realisation that ‘roughing it’ no longer needs to be part of your travel vocabulary in Kakadu.

That’s not to say this isn’t wild country or that you won’t experience the Australian Outback as it should be.

It’s just easier.

Book your accommodation in Cooinda here.

What is Cooinda?

Historically a central hub for explorers visiting Kakadu, Cooinda started out as a ’tent store’ in 1964. When crocodile hunter and self-proclaimed ‘bushy’ Tom Opitz, and his Londoner wife Judy set up shop, Cooinda was little more than a supply stop for adventurers to this remote part of the Top End.

Slowly, the site, whose name means ‘happy meeting place’ in Bininj Kunwok, developed into a motel of sorts, though most travellers stuck with their tents.

These days visitors can (and do) still camp here, but exploring the grounds of Cooinda, it’s clear that things have changed beyond anything that Tom or Judy would recognise as their pioneer whistle stop.

Everything—from basic camping to high-end luxury retreat-style safari lodge glamping—is available here. And with that, so the food offerings are just as wide-reaching.

From coin-op self-catering barbecues and a food truck (actually, the fish and chips from the Too Deadly Takeaway is superb) to Mimi’s Restaurant, serving a range of bush-tucker inspired dishes, there’s something for everyone, which is kind of the point of Cooinda.

Mimi’s Restaurant, Cooinda Lodge Kakadu

As we take our seats at our pretty table, which is laid with native flowers, a locally-made scented candle and an Aboriginal artwork tablecloth, restaurant manager Chon comes to show us some gins from Willing Distillery in Darwin.

The G&Ts he serves us go down a treat, cooling our blood and awakening our palates. The Desert Lime Gin is bright, sharp and herbal though with a drive of anise flavour that I’m not so keen on, but the Kakadu Plum and Quandong Gin is sweeter with more juniper and a floral finish that is excellent.

Willing Distillery is the most northerly distillery in Australia, just round he corner from Darwin Airport. But unless you’re in Darwin or Cooinda, you’re not likely to find this stuff. In fact Chon had to go to Darwin in person to pick up these bottles.

For dinner, we’re being treated to the tasting plate, which showcases the best of the bush tucker offerings here at Mimi’s.

It’s a wonderful medley of local meat: buffalo, kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi.

Mimi’s Tasting Plate at Cooinda Lodge

Rum Jungle Buffalo Fillet and Bush Tomato Chutney
This is the first time we’ve tasted buffalo, and it comes as a thick-cut steak. It’s juicy and beefy, but with a slightly gamey finish. It’s the robust, satisfying meat I was hoping it would be

Kangaroo Fillet and Mango Quandong Chutney
The kangaroo, sliced into thin minute steaks, is delicate, surprisingly tender and has no gaminess at all. This really shows the talent of the kitchen

Salt and Pepper Crocodile and Lemon Myrtle Aioli
Fried in a tempura batter, the crocodile goujons are wonderful. Deliciously chewy with a crisp coating and a light, delicate flavour

Paperbark Barramundi with Mixed Marinated Olives
Smoked in locally sourced paperbark, the barramundi is incredible. The smoking has enhanced the light flavour of the fish rather than overtaking it, which you’d expect

This all comes with a bowl of very satisfying fries and spiced slaw.

As for dessert, we’re presented with exquisite domes of panna cotta, decorate with sweet fermented native bush apple and a sharp dusting of powdered Kakadu plum.

What’s the rest of the food like at Cooinda?

While we’re here, Christina and I get a chance to try all of the food outlets, including the special menu that Head Chef Phillip Foote creates every now and again. It’s well worth having if there’s one of these menus available when you’re here.

For us, it’s the Taste of Full Moon menu, which is a riff on our tasting plates and with full servings rather than the small portions we had.

As we mentioned earlier, the fish and chips (and the crocodile tacos Christina orders) from the Too Deadly Takeaway food truck is to die for, but the absolute standout for me is my dinner from the Barra Bar and Bistro.

The diner side of Mimi’s (you order from the kiosk outside rather than a la carte table service inside), the Barra Bistro has many of the pub classics on its menu.

My chicken parmie burger is quite possibly the best chicken burger I’ve had. Crisp crumbed tender chicken, perfectly melted oozy cheese, a generous serve of pickles, creamy tasty slaw and a bun that can somehow hold it all, plus a huge pile of fries—I’m in heaven.

Of all the things we were expecting to be impressed with on this trip of a lifetime to Kakadu, the food has surprised us.

I’m not saying only come to Kakadu for the food, but when you do come here, you might as well leave your billy tea and your damper kit at home!

We dined at Cooinda Lodge as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and NT Tourism, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Fine-Dine On The Wild Side—where to eat in Kakadu appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Just past the stairs down to the silver rows of Bimbadgen’s wine tanks and gantries, we’re welcomed at the door to Esca by a smiling maître d’.

The restaurant’s busy tonight.

From young, dressed-up couples on a date to old friends in flip-flops relaxing over a meal and a bottle from Bimbadgen’s cellar door, the spectrum of diners adds to the ambience.

Light floods in through the windows lining two sides of the restaurant, but not for long. As the late sun sets and Blue Hour sets in, the twinkle of golden lights on each table bring more romance to the atmosphere.

Check out our quick video of our Signature Experience:

Our table looks out through the glass wall to the wide balcony, where more diners are enjoying the afternoon air and their front-seat views over the vineyards out to the distant mountains.

In the courtyard below, the wood-fired pizza oven has fired up, the soft sounds of music and casual diners trickling up to us.

Esca Bimbadgen—fine-dining in the Hunter Valley

Esca’s a la carte option is a three-course-minimum situation, where you can choose from the different dishes in vegetable, seafood and meat sections (as well as a dessert and cheese menu).

You can then add drinks to your meal as and when. In fact, estate wine is at the same price as the cellar door on the ground floor, which is refreshing especially for a restaurant of this calibre.

The other dining alternative, the one we’re here for, is the Esca Signature Experience.

Esca Bimbadgen’s Signature Experience

Designed in collaboration by Esca’s Head Chef Keira Madeley and Bimbadgen’s Head Winemaker Richard Done, the Signature Experience is a five-course dinner matched with six wines.

Things kick off with a glass of Bimbadgen’s Sparkling Cuvee served with slabs of pillowy focaccia and rich house-made butter. There’s also a little pot of pink salt, though the colour comes from infusion of Bimbadgen Shiraz rather than any trace minerals.

We’d be happy enough if there were just five courses of this, but instead the first course arrives.

Woodfired peaches with duetto—a blend of mascarpone and gorgonzola cheese from Binnorie Dairy in the Hunter. This light yet satisfying dish pairs perfectly with a similarly light and fruity Vermentino from Bimbadgen’s new Grower’s Range.

From here, it’s a delicious flurry of food. Salmon gravlax with sauce gribiche, confit chicken with a spiced sauce and roasted chickpeas, and veal tenderloin, cooked rare, on a bed of delightfully chewy pearl couscous.

Glasses of Bimbadgen’s Chardonnay, Semillon and Shiraz Viognier bring further depth to the food. And each dish reciprocates, developing each wine beyond its glass.

We finish with a glass of Bimbadgen’s Late Harvest Semillon—a dessert wine for sure, but its residual sugar, far from being too sweet, is tempered by the grapes’ natural acidity. A real flex from Richard!

With this wine comes a shallow bowl of summer stone fruits and browned butter on creamy yoghurt which is in turn floated on a delicate mint emulsion.

It’s an elegant end to the meal, and although we’ve had so much food and drink, we leave feeling sated rather than stuffed. Such is the skill of the open kitchen, who we’re able to than as we leave.

Esca Bimbadgen, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Open: Lunch—Wed-Sat from 12pm, Dinner—Fri and Sat from 6pm

Pretty much all wineries offer food these days. From an easy-going cheese board to go with your tasting to the full bells-and-whistles of a hatted fine-diner that stands apart from the winery.

Esca always seems to have at least one eye on the wine at all times. With all the dishes here, you get the impression that they’re designed with the vineyards in mind.

And this is what makes Esca. It’s a symbiosis with the winery that creates a wonderful depth to your experience at Bimbadgen.

We dined as media guests of Bimbadgen, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where To Eat In The Hunter Valley—Esca Bimbadgen appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s hard to know what the most remarkable thing is about The Blue Door, a fascinating 18-seater restaurant in the heart of Sydney’s Surry Hills.

Perhaps it’s the laser focus owner-operators Angelica Nohra and Dylan Cashman have on New South Wales produce or their passion for sustainably and ethically farmed ingredients.

Perhaps it’s the extraordinary 15-page wine list that features almost entirely Aussie wines (barely a dozen are from other countries and three of those are NZ wines), 99% of which are from within NSW.

Maybe it’s the unique way the confoundingly creative dishes are served here—you receive a delectable degustation train of tasting plates throughout the evening, each with its own resonant story.

Or maybe it’s the insane fact that these guys change their menu. Every. Single. Week.

The more you think about it, the more it makes you blink.

How a kitchen can even come up with enough ways of cooking things at that kind of frequency—let alone master the dishes to the point where everything you eat is a soul-moving sensation—is a bomb to the brain.

The Blue Door, Surry Hills

Things kick off at The Blue Door with bread to share. But true to their style Angelica Nohra and Dylan Cashman make even this simple, traditional dining gesture an experience.

Angelica explains that the bread is from their own sourdough starter that’s travelled around the world with their baker. There are also two brown dinner rolls the kitchen makes by grinding up any extra sourdough from the day before.

Also on the table and beneath a ceramic cloche hides a rich puck of unsalted cultured butter. And the unsalted part is important. With the bread, a board arrives loaded with what looks like four different-coloured crystals.

Are we having some faith healing with dinner?

No, these are different types of rock salt from Pakistan, Persia, Bolivia and India. They’re the only part of any dish that Blue Door serves that’s not Australian, but the food theatre is worth it. You grate you own salt for your bread and butter, and we’re told to “be noisy and obnoxious about it” too.

The different salt is amazing—four very different flavour profiles—light and almost citrusy to dark and spicy.

Next is The Blue Door Snack Attack, an exciting spread of five different dishes that range from locally sourced sliced meats to startling ‘fish scales’. These deep-fried strips of fish skin curl up as they cook and the attached flesh goes spiky. They’re crunchy, salty and like nothing we’ve eaten before.

And we haven’t even started the seven courses proper yet!

Dining Done Differently

Make no mistake, this is fine-dining; the quality of the food and creativity of the restaurant’s concept dictate it. But the relaxed nature of The Blue Door puts you at ease.

With over seven dishes coming to your table, you’d expect an arsenal of silverware. But here your cutlery comes stacked in a block and you’re told to ‘create your own adventure’ in terms of what you eat with. It’s not only refreshing, it gives you license to enjoy the experience without feeling watched.

You can choose to have the matching wines with your meal or not—in fact, this is the only decision you have to make during the evening. But you can also share the wine pairing too.

You can bring your own wine if you want, though Angelica, a trained sommelier, will ask for a taste—for purely research purposes of course. The only caveat is that the wine must be good enough that The Blue Door would have it on their menu, so no box wine and no cleanskins!

The Blue Door has two sittings, which isn’t unusual. However, no one arrives at the same time for each sitting. We’re the first people in for the 5.30 service (the second begins at 8.15) and we have the place to ourselves for the first half an hour or so.

Tables progressively fill up as the night draws on and it’s fun to hear each cover receive the same instructions and descriptions we’ve already been through. We hear them make noise, grate that salt, be weirded out by the fish scale snacks, and marvel at the passion and skill that this little restaurant harnesses.

What’s The Food Like At The Blue Door?

Going into detail about every dish we’re served won’t really be helpful; by the time you read this, that menu will be dead and gone. It’ll have changed even before we’ve finished writing.

But here’s a taster, as it were.

Before we’re served our dish, Angelica comes with the first matching wine to explain her choice and how it pairs with the food to come. She paints a picture of why the 2021 Riesling from Jessop Wines in Orange works so well with the sashimi we’re about to have.

Until this point, we didn’t know we’re having fish.

The wine not only works with the sweetness of the reef fish that the fisherman Chris Bolton, who catches each fish one at a time on a hand line (as in not even a fishing rod), but it melds with the nuttiness and oils of the macadamia and sunflower seeds.

Ok, so the sashimi comes with nuts and seeds too, ay?

And as we delve further into the meal, we catch glimpses of each upcoming dish with each wine. We also learn more about the restaurant, buying whole animals, breaking them down and using everything. They also work with no-till regenerative NSW vegetable farmers, who grow their crops naturally. Other details emerge like the chickens that go into the exquisite terrine come from a farm where maremma dogs keep them safe.

It’s a flawless meal—indeed, calling it a meal undersells The Blue Door. It’s an experience, a journey through pastural NSW and the spectacular produce we have at our fingertips here.

It’s also a performance of scintillating cooking skills from the open kitchen that works hard behind us while we relax and embed ourselves in the food narrative of the region.

We dined as media guests of The Blue Door, but our opinions and experiences remain our own.

The post What’s Behind The Blue Door? The degustation restaurant where NSW is the hero appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Set amongst the vines and rolling lawns of Tower Estate Winery in Pokolbin, Tower Lodge strikes a grand pose, packed with Spanish elegance and subtle European nuance.

The great antique carved timber front doors open into a terracotta floored reception replete with carriage clocks, silver-handled walking canes and even a piano in one corner.

Check out our video walkthrough of Tower Lodge here:

Once checked in, we’re taken through to the impressive drawing room with its magnificent fireplace and well-stocked bar, where we’re left to relax with a glass of bubbles.

There’s a lovely level of detail to this hotel.

The broad coffee table, surrounded by comfy armchairs and couches, has everything from boardgames and books to vases and Gillie & Marc ornaments, and the lofted ceiling with its great-hall style exposed beams only adds to the grandeur.

At the back of this room, hidden behind a floating wall, is the lodge’s vaunted restaurant, Sebastian. But more about the restaurant later.

Check up some of our other stories on the Hunter Valley:

• 15 Hunter Valley Cellar Doors That Only Locals Know About
• Escape To The Chateau – Where To Stay In The Hunter Valley
• 10 Things To Plan For When You Visit The Hunter Valley
• Vamp By Lisa McGuigan – A Cellar Door Like No Other
• Uncork The Extraordinary – A World Beyond Wine-Tasting

What Are The Rooms Like At Tower Lodge?

As we pass into the central courtyard, the hacienda feel of the hotel really kicks in.

Columns hold up the veranda roofs of each wing of suites. At the centre fountain tinkles, and more terracotta tiling and white granite bricks pave the way down towards our suite.

To one side, another water feature bubbles away, on the other a timber deck with a tree sunk in the centre traps the sun.

It’s not a huge leap to imagine you’re in a beautiful villa somewhere in the Basque countryside.

Where To Stay In The Hunter Valley—Our Estate Suite

Through the tall double doors of distressed antique timber, the room is a bright open space. Its lofted ceilings and tonal decor reiterate the luxury we enjoyed in the drawing room.

The same dark rich terracotta tiles from reception and the courtyard are throughout our suite too. They work well with the warm whites of the rendered walls, and the greys and taupes of the soft furnishings.

There’s a low coffee table and comfortable lounge as we walk in (we both also make a mental note of the backgammon set that we’ll be setting up after dinner) and to our left the bed. It’s set up some steps, elevated from the lower part of the suite, which adds to the grandeur.

Through a doorway behind the bed is the walk-in wardrobe and then through to the bathroom.

The shower, equipped with Leif amenities, looks very welcoming, but it’s the deep, sunken bath that really catches our eye.

Interestingly, there’s kind of stable door that opens from the head of the bath through to the other side of the bed where you can look out over the rest of the room.

It doesn’t make sense at first, but then we realise it connects the room and the bath perfectly. In fact, you can even have a view outside if you open the back door too.

This back door opens out onto views across the grounds and over to the vineyards of Tower Estate and to our low-walled veranda, where we can sit, enjoy a glass of wine and admire the view across the lawns.

These lawns are a favourite spot for kangaroos, especially in the mornings and at dusk.

But as we said before, all these elements create a lovely place to sleep, but it’s not only the high ceilings or the deep-fill bath, the throne-like bed or the heavy oaken doors that make up the luxurious feel here.

It’s the attention to detail.

It’s the beautiful iridescent tiles in the bathroom, it’s the oil paintings and other artwork that hangs from the deep plaster of the walls, it’s the frieze above the bed and the elegant lighting throughout the suite that make all the difference.

Book your stay in Tower Lodge’s Estate Room here.

Sebastian Restaurant at Tower Lodge, Pokolbin

Sebastian Restaurant is more than just a nod to Spain’s celebrated Basque Country, the kitchen uses techniques and flavours inspired by this incredible food destination of northwestern Spain.

Sharing the high exposed-beamed ceiling with the drawing room that we first came into with our welcome drinks, Sebastian has a light airy feel that could easily feel echoey and empty.

But thanks to careful decoration and an intimate yet well-spaced seating plan is cosy without feeling squashed in.

From the wonderful four-course menu, Christina chooses the rich and sumptuous Basque fish soup with fried caper, saffron and herbed sourdough for entree.

I go for the sweet and juicy seared scallops and tender pork cheek with puffed crackling and cauliflower puree.

For mains, Christina has the perfectly French-trimmed lamb cutlets with an indulgent eggplant puree, cauliflower tabouli and tangy yoghurt.

My main is the impressive Basque-inspired beef tenderloin, cooked perfectly to medium-rare, with spiced beans, chorizo and a potato tortilla.

Finally, our desserts, threatening to finish us off rather than the other way round, come. Christina’s deconstructed Basque cheesecake with meyer lemon, sable and plum gel is incredible—baked to perfection with dots of the various gels and sauces highlighting the savoury sweetness of the cheesecake.

My warm chocolate frangipane tart with salted caramel, poached pear and vanilla ice cream is almost my undoing and we stagger the mercifully short distance back to our suite, discarding the ambitions of backgammon we’d had earlier.

It’s a superb meal and one that justifies Sebastian’s reputation and Chef’s Hat awards.

Tower Lodge’s Pool & Sauna

We don’t often talk much about a hotel’s pool, but this one deserves a bit more of a mention.

Set aside from the main complex, the pool area is surrounded by a high circular wall. Inside, apart from the long lap pool, is a sauna steam room, roofed area and bar.

It’s here more than anywhere at Tower Lodge that you’re transported to your own private villa in the hills above San Sebastián, your own slice of Spanish paradise.

We stayed as guests of Tower Lodge courtesy of Scarborough Wines, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where To Stay In The Hunter Valley – Tower Lodge and Sebastian Restaurant, Pokolbin appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s hard to imagine how the incredible experience of visiting the sacred Australian landmark of Uluru can be improved.

Maybe ‘improved’ is the wrong word. Perhaps ‘enhanced’ is better.

Either way, Tali Wiru—the four-hour romantic fine-dining experience at the top of the rippling sand dunes that lap at the feet of Uluru—does exactly that.

To put it in more quantitive terms, Tali Wiru was awarded the prestigious 2025 Hospitality NT Gold Plate Award, taking home Restaurant of the Year and the award for Tourism Dining.

It also holds a coveted?Chef’s Hat from the Australian Good Food Guide, making it the?highest-rated restaurant in the Northern Territory?and the?only open-air restaurant in Australia to receive a Chef’s Hat.

Check out our quick 90-second video of Tali Wiru to get an idea of just how beautiful this experience is.

What Does Tali Wiru Mean?

Collectively referring to themselves as Anangu, the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people of Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the surrounding area, seemingly love an understatement.

Even their name—Anangu—means simply ‘people’, yet theirs is the longest surviving continuous culture in the world.

When we discover that Tali Wiru translates merely as ‘beautiful dune’ there’s an opportunity to anticipate underwhelm.

But we have the inside track.

The day before, we witnessed the launch of the largest permanent ongoing drone show in the world in the sky above Uluru. It tells part of an ancient song line of Anangu history and is their most impressive project.

However, it’s just called beautiful view—Wintjiri Wiru in Pitjantjatjara.

So we know Tali Wiru is going to be something remarkable.

What Should You Expect At Tali Wiru?

After an exhilarating off-bitumen drive in the monster-truck style minibus from our hotel in nearby Yulara out into the desert, we’re greeted by our hosts for the evening.

As we climb the gentle slope of the sand dune, with the desert sun nodding its head towards one horizon and Uluru bathing in the golden light on another, we’re struck by just how unique this dining experience really is.

Along with welcome drinks come superb canapés made with native ingredients.

Proteins like kangaroo, Morton Bay bug and yellowtail kingfish are accompanied by ingredients that are exotic to us, but are locally sourced and foraged here.

Bush tomato, finger lime, wattle seed and Davidson pear, ice plant, quandong, samphire and desert lime all work to create impressive layers of flavour that belie the size of these exquisite morsels.

We enjoy the full colours of the sunset while a didgeridoo player gives us the appropriate soundtrack and a chef from the kitchen tucked into a tiny shack talks us through the ingredients they’re using tonight.

But then it’s time for the main event.

Up a lit pathway, we find—at the top of the highest dune—tables laid with white table cloths and silver, and the crystal glassware shines in the evening light.

We take our places at this almost ethereal dinner, where we’re served amuse bouche and entrees match with fine wines from across Australia. Mains come with the theatre of a grand reveal from under metal cloches and the feast continues.

Venison, lemon myrtle, toothfish, muntries, 6+ marble wagyu beef and Australian truffle in various dishes on the menu make choosing our meals very difficult, but ultimately unimportant. Every dish that comes from the little kitchen is perfection.

For once, food envy doesn’t rear its obnoxious head at the table.

Dessert comes all too quickly and we wish we could stay up here forever. Options of a chocolate device, dessert honey and Kakadu plum mousse or a cheese board give us one last troublesome decision to make, then it’s time for some stargazing.

As you can imagine, here in the desert’s pristine air away from city lights, the constellations are brilliantly bright.

Aided by a professional stargazer and his phenomenally powerful laser pointer, we explore our galaxy while we digest.

Before we head back to our hotel transfer, there’s one last pleasure to enjoy: a seat at the campfire with a drop of dessert wine or digestif, and we talk to the didgeridoo player from earlier while he shows us some indigenous artefacts and traditional tools.

The whole evening is more like a dream that all too soon ends and we’re rumbling back to town, stomachs full but hearts even fuller.

We experienced Tali Wiru as media guests of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

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