Cold Rock

@ 64 King Street, Newtown

**Sadly missed. Cold Rock wasn't taken over by another food outlet, instead a beauty parlour has been erected in its place. No time for reviews. Too busy eating.

Mix it and smash it. That's the premise of Cold Rock. The first one that popped up in Sydney (as far as I'm aware) is in Haymarket and was a local ice cream hole for me during my university days. These days, it's easier to pop down the road to my local Cold Rock for a smash up sensation. The beauty of this venue is - it has seats indoors. Made up like a ice creamery, the booths are coloured blue white and red and work perfectly for this Cold Rock.

Sporting all your usual flavours (from bubblegum to peanut butter) and your usual mixes (like chocolate and gummy bears) if you don't know how Cold Rock works, then here's the lowdown. You choose your flavour, you choose what "toppings" you'd like to mix it with. Then, they get smashed together and slabbed into a tub for you to eat. If you're on the tail end of King closer to Sydney University seeking ice cream, this is the place to go.


Times hit: 1

Burgerlicious

@ 215 King Street, Newtown

There are three "burger" places in Newtown and Burgerlicious was the first. The menu is quite extensive and the service is fast, you can choose to have chips or salad with your burger or, alternatively, you can go the skinny mini and order the bunless burger. The downside to this, you still have to pay the same price as if you ordered a normal burger. And once the bun is taken away, is it even still a burger? Oh, the philosophical talks we could share on that one!

Talks aside, these are burgers and they're good. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, they're nothing fantastic, amazing, but they do the job. If I had to choose one of the three though, Burgerlicious pales in comparison with Burger Fuel's eco-friendly appeal and Moo's gourmet mega burgers. Come for the name and the fame that is Burgerlicious, but don't expect any profound revelations upon leaving this establishment.

Times hit: 3

Good Wok

@ 587 King Street, Newtown

Good Wok confirmed two things I love about Chinese food. 1. It's cheap and 2. It's fast. This tiny diner is hidden behind a sliding door and serves up all your typical Asian dishes from chow mein to laksa and then some. On a tight budget and desperate to get home asap, I order a "special box". It's $7 of meat/vegie and rice goodness. Just choose between beef, chicken, pork or vegies, then choose one of 10+ sauces to douse it in and sit and wait. 

Less then five minutes later, a girl comes round with a bag and hands me my order. It's heavy. I look inside and ontop of my meal, I've been given that complimentary bag of prawn crackers. One word: score!

At home, the meal is warm and just what I need. Sure, it's nothing special and nothing I couldn't have whipped up myself with the bother and the ingredients, but for $7 it's a pretty good deal. The sauce is glorious, the vegies substantial - although I'm not partial to the stumps of bok choy of which there were quite a few - and the meal polished in under 15 minutes.

Times hit: 1

Alberto's Pizzeria Restaurant

@ 589 King Street, Newtown

Tucked quite a way down King Street is Alberto's Pizza. I was met at the door with an elderly Italian man (Alberto himself perhaps?) who casually welcomed me in. Wondering in, this pizzeria is replete with Italian flags and memorabilia, making it feel like an Italian home. Being a party of one my order was small, a taste test if you will. One Margarita pizza to go. 


I was told it wouldn't be a long wait. It wasn't. About 10 minutes later dinner was served. I ate it up in a matter of minutes the moment I arrived back home. It looked burned on the top, which was a little disappointing, but in a strange turn of events, worked to its advantage. What had happened was a layer of cheese had infused itself between the burned top layer of cheese and the base making it quite a treat. The cheese was awesome, the size perfect (a small) for one and the service wonderful and friendly. What let it down was a lack of consistency. Of my eight slices of pizza, in only two could I taste the oregano and garlic. Overall, for a $8 grab and run it was a good experience.

Times hit: 1

A Coffee and a Yarn

 @ 413 King Street, Newtown

**Sadly Missed. This was a lovely idea, but unfortunately it couldn't last. Looks like we'll have to survive on wool art in Newtown again.

I love the idea of this place. It's packed full of yarn, knitting needles and knitting books. They provide classes on knitting and they leave half stitched works around for you to "stitch a line" while you dine.

Brimming with colour and flair, this cafe is hard to miss. And although I was thrilled to take my camera through its paces amongst this rainbow of colour, the food was sadly lacking. My coffee was about 80 per cent froth and 20 per cent coffee and the brownie I ordered was standard, small and cost a little over $4!

Go for the atmosphere, but don't expect anything exceptional from the food.


Times hit: 1

2042

@ 403 - 405 King Street, Newtown

Named after the postcode for Newtown 2042 is a huge expanse of a cafe. Broad wooden benches line the pathway, comfortable sofas sit just beyond the doorway and inside are lines of tables and chairs. It's a great place to go for a morning cuppa and doesn't deter solo diners.

The counter sits at the back, adorned with an array of sweet treats. I chose a seat closer to the front on a scorcher of a morning, on the side, hiding behind a front column. It was comfortable and afforded me a good view of the street and the rest of the cafe. 

The service was slightly delayed though, when it began, was delightful. The coffee was nice, the french toast was a little soggy but extremely filling though, because it did feel so heavy it's doubtful I'll be ordering it again! (Shouldn't have doused it in the maple syrup, should I?) Overall it was a nice experience and I'm sure I'll be returning for a heartier meal soon.

Times hit: 1

Green Palace Thai Vegetarian

@ 182 King Street, Newtown

On the outside, Green Palace doesn't look like much. There's a counter at the front filled with desserts and on the side, a sizeable row of hot steaming takeaway food you might find in a food court. Inside, the chairs look cheap as does the flooring.

This is a classic case of how looks can be deceiving.

The served at Green Palace has never disappointed. They're always extremely attentive and the food served within a reasonable amount of time. At the front is a quick sticks takeaway section, but plonk yourself down and you'll be served piping hot meals from the kitchen out back.

The first time I visited this little shack of a restaurant, I was craving Thai and this was the closest thing. Yes, it's vegetarian and even has soy ice-cream on the menu, the food however is great and the prices reasonable. True, they're not the cheapest you can get for Thai food nor the best presentation, but for the taste, it's worth it. The family's even become a regular consumer of the durian sticky rice, which, I must admit, I enjoyed immensely the first time I tried despite my aversion to the fruit.

Soy fried ice cream - weird but good!


Times hit: 3
 

Darley Street Bistro / Botany View Hotel

@ 597 King Street, Newtown

Fancy a fancy bistro? Darley Street will do it for you. Found closer to the St Peters side of things, the second you look at the menu for Darley Street Bistro, you'll understand why I believe calling it "pub grub" is an insult.

 

After ordering in traditional pub style, we headed up the stairs into the dining area. Surprisingly quite large, it opened into a outdoor courtyard, which was full and stretched quite far. Though narrow, it oozed with intimacy and a relaxing atmosphere.

After a wait of something close to half an hour, we were called to collect our dishes: Hand made ravioli with goats cheese and pumpkin with roast peppers, lemon and parsley gremolata and topped with shaved grana padano and Darley Street corned beef braised in honey, American mustard and peppercorns served on Parmesan mash with Dijon cream, spinach and asparagus.

The ravioli was delicious and light and packed full of flavour whilst the corned beef was soft, flaked right on the touch and filling to boot. But not filling enough to pass up on dessert. After one of the servers at Sole Espresso discovered my love for chocolate, he suggested I try this baby out. 

It's a triple brownie stack and must be shared at all costs. Brownie, ice cream, brownie, ice cream, brownie, ice cream and a strawberry on top. If you like your brownies moist then I don't recommend this. If you don't mind chewie, nutty and chocoately, then give this a go. Technically, it's called a chocolate, pecan and rum tower and is worth saving your stomach for.

Times hit: 2

Urban Bites

@ 58 King Street, Newtown

Early in the morning or late at night, it's hard to pass Urban Bites and NOT see it open ... or packed! While I've not tried their coffee in the morning (it's long due though!) I have stopped by for a number of meals over the years and have fond memories of my time spent warming up to their outdoor heaters with good company and great food.


The food is your typical cafe food, made well and eaten without complaint. But what really makes Urban Bites is the atmosphere (an indoor and outdoor courtyard area built of wooden chairs and tables, promotional posters and even a tip jar/sculpture made of foreign money) and the people. The servers are friendly, funny and extremely easy going and accommodating.


My latest venture to UB was after an Indian dinner. The group was on a mission: chocolate. Max Brenner was packed as is usually the case on a Friday night, so after gaining a couple of blocks we found ourselves tucking into an Oreo cake and a number of chocolate infused tarts. Delicious, heavy and well presented. The photos speak for themselves:

Times hit: 5

African Feeling

@ 1/501 King Street, Newtown

When first we passed this place, we thought it was closed. Dimly lit, it took a while for this place to fill up on a Wednesday night. But come 7pm it became pretty packed.

Decorated with patterned tablecloths and artwork that covered the walls from floor to ceiling, the feeling is definitely African (excuse the pun). We were served promptly however were waiting near an hour for food. There was only one chef working that night and try as he did to get the food from pan to plate efficiently, many of us questioned the waitress (again, only one for the evening) on when we could expect our meals to arrive. She was extremely apologetic and it was hard to be angry or place the blame on anyone for the situation.

What I loved about the menus was not only the variety (food from across the country from East Africa to West Africa to Ghana to Nigeria) but the fact that they divulge in mentioning where each dish comes from. On our order was Kpoff-Kpoff dumplings (Nigeria), Ladies Fingers (West Africa), Kuku Na Nazi (East Africa) and Tanzanian Chai and Kenyan Tea.

The meals felt lightly flavoured and although the portions didn't seem huge, they were immensely filling. The dumplings were wonderfully warm and the ladies fingers nice and spicey. If you're a fan of coconut, the kuku na nazi is not to be missed and is pleasantly addictive.


Times hit: 1

Top Level

@ Level 1, 196 King Street, Newtown

**Sadly Missed. Here's another one that wasn't good enough to last. It's not a Korean BBQ. I'm biding my time eating here. I have a feeling something new will replace it soon (sorry).

It's official. Newtown is inundated with pizza places. From Gigi to Doughboy to Ice + Slice to Eagle Boys to Dominos, shall I continue? Here's another called Top Level. This woodfired pizzeria sits ontop of Tamana's Indian Eatery and used to be the restaurant part of Tamanas. For whatever reason, this closed and was taken over by Top Level a number of months back. And while on the outside Top Level might look appealing, the second you begin walking up those steps, the level of cheesiness behind this restaurant becomes all too obvious.

The first thing you'll notice while walking up is a board, glowing in neon lighting. Have I said enough yet? Making this pit stop late at night, we were the only customers in this establishment. The decor is modern meets tacky/cheap and though the area is spacious enough to accommodate a function, the appeal of eating pizza in such a place just isn't there. As we arrived for a late one, we tucked into dessert instead. Gelato of three different flavours: vanilla, chocolate and caramel. In fact, they were the only three flavours available.

While the ice-cream was rich and the service delightful, the dessert was overpriced at $9. Maybe one day I'll return for the pizza, but with so many choices available I'm afraid the quality would be overshadowed by more appealing establishments.

Times hit: 1

Smash Sausage Kitchen

@ 512 King Street, Newtown

It was bound to happen eventually. For months I've been walking past this closed Vietnamese restaurant wondering when the "for lease" sign would be taken down. As of yesterday it has. 

In its place is Smash Sausage Kitchen. While searching for some Vietnamese pho to warm us up last night, my friend and I stumbled upon this newly opened restaurant and decided to pay it an inaugural visit.

Decorated with a shock of lights, cushions and high wooden chairs, we were instantly impressed. The menu sports a variety of dishes, but there was only one choice for the both of us - the "smash". If you're a fan of good ol' bangers and mash, then you must try this. Similar to Italian Bowl, the basis is you "create your own" bangers and mash meal. With eight different types of sausages, six flavours of mash and three gravies - variety is the spice of life.

Smash up: Chicken and macadamia sausages, caramalised onion mash and mushroom gravy

Smash up: Beef and rosemary sausages, sweet potato mash and traditional gravy

The meat was robust and the potatoes creamy and delicious. The macadamia added an interesting crunch to my sausages while the sweet potato mash was as smooth as can be! I especially like how they separated the gravy from the main meal, allowing us to pour and consume at will.

For $18 it was a good deal and the two of us were left feeling ultimately full by the end of it!

Times hit: 1