Saturday, 31 August 2013

Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria – Rome - Rome, Italy.

Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria

 
 
It was a scorcher of a day with the sun out in full swing but that didn’t stop us from going outside. With my sun hat on, SPF 50 sunscreen slopped on and sunglasses in tow, I was good to go. I think I went a few shades darker from walking around the whole day but it was well worth it and if you know me, I don’t want to get any darker.
 
 
 
 
The beauty of the surroundings in Rome and the history behind everything just blew my mind away. I never would have thought that I would be in Rome, and to be able to witness those amazing sights is mind boggling. The pictures from the internet and the guide books don’t do these attractions justice.
 
 
The first restaurant we stumbled on when walking back from the Colosseum was the ‘Angelino Ai Fori Ristorante Pizzeria’.
 
 Located on a corner, near the traffic lights, it is one of the busiest restaurants in the area, where we had to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a table. We were a bit apprehensive due to the number of tourists in there, but left pleasantly surprised after finishing our meals.
 
 
Both indoor and outdoor seating is available but it most sat outside as the weather was so nice and pleasant. The outdoor seating area is covered with vines and leaves, which gives you a nice shade, and is a welcome from the hot and sunny weather. It’s a nice place to relax and watch the world go by as you feast in Italian cuisine.
 
 
They have one menu with a few different languages, to cater for the tourists including English.
 
‘Pizza Poppea (EUR 10.50)’ is topped with fresh cheese made of buffalo’s milk, fresh tomato and basil. The thin flour base is evenly cooked with a nice and crispy outside. Even though the ingredients used were very simple, they were extra fresh and so scrumptious. It was divine.
 
‘Pizza Al Funghi (EUR 8.20)’ is a popular pizza in Italy as I’ve seen it on many menus. This was topped with tomato, mozzarella and mushrooms. Again, a great pizza with minimal toppings but does its job of satisfying one’s cravings.
 
‘Fettuccine Alla Romana (EUR 9.30)’ was a superb pasta dish. Fresh made fettuccine pasta with a roman style meat sauce on top. Yet again, another simple looking dish but excellently made in all elements. It had the right combination and balance of flavours. It wasn’t bland and had the odd addition of snow peas.
 
 
‘Pizza Puttanesca (EUR 9.20)’ was mistakenly ordered as my friend thought it was a spicy pepperoni pizza. No pepperoni in there! This had tomato, mozzarella, olives, anchovies and chilli-pepper. Nice pizza but I don’t like anchovies in my pizza as it can get very salty. Luckily there wasn’t too much of it and as such, the pizza wasn’t very salty at all.
 
Oh how I love you 'Chilli Flakes'.
 
 
'Still Water' and 'Sparking Water'. No tap water is served here.
No room for dessert unfortunately but I really wanted to try the tiramisu. Looks like I may have to make another trip to Italy in a few years time just to have the tiramisu.
Hands down the best pizza and pasta I had in Europe. Absolutely delicious and scrumptious and till today, I still have images of what it looked like and how it tasted. A popular place for tourist but evidently, the food is very good, tasty and the ingredients used are fresh. One of the friendliest wait staff we experienced whilst in Europe. The waiter we had was not only funny and humorous but also very entertaining.
Great location and excellent food at moderate prices is always a winner for me. If you’re after the real deal, then this is the place to go to if you’re in Rome. A must have in Italy is Italian pizza and pasta and you can’t leave Rome without trying the fundamentals.
 
 
 
Even though it is located close to tourist attractions and the restaurant is filled with tourists, don’t be scared off by this. I highly recommended this restaurant if you are visiting Rome.
 
Where?
Largo Corrado Ricci 40-43A
(Angolo Via Dei Imperiali)
00184 Rome Italy
 
Phone no: +39 06 679 1121

Opening Hours
Open Everyday Except Tuesdays
9am - 11pm

Website
 

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Hurricane's Grill - Brighton Le Sands - Sydney, Australia


Hurricane’s Grill Brighton-Le-Sands


Hurricane’s Bar & Grill are renowned for their huge ribs and mouth-watering steaks. They’ve recently opened up their fifth branch in Brighton-Le-Sands a few months ago. From the main road, it looks like average sized restaurant with minimal glass windows.

 
It is not until you walk inside that you actually notice how big it is and the number of diners it can accommodate. Glass windows are a plenty so no matter where you sit; you should get a glimpse of the beach outside.


In the warmer months, sitting outside would be perfect as you can bask in the sunshine. The view is absolutely picturesque as you get a full blue sea view of the bay with the occasional airplanes flying in the background.

 
We chose to sit outside as it was fairly warm on the day but with the sun was pointing in the opposite direction; there was no sun on us. There was a slight breeze which made it cold and after a request, the staff turned on the outdoor heating not too long after and that definitely made us feel warmer. However, I don’t recommended sitting outside when it chilly, as the food gets cold really quickly.

 
I’ve actually tried the steak back a few years ago at the Hurricane’s in Darling Harbour, but found that there was nothing special about the food and that it was an overpriced piece of meat. I never had an interest in going back till To To picked this new Hurricane’s for our meet up, located not too far from where I reside. She is a big fan of Hurricane’s and frequents it at least once a month to either have their ribs, steak or a combination of both.

Complimentary ‘House Bread’ is served fresh and hot from the oven. Add a dollop of butter and wallah, you get yummy bread. Unfortunately, you only get one small roll between every four diners and as a table of five; we only had the one to share.

As a starter, we shared the ‘Garlic Mushrooms ($12.00)’ as recommended by To To. Champignon mushrooms prepared with fresh garlic, olive oil and garlic butter. That sauce at the bottom is oh so delicious. If only we had more bread to scoop up that remaining sauce at the bottom of the dish.


This time around I order the ‘Half Rack of Pork Ribs with Chips ($34.90)’. With the price comes the high expectation that it will be good, very good. My rack of ribs was unfortunately overcooked. It was burnt and charred at bits, which meant the meat didn’t fall off the bone as it should have.  Chips were good though. Crunchy and crispy chips dipped with that BBQ basting sauce from the ribs.  The half-rack was the perfect size for me and I commend those that can finish a full-rack, including To To, as this is a feat in itself.

‘Steak and Ribs Combo ($44.90)’ included half a rack of ribs and a short cut sirloin (200 grams).Plus a side of ‘Mushroom Sauce ($2.50)’. Miss Shopaholic was very hungry before she ordered but struggled to finish her meal due to the enormity of the dish.

‘Chicken and Ribs Combo ($44.90)’ included half a rack of ribs and Portuguese chicken. Tall Boy said that the local charcoal chicken tasted better than the chicken he had.

‘Fillet of Tenderloin ($39.00)’ with a side of ‘Pepper Sauce ($2.50)’ is an eye fillet. It’s known to be the most tender of the beef cuts with a juicy, mild flavour. Was this piece of meat worth its price tag? Miss Strawberry believes it was and enjoyed her dish and she is usually one picky eater.  She not a big eater and didn’t end up finishing her chips, but these were happily eaten by To To and me, even though it was no longer crunchy.
Those that had ribs at the table, had the same opinion and found their ribs slightly overcooked. Disappointed with the food but the good company and that amazing beach view made up for it.
Funny thing is, the steak orders got switched around which meant one person ended up with a well done steak while the other ended up with the medium when they ordered the opposite.


'Coca Cola ($4.00)'.
 
Great place for lunch and dinner meet ups but relatively expensive. The chef who made our ribs on the day must have not been paying too much attention. You’re paying for the good food (most of the time) and the beautiful view is definitely worth it.

Book ahead or be prepared to wait on Friday nights and weekend dinners.
Where?
The Grand Parade,
Brighton Le Sands NSW 2216
Australia

Opening Hours
7 Days a Week
Lunch
Monday – Friday
12:00pm – 3:00pm
Dinner
Monday – Friday
5:00pm to Late
Saturday – Sunday
12:00pm to Late

Website
Hurricane's Grill Brighton-Le-Sands on Urbanspoon

Monday, 26 August 2013

Merritt’s Mountain House Dining Room Restaurant – Thredbo - Snowy Mountains, NSW.

Merritt’s Mountain House Dining Room Restaurant



The cold is in full effect this month and I thought I should get this post in before the snow season ends soon.


A weekend at Thredbo, an Australian ski resort within the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, meant a fun filled weekend of snowboarding and indulging in not so healthy food.

If you’ve been to the snows before, either Perisher or Thredbo, then you know that the price of food is expensive there. They overcharge on everything including snacks, food and drink and this restaurant we went to was no exception.


Merritt’s Mountain House is located at the bottom of the Cruiser Chair and at the top of the Merritt’s chair lift. The only way you can get there is by taking the chair lift up or skiing/ snowboarding down the mountain. 



From the top, the restaurant looks like a little, cosy, wooden cottage and you just want to get into that warm dining room with the heater on.

 

 
Once you walk inside, it’s rustic and gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling.

 

European market styled restaurant that serves hearty, comfort food, perfect for the chilly cold. A range of dishes are available such as fresh baked pretzels, lamb shanks, ribs, soups, laksa, pizza, spaghetti, German sausages and burgers. They use fresh ingredients and these dishes are made to order. 



The ‘Bratwurst ($19.00)’ is a German dish consisting of three sausages, sauerkraut (fermented finely cut cabbage), mashed potato and mustard sauce. Found the mustard sauce to be overpowering and strong but that is the traditional sauce it is usually served with. A whole lot of meat in the sausages and this dish may be too much for one person. 


The ‘Spaghetti Bolognaise ($17.00)’ may look like a plain, boring dish but don’t be deceived by how it looks. Well cooked pasta topped with a scrumptious meaty tomato sauce. Crack of pepper and chill flakes on top makes this a cracker of a dish.

It costs more to eat up here than at the first level but it’s totally worth the experience, watching people ski down the slopes and the gorgeous snowy mountains in the backdrop makes it feel like you’re at the Swiss Alps.  And for this you are paying the premium.

You can't leave Thredbo without trying the freshly made donuts.




This store is located at the base of Thredbo.



The 'Coffee ($3.50)' and 'Cinnamon Donuts ($1.20)' are just superb. Warm, soft and melt in your mouth donut with a cup of frothy coffee keeps you wide awake for the day.  

Where?
Thredbo Village
NSW 2626
Australia

Phone no: 02 6457 6084

Opening Hours
Snow Season
8:30am – 4:30pm

Website
www.merritts.com.au