Gerrale Street Kitchen - Cronulla - Sydney, Australia

I'm taking a short break from my holiday posts as its been a while since I last posted about a local restaurant. I think it's about time I do and what better way to get back into it by blogging about a cafe in the Shire. The place I call home.

Gerrale Street Kitchen is a new kid on the block, located on you guessed it Gerrale Street in Cronulla. One street away from the sandy shores of the beach, it's follows the open kitchen concept and associates itself with LA dining trends. That is, the inspiration comes from the casual fine diners in LA.

The design and layout is simple, open and airy. There is plenty of natural light going around and definitely Instagram worthy. Best of all there is lots of seating (200 to be exact) and you don't have to queue on a weekend for breakfast most of the time. I'm too use to waiting over half an hour for a table at popular cafes in Sydney and sometimes leaving disappointed with the quality of the food.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their all day menu is not very extensive but there is a variety to choose from.

Having consumed a Vietnamese pork roll for breakfast, I decided a lighter lunch option would be preferable. The 'Warm Belgium Waffles ($15.00)' were delightfully presented. You may be thinking dessert for lunch? It does work and I really enjoyed the flavour combinations. Not just prettiness on a plate.

Wonderfully crispy waffles topped with whipped cinnamon ricotta, yuzu curd and raspberries. The fluffy ricotta balanced out the sweetness of the waffles and the yuzu curd gave it a zesty hit. Yummy!

The 'Fresh Canadian Stack ($15.90)' is made using brioche bread and then topped with smoked bacon, banana, maple, pecan crumble and mascarpone. The addition of bacon gives it a savoury component.

While it was nice and had good flavours, there was no wow factor unfortunately.

My friends and I particularly liked the 'Fresh House Blended Juices($7.00)'. The first one is a mix of watermelon, apple and mint. The second is a mix of orange, pineapple, mint and lemon. Both were refreshing.

How could one leave without having coffee? Not as strong as one would like but a decent cuppa.

If you live close by or don't mind the drive down, do give this place a try and see it for yourself. A bit too chilly for a swim at the beach but perfect for walks on warm and sunny days. The casual setting and nice ambience of the cafe is a plus. That woodfired pizza is calling me...to be back for dinner one day.

Where?
19-21 Gerrale St
Cronulla NSW 2230

Phone no: 02 9523 4111

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00am - 12:00pm
Saturday - Sunday
7:00am - 12:00pm

Website
www.gerralestkitchen.com.au

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

www.hurricanesgrillbls.com.au