savory-bites » BYO

Poco Cantina

Jessie — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:09:40 +0000

You could argue that Tex Mex is one of the most popular cuisines in America, especially around Cali and Texas. But in Sydney, where Hispanics are scarce and Taco Bell is sparse, you don’t get many restaurants that serve Tex Mex.

The ones that do serve Tex Mex are surprisingly expensive. Whereas in New York City, I can easily get a burrito for around $4-6, at Poco Cantina, the cheapest was $13.80. Perhaps that was because we were dining in, but…

The place was staffed by only a couple of people, one of which was a young boy who was our server. He seemed to have difficulty in understanding us and kept on saying “no worries” after everything that we said, even if it was our order. He was cool though.

After you order, you get a plate of chips and salsa. Obviously not homemade and you could probably go to Coles and get better ones.

I ordered a combo whereas everyone else ordered enchiladas. I’m not a fan of soggy rice (I’m not sure who is) nor beans, so Tex Mex isn’t quite my thing. I hate it when burritos sit for too long and soak in all the liquid so that the bottom of the burrito gets really wet and soft. So I ended up eating only the top of the burrito.

The guacamole is also a bit disappointing. It didn’t have that freshness I crave for in guac, but once again, it felt as if they bought it from a supermarket and dumped it onto our plates. Nevertheless, Jenny, definitely enjoyed her meal. She went almost 4 months without her soul food.

And, it was Aerina and Whitney’s first time having Tex Mex! It was more for Aerina since she’s going to Texas to study abroad.

52 St Pauls Street
Randwick NSW 2031
Phone (02) 9314 7447

You should also check out:

Rock in Burger

Jessie — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:56:31 +0000

(The Roo Burger!)

What makes a burger good? Is it the soft, fluffy bun capped with sesame seeds? The tender meat with juices flowing out of each and every bite? The crunch of fresh lettuce? The tangy sauce? A burger is so simple; it’s just layers upon layers and yet when each ingredient is perfect in its own form, the burger becomes this explosive complexity of flavors that you crave every once in awhile.

The moment I saw Rock in Burger, I knew I’d come back. I was actually eating my meal at The Rocks Cafe when I noticed this blunt white stand in the middle of the street. It was a shame I didn’t see it earlier because we could have had a great lunch for half the price. We ended up actually coming to this place for dinner a couple of weeks after.
It took one look at the menu to win me over. The only problem was, I didn’t know what to get. I was torn between the Texan an the Kangaroo burger. I mean, to order a Texas burger in Australia is blasphemy especially if the alternative is something you can only get in Aussie. But thank god for Angela, who is a bit more adventurous than I am, and she agreed to give me a bite (or two) of hers. So, I got the Texan and she got the Roo.

The reason why I didn’t want to get the roo is because roo meat tends to be a bit drier than beef. Add the bacon and BBQ sauce that the Texan came with, and the choice was almost made for me. I’m a sucker for bacon and the roo burger didn’t have any, so…. Anyway, the Texan ended up being painfully delicious because afterwards, I was so full I almost regretted eating the whole thing.

You can get a burger for under $10, but fries and drinks are counted separately. Still, their burger is definitely worth it if you’re in the area. Plus, the new Guylian cafe opened across the street. The perfect dessert for the perfect burger.
140 George St
THE ROCKS
NSW 2000 Australia
T: 9241 2883

You should also check out:

Renato’s

Jessie — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:43:28 +0000

Dinnertime here starts around 6pm. It’s tough to find restaurants other than cafes open before 5pm and even tougher if they’re Italian. After our Thursday law class, Jenny and I wanted a BYO meal so we searched high and low on Coogee Bay Road for an Italian place. Only two were open- the first had a mediocre menu and the second looked more appetizing. So that’s how we picked Renato’s.

For the pricing of the menu, the place is a crummy. There is one long booth that runs along one end of the wall where 7 tables are squeezed in between. My problem was they tried to squeeze so much into the space that it was really difficult to get in and out.

Other than that, I was really satisfied with the food. I’d actually never had veal and had to ask the server what exactly it was. So veal is a baby cow and the meat is kept in the dark so it stays tender. The name of the dish was Veal Boscaiola. Boscaiola is just a cream and mushroom based sauce that’s found in Italian pasta. The veal was indeed tender, but it was the boscaiola that made the dish. This sauce had bacon in it.

Jenny ordered their rump steak, which was a bit dry and flavorless for it. The veal and the steak were the same price at $27 each and both come with tender baby potatoes and some steamed carrots and beans. I heard the pasta dishes are good and from what I saw, the portion sizes were huge.

We also brought the red wine we got from New Zealand. Jenny didn’t like it very much so we only finished like a third of it. The rest is still sitting in my closet.

I almost forgot! We got dessert too. Their cakes are decent and served with either cream or ice cream. Obviously, get the ice cream, but be aware that their ice cream is a bit gritty and almost stale (can ice cream even go stale??) Anyway, the slice was overpriced at $8, but oh wells.

237 Coogee Bay Rd
Coogee, NSW 2034

You should also check out:

Tropicana

Jessie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:52:46 +0000

One fine Saturday morning, I woke up to a call from Jenny, asking me if I wanted to join her and Angela for breakfast. Obviously, the answer was a yes. We had planned on checking out some of the cafes on Coogee Bay Road and never seemed to have gotten a chance until now. By 10am, the street was hopping. It was nearly impossible to find a cafe that wasn’t almost fully occupied. We stopped at the first place we saw with an empty table and that turned out to be Tropicana.

Brunches in Sydney are a bit more expensive than I had expected. Your traditional pancakes, french toast, eggs benedict, and the rest will usually go anywhere from $12 to $25. Everything at Tropicana was priced around there. Angela ordered the French Toast (after seeing the waitress serve it to a guy outside) and Jenny opted for the breakfast roll with bacon and egg. I, on the other hand, wanted something small but sweet. Hello chocolate belgium waffle a la mode!

Angela and Jenny ended up getting there food before me. I waited and waited. I think they forgot my order. I finally got my waffle almost 15 minutes later, when Angela had nearly finished her plate. As Fern would say, “not impressed!” Nevertheless, when the waffle came, it was indeed a true Belgian waffle. Drizzled in chocolate syrup and decked with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was almost worth the wait. However, I was deeply disappointed in the ice cream. It was as if the ice cream had freezer burn as it was gritty. I was surprised that it was only $5.50. You’d pay around the same in Brussles, but in Euros and without the ice cream.

Angela also ordered a chocolate milkshake, which was chocolatey, but not as thick as I would have liked it. Overall, the place was decent, but I’d rather check out the other cafes down the road next time.

You should also check out: