Kill The Cold With Comfort Food
When winter strikes and the weather turns damp we all need a little comfort. So when it rains on your parade, seek a little ray of sunshine and check out our guide to Sydney’s finest comfort foods for the winter season. (In no particular order)
1. Neighbourhood – Mac n Cheese
It’s full-on Americana, creamy and rich, and deliciously smoky due to the weird but wonderful inclusion of blue swimmer crabmeat in the sauce. And the best part is you can have it in a sandwich or in a tin! That’s right, you can literally have a Mac n Cheese jaffle, which has got to be one of the most comforting combos of all time!
http://neighbourhoodbondi.com.au/
2. Grandmas Bar – Jaffles
Grandmas Bar describes itself as a ‘retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded granny glamour’. We’re not sure exactly what that means, but what we are sure of is that the jaffles are to die for. Served on vintage crockery that looks as if it should be accompanied by a doily and tea in a fine china teacup, the jaffle is simple, humble and as comforting as a fire on a cold evening.
http://www.grandmasbarsydney.com.au/
3. Vasco Bar – Gnocchi
What’s more comforting that eating carbs? Eating two kinds of carbs! Gnocchi – that elusive and wonderful pasta-potato hybrid – is sure to fill you up and cheer you up. At Vasco Bar, it’s served with Gorgonzola and rucola (a Wednesday special) or Bolognese, and it’s heaven on earth. And for extra comfort points, it’s served with a glass of vino or the beer of your choice.
http://www.vascobar.com/
4. Palmer and Co – Matzo Ball Soup
Jews are brought up on it and European grandmothers worship it – matzo ball soup is the go-to Jew comfort food. Light, chewy matzo balls in hot, strong broth will warm you from the inside out, and chase away those winter blues. In face, the entire menu at Palmer and Co is based on Manhattan-style Jewish meals – and if it’s food enough for God’s chosen people, then it’s good enough for me!
http://merivale.com.au/palmerandco
5. Miss Peaches – Gumbo
Gumbo originated in Louisiana in the 1800s, and has been comforting people worldwide ever since. At Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, you can even get it with eggplant and zucchini if you happen to be one of those pesky vegetarians. It’s spicy, delicious and comes in a bizarre range of flavours to tickle your tastebuds – smoked brisket, catfish, fried polenta dumplings or corn. Dig in and soak up the warmth.
http://neighbourhoodbondi.com.au/
6. Jonny Wong’s – Dumplings
The food menu is small, so take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to spend hours trawling through a huge menu. The pan-fried Shanghai-style buns are pleasantly warm and heavy in your stomach – like settling under a warm doona in reverse. There’s sweet, there’s savoury and there’s everything you need to cheer yourself up. P.S. Johnny himself said, “The only good reason to leave the house in this weather is the $1 dumpling.”
https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyWongsDumplingBar
7. Pocket Bar – Crepes
The crepes come to you all wrapped up like the world’s best-smelling Christmas presents. If you want them savoury, the smoked ham will knock your socks off. Or, if you’re hungering for something sugary, then the mixed berry, house mascarpone and truffle honey is for you. And if you’re feeling wild, the sweet-and-savoury crepe will cheer you up like nobody’s business.
http://www.pocketsydney.com.au/
8. The Wild Rover –Sausage Roll
As Irish bars continue to outnumber the number of Irish people in Australia’s fair capital, it’s become clear that while nobody can drink like the Irish, apparently nobody can make pie like them either. The Chicken Potpie and the Spiced Lamb Sausage Roll, with genuine Irish people telling you that there’s no better sausage rolls anywhere.
Wild Rover
9. La Rosa – Ravioli
The ravioli at La Rosa is almost incomparable. It’s spinach and ricotta in Napoletana sauce – just heavy enough to fill you up and just light enough to be delicious. It’s flavoursome, it’s morish and it’s handmade – you’ll want to cosy up, order more and stay longer just because you’re so comfortable.
http://www.larosabarandpizza.com.au/
10. Low 302 – Paella
What’s better than a plate full of warm deliciousness on a cold day? A whole panful of it. Paella Thursdays at Low 302 are sure to beat your winter blues and comfort you with a whole lotta authentic Spanish flavour. Get near that roaring fire, chow down and split it with someone you can cuddle up to later – three birds, one pan!
http://low302.com.au/