Tuesday 26 November 2013

Eating out in Sydney - a Paleo guide

Exciting news! We are heading back to the land of the long white cloud (AKA New Zealand) at the end of the year! Very last minute (we only booked our tix on Sunday) and VERY unorganised (we don’t even know what we will be doing over there) but we are excited for the adventures that await us. So, as a bit of a “goodbye Sydney, it’s been fun” sort of jig, I thought I would share with you my favourite spots to eat. Now I apologise, most of these are in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, so it goes against all of the blogging rules of “make your posts applicable to as many people as possible”. Actually, I’m not sure if that is a rule, but it sounds like it should be, right? Anyway, surely many people are going to visit Bondi Beach at some point in their lives. Why? Because it looks like this:

One of my favourite Aquabumps photos.
Go check them out. Amazing snaps of Bondi. 

I don’t eat out a whole lot. Why? Because I really like home cooked meals – they taste really good and they are much more affordable. And because I can’t eat gluten. And because I like to stick to a paleo-ish style of eating most of the time. Because it makes me feel good. And because I enjoy cooking.

Wow. How was the grammar in that last paragraph. Sorry ‘bout that. I just had a little verbal diarrhea.

Soooo, when I do eat out, it has to be REALLY good, and by good I mean tasty, healthy (mostly), have a nice atmosphere and use local/seasonal/sustainable produce. I’m not asking much, am I?

Lucky for me, Sydney has some pretty good eats. Here are my top picks (in no particular order of favourites):


See what they have done there with the name. Witty, eh? (I’m saying ‘eh instead of hey, ‘cos that’s what the kiwi’s do – trying to get a head-start on the language!) Sean’s have their own farm  in Bilpin from which they source their produce for the menus. Said produce ticks all the boxes – seasonal, sustainable, fresh, grass-fed meat, free-range chooks, wild-caught seafood (obviously not from their farm, silly!). My favourite dish here is the pate as an entrée (which I have with crudités instead of bread), followed by lamb shanks. The location (across from Bondi Beach) is not too shabby, either.


…..which means “beautiful friends”. I only just googled that now, and it makes me love the place even more! Bei Amici, like Sean’s is very focused on seasonal, organic, biodynamic produce, with their menu changing on a regular basis. All produce is from legit sources and the food tastes AMAZING!
Here’s what they say:

We use organic & bio dynamic products, because it tastes so much better

Touché, Bei Amici, touché. My favourite here has been the pate for entrée (I like pate, OK!) and the duck for main.

Image from beiamici.com.au

 3. Paleo Café, Bondi Junction

This one has only just opened in Sydney and was always going to be a winner in my books. It’s all paleo. It’s all delicious. ‘Nuff said.  A rather salient quote from the folks at Paleo Cafe:

‘THE FOOD YOU EAT CAN BE THE SAFEST AND MOST POWERFUL FORM OF MEDICINE OR THE SLOWEST RELEASING POISON' - Dr Ann Wigmore.

Side note: Paleo Café are also in Cairns, Brisbane, Mornington Peninsula and, word on the street is, they’ll soon be opening in Albury.

For all of you pasta fiends, check out this recipe for Paleo Carbonara with Bacon and Mushrooms. Nom nom nom.

4. Henley’s Wholefoods, Bondi Junction

I tried this place for the first time this morning on a brekkie date with my husband. Yeah, we went on a date.

They are all paleo-friendly meals and use organic, seasonal and local produce. Very tasty and creative. Aaron had “Field mushrooms, Sicilian herb, chilli ‘n thyme pesto, black ox heart tomatoes and poached eggs”. I had “Maca protein-charge me up’ pancakes, banana, nutty crumble, coconut yoghurt and maple syrup”. I also had food envy. The pancakes were awesome, but the eggs were better. Learn from my mistakes – go for the eggs.

Henley's eggs. They look good, don't they?
We met the owner, Sophie, this morning. Very nice chick. Let’s help her out and spread the word about this one, tucked down behind and under Paleo Café in Bondi Junction.


Hurrah! Not a place in the East! I would tell you about this place, but they say it pretty well themselves. Check out their menu HERE.

They also provide FREE filtered water with chlorophyll, which is not only good for you (helps with detoxification), but it makes me chuckle every time because of this:

Image source

I know, I am miss maturity. Aah Adam Sandler, you were really funny once.


AKA "Heaven". Definitely not paleo. Not even close to being healthy. But it makes me happy. It’s a once every now and then kind of treat. And you can walk around the street singing and dancing like this:


If the video doesn't show up, go HERE. Trust me, it's worth it. But be warned - load of swearing. Much more than I usually swear!

So there you go! If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, and you have some extra cash to spend on meals (especially with the top 2 – a little exxie, but definitely worth it every now and then), check out these places. If you have some suggestions in other areas of Sydney, please let me know. Or, if you want more in-depth reviews of “paleo-kosher” (can I say that?) places to eat, check out my friend Soulla’s blog.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Kate,
    i really like your writing style :--D
    I also tried a little bit to cook paleo food. You recognize a difference because of the carbohydrates and of course the sugar which is a NO-GO, but fortunately there are cheat days. Do you eat always paleo or do you do a mix? Cause when i did it, it was not alwas practicable. It takes sometimes a lot of time (pasta is faster) and is long-dated a little bit too expensive.

    Nic

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    1. Hi Nic,

      Thank you for your comment! I eat paleo around 90-100% of the time. I always eaten gluten free (as I have coeliac disease). I will rarely have sugar (except when I go to Gelato Messina). I make sure I get plenty of carbohydrates in my diet to fuel my exercise and nourish my adrenals, thyroid and reproductive system. In regards to the practicality of it, I don't find any troubles. I slow cook meals most of the time, which takes 5-10 minutes to prepare (faster than pasta) and then it is ready for you when you get home. I also use cheap cuts of meat (chuck, shanks, osso bucco, ribs), which a tastier, more nutritious and not as expensive. Hope this helps!

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    2. Thanks a lot. Allready changed some thing in my food plan. Maybe you have some good menu tips for fast paleo dishes in a new post? Would be a great think.

      Greets from too cold Germany

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  2. Glad to have some tips - we rarely make it to the east but when we do I can't ever think of anywhere to eat! The sister cafe of Nourished is called Bloom and it's in Mosman so we go there a fair bit. Is NZ a holiday or a move?!! Good luck either way :D

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