Ms Gs

It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year….

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

…nope not Christmas.  Thanksgiving.  

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday of all time of the whole year.  It’s not typically celebrated in Australia, but I love celebrating it.  This year is no different.  We (I) am hosting a Thanksgiving Potluck for a few American friends.  I’m doing the turkey and corn casserole (and mash potatoes)everyone is bringing side dishes so it should be quite the feast.  

I mean Thanksgiving is the purest holiday I can think of.  Every family does it differently, there’s no need for gifts, and everyone can celebrate it.  It’s truly an opportunity to come together and hang out and eat.  What could be better!!!???!!

It’s great to see it gradually seep into Australian life– mainly through Americans but it’s seeping in nonetheless.  I’m doing my part to spread it.  This week’s cookies are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip because, well, Thanksgiving.

What else is happening? Still enjoying my spring/summer break!   We are gearing up for Christmas and the big birthday in a few weeks.  I can’t believe my baby is turning 9!  And on that topic, we went out for a family dinner the other night at Ms G’s and I was MOST impressed!  He ate everything we ordered and loved every bit of it.  We didn’t even order special “kid” things and he even tried (multiple bites) of the steak tartare.  I was shocked and also quite pleased and impressed.

Also, I caught up with some girlfriends for brunch at Theeca and we tried Savoury Chocolate toast.  I didn’t know what to expect- sourdough, chocolate mousse, olive oil, sea salt.  Ummmm, possibly the best thing I’ve EVER eaten for breakfast.  Seriously, life changing in the best way possible.

This has been a weekend of excellent eating.  Not going to lie- from the Thanksgiving Pie Bake off on Friday, to trying the new burger place on Friday night to Ms Gs last night and breakfast this morning at Theeca.  It’s been a weekend full of good food and great friends– no better way to kick off Thanksgiving week!

2016: The Year of the Cheeseburger Spring Roll

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

 

2016 may only be 9 days old, but already it has been eventful.   Hands down, the best thing that’s happened all year was going to Ms Gs for dinner.

For those of you who live in Sydney and have never been, go there immediately.  If you don’t live in Sydney, get here immediately- I’ll pick you up from the airport and we’ll go there.

Ms Gs is one of the many restaurants owned by the Merivale Group in Sydney.  It can best be described as Funky Pan-Asian Fusion.  Head Chef Dan Hong has created a menu that blends his Vietnamese heritage with his classical training and urban 30-something personality- the result is mind blowingly delicious.

I know I’ve had a good meal when I’m too busy eating to take pictures of what I’m meeting—and I’m not sorry to say, I have no pictures to share with you.  We had some of The Runner’s family in town from Ireland and we used their visit as an opportunity to go back to Ms Gs and to get the banquet.  For $65pp you get 11 different dishes to share- I definitely recommend it if you’re a party of 4 or more.  It made ordering easy even if some of the dishes may have been a bit “challenging” on paper—I mean really, “burrata, strange flavour style” hardly sounds like something to order if you’re a conservative diner (spoiler alert- everyone loved it!)  Every course was a beautiful marriage of flavour and texture, beautifully balanced and really different to anything to what I’ve had at other restaurants.

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However, one dish stole the show.  The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls.  I know what you’re thinking and no, it’s not a typo.  And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.  It’s literally an Asian style spring roll with a cheeseburger filling- and it is fantastic!    It’s a true fusion dish- east meets west at its finest.  When you see them, they look like spring rolls; when you smell them, they smell like a cheeseburger. Continue reading →