The Hunter Valley

Wine? Oh I'll just have one glass... er.. maybe two... just a bit more. Uh oh. This happens to me every time I open up a bottle of delicious wine from the Ernest Hill Vineyard in the Hunter. Last time I visited, I left with $800 worth of wine just from this one vineyard. What can I say? It is so damn drinkable!

The problem I then encountered was finding a place to store this wine- I still have two boxes in my car, Irish (my boyfriend) and I have devoured the rest. In fact, I'm drinking one right now, out of a little drinking glass- sacrilege I know- but I kinda like drinking wine out of small glasses- so Italian of me...

I know at this stage I am talking to no-one- due to just starting this blogging endeavour, but i'd love to know if anyone else has a favourite Australian vineyard that they regularly purchase from? Ernest Hill turned me onto Chardonnay after spending most of my adult life avoiding them due to their 'wood-chip' flavour. But after a few trips to the Hunter I have since discovered that Chardonnay can be very tasty- buttery, golden... perfect. 

My friends J-Ho and Jules were visiting recently and J-Ho was wanting to know where to go- he was proposing to Jules so he wanted to get the low down on what the Hunter had to offer.  I have compiled my top picks in the Hunter if anyone is interested in checking these out...

A small selection of Ernest Hill wines. 

Ernest Hill- delicious wines- very, very friendly staff, and they have great stories behind the names of each of the wines. Plus, they have a cute tasting veranda that you can admire the vineyard from. I'd try the William Henry Shiraz or the Alexander Chardonnay but my absolute favourite is their Rose- it's not too sweet, it's made from Shiraz grapes and it kind of has hints of watermelon in it. Oh and try their dessert wines- the ladies will love them. 

Ivanhoe- another set of delicious wines with one hell of a gutsy red called the Shiraz Pressings- it’s really nice to drink now, (but apparently if you cellar it for around 8 years it will be AMAZING)- Which means I need to hide it from Irish. 

Tintilla Estate- Beautiful scenery, amazing staff and again- some very tasty wines. It is stunningly picturesque- nice one to end the day on.

Scarborough Wine Co- It’s on top of a hill, they serve a little cheese platter with the wines and although some of the wines are pricey, I’m sure you will find one or two that you will like.

Iron Gate- this is a personal one for me- I love the unique flavours! The wines have a lower alcohol percentage so that you can share a bottle between two and still be ok to drive home- that is the way the owner wanted to make them. The actual winery is a beautiful Spanish looking villa type thing AND they do this unique red wine called a sweet Shiraz- its served cold and with chocolate cake… yummy.

Other wineries to look at if you have time….

Ballabourneen

Kevin Sobell’s- you might catch a glimpse of the massive Beethoven type dog they have! 

Wandin Valley (they do really nice tapas next door to the winery)

Tinklers- try the Poppy's Chardonnay- really buttery. 

Mistletoe

Gartelman- I was very impressed with this place. Unique wines. 

Gundog Estate - try the fortified, it's like drinking Christmas cake. 

Food in the Hunter tends to be quite pricey. Having a background in food (parent's owned a delicatessen) I would suggest checking out the cheese shop but rest assured, you won't find too much there that you can't already find in Sydney- though there is the Binnorie Dairy that do a lovely yoghurt cheese called Labna. Restaurant wise there are plenty to choose from albeit exorbitant in price. The food will be fantastic- it's whether you can justify spending the cash. But do spend the cash on the wine- it's worth it. 

X Alana

Reuben Hills

Reuben Hills
61 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Sunday morning I wait for a friend to arrive to our breakfast destination, Reuben Hills, you may have heard of it, in fact, if you follow the ‘what’s hot’ of Sydney breakfast haunts, I’m sure you have heard of it. And apparently- you are not alone.

The street scenery reveals a crowd of people, loitering around the café doors and spilling out onto the pavement, some even leaning on an unsuspecting parked car. They buzz with excitement at the prospect of upgrading to the designated ‘wait here’ bench that sits outside the café doors- that is when you know you are nearly about to be called in. But if it doubles up as a service table you've hit the jackpot. For the rest of you, a 30 minute wait and you might actually be seated.

Once seated, the pressure to order is great “ooo I heard the eggs are to DIE for” one says, “what is a baleada?” exclaims another (it’s a wheat flour tortilla originating from Hondura). Water is sipped out of ‘tinnie’ cups, unusual, but a conversation starter I suppose. The meals arrive quite speedily, and despite best efforts to stretch out the seating time through commenting on the cute sugar jugs or the funky décor, patrons are ushered out as quickly and politely as possible in order to accommodate for the many more still lingering about.

I ordered the Trifle muesli, orange blossom berries and vanilla yoghurt, my friend, the soft baked eggs with goats curd, spinach, ranchero and no rye- she’s avoiding wheat. I may have stolen the following photos off UrbanSpoon (could be illegal- I’m going to risk it- there’s $100 in my account if you really want to pursue it) I’m always in the business of eating my food before I remember to take a photo.

Trifled Muesli, Berries, Yoghurt

 Upon examining the menu every dish had to have something different about it, I’ve noticed that ‘normal’ is so untrendy these days. I’m not really complaining- I like food to be edgy sometimes. What I will note is that we were asked five times whether everything was OK; I think it was the equivalent to a ‘hurry up nudge’, but delivered waiter style.  He probably needed to tone that down a tad.

Conclusion: Look, I can’t really complain- it’s a busy café, they want to turnover their tables as quickly as possible- it is a business after all. I think it can be difficult to find the balance between relaxed, friendly service, and knowing that if you don’t hurry people along you are going to have a backlog of customers likely to cause neighbourhood complaints. 

Baked Eggs

The food was beautifully displayed and the menu certainly showcased many ‘classics with a twist’- fresh produce with a notable South American/African influence- ties in nicely with their coffee bean selection. However, for the impatient eaters out there, I wouldn’t bother, save yourself some time and as Gerry would say “walk on”. You are in the middle of Surry Hills, a foodie’s paradise where you can wander up the street to another café with a similar standard of presentation, produce and service and you won’t have to factor in the wait.

I might try hitting this place again, in a non-peak period. There's a salted caramel shake I'm eyeing off, if only it was considered 'clean eating'- but that's another topic. 

Welcome

Welcome to Sydney Darlings,

After a few attempts at blogging on very specific areas (fail!) I've decided that because my interests are so varied, I'm going to blog on anything and everything that I'm interested in. I must warn you all that I will probably mention food, a lot- but apart from exploring culinary delights, I love music- playing and listening, I love fashion, I love politics and I love anything to do with traveling. I'm also interested in fitness and health. Mixed bag really- something for everyone!

Hope you enjoy!

X Alana