Friday, October 21, 2011

Bills, Surry Hills

So on our third day in Sydney, we had originally planned to go to Ms G's for lunch after hearing so much about it and seeing it on Masterchef. All the excitement died as soon as we got there and realised they were CLOSED for lunch, arghhh...

After some quick thinking, one of my friend made a brilliant suggestion to go to Bills in Surry Hills instead, which wasn't too far away. Awesome sauce. So off we went on a Maxi Cab to our next destination...

And MAN, was it a good call or what. I don't know if it was cause of the dishes we ordered, but I was REALLY surprised by how much I loved everything I ate there. So, so much. Especially after the decision to go there that was due to an unforeseen circumstance. I'll be even more bold to say that it turned out to be one of the meals I enjoyed most throughout the whole trip. Let's not waste time...


Soy Piccolo Latte

Coffee was average and a bit more bitter than usual. I don't know if you can tell from the dark colour of the foam... All good though, because I really didn't mind anyway. Just an observation... =)


Sweet Corn Fritters with Roasted Tomato, Spinach and Bacon - $18.50

GREAT! The corn was so buttery and sweet. But what I loved most was that these fritters weren't too dense and made with just the right amount of flour and very crispy. In every way, these fritters were truly perfect.

And beneath that you get these roasted tomatoes which were just divine and bursting with flavour. The bacon wasn't too dry or salty too which was great. Though to be frank, what would've made this even better than it already is, was if they served this with some homemade relish or chutney too. Still, LOVED this!


Ricotta Hotcakes with Fresh Banana and Honeycomb Butter - $17.50

By golly, these pancakes were seriously lighter than air. I only hope that this photo does the dish justice when I say that they were absolutely soft, pillowy and fluffy. Served with that beautiful butter and bananas on the side, this plate of pancakes really does set the bar high for fluffy pancakes everywhere! FANTASTIC!


I love my friends for always lending me a hand and putting up with my foodie obsession despite their hunger! ;D Photo courtesy of Miss Su


Miso Glazed Salmon with Soba Noodles, Avocado, Watercress and Apple Salad - $26.00

Shucks... Another dish that absolutely had me on my knees and I do not even know where to begin to tell you why. First of all, can you please look at how PERFECTLY that salmon is cooked in the middle?!?! Especially for such a thick chunk, the taste of the salmon that was so beautiful and nowhere dry was what first caught my attention about this dish.

On top of that, I really love soba dishes, hot or cold. But preferably hot, which was what this was and it made so much sense to be paired with the salmon. The noodles were light and refreshing with bountiful toasted sesame seeds which gave the noodles extra character in terms of flavour. Not to mention the crunchy apple salad and avocados that were given in just the right proportion to compliment the fish.

I really enjoyed this dish and actually found myself nodding to myself a lot as I was eating from start to finish.... Gosh, I miss this already.


Dishes were shared amongst three of us so we could sample more food together. Do you guys do that too? =)



Thinking back, I keep wondering to myself whether I enjoyed the corn fritters, hotcakes or salmon dish more? What a wonderful debate to have with myself, right? And honestly, I can not decide. They were each fantastic in their own way and I truly hope that they maintain their standard every time. Huge bummer if they don't.

Oh and another thing, I was having brekkie with a friend about 2 weeks ago and he actually mentioned that this restaurant was owned by none other than Bill Granger himself! WHAT?! (FYI, all opinions formed on the day prior to my knowledge of this)

To be honest, I don't even know what Bill Granger looks like or who he actually is. I've only seem his name on the Internet in all the amazing recipes I've come across through Blogs and Facebook, but his recipes really speak to me. From what I've seen, his ideas and execution of food is really what sets him apart, and I don't know even own his cookbook. He takes simple, every day ingredients and presents them in a huge variety of simple, delicious manner. I should really pick up his cookbook and cook my way through it because I have no doubt that it's a great addition to have in my home.

ANYWAY, all the Bill Granger talk aside, I don't think the food we ordered were very uncommon. However, the execution was just impeccable and what brought it home for me. I enjoyed this meal a lot and I hope you will too (that's to say if they maintain their quality, at least). Oh, and my friend shared with me this link of 50 things to eat in Sydney and guess what? The Corn Fritters from Bills made it to No. 14 -- IMPRESSIVE!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

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27 comments :

Anonymous said...

Ooh, the ricotta hot cakes, now that's a fine gastronomic discovery. Everything looks really top-notch and perfect pieces of cooking.
Another one that'll end up on my places-to-visit-one-day-when-I'm-rich list. (Yeah 'cause the price for plane tickets to Australia, way over the top :( :( :( makes me kind of melancholy really, knowing I'll have to wait to go there one day) (honeymoon perhaps?) (I think Nicolas would agree)
Anyhow it's nice how your friends are helping you indulge in your passion, even if they're famished. My friends do the same for me, although they're really really starving by the time I get my shooting angle right ^^'
Take care! xxx

Winston said...

Hahaha I know!! We're always so tempted to visit the other side of the world from each other's blog posts right?! Why do we do this to ourselves only putting ourselves in a more difficult position hehe ;p All good though because it's all in good fun! Who knows, maybe Nicolas would agree to take you here for honeymoon. Man that would be so EPIC.
Yeah true... I feel sorry for friends of bloggers especially when they're hungry cause that's when friendship is tested HAHAHA... i hope they never turn on us one day ;p.
Again, always a joy to have you drop by Marie-Anne. Really hope you're feeling better! =)

Michelle Chin said...

That girl next to you, I think she used to study in trinity as well...

Winston said...

Yes she did! Wait, you're in 3rd year right now yea? Then you guys were in the same batch! What a coincidence haha

msihua said...

You have such wonderful happy shots of your friends :) Cherish them.. you'll be looking at them 5-10 years from now and remembering the great fun and laughter you've had when you all move on to do different things :)

Anonymous said...

Nice - I do like the look of those corn fritters mmmm. I'll be heading over to Sydney in March next year so your reviews will be helpful in deciding where to pay a foodie's visit :D. Cheers!

Winston said...

@msihua: i-hua!!! thats exactly how we feel at the moment... whilst we are really enjoying being able to share so much of our life with one another, we can't help but be reminded that our time together (talkin abt uni friends) is coming to an end very very soon!! seriously branching out to different things in different parts of the world after growing so damn close over the years and its SAD argh... only 1 more month of undergrad with these fellas. im glad to have these pictures too and we're all trying to take as many piks together for next few weeks its hilarious haha!! thanks for your comment anyway, really appreciate it =)

@ames: omgosh yes! my whole itinerary is a total foodie trip. i plan to share my 4 day foodie itinerary at the end of my sydney posts so definitely check that out! i think you wont be disappointed. and yea if you like corn fritters, youll def LOVE these. much better than the ones ive had anywhere else. have a good one, ames!! =)

Hannah said...

Sometimes I think I'm not a proper food blogger because I haven't been to a bills yet for the fritters or hotcakes :P One day!

Winston said...

heyyy... nth to be ashamed abt hahaha... theres always next time when you go to bills in the hills. but yeah, fritters and hotcakes were lovely. im sure u'll love them too! hehe

Agnes said...

Bahaha... awesomesauce! I say that too! Where did that saying come from?

Despite all my trips to Sydney, I've never been to Bills. It looks great though - you definitely had a tasty meal :)

Winston said...

I have no idea! Somewhere... Somehow... Not sure how it came about but its hilarious ;p. Ouuu yes. I hadn't heard about Bills until that morning. It's quite delicious based on what we ordered. Maybe one day you give it a try. But then again, there's SO much to eat at Sydney that I hardly think you're missing out cause I'm sure youre having good food elsewhere too! =D

Unknown said...

WOW!!! What a great meal, I laughed out loud when you said you were nodding all the way through the salmon dish. I do that! Although I also make "When Harry Met Sally" noises too ;)

I have wonderful friends too that can be starving and will sit and look at the food until I have the perfect photo of each dish, no one even picks up a fork!

Super story!

Winston said...

Hi Julie!! Tell me about it!! Sometimes I'm surprised by the things we do (and the sounds we make ahem ahem) unconsciously when we're eating good food too it's hysterical. Yes, I do think that friends of bloggers deserve an award for their self control and patience but love them to bits for not stabbing us with a fork... yet! Hehe. What would we do without them. Anyway thanks so much for your comment, I had fun writing this up. Love reading your recipes/reviews too! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! =D

Vivian - vxdollface said...

I love Bills! It's my to-go place for brunch :D Never had a bad meal there!
Bill Granger has a tv show you can catch-up on via ABC iview ^^

Winston said...

Hey Viv, thanks for that!! I can't believe I didn't know who Bill Granger was until I wikipedia-ed him when writing this post hahaha... How embarrassing ;p Yea would def love to catch his show sometime. Btw you're so lucky you get to eat there often! I'd do that too if I were living in Sydney. It's nice to have a fav eating spot that you know will not disappoint no matter how many times you visit a place. Best feeling ever! =D

Vee said...

Lucky you to have had a good experience here! I got rubbery scrambled eggs, pretty disappointing for a 'Bills'. I've heard the other one, Darlinghurst, I think it's in, is better!

Winston said...

Oh nooo! I'm so sorry to hear it wasn't a very good experience. Don't you hate it when that happens? Haha... Again, one of those times I'm reminded that a good experience for me may not be the same for others even if they had the same thing at the same place.

Hopefully they did something about it so it never happens again! Because I'm still really fond of this place. Though, I don't think I'll be having eggs cause I LOVED the food I ordered so I might go against my usual principle of not ordering the same things too often and have these lovelies again hehe

Shu Han said...

you make corn fritters sound divine, now i feel like I must track them down, or at least the recipe down. I hope you buy his cookbook and make it and share about it (:

Winston said...

hey shu han! you really should i'm sure you would make really fantastic corn fritters. just add more butter to the corn and not too much flour and i'm sure they'll taste great! i'd make them too but it's exam crunch time so no time to try too many new things!! haha... anyway thx for that! i really hope to pick up his cookbook later on as a christmas present to myself haha.. should be fun =D

Ashley said...

Wow, those corn fritters look great! I'm always a sucker for good ones :) Love how fresh and lovely the food looks, may have to consider if I can fit it in on my trip in November...

Winston said...

Hey Ash, they are! If you're looking for some good corn fritters, hopefully you'll enjoy them too! Btw I totally understand the predicament you're in. It's always hard to squeeze in all the places you want to eat in your trip in Sydney eh?! In fact I ended up leaving with a longer list than we did before we went hahaha...

Bianca @ The Cooking Capers said...

Ooh those all look so good! You like corn, hey? Haha! Ohmygod, HONEYCOMB BUTTER!?!!11 I'm nuts for honeycomb! And in butter?! What a fantastic idea.. I must try this one day. Lovely photos, and such a happy group of friends :) so nice to see who you dine with, after all, a meal alone is not the same as a meal with friends, right?!

Winston said...

Ouuuu yum me too! You should make honeycomb butter too haha! Yes, it was a great day because we got to catch up with old friends in Sydney. A very blessed time. Yes I agree with you 100% on that! I've always felt that though food can be good, it's company that makes a meal great. And as much as I love good food, I always love people and company more. Hope you've got lots of fantastic meals coming up this week, Biance! Thanks for your comment =)

Iron Chef Shellie said...

holy moly!! <3 Bills!! mmmmmm those corn cakes look amazing, i had such a hard time choosing between them and the hotcakes!

Winston said...

Yes!! I LOOOVE BILLS TOO! That's why I really enjoyed reading your post on it. That place is amazing. Don't worry about not having the corn fritters, cause at least you had those awesome hotcakes! BTW BTW BTW I found Bill granger's recipe for those exact hotcakes so i'm gonna try them out and you should too! i love your pancake posts hehe

ChopinandMysaucepan said...

We haven't been to Bill's for a long time but the ricotta hotcakes still look pretty good. Personally, we found Miss G overrated.

Winston said...

GREAT, thanks for your honesty! Guess we didn't miss out then, woo hoo! Even more glad now abt how we ended up at Bills by mistake haha, thanks! =)

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