Time-Out Sydney/Cairns Part 3 : Spanish, Greek and British fare

I gained about 1/2 a kilo but hubby lost about 2 kilos from our 10-day Australia trip.  Check out how it happened.

Harry's Cafe De Wheels - serves wide range of pies.  You have the option to eat it the traditional British way with mashed peas, add mashed potatoes for your daily allowance of carbs, or you can opt to eat the pie alone just enough to fill your tummy...Ask and you'll receive.

*from left to right

Tiger Pie (5/5) -  This is the house specialty.  You get a good portion of carbs, veggie (mashed peas) on top of your chosen pie (mine was the beef, cheese, bacon pie) from their wide selection.  It was mouth-watering when the pie was handed to me.  There's enough meat which were very tender and the pie was nicely cooked (not burnt even the bottom part).  The gravy was delicious!

Hotdog De Wheels (3/5) - Don't be fooled how hubby can skip the mad pies.  He didn't!  He had one which he shared with me (yes, I had 1 1/2 servings of their pies) and got this hotdog.  It's simply an ordinary hotdog in a bun, swirled with cheese sauce and some chili con carne to add taste.  What made this interesting is again the mashie peas and potatoes layered under the hotdog.  Thanks to the British influence for that wonderful idea of adding greens in a different way.   Don't judge the size of this hotdog as it's very filling.

Price (in AUD)
Tiger Pie ~5-6
Hotdog     ~5-6

Harry's Cafe De Wheels
Haymarket, Capitol Square Shopping Centre
Sydney, NSW, Australia
*they have other branches
www.harryscafedewheels.com.au


Adelfia Greek Taverna - this place serves Greek fare in the middle of Cairns.  This was my first choice after going around Cairns CBD.  Somehow, it's inviting us to go in.

Saganaki Cheese (3.5/5) - it may sound Japanese, at least to me but Saganaki is a Greek word meaning (little frying pan).  Pan seared feta cheese, it was very salty (hubby said that's how it should be), which awaken my taste bud and was a good pair with our wine.  I love the crunchy bits of the burnt part and the chewy texture of the cheese.  It was too salty for me but I just can't resist the goodness of the cheese.  A great Meze.

Gyros (4/5) - Hubby had this as mains, and i have to dig my fork several times as the meat was very tasty even though it was a bit dry.  The tzatziki dip was flavorful with lots of herbs and spices mixed in the yogurt.  It was a perfect match with the lamb pieces.

I wanted to get the chicken fillet cooked in wine, wrapped with cheese and bacon and served with rice.  Sounds appetizing, I was very unfortunate that the last plate was given to the other table and I have to order something else.  I was craving for chicken and anything with Halloumi Cheese, a combination of goat and sheep's milk so i settled with...

Kotopoulo Pasta (3/5) -  when the dish was placed in front of me, i almost fell into my seat.  The serving was so big that I can invite 4 more people to join me.  The pesto was delicious but i think it was too creamy for my taste.  The chicken pieces were ok...and there were lots of them hiding under the pile of pasta.

They have an entertainer every Friday and Saturday. They gave us a crash course of belly dancing. Hubby enjoyed the show, the most (I wonder why?)

Their wine glasses are lined so servers won't give too much or too little.  I like the concept.  That night, i discovered that Greek wine is not for me. :D (no offense, taste is subjective)

Price (In AUD)
Meze(Appetizer) ~10
Mains ~ 20-30 +
Wine by the glass ~ 6-7.50

Adelfia Greek Taverna
16 Aplin St
Cairns, QLD, Australia
www.adelfiagreektaverna.com


Capitan Torres Spanish Restaurant -  the stretch of Liverpool Street is dominated with Spanish restaurants, and us being tapas lovers, we took a right turn to enter this restaurant after more than 4 hours of walking around Sydney CBD.

Hubby and I just kept on eating the whole day that's why we usually end up not hungry for dinner.  So we decided just to go with their tapas.

Garlic bread (5/5) - always good with any kind of tapas.  Lots of garlic!!! Yummy

Grilled Chorizo (4/5) - juicy spanish sausage but a bit on the dark side.

Gambas a la Sevillana (5/5) - served hot with generous pieces of prawns soaked in zesty tomatoes and

                                                the natural spicy flavor came from garlic.  We didn't care much about having 

                                                bad breath after the first bite.

Half a litre of Sangria to share ended our Spanish night.

Price  (in AUD)
Garlic bread  ~ 6 (2 pieces)
Grilled Chorizo ~15
Gambas a la Sevillana ~17

Capitan Torres Spanish Restaurant

73 Liverpool Street

Sydney, NSW, Australia

www.capitantorres.com.au