IT'S A BIRTHDAY POST! Wishing our girl, Cathy the happiest of 22nd birthdays and we all really hope this is an amazing year for you. A few weeks ago we celebrated the occasion at Waterfront Grill in Darling Harbour. We used to come here not only because of the beautiful views but because of the all-you-can-eat pork ribs which were actually really delicious!! Unfortunately due to the increased costs for them to offer this deal, they recently decided to not offer it anymore. Nonetheless the one other thing I've ordered at Waterfront besides the pork ribs that made me keen to revisit is the Wagyu steak. Absolute perfection and cooked to the most perfect medium rare I have ever had.

Firstly I'd love for you guys to check out the little vlog I made as we discussed some of the food and it will give you all a good moving-visual look for the restaurant! Of course theres some of our fun moments in there too but hope you will enjoy it hehe :)
























My final verdict is Waterfront Grill is a fun and casual venue for lunch/dinner and special occasions. While not all their menu items are great, their strengths lie in the steak and ribs department as well as their customer service. Let me know if you've ever been to Waterfront Grill and what your experience was like, I would love to hear from you guys! xx


TL;DR:
Price: Expensive
Quality: Fresh but best for steaks and ribs
Service: Friendly
Ambience: Casual, chill, family-friendly

Francis and I were greeted immediately at the door by Kevin who was our waiter for the night and definitely contributed to the amazing dinner experience we were about to have. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant where we were close to the counter and able to have a little peek into the kitchen. Soon after, Chef Louis personally came out to greet us and present the tasting menu he had prepared for us to try. I was so delighted to see my blog name "Kimmie Bites" at the top of the menu and nearly cried because it felt so special!

Even though the menu seemed overwhelming, everything was served in smaller portions so we did not feel tired or full in between each course. This way, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to sample the dishes that monté currently feels most proud of. However we were given another look at the regular menu and everything without a doubt sounds appealing!


The first item that arrived was the warm sourdough with olive oil & balsamic vinegar. I think that although it is not a very traditional Italian item to serve, it is a simple and modern way to begin a tasting experience. It's also such a treat with the most generous amount of balsamic! The olive oil had a hint of fresh mint to it (or was it just my imagination). We were also poured complimentary glasses of sparkling wine!


Not too long after, the second item arrived and this was the Freshly shacked Sydney rock oysters with ginger, sweet sake and pickled cucumbers. Served on a bed of rock salt with cubes of cucumber garnished over the top and a wedge of lemon and watercress, this little package was beautifully presented!


I was thinking back to my last recent experience with oysters which I thought was too fishy underneath the cheese and bacon topping so I was feeling kind of skeptical. To both Fran and I's surprise, the oysters were absolutely delicious! A light squeeze of lemon added a hint of bright acidity to the delicate sweet sake and warm ginger flavours. The cucumbers were very lightly pickled and added a welcome crunch. In the end everything was perfect with the oysters.

I would gladly order more these oysters because I enjoyed them so much! Highly recommend it to you all. Great starter.


Our next item on our menu was the Caramelised Canadian scallops with sweet corn puree, charred corn, coriander salad and crispy pancetta:


Scallops are one of my favourite seafoods and sweet corn is one of my favourite vegetables so this plate delighted me SO MUCH. Plus that one special piece of crispy pancetta was Fran's highlight. The scallops themselves were perfectly caramelised on both sides being golden brown and still very tender and juicy to the bite. It went very well with the smooth, silky and irresistibly sweet corn puree which was my favourite by the way. There was a small garnish amount of coriander which added a very subtle non-overpowering freshness.

Kevin paired our dish with two types of beautiful white wines from France:

I received a glass of the Côtes du Rhône while Francis received the William Fevre 2015. They are both what I would consider dry white wines with intense flavours. They complimented the sweet and creamy scallops dish perfectly! However in the end if we had to choose between them both we would pick the William Fevre because the flavour was a little bit sweeter and hence smoother.


Next up was the Twice cooked Bangalow pork belly with pumpkin puree, salad of crispy farro, fennel, orange segments, apple, currant chutney and jus:



So so so beautiful on this plate and the abundance of orange to brown colours just makes me feel so comforted to look at. The day before this one I had a really disappointing pork belly dish so I had really high hopes for this one.

I think this was my first time trying Bangalow pork and it was SO good, very sweet and practically melted in my mouth. The pork skin on top was delicate and crispy but very thin which I thought was unique but nice because it meant my knife could cut through the entire pork belly like butter! The currant chutney on top was sweet like jam and the pumpkin puree was the smoothest puree ever. Both really good with the pork belly. The salad was exquisite being sweet thanks to the apple, extra crunchy and nutty thanks to the farro, fresh thanks to the fennel and well balanced by the savoury jus.

This dish was paired with a bold red wine:


We both received a glass from Alamos' Malbec 2015. This is a dry red wine and we found it to be VERY strong. Although it had hints of sweetness and a great intense flavour, it may have been a tad too overpowering for the pork belly dish.

The last savoury dish we had before dessert was the Crispy skin King reef barramundi with king prawn stuffed zucchini flower, cauliflower puree, sautéed broccolini, sauterne sauce and herbs dressing:



Francis described this dish as his favourite and I would say the same but I do have big love for everything we had eaten so far. Every single dish had blown us away with how beautiful and delicious they were so when our this savoury course was set down we felt so sad that this was the last one! In hindsight it was so great we were able to try a large portion of the menu and I could not imagine another dish more perfect than this one to round things off.

The barramundi had a clean and buttery flavour and the large, firm yet flakey texture against the salted crispy skin was so satisfying.  It actually stands well on itself but its the addition of all the other components and sauces on the plate that make this even better. The king prawn stuffed zucchini flower was so delicate and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The prawn was sweet and juicy. It was similar with the sautéed broccolini. The sauterne sauce was white, light and airy providing an extremely subtle sweetness while the cauliflower puree was so silky and buttery with a light nuttiness.

This dish was paired with the Triennes rosé wine:


Rosé in my opinion makes the perfect accompaniment to almost any dish, and this is no exception. We really enjoyed this one and it was on the elegant and sweet side.

Finally all good things have to come to an end but thank goodness for dessert!


This was the Raspberry soufflé with cream anglaise and vanilla bean ice cream. The raspberry soufflé was so delicate, soft and airy. It bounced back when pressed with the back of the spoon and jiggled ever so slightly upon me turning the plate to try and get a good shot. The creme anglaise was great with the soufflé. I was really happy with the vanilla bean ice cream because we could see the black specks of vanilla bean and it lived up to this by being full of creamy and fragrant vanilla flavour!

Chef Louis came around to our table to greet us again and have a chat with us about our experiences and well as his restaurant during this time and I've got to say that he is such a friendly and humble man! He was great to talk to and I learnt quite some new things from him.

Monté serves up Modern Australian cuisine and yet I honestly had very little idea of what this term meant. He explained that even though there are foods unique to Australia such as meat pies, lamingtons, etc we are such a diverse country and Modern Australian is the emerging cuisine of our country that takes different aspects of different cuisines and blends it into one. For example, our dinner tonight used both local and imported ingredients but also what we may not have exactly seen is the techniques used to cook these dishes. Chef revealed that his current menu features a lot of influence from French cuisine yet will continue to change and evolve in the future. I asked him if he had any plans to incorporate his Korean food and heritage into his menu and he said definitely as he sometimes makes dishes such as Korean green onion pancakes in the kitchen for his staff and they love it. In the suburb of Leichhardt that is strongly full of Italian cuisine, I believe that Monté is very bold and with more people becoming aware of this gem, set for great success.

I feel entirely thankful and grateful for this experience to dine at Monté restaurant in Leichhardt and have such an enlightening conversation with the head chef, Louis Hong. It has certainly been one of the highlights in my food blogging adventures and I highly recommend all my readers venture out to Leichhardt to share in this Modern Australian cuisine with me. It's easy to become intimidated by the types of food out there that you haven't tried or don't know, but I believe that Modern Australian is something that all of us here will feel both pleasantly surprised and yet familiar with.

It has been nothing but amazing, perfect and delightful at Monté and I would like to thank Katrina at Multiconnexions, Chef Louis Hong, his wife Jasmine, and our waiter Kevin for giving it their all. I wish Monté all the success and will look forward to returning here for another wonderful dining experience! xx

Hi everyone! Long time no post but YOUR GIRL IS FINALLY BACKKKK. It's been super busy with final exams but I'm so happy to announce that I am now finished with uni for the year and ready to kick back & relax this summer. This year definitely flew by but I am very thankful for the semester that has just passed because for the first time since first year, I honestly really enjoyed all of my subjects!


Last week right before my last final exam I was invited to Cucina Locale in Blacktown for their 22nd Birthday celebration party! I was very honoured and full of excitement and curiosity. First of all I did not know that aside from the Sydney Tower Buffet in Sydney CBD, there was another "revolving restaurant" but out to the west. Secondly, my boyfriend lives in the area and he didn't know either.

This sparkling gem in the heart of Blacktown resides at the top level of the Blacktown Workers Club. It's almost tucked carefully away with the lifts being right past the usual RSL style buffet. Nonetheless as soon as the lift doors opened for us and we stepped out into the dining area, our breaths were taken away. Before boasting of any beautifully prepared and presented dishes they have to offer, Cucina Locale foremost has the right to boast about the amazing views. Our eyes were met with a 360-degree view out all the way from Sydney towards the Blue Mountains. We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set and let me tell you, it was so stunning. Also if you stood on the inner rotating portion of the restaurant which although rotates very gently and slowly, this would do the work for your feet and a new scene would fill your vision every few seconds.

Although Cucina Locale was set up cocktail style for their birthday party, the dining tables are normally set up on the rotating portion every other day. How is that for fancy!


Also please subscribe to my YouTube channel! I don't really know where I will go with it from just food content to lifestyle but I'm sure this summer will bring me new inspiration and what not :)
















Drinks were served at the bar and also on random tables around the revolving restaurant. Than goodness Fran now has his full license so he can have a cheeky beer and still drive me home! For the lady? Wine! Is this a good idea to have before my 9am exam the next day? I don't know. But did I survive? Yes I did! 😇


Since this is a food blog, I bet you are all desperately wondering what I have to say about the food on this night. We almost considered having dinner beforehand because I was told there would only be canapés served at the event, and you know me - I'm a hungry gal. But thank goodness we decided against that because the canapés were abundant, filling, fresh, and delicious. Usually when I think of canapés I imagine being served something along of the lines of half a spring roll, crackers with cheese, and just overall something small and unsatisfying. Yet Cucina Locale really spoiled their guests tonight with their amazing selections of canapés.

I can't remember exactly the name or what everything was but let me do my best and try to describe it all:




This was the first canapé that rolled out of the kitchen and it was SO DELICIOUS. I literally had one in each hand while sitting at my little couch and they must've thought that I was such a hoarder. We don't exactly remember what they told us this was but it tasted like the gourmet and classy version of a chicken nugget x arancini ball with a small dollop of sweet honey mustard on top. It was so full of flavour and deliciously crispy and crunchy on the outside, whilst being smooth, soft and fluffy on the inside.



As soon as Fran and I saw this being offered to another group of guests literally 5m away, I was hitting him with excitement and he didn't get angry because he was excited too. They were a nice size - not a full burger but not 2 bites either. The buns were soft and smooth to the touch, and the filling was a hearty beef patty, melted cheese and tomato and mustard sauce. Very very simple this one but it was excellent.


Another burger that came around not too long after! PULLED PORK AND SLAW, YAAAAS! I love this combo so much. Unfortunately I had my hands full at the time, hoarding other canapés but Fran let me have some of his. Same buns. The fillings were not saucy but the pork was tender, juicy, smoky and flavoursome. It went so well with the fresh and crisp red cabbage slaw. For the first time I did not miss the lack of sauce!


Just as we were discussing how we should've had some salmon sushi for a quick lunch, out comes this baby. It's like they are listening to our conversation hehehe. Salmon cornets. The salmon was so fresh and indulgent, contrasting nicely with the crunchy cone. This filling was lightly tossed with some fragrant sesame oil.




Oh this looks expensive!!! Even though Francis and I are people who want to like oysters, but don't - we still picked these up because we wanted to give oysters another go. Also I really like salmon roe. The oyster was good, definitely tasted very fresh and oceany coupled with the generous amount of salty roe. What set this back for us was the addition of coriander - which might actually be a genius combination to some people, but for us coriander is another thing on our list of "want to like, but don't"


Cocktails! Francis was driving so secretly it was all for me. It became another case of hoarding on our little corner couch as I had a glass of white wine, 2 cocktails and a beer at my feet hehe. Anyway the mojito was exquisite! All at once it was sweet, refreshing and minty. The other cocktail was a banana daiquiri which just tasted like a cool blend of bananas with a lingering and sharp alcohol aftertaste.


Yay an actual arancini ball unlike the first canapé! But just like the first one, it was so delicious! A crisp and crunchy exterior contrasted with the cheesy rice stuffed on the inside. It looks so small and so simple but it was packed full of flavour. I wanted to get some more but by this point I was getting very full and we decided to move our butts off the couch and take a walk around.

Peking duck pancakes OMG! They were wrapped so beautifully like little presents. And love seeing an Asian-inspired canapé. Unfortunately my canapé had a quite chewy piece of duck skin and meat and I found the green onion to be a little too thick for my liking. Fran apparently had a good piece though, or he's just not as picky as I am.


Seared scallops with avocado. They were so big and juicy! I honestly don't think it went that well with the avocado and this was probably the least flavoursome canapé I had but overall it was still yummy.

As it headed toward the end of the event, I honestly felt as if we had been fed an entire meal. It was like having fine dining but served on tissues and little spoons. Everything had just been so good and the service was so friendly and inviting.

Fran said we should leave soon but I wanted to keep practicing my photography and so we stayed a little longer. Luckily so because they had some final dessert canapés to bring around!


Vanilla panna cotta with a berry compote. To my absolute delight, on closer inspection of the panna cotta, you can see little speckles of black vanilla bean! And the taste is there as well as the panna cotta is so creamy, cool and fragrant. The berry compote is very delicious coupled with the panna cotta and I love the addition of some fresh blueberries.


A soft buttery cake base, chocolate mousse, fresh cream and a raspberry on top. So cute! I don't usually like chocolate because of how sugary it can be but this was really good because the chocolate was more towards the bitter-sweet side with much of the cake base and raspberry providing the sweetness.

We think that we tried every canapé they had on offer tonight by this point. A lot of people had begun clearing out of the venue and the kitchen and staff had noticeably begun to start cleaning and packing up. Yet even as we lingered a bit longer, a few of the staff still came up to us and asked if we would like to eat or drink anything else. Nothing of course but they were so genuinely nice and sweet!


Even when I asked one of the girls to take a photo for Fran and I, she was so thoughtful and tried to get the "Super Moon" in our picture. It is the bright thing above my head in the above picture by the way. We hadn't even noticed it beforehand but it just makes me feel like the staff all honestly tried to look out for us and give us a memorable experience :)







I had such a fun time at Cucina Locale's event and I'm so happy that I had this opportunity to experience the best this venue had to offer - delicious food, beautiful views, and dedicated and friendly staff.

It's almost so sad that I didn't know about this place before and neither do so many of my friends who are from this area. Cucina Locale is a local gem in the heart of Western Sydney and Blacktown. It is a testament to the the idea that you do not have to travel all the way to Sydney CBD to experience a classy, fun and fabulous meal. The view and rotating restaurant absolutely add to all that this place has to offer. I believe that this would be such an amazing place to have lunch/dinner, take a loved one out. celebrate a special occasion, and even to treat yourself!

So if you haven't given this place a visit, please check it out because I really think that Fran and I are on to something here :) #bestinthewest

A big thank you to Cucina Locale for having us for your event, and we wish you a HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY! Keep making your city proud and keep doing you xx