Spanish Providore | Wine bar | Restaurant (link) @ 134 Blues Point Rd, McMahons Point.


A perfect location for a lazy weekend lunch - we sat at one of the outdoor tables under the warm sun on a winter day, with a bottle of Spanish grenacha rose. The lunch tapas menu gives you an option to share small plates with friends, either for a quick snack or a long lunch. We opt for the latter.


Rumour has it that the owners of Delicado have strong connections with the Spanish consulate, which helps them import and sell beautiful Spanish products such as signature cured hams Jamon Iberico de Bellota y Jamon Serrano; fresh marinated white anchovies (boquerones) & dried salted cod (bacalau); Ortiz and Entreislas anchovies (anchoas); ventresca white tuna (atun) and quince paste (membrillo); not to mention a wide selection of wine.

Spanish Olives: varieties incl. Arbequina, hojiblanca, sevilano, manzanilla $8

Pimenton cured Ocean Trout, marinated belly, goats cheese, avruga caviar $16

Seared Scallops, morcilla, roasted jerusalem artichoke $18

Jamon Serrano, La Jabuguena Gran Res., arbequina extra virgin olive oil $15

Confit Pork Belly, spanish onion puree, maize crusted squid, green olive $20

Yes, this dish was cured in duck fat for 24 hours. Please don't lecture me - I only had a small half... and it was worth it! The crackling was dry and crisp on top of the soft warm pork belly The squid was perfectly dusted with the right amount of maize and it was probably the most tender fleshed squid I've had - there was no chewiness to it like the usual squid, it almost melts in your mouth.

Churros con chocolate, dulce de leche $12

Arbequina olive oil ice cream $10

I really quite liked the olive oil ice cream too - it's florally fragrant but very creamy, and garnished with a small amount of salt and dried tapenade.

Such a cute wine store - we bought a few more bottles of the Grenacha rose for home.

At the good food and wine show Sydney!

I always thought I was crazy for chefs (being a bit of a chef groupie), that was, until I went to Gordon's show. My lord are the middle aged ladies crazy for the guy! Gordon fits extremely well in a live audience setting. His crude and offending humour on other chefs like Matt Moran "he's lost a hat and he's got no hair" or Jamie Oliver whom he conveniently calls a "twat" proves to be an entertaining show.

He demonstrates with ease three dishes we can replicate at home: Butter bean and chorizo soup, Pan fried lamb with green bean and parmesean salad and for dessert, a Pain Perdue with ricotta and raspberries. Many prizes were given away, almost like the set of an Oprah show, except it's a lot less generous.

His main cooking tips were:
- Always cook the meat when it is at room temperature
- Seal the sides of your meat properly by tilting your pan and letting the oil cook the edges in a 'puddle'
- Never slice meat straight after cooking, always rest it for at least five minutes
- Add leftover meat to your soup (such as shredded chicken) and place in the fridge overnight to give it better flavour the next day

The queue for the cook-book signing was way too long so I just purchased the book without thinking twice. People arrived hours in advance just to get in line, so instead, I picked up lots of bargains at different food stalls such as Whisk and Pin, Amoy (Free for five dolla!), Pukara estate and more. I felt my heart rip when I saw my sunbeam stickmaster $50 less than the original price I paid for at a department store on the previous day. Doh.

Checked out the new Maxim supermarket below the Lumiere apartments at Regent Place - Asian products galore, including Japanese cookies & cream kit kats, Sakura flavoured mochi ice cream and many other silly random edible treats. Opens til 9 at night.