Pino's Ristorante Pizzeria, Crows Nest

Pino's Ristorante Pizzeria has been around for over 40 years, so I have no idea what it was like back in the day. Despite the negative comments on Urbanspoon that its standards have slipped (particularly in relation to service and the wait for food), our group of 6 had a pretty good Saturday dinner there.
 
We were seated upstairs, near a long table of about 16 people who were celebrating a birthday. They talked really loudly and blew those annoying whistles, but we somehow managed to tune them out. Framed photos of Florence provided a good conversation base, and we chattered easily until the pizzas arrived (about 15 to 20 minutes).

The rocket salad was really simple - a lot of rocket leaves, some shaved Parmesan, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We took out the pine nuts because of Shell's allergies, but I don't think it made too much of a difference to us carnivorous ladies. Clearly, the salad was pretty much ordered so we could say we had our 5 veg (5 rocket leaves!).

Rocket salad ($14.00)

Ordered 3 large pizzas. The pizza base is soft despite being thin crust (if you're a fan of thin and crispy, you're going to be disappointed, but I personally like softer doughs because they're less dry, and these pizzas were certainly not dry). The cheese melted over the top added a lovely richness.

The pizzas were (in order of photos)
1. Pollo - Chicken, avocado and sundried tomato
Safe combination, tasty nonetheless

2. Salami e Tartufo - Salami, mushroom, bocconcini, white truffle oil
Turned out to be my favourite pizza that night.. I'm a huge mushroom lover, and that truffle oil brought me to fungus heaven <3

3. Porcini e Salsiccia - mushroom, Sardinian pork sausage, cheese and basil (that little sprig on top)
Though the toppings sounded similar to the salami pizza, they were vastly different. The pork sausage had a minced up texture, and it was probably the driest of the 3 pizzas.

Pollo pizza - Large ($25.00)

Salami e Tartufo ($26.00)

Porcini e Salsiccia - Large ($27.00)

Corkage felt pretty steep, considering my friend brought one bottle of wine and not all of us drank - over $20 ($3.50pp x 6). But then again, I never BYO so I don't know if that's a reasonable price?

Bravo Trattoria (59 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest)

We opted to have ice cream at Bravo Trattoria, just a couple of doors down from Pino's. A little expensive - 2 scoops for $6.80, but the gelato's great. Had 1 scoop of taro and 1 scoop of ferrero rocher, which were delicious in their own right - but probably not the best combination to have side by side :/

Since taro is my favourite frozen yoghurt flavour, I was glad that this tasted just like it, except for the creamier gelato texture. The ferrero rocher was nutty, chocolatey and oh so very rich. Looking back in hindsight, I should have traded off the taro for the coffee flavour, since coffee and ferrero rocher balls are such excellent companions.

Poor Shell couldn't have any dessert there because of her nut allergy - she asked the charming European waiter if the tiramisu had nuts, had her hopes raised up when he said he didn't think so, but which then got cruelly dashed when he delivered the bad news a few minutes later. We were reassured that they do have nut-free coffee, though!

Ice cream @ Bravo Trattoria ($6.80)

I Love Pho, Crows Nest

Proposing to eat Vietnamese on the North Shore usually attracts gasps of horror from pho enthusiasts. Alas, I'm not a pho enthusiast and I just wanted something soupy for dinner. Having said that, I Love Pho appears to be distinctly more authentic than the other Vietnamese eateries situated in Chatswood - their egg rolls are made with rice paper, pho comes with hoisin sauce, that sort of thing.

We visited I Love Pho without a booking around 7pm on a weeknight, and it was absolutely packed. We were fortunate enough that someone was finishing up at the time, but some people entering a few minutes later had to stand around for quite a while.

 The crispy Vietnamese pancake was labelled under the chef's recommendations, and no wonder! I loved the crunch of the batter and how it was chock-full of prawns, pork and beansprouts. And though it costs about as much as a bowl of pho, it's pretty big and I could probably have eaten one plate of pancake as a meal.

Banh Xeo ($12.60)

This meant that by the time the pho arrived, there was little of the noodles that I could stomach. I ordered the pho chin, or pho with well-done beef flank. The beef was a little tough and they were overly generous with the rice noodles, but the soup was quite tasty.

Hoisin/ chilli sauce with garnishing

(Pho Chin - approx. $12.50)

My conclusion? Yummy pancakes, generous portions, reasonable price for Crows Nest. After this experience, I'm keen to come back and taste some of their banquet-style dishes.

Waqu, Crows Nest

Waqu was offering a 6 course early-bird special on Friday nights (at the time it was $58 per person, but it's been lowered to $55 since then), so I dragged one of my Japanese-food-loving friends with me. Situated in Crows Nest, parking was a little tricky to locate, particularly close to the Pacific Highway. Nevertheless, we managed to park on Holtermann St and strolled off to Waqu.

I loved the sleepy, intimate atmosphere of Waqu - the lighting was a bit dim for my liking, but my friend was facing the wall lights, which were apparently more than bright enough.

After ordering, we were provided with a biteful of crispy cornbread and cream.

Amuse bouche

In addition to the 6-course menu, I had a cocktail (there were Friday specials so I just could not resist) dubbed "Yuzu Citrus". It consisted of yuzu liqueur, jelly, sparkling wine and lime juice. The jelly evoked the same texture possessed by those aloe vera drinks that you can get from Asian supermarkets. The citrus was quite useful to clear my palate throughout the meal, and as with all good cocktails, there was just enough bitterness from the alcohol to make it extra enjoyable.

Yuzu Citrus ($9.00)

1st course: Pumpkin soup with kaffir lime and (if I recall correctly) some sort of nutty foam, which was purely aesthetic. Normally I turn my nose up at pumpkin soup because it's... well... pumpkin soup. However, the kaffir lime provided an interesting twist that nullified any of my negative thoughts.

Japanese pumpkin soup

2nd course: Scallop confit, sake cooked mussel, dill cream sauce and ponzu daikon. I tend to rate scallop highly on any plate, and this was no exception. The fact of the mussel being cooked in sake made no difference to the taste. I thought it was interesting that they added okra - my mum includes it in one of her fish curries, but I've never had it in a restaurant before, so it was nice to see an underrated vegetable on a plate.

Scallop and mussel

3rd course: Chicken galantine with mochi rice okowa, miso essence, shimeji, soba seeds, rice and peanut tulles. The waiter explained that even though galantine sounds French, this particular dish is actually traditionally Japanese. Not sure whether that's true, but it tasted alright. It wasn't particularly memorable, but it wasn't bad either - the chicken was moist and the peanut tulles were a novelty.

Chicken galantine

4th course: Pan fried barramundi - I was given the choice between this and salmon, but the barramundi just sounded better. It came with onion puree, pinot noir syrup, roasted leek and macadamia sprinkled over the top. It made my mouthwater - loved the crunch of the barramundi skin and the soft texture of the fish. I wasn't the biggest fan of the way they did the leek, but overall not bad.

For our 5th course, we were given a choice between duck, lamb and steak. I chose the lamb, my friend ordered the duck, and then we did a swap.

5th course (a): Roasted duck with dark cherry sauce, beetroot puree and coffee chocolate crumble.
The duck was moist and flavoursome - I preferred this dish, but according to my friend, the lamb was just as good (except with muted flavours). I love beetroot, so the beetroot chips were an excellent addition.

Roasted duck

5th course (b): Cabernet marinated lamb with fig balsamic vinegar puree, chestnuts, fig fritter, spiced bread crumbs.

Tender lamb, consistent theme of figs. The only issue I had was that this lacked sauce, which made it a bit dry.

Cabernet marinated lamb

6th course: Lychee lime mousse & pear compote with blood peach sorbet, lemongrass jelly, rosehip sauce.

Light dessert, rosehip sauce was nicely sour, interesting combinations (you can tell I've run out of writing steam).

Lychee lime mousse & pear compote

The food was served one after the other at a pretty fast rate (though that may have been because we were early bird diners and were expected to return the table at 8pm), but you aren't made to feel like they're rushing you. The waitstaff is charming, attentive and even amusing when explaining each dish. Having had a pretty disappointing lunch elsewhere that day, my experience at Waqu restored my spirits once more :)

Garfish, Crows Nest

As its name indicates, Garfish focuses on seafood - more specifically, fish. With an open kitchen and clean, minimalist decor, Garfish looks both approachable and upmarket. The menu is extensive, partially due to the seasonal specials menu that lists a range of fish, cooking methods and sauces from which one is able to mix and match at leisure.

Generally, the more expensive and fancy the restaurant is, the more the food is handled and the more complex the dish becomes. Nonetheless, when it comes to seafood, there are times when it is best to allow the natural flavours of the ocean take centre stage. Garfish tends to do this.

Interior

Menu!

 The waitress who came to take our order was very friendly and stressed that the chefs are open to adapting menu items, such as having main-sized entrees. We didn't need this flexibility, but it's something that I'm sure many appreciate.

When ordering the grilled ciabatta, I was given an and/or choice between the garlic butter and black olive tapenade toppings, to which I answered, "Both please!". The slices of bread were toasted lightly - no rock-hard or burnt bits - with thin layers of spread. The garlic butter tasted lovely, but the olive paste stood out more (probably more because it's less commonly found).

Grilled ciabatta ($4.00)

The second entree to arrive was a plate of oysters that were prepared in three ways. All the oysters were fresh and not too fishy in flavour.

The shot glasses in the middle contained the 'oyster shots', which consisted of fresh oyster sitting at the bottom of Bloody Mary. While it was an interesting combination, the taste of the tomato was quite overpowering, making it too sour for me to finish. In the end, I only drank about half of the shot before picking out my oyster and moving on to the next part of the oyster plate.

Oyster plate (half dozen) ($20.60)

I actually started off my oyster plate with the oysters natural, which were accompanied with mignonette dressing. The sea salt and vinegar provided a nice kick to the oysters, refrained from interfering with its natural flavour, and was probably my favourite method of preparation for the day.

Oyster natural

The third set of oysters were crisp fried and served with soy, mirin and ginger. The crunch of the batter and the lime juice that we squeezed over the oysters reinforced the Asian influences of the dish.

Oyster crisp fried

My third entree was a plate of grilled marinated baby octopus with garlic, rocket, red onion, lemon, capsicum, and a creamy sauce. While the taste was nice, the octopus was tough and rubbery. As someone who grew up choking easily on various items of food, I was concerned that I would find myself amidst feelings of deja vu. I tried slicing the octopus into bite-sized pieces, but ended up failing to saw through it.

Baby octopus ($18.00)

My lunch partner ordered the fish and chips (or in this case, snap peas). One of the pieces of beer battered fish was heavily sprinkled with sea salt, so it's important to spread it around as evenly as possible to avoid choking ("Well of course," one might say, but alas, this salt calls for extra care). I have no complaints about the way the fish was deep fried - the batter was crispy, the fish was not too fishy, and the meat was soft and flaky.

Beer battered fish ($25.50)

The main that I ordered was poached Atlantic salmon with cauliflower puree and fresh greens. Though it doesn't look elaborate, the salmon was cooked perfectly - it was especially mouthwatering when eaten with the creamy puree. The fish tasted fresh, and the meal was light overall.

Poached Atlantic salmon ($30.00)

Conclusion? Garfish manages to deliver tasty fish dishes that are uncluttered by excess ingredients. Nevertheless, the jury is still out regarding their treatment of other types of seafood.

Cocco's Pizzeria, Crows Nest

Cocco's Pizzeria is situated along one of the main strips of cafes in Crows Nest, just a couple of shop lots away from Bavarian Bier Cafe. There aren't many square metres of floorspace inside, but they have two levels, which means that private dining is definitely an option. Even without hiring the restaurant, the environment is intimate and casual, and, surprisingly (since it was a Sunday night and the food is pretty good), most of the tables were empty.

Exterior

 We took a pretty long time to decide what we wanted to have, but the staff were really accommodating and friendly. As an aside, we decided to share some dishes amongst the four of us, which, once served, came with serving utensils without us having to ask. It's attention to detail like these that really boosts my appreciation for service provided (especially when you're being charged average prices).

First up was the basket of 4 pieces of garlic bread. It was fairly average - white bread and a standard mixture of garlic butter spread. Nevertheless, it was mostly soft, wasn't as oily as per usual, and it was a nice filler before the mains arrived.

Garlic bread ($5.90)

Some of our other friends offered us their 'Bianca' pizza - garlic and herb pizza crust sliced up into numerous pieces, served with 2 types of dip - olive and chilli. It actually gave me a bit of food envy when I compared it to our garlic bread - the Bianca tasted a lot more 'gourmet' and the accompanying pastes were mouthwatering.

'Bianca' pizza ($12.90)

We ordered two pasta dishes - gnocchi and ravioli, one entree-sized and one main meal.

The gnocchi was prepared with gorgonzola cheese and cream sauce. It was soft and chewy, but not to the extent that it turned gluggy. Overall, it was made well and, despite the richness of the sauce, it didn't give me that sick feeling that I often get after eating too much of creamy pasta dishes (like penne bosciola done badly).

Gnocchi gorgonzola (main size) ($22.90)

Our pumpkin ravioli came with butter sage sauce, which was light and didn't overpower the pumpkin. Considering we were sharing these dishes, I felt like hoarding it all to myself - it was that addictive!

Ravioli alla zucca (entree size) ($18.90)

Our last dish was a tomato-based seafood pizza, which consisted of mozzarella cheese, anchovies, baby clams, prawns and garlic. Although the pizza base is thin, it isn't crispy and is bready and soft. It wasn't very oily and it was quite enjoyable. The anchovies were very salty, but there wasn't that much of it (and I'm not an anchovy fan anyway, so I'm probably biased), and the other toppings balanced out the flavours quite well.

Frutta di mare ($23.90)

At the end of our dinner, we were offered the dessert and coffee menu. Although the items on the menu looked tempting, all of us were just too full to think about ordering anything else. Excluding the Bianca pizza, the bill came to about $18 between the four of us, which is great value for excellent pasta, decent portions, and friendly service.