New Air New Zealand Lounge, Sydney

Update Reviews, November 2023 and February 2024 visits

This year, my visits to the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney were around 11:30am, so I completely missed the breakfast (swapped out at 10:30am) that I really do generally enjoy.  The change for me was because I was flying United rather than Air New Zealand, and the time of year meant my departing flight wasn't until 2pm (as opposed to 1pm other times of year, or 12pm if I fly with Air New Zealand).  The lunch offerings really are just blah compared to their breakfast offerings.

November 2023

Anzac Biscuits / Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The same two types of cookies/biscuits as always, dry hard styles, that I didn't try.

Salad Bar.

A small salad bar with fresh crisp romaine, tomatoes, two kinds of olives, cheese, sunflower seeds.  There was a mushy pasta salad that I didn't care for, and a quinoa salad I didn't try.

Pickled beets, cauliflower, carrots, etc.

I was really excited to see a jar of pickled things, including slices of carrots, big hunks of cauliflower, and beets.  I grew up in a pickling family, and love most pickled things.  However, this was ... meh.  Far too sour, far too acidic, a quick pickle.  The bite to the veggies was good, and I appreciated the mix, but, meh to the actual taste.  **.

Argentinian Beef Stew.

The hot main dish was beef stew, that I stayed away from.

Rice.

I did not try the rice.

Lentil Stew / Cheesy Paprika Cauliflower.

The lentil stew I didn't try as I loathe lentils, and it was later replaced with vegetarian ravioli.

I did try the cauliflower, which said it was cheesy, but didn't really seem to be, and was just oily mush. **.

Cheese Platter.

The cheese platter had a soft cheese and a hard cheese, neither labelled.  I did try the gherkins, and, much like the pickled mix, they just weren't a style I liked. **+.

Bacon & Cheese Muffin.

The only muffin at lunch time is mini savory bacon and cheese muffins.  I found it overly greasy, spongy, and not very good. **+.

Mixed Berries Bar cake.

I hadn't seen this item before, a mixed berry bar cake, that looked a bit like a muffin bar form.

Chocolate Chip Scone.

Only one scone type at lunch, chocolate chip, which had jam and whipped cream optional on the side.

It was fairly ho-hum, with small chips and not that many of them, and no real tang to the base.  A medium hard style. I think it would be better warm, and certainly was much better with copious amounts of whipped cream. ***.

Black Forest Cake.

Two cakes were on offer, the same black forest and mixed berry cakes from my past few visits.  I didn't try either.

Rice Crackers.

The only snack available up at the bar / barista now is rice crackers (or pretzels).  Long gone are the days of lollies or even marshmallows.

I did try the rice cracker mix, and was pleased with the variety of pieces, all different shapes and colors, but all were fairly generic taste, and a bit stale.  I had hoped for some seasoning to these. **+.

I tried them again three months later, and they were equally stale and boring.

February 2024

My flight wound up delayed, so I needed up eating a bit more savory food this visit, as it became clear that I shouldn't wait for my onboard meal for lunch.

Salmon Mousse with Dill Finger Sandwich.

I've never tried the sandwiches in the Air New Zealand lounge before, and I'm not a sandwich person, but I had a sandwich in the United Polaris lounge on the way to Sydney that I actually enjoyed (ok, I had some of the fillings that is), and I really strangely was in the mood.  I also had some great salmon mousse canapes at the Sheraton Grand in Sydney, and had some hope here.

The sandwich wasn't great.  The bread was actually fine, nice soft sandwich bread, not stale or hard.  The salmon did have a decent amount of dill, but it was fairly fishy and mushy.  Meh.  **.

Miso roasted eggplant on baguette.

Up next was a little open faced miso roasted eggplant on a baguette slice.  It also had a slaw.  The toppings were fairly tasty, soft roast eggplant, yummy enough.  ***.

There was also a chicken salad finger sandwich I didn't try.

Crackers.

I do like the spiced lavosh crackers, these were the same brand my hotel had in the lounge most nights.  ***+.

Hummus, baba ganoush, tatzaki and veggie cups.

I don't think I had seen the dip and veggie cups before, but I didn't try them.

Roast sweet potato & freekeh salad with harisa yogurt / Seasoned salad leaves.

I didn't try the basic mixed greens salad with shredded carrots and tomatoes, although I'd consider it in the future if I wanted a light bite.

I momentarily thought the other one was pumpkin/squash and not sweet potato, and was excited, but, alas, I wasn't in the mood for sweet potato, and don't care for harisa.

Broccoli, raisin, & fried capers salad / Classic Greek Salad.

I was pretty excited to see the next salad offering, a broccoli salad with raisins that sure sounded and looked a bit like my favorite Whole Foods broccoli crunch salad.  I eagerly took some, but ... alas, the broccoli was super soft, the dressing was very sweet, and I didn't taste the fried capers.  *.

I didn't try the greek salad, that while labelled "classic" sure seemed to have an extensive number of red and green pepper slices.

Pineapple & Coconut Bar Cake.

There were no muffins on offer this late in the day (they seem to no longer even offer a single sweet and savory muffin post-10:30), but a "bar cake" was available, pineapple and coconut flavored.  My previous visit, it was "mixed berry".

I tried it, mostly drawn by the chocolate drizzle, and the allure of something I hadn't tried yet.

It was actually much better than I expected, although I didn't exactly have high hopes having tried every single muffin and scone variety they have offered over the years.  It was a very soft cake, that sorta seemed gluten-free, but wasn't labelled as such.  You could taste the coconut, but I didn't taste pineapple.  The chocolate drizzle was good quality chocolate.  It went really nicely with a coffee as a late-morning snack.  I'd probably get it again. ***+.

Chocolate Chip Scones / Whipped Cream / Jam.

I finally took my own advice, and didn't actually have one of the chocolate chip scones.  They always let me down.  I did of course still enjoy the whipped cream (with the cake instead).  

Chipotle Mushroom & Eggplant / Roast Cabbage & Carrot with Confit Garlic.

The hot food in the Air New Zealand lounge usually is fairly appealing in terms of what it is, but, I find it very hit or miss in terms of enjoyment.

Both of these turned out better than I expected.  The mushrooms were just boring basic button mushrooms, but the eggplant was nicely roasted, and the chipotle was more just like a bbq sauce.  Not necessarily what I want on my eggplant, but, not offensive. 

The cabbage was well cooked, and although it said just "cabbage and carrot" it also had green beans, that weren't too mushy (although I do prefer more al dente).  The green beans did still have the string on them though, which made them a bit tough to eat.  Confit garlic was tasty, but not much of it. 

Basically, all slightly better than expected, but still just buffet quality.  High ***.

Beef Something.

I didn't catch the name of this dish, but it was something beef.  I didn't try it.

Opera Cake / Strawberry Mousse Cake.

I've somehow never tried the lounge desserts before, despite being a huge dessert girl.  The thing is, I'm actually usually looking forward to double desserts on the flight (ice cream and whatever the other choice is, I always manage to snag both, no matter what airline), I usually get drawn in by the scones and whipped cream in the lounge, and I had stopped by the Kurimo popup again at PappaRich to get another decadent filled croissant.  I also generally stay at the Sheraton Grand which had a slew of desserts every night in the lounge AND I love so many places in Sydney for gelato/ice cream/Asian desserts/etc, so the lounge mediocre desserts never seem to tempt me, but ... my flight got massively delayed, and thus, captive audience Julie had all the desserts.

First up, the opera cake.  This was actually pretty good.  I don't generally find opera cake to be very interesting, but this one had a really well soaked sponge layer that was more akin to tiramisu with a great coffee flavor, and kept it quite moist.  The coffee buttercream was decent but not great, and the chocolate ganache very Hershey syrup sort of flavor, but the soaked sponge put this above most other opera cake.  ***.

Next, strawberry mousse.  This was an odd creation.  The mousse had a light and airy consistency, but it wasn't a pleasant one.  It was a "what is wrong with this exactly?" sort of texture.   Far from creamy.  It did have a decent strawberry flavor.  The strawberry gel on top was actually pretty flavorful, fruity, sweet, nice.  The cake was very moist in an off putting way.  But it certainly didn't go together in a way that made sense, and the "mousse" had just too odd of a texture for me.  Almost good, but, just a bit off.  **+.

Update Review, March 2023

Another visit to Sydney, another visit to the Air New Zealand lounge.  

This time I was flying with United, rather than Air New Zealand, but luckily they are partners, and thus I was able to visit the Air New Zealand lounge in the Sydney airport.  My flight on United was an hour later than my usual New Zealand flight (1pm vs 12pm), so I didn't *really* need to be at the airport early enough to make it to the lounge before the breakfast switchover (promptly at 10:30am on the dot!), but check-in, bag drop, and security were quite fast, and thus, I made it in the door at 10:28am, and was thrilled to get a chance to grab some of my breakfast lineup favorites before the swap.

Things had changed a bit since my last visit in August (review below), but, I was still quite pleased with my visit.  I didn't end up going back for the lunch lineup, opting to stay in the Singapore Airlines lounge next door instead, so I can't report on the lunch hot items (the sandwiches were brought out as part of the mid-morning spread, but I didn't partake).

Yogurt Bar.

You've long heard me rave about the magical yogurt pots in the Sydney Air New Zealand lounge.  Seriously, they are just, well, the best yogurt I've ever had.  I wish I could find out the brand.

This year, my flight was an hour later, and thus, it didn't really make sense to be in the lounge at breakfast time.  But I still did manage to catch literally the last two minutes (10:28am-10:30am) of breakfast service, so I could snag some of that precious yogurt.

At first, when I arrived, I thought I was too late.  Where were my little pots of joy?!  I didn't see them in the buffet.  But my initial panic was not necessarily, it just turns out, they've turned it into a DIY yogurt bar, with three kinds of yogurt as a base (greek, low fat, coconut), and tons of toppings, rather than composed little pots.

I tried both the greek and low fat yogurts, and enjoyed them both.  Super creamy, the Greek yogurt nicely tangy, the other a bit sweet.  Both just lovely yogurts.  They didn't even need toppings really.

But, the toppings!  Omg.  Before the little pots always had a fruit compote or crumble added, and now I got to do it myself.  There was no fresh fruit, but there was poached peach, orange marmalade, passionfruit, berry compote, and berry coulis for fruity options, plus lots of crunchy things like nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, coconut, and two kinds of crumble ("butter crumble" and "housemade granola").

I liked the passionfruit sauce, and did not try the other fruity options, but all looked pretty good.  I actually quite like the "activated almonds", which were softer, and wet.  And I adored both crumbles, the housemade granola was sorta like a dessert topping, and the butter crumble was entirely a dessert topping.  Both great. The mini chocolate chips were nice to have too.

Overall, I loved my yogurt bowls - both the yogurts were equally great, as were all the toppings I tried.  *****.  Worth a little extra airport time to catch this!

Bircher Muesli.

I still fondly remember liking the bircher muesli, but just like my last visit, I didn't care much for it this time.  Rather mushy, and just too spiced in a way I didn't care for.  That said, next door, Singapore Airlines has fantastic muesli, so, my muesli needs were still well met.

**.

Mango & Banana Muffin.

The sweet mini muffin of the day was mango & banana.  Last time it was a Banana, Coconut, & Chocolate Muffin, which I did think was ok.

It was not great.  Mild banana bread flavor, perhaps 1-2 tiny bits of mango.  Very dense, top a bit too crispy.  Better when I smothered it in cream cheese.  Wouldn't get again. **.

Bacon and Cheese Muffin. 

The savory mini muffin was bacon and cheese, very heavy on the cheese.  It looked more like a cheese bread than a muffin.  Last time this was a Brie, Fig & Spring Onion Muffin, which I didn't care for.

I was surprised when I tried my cheesey muffin to find that it seemed to mostly be onion and cheese, not bacon and cheese.  There were decent sized chunks of what I thought was onion inside.  I later realized it was chunks of ... paper.  Um.  Yeah.

Minus the whole paper thing, this was a nice savory, cheesy bite, I think probably great with a bowl of chili, and truly more of a cheese bread than muffin. ***.

Chocolate Chip Scones, Whipped Cream, Jam.

Once mid-morning lineup was switched over, out came the whipped cream and jam, along with a sweet scone, chocolate chip this time.  Last time it was a date scone.

The chocolate chip scone was fine, but, definitely a soft, bready style, not what I think of as a scone.  The base was a bit boring, could certainly use more of a buttermilk tang or something, but it was studded with mini chocolate chips which helped.  And of course, the whipped cream helped too, and I smothered mine in copious amounts of it.  The whipped cream was good, nice fresh, thick, whipped cream.

So, decent enough bready scone, ***, great whipped cream ****.

Caraway & Pumpkin, Feta Scone.

Next up, the savory scone.

This was the exact same scone I had last time. I had not read my previous notes, so I grabbed another (last time I thought it was quite plain, had no feta, no caraway, and only a tiny bit of pumpkin).

It was better this time.  Still a very bready "scone", but soft and seemed fresh baked.  This one did have a few caraway seeds, which gave it a hint of a rye like flavor.  There were also a few small bits of pumpkin.  And still no feta, which was a good thing for me.  Still not as flavorful as it could be, and I suspect much better warm and slathered with butter.  But an ok savory bread item.  ***+.

These were served with cream cheese that looked like cottage cheese. I was tempted to try it just because it looked so confusing.

Fruit & Cheese.

Mid-morning a fruit and cheese platter is brought out.  I didn't try it.

Desserts.

The dessert selection was a lemon and coconut cake, or black forest.  I didn't try either.  No cookies were out today.

The candy lineup is also gone, only marshmallows in their place at the barista station.

Update Reviews: 2022 Visit

After 2.5 years away, I finally got to return to Sydney!  While I was sad to leave, that of course meant I got to check out the airline lounges as I departed, to see what had changed (answer: not much, really).  I started with my favorite lounge, the Air New Zealand one.

Breakfast - Morning (Pre-10:30am)

I arrived a little before 10am, so I was able to experience from the full breakfast spread.  I already had breakfast at my hotel that morning, and was not actually ready for a second breakfast, so I skipped a lot of the buffet.  Including here without comments just for completeness.

Croissants.

The croissants looked reasonably flaky.

Cinnamon Rolls. 

The cinnamon rolls ... pretty sad / generic buffet quality.

Crumpets.

I didn't get a photo of the other breads, along with a toaster, to make your own toast.  I think the crumpets may have been new additions, at least since I was last there.

Action Station: Waffle.

The action station never had a chef working it the entire time I was in the lounge.  The items from the action station were all just sitting there, cold.  No heat lamps or anything to keep items warm in this area, as its usually made more to order.  This station had some highlights in the past, but, certainly not this time.

I tried the waffle and it was not good.  An eggy, spongy style, and STONE COLD.  It had clearly been there a long time.

They also had a savory breakfast quesadilla. 

Cereal.

Cereals are now packaged.

Frittata, Baked Beans

The hot buffet had several forms of protein.

Potato & Bacon Cheesy Bake.

I tried a tiny bite of the potato ... it was not very good.  The bacon greasy, potatoes soft, cheese not really there. *+.

Scrambled Eggs

I stayed far away from the powdered eggs.

Date Scone.

The sweet scone of the day was a date scone.  It was not very good - a very bread-like consistency, fairly dry, but not crumbly in the way scones should be.  The base had no real flavor to it, and bits of dried date are not really my thing.

Maybe it would be ok with copious amounts of jam and cream, although the later was not available (whipped cream was brought out once the buffet switched over from breakfast to mid-morning).

**+.

Banana, Coconut, & Chocolate Muffin.

The muffins at breakfast were also a sweet option, with banana, coconut and chocolate.  They looked over baked, too dark.

They weren't actually as burnt as they looked, but also were not all that tasty.  Very mild banana and coconut flavors, a little bit of grit from the coconut in them.  The banana and coconut combination was actually fairly nice, really, just a light banana bread that was a touch more interesting than usual.  That said, I only found one tiny tiny fleck of chocolate in my entire muffin, and I think that more chocolate would have made these considerably better.

So, not bad, but not great either. ***.

Pots of joy!

A highlight of the lounge for me is always the little pots of yogurt, muesli, and assorted puddings.  Even though I wasn't hungry, I could not resist trying them all.

Steamed rice pudding with caramelized banana.

The one I was pretty excited for was a rice pudding.  I love rice pudding!  And, kudos to them for the caramelized banana on top.

However, this wasn't very good.  The little sign just said rice pudding, but this was definitely coconut rice pudding, very, very heavy in the coconut flavor, and I didn't care for that very much.  And the rice?  Um.  It was hard.  Not just al dente, but actually uncooked, hard.  Not enjoyable.  The banana was bruleed on top, but wasn't really caramelized in any way I could taste.

So, sadly, not for me. *.  My least favorite of the pots.

Mixed Berry Yogurt.

The mixed berry yogurt was good.  I liked the sweet berry compote on top, although the yogurt used in this one seemed a touch more watery, a touch more tart, than the other.  I think this was greek yogurt?  

It was good, but my second favorite.  ***+.

Passionfruit Yogurt. 

I loved the fruity passionfruit goo on top of this one.  Sweet, tart, flavorful.  Yum!  The yogurt in this one seemed smoother, maybe slightly sweet, not Greek yogurt?

The passionfruit yogurt was my hands down favorite. I devoured it in seconds, and considered getting another, even though genuinely stuffed. ****.

Bircher Muesli.

I always loved the bircher muesli in the past but ... this batch wasn't a winner.  There was some flavor to it that I just didn't care for, and it really was just thick mushy oats.  On top was pumpkin seeds for a nice crunch, and dried apricot, meh to that.

**.

Mid-Morning / Post 10:30am

At 10:30am the buffet promptly switched over into lunch-ish mode.  As always, assorted sandwiches, cheese, and crackers appeared, a few desserts, and more muffin/scone options.  I always find it odd that they offer more varieties of scones and muffins mid-day than at breakfast.

Walnut & Almond Chocolate Brownie.

I nearly grabbed one of the brownies, they looked quite moist and had a shiny top.

Apple Crumble.

Apple crumble bars however didn't look good, and yet somehow, that is what people went for, the tray was nearly empty within seconds.

Cookies.

Cookie jars held two kinds of cookies, neither labelled, but one was chocolate chip.

The chocolate chip one wasn't great.  It was soft, but, chips were tiny, base wasn't particularly buttery nor special.  Fine, but not great. ***.

I'm still not sure what kind it the other was.  I think apricot?  It had little bits of some kind of chewy dried fruit.  Hard style, sweet base, shortbread-like.  Possibly macadamia in there too?  I really don't know.  I liked it though, good flavor, good texture, nice chew from the bits of fruit. ***+.

Warm Cheese & Vegemite Scrolls

The warm buffet held rather interesting looking cheese and vegemite scrolls, and I was too curious not to try these.

The pastry was flaky, they were lightly warm, and the flavor was mostly just savory.  Interesting, not amazing, but interesting.  ***.

Whipped Cream.

Whipped cream was no where to be found earlier (for use with the scones, waffles, etc), but it came out mid-morning.  Always a good thing in my world, to use with scones, desserts, and, um, possibly put into a takeout coffee cup to use with my in-flight dessert (shhh!).

Brie, Fig & Spring Onion Muffin.

The additional muffin was a savory one, with brie, figs, and spring onion.  Like the sweet one, it too looked over baked and burnt.  It was very, very dry.

Much like the sweet muffin that contained only a single chocolate bit, I found these lacking in mix-ins.  I didn't taste, nor find, *any* brie nor spring onion.  There were a few bits of dried fig.  The base flavor was ok, but, it was mostly just a plain muffin with a tiny bit of dried fig, and, being so dried out and over baked really took away from it.

**.

Carraway & Pumpkin, Fetta Scone.

The additional scone was also savory, this one an interesting mix of carraway, pumpkin, and feta.

Hmm.  Well, this was a very boring scone.  Soft, bread style, not a hard scone.  The base flavor was quite plain, no tang, nothing interesting about it.  I tasted no carraway, which I expected to be a pretty strong flavor.  I found no feta.  There was a tiny bit of pumpkin, small soft dice.  And that is it.  Bo-ring.  I dug through the whole scone, and there really was no feta nor carraway that I found.

**.

Update Reviews: February 2018, July 2018, February 2019, October 2019, March 2020 Visits

It was just over 1 year between my last visit to the new Sydney Air New Zealand lounge, and, it was shocking just how little changed.  Still, one of my favorite lounges for breakfast.

This review covers my visits in 2018, one in February, one in July, and one in 2019 in early February. And ... my first ever daytime visit in March 2020.

Lounge Overview: February 2018.

Everything that was amazing before, was still amazing.  I love the consistency, and the fact that I can count on this.

Lounge Overview: July 2018.

July was just as great.  <3 those puddings.  Good pastry selection.

Breakfast #2: February 2018.

The short version? Make sure you arrive before 10:30am, and have all the little pots of yoghurt.  And make sure you leave after 10:30am, so you can grab some pastries from the mid-morning selection.

Seriously, amazing.

This was my 2nd breakfast of the day, after my last breakfast at my hotel much, much earlier.  I know how amazing this is, so always try to eat light earlier, but since I'm up at predawn (yay, jetlag!), I can't actually hold out until I reach the lounge mid-morning.

Breakfast #2: July 2018.

A few months later, same thing.  Early morning hotel breakfast, mid-morning lounge breakfast.  I was thrilled to make it there by 10am so I could indulge.

The actual lineup was different, but the little jars ... seriously, so good.

Still my favorites, Feb 2019.

My Feb 2019 visit was much the same, well timed so that I arrived plenty early to get the yogurts, but also enough time to quasi-digest so I could get excited for the muffins/scones when they came out at 10:30am.

My expectations are high at this point, and everything lived up.  <3 the yogurt, the second best yogurt I've ever had (the best is at Tres, at the SLS Beverly Hills in Los Angeles).  The best muesli anywhere.  And scone-biscuits that I truly enjoy.

October 2019 Overview.

In October, I was crushed.

I arrived early enough to catch breakfast, always a priority.  But.  THEY CHANGED THE YOGURT.  And ... when it switched to mid-morning mode, THEY REMOVED THE WHIPPED CREAM.

Tears.  But they added good lollies?

Breakfast

As on my last visit, in February, I arrived just around 10:15am, right before the breakfast buffet was transformed over at 10:30am.  I did even better in July, making it by 10am.  More time for breakfast #2!

Continental Breakfast Buffet.

The main island is the continental selection, cereal, yogurts, cheese, pastries, fruit.

Yogurts and Fruits (February 2018).

The lineup this first visit:

• Low fat yoghurt 
• Greek yoghurt
• Fruit Salad
• Passion Fruit Yoghurt
• Raspberry Yoghurt
• Bircher Muesli
• Coconut cranberry and apple granola
• Smoothies

I had really, really high hopes for the yogurt station.  Which I know is random, but, wow, it was so good last time.  And this time?  Just as good.  I had high expectations, and they were exceeded.

The low fat and Greek yoghurt, plus the fruit salad, were served in large format vessels, but everything else was in composed little pots.  I loved those pots last time. 

I only skipped the large format items, and went for one of each pot.  I couldn't pick just one.  Or two.  Or, uh, three.  Little pots!  I rather regretted that I had my first breakfast of the day but these were so good I polished them off. Which ... I also regretted.  Sorta.  What I really needed was someone to split them all with, or, to feel ok with wasting them.

Yogurt & Fruit (July 2018).

The yogurt and fruit station was largely the same in July, fruit, yogurts, smoothies, and little jars, this time, yogurts and chia pudding - no granola, no bircher muesli.

Minus one point for no more bircher!  I wanted one last bircher!  And I did really love the granola before.

Yogurt Lineup (February 2019).

My favorites were there in Feb 2019 as well, along with one new item.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt / Raspberry Yoghurt. (July 2018)

The little yogurt jars were the same variety as always, passion fruit, and raspberry.  I of course took both.

Bircher Muesli (Feb 2018).

Ah, bircher muesli.  The ever polarizing bircher muesli.  It was much like I remembered from last time.  No mix-ins, just soft stewed oats.  Not tart, no apple flavor, kinda mushy, more like overnight oats than real bircher.  Last time I appreciated it mostly because I hadn't been thrilled with the bircher at the Sheraton on the Park during my stay, but this time, I had liked the bircher there, so I didn't really have the bircher cravings.

My least favorite of the pots, but it was still good, and I'd still have another.

Bircher Muesli (Feb 2019).

While there was no bircher in July, it came back in Feb, and it was better than ever.  Actually, I think this was the best bircher muesli I've ever had.  Or at least, the best in recent memory.

As always, no mix-ins in the muesli base itself, just soft stewed oats, but with a lovely texture (not too mushy, not to firm), and a really pleasant (honey?) based sweetness.

On top was dried fruit, nuts, and seeds for texture.  I really, truly enjoyed this.  I think the only improvement I can think of would be to add a fruit compote.

Raspberry Yogurt (Feb 2018).

Next up was the "Raspberry Yogurt", different from when I had it last time with a little layer of granola in the middle and a berry on top. {LINK}  This version instead it had berry compote on top and layered inside.

The yogurt was again rich and creamy, the raspberry stuffs a nice compliment.  Third favorite.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt (Feb 2018).

And finally, the passion fruit yoghurt, another layered creation.

This was my favorite, it was really quite excellent.

The yoghurt somehow seemed even richer, even creamier.  Seriously, so amazing.  Why on earth do we not have yoghurt like this in the US?  The texture was perfect, so smooth and creamy, it was nicely balanced, not too sweet, but too tart.  Seriously, that yoghurt!

And then, the middle layer.  I'm still not really sure what it was.  I swear there was some cake in there.  Which I know makes no sense.  But, there was something cake like, really.

And of course, the passion fruit, sweet and fruity.

I adored this.  I devoured this.  I probably could have devoured another.  Seriously, so good.

This yoghurt.  So good.  So creamy, so rich, really, like eating cream.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt (July 2018)

Last time this was my favorite of the pair, but this time, I wasn't as into the passion fruit.  I think I just wasn't in the mood for the crunchy bits.  There was also no mystery cake inside.

Raspberry Yoghurt (July 2018).

But the raspberry one?

AMAZING.

Same yoghurt that I know and love, and, really sweet flavorful berry compote down teh sides (and a little stewed berry on top), nearly the same as last time.

I adore this.

Passion fruit. (Feb 2019).

<3 <3 <3

Incredible smooth creamy rich yogurt, sweet juicy passionfruit sauce layered in.

My favorite, I love it so much.  The passionfruit is sweet yet tart, love the crunch from the seeds, and the yogurt is top notch.

Minus one slight point in that it wasn't very cold, I could tell it would be tastier colder.

"Berries" Yogurt. (Feb 2019).

I really liked this.

Same rich creamy smooth yogurt I was expecting, layered with a bit of berry juice, and topped with stewed raspberries.

It allowed the yogurt to really shine as as the berry components were so minor, but they gave it a pleasant fruity flavor.

I gladly devoured this, and would have again, but slightly preferred the passion fruit version.

Coconut cranberry and apple granola (Feb 2018).

Now, the random changing item.  These are totally different every time, the one item that really seems to change a lot.

This time, a coconut, cranberry, and apple granola parfait.  A bit hard to eat because it was in a tiny jar, and all the granola was on the bottom, but, I had a plate on the side, and just dumped half the yogurt and fruit onto that.

This was great.  The granola was fantastic, loaded with bits of coconut, seeds, and more.  It was a bit moist from being on the bottom of the pot, but it worked somehow.  The yogurt was good, thick, rich, full fat, good Australian yogurt.  Not too tangy, not too sweet, just good.  On top was mixed berry compote, sweet, stewed fruit, and it went nicely with the other elements.

Overall, quite good, I'd gladly have another, although minus a point for being so hard to eat.  My second favorite of the little pots, and I'd gladly have another.  I do wish they had the granola available on its own.

Chocolate & Chia Seed Pudding (July 2018).

The next time, the granola was replaced with chia seed pudding.

I was ... cautiously excited?

I do love chia seed pudding sometimes.

This was kinda boring.  I didn't taste the chocolate, and the raspberry on top was too soft and mushy.  I know it was a compote, but, I didn't care for it.

Overall, this was fine, the chia pudding was fine, but, eh.  I wasn't into it.

Pineapple, ginger, & walnut oats. (Feb 2019).

And the last time, back to a granola parfait, although called "oats".

I didn't really care for this.  The granola, er, oats, were just kinda hard oats with dried fruit, the yogurt thick greek style standard yogurt, and the pineapple had an odd flavor to it.  Not awful, but so many better things were available.

Passionfruit Yogurt / Berries Yogurt / Bircher Muesli / Sago Pudding with Caramelized Pineapple. (October 2019).

The lineup in October was nearly the same (looking), passionfruit and berries yogurt pots, with fruit on top and layered inside.  The wildcard item was a sago pudding with caramelized pineapple, which I totally applaud them for as a breakfast offering.

The problem though?  THE YOGURT CHANGED.  It was no longer the creamy, rich, beautiful yogurt I had come to love.  Instead, it was ... just yogurt.  Tart.  Major meh.  And the berries in the berry version was soggy and certainly had been frozen.

The bircher muesli was decent, creamy, nicely sweetened, but it had way, way, way too many raisins in it for my liking.  Totally overwhelmed with raisins.  Good, but not great.

And finally, the new one, the sago pudding.  It was ... fine.  The sago were decently cooked, not gloopy or hard, but the pudding base wasn't particularly creamy nor flavorful.  The caramelized pineapple on top, also just "fine".  Not remarkable.

I was fairly let down by these, and wouldn't rush to get to the lounge before 10:30am again in the future.

Danishes, Croissants (February).

The platter of danishes was fairly depleted when I first arrived, with only the cinnamon rolls that I liked last time, but it was replenished with chocolate filled croissants and berry filled danishes later.

I took one of the cinnamon rolls again because I liked it last time and a chocolate croissant because last time I lamented not doing so.

Cinnamon Roll.

The cinnamon roll was lackluster this time.  I'm not sure why I liked it before.  It was very doughy, more like a roll, and just not actually interesting to me.

Chocolate Croissant.

The chocolate croissant was better, decently flaky, and I liked the generous chocolate, but, it wasn't anything special.

Much better when warmed up and served with whipped cream.

I'd skip both of these in the future.

"Mixed Danish" (July).

The danish lineup was pretty lackluster this time, interesting in that it was entirely different items.  A few little danishes (berry, apple), and some pecan plaits.

Pecan Plait.

The pecan braid was pretty mediocre, as expected.  Crispy, not flaky nor buttery, some generic pecan goo inside.

Skip next time.

Raspberry Danish (Kouign Amann?).

The raspberry and apple pastries looked like they might just be kouign amann, but, I thought they were more likely just standard boring danishes.

But ... I was right! I was shocked by this.

Crispy, buttery, caramelized pastry base.  Sweet raspberry goo inside.

Much better than I ever expected, glad I took the chance on it.  Would gladly get again, one of the best lounge pastries I've ever had.

Bread, Crumpets.

The bread station also had crumpets, and a toaster on the side.

Hot Buffet

The hot buffet for me is entirely skipable.  There are delicious things in the lounge, and the hot buffet is just mediocre.

Scrambled Eggs with Chives.

The breakfast hot items always include scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes, frittata, and beans.  No veggies.

I did try the scrambled eggs, as they looked quite creamy, and it was my last chance for eggs in Australia!  

They were decent for buffet eggs, and indeed, quite creamy.  Nice and herby.  Nothing special though, I'd skip in the future unless for some reason I actually needed protein.

Beef Chipolata / Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata.

 I skipped the sausage and frittata, but the sausage looked fairly tasty, I just wasn't hungry.

Roasted New Potatoes with Capsicum & Feta / Homemade Baked Beans.

I didn't try these, but I'll give them credit for having something interesting about the potatoes (capsicum & feta).  I laughed at the "homemade" baked beans though.

Potato and Bacon Cheesy Bake. (October 2019).

Finally, a hot dish I was excited for!  And a fresh batch came out right when I arrived.

This looked much better than it was.  The potatoes were cooked fine, not too mushy, but not buttery nor particularly tasty.  The cheese, plentiful, was kinda congealed, and not very flavorful either.  The bits of bacon didn't really save it either.

Oh well, plenty of other things to eat, but this one was particularly less tasty than it looked like it should be.

Chef's Action Station

The chef's action station always offers up one sweet and one savory item, usually some type of french toast, and some kind of egg dish.  These are prepared sorta too order, at least, they are plated to order.

Banana & Nutella Stuffed French Toast (February).

I managed to catch the chef's station in action!

The dish of the day was french toast, stuffed with banana and nutella, with whipped cream and berry spread on the side.  The chef was very excited when I took a photo, really getting all smiles, and saying he hoped I liked it.  It was cute.

The french toast though wasn't great.  Kinda soggy, oily.  Not very warm.  There was only a little bit of nutella inside, and one piece of soggy banana.

The whipped cream was fine, but the whipped cream that was brought out with the scones later was better.  Berry jam was sweet and fine, but didn't really go with nutella.

This was exciting in concept, not in execution, and not worth having.

French Toast (July).

One of these days, I'll take my own advice.

I said this wasn't good before, yet ... I got it anyway.

The staff member making it was really friendly and engaging, and he was making it essentially to order, with a big fluffy loaf of brioche as the base.  It was not stuffed with anything this time around.

The french toast was ... well, just standard french toast.  It was a big fluffy slice, it wasn't too eggy, but, eh, just french toast.

Toppings of berry compote, whipped cream, and powdered sugar were offered, all of which I accepted.  The compote was ... fine.  Not interesting.  The raspberry goo from inside the yogurt was better.

The whipped cream was very boring.

Dear self: Skip next time.

Omelets. Feb 2019.

In Feb 2019 the chef was making omelets to order.  This was *hugely* popular, people love fresh cooked items and customization!  I however skipped it.

In October, it was fried eggs.

Mid Morning & Lunch

At 10:30am, on the dot, the food selection converts over to ... brunch?  I'm not sure what I'd call it, as it has both breakfast and lunch items.  And, very, very strangely, more breakfast items than they have for breakfast.

My flight boarded at 11:10am all times, which meant I was perfectly timed for getting both breakfast and mid-morning meal.  Not that I planned that ...

In March 2020 I visited for my first time during "normal" lunch hours, arriving at 12:45pm.  The lineup seemed mostly the same as what I was calling brunch, so I was pleased.

Baked Goods

Gluten Free Spiced Peach Muffin / Blueberry Muffin (February).

As always, they offered three muffins, one gluten-free, and at least one savory.  These replace the cereals.  So, if you want cereal, get there before 10:30am.  Muffins?  Go later, they aren't part of the morning lineup.

I grabbed one of each, every time, even though one was gluten-free, since they were decent in the old lounge.

The February lineup:

• Gluten Free Spiced Peach.
• Blueberry. 
• Zucchini and Cheddar.

July lineup:

• Artichoke, Basil, and Red Capsicum.
• Gluten-Free Carrot & White Chocolate.
• Pineapple & Mixed Berries.

Feb lineup:

• Tomato & Capsicum.
• Apricot & Coconut.
• Pumpkin, Pineapple, & Sultana.

October 2019 & March 2020 Lineup:

• Corn, Sweet Chili, & Corriander.
• Indulgent Triple Choc Chip.
• Gluten Free Apple Streusel.

Blueberry Muffin.

The blueberry muffin was ... fine.  Boring?  It wasn't bad, and it had really big juicy blueberries in it for pops of flavor, but, it really wasn't anything special.

Skip next time.

Gluten-Free Peach Muffin.

Ok, I know gluten-free baked goods are hard, but I had some hope, since Australia does gluten-free so well.

These, not so well.  Yes, they tasted like peach and had nice chunks, but, the texture and flavor of the base were not enjoyable.

Savory Zucchini and Cheddar Muffin.

I snagged one of these to bring on my next flight, and I'm so glad I did.  I don't just write reviews for you all, I re-read my review from last time where I did the same (with a zucchini, walnut, and parmesan muffin), and thus did it this time too.  {LINK} #protip

The muffin was so good!  Really moist, great flavor from the cheddar, juicy cooked zucchini.  I'm not normally a savory muffin person, but wow, these are great.

Gluten-Free Carrot & White Chocolate Muffin.

The muffins were all unlabeled when I first arrived since it was the beginning of the switchover, and I assumed this was a sweet muffin, perhaps vanilla or white chocolate.  I didn't realize it was the gluten-free one until the sign came out later.  Interesting that they put two muffins side by side, and one on the other side, but don't put the two regular together and the GF separate.

Anyway, what a fascinating flavor.  Carrot and white chocolate?  Was it going to be savory? Sweet?

It ... wasn't very good.  Dry.  Strange texture.  Clearly gluten-free.  I didn't really taste or find white chocolate, but it did have bits of shredded carrot.

I think it is safe to say that their gluten-free muffins are just not recommended.

Savory Artichoke, Basil, and Red Capsicum Muffin.

I eagerly snatched up the savory looking muffin, again not yet labelled, since I have really liked the cheesy savory muffins in the past, always a highlight.

This however was not a winner for me, loaded up with big chunks of artichoke and capsicum, neither of which I actually like.  No cheese.

It was also strangely dense and greasy.  Moving on.

Pineapple & Mixed Berries.

This one looked chocolate, but turned out to be pineapple and mixed berries.  Not sure why it was so dark colored.

I didn't like it.  It wasn't gluten-free, but, it had a strange texture and flavor.  One point for a few juicy berries inside, but, not good at all really.

Apricot & Coconut.

This was my least favorite muffin of all time.

The coconut texture was kinda off putting, and it had no real base flavor.  I took a bite, a second bite, and discarded.

Savory: Tomato & Capsicum.

The savory muffin was ok, not something I'd normally think I'd like, but the savory tomato and pepper flavor really was quite enjoyable, even though it was sundried tomatoes, not normally what I like very much.  You certainly need to be in the mood for something so strongly flavored, and so ... pizza like?

Pumpkin, pineapple, & sultana.

This one was fascinating, and turned out to be my favorite of the day.  Pumpkin and pineapple in the same item?  I guess pumpkin *is* sweet so it sorta works.

I liked it.  Very moist, good flavors and textures from the chunks of pineapple and the pumpkin.  Decent base flavor.  Meh to those sultanas, but they were juicy.

I'm not sure if I'd call this a sweet or savory muffin, it was something right in-between, not a bad thing.

Corn, Sweet Chili, & Coriander. 

Sometimes the savory muffins are a delight, but this one was pretty meh.  It didn't taste particularly fresh.  The corn didn't come through.  Kinda boring texture.

I tried it again in March 2020, and again, didn't care for it.  This time it did have big corn kernels though.

Indulgent Triple Choc Chip.

This was mediocre.  Decent chocolate flavor to the base, but not sure what the triple chocolate was - chocolate base, chocolate chips ... that is two.  And the chips were tiny.  Not nearly as chocolately as "triple choc" would imply it should be.

It wasn't particularly good though, certainly not "indulgent".

I tried it again in March 2020 and it was worse, really dry, it tasted "gluten free" if you know what I mean.

Gluten-Free Apple Streusel.

This was my favorite of the day, a bit odd since it was the gluten-free option, and apple, but, I really did like the streusel top, crispy, flavorful.

The muffin itself was, as expected, a bit odd, gluten-free for sure, but dense and hearty in a not horrible way.

I kinda liked this the first time, but the time I had it in March 2020 it was very blah.

Cakes (February).

Just like last time, cakes were also brought out, replacing the yoghurts.  This time Pear & Raspberry Cake and Banana Cake, neither of which I tried.

Banana Cake / Coconut & Mango Cake (July).

I have no idea what inspired me to grab a banana cake as I ran out the door, given all my other goodies, but I think it was the desire for frosting.

The cake was moist, but, banana bread basically.  Eh to the frosting.  Moving on.

Black Forest Cake (Feb).

In February the black forest looked mildly interesting, but alas, this was not good cake.  Dry cake, mediocre cream.

Tip to self: Don't ever bother with the cakes.

It was there in October as well, but I took my own advice and did not try it.

Grandma's Berry Trifle, Orange Mascarpone (March 2020).

There was also a trifle pot, not really my favorite thing, but hey, I'll try nearly any dessert ...

I didn't like it at all.

The base was just berry jelly, and the "orange mascarpone" was ... just an odd custard.  I didn't taste orange, nor mascarpone, and the consistency was really off putting.

Flourless Red Velvet Cake (March 2020)

In March there was only one cake, flourless red velvet, which looked dry, and I didn't try it.

Cheeses.

The cheese station is actually nicely stocked, with brie, sage cheddar, and blue cheese, along with dried fruit and nuts, and a variety of crackers (including gluten-free rice crackers).

I tried the sage cheddar, but it wasn't particularly aged, or, actually sage flavored.

Date Scones / Pumpkin & Thyme Scone /  Jam / Whipped Cream (February).

The hot buffet keeps the scrambled eggs through mid-day, and adds a hot item in place of the breakfast meats (chicken skewers my first visit, beef empanadas the second, croquetes the next, and quiches in October), and, prior to October, scones in place of the other breakfast items.

My previous visits had only plain scones, and I found them lackluster.  Recent visits though they introduced more interesting flavors, although in October, the scones were no longer kept warm, and were out on the standard buffet line instead.  They also changed their look entirely, not as lofty, no longer square.

I do sometimes like these, but, they aren't scones as I traditionally think of them, not the hard nor soft style scones, but rather, more like biscuits.  Which I do enjoy.

They were served with whipped cream prior to October, but that disappeared as well when they stopped being served warm.  Boo.

February Lineup:

• Date.
• Pumpkin & Thyme. 

July Lineup:

• Plain.
• Rocket & Parmesan.

February Lineup:

• Spinach & Feta.
• Orange & Cranberry.

October 2019 & March 2020 Lineup:

• Traditional Plain Scone
• Bacon & Cheese.

I always snagged one of each, along with whipped cream, to have on my flight.

The whipped cream was always good, fluffy, thick, sweet, very ... cream forward?  I liked it.  Good quality whipped cream.  Better than the whip they had with the french toast, which surprised me, as I'd expect it to be the same?

Pumpkin and Thyme Scone.

Last time I thought the scone was more of a biscuit, and the plain scone just wasn't anything special.  

I loved this one though.  A savory option, orange in hue from the pumpkin.

It was certainly more like a biscuit, but this time, the biscuit nature worked great, as the flavor was pumpkin and thyme, which, is appropriate for a biscuit.  The herbs shone through.

I grabbed this for my next flight, and I'm really glad I did.  #protip

Date Scone.

Next, the date scone.  It too was really quite good, although, again, more like a biscuit than a scone.

It was soft like a biscuit, studded with a few bits of dried date.  The aspect that was compelling to me was the tang from buttermilk.  Really great flavor.  I love buttermilk tang.

This one was awesome, particularly slathered with whipped cream, later on my AKL-SFO flight for dessert.  Yes, I kept it, and whipped cream.  While taking it from the lounge isn't really allowed, since I was in transit and didn't go through customs to declare anything, the fact that it went through New Zealand I don't think was illegal.  And I had it before I hit the US.  So, perhaps not entirely right to take from the lounge, but, I don't think I was breaking laws?

Rocket & Parmesan Scone / Plain Scone / Whipped Cream / Jam (July).

July brought a different selection, again one savory, and, one plain (albeit a different style from the previous harder plain scones).

They were a different style, bigger, fluffier, loftier item, more like a American southern style biscuit than any "scone".

Rocket & Parmesan Scone.

The savory "scone" I eagerly threw into a baggie, and stashed to have alongside my meal on my next flight, in lieu of the bread on board.  I had really high hopes.

But ... it was not anything special.  No buttermilk tang, nothing very interesting about the bread.  I didn't taste much if any cheese.  The rocket just added a bit of texture.  Better than the bread on board, but, not something really worth stashing.

Plain Scone.

The other option was just a plain one rather than flavored sweet.  It was basically exactly the same, lacking any interesting flavor, but, it was a nice soft fluffy texture.

I warmed it up a bit and slathered it in honey butter, which made for a satisfying snack, but, it really wasn't a "scone".

Spinach & Feta 

I was skeptical that I'd enjoy this, since I'm not one for feta, but I wanted a savory scone to bring on board my flight to have as a savory carb.  It was again a biscuit style.

It was ok.  The spinach added a little moisture and texture, and the chunks of feta didn't bother me too much, they were big squeaky chunks of saltiness.  But ... not awesome.

Orange & Cranberry.

I was also skeptical I'd like the sweet version, since I tend to dislike little dried fruits (raisins, sultanas, cranberries, etc), and citrus flavors are never my favorite.  It too was a biscuit-style.

It was actually pretty good.  Sure, cranberry and orange aren't my top choice of flavor, but the base had an good buttermilk tang, and I did like the essence of orange.  And at least the cranberries weren't raisins!

Best with whipped cream.

I had the orange cranberry scone again the next month, and again found it decently enjoyable, good texture, good tang, even enjoyable orange essence, and great with whipped cream.

Traditional Plain Scone (Oct 2019).

The plain scone was ... just a biscuit.  It tasted fresh, but, had no real flavor, no buttermilk tang or anything.  Without whipped cream or toppings, there just wasn't much interesting to it.  I mourned the loss of whipped cream.

Traditional Plain Scone (March 2020).

In March 2020 I grabbed one as I sprinted out the door to board my United flight, knowing that my flight would have an ice cream sundae station on it, and a biscuit to go with sounded great.

It was a different style, much more biscuit like, like a shortcake biscuit, which was perfect for my ice cream sundae - I basically had a strawberry shortcake with ice cream and whipped cream.  Fabulous.

Bacon & Cheese.

Bacon.  Cheese.  Good things.  But ... meh to this.

The texture wasn't scone-like, nor was it biscuit-like, it was more like a bread.  The bacon and cheese were there, but didn't come through particularly strongly.

I tried it again in March 2020, and felt the same.  A biscuit, a kinda cheesey biscuit, but, meh.

Continental Offerings

In addition to the hot food, there is a small salad bar (lunch only, not brunch) and sandwiches.

Sandwiches (February).

I didn't try any of the sandwiches during my early visits, but they had a nice lineup of assorted proteins, and different styles of bread (wraps, sliced bread, buns).

Sandwiches (March 2020).

Pink Salmon, Cucumber, and Caper Salad Wrap.
In March I finally did, as I wanted a bit of protein, and I saw salmon in the wrap.

It was ... honestly, it tasted like tuna salad?  Mushy style, mixed with mayo, and, yeah, just very generic slightly fishy taste.

Salad Bar (March 2020).

The salad bar had a basic mixed greens salad with a few veggies, a composed kale and chickpea salad with sundried tomato vinaigrette, fruit salad, cous cous, and potato salad.  Healthy options if you like.

I grabbed some kale from the composed salad, which was easy, as the chickpeas and sundried tomatoes were all in the bottom (and I didn't want them).  It was good, crispy, fresh, and hey, it *was* nice to have something healthy in the lounge!

Seeded Mustard Potato Salad with Egg and Mayo:
I actually really liked the potato salad.  Maybe I was in the mood for it, but, the potatoes were well cooked, a touch al dente, not too mushy.  It was very dressed in mayo and mustard, but, I liked it, and the mustard wasn't too tangy.  Big chunks of egg too.  I wouldn't go out and purchase this or anything, but, I enjoyed it at the time.

Hot Bar

The mid-morning hot bar usually keeps a few breakfast items, and a small little savory thing, but by lunch time it was in full lunch food mood.

Croquette (Feb 2019).

These weren't labelled, but were some sort of croquette, with potato and peppers and tomatoes inside?  I liked how crispy they were, and the filling was savory and flavorful.  A green chutney on the side was excellent.

I wasn't really hungry enough to enjoy this, but if my flight was ever delayed and I wanted lunch foods, I think I'd like this.

Spiced Green Split Pea Soup.

Every lounge has a soup on offer right?  Of course they did too, split pea.

Spiced Green Split Pea Soup.

The sauted beans and peas were in an odd location, not in the hot bar, but rather in an area that looked more appropriate for another soup.

Roasted Potato Rosemary & Garlic

I didn't try the potatoes.

Roast Beef with Red Wine Jus.

Nor the roast beef.

Creamy Blue Cheese Bow Tie Pasta with Spinach.

But I tried the pasta, don't ask why, as it looked dried out and I dislike blue cheese, but ... I LOVED IT!

Seriously.  It was so strange, just generic bowtie pasta, and it *was* overcooked and dry, but I really liked the chew to it, and the noodles were coated in creamy sauce.  It didn't taste like blue cheese.  Much better than the macaroni and cheese from Singapore Airlines next door even though that one was fresh and creamy.

Other

All Black Sorts Licorice / Chocolate Licorice Balls. (October 2019).

Oh be still my heart!

At the bar, alongside the marshmallows that I do enjoy, were new lollies.  And ... the best ones so far.  I adore licorice, and was so pleased to see both options were licorice.

The chocolate licorice BB's I've had before, and quite like them (although the strawberry are my favorite).  The licorice chunks were great, nice chew, strong licorice flavor.

The bartender, who saw me taking a big bowl of these, came over later with the licorice hard candies that they have in the big bowl of candies, usually all different colors mixed, and was like "I thought you'd like these ones the best!"  Heh.  Clearly, he saw what I was up to.

Alas, these were removed in 2020.

Original Review, August 2017

Last time I flew on Air New Zealand out of Sydney, the lounge was a temporary space, down in a basement somewhere.  The space wasn't exactly nice, but I did recall the breakfast items (in particular the muffins, yogurt, and muesli) being quite great.  I didn't write it up, since the lounge was temporary at the time, and I saw no value.

In December 2016, I was able to visit the brand new lounge, and it really was a nice space.  Sure, it is NOT the Qantas First Class Lounge - there is no spa, no made-to-order Neil Perry dining, but, for a business class lounge, it was quite nice, large, not over-crowded, well looked after, and very modern.

My visit was at 10:20am, which meant I was able to catch the end of breakfast service (cleared away at 10:30) and the beginning of lunch (set up right after).  I left at 11:10am though, so I didn't get to see the lunch "action station" in operation, only the buffet.

I was impressed by the facilities and the food, particularly the breakfast.

Facilities

I did not check out the showers, nor the kids play space, but both of those were available.

Runway Views.

Many, many seating options were available.  Along the large, bright windows were cozy looking wing chairs and little tables.

Benches.

Along one wall were these blue padded benches, with bright pink pillows, and beautiful wall art.  This is where we settled, and were happy to find power outlets even here, under the bench.

Communal Table, Black Arm Chairs.

In the center of the space was a communal table, with built in power outlets, and cute little stools.  I'm sure this isn't for everyone, but I thought it was a unique style of seating.

This area had more wing chairs, this time black.  All seats had nearby little tables to set things on.

Arm Chairs.

More traditional black armchairs with side tables were also available, along with red wing chairs.

Nearly every seat had power of some sort.  This space was well designed.

Bar.

This is the best photo I got of the bar, oops!  

As it was still morning, the bar wasn't very active, but, the other end of the bar featured a coffee barista station, which I visited (more on that soon).

Drinks

Most drinks were self-serve, with two large drink stations, one on either side of the room, in addition to the central bar.

Wine, Spirits, Juice. 

Apple and orange juice were in dispensers, and a small selection of spirits and wine were on the counter.  I think the bar had a much bigger selection, but I didn't investigate.

Soft Drinks, Sparkling and Still Water  Tap.

More self serve drinks were a soda fountain, and a water tap.  I was happy to see the sparkling water tap, although it meant I couldn't snag a bottle to bring on my flight with me (which, didn't turn out to be a problem).

Assorted Beer and Cider.

Coolers also held New Zealand beers and even cider.

Self-Serve Robot Coffee.

Tea making facilities included a decent selection of tea, but no rooibos.

The drink stations also had a robot coffee machine, for those who wanted to just push a button and get a coffee or espresso drink.

Ordering Tablet.

Barista service was available at the bar, where you could order through a tablet, customize your drink, select if you wanted it for there or takeaway, and then be given the time at which your drink would be ready.  It also animated your drink filling the cup as you put in selections.  Very cute, and just like I had used in the lounge in Auckland.

You could also order through their app on your phone, if you are into downloading random extra apps to bog down your phone.

Decaf Long Black, Double.

I went for a decaf long black, double.

It was decent.  Nothing mind-blowing, but, not bad.

Biscotti, Marshmallows, Sweeteners.

The end of the barista bar had jars with biscotti and marshmallows, plus an assortment of sweeteners.

Of course I munched on marshmallows.

Food

The food layout is a buffet, plus an "action station" with a chef serving up a particular dish made to order.

I arrived at 10:20am, just in time to grab some breakfast items before the staff whisked them away to make room for lunch.  I'm glad I did, even though I had just had a full breakfast in the lounge at my hotel for one last Eggs Benedict!.  I remembered the temp lounge having good yogurt, bircher muesli, and baked goods, and that did not change with the move to the full lounge.

Breakfast

Cereal, Yogurt, Fruit.

The first section had cereal dispensers on the end, big bowls of plain yogurt (greek or non-fat) and fruit salad, and individual pots of yogurt parfaits (passion fruit, cranberry & orange, raspberry)  and bircher muesli.

Bircher Muesli.

Ah, bircher muesli.  Something I love, and first discovered in Sydney.  Sadly not something we have much of in the US.  On this trip, I didn't have any bircher that I really liked though, because the Sheraton lounge version had too much acidic apple and too much tart yogurt for my taste.

The lounge saved me.  This was great.  Creamy, soft stewed oats, and not too tart (in fact, not tart at all).  It was very sweet, but the sweetness seemed to come from honey, and was a pleasant sweetness.

On top was a few raisins and a chunk of dried apricot, but besides that, there were no mix-ins.  No raisins soaking up the juices inside, no nuts, no seeds, and not even any apple?  I wouldn't really call this bircher muesli, it really seemed more like just a creamy version of overnight oats.  But I'm not complaining.

Overall, I enjoyed it, particularly the pleasant sweetness, but I wouldn't call this a traditional bircher.

Raspberry Yogurt Parfait.

Yogurt parfaits were available in three flavors: passion fruit, cranberry orange, or raspberry.  Since the staff were there clearing the breakfast items as we arrived, I rapidly just grabbed the first I could, raspberry, but I had a bit of remorse that I didn't get passion fruit.

This was very good though.

The yogurt was rich and thick, clearly full fat, full cream, delicious yogurt that we don't get in the US.  I loved the yogurt.

In the middle was a layer with raspberry compote, nicely sweet, and a granola/seed mix, soft from being inside the parfait, so not a crunchy element, but it was still nice.

Overall, very tasty.

Baked Goods, Fruit, Toast.

The next section contained croissants, danishes, cinnamon rolls, whole fruit (pears, apples, bananas), toast, and pretzels.

Danishes, Cinnamon Rolls.

I didn't try the danish, but it looked like it had strawberry filling?  The sign said "pain au chcoolat", which made me realize we missed out on some of the pastry selections, they clearly had more earlier.

Cinnamon roll.

I did grab a cinnamon roll, and threw it in my bag to eat later (in a baggie of course!).  I pulled it out on my next flight, and was so glad I had grabbed one.

It was actually really good, even a bit later.  The pastry was crispy, the cinnamon layer super flavorful, and the entire thing a bit sticky and sweet.  A wonderful pastry, particularly for a lounge.

Croissants.

I didn't try the plain croissants, but, given the success of the cinnamon roll, I sorta wish I had.

Cheese, Crackers, Dried Fruit, Nuts.

The backside of the pastry section had cheeses (brie, sage cheddar, and blue), almonds, dried cranberries and apricots, and crackers, served on attractive wooden cutting boards.

This station stayed out during lunch as well.

Thyme Roasted Mushrooms, Hash Brown Bites.

The hot foods section had 3 chafing dishes, each with two items.

I did not try the roasted mushrooms nor hash brown bites.

Chorizo bites, Fritatta.

Nor did I try the fritatta.

I did try a chunk of chorizo, spicy, flavorful, quite nice.

Scrambled Eggs.

The scrambled eggs looked much better than my hotel breakfast buffet, creamy, and loaded with herbs, but I skipped those too.

Toaster, Crepe Station.

The made to order action station featured a chef making crepes with assorted toppings.  If I had arrived any sooner, I certainly would have tried this.  A very unique offering!

Lunch

Apple Cinnamon Muffin.

Muffins seemed to be part of the transition time, as they were brought out after the breakfast items were cleared away.

I remembered the muffins being good before, so, uh, I tried all three this time (to be fair, I stashed them in my bag too, and ate them on a later flight when I got peckish.  Am I breaking rules here?  I'm not sure, but they were really good, and I'm glad I did so.).

The apple cinnamon was my second favorite, but it was a decent muffin, it seemed fresh, not stale, and the apple and cinnamon flavors were both strong.  I just don't tend to like those flavors.

Zucchini, Walnut, & Parmesan Muffin.

The savory muffin ended up my favorite.  I didn't necessarily taste the zucchini, but it was nicely cheesy from the parmesan, and loaded with walnuts.  I appreciated that they had a savory baked good, as it made me feel less guilty eating three muffins when one was not sweet ...

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffin.

The one I expected to like the most was the raspberry white chocolate, but, it was my least favorite.  It didn't have white chocolate chips.  It didn't have noticeable raspberries, although it was pinkish.  It didn't have much flavor at all.

But like the others, it wasn't dry, was fresh, and was topped with powdered sugar and a slightly crisp top.

Plain Scones, Whipped Cream, Strawberry Jam.

Scones too were part of the transition time, post-breakfast.

On my previous visit to the Auckland Air New Zealand lounge I was sad that I had missed out on the scones, by opting to use the bathroom first, and having the gone moments later.  This time, I was able to get one.

Turns out, I wasn't missing anything.  The scones were just hard biscuits, no tang, nothing interesting about them.  The whipped cream was fine, but, just whipped cream.  The strawberry jam was as generic as could be, just goo, no visible fruit.

Disappointing, but, honestly, I didn't need this anyway.

Sandwiches.

The main lunch lineup seemed to be sandwiches.  The lineup was more interesting than I expected, not just basic egg salad.  Vegetarian options were baba ganoush, carrot, tabouli, and lettuce in an orange wrap or sundried tomato cream cheese, spinach, and fresh tomato on white or wheat bread.  The other wraps were chipotle chicken, with pumpkin, fetta, and buttercrunch or cured silverside with mustard and ice berg.  I am not sure what the final sandwich was.

I was surprised to see no salad options, but perhaps those replace the muffins and scones?  Still, an impressive sandwich lineup, as far as sandwiches go.

Carrot, Pumpkin, & Split Pea Soup.

The soup station had toppings and rolls as well.

The action station didn't start until closer to lunch time, so I wasn't able to see what the chef would be making, but I saw woks being set up.  Next time!

Cookies.

On the end was cookie jars, with shortbread, chocolate chip, and anzac biscuits.  Cookies for breakfast!

Fruit Salad, Carrot Cake, Pear & Raspberry Cake.

Dessert selections, in addition to the cookies, scones, and muffins were a fruit salad and two cakes.  I didn't actually try either, as I was beyond stuffed at this point, and cakes don't exactly slip into the purse easily.

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Shipley Do-Nuts, Houston

When I went to Houston for the first time, I was surprised to find that I found it to be a culinary wonderland.  I had no idea they had such a vibrant food scene.  I had the best bbq of my life, from Truth BBQ (it was revolutionary, really.  I had no idea bbq *could* even be that good!).  But it wasn't just bbq.  I had great French food, like incredible foie gras from Brasserie du Parc.  I had epic potato gratin, excellent mac and cheese, and more from their local branch of Fleming's Prime.  And prob the best catfish of my life, along with fabulous crab cakes and good desserts, from Goode Company Seafood.  So much good food.  I was thrilled.

So when the locals all raved about their famous donut shop, Shipley's, that also had a unique savory item I wasn't familiar with (kolache), of course I was excited.  Ok, I probably would have been excited even if I hadn't been so pleased with the other cuisine in Houston, just because, well, I eat, and enjoy, a lot of donuts.  But in a city full of delicious things, if folks were raving about this place, it must be good, right?

Spoiler: I was NOT impressed.

"At Shipley, we do handcrafted do-nuts and kolaches made fresh daily to send you straight to your happy place."

Shipley's is a chain, started in the 1930's in Houston, now with more than 300 locations in Texas and the surrounding states.  They operate with a franchise model.  They are known for the donuts obviously (the full name of the place is "Shipley Do-Nuts", but it seems equally well known for the savory kolaches.  

I did not visit a Shipley's location in person, although that would have been easy, I passed by them regularly while in town.  Instead, I tried the goods at an event I helped host, and someone else picked up a very large number of boxes.  We had far more baked goods than people, so I was able to sample quite a few, in attempts to find something I liked.

Donuts

Shipley's makes about 60 different kinds of donuts, a mix of raised and cake, some filled, some bars, some donuts holes, and a few specialty items like cinnamon rolls or twists, bear claws, and fritters.  They are a very reasonable $1.25 each, or $12.79/dozen, which I'll admit is not bad at all. 

Assorted Raised Donuts: Cherry Iced (with sprinkles),
Chocolate Iced (with sprinkles, with walnuts, plain),
White Iced (with sprinkles, with coconut, plain),
Cinnamon Sugar, Strawberry Iced. $1.25/each or $12.79/dozen.

Our first box was an assortment of raised donuts.

Cherry Iced w/ Sprinkles:
"Our much loved Cherry do-nut decorated with an extra boost of rainbow sprinkles."

I tried the top left ones, which turned out to be cherry (with sprinkles, they also make it without sprinkles).

It was very, very sweet. The raised donut base was very average, and tasted like not particularly fresh oil. Eh. **.

Assorted Donuts: Maple Iced, Chocolate Glazed,
Fruit Filled, Devil's Food Filled. (bottom row)

Our next box had many of the same raised iced donuts, plus a raised maple iced and plain glazed chocolate raised donut.

This box also had two filled donuts, and I eagerly grabbed the most interesting looking one from the bottom right.  The other was filled with some kind of fruit, I'm not sure which as I didn't try it.  Filled donuts are also only $1.25 each, which surprised me, as usually these would be more expensive.

Devil's Food Filled
"Our chocolate yeast do-nut full of rich chocolate crème filling. If you think chocolate thoughts you can almost taste it."

I did not know what kind I had taken when I took it, just, that it looked interesting.  It turned out to be glazed, and a dark dough ... almost like it was chocolate but I didn't really taste chocolate.  I wasn't into the base, and was confused why it was so dark but tasted so plain.  I later learned this was the Devil's Food one, and it was at least supposed to be a chocolate base, not just dark in color, but, I certainly didn't taste the chocolate.

Devil's Food Filled: Inside.

Inside was way too sweet chocolate frosting.  Very generic, not very chocolatey either.  Just, too sweet. 

Overall, not a good donut really. **.

These also make a chocolate filled with vanilla cream, not that I'm inspired to try it.

Kolaches

On the savory side, Shipley's makes three kinds of sausage kolaches - plain, with cheese, or spicy.  They again have reasonable pricing, $2.65/each or $30.75/dozen.

I was eager to try my first kolache!

Kolaches (Sausage, Sausage & Cheese, 
Sausage, Cheese and Jalapeño). $2.65/each or $30.75/dozen.

I tried two, skipping the plain sausage.

Sausage & Cheese

"Our soft, airy dough filled with sausage and cheese that's perfectly baked and provides you with the energy you need for whatever your day has in store."

The exterior was the part I was most curious about, as I thought it would be interesting.  I knew it wouldn't be like a corn dog obviously, and not like an Asian slightly sweet hot dog stuffed bun, but I thought it would be a more interesting base than a hot dog bun, but ... it wasn't really.  No, it wasn't a hot dog bun, it was far less airy and lofty, but it was just fairly plain dough.  It was soft inside, and lightly crisp outside.  

The ratio of bread to sausage was also not quite what I was expecting.  It was probably 70% bread, and only 30% sausage, so, the fairly plain and boring baked bread element really was dominant. *** bread I guess, as there was nothing wrong with it, but it certainly wasn't interesting.

The sausage inside wasn't great either - it was fairly thin, thinner than a standard hot dog, and had some gristle to it.  Not particularly juicy, although it had reasonable flavor.  Simply put, it didn't seem like a very high quality product.  The cheese however I did really enjoy, it was nicely melty, and although it seemed just like highly processed American cheese, I liked it. ** sausage, *** cheese, ** overall for the insides. 

So overall, I was pretty underwhelmed.  It was just baked bread with a lower end thin breakfast-ish sausage inside, at least with some nice melty cheese.  I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do to jazz it up, as the sausage style didn't seem to call out for ketchup, mustard, or bbq really either.  **+ for me, interesting to try, but I wouldn't get another.

Sausage, Cheese, and Jalapeño
"Pillowy soft dough baked full of cheese, sausage, and jalapeño, this kolache has everything you need to hit the ground running."

I did also try the spicy version, with jalapeño inside as well.  This was definitely an improvement, as it did give it some kick and much needed flavor.  The other elements were exactly the same.  Soft bread, melty cheese, and jalapeño were tasty enough, for a snack I guess. ***.

If you are curious, these are 440 calories each (380 w/o cheese), so a bit higher calorie than a typical breakfast sandwich, or a regular hot dog.

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Yo Chi, Sydney

I always eat a lot of frozen treats.  Ice cream or gelato at least once a day, although usually it is the pairing with a larger dessert, e.g. a scoop with a slice of pie, a warm fruit crisp or crumble, a donut a la mode, etc, etc.  I rarely have *just* a frozen treat, even in sundae form, unless I really go all out with toppings, or if it is a hot summer day and I really want a soft serve cone with sprinkles, or I'm really craving froyo.  I do love good froyo.

As someone who eats so much ice cream adjacent products, I am of course a bit of a snob in this area.  I find most froyo pretty mediocre - icy, watery, just never as good as soft serve ice cream (which I have such nostalgia for), often with flavors that are too fake tasting.  But Sydney is home to excellent froyo at Anita, where they mostly focus on great gelato, but they have extremely good soft serve froyo with unlimited toppings, the same toppings that they use for mix-ins for the gelato, all house made, and totally amazing.  Highly, highly recommend.  For years now, I've thought that Anita was the only froyo in Sydney worth getting.

"Yo-Chi was born from an idea to bring together delicious frozen yogurt with an infinite flow of good energy, in a space where people of all ages feel equally welcome.

The intention was to inspire creativity, encouraging customers to handcraft their own bespoke piece of unimaginable deliciousness."

And then I discovered Yo Chi. Yo Chi is a more traditional froyo shop - self serve, pay by weight, gulp at the final price.  They are a small Australian chain, started in Melbourne, with a few locations in New South Wales.  I visited only the Surry Hills location, but I saw they have one in Newtown now (opened May 2023), and one in Manly (opened December 2023) so I hope to visit one of those another time.  

Froyo Selections.

At the Surry Hills location, they offer 8 flavors at a time, mostly sweeter flavors, although they carry a signature tart flavor, and always one non-dairy flavor.  I'm not sure how frequently they change the flavors, but the same core flavors - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, tart, and their signature salted butterscotch seem to be constants.  Each flavor has a description provided.

Only one size of bowl is available (along with large waffle cones), but you fill it as you please, and weight it at the end.  Staff are around to give a sample if you'd like.

Crunchy things: almonds, cornflake crunch,
and two kinds of granola ("crun-chi" or "house made").

And then it is time for toppings, which are extensive.  Starting with crunchy things.

The "house made" granola proclaimed it was exclusive to Yo-Chi, which you'd expect if it was truly house made.  They added it recently to the menu to pair with their new acai.  The other carried the "chi" part of their name, but made no such claims.

Candy / Cookie Toppings.

My visit was at Lunar New Year, so the candy/cookie section also had special fortune cookies.  I found out later they had golden tickets in a few, with cash winnings!

It also had a few other types of cookies (biscuit milk balls, Oreos) and chocolate candy (mini m&ms, flake, freckles).

Amazing Toppings!

Fruit selections came next, with fresh strawberries, figs, and dragon fruit, plus blueberry compote and lychee, and passionfruit sauce and bananas in caramel.  This area also had blueberry pearls, edible cookie dough, mochi, and huge hunks of halva.  They sometimes even have finger limes here!

Warm Toppings.

I appreciated that Yo-Chi even had a section for warm toppings.  Here you can find liege waffle or brownie hunks, big pots of alluring biscoff and nutella spreads, and warm dark and white chocolate sauces.  

I tried the biscoff spread, and it was delightful.  Sweet, slightly crunch, very decadent and enjoyable.  Its amazing that "cookie butter" or Biscoff spread wasn't very common until a few years ago, given how glorious it can be. ****.

Sprinkles, Sauces.

Two more sauces (not warm) rounded out the sauce lineup (milk chocolate, caramel), and basic rainbow and chocolate sprinkles were on offer.

I tried the milk chocolate sauce, and it was fine, but a bit thick to serve from the squeeze bottle.  I'm not sure why that one was room temp, and the dark and white warm.  ***+.

Toppings.

I wanted to really get to try the toppings on their own, so I packaged them separate (which the staff was totally willing to let me do).  Clockwise from top:

Crumble: "Treat yourself with crumbly goodness."  

I wasn't sure what to expect from the "crumble", but hoped it would be buttery and sweet.  I was a bit let down, as it was fairly cinnamon flavored, sorta like graham crackers.  Kinda gritty.  Not one I'd get again. **+.

Chocolate soil: "Dark chocolate cacao nibs, lightly sweetened (V & GF)."

The chocolate soil was fine.  Good gritty texture, decent chocolate flavor.  Great for mixing into froyo.  ***+.

Bananas in Caramel / Blueberry Fruit Pearls (not normally mixed, I mixed these in one container):

"Sliced bananas smothered in caramel sauce (GF)."

These were, well, sliced bananas.  Fresh, not browned nor mushy.  Some light caramel sauce for sweetness.  Would be better warmed up.  ***.

"Pop them in your mouth for a full flavour explosion (V & GF)."

The blueberry fruit pearls were I think just blueberry popping boba, by another name.  Sweet, juicy, fruity.  Tasty.  ***+.

Vegan edible cookie dough: "Choc chip edible cookie dough. (V)"

I was sooo excited for this.  I love edible cookie dough.  This really let me down though.  It didn't have a very sweet and buttery flavor, which is what I want from a blonde base cookie dough.  Great larger size quality chocolate chips, but, just kinda plain base.  More sugar,  more butter, please!  ***.

Mango Mochi: "A sweet Japanese rice treat bursting with mango delight (V)."

Very standard soft mochi.  Light mango flavor.  Nicely soft and pliable, not dried out, quite fresh.  ***+.

White Chocolate Sauce: "Turn your Yo-Chi into a white shell with our ready-set-yo magic sauce."

Good sweetness level.  Not cloying.  Real white chocolate vibes.  ****.

Cornflake Crunch: "Freshly popped cornflakes, almonds and sea salt."

This was basically frosted flakes and lightly candied slivered almonds mixed together.  I didn't taste any salt component, which is too bad.  But it was sweet and crunchy, and would make for an awesome breakfast cereal, if you wanted it that way.  A decent topping, but not one I'd pick again to use in that way.  ***.

Toppings: Housemade Granola, Crun-Chi Granola, Freckles, Milk Balls.

House Made Granola: "The perfect toasted blend of oats, coconut, almonds, and  pumpkin seeds."

A baked offering, lightly toasted, good crunch, but not particularly special.  Just granola.  They recently added to the menu to go with their new acai offerings. ***.

Crun-Chi Granola:  No description was given for this one, besides "Token healthy toppings.".  It was lighter colored.  It was fairly average granola.  Nothing notable about it.  ***.

Crunchy Milk Balls: "Crunchy and creamy milk biscuit balls."

I tried the biscuit milk balls, and found them a bit boring.  Sorta like Japanese koala snacks, but without the filling.  **+.

Freckles: "A childhood classic."

I loaded up on freckles, as I love them, smooth creamy chocolate, crispy nonpareils.  They describe these as "childhood classic" - I wish *I* had these in childhood!  An *adult* classic for me, lol.  ****.

Salted Butterscotch / Vanilla / Mango.

And now, the actual frozen yogurt.

After sampling several, I went for a trio.  I put minimal toppings on my froyo, just strawberries, coconut flakes, a few m&ms, and a bit of the biscoff and chocolate sauces, since I had the others separate to add as I pleased.

The salted butterscotch I've sampled before.  It is quite sweet, but, enjoyable.  I don't taste salt, but it is still good.  Very creamy, great consistency, eats like ice cream not yogurt.  ***+.

Vanilla was also good, another sweet and creamy flavor, mostly tasted like ice cream as well.  Good to balance others, or load with toppings.  ***+.

Mango was very fruity.  Sweet, creamy, a touch more yogurt-like.  Not a fully tart flavor, but a bit more tart.  Still good, but I need to be in the mood for the fruitiness.  ***.

I also sampled the non-dairy chocolate.  It was very chocolately, so not really my thing.  ***.

My previous visit (no photos) I had the lychee (which was replaced with mango), taro (now the chocolate), and salted butterscotch.  I adored the taro, very creamy, strong taro flavor. ****.

All the best self-serve froyo I've had in Sydney, no question.

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Felix, Sydney

I've long been a fan of the Merivale restaurant group in Sydney.  They have well thought out unique curated concepts, and they aren't afraid to pivot and move on to newer trends.  Two of my top 10 restaurants in Sydney are Merivale establishments: Mumu for innovative Southeast Asian street food, and Ms. G's for truly wonderful ridiculous Asian fusion.  I've visited others over the years, e.g. Mr. Wong, Sushi E, and others that have since closed, and generally enjoyed them all.  I generally gravitate towards the Asian cuisine, because that is what is so much better in Sydney than SF, but I've heard great things about their Italian concepts too.

During my recent visit to Sydney, we needed a location for a small leadership dinner of 7 people.  Somewhere quiet enough to chat (so not as much of a scene as many Merivale places provide ambiance-wise), but also somewhere not too adventurous in menu, as we had some folks that are pretty classic "meat and potatoes" folks, and also, one vegetarian.  We also had a fairly limited budget.  So, all my top choices were out, as they were deemed too "scary" for the guests.  I went back to the drawing board, and came up with a somewhat boring, but safe, cuisine: French.

Overall, it was a "fine" experience, but not one I'd repeat, nor really recommend.  Service was average for Sydney, not particularly attentive, but it was generally possible to flag someone down when we needed something.  No real checkbacks done, nor interest or concern in if we enjoyed our meals, minimal acknowledgement of one dish that was served improperly raw.

Setting

We partially picked Felix for the location, right in the CBD, so easy access to hotels and public transit for the locals.

Outdoor Seating.

The entrance to Felix is down a lovely side street, lined with restaurants that spill out into the street.  Felix is no different, with plenty of tables outside in a sheltered area.  The outdoor space was fairly vibrant and lively.

Indoor Seating & Wine Room.

Inside was a more subdued environment, very traditional dining room with white tablecloths and napkins, wooden chairs with matching salt & pepper grinders and little lamps.  The back wall had all the wine in illuminated shelving.  It wasn't a stuffy, silent dining room, but it certainly wasn't as lively as outside.  It worked well for our group as we were easily able to hear each other throughout the meal.

Open Kitchen.

I enjoyed watching some of the action in the kitchen, clearly formal French brigades style.  The separate pastry area was also open on the other side from here, where I watched soufflés going in and out of the oven, and the blow torch come out over and over again for crème brûlée.  It made me eager for our closing round.

Food & Drink

Menu.

Felix has an unsurprising menu.  No real innovative cuisine here, just, French classics.  

The menu is broken down into Fruits de Mer (which we actually entirely skipped) and Début to start, Plats de résistance, Les Steaks, Plats à partager, and Garnitures for the main round, and Desserts to finish.

Wine

2018 Hickinbotham ‘Trueman’ Cabernet Sauvignon. $29.

I forgot to take notes on my wine, but, I was quite pleased with it.  A fairly big and bold wine, not too high acid, not too much tannin, but real structure to it.  I recommended it to others when they moved on to wine.  I'd get it again.  ****.

Début

Rolls.

Once we had ordered, our server came back with a giant bread basket.  "White or brown?", she asked, which didn't seem particularly descriptive, given that the white bread clearly had seeds.

Sadly, neither kind was served warm.  Cold butter provided on the table for the group.

"Brown" Roll.

I went for the brown roll, and it seemed to be lightly sourdough, so not really my thing.  It had a decent enough crust to it. But room temp, sourdough-ish bread, not interesting.  No one else commented on the rolls, so I don't think anyone was particularly impressed.  *+.

Pâté de foie de volaille. $26.

"Chicken liver pate, spiced pear chutney, brioche."

To get started, I had my eyes solidly on the pate.  I had a great pate the week before (in the Sheraton Grand executive club of all places), and couldn’t wait for more.  I had seen photos of it on Instagram, and I knew it would be delightfully smooth and creamy.  The rest of the group chatted through some shared apps for the table, including the charcuterie board, that would come with some pate, but I wanted my own portion (which I would share of course if it was a huge hit with others).  The server warned us that the charcuterie platter would have it, but I still pushed forward.  I’d eat it all, gladly.

Or … so I thought.  It did look absolutely fabulous.  It was remarkably smooth and creamy.  But the flavor wasn’t particularly good.  Strong bitter notes, and although it had some liver taste, the bitterness really overwhelmed.  It lacked seasoning, and really needed a sprinkle of salt to make it pop.  ** pate.  The Sheraton Grand pate was just better in all regards.

Spiced pear chutney wouldn’t be my first choice for a pairing, particularly in the summer when stone fruit or berries are in season and I think go even better with liver, but, it actually was fine.  The pears were nicely cooked, lightly al dente, and the spicing was interesting.  ***.  The cornichons were average, and the little pearl onions were delightfully tart, my favorite element of the entire meal actually (yes, really.  **** onions).  

Toasted Brioche.

To go with the pate, fluffy toasted brioche slices were served.  They were not warm when they arrived.  But otherwise good, and a great vessel for the pate.  ***.  Considerably better than the dinner rolls.

Assiette de charcuterie (Large). $45.

"Cured meats, cornichons, baguette."

The rest of the group was excited for the charcuterie board.  It had the same pate (with the chutney and cornichons, but no more of the tasty onions), a rillette of some sort that was decent (none of us could figure out what it was, I thought maybe duck confit?), a slice of the terrine that is also available standalone (the others finished this before I had a chance to snag a bite), and two kinds of thinly sliced meats (the proschuitto like one was great, I didn't try the other).   Overall a nice selection.  ***+.

This came with crostini on the side rather than brioche.  I didn't try them, but no one seemed to care for the crostini, commenting that it was too hard and hurt their mouths.

This was the large platter for $45.  A smaller $32 version is also available.

Salade de tomates et prunes. $24.

"Heirloom tomatoes, blood plum, green herb dressing."

The vegetarians went for their only two options to start, starting with the tomato salad.

Tomatoes are very much in season right now, so I was expecting something great from this dish, but alas, the tomatoes were pretty average.  My office had considerably better tomatoes every day.  I didn't get a slice of plum.  The dressing was not very flavorful. ***.

Poireaux grillés et sauce piperade. $24.

"Grilled leeks, roasted peppers, hazelnuts, sherry vinaigrette."

The other vegetarian option I was also excited for, grilled leeks, but, alas, there was only 5 pieces, and by the time I looked up from the meats, it was gone.

Plats de résistance / Les Steaks

Our mains came about 30 minutes after our starters.  We had a variety of dishes from the Plats de résistance and Les Steaks sections, but none of the higher end sharing Plats à partager.

Poulpe grillé. $27.

"Grilled octopus, kipfler potato, rocket, fennel pollen and Espelette vinaigrette."

For my main dish, I actually ordered an appetizer, as I wanted a smaller portion, fully intending to go all in on the dessert round, and because I had really wanted two appetizers: the pate and the octopus.  The server asked if I’d like a larger portion if I wanted it as a main, which I declined, but thought was a nice touch.  I frequently order appetizers as mains, and haven’t ever been asked that before.

I was not very thrilled with my dish.  The potatoes were really quite boring, just ... disks of potatoes.  Not seemingly roasted nor seared, just boiled and sliced.  Soft.  There was segments of extremely bitter citrus throughout, that I’m not sure what it was, as it wasn’t listed on the menu as a component.  The octopus, which should be the star, was the most lackluster part.  It wasn’t rubbery at least, but it wasn’t charred or smoky or interesting in any way.  It was cut into small pieces, and there wasn’t much of it.  

The entire dish was covered in the espelette vinaigrette, which, despite its color and name, really lacked spice or dimension.  It was just oily.  So, overall, boring potatoes, nothing cooked particularly well, covered in oil, and no interesting flavors besides the too bitter citrus that I didn’t care for.  **.

I salvaged the octopus by dunking it in the aioli that came with my tablemate's frites, but even that made it just passable.

Poisson de Jour (Big Eye). $52.

"Pan roasted market fish, fennel, lemon confit, tomato vinaigrette."

Two co-workers both got the fish of the day, which was big eye tevally.  If I had gotten a proper main, this is what I would have gotten.

One came out cooked properly, the other was quite underdone, raw in the center.  At first I thought perhaps she was mistaken, but, it really was rare, and really shouldn't be.  She was able to get the server's attention quickly, and it was replaced with an entirely new piece (totally different shape, rather than thin and long it was wide and short) but it took a very, very long time.  Everyone else had finished eating, even though we were trying to be polite and eat slowly, before she finally got the re-fire.  No real apology was given by the staff.  The skin looked nicely crisp at least?

Minute Steak.  $65.

"220g pasture fed scotch fillet, Bordelaise butter, witlof, watercress, pickled shallots."

One colleague got the minute steak, served the recommended medium-rare.  He said it was good.  (Another got the steak frites, which was a slightly bigger cut (250g compared to 220g), wagyu, and came with fries and jus instead of the veg and butter garnish (and was $15 more).  He seemed to think it was fine, but not particularly great).

Pithivier de Canard. $45.

"Pie of confit duck leg, pomme purée, thyme jus."

I encouraged another colleague to get the duck pie, because I really wanted to try it, but I don't love duck enough to really commit to it.  I knew it was going to at least visually be a showstopper (and it was!).

I'm fairly certain this was the best dish of the meal.  The pastry was very, very good.  Perfectly crispy exterior, ridiculous rich and decadent.  Likely lard heavy, and that is not a bad thing.  It made me very hopeful for the dessert round.  **** pastry.

The duck confit was good, tender, flavorful.  I didn't try the other components.  But, yes, definitely the best dish at the table.

Gnocchis aux herbs. $42.

"Sauteed herb gnocchi, corn, pickled mushroom, tomato, green herbs."

The vegetarian had only one option: gnocchi.  It actually looked good, nice sear on the gnocchi, but I didn't hear her review in any way.

Garnitures

We mostly skipped the side dishes, but the vegetarian throw on an order of fries, er, frites, to round out their meal, which they shared with table.

Pommes Frites. $14.

"French fries, tarragon mayonnaise."

Since these were sitting on the table, I tried one.  They were thin, crispy enough, but pretty boring, and lukewarm even when first served.  Nothing special about these. ***.

The aioli was good, creamy, lightly herby.  It helped my octopus out considerably. ***+.

Dessert

In general, it doesn't matter how lackluster a meal is, I'm always excited for dessert.  In Felix's case though I was more excited than usual, as I wanted many of the options, and I'd seen good reviews for all.

Dessert.

The dessert lineup was, well, very french.  Soufflé.  Profiteroles.  Crème brûlée.  Tart tatin.  A token light fruit tart.  No chocolate mousse, or actually, no chocolate dessert of any kind (some had chocolate elements, but nothing dominant), a slight surprise.  Also interesting is that every dessert included a ice cream/sorbet component, e.g. the soufflé, which was Grand Marnier flavored, came with milk chocolate ice cream, the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream, the fruit tart with coconut sorbet, even the crème brûlée came with a sorbet.  You could also order these on their own of course.

I truly would have been happy to try all of them, but my stack ranking was the epic tart tatin first (designed to serve 2+), the crème brûlée second, and souffle a close third (only slightly deterred by the choice of Grand Marnier, sight).  Our group of 7 had two people who didn't want dessert, two more who only wanted a bite or two, and two more who each really wanted their own crème brûlée.  And thus, I had to narrow my choices down considerably.

Crème Brûlée. $20.

"Vanilla crème brûlée, oat crumble, strawberry pomegranate sorbet."

Regular readers of my blog know that I have a thing for crème brûlée.  For all pudding, really.  There is a reason they both have labels on my blog.  This also means of course that I have, um, strong opinions on my crème brûlée.

This one wins for uniqueness, I can't say I've had it served with a fruit sorbet before.  I'm all about pairing cold scoops with most desserts, but it did seem a bit odd here.  The menu also said there was an oat crumble, but neither of ours seemed to have that.  

I gleefully dug in first (yes, to the one belonging to someone else - no shame!).  First up, the tap test.  It was underwhelming.  It was torched, clearly, but it was a thin layer, and didn't impart any real caramelization flavor.  The base flavor was equally underwhelming - no vanilla bean, no real flavor besides cream and sugar.  But it was perfectly set, very creamy, no grainy consistency.  Great execution on the pudding itself, but, just not very flavorful.  ***.

Tart Tatin (for two). $42.

"Apple tart, calvados cream, cinnamon ice cream."

I was so excited for this.  For many reasons.  First, I love a warm dessert with cold ice cream pairing.  Second, while I don't generally get excited for tart tatin (or apple pie), I had strangely been craving it for about two weeks.  And third, well, I'd seen all the photos of it, and knew what a signature dessert it was.  Intended for two (or more), and served in a big skillet.  OMG.

The giant skillet was put into the center of our table.  I wish I had something for scale so you understood how big it was.  But, yes, massive.  A scoop of calvados cream was added tableside.  We were each given our own scoops of cinnamon ice cream.  I was ready.

But ... it let each and every one of us down, even those without expectations.  There was no real caramelization.  It was very runny.  Some of the pastry underneath was raw.  The pastry that was at least cooked was soggy, and nothing like the glorious pastry from the duck pie.  The apples were at least ok, not too mushy.  Spicing reasonable.  But really, it just wasn't very good.  5 of us split it, and much went unfinished.  I wished I hadn't taken such a big slice originally.  *.

The cinnamon ice cream was very good though, perfectly creamy, very smooth.  It paired well.  **** for the ice cream only.

A fitting letdown of a dessert, for a letdown of a meal.

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