Terrace Cafe, Parramatta

I didn't realise how much time has passed since I last posted anything... have some catching up to do! 

I'm not sure if Terrace is new or not, but for some reason I've only noticed it recently. Waiting for a car service to be done, my Sister and I headed there for a well needed Saturday morning hang over cure. 

My Sister had been there once before and said that it was quite busy and service a little slow, however, that was on a Sunday. 

When we arrived, there were only a few people in there and we had our choice of seats.Waitress was quick to follow us to our table with a menu and took orders for coffee. 
My Nephew was with us and he had some banana bread. This was ordered and paid for separately at the counter as they have the pieces already wrapped and ready to go. 

Didn't take us too long to decide what we wanted. My Sister went the standard big brekkie, with bacon, eggs, the lot. 
I went the Brekkie Bruschetta and my Nephew, pancakes with ice cream.

Coffee came out before the food. I ordered a latte. They serve AllPress here, taste wasn't too bad. It was just very milky/foamy. 

The smoothies and milkshakes come in really cute jars and milk bottles too.

Food didn't take any longer than normal to come out, first thing I 
noticed was serving sizes here are pretty good for the price. I don't think I saw anything on the brekkie menu for over $15. 

Brekkie Bruschetta came with two pieces of toast, a whole lotta bruschetta and two delicisouly runny poached eggs. Such a delicious combo, and not too heavy on the precious stomachs suffering from hang overs. 

My Sister was happy with her plate. It was just what she wanted. Two perfectly fried eggs, grilled tomato, bacon, toast. 

My Nephew didn't eat his pancakes, though I don't think that is any indication of the taste, more so for the fact that he'd demolished a huge piece of banana break and a choc milkshake before it came out! 

Anyway, it wasn't too difficult a task for my Sister and I to finish it on his behalf... can't let anything go to waste! 

Overall, if this place is local to you, think it's definitely worth a visit for a close by, decent weekend breakfast! 

Grill'd

Last night I headed to Grill'd for the first time. Shock horror, I know. Everyone has been raving about it, so last night I thought it about time to check it out. 

I was there right after work, so it wasn't too busy yet. I'd sussed out the menu online earlier in the day (I like to plan ahead) so I didn't fuss over the menu too long when I got there. 

I ordered the Moroccan Lamb burger (Grilled lamb, roasted peppers, tzatziki, salad and relish). Mumsy ordered herself Mixed Vegetables and Dukkah Salad (mixed roast vegetables, black & white quinoa, cherry tomatoes, feta, mesculin, balsamic dressing and dukkah), she also added the protein hit (chicken) for an extra $3. 

Youngest Bro is just a little (VERY) fussy, so he wanted the Simply Grill'd (Grilled beef, salad, relish and herbed mayo) without the salad, relish and herbed mayo but with cheese and tomato sauce. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and suggested we 'make our own' burger which turned out to be $3 cheaper. 


We also order a side of chips with tomato relish. You can.not. have burgers without chips! 

Before we head back to our table, the lady behind the counter gives us three bottle tops or 'tokens', She points to a stand where three jars are set up. On each jar is a description of a local business, group etc. We're told that we need to pick a jar to put our token in. 

Seeing as there are three of us, three tokens, I see it as only fair we put one token in each jar. 

At the end of each month, the bottle tops / tokens are counted. The jar with the most, that business or group etc are given a $300 donation from Grill'd. Second and third get $100 each. 

Personally, I think this little program is great. Grill'd are giving back to their own community which is awesome and it also brings to light some groups or businesses in people's local community that they may not know about. Thumbs up to Grill'd! 

Doesn't take too long for food to come out and I'm pretty impressed with the serving sizes. Especially Mumsy 's salad. It's looks choc full of different ingredients and chicken. There is nothing worse than ordering a salad and you find yourself eating a bowl of lettuce leaves! 

Burgers come out at the same time and again, I'm pretty pleased at first sights. The burger has a good height, the actual burger patty is nice and thick and the salad is neatly layered (I like to see my layers). I don't think you can go too wrong with Youngest Bro's burger, he was pretty pleased with it. 



For me, when it comes to burgers, what are knives and forks?! I pick it up and find that even with it's height I'm able to squish it down to be able to take a good bite out of it. YUM! Burger patty is cooked great, not overdone. It's not too thick and meat to salad ratio is spot on. 

The chips are nice too, thick cut, just the way I like. The tomato relish is nice and thick too, which doesn't make dipping too easy but is delish! 
I think this place is great for those hankering for a burger on a budget. Can't go wrong. Looking at the menu and after seeing Mumsy's salad, thinking I might give the Chicken, Pomegranate and Goats Cheese Salad a go. Sounds YUM!  

Eat Art Truck

The Eat Art Truck has been doing the rounds of late under the Masterchef badge. It happened to be in Parramatta last night, so on my weekly Thursday night shopping stop on the way home from work, I thought I'd check it out. 

In all honesty, I didn't need that much convincing. I'm always keen to try something that I have seen on TV. I'm a sucker like that.

There were three things on the menu last night... 

1. Maple Glazed Bacon Hot Dog w/ pickles, Cucumber and Smoked Mustard Sauce - $10

2. Eat Art Truck's Famous Pulled Pork Bun w/ mustard cabbage and a choice of Bourbon BBQ or Hot Sauce - $12

3. Vern's Challenge Burger, Wagyu Beef w/ Onion, Lettuce and Ranch Dressing - $12


I was tempted by the hot dog, I am the Maple & Bacon Flavour Combo's number one fan but the addition of mustard freaked me out a little. So, I played it safe with Vern's Challenge Burger. 
Boyfriend ordered the Pulled Pork Bun. 

The burger was a decent size, the burger bun nice and soft but still toasted just enough. A nice big slice of cheese all melted all over the wagyu beef, yum!
I was a little surprised by the Ranch dressing, it was red and tasted a little like a tomato based sauce. Not the usual ranch dressing that I would expect, hmmmm....... 
Never the less, still tasted delish and I enjoyed every messy bite!  

Boyfriend is a man of few words and when asked, I was told the pork bun was delicious and the slaw gave it a good crunch. 
The bun had a generous amount of sauce which is always a must in his books. He did have one complaint, he wanted more! Standard. 

I think $12 may have been a bit steep, I would have much preferred to hand over a straight tenner. But hey, for food that comes out the of the back of a truck, was pretty delish!!