The Rocks and Circular Quay Restaurants, Sydney

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The Vintage Cafe on The Rocks is a cute little place tucked away in one of the narrow old alleyways in The Rocks. Open for breakfast and light lunches, from 8.30am to about 3pm.

You're in the oldest part of the city, away from the traffic in a real oasis of relaxation.

Favorite Dish: They prepare a superb scrambled eggs with smoked salmon breakfast. The coffee is also excellent, so it's a great way to ease yourself into the day!

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Italian Village is a restaurant I would have usually walked right by. Liz had read a review of the restaurant and liked the look of a particular item on the menu. We decide to go on a Wednesday night which was their Pasta Special Night. For $28 a person you can select a pasta dish from their pasta menu; what a bargain. We didn't have a reservation but they were able to seat us at a nice outdoor table for two with incredible views of the bridge and Opera House.

We were handed the menu and wine list to look over. We decide to order a Bottle of Tasmanian Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our meal. Liz decided to try the gnocchi with brown butter sauce, sage and pignoli nuts. I decided on the gnocchi with mushrooms.

The head water brought our wine and some water to the table. The wine was excellent; nice and crisp. The waitress brought fresh warm bread with herbed butter to the table. The butter was incredible on the fresh warm bread. Shortly after our pasta arrived to the table. Wow! It was incredibly good and fresh. Liz was in heaven with her pasta and declared it the best gnocchi dish she had had in Sydney.

We had an excellent time here enjoying our meal, drinking wine and watching the sunset over the harbor. The views here are spectacular and perfect for a romantic dinner. I was happy that we came here and enjoyed such a wonderful meal in a beautiful setting.

Favorite Dish: The gnocchi with mushrooms was excellent. The pasta was very fresh and the sauce was very creamy. The gnocchi were light; not heavy and perfectly cooked. The mushrooms were flavorful and delicious. The bread was very good, warm, crunchy yet soft. The herb butter was perfect to melt on the bread.

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Wow! This place was incredible; one of my favorites in Sydney. Liz found this place on line before we came to Sydney. She read that the owners of our favorite patisserie La Renaissance had opened a restaurant. The restaurant is located in the Rocks on George Street. There is an outdoor patio to enjoy drinks and food as well as a large dining room inside.

The food here is French Bistro style. The menu has a long list of appetizers, salads, beef, fish, chicken, lamb and pork. There are also daily specials written on a blackboard in the main dining room. It is very hard to choose an entree since everything looks incredible.

We didn't make a reservation but it was no problem for the hostess to get us a nice table for two. Our waitress handed us menus and we ordered some drinks. I had a beer and Liz ordered a Bellini. Fresh bread with olive oil was brought to the table and we placed our order. Liz chose the beef tenderloin in a peppercorn sauce and I ordered the comfit of lamb with pomme frites. The service was attentive yet not overbearing and our food came to the table quickly and very hot. From the first bite it was "WOW". The lamb was excellent and seasoned perfectly. The pomme frites were crispy with a nice touch of sea salt. Liz loved her tenderloin. It was a nice pink medium just the way she likes it and the sauce was very nice (I dipped several of my frites in the sauce).

The meal was very filling and unfortunately there was no room for dessert; we instead decided for take some of their delicious macaroons home with us. We picked some strawberry, Jasmine and Rose macaroons.

This was an incredible meal with terrific service. I will definitely return here again for a meal.

After walking around the Rocks we needed some refreshments, more like a beer so we decided to stop here. According to many sources The Löwenbräu Keller is Sydney's best known, most authentic German restaurant so expect to find German dishes and beers.

As we were having dinner in another location, we decided to skip on the food and have a few glasses of Spatan, a nice crisp German beer.

There are some family style benches and tables located outside of the restaurant. We decided we wanted to enjoy some people watching with our beers and sat outside.

They offer Bavarian cooking with traditional dishes and beers in a typical Bavarian atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: We each had a Spatan which was on the pricey side. Note that because of its popularity the prices are on the overpriced side.

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Amorama is an Italian restaurant in the Rocks. During our February 2010 trip we were sitting next door at the pub watching the food being served on the restaurants patio. The temptation of the food was too great and Liz and I decided to walk over for a snack. The restaurant is a nice size with both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu has the usual Italian fare of pizza, pasta, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.

We were seated at a nice table for two outside and handed menus. The weather was nice and sunny with a hint of breeze; perfect al fresco dining weather. After perusing the menu for a light option for a snack; we decided to split a Margarita pizza. We also ordered some sparkling water.

Our pizza arrived rather quickly and smelled incredible. The pizza was perfectly thin and crispy with bubbling cheese and fresh tomato sauce. The first bite of pizza was heaven with the delicious flavors of tomato, basic along with the creamy cheese. Needless to say we finished the entire pizza....it was filling but not heavy in our stomachs. It was a perfect portion to share and made for a nice snack after some drinks at the bar.

We enjoyed this place so much that we returned in November 2010 for some more of their tasty pizza

Favorite Dish: The Margarita pizza is excellent. The crust was thin and crispy just how I like it. The cheese was fresh and creamy. the tomato sauce was very good and fresh. The sprinkling of basil was just the right amount and not too overpowering.

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The Vintage Cafe is a small restaurant tucked into the Rocks. We decided to grab some lunch here before catching a ferry at Circular Quay. We climbed the stairs of their outdoor patio and asked for a table for two inside out of the sun.

As soon as we were seated I knew I liked the vibe of the place. It was small yet comfortable with a casual air to it. The menu here has a mix of pizza, pasta, chicken, beef, seafood and salads. After perusing the menu we both decided to have some pizza; the Margherita for Liz and the Chorizo for me. I decided to have a beer and Liz had a mint iced tea.

Our food arrived rather quickly and with a friendly smile from our waitress. Both of our pizzas came with a side salad which was quite nice. The pizza was very tasty but the crust was a bit on the thick side for my liking. The chorizo though was the perfect amount of spice.

I have to say this was a very enjoyable meal and I loved the Samba music piped into the restaurant.

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The Belgian Bier Cafe was a place my wife wanted to try as soon as she heard about it. We decided to meet up with our friend Jackie for a nice dinner and some Belgian beer. The place is pretty popular and fortunately we managed to get a table despite not having a booking.

We were seated at a nice table in the main dining room with a view of their large bar area (which happened to be packed to the gills). As we were handed beer and food menus I saw my wife's eyes glaze over at the huge selection of beer. My wife is a huge Belgian beer fan and was thrilled to find many of her favorites on the menu especially Orval. The food menu had a great selection of local specialties such as kangaroo and a nice assortment of meat, fish and poultry items.

We began by ordering drinks. My wife ordered her Orval, I chose a Leffe Blonde and Jackie chose a Chimay Bleu. After perusing the extensive menu we decided on entrees. I decided to have the Steak Frittes in a green peppercorn sauce. My wife chose her favorite: Mussels A l'Escargot. Jackie went with the Kangaroo Loin.

Our food arrived rather quickly and were large portions. My steak was cooked perfectly and I loved the frites. I had a bite of Jackie's Kangaroo and found the meat rather good much to my wife's horror (she doesn't eat things she has fed or petted such as the kangaroo). Liz loved her mussels and savored every bite.

After such a fantastic and filling meal there was simply no room for dessert. I was very impressed by the food here and the attentive service. I will definitely come here again for a meal and especially for drinks.

In the historic Rocks district we found this little restaurant. Boulders On The Rocks had a great name in the area and therefore we entered this special dining experience. This neat little restaurant is located in a small Victorian hotel, The Russell.

The interior of this heritage-listed building has been beautifully restored and offers diners an interesting contrast to the Modern Australian cuisine on offer.

Favorite Dish: The compact menu offers seasonally available produce. The menu has a native Australian,Asian and Mediterranean accent.

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Claude's Kitchen is located at the back of the observer Hotel. It has it's own separate entrance and courtyard dining. It is also accessible through the Observer Hotel. the menu has typical pub grub items such as burgers and fish and chips but also has whole fish and beef specials.

Liz and I grabbed a few meals and snacks at Claude's during our visit. Liz loved their Salt & Pepper Squid with Chips. I enjoyed their Argentina Burger and Fish & Chips. The food here is very fresh and made to order. It is amazing food for reasonable prices.

Favorite Dish: The Fish & Chips were excellent; perfectly crispy and fresh tasting. I liked my Argentina Burger but it made me miss Buenos Aires. Liz lived her Salt & Pepper Squid and I must admit it was tasty with just the right amount of seasoning and a light, crispy crust.

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Now this is a place I honestly can’t believe I hadn’t been to before until our 2007 trip. A simple little pastry shop with a shared court yard in the back that is actually quite spacious you will find yourself enjoying life quite nicely when you visit.

As you enter this narrow little shop you see the display case and attendants on the left. And this is where you’re fun begins. They have such a great variety of extremely tasty treats I am sure you’ll find something you’ll love. Cakes, pies, pastry, macaroons, cookies and assorted sweets are all displayed in the case just waiting to be tasted. They also have a nice variety of warm and cold beverages to accompany your dessert,

This place has been a must for our trips to Sydney and we have enjoyed several of their fabulous desserts during our stays.

Favorite Dish: The desserts here are excellent but I do have my favorites: Larme de Gaugin and the Fraisier. The Gaugin cake is so colorful it just draws me in every time. The cake is tear shaped with a light berry mousse on top of an almond sponge cake topped with mixed berries. The Fraiser cake is a tasty vanilla sponge cake soaked with strawberry liquor, a creamy mouse and strawberries are in between the layers of cake. I live the freshness of the strawberries and the creamy mousse.

My wife enjoys their merignues, creme brulee and creme caramel. The creme brulee is very creamy and quite nice. The merignue is not to my liking being too sweet. The creme caramel was nice; almost flan like in consistency.