Surry Hills

Don't be deceived by this relative old-school looking and serene neighbourhood. Surry Hills is considered to be an affluent eastern suburb of NSW and easily accessible from central Sydney centre via buses. 

1. Eat @ Bills

Spot Adina Hotel and right underneath is where Bills is located, usually marked by queues of patrons outside, Bills is a popular breakfast/brunch place with locals and tourists alike.

How it goes: You have to leave your name with the waiter on the reservation list and when your turn comes, your name will be called.

The wait? Near 30 minutes for a table.

When you spot the long queue, you know you have nailed the right place.
Located within the 'Adina Apartment Hotel and Conference Centre'

When the queue gets too long and your patience runs out, choose the alfresco dining option instead of the air-conditioned indoors.

Sunrise

Sweetcorn fritters, roast tomatoes, spinach and bacon
AU $21.50
This has got to be the best out of all the dishes we ordered, at least for us.
Sweetcorn fritters were an interesting concept and was well presented in a bright mix of red, green and yellow. The pile of fresh veggies together with savory bacon makes a delightful tasting experience. 

Burst the poach egg for a flowy slurp. 

Ricotta Hotcake

AU $18.50.
3 pieces of pancakes with honeycomb butter and maple syrup, hidden underneath banana splits.
The pancakes are unlike the typical ones we are used to having. These warm hotcakes were rather thick and dense but still pillowy and not overly sweet. Makes quite a good combi with the butter and syrup

Bills

For a local dining experience, that's not over-touristy in pricing, try Bills I say.

2. Gelato Messina 

Strolling along Surry Hills neighbourhood, you can be on your way in the search for some desserts after brunch at Bills. Messina is a local brand and prides themselves in making happy, quality gelato free from colourings, flavourings or preservatives. Besides gelato, look out for their sorbets completely dairy-free, fat-free and full of fruits. Every product in Messina, as they promised to use the best and most natural ingredients available.

Messina's other branches in Sydney are in Darlinghurst, but I guess it's easier to locate the store in the  Surry Hill area as it's not as huge a boundary. For me, I have researched the other 2 outlets in Darlinghurst but don't find them near to any attractions to make a purposeful visit just to locate them. Recommended for you to drop by when in Surry Hill! 

Here are some random views along the street.

Grocer looks cool with a tabletop for dining.

3. Bourke Street Bakery

When you see long queues, Singaporeans got to do what we need to do right? Check it out and get in the queue as well!
 Locating this bakery was totally unintentional but since there's a queue means it has got to be good somehow right? So I queued and it was not fast, took me 20 minutes thereabout. Despite seeing many pieces of bread were on display.  =)

Perhaps as the pieces of bread and pastries were churned out, they were sold out and thus the wait for new batches? 

Buttery Croissant
less than AU $5
We were really full by then, but these pastries if not eaten on the spot while hot, would defeat the purpose. Hence, there we only ordered. Flaky and fluffy on the inside, this was great eaten on the spot. However, I believe we can easily obtain such croissants from bakeries- be it local or overseas franchise- in Singapore now as well.


Lemon curt tart
AU $5
It's really a very basic tart. You have the zesty and sweet elements there, that's it.




Thoughts
I wouldn't recommend all the way to search for this bakery, rather it's a hit-and-miss kind of feeling. Try if you see them but otherwise no fear of missing out. Perhaps there are other more tasty treats in Bourke Bakery? Share with me if you know of any.

So this about sums up my day in Surry Hills, stay tuned for more updates on my blog.
Thanks for reading!


Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills
http://bourkestreetbakery.com.au/

Address in map below~

My dearie brought back some exquisite Limited Edition TIM TAM treats from Australia and since they look so pretty ( and taste amazing too), I decided to do a little flat lay with these traditional yummies! A google search fired up some interesting facts about these well-loved biscuits. 

Launched in Feb 1964, it was reported that one in every two Australian household has a packet of Tim Tams and they consumed a whopping 50 million packets per year! 

Here are the special flavors not found in Singapore ( not yet, anyway). 

They are: Red Velvet, Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter. Look pretty right? :) 

Happy munching and remember to  buy back bundles whenever you are in Australia! 

http://www.arnotts.com.au/