Extra Virgin Fine Foods
Well hello Crows Nest! Aren’t we looking a bit sexy these days? Look at you all grown up and flaunting some hot new restaurants. I particularly love your latest addition Extra Virgin Fine Foods on Alexander St. Come here often? Can I have your number I’ve lost mine? If I said you have a nice chest would you hold it against me? Regardless of what cheesy pick up line you try make sure you give this new restaurant a crack.
Opening the doors in mid November 2010, Extra Virgin Fine Food serves a combination of traditional, rustic French and Spanish dishes. Upon arrival guests of Secret Foodies #17 were greeted with a choice of white or red sangria, a great way to start the warm night.
The atmosphere is relaxed and casual with a stylish fit out. Tables line the side street, there’s a bar on your right as you walk through the door and an entire wall full of gourmet condiments for sale. Take a left and you’re in a stylish space with European wallpaper on the back feature wall, a black chandelier and dim mood lighting.
Tonight’s theme for dinner is the ‘Rustic Spanish Escape’. A small shot of gazpacho to start our meal sent my taste buds nostalgic of my time in Granada, Spain. It was here I first tried the delicious cold tomato and garlic soup and loved it.
In Spain, food is all about tapas and a shared style of eating and drinking. A flow of delicious small dishes was placed on the table during the night including crispy croquetas of jamon and manchego and flakey empanaditas of meat and sultanas. For our vegetarian foodie there were different options for each dish including the eggplant, chilli, cheese,pimenton and empanaditas.
The wine kept coming and got heavier as the night went on. We started with white before moving on to a light Cano Rose.
Everyone at the table seemed to love the caramelized goats cheese with onion jam and honey crackling. One foodie made sure he wrote down the name and location of where that creamy goodness came from. For others it was all about the BBQ chorizo, tender, not too salty and very Moorish.
Tummies feeling a little full it was time for everyone to stand up, stretch their legs and move seats to meet someone new. The Picante tempranillo Syrah wine and paella with mussels, calamari and prawns gave everyone something to talk about.
Paella is a traditional Spanish dish normally only served at lunchtime, as it’s quite heavy. At Extra Virgin Fine Food you’ll find paella full of fresh seafood, soft fluffy rice and chorizo. Visually it was spectacular. My one grumble would be having to de-shell the prawns at the table. It’s always tricky, messy and I would have loved them already peeled.
Paella
For dessert we were served a selection of sweets including dulce de leche flan with turron and fresh strawberries. And what would a Spanish escape be without churros? The delicious doughnuts and rich cocolatey sauce were naughty but oh so nice! For me though the flan was my favourite sweet and something I will definitely order again. To match dessert we were given Liqor de orujo – ruavieja or Gardens de café, sweet dessert liquors. These were delicious.
Dulce de Leche
Churros
To finish the night we grabbed Head Chef Vincent Giardin out of his busy kitchen and owner Maricio Moreno over for a foodie chat. We got the low down on where they sources their produce, the inspiration before Extra Virgin Fine Foods and what their favourite food is…cheese of course!
Extra Virgin Fine Foods is a café, bar, restaurant and deli rolled in to one big welcomed addition to the lower north shore. It’s perfect for a quick lunch, relaxed drink and tapas after work or dinner with friends. They also offer cooking classes on how to make the ‘perfect paella’ and offsite-catering options.
But enough about what I think, let’s hear what our foodies have to say…
Head Chef Vincent Giardin
17 Alexander St, Crows Nest (Cnr Falcon St) 02 94360733
Breakfast Saturday and Sunday from 8am, Lunch 7 days 12pm, Dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 6pm
Category: Lower North
This is a great new venue for a lunch/dinner + a few drinks with friends.
The food was fantastic and the service was very friendly and attentive. The two things about the food that stood out for me was that firstly, many dishes were of a traditional style which you might not find elsewhere in Sydney, and secondly I could really notice the freshness + flavours in each dish – the head chef certainly doesn’t cut corners with the quality of his sourced produce.
I highly recommend locals living on the North Shore to check this place out. And if you don’t live North, it’s even worth crossing the bridge for. Plus there’s always the Crowie around the corner to head for a few drinks afterwards as well…
Well what a feast! I have to say that Spanish food is up there as one of my favourite cuisines. And after trying many through-out my travels in Spain and some closer a shore in Sydney. This restaurant has what it takes to make you feel like you back there in a friendly tapas joint.
The array of tapas entrees were fabulous ! Favourite was the caramelized treats made with goats cheese, onion jam and honey crackling- really I just wanted more. Also the wine was a great match along with these dishes.
The Paella was also well cooked and well presented. There was no skimping on the seafood which you often find with a Paella and I think personally i ate about 5 mussels and 5 king prawns to myself as the portion offering was so generous. ummmm…
Desert well if someone didn’t stop me I was about to ask for a doggy bag, to savour them for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Nice addition with the international produce you can buy in the restaurant placed on the wall , and nice open restaurant layout. But it’s on a busy street which I think is the only draw back.
Clap, clap, Extra Virgin Fine Foods…i’ll be back x
Ahh I used to work with Vincent when he was chef at the Sofitel. Must visit, food looks so enjoyed.