Lucky Pickle, Surry Hills

Happy New Year dear readers! I would like to thank everyone for the continuous support and for taking the time to read my blog posts. I thought that it was just fitting for my first post of the year to be about a newly opened food joint that does delicious sambos. Some of you may have noticed the serious sandwich invasion in my instagram posts lately. Sandwiches are simple yet the creativity that goes into making different kinds is limitless.

A few weeks ago, chef Mike Eggert posted a menu and sandwich photo on instagram from a new joint in Surry Hills called Lucky Pickle. As soon as chef Mike gave the sandwiches his thumbs up, chocolatesuze and I made plans to visit ASAP. This humble shop with a welcoming vibe is run by a lovely rad couple. Rash and Anna are passionate about creating mind blowing sandwiches.

Pork belly sandwich

We started with the pork belly, duck liver pâté, pickled carrot, pickled daikon, cucumber, mayo and sambal sandwich ($10). This baguette is their amazing take on the classic banh mi. The highlights in this sanga were the tender pork belly slices and the flavoursome duck liver pâté. This was an instant hit with my taste buds.

Beef brisket sandwich

The beef brisket sandwich ($10) was also nothing short of excellent. It was a panini with tender and juicy beef brisket, melted provolone, watercress, pickles and mustard. The provolone cheese gave the sandwich a nice sharp flavour and a nice texture that complimented the beef. The gorgeous pickles on the other hand gave a nice balance to the whole sandwich.

Chicken katsu sandwich

It was hard to resist the chicken katsu sandwhich ($10). It had fried chicken after all! It also consists of cabbage, sesame, mayo and tonkatsu sauce. The chicken katsu had a nice crisped crumbed layer and succulent tender chicken. The chicken katsu worked well with the rest of the other fillings especially the tonkatsu sauce. It was like heaven in a baguette. I was left speechless with every bite.

Lucky Pickle delivers non-complicated sandwiches with superb taste. The menu is kept minimal and they do not hold back on quality. The flavour combinations are brilliant and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of their sandwiches. Lucky Pickle will return to trading from the 6th of January 2014 onwards!

Lucky Pickle

Shop 3, 509-511 Crown Street (entrance/shopfront via High Holborn Street)

Surry Hills NSW 2010

Trading Hours

Mon to Fri 11:00am - 3pm or until sold out.

Taste Baguette - Martin Place

In the last two weeks, 75% of my lunches consisted of Taste Baguette. The baguettes, macarons, pastries and their coffee just keeps pulling me back here. I find myself abandoning a planned lunch elsewhere and I end up getting my baguette fix. One would find freshly baked baguettes hard to resist. There are other branches in the Sydney CBD area but the Ramen League and I frequently go to the Martin Place joint.

Someone once told me that there are two things that keeps customers coming back to a cafe or restaurant. It is friendly service and delicious food. Taste Baguette provides both. They also offer wholemeal and rye baguettes. For those that don’t know what baguettes are, they are long thin loaf of French bread that has a crisp crust.

There is no way someone could pass by this place without noticing, stopping and checking out what they’ve got to offer. The eye catching display of pastry will call out to you and draw you in. The smell of coffee and fresh baguettes will make you want to eat here. The baguettes here are freshly baked every 15 minutes.

The awesome crispy roast pork 

roast pork baguette $9.80 (extra $1 to dine in)

The roast pork baguette comes with lettuce, rocket, brie cheese, honey mustard mayo and pork crackling. The pork is juicy and tender while the brie cheese and honey mustard makes the experience in your mouth creamier. The crispy pork crackling which had a hint of herb (it could be sage or fennel), is the highlight of the show. There is only one word to describe it, “awesome!!!”.

Vietnamese style lemongrass beef baguette $9.80 (extra $1 to dine in)

My healthy lunch choice is the wholemeal Vietnamese style lemongrass beef baguette.  The beef itself has been marinated in lemongrass. It also has pickled carrots, radish cucumber, coriander, spring onion. Again, this is another “awesome” baguette. The beef’s juice which is a product of the marination is full of lemongrassy goodness. The salad in the baguette gives it a refreshing taste.

caramel and hazelnut macarons

Their macarons here are all gluten free. My favourite’s the caramel macaron. It was surprisingly not too sweet and it also leaves a very nice after taste.

ristretto flat white

The ristretto flat white is their popular cup of coffee. It is strong, bold, but not bitter. I prefer having it with skim milk so that the shot of ristretto can be highlighted with every sip. 

If you need a coffee, pastry, or baguette fix, I highly recommend Taste Baguette. My lunch at Taste Baguette was very yummy for my tummy. How’s yours?

Taste Baguette - Martin Place

25 Martin Place

Sydney NSW 2000

(near the MLC Centre)

www.tastebaguette.com.au