Fratelli FRESH!!!

I have always wanted to go to Fratelli Fresh at Walsh Bay (aka Cafe Sopra), but whenever Chris and I turned up on the weekend it was always when they weren't serving food (they only open from 12 weekends, and finish lunch at 3!). But this Sunday we managed to get a table for lunch.... but after a bit of a sketchy start. You see Fratelli Fresh is one of those places where you turn up and then don't really know what to do to get a table, do you just find a free table and sit down, should you wait to be seated, is there a waiting list??!? It turned out this Sunday there was a 20 minute wait for lunch, but Chris and I decided to wait it out. We thought we would wait at the bar and get a drink but spotted some free bar stools and quickly took them to make the wait a little more enjoyable. But wrong thing to do, supposedly even the bar spots are reserved so we were quickly ushered to this cute little bay window lounge thing (feeling a tad embarrassed). But by that time, there was only five more minutes before our table was ready!! As soon as we had our table I had forgotten about the pre-lunch shenanigans and was excited about our meal again. There is something about the ambiance of Fratelli Fresh that makes it seem so cool, sort of an old school Italian/ warehouse feel to it. We got a table right next to a wall of European wines that probably added to the ambiance.

Fratelli Fresh has no menus (other than a very yummy drinks menu) and you order the food from a giant wall chalk board where the restaurant staff cross items off in front of you as they sell out. It was really my type of menu, nothing TOO fancy, but fancy enough to feel like you were somewhere nice. There was also lots of pasta on the menu mmm, I LOVE PASTA!! so after polishing off an antipasti plate (minus the artichoke) Chris and I both ordered delicious bowls of pasta. Chris the ragu bolognese, and me the spaghetti with lemon and pangratto (which is a fancy word for breadcrumbs I learnt). Other than the fact that the breadcrumbs got a bit too oily by the end of the dish, I loved it, but i have to say Chris's was the best. It is true, you cant go past a good bolognese! We opted to pass on dessert cause we really did eat too much and Chris got himself a coffee (note, they dont do take-aways!). Then as we were feeling food inspired, we listened to our inner masterchef and persused the little grocer/deli section. A bit expensive for every day grocery shopping, but lots of little treats like home made pastas and stir through sauces, for special occasions. I got told they even do cooking classes so that is definitely go on my to do list!

Will  I go back, definately, now I know what to do when I get there...

Walking Waverton...

The content of my first blog is an easy choice. Definitely my most favourite part of Sydney is the harbour! I love love love Sydney harbour and get overly excited every time I go near it, whether it be driving over the bridge or doing one of the many harbour side walks. For some reason it just makes me happy. As a North Sydney resident I am very blessed as the harbour is just a hop skip and a jump away and I try to go near it as often as I can - much to the annoyance of Chris who just doesn't get why I love it so much. While we were living at Crows Nest, my favourite thing would be going down to Lavender bay early Saturday morning and walking to kirribilli (but that is another blog). However now that we have moved toWaverton, I have found my new favourite walk:  Balls Head Reserve Waverton.

They say on the signs they say it is the most significant area of urban bushland on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour - and that it is! The walk through the bushland is beautiful and relaxing, but what I really love about it is the view.

If you manage to break your way through the bush path and get to one of the open areas you can see all the way across the harbour to the city, the harbour bridge, the opera house and across to Balmain. Early in the morning it is the most beautiful, as it is still cool and fresh and all the cute little birdies are out cheeping and the water is still before all the ferries get going. I am one of those people whose mind is continually buzzing, and I think this is one of the only spots where I actually don't think!

Balls head is really easy to get to. From Waverton Train station you just turn left and keep walking and you will end up amongst it in about 5 minutes. I have been told that you can walk all the way from Balls Head Reserve to Kirribilli, but I haven't done that yet, but might try next weekend when my friend visits from Brissie.

The only negatives is the walk itself isn't that long, so if you would like some good exercise it wouldn't offer you  more than 30-45 mins of brisk walking (unless you try and make it to Kirribilli/Milsons Point). The other slight negative is it is quite industrial/naval as HMAS something a-rather is right next door, and if you take the wrong path you end up in some restricted area with boom gates, electronic entry key pads and barbed wire, but I haven't got myself in trouble yet, so just keep walking until you end up back on the path. If you are a history buff the naval base might be a bonus for you, with plenty of signs up around the reserve sharing the extensive history of the area. In fact they are in the midst of turning the old cold loader into a centre for sustainability. North Sydney Council is holding a Sustainability Festival to celebrate the grand opening in a few weekends time (10th July) which looks like a lot of fun. Maybe I will head down there and tell you about it!!