SIL in Bali: Our Six Course Degustation Dinner

Why hello loves! I wanted to take you back to paradise with more from our trip to Bali!

We're back once again at Viceroy Bali - seriously one of the most beautiful places on earth! If you've been reading Southern In-Law for a while, you'll know that I suffer from many many many food allergies and intolerances in addition to being a coeliac.

You wouldn't think I'd be able to eat a six course degustation dinner, would you? But the incredible team at Viceroy Bali's CasCades Restaurant made sure that I could - and ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how delicious it was!

Usually, CasCades' Candlelight Degustation Dinners are held at a unique private location - either by the pool or on the secluded area beyond the Lembah Spa, however, the weather wasn't look so fabulous on the day we had planned our degustation dinner so they kept us inside the restaurant. 

Our table was surrounded by a heart shaped border of fresh flower petals which was super cute. The chef and restaurant manager came out to meet us and presented us with our menus for the night and made sure there wasn't anything we'd like changed. We made one little change to Jesse's dessert and that was it! (I have turned Jesse into a bit of a chocoholic like me so it was a swap for the Chocolate Dessert :P) 

I was totally worried about eating six courses as I am definitely a quality over quantity girl. I eat smaller frequent meals as my stomach doesn't hold too much so I made sure to pace myself (as did Jesse). That said, by the time I saw the size of my main, I wish I had've devoured all of the delicious soup and not just a spoonful or two :P

Here's our degustation dinners!

Brunch at Third Village Cafe, Darlinghurst

English Breakfast Tea $3.50

If you, like me, have food allergies and/or intolerances - you'll know that sometimes it feels like it's impossible to eat out. Worse still if you're a coeliac or someone who suffers from a serious allergy where cross contamination is the difference between a week of being sick and enjoying your meal out. 

Third Village Cafe in Darlinghurst is a bit of a hidden gem for those with allergies. Whilst their menu only actually lists one item as "gluten free", if you ask you'll find they also have gluten free bread available and can make just about anything on the menu gluten free for you. Unfortunately the bread they use isn't soy free - but neither are breads in most of the cafes and restaurants around Sydney.

If you have other allergies/intolerances and can't eat eggs or dairy or whatever else, there are options for you - and they're more than happy to make any possible changes.

Cappucino - $3.5o

Best of all, the cafe is warm and cozy. Jesse and I had to walk all the way from Central Station as the trains were having a bit of a vacay - so when we were sat at the end of the communal table at the front, we were very happy to find the air conditioner was pumping out warm air right on us ;)

The cafe has seating both upstairs and downstairs which varies from small 2 seater tables to a large communal table and tables and chairs can easily be reorganised for bigger groups.

The staff are super friendly, chatting to the customers about their day - and the impression I got of other people eating in the cafe was that Third Village was their local haunt. Coming from the suburbs, we often find that the city lacks a bit of heart - but Third Village Certainly has it. 

Gluten Free Protein Porridge with Organic 

Brown Rice, Almonds, Quinoa, Amaranth, Nuts 

& Seeds, Served with Berry Compote and Honey 

Truth be known, we called our visit brunch just so I could eat porridge. We'd actually eaten breakfast before heading into the city - but Jesse thinks eating porridge for lunch is weird.. (Jesse also thinks eating porridge for dinner is weird - I'm trying to school him in the art of Brunch and Brinner).

The protein porridge tasted almost exactly like Brookfarm's Gluten Free Porrij (which I like). I had the berries and honey on the side as I don't like things sweet - and I also can't eat berries other than blueberries (side note, I ate strawberries the other day with no problems - so fingers crossed that's a past food intolerance!! Progress!) 

When ordering porridge in cafes or restaurants - or a similar warm dish - I always find it's best if they warm up the bowl before putting the food in it. That way, once it gets from the kitchen to your table it's not luke warm. Super picky complaint but I've gone out with other people who see this as the be all and end all. Plus... if the bowl is warm, food bloggers have more time to photograph it, eh? 

Roast Chicken Sandwich with lemon infused
mayonnaise, grilled zucchini, fresh basil, fresh
mint and mixed leaf of Sonoma Sourdough.

Jesse decided he'd order lunch rather than breakfast and chose the Chicken Sandwich. Before we left, he'd actually looked at the menu and liked the sound of the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and was a little disappointed when we got there and the menu had changed. 

Whilst he said the sandwich was good - he said it wasn't anything to write home about. Jesse tends to like food with lots of flavour - but not fussy flavour - so the lemon infused mayonnaise and grilled zucchini weren't a big hit. That said, he said the chicken was super moist and delicious - which gets a big thumbs up! 

He was kind of regretting his choice to get lunch over breakfast when he saw breakfast dishes being brought out to other people in the cafe. (Should have listened to me - breakfast is always best!) 

If you feel like something sweet, their bakery case also has a couple of Gluten Free options too - and perhaps, like their menu, has hidden GF options too? 

Would we go back to Third Village? Definitely! I'd love to see them add more gluten free items to the menu (and add gluten free options to their menu as many other GFers might give it a miss just thinking they have one option!) and Jesse is keen to get back for breakfast one weekend. 

All photos were taken with my Canon IXUS 135 (AKA: Little Blue Lou) - because Jesse would shoot me if I lugged my DSLR all the way into the city ;P 

Third Village
80 Stanley Street
Darlinghurst 2010

www.thirdvillage.com.au

(02) 9361 5826
Visit their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram Pages

They also have a new cafe in Woolloomooloo on 150 William Street.

Kristy and Jesse dined at Third Village as guests of Third Village. Whilst they did receive their meals free of charge, all opinions are their own and have not been influenced by Third Village in any way. 

But tell me, breakfast or lunch - what do you prefer?
and what's your favourite thing to order when you're out for brunch?

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Our New Favourite Cafe - DARE, The Rocks

You know, I'm one of those people. When I get excited about something - I tell everyone. I'll tell you about my new Chocolate Protein Breakfast Bakes that I'm addicted to (and that I'm desperately in need of cocoa powder to make more as I've eaten two batches in a week), I'll tell you all about the cafe I went to that had amazing peppermint tea, I'll tell you about the new store I found that has gorgeous and affordable clothes - heck, I will even give you the things I'm raving about. 

It's true, when I'm sent things for the blog (or just buy things from the store), I don't keep them all to myself - I give some to family and friends so that they can try it and give me their opinions too. When I got a delicious delivery of Cadbury Philadelphia, I sent my sister's friend home with some to share with her family - only to be sent a picture a few hours later of Lily licking her lips with a big thumbs up for the Cadbury Philly. 

It's not just because I blog that I share things - I'm just that kind of person. I love getting recommendations from family, friends and blog readers and I love sharing fabulous things I find so that others can enjoy them too. 

DARE in The Rocks is one of these things.. 

With Coeliac Disease and all of my food intolerances, the most I usually order in a cafe or restaurant is tea (but even then I've gotten sick from cross contamination!). Jesse hates that we can't go out to eat and enjoy a meal together and he hates looking across the table while he's eating to see me sitting there with nothing (or eating something out of my handbag). 

DARE totally changed that. DARE is a coeliac paradise - actually, it's paradise for many people with allergies or intolerances. For once, there were only a few things on the menu that I couldn't eat. If I didn't have any intolerances (other than a gluten allergy) there would have been even more options that I could have eaten. I didn't have to fear that I'd be sick hours later as Lee, the owner, assured me that they have entirely different preparation areas, utensils and equipment for gluten free items. 

If you look into their kitchen, you'll see the blue utensils and equipment - they're all to keep coeliacs from hating their lives in a couple of hours. DARE get cross contamination - and they get allergies and intolerances. If for some reason there's nothing you can eat on the menu or in the display case, they'll whip something up for you that you can eat. 

Plus, they make a damn good peppermint tea.

My choice from the display case was this Spinach and Ricotta Frittata (that I kinda sorta already took a bite of before taking a photo of - heh). All food at DARE is preservative and additive free - it's clean, delicious, healthy food. 

Obviously this quiche is not egg free or dairy free, but it is gluten free and I can vouch that there was no cross contamination as this sensitive coeliac was perfectly fine! 

The Frittata was ah-maze-ing. I don't know how they did it (I told Jesse it had to be laced with crack because it was so good) but it was the tastiest, most delicious thing I have had in a long time - and usually I don't like anything with whole eggs as I can taste them straight away. I could have taken home the entire tray and eaten them for a week straight.

But what about Jesse? As you know, Jesse often eats gluten free - but he still eats regular bread. After taking a bite into this french toast (the picture is pre-maple syrup covering) Jesse proclaimed that it was the "Best French Toast I Have Ever Had!". No sooner did he say that, Lee came over and let him know it was actually gluten free - and Jesse couldn't believe it. 

It was fluffy, crispy and delicious and Jesse has been talking about it ever since. 

The French Toast is a new addition to the menu as Lee is experimenting with some "American Style" breakfasts (to which Jesse said he can surely advise her on) done in a clean, preservative and additive free way. 

DARE is also the only place in Sydney which has Gluten Free Kebabs (doner kebab style) so if you are a previous gluten eater who is missing out on your old favourite - or you're sick of drooling over your friends' kebabs, you better get down to the rocks!

But not only do DARE do amazing savoury food and breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinners - they also make incredible gluten free sweets!

We took home a bunch of sweets to share with family and friends. The Chocolate Brownie is incredible (though just a little too sweet for me, the hypoglycemic without a sweet tooth) and my Dad proclaimed the Ginger Slice as the most incredible thing I've eaten in a long long time. I then told him it was gluten free and he thought I was lying. 

The Raw Balls on the right are a new addition as Lee and her team try to create more raw dishes. These have dates, mango, nuts and cacao and they looked incredible (I was wishing they didn't have mango so I could bite into them!)

So make sure you "like" their Facebook page so you can drool over their incredible food (and pay them a visit to eat that incredible food!)

DARE - The Rocks 
12/20 Playfair Street
The Rocks NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9251 1445

(They also have a store in Balgowlah)

Want More? See: Our Stay at the Swissotel Sydney - Dinner at JPB Restaurant.

But tell me, do you have a favourite restaurant or cafe?
and What's your favourite breakfast/brunch item to order when eating out?

Don't worry that Google Reader is closing,  follow Southern In-Law on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin and Feedly. You can also sign up to Southern In-Law's Weekly Newsletter here.

You can also vote and nominate Southern In-Law for some upcoming blog awards!

Kristy and Jesse ate as guests of  DARE. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions expressed are their own. 

Dinner at JPB Restaurant, Swissotel Sydney

Why hello there! You've already seen pictures from our stay at the Swissotel Sydney - but what about the food?!

If you've been reading Southern In-Law for a while, you'd already know that on top of coeliac disease - I'm also the queen of food intolerances. This means that eating out is incredibly hard and I generally didn't eat out at restaurants at all (instead eating before/after or taking my own food) to save myself from getting seriously ill. 

The Swissotel Sydney thought they could handle my allergies and intolerances - and as I get so many emails and questions from you all for allergy friendly options, I thought I'd be the guinea pig and suss things out for you. 

We had reservations at the JPB Restaurant in the hotel at 6pm, so after our lazy afternoon, Jesse and I headed downstairs for dinner.

As we sat down at our cozy corner table, our drink orders were taken and some fresh housemade bread arrived at the table. House baked spelt bread for Jesse and warm house baked gluten free bread for me!

Jesse said the spelt bread was delicious and I thought the gluten free bread was delicious too - with soft innards and a crunchy crust. In fact, I said to Jesse "oh this tastes too good... like that good that you start worrying where the gluten is hidden" - but Jesse tasted it and assured me it was definitely gluten free (this is what happens when you haven't eaten real bread for a while). 

Their menu is great, with seasonal dishes and the produce brought straight from the farmers to the hotel. All of the produce is also organic and the all of the dishes put alot of emphasis on the produce, rather than fussy sauces or fancy cover ups. 

Jesse ordered the Grainge Scotch Fillet with asparagus, potato chips and a bernaise sauce (minus the beetroot because he's not a fan) as he's a steak man and can eat anything he likes (unlike his fussy-stomached wife to be) along with a garden salad on the side. 

 Fusspot-stomached Kristy, on the other hand, had to do some adapting. I don't eat meat (for taste and digestion reasons) and I can't eat soy, and the only gluten free vegetarian option on the menu was the polenta coated tofu which clearly I can't eat.

I decided on ordering some side dishes and hoping they could change a few things up for me. I let the staff know that in addition to my coeliac disease (which I had let them know in advance - something any coeliac should do at any restaurant) I also had a number of other intolerances, including tomatoes, dishes with alot of oil/butter, spicy foods, acidic foods etc (don't worry, I didn't explain things that vaguely). 

As a broccolini fan, the steamed broccolini with toasted almonds was a no brainer, however, as soon as I put the first piece in my mouth I noticed something..... the steamed broccolini was coated in butter? I quickly asked the waitress and she apologised and told me she'd get another dish made without butter.

 I also ordered the side salad, though completely switched it up so that it was more substantial (girl can't just eat lettuce!). I added bocconcini, beetroot and cucumber as they were items I could eat and were already on the menu. 

First off the salad came out with tomatoes, which the waiter quickly noticed when he walked past and sent it back to the kitchen to be made again. Insert Kristy feeling absolutely terrible and super embarassed as I hate having to make people go out of their way for me! 

Soon the new dishes were arriving at our table, brought out by the chef who assured me that everything had been fixed up and completely new dishes had been made. He noticed there was one tomato on the plate with the broccolini and offered to make another new dish, however, I told him it was fine and pushed it aside. 

The broccolini was delicious and the toasted almonds went perfectly with it - but the salad was so so. But it was the best I could do and I was appreciative that they tried their best to accomodate for me - I'm just a little bit spoilt by my amazing salad making skills I suppose ;) I don't know about you, but I hate pickled beets even though I absolutely adore fresh and roasted beetroot so I was sad to see pickled beets in the salad and ended up pushing them to the side. 

The view from the restaurant was absolutely gorgeous, with big open windows looking out onto the city lights and the seating was incredibly comfortable - with booth seating with cushions around the outside of the dining area and regular seating in the middle.

The only thing not so good was that the seating was quite squishy and close together. I'm not a big girl, so that didn't bother me, however, I heard a few comments from a table near us about the table being too close and I am sure that would make some people feel uncomfortable. 

Suprisingly, the restaurant was quite quiet - with you only able to hear the conversations of those who were closest to you - and not the whole restaurant's noise like you sometimes find in restaurants without soft furnishings. 

Knowing that sugar would go straight to my head, having eaten mainly vegetables, I gave dessert a miss - however, Jesse decided on an alternative dessert... a serve of fries. 

The little basket the fries came out with was super cute and Jesse was in heaven (when we're out for dinner, I don't care what he eats as we don't eat fried food at home). 

I settled with a pot of peppermint tea which was delicious and the perfect ending for a cool night. 

Then we headed back up to our room (as Jesse told me it was too chilly to walk in the city) and relaxed before bed. 


Now... I know someone is going to say Kristy, that wasn't enough for dinner! and I agree, so I can promise you - bananas and peanut butter were devoured once we were in our room. 

When travelling with intolerances or allergies, you always need to be prepared. In this case, it was BYOB (bring your own banana) but I always make sure I have added extras in my purse or suitcase just in case.

Needless to say, Sydney Swissotel's JPB Restaurant is a great choice with a stunning view (just make sure you politely ask to sit at an edge table!) and the staff are incredibly friendly and accomodating. AND I didn't end up sick at the end of the night, so it's a coeliac win! 

Swissotel Sydney - JPB Restaurant

68 Market Street

Sydney 2000 NSW

Phone: +61 2 9238 8888 Email: jpb.sydney@swissotel.com

Want More? See: Our Stay at the Swissotel Sydney - Brunch at DARE, The Rocks.

So tell me, have you ever sent food back at a restaurant?
and if you have allergies/intolerances, what's your tips for dining out?

Don't worry that Google Reader is closing,  follow Southern In-Law on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin and Feedly. You can also sign up to Southern In-Law's Weekly Newsletter here.

You can also vote and nominate Southern In-Law for some upcoming blog awards!

Kristy and Jesse stayed as Guests of the Swissotel Sydney. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions expressed are their own. Only a complimentary one night stay and dinner at JPB was provided.