Eating with: Gusto 101

Gusto 101 is a relatively new hotspot for diners seeking Italian cuisine in the fashion district. The restaurant emerged out of a remodelled garage and serves dinner on two floors - we dined on the upper level which features a sunroof. While mobs of diners can regularly be seen on weekend evenings, we visited on a rainy day.

One noteworthy point is that Gusto 101 serves wine on tap! At a $1 per ounce, thirsty diners can opt for either the house red or white wines. Tiffany got a glass of the Gusto Rosso, a Cabernet Sauvignon & Malbec blend. We found the wine to be adequate but you certainly get what you pay for.

Japanese/Italian Fusion at Shiso Tree Cafe

This cute little restaurant is located in J-Town, which is a plaza that houses a Japanese grocery store and many other Japanese/fusion restaurants.  We've actually tried most of the restaurants in this plaza and I dare say we've enjoyed eating at all of them!  Particularly, Shiso Tree serves up a number of Japanese/Italian fusion pasta dishes, which sounds odd but actually tastes really good!  This is definitely one of our favourite uptown dinner spots (read: we come here often).

At our most recent visit, we brought some friends and ended up trying some new dishes!   Unnecessary snacking before dinner ruined our appetites so we decided to get something for the table to share, and split a pasta and salad between each couple.  (To be clear, each order of pasta does come with a small salad.)

Smoked Salmon Hors D'Oeuvres ($8)
Smoked salmon, Japanese mayo, ikura (salmon roe), caviar & dill on toasted garlic bread

Night Shift: Umi Sushi

It was a late Thursday night and work had just wrapped up. My colleagues and I were ready to call it a night but the pangs of hunger beckoned for a tasty meal. I asked if there were any good Korean restaurants in the neighborhood and my colleague told me there was a place real close. A couple minutes later, we ended up in front of Umi Sushi + Udon, a Japanese restaurant.

Located in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Umi Sushi + Udon was one of many dining establishments along the strip. Like others in the area, this restaurant has an open storefront and patio seating. Inside the restaurant, one will find a sushi bar with a conveyor belt that runs along the perimeter.