Short/Sharp: Sydney North/North West/Northern Beaches Places Visited

Some of the places:

1. Absolute Thai - Hornsby - If you're in the area its worth going here. Pleasant outdoor setting (although there's a bit of space inside as well) with live music and really good food with good sized servings. It's BYO too. This is a really decent Thai restaurant - one of the best in Sydney's north. Its ealways popular but doesn't seem to have hit the radar much yet in terms of reviews.
   
2. Taxim Chinese Restaurant - Hornsby - Solid lunchtime Yum Cha restaurant (or normal Chinese for dinner) on the outside of Westfield at Hornsby. Can eat indoors or outside.
   
3. Blu Water Grill - Hornsby - Pleasant place. Prompt service and decent food. Nice outlook to the water fountain. See Review.
4. Gelatisimo - Hornsby - Typical assorted gelato. Nice for dessert after dinner nearby in Hornsby.
5. Sawasdee - Wahroonga - Nice Thai food from a local institution thats hidden from many due to its location.
6. Lee Central Park Chinese Restaurant - Thornleigh - Good suburban Chinese food. It always reliable in terms of quality, quantity and service. We go there regularly.
   
7. Jai ho Indian Restaurant - Turramurra - Good Indian food but because of its popularity it can be busy and a bit slow at times. Still doesn't stop us going back there time and time again though. The food is always reliably good - and the parking is easy in the carpark behind the place.
   
8. Creative Gourmet Pizza Cafe - Turramurra - Tasty pizza's for eat in or take away. The eat in facilities are basic but its at least a room behind the take away area so its private and its good for groups. The pizza's are very good though from this hidden place.
   
9. Peter Pan Pizzeria - Crows Nest - Not just pizza here. Does decent pasta as well and a nice place to eat al fresco on a balmy night. The service is fast, freindly and efficient and the food is not only good - but good value too.
   
10. Kam Fook - Chatswood - Possibly the best yum cha on the north shore.
    Big but always very busy.
11. Fook Yuen Seafood Restaurant - Chatswood - A bit more expensive than your average suburban Chinese restaurant but the food is better here. If its a quality Chinjese meal you're after around Chatswood then this should be on your hit list.
    
12. Epitome Cafe Restaurant - Lane Cove - Pleasant place with nice mezze and tasting plates. Can eat upstairs or downstairs inside or can eat al fresco. Its a good place to share food.
    
13. Bellini's Fine Italian Restaurant - St Ives - Food was good. Portions were decent (but not huge).
14. Max Brenners - St Ives - Good for a calorie hit (as all Max Brenner places are) but gets very crowded and slow at night on weekends - so be prepared to wait quite a while. Always grab a table first - they go quickly.
    
15. Thai Tucka - Gordon - Nice food - good service and pleasant although standard surroundings. Has tough competition in Gordon now with Season Thai just down the road.
    
16. Manly Wharf Hotel - Manly - Decent pub food but sooooo crowded on a
    Sunday afternoon/evening in warm weather. Its a big place but there is sometimes table space on a busy night right at the back - inside. The food is quite nice though - good pizza's too.
    
17. Ben and Jerry's - Manly - Some great varieties for this pricey but oh so tasty icecream. Try the chunky monkey - but in reality they are all good. Can get busy on a Friday or Saturday night and you may need to queue - but its worth it..
    
18. GPK - Castle Hill - Nice pizza's but the place can get a bit overcrowded and noisy. You can eat inside or outside - and on a pleasant day it can be a bit worm in either spot. The twists are a good entree but they are more substantial and filling that you may expect so if you order a few of these you may need to adjust your pizza orders for mains. Pizza's we've had an enjoyed are Phuket, Guatemala, Jakarta and Nova Scotia. All were good.
    
19. Max Brenners - Castle Hill - Like the other Max Brenners - good for a chocolate hit with tasty treats but very crowded on a weekend evening so be prepared to wait - possibly for quite a while.
    
20. Thai Break - North Ryde (Macquarie Centre) - Not bad Thai for a shopping centre. Decent sized serves. Ambience is ok but not amazing.
21. Citi Grill - Ryde (Top Ryde City) - Solid food in pleasant piazza. Decent sized serves. I know some others have had problems here but our meal was respectable when we went.
    
22. New Shanghai - Chatswood - Nice place to grab a quick bite. Enjoyed the shallot pancakes and some pork buns. I would certainly go back there again.
    
23. Hornsby RSL Bistro - Hornsby - Its a bistro in a big club and it has the usual good variety and decent prices you'd expect. The specials were good value too.
24. Mad Mex - Castle Hill - We went here with the singer and his lovely lady and left full and satisfied. You order at the counter and for many of their dishes they prepare it right in front of you before you pay. The servings are substantial, the flavours combine well, the meats are tender and the sauces are tangy and tasty. They are also licenced here as well although their drink list is quite limited.
    
25. Blackout - Lindfield - Popped in on a Tuesday night recently to have a drink and listen to some music. This is an intimate place with an interesting menu and some decent drinks available as well. It was extremely pleasant - the main music was great and there were some of the other performers were pretty good in between on open-mic. We're keen to go back and try the food now. The place has real atmosphere.