A while back, I bought a Living Social voucher for two pizzas and two beer tasting boards for $25. I’d never been (or even heard of) The Australian Brewery in Rouse Hill before, but I do like to try new places in search of cheap date ideas. And especially now that we have a little one, pub bistros are quite appealing.

Mr CDS and I were quite surprised (in a good way!) when we arrived at the Brewery. The bistro section has a large, open feel and at lunch time on a Sunday was buzzing with families. The service was friendly, polite and relaxed. We were able to  choose two pizzas from a menu of around ten varieties. I went for the “Chilli King Prawn with basil salsa verde & fresh lemon” and Mr CDS chose the ridiculously named “Brewpreme – pepperoni, onion, ham, mushroom, & capsicum”. We were both very happy with our pizzas. I love a prawn pizza but, as with anything seafoody, it’s always a bit of a risk. I’m not sure whether my prawns were indeed king prawns but no matter, it was tasty and the base was crispy. The salsa verde added lots of colour and a fresh taste – heightened by a good squeeze of lemon. I had a bite of the Brewpreme and it too was tasty, crispy, and very satisfying. Both pizzas had generous amounts of toppings which made us happy.

I’m not much of a beer drinker, but the novelty of a beer tasting board is hard to resist, so I had a few sips of each kind. Fun! And beery. The bar staff were kind enough to swap one of the beers for their “Spider cider” which I was keen to try. Not my favourite cider ever, but would be a hit with those who like their ciders quite dry. Still, we had a great time reading the blurbs on the beer menu and comparing flavours.

While we were there we noticed a kids area complete with face-painting, as well as a decent kids menu (mac and cheese, nice!) so my suspicions of this being a family friendly venue were confirmed as true.

All in all, we are keen to return even without a voucher.

Total date rating: 4/5 (We were pretty pleased with this find)
Total date cost: $25 (would be roughly $53 without the Living Social deal – “roughly” because I’m not sure how much the beer tasting platters are, we think we saw a mention of $5 somewhere which seems an exceptionally good deal!)
Link: The Australian Hotel and Brewery

Awesome image from here.

That’s right, we (Mr CDS and I) procreated! We now have a small family member who goes by the moniker of Miss D. This is me and she:

Cute, yeah? This was taken months ago, on her very first date out with Mr CDS and I. More on that to come!

I’m not even sure if any of my readers are still around… time will tell. Or rather, my WordPress stats will tell. Muchos gracias to those who still remember me! xox

We are greeted warmly and it is a standard of service which continues through our evening. Everyone is friendly and lovely, even if we are looked after by three different people and our (first) waitress forgets to give us the specials or wine list. We were pleased to learn that the pasta special (which happens every Wednesday and Sunday night) includes any of the pastas on the menu, with a $7 surcharge for those that contain seafood (fair enough I reckon!). Mr CDS likes the sound of the bucatini while I cannot avoid the temptations of a traditional lasagne. The lasagne is decent: nothing too remarkable, but the pasta is cooked well and both the white and red meat sauces are generous and delicious. However it arrives, as does the bucatini, slightly cold in some areas.

Hearty meals for $10 each; I really can’t complain. The food is decent enough and the atmosphere is so friendly that gaffes are forgotten. I’d return here on a cheap date again or with a group – families seem especially welcome.

Total date rating: 2.5/5
Total date cost: $32 (we had a glass of house red each as well as our pastas)
Link: Tre Pesci http://www.trepesci.com.au/

I assume the reason this promotion came into being was due to expected slow business at the cinema during Feb/March. This makes sense as there have not been a lot of appealing (to me) movies on lately! But I sometimes am nice enough to let Mr CDS pick a movie and so last night found us sitting in a mostly empty cinema watching The Men Who Stare At Goats. This film is a who’s who of incredibly handsome and/or talented actors (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Bridges) and despite its bizarre storyline, is actually quite a sweet and uplifting tale of optimism, imagination and camaraderie. There are a fair number of LOL moments too – Clooney in particular is just so deft in bringing ridiculousness to life.

For a pre-movie snack/dinner (you know those nights where you’re not starving but you want to eat something before the movie otherwise you WILL be starving when you get out? Yeah.) we headed to Mad Mex. I’ve written about these guys before, and I am still a fan. My #1 reason for liking Mad Mex is that it is a tastier, more wholesome alternative to Maccas etc al, but with a similar speed and ease. I noticed they’ve changed the menu slightly – there is now the option of a smaller sized burrito (which is what I chose) and some different salsas too. To be honest, everything I’ve ever eaten at Mad Mex has tasted somewhat similar (kinda like Maccas, eh?) but this is not necessarily a negative thing – it’s all pretty tasty.

I had a small burrito with shredded beef and tomatillo salsa (along with the standard salad, cheese and sour cream). Mr CDS had a regular burrito (they’re really quite big!) with pork and corn salsa. We both suffered from a bit of acid reflux later that night, either an added bonus with all Mad Mex meals, or we’re getting old. Maybe both.

Total date cost: $33 ($15 for the movie and $18 for burritos). Not bad at all!
Total date rating: 4/5 (You really can’t beat the classic dinner + a movie combo, even on a tight budget!)
Links: Event Cinemas Mad Mex

*My tips for being in the know when it comes to sales/freebies/specials: Join Facebook groups, add companies on Twitter, and sign up for newsletters. Yes, you will have some more junk(mail) in your trunk, but I think the savings can be worth it.

Well hello there! Long time no write. I have missed you!

This has been a much longer break that I was expecting. I originally intended just to take January off from blogging here as we were away until the 7th and January is always such a busy (but at the same time quite lazy) month. But then some quite serious family issews came up, and now it is almost mid-March. I don’t regret this mild abandoning of CDS, but the fact is that we still do go on dates, and in hard times they are probably what we need the most: the joy of sharing good food, good conversation, a hint of romance but most of all just spending time with a loved one – this is what dates are all about. So, if I’m still going on cheap dates, I may as well write about them! So I’m back.

But firstly I wanted to write a little about a topic which is quite exciting to me, and fits in with the whole aim of the Cheap Date lifestyle (that is, to live well.. on a budget!). I recently joined a CSA-style fruit and veggie delivery organisation called Food Connect Sydney. Each week, me and the mister go and pick up our box of (mostly certified!) organically grown fruit and veg. There has been a different variety each week, but there’s always more than plenty for the two of us (we get the $50 mixed medium box). It may sound nerdy but I can tell you it is a lot of fun going through the box each week to see what new treasures we’ve received! As a result, we’ve tried some new things which we wouldn’t usually buy (kale, for example – yum yum!) which is a great added bonus. I love knowing that we’re supporting local farmers who use sustainable practices – and that we’re paying them a fair price for doing so. Win win indeed.
This sounds a bit like an ad, but it’s not, I just love my veggie box!

You can sign up here:
http://sydney.foodconnect.com.au/?page_id=262
Or read the FAQ here:
http://sydney.foodconnect.com.au/?page_id=45
P.S. The photo above has nothing to do with the veggie box, but does have something to do with how I’ve been spending my time away from Cheap Date Sydney!

Mr CheapDateSydney and I ventured here recently on a busy Sunday afternoon for a late lunch date. I do prefer to visit here with friends as it’s always a good value, fun night out, but on this occasion it’s just the two of us. And while it may not seem romantic, it’s actually a very good place for a date as you have zero distractions to compete with. There is no ambience, if to you ambience means decor and tablecloths and nice cutlery. There’s none of that, but the buzz in the air is just as enjoyable. And anyway, it’s all about the dumplings.

We ordered one serving of each of the following dumplings: pork and coriander, vegetable, pan fried pork buns, and of course the xiao long bao (soup dumplings). All of them are tasty, fresh and good, although the veggie were our least favourite as they have far less flavour than the others. For me the xiao long bao are the clear winner – that scorching hot soup inside is just incredible!

We paid around $34 all up and left pretty much stuffed, with enough leftover dumplings to feed a hungry boy for lunch the next day. In hindsight we shouldn’t have ordered the vegetable dumplings, and we still would’ve been very satisfied!

Total date cost: $34
Total date rating: 4.5/5
Link: Ha! No. But here’s the Eatability page instead.

Now tell me: what’s your dumpling dip of choice? Mr CDS goes for soy while I cannot get enough vinegar. What’s your vote?

1. Pop into the Queen Victoria Building to see the Christmas tree (fanciest Christmas tree in Sydney?) and have a coffee at one of the many cafes in and around the QVB. (note: the tree above is my tree, not the QVB tree!)

2. Visit Manly for a dip in the water and an over-the-top icecream at Cold Rock. Catch a ferry over from Circular Quay for bonus points!

3. Find a friend who will let you sit in their backyard and reward them with a big jug of Pimm’s. (Perhaps a good opportunity to introduce your new date to your mates?)

4. Watch the ol’ classic, Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet ­ then listen to the equally cool soundtrack. (I was reminded how great this movie is by this DesignSponge post.)

5. If you’re in the CBD for Christmas shopping, make sure to check out the Laneways By George! exhibition. This runs for a while so no hurry, but it’s really lovely. I thought ‘Forgotten Songs’ was particularly sweet, and poignant! Wandering the laneways and stopping for a drink at Ivy bar could be quite pleasant and romantic!

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insignifica/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

For starters, we chose the intriguingly named “explosive eggs” from the “Small dishes” section of the menu, and we were pretty glad we did. This is basically a couple of fried eggs buried under “minced” chicken, which is actually chicken chopped very finely, all combined with a deliciously salty, sweet soy sauce. But the result is greater than the sum of its parts, because I really loved this dish. It was fun, delicious and a great choice for either starter or main.

Unfortunately our experience went downhill from there – some of which can be put down to bad menu choices, but some which has no excuse at all. We played it pretty safe and chose a beef dish (Tay-Po Curry: Beloved Thai local curry from middle of Thailand. Beef cooked in tamarind , red coconut cream curry, lime leaves, Siamese water spinach and chilli topped with crispy noodle) and a chicken dish (Pad Kee Mow Gai Sab: Stir fried minced chicken with chilli, basil, onion, lime leaves, lemon grass, young pepper corn, water spinach, chinese broccoli and green bean). Hey, at least it wasn’t pad thai!

When the chicken dish came out, we realised how similar it was to the explosive eggs. A small comment explaining our infortuitous choice would’ve been appreciated, but never mind, this is just cheap Thai, right? And it was kinda our fault.But the beef dish was even more disappointing. It looked and tasted great, but the beef was of a mediocre, chewy quality. Not nice! I’m not expecting wagyu but even our local food court Thai is better than that.

The good points? Generous rice serving, nice presentation, and quite a lovely setting considering it’s on a very busy road. The Entertainment Book voucher also makes it very good value.

The most disappointing moment, however, came when it was time to leave. We handed over our cash, and waited a good five minutes before we realised… they’re not coming back with our change. We embarrassingly had to get up and ask for it, and it was obligingly given (though no word of apology). I’m not sure whether they assumed it was a tip, or it was just an oversight, but either way, not a great end to a meal which had already lost a few points along the way. I’m really not interested in giving bad reviews for the sake of it, but I left feeling that I probably wouldn’t recommend this place to my friends. It just wasn’t worth it when you consider that Sydney is dime a dozen for cheap and cheerful Thai restaurants.

Anyway, the night was not a total fail. We went on to see Moon at the Cremorne Orpheum. Have you been to the Orpheum? I think it is my favourite cinema in Sydney. It’s a beautiful restored Art Deco style building, with special touches everywhere you look. And it’s unique. That alone is exciting enough amongst all the Event/ Hoyts multiplexes around (not that I don’t like those too, hehe). Oh, and their choc-tops are fab!

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karsoe/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I can’t say too much about Moon without spoiling a major plot point, but the direction, design and acting performances are all stellar (har har pun intended). Sam Rockwell, who I was not familiar with before I saw this film, is a fantastic actor who you can’t help but feel endeared to, and the music was also a high point for me (to be expected when the director is the son of David Bowie I suppose!). I think Moon has finished its run at the cinema now, but if you’re at all into sci-fi or space-themed movies, then grab it on DVD, you won’t be disappointed.

Total date rating: 4/5
Total date cost: $60 (would be $85 without Entertainment Book vouchers for Stir Crazy and the Orpheum)
Links: Stir Crazy Thai and The Cremorne Hayden Orpheum

1. Catch a bus to the Newtown Festival for music, markets, a dog show, food and drinks. And more!

2. Make a big bowl of popcorn and have a TV series marathon of your choice. A lot of episodes are viewable on TV channel websites these days. My recommendations are Glee or Jamie’s American Road Trip.

3. Visit Parramatta Park for a stroll and a coffee at the cafe.

4. Hold hands while you do the Bondi to Tamarama walk and view the Sculpture By The Sea exhibition. [Ideal first or second date ­ - art is a great conversation starter!]

5. Hop into one of the Menya locations for a big bowl of ramen. You could even have a romantic Lady and the Tramp moment, ­ Japanese style!

So we were not daunted by the average reviews of Sushi Choo’s All You Can Eat Sushi deal. Reports commonly said the sushi was average. Not the freshest or tastiest or most exciting. Just average. Disappointing, even. But we did not desist. We arrived nice and early and plonked ourselves into some oversized, fancy chairs. (Fancy is a good word to describe the Ivy, no? Mr CDS, who had never been before, was quite amazed I think.)

At 6pm on the dot, we were let in to Sushi Choo. It’s all dim and red and kitschy but pretty decoration: toy robots, huge red blooms in spherical vases, and huge red lanterns. As soon as we’re seated, our attention is drawn to the sushi train. At first it’s just a couple of different maki rolls travelling along, then some edamame, then (hooray!) some seaweed salad. As the evening progresses, we count no less than fourteen different items:

• tempura prawns (not bad)
• seaweed salad
• cold tofu (I was disappointed with this – I was expecting sweet, sweet agedashi but this was just bland and cold)
• gyoza (lovely! So freshly cooked, and very juicy)
• salmon nigiri (yes it’s true: the fish to rice ratio is somewhat disheartening)
• prawn nigiri
• tuna nigiri
• raw tuna maki
• cooked tuna maki
• chicken maki (or was it pork? hmmm…)
• salad (you know the kind, with iceberg and that sweet dressing. It also had radishes, which I thought was cute)
• macaroni (I didn’t have this but the Mister was a big fan)
• pickled veg
• edamame

The clear favourites: the perfect seaweed salad and the tasty gyoza.The most disappointing: the cooked tuna maki (tasted funny, and I don’t say that about many things).

So, if you can handle average sushi (and as much of it as you want!) and you appreciate the bits and pieces that come along with it, then go ahead and choo-choose Sushi Choo. You won’t regret it.

Total date cost: $40
Total date rating: 4/5 (I almost wish I had arrived hungrier! Great value)
Link: Sushi Choo – the all you can eat deal is only available from 12-1pm and 6-8pm on weeknight.