Good times collective #5

I'm on a holiday countdown, and not-so-quietly stoked about it. But in the meantime, there have been plenty of fun times in Sydney that I forget that we're almost at the halfway mark of the year.

Wagyu reuben sandwich with rosemary fries from Reuben and Moore,
Level 5, Westfield Sydney

I hadn't really tried the proper Reuben sandwich at Reuben and Moore (renamed since my initial visit to the Westfield Level 5 food court). It requires a hungry lunchtime and one came up recently; hence the rosemary fries aside the sandwich which by the way, are fantastic.

It can be a bit of a messy sandwich to eat, the Reuben, with its soft rye bread, wet sauerkraut, creamy dressing and slippery Swiss cheese. And not to forget the rich and buttery wagyu corned beef, which is piled on to the sandwich generously and really makes a meal of it.

Chobani plain Greek Yogurt
(Food, booze and shoes received samples with thanks to Chobani)

The Chobani brand of thick Greek yogurts (American spelling due to it currently being produced in the US) has been in select NSW and Victorian Woolworths supermarkets for a while now in their fruity flavours.

Now Chobani's plain Greek yogurt is available in fat free and 98% fat free options, in 170 grams or 907 grams (RRP $1.99 and $5.79 respectively). The straining technique used for making Chobani apparently means that the yoghurt doesn't break down and split when heated in cooking, and so can be used as a substitute for butter, oil, sour cream, mayonnaise, milk or cream.

Chobani cranberry oatmeal bars

When I was sent a sampling of the plain yoghurts - along with a cute apron and oven glove - to test out some Chobani Kitchen recipes, I went with a breafast-y recipe for a kind of healthy cranberry oatmeal bar.

I don't think I've ever used yoghurt in a slice before so it was interesting to see the cranberry and yoghurt layer come together on top of the oat base, resulting in a homely, sweet slice with a moist and fruity top layer.

Beef and tomato chutney pie stack at Pie Face, Castlereagh Street, Sydney

On a chilly day, nothing quite hits the lunch spot like a Pie Face stack: generous scoops of mashed potato and peas, dribbled with gravy, all over your favourite pie. My favourite is the Beef and Tomato Chutney pie, and I rarely order anything else (maybe the occasional sausage roll when the mornings are seedy).

Cheese platter from Societe Food and Wine Bar, Danks Street, Waterloo

Danks Street in Waterloo continues to evolve and grow into a realy gourmand's heaven. One place I hadn't seen before buying their deal voucher was Societe Food and Wine Bar; a glitzy, spacious restaurant/cafe that was an interesting addition to the more rustic and homely places on the street.

I can't speak for the food but there's not much margin for error when it comes to cheese platters. Served with a bottle of Riverston Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, it was more the epic size of this platter that impressed.

There is no way this could possibly have been an after-dinner cheese plate, with a Jenga stack of mature vintage cheddar (unnamed), Old Telegraph Road Triple Cream White and Sapphire Blue, and Yarra Valley Black Savarine Goats Cheese which was my favourite of the lot.

Sirena Tonno e Riso samples
(Food, booze and shoes received Sirena samples and a gift pack from The PR Edge)

When I was sent a gift pack of Sirena Tuna & Rice samples, I have to admit to being more excited by the Plumm flutes they also sent along with sparkling wine piccolos. There's a great story behind Plumm and they're Australian-designed and anything but pretentious - which suits the convenience and simple heat-and-eat Sirena Tuna & Rice range.

Also edible straight from the pack, 30-40 seconds in the microwave results in a small, snack-sized hit of seasoned tuna and rice; my favourite being the Spicy Tomato. I've found these come in handy for a quick, easy and relatively healthy dose of protein and carbohydrates - especially during a busy work day or a sneaky between-meal snack.