Find Your Comfort Zone with a Meal at these 7 Eateries

We all crave a certain comfort food when we are feeling down, under the weather or just looking for a pick-me-up. It is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value and is quite often characterised by its high-caloric nature and association with childhood or home cooking.

Ultimate Aussie comfort food choices include everyone’s fave butter chicken, chicken parmigiana, pizza with pineapple, a burger with the lot and the humble meat pie…here are seven venues to get a comfort food fix:

Those looking for a cosy corner café to hang out with a coffee in Holt head to Bunny Beans Café on Hardwick Crescent. Named after owner Bernard’s nickname, this café exudes rustic charm from recycled timber, exposed brick and dark wood table settings; while on balmy Canberra days, take to the alfresco area with your fur baby to people watch.

 

 

Kickstart your day with a comforting plate of shakshuka baked eggs with feta, parsley and soft Turkish bread, or join a lively lunch crowd for a buttermilk crispy fried chicken burger with chipotle aioli, pickled red cabbage, lettuce, cheese and chips. Perhaps opt for a lunch special such as salt and pepper calamari fried rice, or wrap your hands around a Reuben toasted sandwich.

Discover a culinary passage to Japan’s heart at IKKAI on Hardware Street in Melbourne’s CBD. Rooted in a passion for Japanese gastronomy, IKKAI is a haven where tradition, innovation and the finest Wagyu steak converge as skilled Chefs meticulously craft sukiyaki, izakaya and donburi dishes.

 

Be transported to the vibrant streets of Tokyo with every bite, all enjoyed in a comforting and welcoming vibe; team an ice-cold Sapporo beer with starters such as crunchy chicken karaage and dipping sauce, before sharing a Wagyu sukiyaki set for two with certified Australian beef, miso soup and vegetables, paired with a beer tower.

Locals and those passing through head down Railway Terrace to Guildford Mina Pizzeria for piping hot Lebanese-style manoosh pizza. From the moment the doors open there is a flood of diners seeking fresh, made-to-order slices whether taking away, lingering awhile alfresco or indoors where tempting aromas waft from the pizza oven to have taste buds salivating.

 

Find comfort in pizza slices such as peri peri chicken with cheese, capsicum, onion, mushroom and marinated chicken on a peri peri base; or chow down on a meat lovers pizza with cheese, beef and pepperoni and a BBQ base. Seafood lovers devour Blazing Prawns – cheese, prawns, capsicum, mushroom and jalapeños, topped with chilli flakes on a tomato base; while sweet tooths finish with Nutella pizza, topped with strawberry or banana.

Located in the centre of Sydney’s CBD in the Occidental Hotel, the Fairmont restaurant on York Street is the ideal location for client meetings, long power lunches or an after-work celebration. Find white-clothed tables, sparkling glassware and plush carpeting as you enjoy a pre-meal cocktail or wine and peruse a Modern Australian menu showcasing every cut of meat from Wagyu rump to New York sirloin.

 

Enter your comfort zone with a starter of spanner crab poached in olive oil with lime, salmon roe, crème fraiche and toasted brioche; moving onto memorable mains such as prime eye fillet with peppercorn sauce and sides of French fries and Brussels sprouts, bacon and burnt butter. Finish indulgently with apple crumble and peanut butter ice cream.

Enjoy an extensive range of dosa, biryani, curries and mouth-watering thalis to get your palate running at The Dosa Hub on Great North Road in Five Dock. Serving some of the best dosa in Sydney, white-clothed tables, vibrant artwork and tantalising aromas await discerning diners seeking Indian fare to soothe the soul and appetite.

 

Expect simple yet comforting dishes rich in nutrition and health, such as iconic dosa like masala served with sambar, peanut and coconut chutney; before special goat curry cooked on the bone, with potatoes, mustard, smoky peppers and sides of steamed basmati rice, cheese and garlic naan and papadums. For a sweet treat, finish with Nutella dosa and vanilla ice cream, garnished with nuts.

Melbourne phoodies looking for their Vietnamese fix head to Pho Oak Park on Snell Grove. This warm and inviting restaurant has a calming ambience of polished wood, dark grey walls adorned with artwork and paper lanterns softly glowing overhead, ideal for lingering over steaming bowls of pho rice noodle soup.

 

From an authentic menu covering every dish from fried wontons to honey chicken, dip your spoon into a comforting bowl of rare beef and brisket pho rice noodle soup; then delve into stir-fried seafood with oyster sauce, Chinese broccoli and steamed rice, or chicken and vegetables with crispy egg noodles.

Great buns make great burgers at Joe’s Milkbar on Russel Street in Albion Park. Nestled inside Albion Park Shopping Village, this burger joint is well-loved for its housemade buns and doughnuts, along with loaded fries and chicken tenders. Rise and shine, it’s coffee time – stop by for an early morning comforting caffeine fix, or dine later in the day in surrounds of whitewashed timber, tiled floors, glowing bulb lighting and potted greenery.

Let the Nashboy burger light a fire in your belly, with Nashville hot chicken, coleslaw, pickles and mayo, or wrap your hands around the Americano – beef, double cheese, bacon, caramelised onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato and burger sauce. Perhaps devour fried buttermilk chicken tenders and loaded voodoo poutine chips with Cajun salt, gravy and halloumi crumble.