Fishermans Wharf restaurant, Pyrmont

Lazy as we are on Sunday mornings, if dumpling cravings strike we don't usually venture further than the Chinese restaurant down the road, but an interview at Fairfax's Pyrmont HQ for Sydney Story Factory volunteers provides the perfect opportunity for brunch at our new favourite yum cha venue in the fish market.

Arriving just after 11am, we're lucky to snag a small table at the back without having to queue. We're immediately offered a plate of takoyaki and don't say no. I first tried these fried octopus balls topped with mayo and bonito flakes at the Marrickville festival a few years ago and have had a soft spot for them ever since.

Apart from our favourite BBQ pork buns, the rest is pretty much a prawnfest - a mini crustacean degustation, with rice noodle rolls, dumplings and funny fat little sweet corn cakes that need a savoury splash of soy to make them interesting.

As you'd expect the prawns are great here. We love the plain har gow with a dab of chilli sauce but the prawn and chive dumplings stand out for their extra garlicky flavour. 

We leave the back way but on our way out to the car park we see the queue at the front entrance now goes all the way to the bottom of the stairs, so go early if you don't want to miss out.

Fishermans Wharf Seafood Restaurant
Level 1, Bank St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
p. 02 9660 9888
w. http://www.fishermanswharf.com.au/

Love Grub, Alexandria

For this fortnight's meeting of my RPA mums group (Rippas?), we've arranged to meet at one member's house then head to the cafe round the corner. It's a lovely day and I've left the pram at home – negotiating the stairs at Marrickville at Erskineville stations is easier with Baby Pea in the pod – so there's one less set of wheels to accommodate at our footpath table.

The daytime menu has breakfast and lunch, sandwiches and sushi but as its almost three we also have the option of the dinner menu, which includes a selection of Japas (Japanese tapas). Well, recently pregnant ladies and raw fish are an irresistible combination, and with separate requests for kingfish and tuna it makes sense to order the large sashimi plate to share. We also pick the pork gyoza and chicken karaage.

Japas sounds like a gimmick, but Love Grub takes its cuisine seriously. The regular among us reveals that the chef trained with Shaun Presland of Saké restaurant in The Rocks, and says his food is just as good.

The half-dozen gyoza are first to arrive, pretty, well flavoured and easy to eat - so easy that I only remember to snap the plate when there's one left.

Our sashimi comes with an apology for the wait while all the fish was prepared and the attention to detail and quality is obvious – it's absolutely beautiful, and we savour every piece.

We realise quite late that they've forgotten our karaage and when we remind them we get a little extra. I could easily have eaten a whole portion of the salty fried chicken with salmon pink mayo, so I don't hesitate to nab the last nugget before I bundle up my own little love grub for the walk back to Erko.

Love Grub
38 Mitchell Road, Alexandria NSW 
p. 02 9318 2323
w. http://lovegrub.com.au/