I Don't Eat, I Devour

Barangaroo is now home to a whole new host of restaurants and bars, from the cheap and cheery to the fancy shmancy. Banksii Vermouth Bar & Bistro is planted somewhere in the middle, but it distinguishes itself through its impressive list of vermouth (as its name would suggested). Other restaurants have long wine lists. Banskii has a long vermouth list. I didn't even know that there were that many varieties of vermouth: dry, white, red, rose...but now I do know. What a time to be alive.  L to R: raspberry citrus soda ($8); Banskii vermouth ($5); Mancino Rosso vermouth ($8), elderflower grapefruit soda ($8) The non-alcoholic sodas at Banksii all sound incredibly appetising and grown-up, but don't be fooled: these are the kind of sugar-laden concoctions that you must never, ever give to children or small dogs. I chose the Banksii vermouth - apart from its incredibly, unbelievably reasonable price, it must be something Banksii is proud of, to have put their own name on

Gogyo received quite a bit of hype even before it opened in Sydney. Owned by the same company behind Ippudo, Gogyo also has a few branches in Japan and one in Hong Kong. I know some people like Ippudo, but in my view, it barely makes top 10 of ramens in Sydney, so being Ippudo's sister restaurant, per se, didn't make me excited at all. What did pique my interest is Gogyo's signature dish: ramen in "burnt" broth, which adds a smokey depth to the broth. That was something I just had to try. Unlike most ramen restaurants, Gogyo's atmosphere is suitable for dates and more formalised catch-ups - it has a much more 'dine in' feel than your usual hole in the wall, cheap eat ramen restaurants. Gogyo also boasts a decent wine, cocktail and sake list. The prices, of course, reflect the more up-market nature of the joint. Rock Potatoes  This tiny dish is proof that good things come in small packages. Rock potatoes are slightly smashed whole tiny potato