bills @ crown st., surry hills

So I'm a pretty big fan of Bill Granger; love his cookbooks, love his recipes and well, if only he could publish a few more cookbooks a year, I'd buy them all! His books are the ones I refer to constantly and end up cooking from most of the time; love how simple he makes cooking and so far, all the recipes I've tried from his books have turned out superb (it's great also that most of the ingredients he asks for are ingredients you can readily find at home). Long have I been wanting to go to try his restaurants (esp. brunch) so when J asked me to pick a place for dinner in Surry Hills, it had to be Bills!

Sourdough with ricotta and olive tapenade. An extra slice of sourdough would have been good to use up all the ricotta and olive tapenade.

They've changed the menu since J&I ate here and I'm sad to see that the slow roasted lamb is off the menu. Boo hoo!

Grilled Angus sirloin with herbed fries and anchovy butter. I do love a flavoured butter (especially after trying the truffle butter at Tetsuya's) - this anchovy butter complimented the sirloin perfectly.

Coming to Bills, I was probably the most excited about trying his desserts (yes, I'm usually excited about dessert but even more so when you talk about Bill Granger!) Here's Bill's signature chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce and creme fraiche (loved the chocolate pudding but wasn't so sure about the creme fraiche, I reckon it could've done without as the chocolate is already quite dense). Behind is the Buckwheat crepe with caramelised banana and honeyed pecans (probably my favourite of the two but quite a big serving, under the crepe you'll find yourself two whole bananas).

J's hot chocolate speckled with chocolate buttons.

The meal was everything I expected it to be. Simple food which yes, you might be able to cook at home but which you don't, because you're better off coming to eat it here. There's just a natural charm about Bill and his food which I find ever so welcoming and I really, really want to come here for brunch. Anyone care to join me?

Service here was immaculate and I admire how the staff carry themselves. My jaw dropped listening to the demands of a lady that was dining next to me, so glad my waitressing days are over! Kudos to Bill and your team of lovely staff!