newtons cocina, urbanbites & gould's

We had to find some place to parade my new rain boots from Target, and it was decided the best place for that would be Newtown (again). Remembering how good the complimentary starter drink that was a concoction of spicy chilli, tequila and we-know-not-what-else-is-in-it served in a shot glass at the modern Mexicana restaurant Newtons Cocina, Mr KT and I decided to pay them a visit again, this time with the Hokkien Aeroplane Housemate (HAH).



It was too dark in the restaurant for us to take any decent photos of the deco and food that we can show to the world, hence the lack of droolicious pics. For the entrees, we had nachos with guacamole, salsa Mexicana and chicken. The corn chips became too soggy towards the bottom of the pile and it became quite revolting. For the mains, we had the chargrilled beef fajitas which we didn't quite like as the meat was too tough (they were a lot better the last time we went though), and the quesadillas with smoked salmon, pickled jalapenos and red onion - this was the best dish of the night! I've only ever had chicken or beef quesadillas, and this is my first time coming across one with fish or seafood.

And the highlight of the meal was the drinks. As mentioned, we liked the complimentary shots so much that we shamelessly asked for second and third rounds which the server obliged after we expressed our extreme disappointment that they don't serve these on the menu - we would have gladly paid for a bottle of that. I also had a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri I liked a lot despite it being a sweet gu-niang cocktail. I stopped at that because I was the designated driver for the night. Mr KT had a classic Margarita and HAH had a Midori Margarita and they both didn't quite like their drinks. They then got adventurous and proceeded to sample the imported tequila selection in various interesting shooter styles. HAH had a Jose Cuervo Especial in the Mexican Flag style while Mr KT had two doses of Jose Cuervo Clasico in first the Mexican Flag shooter style followed by the Orange and Cinnamon style. All of the shooters were bloody good!

Next stop, Urban Bites Cafe where HAH had some tea and did some reading, I had a decaf cinnamon mugaccino and we both did some silly camwhoring. This cafe has become a favourite haunt of mine as it opens til late, serves great coffee and food, and is in close proximity to a newly discovered gem of a used book store.



Gould's Book Arcade has been around in various locations in Sydney for over 35 years. This store was set up in King St, Newtown in 1988. It opens til midnight 7 days a week but Bob Gould da man in charge will sometimes call it a night earlier at 11pm when business is slow.



Oh, the treasures you'll find in this double storey mess of a bookstore, I can't even begin to list them. This place definitely deserves more than a visit or two.



And that concludes our wet Friday night out. How did you spend yours?