There’s something about giving second chances. What that thing is I don’t really know yet because… me, I’m not a great one at giving second chances. In fact, it’s one of my resolutions – and um, has been for years – to work on forgiving and forgetting. As much as I generally love everyone, if somebody hurts me or hurts someone I care about, I can hold a grudge for all of eternity. And beyond.
But I’m slowly learning to give second chances. And maybe it’s easier to learn to give second chances to things that aren’t human; things are that more predictable, stable, constant. Like restaurants.
Like Blackbird Café in Darling Harbour, for example.
Blackbird Café is on the Cockle Bay Wharf side of Darling Harbour, smack bang in the middle of tourist country. My general rule of thumb is that everything in the Darling Harbour area is shit and touristy and overpriced. Well, except for Hurricane’s ribs, which are touristy and overpriced but definitely not shit.
Sure I’d been to Blackbird before… I don’t remember it being fantastic. I thought it was ok, they had a big menu, lots of space and the boat-porn view was pretty good. It’s not normally a place I would suggest, but over the last couple of weeks, we’ve lunched with various friends and family from overseas and interstate and strangely enough, we’ve ended up at Blackbird. Not once, but twice. And the food was really good.
scallop risotto with onions, peas and shaved baby fennel
grilled marinated lamb salad with roasted pumpkin, beetroot, cous cous,
baby spinach, walnuts with a mint and coriander dressing
spicy garlic prawn linguine with snowpeas, tomatoes and spinach
sweet potato and leek ravioli with sundried tomatoes and goat’s cheese
I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was, the lamb salad in particular which has been ordered three times now and has been consistently awesome. And the portion sizes are also decent, which makes the tourist price almost bearable
One thing I didn’t check out was Blackbird’s desserts. It’s one of those tough decisions where I could order something and it could possibly maybe be good, or it could also be horrible. And why take the risk when Lindt Café is just downstairs and I know for a fact their waffle (served with vanilla and white chocolate ice cream, and a little jug of hot chocolate fudge OMGKILLMENOW) is amazeballs?
So second chances huh? I’m glad I gave Blackbird a second chance. Now I just have to work on that for humans.
Blackbird Café
Balcony Level, Cockle Bay Wharf
Darling Harbour
Sydney, 2000
(02) 9283 7385
website
Lindt Chocolat Café
104-105 Cockle Bay Wharf
Darling Harbour
Sydney, 2000
(02) 9267 8064
website
