Demitasse Demi-sel: Golden at Criniti's

One out of my beautiful days in Sydney was spent leisurely strolling through the city. I had no direction of where to go food wise, and Sophie and I were both content in just appreciating how lovely everything looked bathed in sun.

Suffice it to say, sometimes these un-orchestrated days are the best. Without an inkling of a plan to follow, we were free to do... well, anything!

We started in China Town, where we had our profiles cut by this sweet, funny man. We watched him laugh and joke with a family with three young boys getting their profiles cut one after the other. Decidedly, we needed a keepsake like this too!

With our tummies (or is that just mine?) ever insatiable, we walked around getting whiffs of the late lunchtime fare. All the Asian restaurants were definitely getting us (or was that just me?) excited to eat - there were lines on lines on lines of people waiting for their fill of dimsums and the like.

We reached Darling Harbour, a familiar attraction filled with many shops, restaurants and bars. Both of us wanted something a little lighter than Chinese food, and had unhurriedly strayed here as a result.

The restaurant at hand was Criniti's. Founded in 2003 by Francesco Criniti, a man with dreams to establish a traditional eatery affording people the opportunity to experience authentic Southern Italian food in a restaurant environment. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available, and we had luckily caught a table for two in the latter. We overlooked the harbour and were surrounded with fabulous people all on late lunch dates of their own.

We noticed that the guests at Criniti's all seemed to be well-dressed, a bit of a notch above norm - there was not a pair of sneakers in sight, much to my delight! The restaurant provided warm blankets for the outdoor diners, and it was an adorable and thoughtful touch, in my opinion. A handful of couples shared them underneath tables to keep their legs cozy while clinking glasses above.

We ordered the Insalate Barbiabetole to share - beetroot, roasted pumpkin, goats cheese, walnuts and rocket with a raspberry dressing.

Wonderful freshness, exactly what I was looking for without realising it. Light and sweet on the palette, with the rocket (a.k.a. arugula) lending a pepperiness to cut through.

We toasted to pretty days like this with some pinot grigio.

Then there was the Bruschette Caprese - cherry tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, oregano, olive oil and mozzarella di bufala.

Lovely rounds of toasted bread topped with the freshest of fresh, all served so endearingly on a chopping board. Rustic and rough, this was great. Simple food for the win, every single time.

And lastly, the Panzerottini Guidettes - fried mini pizza dough pockets with ricotta, sea salt and a spicy pomodoro coulis.

They do not joke around with the word 'spicy' here, I could barely take it, and I love spice! These were alright. The ricotta was unnoticeable. I'm glad I ordered the salad, because these could've passed as a complimentary bread plate had I not known what they were.

All in all, I do quite like Critini's. It is a little bit pricey, in my opinion, but that's what you get for eating in a very prime area! We paid for good simple food and (mostly) an exceptional atmosphere.

And after a little bit of window shopping, on our way out and to the train station to head home, we stumbled across something beautiful.

As the sun was beginning to set, dance crew Beat The Streets (click for their website!) was announcing their final performance of the night. Sophie graciously agreed to watch with me, and we eagerly stood up at the very front to get a good look at them. They were hilariously entertaining, very talented, and honestly, quite the charmers. I won't say anymore than that! I'm just thanking my lucky stars that we got to watch them perform, because I am a sucker for talent like this hehe.