By Elizabeth Mutambara and Evie Jaye
It takes one minute of weakness to lose years of hard work.
One rendezvous to ruin your marriage.
One decision to make or break your dreams.
One trancendent dining experience to change your definition of a perfect meal.
The Sydney bar scene has provided many, many acceptable (but unfortunately same-same) dining venues that ordering a bistro meal has become similar to ordering a beer - with a few exceptions, you know exactly what will be placed in front of you.
From the outside, Ruby L'Hotel looks like a schnitzel with fries and gravy kind of place.
But pass the drab tiled exterior, and you'll realise that the meal you have ordered is going to be very different.
Inside, apart from somehow seeming a world away from the rat-race outside, it is immediately charming.
Cosy, open and somehow refreshing, the main bar seems like a beautiful escape from the more aggressive, insulting parts of Sydney.
We are welcomed into the hotel by the brilliant smile of the barmaid on duty, who immediately enquires as to whether our party are diners or liquid-lunchers.
When my dining partners and I hesitate to answer, we are given not only a quick, concise tour of of the cocktail and dining options, but are also provided with the '10 buck lunch' menu available Monday through Friday, which in itself provided such temptations as smoked salmon and caper berry salad, and a seven hour lamb sandwich with relish, caramelised onion and aioli.
After chatting with the very congenial general manager, James Miller, we are persuaded to sample from the full menu, including not only the pub essentials but a surprisingly healthy array of yum cha options.
Not being able to help ourselves, we ordered entrees that would have been fit for several kings. The edamame, a mainstay Asian snack, came warm and gently seasoned with crispy sea salt flakes.
As we sat in the spacious beer garden snacking on the beans, and waiting for the main meal, James started to tell me how he went from being 'another person in the crowd' to one of Australia's most successful business men.
The road to success started when James and business partner and friend, Luke Baylis, came back from a trip to the US.
They came back with a lot of memories and a lot more weight.
Trying to shed the kilos, they realise that, like in America, there was a lack of healthy take away restaurants in Australia.
Several months later, they came up with their $60 million a year healthy fast food chain, Sumo Salad.
James and Luke went on to open another pub on the Princess Highway, the Stellar Inn.
Running a business empire that consisted of 80 eateries in New Zealand, Dubai, UK and Australia, James and Luke then decided to expand their empire and opened up their newest venture in 2009, the Ruby L'otel in Rozelle, Sydney.
It was not what James said about their newest venture, however, that made me think that Ruby L'otel is a gem in the making.
The beer garden is spacious and beautifully designed, creating a nice distraction from a busy schedule. Even the babies who had come with their mothers were silent.
The menu was posh but with blue collar prices and the food was exceptional.
The handmade barramundi dumplings, shiitake dumplings and pork and chive dumplings were a nice way to start the main meal. Hand made by the head chef, Raja, the freshness could be tasted, making them hands down the best dumplings I have ever tasted.
I thought I knew Thai beef salad, but then I tried Ruby L'otel's version. The lemon, the cashew nuts, the soft beef, the fried onions and the sweet flavours were brilliant. I couldn't stop eating.
I thought it couldn't get any better until I saw the sizzling chicken dish. The dish came on a hot platter, still sizzling as it was put down the table.
Raja, personally brought out the sizzling chicken and I couldn't help but applaud him for serving us, one of the best meals I have ever had.
As we talked, I learned that Raja is a qualified computer engineer who decided to annoy his parents and rebel in the best way he knew how: by enrolling in a culinary school. It worked, but he ended up falling in love with cooking.
Raja said that despite having the privilege of making exquisite meals, he and James realised that they had to cater to those who liked pub food.
Steaks were available and katsu chicken, which tastes like chicken schnitzel except healthier.
There were also baby back pork ribs served with Ruby fries that were nicely crisped on the outside and soft on the inside.
James also made a special kids menu that had traditional kids foods such as chicken nuggets and paddle pops.
The Ruby L'otel is definitely a pub that stands out from the rest
The meals range from $2 to $32.90 and the banquets from $45 - $55.
The extensive wine list ranges from $27 -$95, and there is also a cocktail and shots list.